About George Thompson
Location: Missouri
Occupation: Writer
Bio: Bio I was born in the small town of Ironton, Missouri in the mid-40s. My father was a minister and my mother was the devoted pastor’s wife. We moved when I was three to Kansas City where Dad pastored several churches, then moved to Fulton in 1960 where I graduated from Fulton High School in 1962. Dad was pastor at the Southside Baptist Church from 1960 through 1967. It was during those teenage years that I started writing poetry, articles, short stories and novels. Many poems were of a “grim” nature because I was usually either frustrated or felt depressed when I wrote them. Further in-depth study of myself helped me to see matters in a different, more enlightened way and gave me a much greater peace Bio of mind. That feeling came about when I realized that a Higher Power held control over my life and although I felt free here on earth to explore many things because God gave me the mind to make my own decisions based on the “terms” I had set for myself it was I who set the terms and levels of frustration and worry. Once I turned everything over to God, my writings became more positive and that feeling of emptiness I once had was lifted. My faith in God and the good intentions of mankind grows daily. I believe in the power of words, whether they are written, spoken or through the motions and spelling in sign language. They can be used to empower or defeat, accept or deny. My poetry is just one of many means of communicating. Retired now, I make my home in Ironton once again after being gone for sixty years. I write a poem every day, an article or two a week and have a continuing column at wickedwordsmith.com on the Web. My pleasures are writing, feeding birds and taking care of my new cat, Mandi.
Posts: 146
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When I looked at this CDs cover and the song titles, I wasn’t sure exactly what a treat I was in for until I played the music. After all, I had never heard of Monster Mike Welch. But, with the first string of notes on “She Makes Time,” I knew I was going to enjoy myself. The second song only further justified that belief and I felt like I was on the street of New Orleans listening to some of the finest blues there is coming from a very talented man. I had one thing in my favor: this “is” blues. But, it’s “not” New Orleans. It’s Boston.
There are 13 songs on the CD, 11 of which Monster Mike wrote, except Fleetwood Mac’s “Love That Burns,” and Buddy Guy’s “I Got A Strange Feeling” with lyrics by the great Willie Dixon.
Monster Mike Welch is 28 years old, with fifteen years under his belt on the international blues scene. Just Like It Is finds Mike returning to the North American blues market stronger than ever, with his powerful guitar and clear, soulful voice.
Mike burst onto the blues scene at the age of thirteen, when he was publicly given the nickname “Monster Mike” by Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd at the opening of the first House of Blues club. By the time he released his first CD three years later, he had already played with blues legends like Junior Wells, James Cotton, and Johnny Copeland, and won the 1995 Boston Music Award for Best Blues Act. The rest of the 90’s found Mike touring North America and Europe, and featured in USA Today, People, Entertainment Tonight, CNN and NPR.
Now, I’ve only been to New Orleans once, but was highly impacted by jazz and blues music that was playing in the Quarter all the time. You could not escape the sounds nor get away from the rhythm. The same is true here. And, just like country songs that tell a story, each of these blues songs tell a story as well. Usually one of love lost, not love gained.
Monster Mike Welch can make his guitar sing and talk. His fingers are so good on the strings because of his mastery of chording that you don’t hear his fingers moving on the strings like so many recordings, especially acoustic-style versions. He is a master of his craft and gets the crowd to sway with the beat whether gentle or downright zydeco.
