Tag: B.B. King

On These 10 Recordings, Willie Nelson and Black Musicians Share a Creative Vision

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Willie Nelson has long been not just an American musical treasure, but an iconic figure with far more appeal across racial and generational lines than often recognized. At 87, he’s achieved a perfect marriage of artistry and commercial success few have in any idiom. While certainly a country legend, and the only person in the genre to ever achieve a Top 10 hit in seven different decades, he’s also collaborated with an astonishing number of artists across a wide swath of musical styles and approaches. He’s penned numerous anthems that have been covered by jazz, blues, R&B, soul, rock and pop vocalists, and this month he released his 70th studio album, First Rose of Spring.

Nelson’s never been afraid to stand up for social justice, even when those words weren’t part of the popular vernacular. Early in Charley Pride’s career, Nelson actually gave him a kiss on stage in Louisiana, quieting an audience that was allowing some of its more verbally racist louts to heckle Pride on stage. He’s always included Black musicians in Farm Aid concerts, had one of his biggest albums ever (Stardust) produced by a Black man (Booker T. Jones, who raved about Nelson in his autobiography) and has maintained a friendship with Snoop Dogg since long before Lil Nas X appeared on the scene. He also enjoyed a very close relationship with Ray Charles, who Nelson lamented he could never beat at chess.

He’s in the same company with people like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bill Monroe, whose output, personality and consistent brilliance has endured despite changes in production, audience preferences, and many other variables that can negatively affect the careers of popular musicians. Part of the reason for that longevity is Nelson’s undeniable skill in multiple areas. He’s penned a host of songs that are every bit as epic as those from the pre-rock canon he often samples. Had he only written “Crazy,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” or “On the Road Again,” that would have been enough for one lifetime. He’s also a very credible singer, highly effective in pacing and telling a story.

Nelson has consistently embraced and operated in other genres by neither sacrificing his musical individuality and integrity, nor seeming to pander or simply attempting to seem hip. Actually, he’s the epitome of that term, though in a vastly different way from someone like Miles Davis, who was known as much for fashion and fine cars as musical innovation. The fact that Nelson has appeared in more than 30 films just adds weight to his universal appeal.

Trying to pick the best of Nelson’s numerous collaborations with great Black singers and musicians is a tricky thing. One could easily select 10 one day, then come back and tab a different 10 another time. But these are some (far from all) personal favorites. They are ranked in order only by year, nothing more. We picked a mix of singles and LPs, but it’s just a small sample of the many wonderful things he’s done. By no means would we claim this is the definitive list for Willie Nelson’s collaborations with African American artists, but it’s a good sampler and an indicator of how widespread his impact and willingness to work with various musicians actually extends.

SINGLES AND ALBUM CUTS

“Man With The Blues” with Buckwheat Zydeco
From Five Card Stud (1994)

The greatest zydeco master since Clifton Chenier teams with Nelson for a smoky, delightful romp that sees Buckwheat Zydeco also find a comfort zone vocally and instrumentally. As is always the case, Nelson easily works himself into the arrangement, and the two sound right at home in this setting.

“Night Life” with B.B. King
From Deuces Wild (1997)

The King of the Blues sounds happy and engaged on one of Nelson’s earliest compositions, providing some taut guitar licks and outstanding lead and harmony vocals while Nelson doesn’t try to match the improvisational edge, instead easing into a nice zone that’s part complimentary, part quite different in style and sound, but ideal for the situation.

“Still Is Still Moving to Me” with Toots & the Maytals
From True Love (2004)

Toots brings some Jamaican soul and lots of energy to this collaboration, while Willie seems a bit more energetic as the song works its way through. This is one of many performances that earned this LP the Reggae Grammy, and Nelson had such a great time he made a follow-up of his own and paid Toots and company back by having them guest on it.

“Busted” with Ray Charles
From Genius & Friends (2004)

I know “Seven Spanish Angels” was a number 1 hit and more people remember it fondly, but this late redo of an early Charles hit has equal doses of warmth, reflection and edge in both voices. Charles was certainly not at his vocal peak, but he found a way to make his treatment effective, while Willie as always proves the ideal partner in multiple ways.

