Upstate guitarist, singer and songwriter Jacob Johnson has done something remarkable. He’s taken one of the most recognizable Southern rock songs in history, The Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica,” and reimagined it entirely.
Much like Eric Clapton did in the early ’90s with his laid-back acoustic version of “Layla,” Johnson has rearranged the song for an acoustic-guitar-led trio. Johnson, one of the best acoustic players in the region, slows the song down dramatically and elegantly fingerpicks the riff over the subtle rhythm section of drummer Jack Ryan and bassist Stephen Campbell, both from Marcus King’s band. In his hands, it has become a warm, intricate Sunday-morning ballad.
And that’s before the unmistakable harmonica of Mickey Raphael comes in. Raphael, who’s played with Willie Nelson since 1973, plays a beautiful solo on the song in his unmistakable lilting tone, throwing in a little down and dirty blues at the end.
It’s a lovely, unexpected version of a well-known classic rock tune, and it raises two questions: How did Johnson come up with this unique arrangement, and how did Mickey Raphael become involved?
Well, as far as the arrangement goes, Johnson was acting on orders from the missus.
“If your sweetheart is named after a famous song and you’re a musician, you’ve got to play it for them,” Johnson laughs. “But ‘Jessica’ was never really that kind of song. But my wife Jessica was just kind of on me that I needed to learn to play this song, and as much as I tried to explain that this isn’t really a ‘sit down and serenade your lady’ kind of tune, that didn’t quite sink in. So, I played around with it a little while to figure out a way to make it work for finger-style guitar.”
As he was putting the track together, drummer Jack Ryan suggested an additional musician play a solo on the tune, and there was only one artist on Johnson’s mind, particularly as a lifelong Willie Nelson fan.
“Mickey Raphael was just at the top of my list,” Johnson says. “If I could one day get on a track with Mickey Raphael, I’ll feel like I’ve got a little of that Willie Nelson magic living on one of my tracks forever. I got an email address for him and I sent him a version of the track, and man, he hit me right back. He was into it!”
Presumably Mrs. Johnson was, too.
