I was 25 years old when we lost John Vandiver. While I was already a Shake Russell fan and had followed Shake around playing the night before or the night after in great places like the Jalepeno Tree, I was never lucky enough to cross paths with John. Only mildly acquainted with John’s music until now, I am truly honored to be offering a review of “I FOUND A DREAM” which was recorded at Poor David’s Pub in Dallas, Texas in 1984. For those of you who are familiar with John’s music, I’ve little to offer except this is a great live recording, complete with audience and John’s indefatigable character. For those of you who may be new to John Vandiver’s music, you’re in for a real treat. The title track is a Lonnie Johnson cover, as are several cuts on the album. Vandiver covers Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, and more on this disc, but the three originals are purely pleasurable. The disc includes “Comin’ Home,” the title track of the famous album upon which Vandiver appears with The Shake Russell/Dana Cooper Band, and The Michael Marcoulier Band. Vandiver was able to wrap his talent around a song like no other. His approach was simple, to beautifully accompany with guitar while delivering flawless interpretation with his voice, which could be as soft as velvet and as booming as thunder. Vandiver’s opening track, a rousing rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago” is worth the price of admission to this timeless album. Available only at MyTexasMusic.com, the album is yours for only $14.99! Get it today.