Remember the Michigan garage nugget “Back on Mulberry Road” that I’ve written about a few times? To refresh your memory, here is what I originally posted a few years ago (and re-posted last October along with the b-side audio):

The Rod Wilson Group, Back On Mulberry Road/Why Is It, Glass Records.

This group was from northern Traverse City, Michigan, down on Mulberry Road.  Mulberry Road seems like a sacred place, a good ol’ place, a dirty, dusty place, a place where rock n roll meets Sunday morning gospel and got all mixed in and swirled around with beer, smokey bars, and smoked out recording sessions that produced tracks like on this 45.

I know Traverse City.  I had a good friend, a crazy friend from Traverse City named Josh.  I went up to visit for a week back in college, mowing lawns during the day for his brother’s business and hanging out at the local bars at night.  The music was great - kind of a hippie blend of bluegrass, funk, and rock and roll.  I think I blew everything I made mowing lawns out at night, but it didn’t matter.  We stayed up til 4 in the morning every night, then woke up at 7:30 and worked a 10 hour day and did it all over again.

The Rod Wilson Group must have graced those same bars back in the 70s, drawing burned out crowds who must have gone crazy over the song about Mulberry Road.  The lead singer is super raw, but the groove is there and they jam it out pretty well, and you can really hear the distinctive Michigan garage sound in the music.

The B Side is even stranger, it’s all instrumental but has this weird sort of faint voice in the background.  Maybe if I play it backwards it’ll tell me the secrets of the universe or something.  I don’t know.  My wife can appreciate it, but she thinks it’s kind of bad.  It is, kind of, but it’s really pretty sweet.  I like it, it’s a good find.  I’m not sure if I’ll sell it yet.  I think I’ll just stick it in the 45 box for a while, and bust it out to try to out-obscure someone.  I bet Max will like it.

I think it’s worth another listen when the night is right.

Anyone from Traverse City that knows about Mulberry Road? Is there something we should know? And after listening to the 45 a bunch of times now, it seems like the B side, “Why Is It”, isn’t instrumental as I had suggested in my previous post - sounds like someone just effed up the recording. Max did listen to the record and liked it (particularly Back to Mulberry Road) - so much he keeps asking me to trade for it. And he noted that the lead singer was probably super pissed that his vocals got all muddled on “Why Is It”. I kind of think it adds to it a bit though. There’s also some crazy sounds that come in at the end of the song, maybe that’s the whole point? In any event, “Mulberry Road” is a good one, and I believe, un-comped.

—

A little while after I posted that I got a call from Rod Wilson’s son, Justin Wilson. Apparently, Rod said that I got just about everything wrong about the post, historically, except for the fact that he was pissed about his vocals getting muddled on the b-side. The group wasn’t from northern Traverse City (as the song suggests), but Morenci, a small town in southern Michigan. Justin said his dad was also somewhat embarrassed to have this recording out there, but I told Justin that this is the kind of stuff that is extremely sought after and is a great example of raw Michigan garage. I asked Justin to put together some background info on the song to set the record straight, and this is what he sent me:

Geoff,

Here is some more info to help you out with everything. If you have any questions lets me know.

The 45 Back On Mulberry Rd was recorded in a barn with a 4 track and 1 mic, hence the quality of the recording.

Mulberry Road is an old dirt road outside of a small town called Morenci, MI which is about 20 min. southeast of Adrian, MI

The 45 was recorded in the winter of 74 when Rod was 20 and there was about 250 copies printed. Rod hated the quality of the 45 so bad it was never released. My best guess is there is probably less than 100 in circulation. I know when my father moved a few years back he threw away about 100 of them he said.

Back on Mulberry Road was a cult classic per say in the Morenci area at the time. The album was actually the only recording done with the Rod Wilson Group, this was between the bands Cryptic Illusion and the very well known Reuben Red. With Reuben Red is where is career really started to take off.

So, what happened after this record?

In the early 80’s my dad’s life went another direction and he channeled his music that way. He started doing Christian Rock when it was still considered of the devil lol. In 1984 he released In The Realm of Sanctuary on LP and cassette. This album was very well received and the song Dark Clouds became a #1 hit in the Christian market at that time. In 1988 he released his 2nd Christian album called Balance which was realeased on Cassette only at the time. This album also did really well and he performed the song “Can’t Stop Rockin’” on LIGHT TV which was a huge Christian station in the Pittsburgh area in the 80’s. He actually performed right between Degarmo and Key and Petra. Rod spent most of the 80’s and early 90’s touring the midwest in the Christian arena. In the late 90’s he took some time off and just stayed at home writing music and recording in the basement, but his itch to get back out was too strong. His direction at this time was blues. He always loved the blues just always felt as himself as more of a rocker, but I guess when you get older things change. IN 2004 he released his 1st album with the current band name Lightnin Rod & The Thunderbolts. This album did quite well in Europe but not so much in the States. His best work to date with the best musicians he has worked with though has to be his most recent one. In 2008 he recorded a project that was 4 years in the making. The album was called After The Storm and was produced by Robyn Robins (former keyboardist for Bob Seger). The current line up has musicians that have played with every big name blues musician you can think of. This album has taken off quite well. At this time it is being played on over 200 radio stations in the U.S and many more internationally.

His websites are www.lightnin-rod.com / www.myspace.com/lightninrod

Thanks again, Justin. Keep it rolling, Rod! I just wish you wouldn’t have thrown out 100 copies of that record :)

And here again is the audio:

“Back on Mulberry Road”

“Why Is It?”