Bobby Patterson
Opal Divine's Freehouse, Friday, March 16
When you're headlining a bill featuring Archie Bell, Barbara Lynn, Buckwheat Zydeco, and the spellbinding Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, you'd better know what you're doing. Wisecracking 63-year-old Dallas R&B legend Bobby Patterson had no problem keeping the awesome Pondersosa Stomp rolling with a short-but-sweet set of his best-known soul sides. Backed by Mississippi's Wiley & the Checkmates, BP opened with "T.C.B. or T.Y.A.," an R&B hit from 1969 that left radio programmers guessing what "T.Y.A." stood for. (The record company said it meant "Turn yourself around," but Patterson says it means "Tear your ass.") From there, the dapper soul singer crossed into the Seventies with "She Don't Have to See You (to See Through You)," a Joe Tex-style ballad covered by Golden Smog. Patterson gave Fabulous Thunderbirds fans a history lesson with an extra-funky version of "How Do You Spell Love?" and paid tribute to old friend Johnnie Taylor with "Right on Jody," one of Patterson's many "answer" songs.
