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John Cable
An Atlanta singer/songwriter is looking forward to returning to Ellijay to play a show that’s become something of an after-Thanksgiving tradition for a local group.
John Cable will open for Ellijay’s Surrender Hill at the group’s Thanksgiving weekend concert at the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse Saturday, Nov. 25.
Cable, a former guitarist for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, performed here for the first time during the Ellijay Songwriter Festival held at several of the county’s wineries and the playhouse in May.
“We had a really great time (at the songwriter fest),” Cable said. “I did a songwriter’s workshop at the playhouse with (Atlanta singer/songwriter) Mark Miller and (Surrender Hill vocalist/guitarist) Robin Salmon, which was fabulous. The wineries were great, everybody was very welcoming and the crowds were really respectful.”
Although his time with the Dirt Band was brief (1976-77), Cable has plenty of stories and memories from that era, which included touring internationally and the release of the triple album “Dirt, Silver and Gold.”
He was with the Dirt Band when it became the first American group to perform in the Soviet Union. Known worldwide for their hit song “Mr. Bojangles” and groundbreaking “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” album, the Dirt Band embarked on a monthlong 28-concert tour of Russia in ‘76. Cable was later the first American to lecture at the Moscow Conservatory of Music on the history of western blues and rock music.
“Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev had developed a cultural exchange program. America got the Bolshoi Ballet and Russia got the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,” Cable remembered. “Russia sent a delegation over to the U.S., and the groups they were interested in were the Beach Boys, Chicago and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They picked us because we had a broader range of American music. We played some bluegrass, country, rock and blues. We were just more indicative of American music. In fact, the Dirt Band could be considered some of the godfathers of the Americana (genre).”
After his stint with the Dirt Band, Cable joined with members of singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphy’s former backing band in the group Redbird. They recorded part of a debut album, but due to a series of bad circumstances, the project was never finished.
“It was a really strong band, though, and everybody went on to do some cool stuff. Our bass player ended up being the Jackson 5’s bandleader, and our drummer ended up playing with the Oak Ridge Boys and doing some studio stuff in Nashville,” Cable said.
More recently, Cable has been active as a solo performer and alongside founding Dirt Band member, banjo player/mandolinist John McEuen.
“John and I just did a show together in Alabama about four weeks ago. He’ll be coming back (to Atlanta) to play Eddie’s Attic in January, and I’ll probably play that show with him as well,” Cable said.
Cable doesn’t often perform Dirt Band songs at his shows, instead focusing on his ample original material. His 2015 CD, “Broken Knife,” is a good sampling of his proficiency with country, blues, bluegrass and other associated styles that often blend together in the Americana genre.
Cable said he’s currently working on another album and hopes to have it out by next summer. In the meantime, he’ll be gigging around the Atlanta area in various spots and maybe back here if the opportunity arises.
“I enjoyed being at the playhouse (in Ellijay). The acoustics were great, and the sound was incredible,” he said.
At the upcoming playhouse show, Surrender Hill — the sometimes-quiet, sometimes- loud Americana duo of husband and wife Robin and Afton Salmon — will be performing songs from their prolific catalog (they’ve released two double albums and several other CDs), as well as some new ones that may wind up on their next release, “River of Tears.”
“The highlight for me on this next album will be the songs Afton has written. Her writing over the past two years has become something really special,” said Robin.
The group, which mixes folk, country, rock, pop and even punk influences, must be one of Ellijay’s most active bands. They appear at venues around north Georgia on a weekly basis and will head to Texas for a string of shows early next year. There they will play in Luckenbach (made famous by the Willie Nelson/Waylon Jennings song) and at the historic Albert Dancehall.
The local after-Thanksgiving concert has become a fun tradition for the group and its rotating array of guests, which will include Cable this time around.
“I think this is our fifth year doing a show right after Thanksgiving. It first got started because we had family who would come and visit for the holiday. Now, it just feels right to keep on doing it,” said Robin.