BIO

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It’s been nearly a decade since Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ teamed up for their collaborative debut, TajMo, and though the album was a runaway success—it won a GRAMMY Award, garnered rave reviews, and spawned a massive joint tour of the US and Europe—neither artist ever expected to record a follow-up.

“That first album turned out so great that part of me wondered if maybe we just got lucky,” Keb’ says with a laugh. “I always figured it was a one-time thing. But when we got back into the studio together, I felt that same magic again, and I realized it wasn’t luck at all.”

Recorded in Nashville with Keb’ and Taj co-producing, Room On The Porch finds the pair in peak form, playing to each other’s strengths and opening up new creative horizons more than a half-century into their storied careers. The songs are warm and inviting here, rooted in the joy of human connection and the power of positivity, and the performances are as timeless as they are adventurous, incorporating the full spectrum of American roots music from blues and jazz to folk and country. Keb’ and Taj invited an all-star group of players, singers, and co-writers (including their sons) to join them in the studio for the sessions, but the spotlight remains firmly fixed on the legendary pair throughout the collection, their instantly recognizable voices and guitar stylings complementing and elevating each other at every turn. The result is a delightful, big-hearted work that manages to feel both classic and current all at once, an album rooted in deep tradition delivered by two icons with a boundless appetite for growth, reinvention, and discovery.

“The two of us collaborating has always been a very organic thing,” Taj reflects. “We have different skill sets that go well together, and even though it’d been a while since we’d played together, it was easy to get back to that same creative place we landed with the first album.”

Though the two only began recording together as TajMo in 2017, the pair’s creative relationship (and mutual admiration) stretches back decades.

“Taj Mahal has always been one of my favorite artists,” Keb’ explains. “I first heard his music during my senior year of high school, and it had a profound effect on me. His playing was immediately imprinted on my psyche.”

Born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., Taj landed his first record deal in the mid-1960s with Rising Sons—an early band he formed with Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid—before going solo under the name Taj Mahal in 1968. While his early work was thoroughly entrenched in the Mississippi Delta, he soon began blending an intoxicating mix of sounds from throughout the African Diaspora into his records, touching on everything from rock and roll and R&B to reggae and jazz to West Indian and Caribbean music as he quickly became known as one of the most influential and progressive roots musicians of the modern era. Over the course of more than six decades and nearly 50 albums, Taj would go on to win five Grammy Awards (plus the Recording Academy’s coveted Lifetime Achievement honor); perform everywhere from The White House to Carnegie Hall; be inducted into the Blues Music Hall of Fame; receive the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and collaborate with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Angelique Kidjo, and countless other luminaries.

“Keb’ was one of the first guys from the next generation that really caught my attention,” Taj recalls. “He understood that you had to really study your craft, that you had to learn the traditions and then find your own voice from there.”

Born and raised in Compton, Keb’ spent the first few decades of his career working primarily behind the scenes, establishing himself initially as a highly respected guitarist, songwriter, and arranger. Though he recorded a one-off album in 1980 under his birth name, Kevin Moore, it wasn’t until 1994 that the world would meet Keb’ Mo’ with the release of his widely acclaimed self-titled debut. Critics were quick to take note of Keb’s modern, genre-bending take on old school sounds, and two years later, he garnered his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album with Just Like You. In the decades to come, Keb’ would take home four more Grammy Awards; top the Billboard Blues Chart seven times; collaborate with icons like Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett; have compositions recorded and sampled by artists as diverse as B.B. King, Zac Brown, and BTS; perform multiple times at the White House; release signature guitars with both Gibson and Martin; compose music for television series like Mike and Molly, Memphis Beat, B Positive, and Martha Stewart Living; and earn the Americana Music Association’s award for Lifetime Achievement in Performance.

Rather than rest on their considerable laurels, Taj and Keb’ decided to continue pushing themselves into new creative territory with Room On The Porch, writing and recording the bulk of the album from scratch over the course of just two weeks in the studio.

“Taj writes from a very spontaneous place, but I’m all about preparation, so this was a brand new way of working for me,” Keb’ explains. “It was honestly a little frightening, but I figured if we surrounded ourselves with talented people and really trusted each other, we’d come up with something special, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Feel-good album opener “Room On The Porch (ft. Ruby Amanfu)” is a perfect example.

“That song started out as a little guitar piece I used to play by myself after shows when I was still wired from the stage,” Taj recalls. “I shared it with everybody in the studio, and then Keb’ and Ruby built this whole beautiful song around it.”

