Hooper and Beckwith celebrated the release of their new CD, "No Refunds" with a concert at Tatnuck Bookseller, Westborough, MA. 

Don Hooper and Steve Beckwith play a cross between Louisiana/ Texas and upstate New York folk/country music. Vocally, Hooper has a Willie Nelson inflection with a low Johhny Cash voice (except when he sings high harmony) and Beckwith a coarse Chris Smither/ Jerry Jeff Walker style. While Don flat-picks and finger-picks, Steve weaves through each song with intricate lead riffs. They trade-off vocal lead and harmony, giving a unique feel to each song. The combination sets them well apart from other duos. Their live acts are rife humor and bickering back and forth, both during and between songs.

Don found his love of performing in upstate New York in the late 60s, playing in coffee houses and colleges to packed audiences. At the time he played tamborine on his foot, rack harmonica, and flat-picked along with belting out the vocals. He was known as the Woodstock Traveler. He was even mistaken for Dylan by tourists, and they snapped his picture in excitement as he played restaurants in Woodstock. Later he spent a summer in New Orleans, surviving by busking at Jackson Square.

After a long illness, suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia, Don has finally come back to the music scene. He can't sit around and talk much, because the pain returns. But singing makes the pain go away. He met Paul Geremia while he was in Newport RI, and was taught fingerpicking by this icon of country blues.

Hooper’s solo CD “Mr Songman,” received very favorable reviews for his renditions of “Don’t Think Twice” and “Mr Bojangles,” and several country blues originals. Now with Steve, the duo puts a decidedly Texas slant on their music. They still garner many downloads on iTunes and Napster.

A master at songwriting, Don is one of the best lyricists to come around in a long time. “No Refunds” has 11 originals, and 3 covers. “Tore Down Man” unleashes ripping Dobro riffs on top of Steve’s guitar runs. In it, Don sets the stage, bursting out with “I heard her in the morning, tip-toe ‘round the floor, suitcase and a yellow coat, sneaking out that door, I’m a tore down man...” Later, he laments “I got three hungry hounds, giving me the stare. I’ll give ‘em chicken teriyaki and a half-eaten burger, I’m a tore down man, baby won’t you please come home…”

In “Ain’t no Storm,” Don chronicles hurricane Katrina with a sing-along chorus much like a Louisianna field holler “Ain’t no storm, gonna take our New Orleans. Ain’t no storm - gonna take our New Orleans. We been knocked down, muddy watered, driven from our homes, ain’t no storm - gonna take our New Orleans.”

In “Boomtown USA” Don writes the true story of an immigrant coming to the United States in 1900, when the steel mills were coming into full production. “At minimum wage, he poured the iron that built America…” and leading up to that, “When I got there my new home was a room on the edge of town, a board shack near the slag heap of the mill. And the cracks in the walls, where the wind whistled in, snow landing gently on my pillow.” With the guitar work, you can picture the man walking his way from New York to Pennsylvania, because he had lost his money, and had “nothing left to lose.”

In the “Green Line,” he expresses the first experience of riding the subway in a big city, with “at Haymarket station, they don’t sell no hay, and the cars around there are going roundabout the wrong way.” Later he paints the picture  “clowns on the corner, vendors on the curb, nothing could be further from the dead suburbs, riding on the Green Line, baby don’t you want to go. This stop, next stop, livin’ in a Boston show.”

“Light that Fire Tonight” is another gem. “I got the burgers ready, I’m a hot dog man, I got a poked up barrel of suds. You can have all your fancy ales my friend. ‘cause all I drink is Bud…” A bridge follows the chorus “Johnny Cash won’t you come back, and sit with us a while. We’re gonna light up that fire tonight.”

Steve picked up the guitar at nine. As he mastered his craft, he frequently sat in with bands, accompanying and playing solos for all types of music. He now handcrafts acoustic guitars for Beckwith Strings (beckwithstrings.com).

Hooper and Backwith collaborated on three songs for this CD, "GPS Lady," "It Ain't the Crime but the Cover-up" and "Song of Our Lifetime." The later is a moving statement of the life, hope and oportunity, as it says "The song of our lifetime, will it play, to the soul of a country beat? Song of our lifetime, will it play, to the rhythm of the street? Listen, can you hear it, calling, from the mountain to the sea, the chance we give our children, I believe it will be - the song of our lifetime."

The list goes on. Every song is perfectly crafted, laced with colorful imagery, humor and subtle twists. Sit back and listen to the words, the chorus harmonies and unforgettable melody lines. You’ll be singing a different one to yourself every day.

Hooper and Beckwith are currently playing the New England region, expanding their circle of venues. They played at the Bolton 4th of July celebration, the Bolton fall festival, Green Rooster, Java Room, Savoury Lane, Tatnuck Bookseller, Great Brook Farms, Tennessee BBQ, Gael House, and others. The CD and MP3 downloads are available from CD Baby. Also see their website:

http://hooperandbeckwith.com