“Family Bible” with The Blind Boys of Alabama
From Take the High Road (2011)

The album title indicates precisely what Nelson does here, singing with verve and fire while the Blind Boys bring some of their characteristic Golden Age gospel energy and intensity to this rendition that’s alternately wistful, memorable and poignant. This composition dates back to Nelson’s late ’50s catalog, while he was trying to get heard as a songwriter.

“Grandma’s Hands” with Mavis Staples
From To All the Girls (2013)

Mavis Staples has one foot in the church and the other in the street with her customarily powerhouse voice setting the tone. Nelson manages not to get overridden or canceled out in the process as they do their own special version of the Bill Withers hit, which the Staples Singers cut for their 1973 Stax LP, Be What You Are.

“Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” with Charles Lloyd and the Marvels
From I Long to See You (2015)

The great Memphis jazz man Charles Lloyd and his newest group provide the backing for what comes off as a cross between a nightmarish vision and a marvelous revelation, sung in emphatic fashion by Nelson and punctuated by Lloyd adding some nifty licks underneath and the Marvels adding some musical punch.

ALBUMS

Country Man (2005)

A follow-up to his appearance on Toots’ LP the year before, Nelson goes full bore into reggae territory. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t, but all of it is performed with enthusiasm and joy. Nelson vocally handles the skittering reggae rhythms well, and on the disc’s best songs surpasses what he did on True Love.

Two Men and the Blues (2008)

Wynton Marsalis as a youthful prodigy had a lot of negative things to say about a lot of things back in the ’70s and early ’80s, and country music wasn’t spared in his broadsides. But fast forward all these years later and his gorgeous trumpet solos (both full and muted) made a great musical partner and support system for Nelson, who by now was so familiar with pre-rock, blues, and even traditional jazz tunes and rhythms that it was super smooth sailing from first note to the end. Also recommended: the DVDs Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis (2008) and Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis Play the Music of Ray Charles (2009).

Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (2011)

Marsalis and Norah Jones joined Nelson to pay homage to his friend Ray Charles, doing wonderful renditions of both hits and more obscure Charles tunes before a rousing audience. Nelson sounded especially energetic throughout, while Marsalis, who’s often been accused of being more technically expert than emotionally powerful, delivered crushing solos and accompaniment, and Jones was equal parts alluring and engaging. As always, Nelson comes across as sincere and genuine, a marvelous mix of down-home sensibility and attitude.

Photos: Pamela Springsteen

Billy Strings Brings Nine Shows from Five Nashville Venues to Your Screen

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It’s rare for Billy Strings to play a show in Nashville. This month, he’s doing nine of them.

The reigning IBMA Guitar Player of the Year will be hopping from venue to venue as part of a livestream series that serves as a fundraiser for important organizations, as well as a reunion with his band. He’ll launch the series at Nashville’s newest venue, Brooklyn Bowl, for a pair of shows on July 16 and 17. The run concludes on July 26 at 3rd & Lindsley. (Get the details.)

“Those are my boys and I’m just lucky to play with them,” he says of mandolinist Jarrod Walker, banjo player Billy Failing, and bassist Royal Masat. “I haven’t been able to hang with them a bunch. We went from being around each other 24/7, for months and months and months on end, to never seeing each other, period. So I’m just excited to get back together with my band, and not only play music, but just to be with them, and hang out, and make jokes. I just love those guys, you know?”

With time off the road, Billy Strings says he’s been redirecting his attention to his other hobbies, including fishing and hot rods. Looking ahead, he’ll also compete for IBMA’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year – his first time nominated in that category. (He’s also the reigning champ in the New Artist category, as well as Guitar Player of the Year.) In between visits to the lake and the garage, he called in to BGS.

BGS: Do you think you’ll approach each of these nine shows differently?

Billy Strings: Yeah, we usually try to do that anyway with the set lists. Each show has its own set list and its own vibe. It depends on where we are and where we’re playing. When I write the set list, a lot of times I take into consideration geographic locations or famous people that may have lived around there. Anything like that I can throw into the set to make it relevant. So, yeah, for each show, we’re going to approach them just like we would in that way.