Like much of the album, it’s an earnest, tender affair, with Taj, Keb’, and Ruby all trading vocals in an ode to friendship and community. “Stay as long as you like / That’s alright,” they insist. “Come up on / There’s room on the porch for everyone.” The driving “Thicker Than Mud” honors the enduring bonds of family; the romantic “My Darling My Dear” and soulful “She Keeps Me Movin’” revel in the comfort of love and commitment; and the bilingual “Better Than Ever (ft. Wendy Moten)” finds the silver lining in every cloud.

“We didn’t plan anything out in advance,” Taj explains, “but we’re naturally just all about family and love and positivity, so the songs came out that way organically.”

“It was like a party every day,” adds Keb’, who later put the finishing touches on the album at his own home studio. “We had our sons in there playing with us and all the other musicians and writers were hanging the whole time, so it was a really fun place to be.”

It wouldn’t be a TajMo album without a heaping dose of the blues, though. The pair reach all the way back to 1923 for an aching take on Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” tip their cap to the next generation with a raw, stripped-down cover of Jontavious

Willis’ “Rough Time Blues,” and embrace the genre’s ageless power on the sweltering closer “Blues’ll Give you Back Your Soul.” “They say jazz will give you back your mind / Reggae give you back your body,” Taj sings. “I know you like you like rock and I know you like the roll / But the blues, the blues will give you back your soul.”

“If you take the African imprint out of Western music for the last 500 years, there’s almost nothing left,” Taj reflects. “As much as it might feel like we’re touching on all these different genres, the way I see it, we’re just connecting with the music of our ancestors and their influence on what’s happening now. That’s what gives me energy and keeps me excited.”

Indeed, that excitement is palpable on Room On The Porch, which feels just as fresh and revelatory as the pair’s debut. No luck required.

Credits

ARTIST: Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’

TITLE: Room On The Porch (Vinyl)

LABEL: Concord Records

UPC: 888072677999

CRE02896

Produced by Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal

Recorded by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio, Franklin TN and Casey Wasner at Addiction Sound Studios, Nashville, TN

Additional Engineering: Bobby Louden and David Kalmusky

2^nd Engineers at Addiction Sound Studios: David Shivers and Ross Collier

Additional Vocals for Keb’ Mo’ recorded by Jeff M. Bates at Kona Studios, Redondo Beach, CA

Billy Branch’s harmonica recorded by Brian Leach at Joy Ride Studios, Chicago, IL

Mixed by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio, Franklin, TN

Mastered by Richard Dodd at richarddodd.com, Nashville, TN

Photography: David McCallister

TajMo Logo Designed by Melissa Wood

Package Design:

Side A

1. Room on the Porch ft. Ruby Amanfu (4:05)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks, Jr., Ruby Amanfu, Ahmen Mahal)

Keb Note (BMI) / Downtown DMP Songs (BMI) / Like Butta Baby Music (BMI/APRA/ASCAP)

Taj Mahal – vocals

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, vocals

Ruby Amanfu – vocals

David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synthesizer

Brian Allen – upright bass

K. Roosevelt – drums

Jenee Fleenor – violin

Robbie Brooks Moore – background vocals

2. My Darling My Dear (3:58)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks Jr., K. Roosevelt, Colin Linden, Ahmen Mahal)

Keb Note (BMI) / Downtown DMP Songs (BMI) / Warner Chappell (BMI) / Colin Linden Publishing (SOCAN/APRA/ASCAP)

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, slide guitar, banjo, octave mandolin, percussion, vocals

Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ

Anton Nesbit – bass

Taj Mahal, Lauren Lucas – background vocals

3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out (3:42)

(Jimmy Cox)

Universal Music Corp.

Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – vocals

Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ, Wurlitzer

Brian Allen – upright bass

Keio Stroud – drums

Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals

4. She Keeps Me Movin’ (4:01)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., John Oates)

Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), OatesShui (BMI)

Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – vocals

David Rodgers – Hammond organ

Brian Allen – bass

K. Roosevelt – drums

John Oates, Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals

5. Make Up Your Mind (4:40)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.,K. Roosevelt, Ahmen Mahal)

Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP (BMI/APRA/ASCAP)

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, steel drum, harmonica, vocals

Taj Mahal – percussion, acoustic guitar, vocals

David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synth

Brian Allen – bass

K. Roosevelt – drums, vibraphone

Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals

Side B

6. Thicker Than Mud (4:38)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., Colin Linden, K. Roosevelt)

Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), Colin Linden Publishing (SOCAN), Warner Chappell Pub. (BMI)

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic and electric guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – vocals

Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ

Anton Nesbitt – bass

K. Roosevelt – drums

Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals

7. Junkyard Dog (4:20)

(Gabriel Barry Dixon, Maia Sari Sharp, Park Chisolm)

Me Gusta 30 Music obo Spark Lark Music / Me Gusta 30 Music obo Spark Chisolm Music / Crooked Crown Music / Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc. obo Third and Verse Boulevard

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic, electric and resonator guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – vocals

David Rodgers – Hammond organ and synthesizer

Anton Nesbitt – bass

K. Roosevelt – drums

8. Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul (4:47)

(Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.)

