For those unaware, Steve Hunter (The Deacon) was born in Decatur Illinois in 1948, at age 19 he was drafted into the US army and deployed to Okinawa, Japan, where he worked as an x-ray tech in the air vac hospital. Having learned to play the lap steel from eight years old he had moved on to guitar and continued to play as much as he could whilst in the army.

Since the 70’s he has been quietly contributing his expertise, style and tone to other people’s albums, including Peter Gabriel, Dr John, Jack Bruce, Lou Reed, Tracy Chapman and Alice Cooper.

Starting with Mitch Ryder in 1971, when he did an arrangement of Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll for Ryder’s Detroit album, which caught the attention of Reed who promptly sought out both Ezrin (producer of Detroit) and Hunter for his follow up to Transformer, Berlin.

Hunter’s reputation grew through Rock but his heart has always been in Blues. He fondly remembers seeking advice from one of his idols, BB King.​

There’s something very liberating about reaching 75 and discovering a whole new way of being creative. That is what has happened to premier guitar player Steve ‘Deacon’ Hunter this year. The last time Steve sang on any recording was back in 1977 when he released Swept Away, the song was called Sea Sonata and he was never really happy with it.

But, after starting a new album at the beginning of 2023, he was working on an arrangement of Back Door Man when it crossed his mind that he could sing it, and that thought changed the direction of the whole album!

‘The Deacon Speaks’ now has him singing on eight tracks plus two instrumentals. Consisting of five covers and five original compositions, this is a bluesy, moody, vibe drenched collection with Hunters voice exuding a pinch of Dr John mixed with Tom Waites.

1. Back Door Man (4:44)
2. Tiresome Blues (5:07)
3. Independent Soul (3:39)
4. The Ballad of John Henry Gates (4:44)
5. Annabel’s Blues (2:30)
6. Up from the Skies (5:11)
7. Sweet Jane (4:53)
8. Waiting on a Friend (4:44)
9. Who is He and What is He to You (4:18)
10. In a Lonely Place (4:46)

This dynamically rousing new recording opens on the gruff growl that drives the low slung Howlin’ Wolf cut Back Door Man, the aching yearn found within Tiresome Blues and the free flowing Independent Soul and they are followed by the foot tapping storytelling of The Ballad of John Henry Gates, and the comes the sweeping Annabel’s Blues.

Along next is the playful blues of Jimi Hendrix’s Up from the Skies, his aptly-languishing take of Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane and a rather delightful take on the Stones’ harmoniously sculpted Waiting on a Friend, the album rounding out on the jaunty rock of Bill Withers’ Who is He and What is He to You, closing on the formidable instrumental balladry of In a Lonely Place.

Steve has contributed to ten Alice Cooper albums, starting in 1973 with Billion Dollar Babies and featured heavily on the new Welcome 2 My Nightmare. He completed a World tour with Alice in 2011 but left at the end of that year to write and record his solo album The Manhattan Blues Project He is also on the 2017 Alice Cooper release Paranormal and the 2021 album Detroit Stories.

Official Purchase Link

www.stevehunter.com