Also, we might cater to the specific venues. We’re playing the Station Inn and that’s a classic bluegrass place, so we might play a bunch of bluegrass that night. We’re playing Exit/In and City Winery and those are different vibes. City Winery can be our real classy, Frank Sinatra show, and at Exit/In we can get really psychedelic and rock out.

You’ll have an international audience tuning into these shows, so this is a chance for people who have never been to Nashville to see what it’s like. For those who may not understand the diversity of the music community here, how would you describe it to them?

It’s a big melting pot. Like you said, it’s very diverse. And there’s a lot of younger musicians that are on fire! Marcus King and Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull… just so many people that are killing it. They all live around there. It’s a really great place to be as a musician. There are always people to make music with, and to pick with, and write music with. We’ll see if we can get a couple of guests to come down. Yeah, Nashville’s just crazy, man. You walk into the grocery store and you run into your favorite musician.

There’s money being raised through these concerts, and one of the beneficiaries is Backline, which supports mental health in the music industry. What is it about Backline that made you want to include them?

I, myself, personally have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks on tour, on the bus, on stage, and there’s a lot of people in the industry that suffer with the same shit. A lot of people may not speak out about it, or try to hide it, or don’t know who to look to for help. We just lost Jeff Austin and we just lost Neal Casal. There are a couple of other folks that are good friends of mine, that are traveling musicians that have been working so hard, and I think that has a huge deal to do with anxiety and depression.

I mean, when you’re in the limelight and you’re on stage and everybody wants to take your picture all the time, a lot of times it almost can be lonely. You never get any alone time and it can get weird. I know Jeff probably struggled with that. He told me about how he struggled being in the limelight and everybody critiquing his every move and everything he does is under scrutiny. That’s not a good place to be. …

The music industry can be really tough, believe it or not, for people who are on the stage and for people who are in the crews. There are plenty of organizations that help with that, whether it’s getting musicians health insurance or dental work or finding somebody a therapist. Backline is a huge, generalized hub where you can research and find all those different organizations and read about what is the right direction for you. You can even get with somebody on Backline and they’ll help you figure it out.

You also have the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as beneficiaries of this event. Why was it important for you to include them?

Well, because there’s a huge movement happening right now that I think is very important. Black people have been treated like shit, a lot, for a long time. And I just want to be on the side of history that is not an asshole. I got a lot of Black friends and my niece is Black. I’ve got family and friends and people that I love — and it shouldn’t even matter. …There’s a lot of miscommunication, a lot of divide, a lot of crazy shit going on in the country right now. I’m just all for love, man. I’m all for equality, I’m all for peace, so I wanted to donate a portion of the proceeds from these events to those organizations, just to help out.

Who are some Black musicians that influenced you?

Jimi Hendrix, definitely. Right off the bat. That’s the first guy I think of. He was amazing. Mississippi John Hurt, you know, he was a huge influence on Merle and Doc Watson. That’s who I grew up listening to, and I heard all that Mississippi John Hurt flavor in Merle Watson’s playing. That comes from the blues, the Delta blues. It goes on to Muddy Waters, B.B. King, all those cats. James Brown, come on!

I mean, without Black music, would there even be rock ‘n’ roll? I don’t even know if there would be bluegrass! Bill Monroe learned the blues from Arnold Schultz, a Black man who got him his first job. If you think about “bluegrass” – the word “blue” is in there from the blues. It’s got blues notes in it. A lot of bluegrass is just fast blues. And that’s Black music. Arnold Schultz taught Bill Monroe about that, and then he incorporated it into his music. All the music that we’re all inspired by has roots in Black music.

You mentioned Doc Watson, and of course he was loved by the folk community and the bluegrass community. Did folk music influence you, coming up?

Yeah, I think there was a point where I really got turned onto Bob Dylan and his lyrics. A lot of the old songs that I grew up playing is considered folk music. The Carter Family stuff and a lot of the Doc Watson stuff. …My friend Benji’s family used to have these gatherings, like family reunions, where they would all play bingo. I went to one of those and won a bingo, so I got to go up to the table and pick a prize. And I picked Blonde on Blonde. …I started really getting into those lyrics and all of those words.

