Rocky Steps Out Of Robert Johnson’s Shadow

Rocky Lawrence stepped out of the 1930s Missisippi Delta, onto the stage of Anna Liffey’s, into his own current reality — and, two and a half hours later, had the sound preserved for posterity.

Lawrence spent those hours at the Whitney Avenue pub Monday night performing for a crowd of friends and fans and recording his first CD in 14 years.

Lawrence has made a name for himself, and toured the country, by reviving the sound and look of the late Delta blues pioneer Robert Johnson. For his new CD, Lawrence decided to focus on his own songs for the first time, as well as a few covers of blues masters like Muddy Waters.

Lawrence has been a musician for more than 35 years. His musical career began at age 9 with the trumpet. The switch to guitar came later, after he joined a band in junior high school and found himself drawn to the instrument.

He called the idea of recording his own songs for the new CD ​“great honor.”

“To express yourself and have people accept you,” he reflected, ​“it’s the ultimate compliment.”

While a few songs referenced relationships, Lawrence didn’t shy from the political. ​“Katrina,” a tune about the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans, came from Lawrence’s reflections while watching TV news of the disaster. ​“Dear Mr. President, you know I ain’t no refugee/ I’m just a natural-born citizen/ Please don’t forget about me,” he sang.

When playing his song ​“I Don’t Care,” Lawrence said, he thinks about the children growing up in the Middle East and other places rife with unrest. ​“All they’ve ever known is chaos and terror and bombings,” he said before he performed the tune. ​“And I guess we’ve got our own little set of problems here in America, too, don’t we now.” Watch Lawrence’s performance in the video at left.

Lawrence likes to write and practice on his front porch in Westville. Sometimes the words come first. Other times, the music. In either case, Lawrence said, he writes as an observer, one who watches world affairs and how people relate to each other.

“I’m just making noise,” Lawrence tells neighbors who come out onto their porches to listen. They beg to differ.

Monday night Lawrence played for many who know him from his neighborhood and others from his childhood days in West Haven. Lawrence called out to friends in the standing-room only crowd to thank them individually for coming. ​“I see three-quarters of the people [here] have been supporting me for a zillion years,” he said, looking around the room.

Four of Lawrence’s friends from West Haven High School grabbed a table up front. As teenagers, the group always ended up in music shops, Bill Bartini remembered. ​“Rocky has a gift for bringing people together,” Meari Avery added.

The friendly environment enhanced the experience of recording the album, Lawrence said. ​“It was a little overwhelming,” he said. ​“I didn’t expect the turnout to be as good as it was.” A studio feels sterile, he said; playing live allows for feedback from the crowd. ​“It’s a give and take,” he said. ​“I live off energy from the crowd and the audience lives off energy from me.”

In the middle of the set, Lawrence’s longtime partner, Susan Feldman, presented him with a surprise birthday cake. The audience cheered, then dug into the marble cake with red and white frosting.

“It was like a double celebration,” Lawrence said.