For three months in late 1996, there was no better fan of Johnny Moeller and Paul Size than Dave Ferman.
Ferman was the pop music writer for the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram newspaper, and he used ink in his entertainment section to tout the “Return of the Funky Worm” band in September, October and November of that year. (The various items ran on three different days of the week — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Ferman might have been rotating the days for mentions of Moeller/Size, to catch as many different readers as possible.)
Most importantly, Ferman nabbed great interviews with Moeller and longtime Dallas blues promoter, the late Chuck Nevitt.
Ferman got the fervor honest: He wrote glowingly of The Red Devils when they came through Texas in 1992 and 1993.
First up was a pop music column published on Sept. 29, 1996, titled “Red-hot blues from Denton.”
“The best blues CD I’ve heard this year isn’t by a superstar such as Buddy Guy or an old legend like John Lee Hooker … (it’s) by a couple of largely unknown 25-year-old Denton guitarists who currently work day jobs to pay the rent,” Ferman wrote about “Funky Worm.”
“In a genre full of bad imitations and superstars marking time, the 12 songs here stand out. Moeller and Size deserve praise for their economy, outstanding guitar playing, a deft mixture of original songs and obscure covers and for the fluid interplay of tough Texas blues, ’70s funk and just a pinch of mid-’60s small-combo organ-and-guitar jazz.”
An important piece of the puzzle was Nevitt, the founder of Dallas Blues Society Records. His label released new music from Texas blues artists Zuzu Bollin and Henry Qualls, giving both veterans a resurgence in their final years.
“I’d always thought Paul and Johnny were two of the toughest-sounding Texas guitar players — and after the traditional records, I wanted to test new waters,” Nevitt said. “So I just asked them if they wanted to do a record together, and they brought in guys from their bands. They had one rehearsal, and we cat the CD in three days and mixed it in one.”
Whether those bands were called Groove Yard, Easy Jones or Holy Moellers, they became the “Funky Worm” band — drummer Jason Moeller (Johnny’s brother), bassist Bret Coats, singer Rhett Frazier and former Red Devil Mike Flanigin on electric piano.
Ferman came back on Oct. 25, 1996, with a breathless plea to show up to a pair of the band’s upcoming dates:
Unfortunately, only a couple of dozen were on hand to witness “the best blues band in the state and perhaps the country,” Ferman wrote on Nov. 2, 1996, before imploring readers to come out to the show that night:
What was all the big fuss about? Listen to these outtakes from “Funky Worm,” then search out the real thing!
No Fightin' 