In 1976 I was living in Memphis, having a great time playing music and hanging out with a bunch of other musicians. Eight of us lived in a massive 1904 mansion we called the Big House. Once the home of a wealthy family, it hadn't been maintained meticulously for 20 years or so. But it was a solid and magnificent house, and an awesome place for eight musicians to have a great time living the single life. There was this girl...let's call her Paula...who I had known for a time as a friend of a friend. One night we ended up together at Solomon Alfred's on Overton Square, and the warm sparks flew. We said goodnight around midnight and I went back to the Big House floating on a cloud. I sat down in my bedroom with my Yamaha FG-160 guitar (which I still have today) and an uplifted attitude. My fingers started playing the song's signature lick and words soon followed. I've never really been depressed, but at times I've been discouraged. But as I sat there in the early morning singing...after a nice evening with a soon-to-be very close friend...I'd say I was encouraged! And New Way tells the story. This version was recorded on a boombox by the Memphis Rockers around 1978, most likely in upstate New York or central Florida. There are two newer versions on the site recorded by Pluto Jones in 1980 and 2008. New Way © 2024 - Joey Arata