God doesn't need to know what time it is.

@tomcy6: Rodney’s The Houston Kid is as good an album as I have ever heard, in my Top 10 of all time. He wrote an accompanying book, Chinaberry Sidewalks, which is well worth reading. He served as Emmylou’s band leader/harmony singer for a while, a role now played by another fave of mine, Buddy Miller.

Buddy is a great guitarist, singer, producer, and picker of material. Buddy’s wife and musical collaborator Julie is just wonderful, an Angel sent from Heaven. Buddy and Julie have done a couple of albums together, and he has of course also produced her solo work. I also have the albums she did when she was a Contemporary Christian artist (one album produced by Buddy), the world she and Buddy came to the secure world from.

I really need to see Emmylou and Buddy live together, but though they have appeared at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco (my old friends who still live in San Jose/Cupertino attend those shows), they don’t come up to the Northwest, where I now reside.

@tablejockey 

"Tiger Walk" is fairly unique in Ford's output.  Although I enjoy the the material very much, I can't listen to it because of the production values. IMO, the rhythm section is so soul-less and robotic, they needn't have used real musicians. There is a live in Paris DVD I like much better that features some of the same tunes. 

@bdp24 

I read and enjoyed "Chinaberry Sidewalks" very much. 

You mention the Millers. Let's not forget Gurf Morlix, who made stellar contributions to Lucinda Williams' early albums . . another Tele player!  

I'm wondering how you made the adjustment from CA to the Pacific Northwest. We lived in Eugene for 6 years and never were able to get used to the gloom. This followed 10 years in Maine in which the weather was rarely an issue. At least those New England winters include plenty of sunny days. 

"the rhythm section is so soul-less and robotic, they needn't have used real musicians."

stuartk-

I think you described the overall vibe of the album. Music for the sake of music- in background while doing chores in the house.

Guitarists  for Miles in pecking order John McLaughlin, John Scofield with, Mike Stern/Robben Ford a toss up.

@tablejockey 

I found this list of miles sidemen:

http://webx.ubi.pt/~hgil/utils/Miles.Davis/MD_Legacy.html

. .  all in all, a pretty amazing collection of players. 

@bdp24 and @stuartk  I enjoyed Chinaberry Sidewalks too.  I'm hoping for a second volume that goes into his moving to Nashville, meeting Guy and Susanna Clark, working with Emmylou, marrying Rosanne and his work from The Houston Kid on.  That's got to be a great story.