Billy Price and the Nighthawks

Okay. I think I'm almost over mistakenly writing Jackie Wilson when I should have written Clyde McPhatter in an earlier post about the Drifters. As you can clearly see from the way they are spelled, they're almost identical. An easy mistake.

So let's move on. I should be telling you about the great music produced by the Nighthawks and Billy Price at Moondog's Friday night.

They may seem like an unlikely pairing -- the hard-rocking Nighthawks and the soulful Price, but they find common ground in the bluesy material that inspires both sides of their experience. And they make beautiful music together. Price was a little bluesier for the event, nailing numbers like "Farther on Down the Road." It's not the first time they've worked together, and let's hope it's not the last.

It was a fun night. By themselves, Price and the Nighthawks always give good music. Together, it reminded me of the Doublemint Twins (remember them?): Double the pleasure. Price was supposed to have brought his keyboard player, Jimmy Britton, but Britton was sick.

And for a change, Moondog's was packed. It was hard enough just to get inside, let alone move around once you were there. But it's good to see the fans come out and enjoy a good show. Most even seemed to make it through both sparkling sets.

Opening the night was Norm Nardini with a trio that included former Jimmy Thackery drummer, Mark Stutso, who left Thackery in August after 18 years and moved to the Burgh -- our gain.