Vicksburg Daily News –
VICKSBURG, MS. – On Sunday, October 6 at 5 PM Lee H. Abraham and the Brotherhood Band will preview the music from their upcoming album, “Brotherhood,” at the Strand Theatre in downtown Vicksburg.
The ‘Band’ consists of Abraham (guitar & vocals), Daniel Boone (drums), Kenny Boone (guitar and vocals), Bob Ingram (keyboards), Kimble Slaton (bass), and Patrick Smith (keyboards & vocals). The concert and album represent a reunion for most of them.
Lee H. Abraham, who owns Plaza Haircare, has been singing in bands since he was fourteen in Port Gibson, Mississippi.
“Around twenty, I taught myself guitar chords, so I could write songs. I probably have over two hundred original tunes, Abraham said.
In the late 1970’s Abraham was in a band called the Coonbox Band who played at the Biscuit Company in Vicksburg. He met Daniel and Kenny Boone, who were in another band, The New Radio Cowboys, which featured a keyboard player named Bob Ingram. The two bands often played the same venues and sometimes on the same bill. When both bands were dissolving, Lee moved to Vicksburg, joining with the Boone brothers to form The Highway 61 Band in 1982. Even though that band only lasted a couple of years, it was the beginning of a musical association which has lasted (off and on) for over forty years.
In 2006, Daniel Boone opened the Highway 61 Coffeehouse. On occasion they featured live music.
“I had Lee come play solo one night, and he asked me to join in on a song or two,” said Daniel Boone, “and another night Kenny was there and Lee invited him to accompany us, and before we knew it, we were playing together every now and then. I slowly came to realize that Lee H. Abraham and the Boone Brothers has been a project whose existence was really about one thing: original songs written by Lee H. And I realized it was the longest-lived musical ‘organization’ I have been a part of. We’ve done
a variety of material, but I think our most important mission was always Lee’s songs. For fifteen years. Until Covid.”
Like so many things, the pandemic tried to stop them, and it almost succeeded. Last year, Kenny Boone put together a project to celebrate the Fall Ball, an annual concert they participated in back in the eighties. To fill out a ‘house band,’ he recruited two of their musical partners from the past: Bob Ingram on keys (who first convinced Daniel Boone that he could hold down the drummer’s seat in a band), and Kimble Slaton on bass, a ‘youngster’ who they’ve all worked with in the past. In addition, Kenny invited Patrick Smith, a fantastic young keyboardist they’ve all admired.
“That Fall Ball show was so much fun, and we were all struck by how having Bob on organ and Patrick on piano added so much to the sound. I’ve been in bands with one keyboard, and bands with no keyboards, but this is really the first band with two full-time guys; and wow,” said Daniel, “The question became how to follow up that Fall Ball show last year? I thought it’s time to do a show of Lee’s songs, and Kenny upped the ante by saying, ‘let’s record them first.’ Which I just saw as an obstacle. Will the guys be willing to come together, first for a session, then for a show? But, they were all in, and Kimble hosted us in his Hummingbird Studio one weekend this Summer. We recorded ten of Lee’s originals, and the experience inspired us to call the project ‘Brotherhood,’ and now we’re ready to share it.”
“Doing this project with my best friends has been awesome. I am honored that they would take time out of their busy schedules to work on my music. I’ve admired these guys and have enjoyed playing with them for many years, and this experience has been quite humbling. I am tremendously grateful to Daniel, Kenny, Patrick, Bob and Kimble,” said Abraham, “The musical talents and creativity of these guys have made a dream come true for me. Kimble’s studio, Hummingbird Recording, is state of the art, and his expertise in the field is the best! We are so blessed to have a venue like the Strand in Vicksburg. Jack Burns and Daniel provide a perfect place to come together and share our passions. This project is a labor of love and I hope everyone enjoys our music.”
The Strand Theatre is located at 717 Clay Street. Tickets for the concert are $25 and available at Highway 61 Coffeehouse and online at brotherhood.brownpapertickets.com
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