That’s where I started realizing, OK, I like Doc Watson a bunch because he’s such a beautiful guitar player and singer, among many other reasons. Bob Dylan does what Doc Watson does on his guitar with his words. … And then I got into John Hartford really heavy, and if you listen to John Hartford’s early music, man, it is some of the most lyrically proficient stuff you’re ever going to hear! It’s amazing! There’s that old saying, “Three chords and the truth.” I really think there’s something to that. A lot of those old folk songs are so simple, but what they’re saying is so real that it cuts you.

Photo credit: Jesse Faatz

The Garden of Gospel Music: A Conversation with Phil Cook

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The motivation for Phil Cook’s unapologetically familiar gospel sound is simple: he LOVES that style of music and the people he’s learned it from. At times he veers into Appalachian instrumentation, reflecting his current North Carolina surroundings, and there’s individuality and innovation aplenty. But this Wisconsin kid and his band never stray far from a black gospel blueprint, incorporating backing choirs, tinkling piano stabs, organ that’s more Booker T. than Benmont T., and a vocal delivery that’s loose and expressive.

On his new album, People Are My Drug, Cook invites us to marvel gratefully and joyfully at the greatness of so many people whose creativity and communal originality have flourished under oppression, as well as those who hold the weight of the world within their silence.

There is a definite space that People Are My Drug lives in. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that. 

I’m lucky. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to surround yourself with people that know what they’re doing, have a lot of experience, and have something to say. I can possess those things, not all at the same damn time, but if I’m surrounded by other people, I feel safer to be that multiplicity. So my circle starts with my brother, as a producer who knows me better than any other and helps me deliver the most honest statement that I can make. He knows when I’m hiding and helps me stand up tall and be who I have to be to do the thing.

From there, all the musicians in the band – we essentially made the record in two days. Most everything was made in a studio in Wisconsin, which happens to be owned and operated by my old friend Justin Vernon. So we brought the whole crew up, and we holed up in a live room, the four of us – drums, bass, keys, and me. We played for two straight days and didn’t leave the room. We trusted the people across the house were doing their job.

And that’s where this record starts: trust. I am surrounded by musicians that I trust more than anyone else in that moment on stage or in the studio, and we made that a bubble. Then after we were done we had a nice dinner and went into the control room and listened to the record that we’d just made. We were laughing and smiling at each other. There are little moments that happen all over the place. We start out “He Gives Us All His Love,” and I was like, “Bass, I love ya.” And when we listened back to it, that’s exactly what the vibe of the entire record is, that fraternal kind of vibe.

Speaking of fraternity, “He Gives Us All His Love” stirs me to feel universally connected to humankind, more brotherhood of man than fatherhood of God. Is that what you were going for?

Yeah! It’s my favorite Randy Newman song off of Sail Away because it’s the one time he lets his sardonic humor-guard down for a very simple song about gratefulness and generosity, and I like that a lot. Funny story, we sang our version of that song for the first time and halfway through it a woman in the front row looks up at me with a little smile and goes, “How do you know it’s a ‘he’?” and immediately switched the entire perspective of the song. And the rest of the song we sang “She gives us all her love.” I was like, “Well, this is how we’re gonna perform it from now on!”

And that’s the kind of spontaneous moment that you have to pay attention to as a musician, to be open when something passes by and be like, “That’s it! Cool! Switch directions. Let’s hit this.” And you trust. It made for a really beautiful moment at a hometown show. So yeah, I do feel that the fraternity, the brotherhood of man, is the heart and soul of how gospel music plays a role in my life. It’s much more of a family, a community. That’s the togetherness of space that I think the center of this record is.

What I ultimately got out of a childhood in church was this great community that was really supportive of me being who I was. They saw a little kid with glasses in Wisconsin, and they told me to keep being who I want to be. That’s what every kid deserves. And as much as I walked away from church, when something is a part of you in your childhood, you can’t just walk away from it. It’s going to be a part of you for the rest of your life, even if you don’t have a weekly interaction with it.

