Her big voice, her strong support of blues traditions and her distinctive style of playing make her one of the emerging greats of the blues.
Highly recommended are Blues In My Heart, an early acoustic blues album. and Lucky 13, a deliciously loose electric blues album.
Fiona Boyes has made a name for herself on the blues circuit, but when it comes to the specific types of blues that she performs, the Australian singer/guitarist/songwriter has not been the least bit easy to categorize or pigeonhole apart from saying that she is blues-oriented. Listening to Boyes for an hour or even half-an-hour, one is likely to hear a very wide variety of blues or blues-related styles. Texas blues, Chicago blues, Louisiana swamp blues, Memphis blues, and Mississippi Delta blues are all fair game for Boyes, who is as comfortable rocking out and embracing electric urban blues as she is playing acoustic guitar and embracing down-home country blues.
Boyes has never been a blues purist or a staunch blues traditionalist; rock & roll, soul, and jazz have influenced her work, and she obviously doesn't believe that a blues artist is obligated to favor a 12-bar format 100-percent of the time. But whatever she does — whether she is getting into jump blues, early R&B, blues-soul, rockabilly, or '20s- and '30s-style classic female blues of the Bessie Smith/Ma Rainey/Victoria Spivey variety — Boyes' work is always blues-related in some fashion. The artists Boyes has frequently found herself compared to include Bonnie Raitt, Marcia Ball, Susan Tedeschi, Lou Ann Barton, and Rory Block. Raitt, in fact, has been a major influence on Boyes, although Boyes' gritty work has a lot more in common with the Raitt of the '70s than with the sleeker, more polished and pop-minded Raitt of the late '80s, '90s and 2000s. But Raitt is only one of the countless artists who has had an impact on Boyes. An incredibly wide variety of artists has affected the eclectic Aussie to some degree, ranging from Smith, Rainey, Spivey, and Memphis Minnie to John Lee Hooker to Chicago-associated icons such as Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf, Koko Taylor, and Muddy Waters. Boyes obviously cherishes the Mississippi Delta country-blues of Robert Johnson and Son House, and she hasn't escaped the influence of Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin, either.
Boyes was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, where she started making her presence felt in blues circles in the late '80s. It was in 1990 that Boyes and four other Australian women formed an all-female blues band called the Mojos, who recorded five albums in the '90s (The Mojos in 1990, Hardheaded Woman in 1991, Sassy Mama in 1995, Mumbo Gumbo in 1996 and Swing O'Clock Blues in 1999) and acquired a small following Down Under (the Mojos that Boyes was a part of shouldn't be confused with a British Invasion rock group of the '60s). But Boyes became a full-time solo artist in 2000, providing her first solo album, Blues in My Heart, that year; the acoustic Blues in My Heart was followed by Gimme Some Sweet Jelly Roll in 2003 and Live in Atlanta in 2004. In the mid-2000s, Boyes signed with the Memphis-based Yellow Dog label, which released Lucky 13 in 2006 and Blues Woman in 2009.
Website: Fiona Boyes
Juke Joint on Moses Lane
Fiona Boyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Outside, the frying catfish, inside, the raising cane
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Way over yonder, where I can hear the call
And I can't wait to get there, all my ______ hanging on the wall
Going down to Tallahassee, gonna have myself a ball
We need the moonshine out, you need some place to blow
Going down to Tallahassee, gonna have myself a ball
Way over yonder, have yourself a time
The folks are dancin', they're drinking whisky beer and wine
There ain't nothing like a juke joint now to have yourself a time
Way over yonder, down in Moses lane
Outside, the frying catfish, inside, the raising cane
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
In Fiona Boyes's song Juke Joint on Moses Lane, the singer describes the excitement of going to a juke joint on Moses Lane in Tallahassee. The song opens with the singer describing the location of the juke joint, which is on Moses Lane, and the contrasting feel of the inside versus the outside. The singer explains that outside the juke joint is cooking catfish, while inside, there is lively music and dancing. The singer is clearly anticipating their visit to the juke joint, as they sing about how much they cannot wait to get there.
The second verse of the song describes the personal connection the singer has with this particular juke joint. They sing about hanging their 'all' on the wall, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for their troubles or concerns. The singer is looking forward to escaping those troubles for a night of dancing and fun. In the third verse, the singer describes the history of the juke joint, which goes back "from long time ago." The juke joint serves as a place to let loose and blow off steam, especially with some 'moonshine.'
The fourth verse goes back to the present moment, as the singer urges listeners to have themselves a good time. They describe the scene inside the juke joint, with people dancing and enjoying drinks. The singer repeats that a juke joint is an ideal place to have fun and let go of worries. The final verse goes back to the beginning, with the singer repeating the location of the juke joint and their excitement about going there. The song ends with the singer eagerly heading down to Moses Lane to enjoy the juke joint.
Line by Line Meaning
Way over yonder, down on Moses lane
Far away on Moses Lane
Outside, the frying catfish, inside, the raising cane
There's delicious food outside and partying inside
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Heading to the fun juke joint in Tallahassee on Moses Lane
Way over yonder, where I can hear the call
Somewhere far, calling me to come
And I can't wait to get there, all my ______ hanging on the wall
Excited to arrive and see all my belongings on display
Going down to Tallahassee, gonna have myself a ball
Heading to Tallahassee with the intention of having fun
Way over yonder, from long time ago
Far away and long ago
We need the moonshine out, you need some place to blow
We want the moonshine out and you need a good place to have fun
Going down to Tallahassee, gonna have myself a ball
Heading to Tallahassee with the intention of having fun
Way over yonder, have yourself a time
Far away where you can have a good time
The folks are dancin', they're drinking whisky beer and wine
People are dancing and relaxing with drinks
There ain't nothing like a juke joint now to have yourself a time
There's nothing quite like a juke joint for a good time
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Heading to the fun juke joint in Tallahassee on Moses Lane
Going down to Tallahassee to the juke joint on Moses lane
Heading to the fun juke joint in Tallahassee on Moses Lane
Contributed by Josiah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.