Luxury Experience - Mike Zito and The Wheel

Blues Rock guitarist, songwriter, Mike Zito, takes a short detour from his band the Royal Southern Brotherhood for his debut solo release, Mike Zito & The Wheel - Gone To Texas on the Ruf Records label. Mike Zito wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the 13-track release with the exception of the Delbert McClinton song Take It Easy, and the Blind Willie Johnson song Let Your Light Shine On Me. Get ready for a rousing dose of Southern Blues Rock with Mike Zito's intimate tales of his life, sometimes hard, sometimes gritty, and always interesting.

Mike Zito & The Wheel - Gone to Texas: Gone To Texas, Rainbow Bridge (with Sonny Landreth), I Never Knew A Hurricane, Don't Think Cause You're Pretty, Death Row, Don't Break A Leg, Take It Easy, The Road Never Ends (with Delbert McClinton), Subtraction Blues, Hell On Me, Voices In Dallas, Wings Of Freedom, Let Your Light Shine On Me

Personnel: The Band: Mike Zito - vocals and guitars, Jimmy Carpenter saxophones, vocals, percussion, Rob Lee - drums, Scott Sutherland - bass guitars, Special Guests: Delbert McClinton - vocals and harmonica, Sonny Landreth - guitar, Susan Cowsill - vocals, Lewis Stephens - B3 and pianos

Mike Zito produced by Mike Zito & The Wheel - Gone To Texas on the Ruf Records label.

Mike Zito speaking about the release and the title states, "Texas saved my life. Sounds a bit dramatic, but absolutely true. Historically, Texas has been the saving grace of many desperate men. In the early 1800s, men who had large debts or committed crimes would run off to Texas to hide from the colonies and their creditors. This was called "Gone to Texas." New Spain (Mexico at that time, including Mexican Texas) took in all runaways and vagabonds it could hold. Many of these men, found a new life in what would be Texas, returned to their families, paid their debts off, only to fight and die for the freedom of Texas from Spanish rule.

Texas was my last stand as well. I ended up there after running away from all of my problems and mostly myself. I left on the Greyhound bus and got off in Texas, leaving my family behind. My drug addiction is no secret and Texas is where I confronted my problems and made a change that has saved my life. I met a woman who lived in Texas years before and was spiritually drawn to her. She has stood by my side through it all and has given me the love and support I needed to stand on my own two feet. South East Texas has taken me in and given me a new life. This a much different place than the south side of Saint Louis where I grew up. They all take it for granted around here, but it is a very unique place in the world."

The release opens with the title track, Gone To Texas, with lyrics proclaiming, "I've to Texas baby with my guitar by my side, I'm gonna find a woman and Lord I'm gonna make her mine ..." He slows the pace with, I Never Knew A Hurricane, a lover's lament, written with fellow Royal Southern Brotherhood band mate, Cyril Neville. The Mike Zito and Rob Lee song, Don't Break A Leg, features some fine funk and blazing saxophones.

Don't Think Cause You're Pretty has a retro Led Zeppelin feel to it that cranks out stellar guitar riffs. The Delbert McClinton's song, Take It Easy, opens nice and slow with a piano melody that melds as graceful as a Texas waltz as the piano segues into Mike's vocals and some impressive instrumental work.

Mike Zito teamed up with his Royal Southern Brotherhood band mate, Devon Allman to write The Road Never Ends, which speaks of a musician's life of always being on the road with its lyrics, "The road never ends, it just goes on and on, by the time I get home, I'm already gone. No rest for the wicked, I got lumps in my bed, no turning back now, I can sleep when I'm dead..." Delbert layers in a harmonica and adds his vocals to this hard-hitting song, featuring smoldering electric slide guitar.

Other songs include Rainbow Bridge (with Sonny Landreth) and Susan Cowsill adding vocals, Death Row, Subtraction Blues, Hell On Me, Voices In Dallas, and Wings Of Freedom about his battle and success of overcoming substance abuse. The release closes with the iconic Texan Blind Willie Johnson (1897 - 1945) song, Let Your Light Shine On Me.

For information on upcoming Mike Zito & The Wheel performances, please visit the website: www.MikeZito.com

Websites where you can procure Mike Zito & The Wheel - Gone To Texas are Amazon, Mike Zito, and Ruf Records.