I have played the bars. Not nightclubs, not lounges, but bars. Places that smelled of stale beer, smoke and urine. Places with carpets that were older than I was. Places where ninety five percent of the clientele was on some form of social assistance. These may sound like cliches, but these have been the places where I have made my living. 　　During my time on the road, I have stayed in accomodations that had to be seen to be truly appreciated. I once found myself staying in such a seedy dive that there was a mushroom growning out of the floor of the communal toilet. I have hated most of the music I have had to play. Stuff the folks wanted to hear. Music to be danced to. Things the club owner preferred. Whatever the booking agent required. Only two or three times a night would I get to sing something that had meaning for me. It was those moments, few and far between, that made it all worthwhile. After the gig, no matter what type of music I was playing, I would go up to my fleabag room and drink myself to sleep, listening to ballads and blues by the likes of Etta James, Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Lou Rawls, La Vern Baker, and Little Jimmy Scott. I eventually gave up drinking, but that wonderful music is still with me. All of the songs on this album mean something to me, and I sincerely hope you can hear that. Next year will mark twenty five years since my first bar gig and I can honestly say that this album is the only thing I have ever done that I am truly proud of. Thank you for listening. 　　Ted Hawkins, Toronto, Canada July 1997