KNOX CITY, TEXAS — Some albums take time because the music is complicated. Some take time because the artist is searching for something. David Moore’s new album, A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule, out today, took nearly two years because it had to be done right — because the man it honours deserved nothing less.
⇒ Purchase the CD from here.
James Masters Patterson (1956–2013) — songwriter, musician, writing partner, best friend, and by Moore’s own account a brother to him at the time it was most needed — wrote, co-wrote, or inspired every single track on this record. The title is a tribute to Patterson’s personality as much as to his music: Moore knew Jim’s sense of humour intimately, and he knows Jim would have loved it.
“A seed was planted in my mind the day Jim was buried. I wanted the world to know about this soft-spoken, kind soul. He was gifted, and was the hardest working musician I ever knew.”
A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule is a studio album assembled across continents and time zones, bringing together a remarkable roster of contributors united around a single artistic vision. What makes its creation extraordinary is the painstaking process at its foundation: Moore carefully reconstructed drum parts from old recordings measure by measure using MIDI — entering every note by hand, without AI assistance — using Toon Track Superior Drummer 3 for the final audio. From that reconstructed rhythmic backbone, each collaborator built their parts remotely, piece by piece, track by track.
⇒ Purchase the CD from here.
Guitar tracks were recorded at Jay Michael Smith’s studio in Dallas, Texas. Bass tracks came from Brian Patterson’s home. Vocal contributions arrived from Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, and the United Kingdom. Everything was mixed by Moore at his own studio, Ground Zero West in Texas, and mastered by Jeff Lowes at OTR Mastering — with the exception of “Love Is The Victory,” which was co-produced by Stuart Epps and mastered by Garry Simmons.
The album’s most powerful moment arrives on “Mysteries of Life” — where Jay Michael Smith’s guitar work captures James Patterson’s playing style with such precision and empathy that, as Moore describes it, it sounds as though Jim himself is performing. It is the sonic equivalent of a ghost made present.
⇒ Purchase the CD from here.
Seven of the album’s tracks were released as singles from late 2025 onwards, building anticipation for the complete collection. The full album arrives today.
The album brings together an extraordinary range of talent:
Jay Michael Smith and Brian Patterson — The Speaker Wars (Stan Lynch’s band)
Hollan Holmes — Spotted Peckary Label
Fred Sullivan — 56 East Band and Daphunk
Ralph Galetti — Disclaimers, with his daughter Abbie McKinney
Jackie Dwire — AmberAlexis Band
Stuart Epps — Recording engineer for Led Zeppelin’s Coda, The Firm’s debut album, and collaborator with Jimmy Page, Paul Rogers, and Bill Wyman
Without Smith recording the guitar parts that Jim Patterson originally wrote and played, Moore says the album would still be a concept rather than a reality.
David Moore’s path to music began not with a guitar but with an injury — a professional soccer career ended before it fully started, and in the aftermath, music became his calling. It was during that pivotal transition that James Patterson became his writing partner, his closest friend, and the person who believed in him most. Patterson’s death in 2013 left a void that Moore has spent over a decade finding the right way to fill.
A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule is that answer.
⇒ Purchase the CD from here.