Downtown DMP Songs (BMI)

Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – ukulele, vocals

David Rodgers, Hammond organ

Brian Allen – upright bass

Jeff Coffin – saxophone

K. Roosevelt – drums

9. Better Than Ever ft. Wendy Moten (5:03)

(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks Jr., Wendy Moten, Ahmen Mahal)

Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), Radioeye Music (BMI/APRA/ASCAP)

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, percussion, vocals

Taj Mahal – ukulele, vocals

David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synthesizer

K. Roosevelt – bass

K. Roosevelt – drums

Billy Branch – harmonica

Wendy Moten, Lauren Lucas – background vocals

10. Rough Time Blues (4:31)

(Jontavious Willis)

Jontavious Willis Music, LLC (ASCAP)

Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, vocals

Taj Mahal – resonator guitar, vocals

John Oates appears courtesy of Jasper Productions, Inc. d/b/a PS Records

The making of this “natch’l” music and album has been a gift of and from boundless creation and another fantastic n’ fabulous milestone in my collaborative journey, making real music with my “intergalactic Soul Messenger” Keb’ Mo’

–Taj Mo

We would like to thank the following people who, without them, this album would not be possible…First and foremost, our families! Concord Records, Adriene Miller, Kelly McMakin, Shane Trulin, Eric Fermin, Xander Smilth, Keb’ Mo’ Staff, Relentless Artists Management, Robert Meitus, Ben Schiffer and everyone at WME, Joe Sivick and everyone at Missing Piece PR, Zach Allen, Laurie Soriano, Leigh Brannon Ruby Amanfu, Wendy Moten, Ahmen Mahal, Kevin Moore II, Colin Linden, John Oates, Maia Sharp and Jontavious Willis.

Thank you for all your time, energy and support!

Artist Representation:
Keb’ Mo’ – Adriene Miller / Salto Management
Taj Mahal – Eric Fermin, Xander Smith, Shane Trulin / Relentless Artist Management, Inc.

concordrecords.com

℗ & © 2025 Concord Records. Manufactured and Distributed by Concord, 10 Lea Avenue, Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37210. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Made in U.S.A. CRE02896

Lyrics

Room on the Porch for Everyone

Hello Friend, I mean you

You ain’t got to be shy or cool

Grab yourself a chair, set yourself down, it’s ok

You can probably smell that cornbread cookin’

And Sadie’s cakes,ooh they so good lookin’

There’s plenty of food, go ahead and fix you a plate

All our friends are now your friends, that’s how we do it here

Stay as long as you like, that’s alright, we’ve got plenty of beer

We got chicken, we got fruit, we got plenty of food

So come on up, there’s room on the porch for everyone

Come on up, there’s room on the porch for everyone

Share your feelings, share your heart

Just be you, it’s who you are

You’ll be accepted, you’re so precious to me

The problem with the world these days,

Is people hide what they should say

But not today, speak your mind and set yourself free

Even if you go away, the more you come the more you stay

Cuz ‘round here you’ll only be a stranger for one day

So call your cousins, sisters and brothers

Call ‘em up and tell ‘em I said come on up

There’s room on the porch, for everyone

Come on up, there’s room on the porch for everyone

All of our friends are now your friends, that’s how we do it here

Stay as long as you like, that’s alright, enjoy the atmosphere

Now you get it, now you see, real southern hospitality

Come on up (come on up) there’s room on the porch for everyone (repeat)