And I think gospel music in general has been a part of me having this continual, ongoing dialogue with my faith and my questions in a deeper way that feels really real, that feels like a real practice, nothing about dogma, nothing about a system. It’s not gonna work for everybody, but I was able to dial back my anxiety medication after two or three years pretty much listening to quartet black gospel music and getting into it until I started to feel it.

What is it about gospel music that connects you to that human moment?

Well, gospel music is the original garden of all music that comes out of America. On one side you’ve got the blues, which way more people in the white community are familiar with. That’s ubiquitous. A lot of people know who Robert Johnson is, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, even someone more eclipsing, like Jimi Hendrix. A lot of those artists were torn their whole lives between what they were doing for money and what they were doing on Sunday morning.

Religion never left them either. Religion gave them so much. So even blues artists weren’t free of that spiritual paradox. If you look at some of the greatest singers, they all came out of this garden of the church. Aretha, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, all the Staples Singers – a vast number that were able to have a safe space as they were growing up. The safest space they could find was church, the place where they were able to seed and plant their art and their voice.

The church was also the source of this friendly competition with players raised up there. You’ve got young kids in the wings watching every single move that you’re doing, and they’re going home and practicing. It creates a whole circle of virtuosity and innovation. It was the only place for it to thrive, and, damnit, it thrived. It changed the entire world. Most of those artists went on to big careers in soul music and left the church in some ways. The church didn’t leave them though. That was with them the entire way.

I appreciate the way in this album you direct attention toward others and away from yourself. I’ve cried twice this morning listening to “Another Mother’s Son.”

It’s heavy. I had my own experience with almost losing my youngest son when he was born to some complications with respiratory stuff. You get close to almost losing the thing that you hold most precious, even though you just met him. Your family is forced to grip with the possibility that things aren’t gonna turn out ok. I don’t know who isn’t gonna be affected by a situation like that in a way that’s gonna crack your heart wide open. And what happens after that is really important.

He came home from the hospital and I put him to bed; we’d had an incredible family day. I felt like, “Oh, my family is so strong. I’m so thankful for this family. We’re gonna get through this life together and it’s gonna be ok.” And then I checked Instagram and saw the video that Philando Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond, took of the police officer after [the officer] shot him multiple times with her daughter in the back seat of the car. In that moment it was the juxtaposition of how safe I was feeling, how strong my family felt, to seeing a young man who was such a giving soul ripped so violently from his own mother, who called him her miracle child.

She wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids and she had a son, Philando Castile. And then this broken-ass justice system completely stole him away from her and everyone else that loved him. And it just hit me way harder than it normally would have because of what I went through. Often times you go through something and then maybe days, months, years down the line, something else will happen that will give you a whole new perspective on what you experienced initially.

The second fold was one of my bandmates, a phenomenally gifted musician and gregarious, incredible human being, Brevan [Hampden], who came over one night to meet [my son] Amos. Brevan was raised by his mother, who had three boys, all black men in America growing up. We sat on the porch drinking beers, and the talk turned to all this stuff. I love Brevan with all my heart. We’ve gone through a lot in our lives as musicians together in just a few years. And I think that moment just a few days after Philando Castile’s death really delivered home the two worlds that are so separate in this country. What some mothers don’t have to worry about. And what some mothers have to live in fear of every single day. And no matter how hard they sandbag and prepare against the terrible reality that could happen, their black son is walking out the door every day with a target on his chest. There’s no guarantees.

Brevan was raised sternly about how to interact with police, body language, tone of voice, every single thing. It was so foreign to me to listen to that, growing up in northern Wisconsin, the diversity-free capitol of the world. I knew all the police officers in Chippewa Falls. They all knew my mom and dad. I don’t know how many benefits of a doubt I got because of that. I can’t ignore that. I’m gonna go through the rest of my life grateful that it’s never happened to me. It’s a poisonous system, and I moved south to get away from indifference, so I could be in more of an interactive dialogue with communities that didn’t look, think, and act like me.

