QUEEN OF THE ROAD
BY RON BALDWIN
Maria Muldaur has endured countless
tours over her six-decade career and is look-
ing forward to many more. Asked about
being on the road long after most of her con-
temporaries have abandoned touring, she
didn’t hesitate. “This is what I do, I mean,
what else would I do?” Muldaur said.
Last Saturday in Nehalem, Muldaur and
her Red Hot Bluesiana Band did just that,
putting on a sold out show at the North
County Recreation District Performing Arts
Center.
The show is part of a tour spanning across
the West, and it’s the six-time Grammy nom-
inated singer’s first since the pandemic. It
was obvious that she and her band were
pleased to be on the road and performing for
live audiences again.
At this cozy, 300 seat theater, Muldaur’s
show revealed some of the reasons why she
has retained her popularity. The singer’s
first set included songs written by many of
her favorite composers, including Memphis
Minnie, Bessie Smith and Allen Toussaint.
In announcing each song, she showed her
knack for storytelling, working to draw the
audience in and share some favorite music.
But the band had a favor to ask first. After
the group’s tour bus broke down, Muldaur
worried that the band wouldn’t be able to
make the next tour date in Tacoma, Wash-
ington. “And people wonder why I sing the
blues!” Muldaur exclaimed. Just before inter-
mission, she appealed to the crowd. “Does
anyone in the audience have a vehicle or two
and can help us get to our next gig in Tacoma
tomorrow?” Later, she revealed that help had
materialized and that a bus repair was sched-
uled for Monday.
Muldaur’s second set rolled out some of
the straight ahead blues and bawdy material
she’s known for with “Loan Me Your Hus-
band” by Blue Lu Barker and her own hit “It
Ain’t the Meat It’s the Motion.” Muldaur is
also known for her efforts to showcase songs
by early entertainers whose songs have been
buried in history. With each song, the audi-
ence was drawn more to the artist, creating
the oneness of performer and beholder that
artists seek but few can attain.
“I’m not known as a songwriter,”
Muldaur said just a few songs into the first
set, “but I wrote this song. I had just been
vaccinated for the second time and I was
driving home,” she added. Muldaur recruited
her longtime collaborator, guitarist Craig
Caffall, to finish writing the song with her.
He nailed the intro to “I’m Vaccinated and
I’m Ready for Love,” which proved to be the
hit of the night.
Toward the end of the second set, Caffall
started a guitar riff without an introduction
and the audience, recognizing it, began to
cheer. “And here’s the one I know you’ve all
been waiting for,” Muldaur said. The band
began to cook as she trilled “Midnight at
the Oasis,” the 1973 hit that made Muldaur
a household name. The crowd roared their
approval as she continued to finish the show
with another of her iconic hits, “Don’t You
Feel My Leg.”
It is humbling to meet a legend, but while
Muldaur has secured her legacy in music, in
the several hours I spent with her I found her
friendly, fun and down to earth, a real star
with a real heart.
Photos by Ron Baldwin
TOP: Maria Muldaur performs at the North
County Recreation District Performing Arts
Center. ABOVE: Muldaur sings in Nehalem.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 // 9