Come on up, there’s room on the porch for everyone

My Darlin My Dear

Sweeter than honey

Brighter than the sun

Softer than a silk pillow

You’re my only one

My darlin, my dear, my angel

My hope, my heart, my time

Please don’t be a stranger

My darlin, my dear, my life

A vision of pure beauty

You hold me like heavens arms

Whisper the way, through your front door

Keeping me safe from harm

My darlin, my dear, my angel

My hope, my heart, my time

Please don’t be a stranger

My darlin, my dear, my life

Clouds adorn the mountains

Birds caress the open sky

The east wind carries your name to me

Open up your loving eyes

You make my heart go crazy

My first and second line

You’re a yes, not a maybe

A song, a perfect rhyme

My darlin, my dear, my angel

My hope, my heart, my time

Please don’t be a stranger

My darlin, my dear, my life

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

Once I lived the life of a millionaire

Spending all my money

I just did not care

Took all my friends out

For a mighty good time

Drinkin’ bootleg whiskey

Champagne and wine

Then I began to sink so low

Lost all my money

Didn’t have nowhere to go

If I ever get my hands on a dollar again

I’m gonna squeeze it

‘Til that old eagle grins

Nobody knows you

When you’re down and out

In your pocket

You ain’t got one penny

And all your so called friends

You just ain’t got any

When you begin to get back on my feet again

Everybody gonna wanna be my long-lost friend

It’s mighty strange

Without a doubt

Nobody knows you

When you’re down and out

Nobody knows you

When you’re down and out

In your pocket

You ain’t got a red penny

And all your so called friends

You ain’t got any

When you get back up on your feet again

Everybody wants to be your long-lost friend

It’s mighty strange

Without a doubt (Nobody)

Can use you when you’re down and out

Nobody knows you

When you’re down and out

In your pocket

You aint got no penny

You ain’t got no friends

Well you just ain’t got any

She Keeps Me Movin’

She got my back, she’s in my corner

She keeps me right, when I go wronger

When I can’t take it, any longer

When I get weak, she makes me stronger

I’m just singin

And oh, she keeps me movin’, keeps me movin’

Oh, she keeps me groovin’, she keeps me groovin

Sometimes I weep, sometimes I wonder

She pulls me up, when I go under

She got me doin’ just what I oughta’

If I want some wine, she brings me water

She’s got me singin’

And oh, she keeps me movin’, she keeps me movin’

Oh, she keeps me groovin’, she keeps me groovin

It ain’t easy, to comprehend

I got a me lover, and I got me a friend

Somebody to count on, who I can depend on

Somebody to love me, til the bitter end

And oh, she keeps me movin’, she keeps me movin’

Oh, she keeps me groovin’, she keeps me groovin

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine

I’m so happy, I’m so happy

I’m so damn glad that that girl is all mine, all mine, all mine

And oh, she keeps me movin’

Oh, she keeps me groovin’

She’s got my back, she’s in my corner

She keeps me right, when I go wronger

And when I can’t take it any longer

When I get weak, she makes me stronger

Oh, she keeps me movin’, she keeps me movin’

Oh, she keeps me groovin’, she keeps me groovin’

Make up Your Mind

Come talk to me, you need a little help

You’re going crazy, you done lost yourself

Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide

You’re moving too slow

You’re tore up inside

Make up your mind, before it gets too late

You ain’t got much time, don’t hesitate

Make up your mind, Whatcha gonna do?

You’re just wastin’ time, I’m talkin’ to you

You make no sense, you’re going insane

Do you follow your heart, or do you follow your brain

Just a little bit scared, you might fail the test

Do you go right? Or do you go left?

Make up your mind, before it gets too late

You ain’t got much time, don’t hesitate

Make up your mind, Whatcha gonna do?

You’re just wastin’ time, I’m talkin’ to you

I try to work it out, you try to make it right

But we don’t seem to be…. getting anywhere

Someone tell me why, me myself and I

Can’t figure it out

Make up your mind, before it gets too late

You ain’t got much time, don’t hesitate

Make up your mind, Whatcha gonna do?

Don’t waste time, I’m talkin’ to you

Thicker Than Mud

Won’t be long until I’m in the roses

You’ll be strong and you’ll find out that

Blood is thicker than mud

When I’m gone I will still be with you

Sing my song, I’ll be singing with you

Blood is thicker than mud

As the snow flies

Years pass on by

Blood is thicker than mud

Time goes by like a dream of heaven

Blink your eye, you might miss the sermon

Blood is thicker than mud

One foot here, one foot in tomorrow

One more day, to drain the cup of sorrow

Blood is thicker than mud

As the snow flies

Years pass on by

Blood is thicker than mud

You can be

Complicated, obligated

Isolated, Automated

Or be

Concentrated, Educated

Motivated, Stimulated

So then you’ll be

Celebrated, Decorated

Coronated, Liberated

Blood is thicker than mud

When your way, gets dark and lonesome

Turn your head, to the stars and know that

Blood is thicker than mud

When you get stuck and your wheels are spinning

Just reach out, you’ll find what your missing

Blood is thicker than mud

As the snow flies

Years pass on by

Blood is thicker than mud

Thicker than mud

Junkyard Dog

Stayed by your side, so faithfully

Could’ve worn a sign, said beware of me

I never wandered, no I never strayed

Nobody got by, when I was at the gate

But you could mesmerize, with a barrel of fire

Go sneak another man, through a tear in the wire

Maybe what we had, was just a pile of old tires

And I’m a junkyard dog.