Photo credit: Josh Wool (Top); Graham Tolbert (Middle)

Throwing Out the Rulebook: A Conversation with Bettye LaVette

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There are singers, there are songwriters, and then there’s Bettye LaVette. She prides herself on being an interpreter, on using her voice to guide new melodies out of lyrics that have become a second skin to many listeners. But don’t you dare call her a covers artist. The septuagenarian’s new album, Things Have Changed — her first major label effort since 1982 — marks the first time LaVette has ever released an album focusing on one artist exclusively, and it just so happens to be Bob Dylan.

The idea sprang out of her 2008 Kennedy Center Honors performance in which she interpreted the Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” and effectively stunned Pete Townshend. She eventually translated that moment into her 2010 album, Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook. But Dylan is a different beast. LaVette shape-shifts his Nobel Prize-winning words into growling, bluesy affairs and soul-laced R&B, each track so unlike its origin that it’s a wonder they ever came from his mouth in the first place.

LaVette uses her voice to guide her interpretations in ways that defy the traditional notion of covering a song. “I got with my keyboard player, and he played it the way I sung it,” she explains about her process on Things Have Changed. With that basic foundation in place, she approached her producer, Steve Jordan, and Dylan’s long-time guitarist, Larry Campbell — who plays on the album — to work out the arrangements. “It was going a completely different way, and they had to go with it,” she says.

One of Dylan’s most iconic songs, “It Ain’t Me, Babe” (from 1964’s Another Side of Bob Dylan), sounds like a soul-infused ditty straight out of the Stax era, while LaVette picks up on the menacing quality running throughout “Ain’t Talking” (originally “Ain’t Talkin’ from 2006’s Modern Times), lacing it with equally ominous strings. “I thought about these naked banshees running through the forest playing violins,” she says. Dylan being Dylan, there’s a certain aura surrounding his music, but LaVette strips away all that pomp and circumstance, and reimagines these songs as new possibilities for the modern age. After all, things have changed.

Even though the title of your album pulls from Dylan’s song, it seems so appropriate today. As an artist, how are you trying to cope with the changes we’re witnessing on an almost daily basis?

Well, my husband says I do better some days than I do others. Some days he tells me I’m just too angry about it and I have to calm down. When I do these lyrics to “Political World” and “Times They Are a Changing,” it sounds as though they were written for today, so I don’t know if Dylan is prophetic, along with brilliant, or if he just didn’t have any faith in anything getting better and he was right!

The central sentiment on “Things Have Changed,” how do you push past that to still care?

Oh, honey, I am 72 years old. I basically don’t give a fuck. Nothing at this point wears me down. I know that all of this going on right now, either it’s going to pass or we’re going to pass. Something’s going to stop, though. I hope it’s not us.

You said Dylan’s lyrics were almost prophetic in a way. How does contemporary art need to respond to this moment more than it has been?

I don’t know. I don’t really like for people to sing about what’s going on; I’d rather them say it. If you’re a big enough star, then go somewhere important and say something. I want our entertainers to be well informed and to know everything that’s going on politically really does affect all of us. I’d like to see us become a little more serious-minded, instead of sitting around and singing about it all day.

I was looking at something the other night — Jay-Z was on something — he and Snoop Dogg both are speaking so much better than when they first started, and about so many more important things. I watched them when they started, and to hear what they speak about now, it warms my heart. I still am not a fan of hip-hop, but I’m glad that, since they’re making so many millions, they’re trying to contribute something now.

Absolutely. It’s an interesting conversation taking place. So, can you take me back to the moment when you first started listening to Dylan?

I’ve always heard him, but he’s never sounded appealing to me. I’ve recorded four of his tunes — those were the only ones that I could break down to size. Otis Redding said he’d never do one. It’s too damn many words! [Laughs] He was not played a lot on Black radio, and I didn’t like, necessarily, the way he presented his songs, and I always had a whole bunch of other stuff to sing about. He hasn’t been a mainstay in my life.

As I understand it, the album’s executive producer, Carol Friedman, brought the idea to you. What was it that excited you from a creative perspective?

This was more than just a big musical opportunity. This was a big business opportunity, as well. This is my 57th year in show business, so I’m not fascinated or enamored with anyone right now. I was fascinated and enamored that I would get a chance to get a really big shot and, because the company thought it was a really great idea, I thought I would tackle it for that reason. When I started to choose the tunes — which was very difficult for me to do because there’s only so much of what he says that I want to repeat — it was quite a daunting thing. I wasn’t going to tributize him, and I don’t do cover tunes. I can sing, so I don’t have to do the song the way you do it.

