“Little Red Rooster told little Brown Hen I ain’t had no loving since I don’t know when, I wanna boogie! yeah! The hen chews tobacco, the rooster dips snuff, the little rooster tried but he wasn’t big enough, he wants to boogie! yeah! Boo –gie! I want to Boogie woogie, boogie woogie all night long!”

Boot Hanks, at 86 could make a dance party with just a few lines of “I Wanna Boogie.” Sometimes, I wonder what young Boot could have done. Music Maker gets to meet and work with artists in their “Golden years.” What their hands can’t do anymore is well made up for by the wisdom of their years.

Every one of these artists I’ve had the privilege to work with has always put a premium on levity and perspective. As a young and privileged person who has suffered little in his life, I can only surmise that these tools were critical in dealing with hardship. There is no form of the blues that is lighter than the boogie. In fact, the loping bass line, the most distinct characteristic of the boogie, never seems to touch the ground.

The Music Maker catalog has about 999 boogies in it, at least three for every artist we’ve recorded over the years. Here is, a in no ways definitive selection, a few I really enjoy and hope bring you a moment of lightness.