January/February 1998

Jerry Ricks
Deep In The Well
Rooster Blues

By Bill Milkowski

On the acoustic side of the fence is "Philadelphia" Jerry Ricks, who conjures up some mean Piedmont and Delta style guitar playing on Deep In The Well (Rooster Blues R2636; 68:35). While his vocals are hardly commanding on the level of the Delta blues masters or even, say, Taj Mahal, they gradually insinuate themselves on the listener. Plus, he has some finely honed guitar chops that are well worth checking out. A pleasant excursion into some deep territory by this authentic blues scholar.