Right. You’ve described yourself as an interpreter.

No. I am an interpreter. That is what I do. I had to write a whole bunch to make it fit into my mouth. I had to change the gender in a lot of places, and I got to know him a lot better. I understand him much better. I would like to talk with him, though, because I’d like to know why he feels the way he does.

Has he gotten wind of this project?

Oh, I’m sure. His manager loved it. He gave me license to change the lyrics and gave me license not to license it. So I assume Bob has heard it.

As we know, white folk artists in the ‘50s and ‘60s covered or referenced Black artists in their music. And, here, it’s thrilling to see a Black woman interpret a white man’s music. Did that ever strike you during the project?

Oh, yes! I definitely thought about it. I listened to John Lennon and Paul McCartney say that B.B. King is their idol, and I know that B.B. came very close to dying broke and unheard of, so when I did the Interpretations album, that was pure vengeance. I thought of it that way. I wanted to do the tunes well enough for whites who were in love with these guys to realize that they’re just writers. These songs are not hymns; they’re just songs. Having a husband who was a white teenager who grew up with all of these guys and has been enamored of them forever, one of the greatest joys of my life was for me to make Pete Townshend cry and for him to see it. So I enjoyed that tremendously. [Laughs]

They are considered sacred among a set, but I love what you’ve done on this album, because these songs don’t sound like what we know Dylan’s catalogue to be!

As I said, I had to sit and think about them for a long time, whereas the ones that I’d chosen to do by him before, they were just songs that I liked and I just did them. But with 12 of them facing me at one time, I said, “Now, here, let me think about them.” I had to really listen because they weren’t going to be a part of what I was doing. They were going to be what I was doing. I had to make them definitely fit into my mouth perfectly, squarely, just as if they’d been written for me. The greatest joy for me now is that the people I’ve been seeking out are Bob Dylan fans. I’m not asking my fans what they think about it; I’m asking Bob Dylan’s fans what they think about it.

And what’s the reaction?

I wanted them not to recognize them, and I wanted them not to be able to sing along with them.

You said you selected songs you could fit into your mouth. What did you want this project to say exactly?

The only words I don’t use are, “If you do this, I’ll die” and “Boy.” I’ve never said, “If you do this, I’ll die,” because that just ain’t gon’ happen. And, when I was 12, my boyfriend was 18, so boys have never been a part of my life. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be grown. But I can’t think of anybody who can write a song that I couldn’t sing because you don’t have to sing it the way they write it. Sing it the way you sing.

I think some of the best songwriters are those that can be interpreted in any genre.

I find when people cover Bob Dylan songs, they worship. They don’t change them or do anything. That’s no fun!

It’s like you said, they’re not hymns.

Listen, I would not want anyone to say, “My goodness, she captured Bob perfectly.” No! No!

In terms of process, how much time do you need to spend with a song in order to hear it in a new way?

When I start to sing it without the recording, that kind of dictates the way mine is going to go. So, when I sat down with Larry Campbell, he knew immediately he could not play the way he’d played for Bob [Dylan] with the way I was singing it. I was really like a director in that, “This is no longer going this way. This is going this way.” When we did Interpretations, the first thing I said to all the musicians was, I said — all of them were white — ”I know all of you grew up with these tunes, but I want you to suspend thought about them, and don’t play anything other than what is on the paper. Play this as if it’s a song you’ve never heard before.” Some were easier for them to do than others.

Well, Things Have Changed is really something else. You’ve captured something, but it’s not his!

I’m so glad that you hear it. I wanted young people who have been given a Dylan album in their cradle when they were born, and they feel that that’s the way it should go to hear it. I would give anything to have seen [Dylan] hearing it.

To be a fly on that wall!

I would have liked to know did he recognize them all the moments they started playing, or if he didn’t recognize them, which ones didn’t he recognize? That would’ve been fun to me.

