Posted on 2025-07-27

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Ronnie Presley Singing Had The Blues This Sunday Morning
From The Archives Of Something Blue 2025-07-27
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https://sbblues.com/2025/07/27/dj-hairy-larry-presents-ronnie-presley-singing-had-the-blues-this-sunday-morning/

Thanks Marty, today we're going to hear an original song written by someone I met at The Biscuit.

The best thing about the King Biscuit Blues Festival is Fireman's Campground. Some people call it Tent City but really it's the home of Tent City, just one of the many ongoing music parties at the campground. Another one of those is where I camp, in the Helena Handbasket, way down at the end of the road where you can hear the main stage as good as you can anywhere. And another yearly music party was hosted by Ronnie Williams, aka Black Oak Slim.

Now we're going to take a deep dive into some King Biscuit lore. At Black Oak Slim's campsite everything was big. Instead of a camp stove he might have a kitchen stove with an oven. Or one of those oversize gas stoves with two burners. And on his stoves would be huge pots of food because they loved to feed people. And instead of a tent he always had a camping vehicle, sometimes a different vehicle but always with the same look. Painted black and white with a diagonal stripe or a lightning bolt. A kind of superhero of the campground look.

Vivian and I loved visiting at Black Oak Slim's campsite, eating their food an enjoying their company.

parenthetical note (If you knew Vivian you know that she would be feeding people too, cooking up food on our rocket stove. But that's another bit of lore for a future podcast.) end parenthetical note

Now Black Oak Slim loved music and he always encouraged his guests to break out the guitars, harmonicas, and drums and play. And that's how I met Ronnie Presley. Playing music with him at Black Oak Slim's campsite.

Well, no one will be surprised that Black Oak Slim was from the Black Oak, Arkansas area. And Ronnie Presley was from Caraway. Before long we had Ronnie Presley playing at Blues Fest. I think he brought a band once but usually he played an acoustic set, just him singing and playing guitar.

And on September 14, 2008, that's just what he did. I recorded his set for Something Blue and it was immaculate. He played mostly cover songs but some originals and I picked one of his originals to play for you today.

So here's Ronnie Presley, recorded live at Blues Fest, playing a song he wrote, "Had The Blues This Sunday Morning".