Originally ran Feb. 29

Either I got there early or the show was behind schedule, I can’t remember which.

I was at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, trying to catch as much music as possible. The venue was a medium-sized courtyard and I’d come to see The Negro Problem, a provocative and clever Los Angeles pop band that never got its due.

But a middle-aged man accompanying himself on acoustic guitar obviously was in the middle of his set. I wasn’t in the mood for a folkie but there was something familiar about his music.

He finished to polite applause and then introduced his next number. “Here’s a song I wrote for The Grass Roots.”

He went into “Where Were You When I Needed You” and I realized I was watching P.F. Sloan, one of the most outstanding songwriters of the 1960s.

Among his credits, mostly with songwriting partner Steve Barri: “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire, “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers and “Take Me for What I’m Worth” by The Searchers.

Sure, his renditions were bare-bones, but there was something special about hearing those songs played by their creator.

Dan Penn is another writer whose songs will be instantly familiar to lovers of ‘60s music, particularly Southern soul.

“Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” (Aretha Franklin), “I’m Your Puppet” (James and Bobby Purify), “The Dark End of the Street” (James Carr) and “Cry Like a Baby” (The Box Tops) are just a few of the tunes he wrote, mostly with Spooner Oldham and Chips Moman.

Listener-supported radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM, and the Suncoast Blues Society are bringing Penn to St. Petersburg for a show Saturday at The Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N.

It’s a rare chance to hear some amazing songs directly from their source.

Call the Palladium, (727) 822-3590, or WMNF, (813) 238-8001, for more information.