Junkyard dog, at the end of your chain

Junkyard dog, howlin’ out in vain

Fighting for a love you didn’t care about

Protecting something, you could live without

Thought I was the king of your castle, turns out

I’m just a junkyard dog

You left me alone, for hours on end

And I was true to you, again and again

You had me wagging and willing, for whatever you could spare

I took what you were giving, and I followed you anywhere

Like a junkyard dog, at the end of your chain

junkyard dog, howlin’ out in vain

Fighting for a love you didn’t care about

Protecting something, you could live without

Thought I was the king of your castle, turns out

I’m just a junkyard dog

A junkyard dog

Don’t’ be surprised to come home and see

A collar and a chain where I used to be

You got to find another fool to take the place of me

And be a junkyard dog, at the end of your chain

Junkyard dog, howlin’ out in vain

Fighting for a love you didn’t care about

Protecting something, you could live without

Thought I was the king of your castle, turns out

I’m just a junkyard dog

A junkyard dog

Blues’ll (Give You Back Your Soul)

I love you baby, you know I do

Anything in the round round round world for you

Oh woman, I’m gonna love you right

Most every day and every night

I’m gonna holla, I’m gonna shout

Like a mathematician, we gonna work this lil’ problem out

Yeah you like your rock and roll

But the blues will give you back your soul

Give you back your soul

I used to be your prince

But now I’m just a frog

Swimming in the muddy water

Sleepin’ in a hollow log

Thought we we’re doin’ better

But it just got worse

Took every blessing and you turned it into a curse

They say Jazz will give you back your mind

Reggae give you back your body

I know you like rock and I know you like to roll

But the blues, the blues will give you back your soul

Give you back your soul

We’ve got to sit right down, have a little talk

Whatever you thought it was, was exactly what it’s not

All I need is just one more chance

For you and I to make a brand new plan

You listen to me, I’m gonna listen to you

I made a promise when I said I do

I accepted you baby to have and to hold

And the blues, blues will give us back our soul

Back our soul….

Better Than Ever

I woke up early this morning

Trouble on my mind

It seemed to hit without a warning

Took me by surprise

I’m feeling like my hope was gone

My baby asked me what was wrong

I said my life with you is better than ever

It’s a dream come true

Whenever we’re together

My life with you is better than ever, it’s true

I’m so in love with you

They busted up on the union

Tryin’ to cut out the fat

Lost my job down at the station

My train fell off the track

They did me dirty indeed

But you’re all I need

Because my life with you is better than ever

It’s a dream come true

Whenever we’re together

My life with you is better than ever, it’s true

I’m so in love with you

You saved me from myself

I don’t want, I don’t need nobody else

I don’t need no medication

Long as I got you

In any kind of situation

Ca c’est merci beaucoup

When it’s down to the line

I’m so glad you’re mine

‘Cause my life with you is better than ever

It’s a dream come true

Whenever we’re together

My life with you is better than ever, it’s true

I’m so in love with you

Rough Time Blues

Won’t somebody give me a quarter,

So I can change it out for this old rusted dime

Won’t somebody give me a quarter,

So I can change it out for this old rusted dime

So I have fifteen more cents put on this hard time of mine

They tell time it got so hard,

That a buzzard can’t find a job

Well now they tell me that the time got so hard people,
A buzzard can’t find a job

You know it got so rough out there,

I be forced to steal, steal and rob

I would change the hard times,

For my Grandma’s last home cooked meal

I would change these hard times,

For my Grandma’s last home cooked meal

People we be back in the twenties again,

And it’s almost time for a brand new deal

Just as sure as a dollar says “In God We Trust”

Just as sure as a dollar bill says “In God We Trust” (Lord have mercy)

You know my money done got so funny, I can’t even ride the bus

At one time you could take a hundred dollars

And you’d need help takin’ your groceries back

You could take one “C” note

And you would need help takin’ your groceries back

With that same old Franklin now,

You could put everything you bought in one sac

Somebody give me a quarter,

So I can change it out for this old lousy dime

Somebody give me a quarter,

So I can change it out for this old rusted dime

So I can have fifteen more cent to put on this hard time of mine

So I can have fifteen more cents to put on this hard time of mine