Houser and Bell ("JB") met at the University of Georgia at Athens between 1982 and 1984, and began playing music together around town as a duet. JB played solo shows as well. In the Fall of 1984, David Schools saw JB play a solo show at Abbots in Athens. Dave and JB were introduced by a mutual friend. Shortly thereafter, JB & Mike recruited Dave to play bass with them, and from Mike's nickname ("Panic"), the band name Widespread Panic was chosen. On February 24, 1985 the band played their first performance as Widespread Panic at the A-Frame house on Weymanda Court in Athens. Mike, JB, & Dave performed around Athens as a trio, occasionally utilizing local drummers. While their shows consisted primarily of cover tunes (by the likes of The Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, and Traffic, among others), their repertoire did include a handful of original songs: Sleepy Monkey (the band's first original composition), Chilly Water, Space Wrangler, and Coconut (written by JB before joining the band). During this time, the trio also met vocalist Kelly Jo Davis (who is later married to blues guitarist and friend of WP, Tinsley Ellis). Kelly Jo performed frequently with the band throughout 1985 and 1986.
February 6, 1986, Mike recruited high school friend/band mate Todd Nance for a WP gig (an Aid For Africa benefit) at the Mad Hatter Ballroom in Athens, opening for Strawberry Flats (featuring John Keane). This is considered the first "official" Widespread Panic show. Todd evidently had a good time, and accepted their offer to join the band. On February 9, 1985, Mike, Dave, and JB, with Joel Morris on drums and Kelly Jo Davis on backing vocals, recorded Monkey Image (Sleepy Monkey) and Coconut Image (Coconut) at Panoramic Recording Studio in Arnoldsville GA, to be released as their first single. The 45rpm vinyl was released (in a pressing of only 500) shortly thereafter on the band's Space Baby label.
During the rest of 1986, WP played mainly in Athens, though they did branch out to venues in Macon, GA and South Carolina. Early on, they began playing every Monday night at the Uptown Lounge in Athens, a tradition that would last well into 1988. Along the way, they developed a solid batch of original tunes (in addition to the four originals that they played in 1985), including Stop-Go, C. Brown, Tie Your Shoes, Porch Song, Driving Song, Conrad, Vacation, Postcard, the instrumental Machine, and another instrumental jam that JB later adds lyrics to, titled Cardboard Box. On October 6, 1986, Texan percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz ("Sunny"), sat in with the band at the Uptown Lounge for the first time. Sunny continued to perform with the band on numerous occasions in Athens, Macon, and Atlanta, and eventually (late 1988 or early 1989) accepted the band's request for him to join as a full-time member.
During 1987, WP continued to play primarily in Georgia, while steadily spreading out to SC, NC, AL, TN, and as far north as Richmond, VA (Dave Schools' hometown). They developed a few more originals along the way, including Barstools & Dreamers, Contentment Blues, I'm Not Alone, and instrumentals L.a. (aka "Liza's Apartment"), and The Take Out. JB added lyrics to Cardboard Box, and to another instrumental titled "Puppet Song", subsequently renamed Pigeons. Cardboard Box was only played a handful of times before being dropped from the repertoire. In the Fall, the band signed with Landslide Records and recorded their first album, Space Wrangler, at John Keane's Studio in Athens. Guests on the album included Sunny on percussion, David Blackmon on fiddle, Tim White on keyboards, and Alberto Salazarte (of Athens band White Buffalo) on percussion.
In June of 1988, the first known guest appearance of producer John Keane on stage with the band occurred. Usually playing pedal steel, Keane became another regular guest at special Panic shows.
Their debut LP, Space Wrangler, established a small fan base and inaugurated several years of constant touring before the band signed to Capricorn Records and released their major label debut, Widespread Panic in 1991. After appearing with the H.O.R.D.E. tours for a few years, the band became one of the most popular new jam bands that arose in the mid-1990s. Their popularity peaked in the late 1990s/early 2000s, as their concert draw benefited from Phish's temporary hiatus. They still have a large draw in the South, where they are most popular.
