It’s All a Hard Dollar

Since we’ve been discussing music-related books, I thought I might mention a cool new album that’s been in heavy rotation during my writing periods lately.

Hadden Sayers is a Texas-born bluesman currently residing in the Midwest. Armed with a battered but cherished ’57 Stratocaster, he performs with his own band as well as backing up Grammy nominated Ruthie Foster. Hard Dollar is the latest release from Sayers and is a cool mix of contemporary blues with some throwback elements. Songs like “Back to the Blues” set a nice melancholic, quiet mood, perfect for sitting down at your writing desk with a glass of bourbon, if that’s your style of working. Meanwhile, more up tempo tunes like “Take Me Back to Texas” and “Burnin’ Up” are perfect for blasting in the car when you need to step away from your novel for a rousing drive to clear your head.

What’s most intriguing and inspiring is that Sayers, like many musicians, toils at his craft in the same way that we writers do. The title of the album is a reference to a comment made by a beloved mentor. “The blues is a hard dollar,” Sayers was told during a difficult period. Writing is the same way. Literature is a hard dollar. So we definitely share a kindred spirit with the blues man.

To learn more about Hadden Sayers, visit his website.