"It's an overnight success that took 20 years," Stone shouted, laughing.
On his way home from a Chicago gig, he was using a cell phone and battling the white noise that goes along with road travel.
He talked while riding in a van with his bandmates, bassist Doug Kohl and drummer Neal Crash Karrer, who also plays with Jacksonville punk rocker Stevie Stiletto. Together, the trio makes up Al Stone and The Stone Road Band, and they play original electric blues rock, occasionally mixing in funk and traditional blues.
The show in Chicago went particularly well, which left him "completely emotionally high," Stone said. "Honestly, I still am now."
The excitement in his voice sounded youthful, almost like that of a kid on his first tour. He spoke fast as thoughts seemed to sprint across his mind.
"I can't quit," he said. "I am so energized right now!"
If he could spend every week on the road, he'd do it, he said. This year, it looks as if he will tour for eight months.
That's a stark difference from where he was a few years ago.
After spending a couple of decades in the music industry, he had decided to settle down and try a more conventional lifestyle. But it just wasn't his style. His marriage didn't last, nor did his landscaping business and work restoring homes. After about six years, he could no longer stifle his passion for the blues, which he's loved since picking up a guitar at age 12. As a teen growing up in a rough neighborhood on Chicago's Southside, he delved into rock 'n' roll, but always came back to the blues, he said.
He never completely quit playing, he said, but music had dropped low on his priority list. As that changed, he started to dabble in it more and more. Then, last year, he made a resolution.
"I've pretty much decided, I'm going to do what I'm good at and what I've done all my life," he explained.
So far, he's received a positive response, and a few months ago, Bill Green of Rough House Artist Management in Chicago heard Stone's album and added him to his roster.
Green described Stone's music as "edgy blues rock," which blues purists tend to snub but is quite popular in Chicago and with other modern blues fans.
"I come from the school of creating and developing more," Green said. "I think Al does a good job reaching for new tones, new sounds and trying to do something different."
Stone said he has the drive and desire to move forward, and is more serious than ever before.
Not even two heart attacks could stop him. He nearly died from the second one, which happened in February on his way home from a Daytona Beach show.
Death itself didn't seem scary, he said later during an in-person chat. But he did come away with a new appreciation of each day's value.
"Here's some advice," he said. "Tell people you love them."
The thought of not having a chance to do that was the scariest part of his experience.
Now, with a stent in his heart, he has a second chance. But he seems to think it won't last long.
"Look, let's face it, my days are numbered. I know that," he said. "That's why I'm going to have fun and do what I love on every one of those days."
Back in 1997, he recorded an album, but it was never officially released. So he reworked the album, added new material and kept the name, "I Want It All."
The album was released in May by Electro Glide Records, an Illinois-based blues label. It's available by download and on CD, and has been well-received by online blues radio stations.
On BluesCityRadio.com, he's been a featured artist on the homepage and his song "Blind Dog" reached No. 1 by popular vote.
As well, his song "The Captain" is on Melodic Revolution Records' digital compilation, "Songs for Haiti," a charity project benefiting earthquake relief efforts.
Stone's also gaining recognition for his long-time dedication to blues music and artists. Coinciding with his re-debut, Stone was nominated by a fellow bluesman to be included in the Blues Hall of Fame, a nonprofit founded in 1999 by blues artists (not associated with the Blues Foundation.)
He was accepted and inducted as a blues Ambassador to Jacksonville and as a Great Blues Artist.
At a recent show Green booked for Stone, the audience of about 200 was "impressed with his style and ability," and in a city like Chicago, which boasts Buddy Guy, Lonnie Brooks and Nick and Joe Moss, that bodes well for Stone's career, Green said.
"Al definitely came up and stood with them," and he'll definitely be playing more gigs, Green said.
heather.lovejoy@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4539
BOOKING, CONTACTS:
Rough House Artist management
Bill Green,@ 773-909-4887