Playing as many as 250 shows a year, Panic built a large fan base. True road warriors, Widespread Panic ranked among the top 50 grossing touring acts for eight years running, even without substantial radio airplay, television exposure, or promotion at retail stores. The band holds sellout records at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver (23 shows), Oak Mountain Amphitheatre near Birmingham, Ala. (17 shows), Philips Arena in Atlanta (11 shows), and UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans (18 shows). Not to mention 20 sellouts at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre, seven sellouts across the Bay at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, nine sellouts at Mud Island in Memphis, seven at Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum, and in October 2003 for the popular Halloween shows sold out two concerts at New York's famed Madison Square Garden. To celebrate the release of their first live album, Light Fuse, Get Away, Widespread Panic offered a free "CD release party" concert in the streets of hometown Athens. An estimated 100,000 fans descended on the town, transforming it into the largest CD release party in history.
In August 2002, founding guitarist Michael Houser lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. George McConnell, a long time friend of the band and former Beanland,a Mississippi roots band, member joined in Houser's wake. After Hermann had joined Panic in 1992, McConnell often sat in whenever Panic played in the south. Friends for the past 15 years, Panic and McConnell had often played on the same bill for nearly as long. That longstanding relationship made him the natural choice to continue on with Panic after Michael Houser's death from pancreatic cancer in August of that year. "It's all about chemistry," Schools said. "We've been friends for 15 years." At the end of the summer tour, Panic went back to the studio to record Ball, a testament that, as Houser wished, they would continue as a band.
On August 2, 2006, the band announced that George McConnell would no longer be playing with the band. John Keane, friend and co-producer of many of the bands albums, provided guitar support for the remainder of the tour, along with Sam Holt. Both had been featured contributors in Widespread Panic concerts since the beginning of the Summer 2006 tour. The following day, the band announced that guitarist Jimmy Herring, who had previously been a member of the 1990s band the Aquarium Rescue Unit and had toured with The Allman Brothers Band and members of The Grateful Dead, would join the band, beginning with the first show of the Fall 2006 tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
The band has sold over 3 million albums, and released a total of 15 CDs and five DVDs (including Live at Oak Mountain, which is certified Gold).
In June 2006, their 9th and most recent studio album, Earth to America, was released. Earth to America was recorded with Terry Manning in Nassau, Bahamas at the beautiful Compass Point Studios.
In late 2006, Fayetteville, NC native Jimmy Herring took over the reins of the lead guitarist in the band, kicking off their fall tour with three nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
Panic’s 7th annual New Year’s shows on December 30 and 31 of 2007, marked their 15th and 16th sellout performance at Philips Arena.
The band released their 10th album, Free Somehow, on February 12, 2008. It, too, was recorded with producer Terry Manning at Compass Point Studios.
Following the release of the new studio album, Widespread Panic began to release vintage concert performances from the Widespread Panic Archives. Carbondale 2000 was released on June 10, 2008, followed by Valdosta 1989 released on February 24, 2009, and Huntsville 1996 released on June 23, 2009. The band will continue to dig into their show archives, which encompasses the past 25 years, and release these shows as multi-track recordings.
June 27, 2008, marked the band's 32nd sold-out show at Red Rocks Amphitheater. This was more than any other band in the venue's history. Mayor John Hickenlooper proclaimed Friday, June 27 "Widespread Panic Day" in the City and County of Denver. The same year, Widespread Panic was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 20.
The band continued to tour throughout the rest of 2008 and the spring of 2009. In the summer of 2009, Widespread Panic teamed up with fellow southern rockers, The Allman Brothers to do a summer and fall co-headlining tour.
In March 2010, it was announced that Widespread Panic would be releasing a new album entitled Dirty Side Down on May 25, 2010. The band is also releasing Live in the Classic City II, containing music from its 2000 shows.
On September 29, 2010, Widespread keyboardist Jojo Herman announced that the band would be going on hiatus in 2012. In an interview with the Vanderbilt Hustler, Herman explained, "Next year will be our 25th anniversary. After that, we're probably going to call it (quits) for awhile. So we're looking forward to next year and going out on a high note."
Ride Me High
Widespread Panic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, baby, baby, let me talk to you
I just love to whisper in your sexy ear
Tell you that I love you, take away your fear
Destroy your inhibitions, ridin' back the day
Low-down, slow down, keeping low down in that funky way
Higher, higher, higher, how high can you go
The way you move your body, it is a crying shame
I won't tell nobody if you will do the same
If you leave tomorrow, one thing that's for sure
The more you get, the more you've got, the more you want some more
Higher, higher, higher, how high can you go
Ride me high this morning, ride me high some more
The lyrics to Widespread Panic's song Ride Me High are full of sexual innuendos and metaphors of getting high. The first stanza references the "low-down way you're feeling," as well as the "sexy things you do." The singer tells their partner that they love to whisper in their "sexy ear" and take away their fear. The line "Destroy your inhibitions, ridin' back the day" suggests a desire to let go of any reservations or worries and enjoy the present moment.
The second stanza continues the theme of getting high, with the lyrics "Higher, higher, higher, how high can you go." The singer wants their partner to "ride me high this morning, ride me high some more." The line "The way you move your body, it is a crying shame" is another sexual reference, suggesting that the partner's movements are so enticing that they are almost painful to witness. Finally, the singer declares that if their partner were to leave, they would want more and more of them, saying "The more you get, the more you've got, the more you want some more."
Line by Line Meaning
Low-down way you're feeling, the sexy things you do
The sultry atmosphere you're creating by your actions and demeanor is arousing me
Baby, baby, baby, let me talk to you
My dear, please allow me to express my deepest desires and emotions to you
I just love to whisper in your sexy ear
There's something intimate about the things I want to tell you, and I especially enjoy doing it in hushed tones right next to your ear
Tell you that I love you, take away your fear
I want to assure you of my love for you and help you overcome any anxieties or worries you may have
Destroy your inhibitions, ridin' back the day
Let's forget about our inhibitions and let ourselves be carried away by the moment
Low-down, slow down, keeping low down in that funky way
We should take it slow and move to the rhythm in a cool, laidback way
Higher, higher, higher, how high can you go
Let's see how far we can take this, let's push ourselves to higher levels of arousal and pleasure
Ride me high this morning, ride me high some more
Let's enjoy this exquisite intimacy not just now but also later, riding high on the sensations and ecstasy of the moment
The way you move your body, it is a crying shame
The sensual way in which you move and express yourself is almost too much to handle and is driving me wild
I won't tell nobody if you will do the same
If you can keep this between just us, so can I, and together, we can escape into this mesmerizing experience
If you leave tomorrow, one thing that's for sure
Even if you have to go away tomorrow, we will always have these moments, and they will forever endure in our memories
The more you get, the more you've got, the more you want some more
This incredible feeling is addictive and has made us both crave more of each other and this experience
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J.J. CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kylegraham8481
John Aylesworth
idk bout all that but they should have never have made Todd leave the band, Duane- stay in the mf pocket gd. And while I’m commenting dead company should have stolen this wizard in the corner out from underneath John Bells whiskey and ribs belly, for number one choice to fill in for Jerry.
1. Jimmy Herring
2. Derek Trucks
3. John Scofield
4. Warren Haynes
5. John Mayer is on this list merely because the kid was playing the dead before “You’re Body Is a Wonderland”
N. Charleston Coliseum can be fun.
@mattwilliams7999
Anyone else quarantined watching panic vids?
@mikev.2945
Yep
@danhamilton1147
Cough
@stevenharvatin8822
show the kids what music is!
@theslavsnob3229
Checked in
@owenwhite5490
👍🎸
@matthewbender1068
Hands down jimmy kills it on guitar.. very rhythmic.
@jeanieg9856
My husband grew up with him. He's a great person also
@peskypesky
my first time hearing this band and I am blown away.
@codyagans1894
Keep listening...it gets better