3×3: The Krickets on Japanese Tea, Disappearing Acts, and Mediterranean Islands

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Artist: The Krickets
Hometown: Fairhope, Alabama (Emily); Auburn, Alabama (Melissa); and Mobile, Alabama (Katrina).
Latest Album: Spanish Moss Sirens
Personal Nicknames: Melissa: Lissa. I tried to get people to call me “Shades” in third grade, but it never took.

 

#nakedcowboy

A photo posted by The Krickets (@thekrickets) on

If you had to live the life of a character in a song, which song would you choose?

Emily: “Caldonia” by B.B. King
Melissa: I would be a siren from “The Song of the Spanish Moss Sirens.” Is it fair for me to pick my own song? I just really like sirens!
Katrina: The narrator in “Freeborn Man,” but as a woman.

Where would you most like to live or visit that you haven’t yet?

Emily: The Mediterranean Islands
Melissa: I would love to visit every continent before I die, but especially go to Japan and have a Cha No Yu (tea ceremony).
Katrina: I’d love to travel anywhere new. Doesn’t matter where.

What was the last thing that made you really mad?

Emily: No sleep.
Melissa: The last thing that made (insanely) mad was this afternoon, when I was taking an online orientation that took an hour and then magically disappeared right before I finished it. I have to do it all over again.
Katrina: They didn’t have the dipping sauce I wanted at the Little Caesar’s tonight.

 

Thanks for having last night, @firstcityartcenter!:). Photo cred- Season Ammons

A photo posted by The Krickets (@thekrickets) on

What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Emily: Dr. John sitting in with Widespread Panic.
Melissa: The best concert ever was Nine Inch Nails in Atlanta in 200….4?
Katrina: Any bluegrass fest.

Whose career do you admire the most?

Emily: Julie Sweet
Melissa: The career I admire the most is my sister’s. She’s a wine maker in Oregon and has given up so much to pursue her passion. She always faces her fears head on and follows her wildest dreams.
Katrina: I admire anyone with passion who does anything with love.

What are you reading right now?

Emily: Uncommon Faith — Felicia McQuaid
Melissa: Right now I’m reading The Lost World and a compilations of short stories by H.P. Lovecraft.
Katrina: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

 

We  NYC!!

A photo posted by The Krickets (@thekrickets) on

Whiskey, water, or wine?

Emily: Wine
Melissa: Whiskey. Jameson.
Katrina: Whiskey

Facebook or Twitter?

Emily: Facebook, Twitter leaves me clueless
Melissa: Facebook. I’m still not sure how to use Twitter
Katrina: FB. (Why is the Gram not an option?)

Grammys or Oscars?

Emily: Grammys
Melissa: I’ve never been a big awards ceremony fan. I’ve never paid attention to them.
Katrina: Grammys

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with the Music Maker Relief Foundation

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Earlier this year, we wrote about the wonderful work our friends at the Music Maker Relief Foundation are doing to support Southern musicians and preserve the musical legacy of the South. Now, you can give back to this wonderful cause and pick up some cool swag in the process. As part of #GivingTuesday, a November 29 global event that encourages participants to donate to charities that acts as a foil to the more consumer-driven traditions of post-Thanksgiving Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, we've teamed up with Music Maker to offer the chance to win some awesome prizes for anyone who donates to the foundation today. 

Donate to Music Maker and you'll automatically be entered to win one of the prizes below. You'll also receive a link to download an exclusive mixtape curated by the BGS and Music Maker. Please note: In order to be eligible to win a prize and to receive the mixtape, you'll need to note "BGS" in the comments section of your donation. Music Maker plans to match up to $10,000 of donations made today.

Music Maker T-Shirt

This Next Level Apparel 50/50 t-shirt is a must-have for any music lover. The shirt commemorates one of Music Maker's dearest partner artists, Captain Luke.

The Whole Nine Yards Set

Over the past 20 years, Music Maker has accumulated an incredible collection of music from amazing artists from all over the South. Our new version of “The Whole Nine Yards” contains a digital collection of all 170 Music Maker releases consisting of 2,109 songs, as well some unreleased gems. This beautiful package comes with a customized walnut USB drive, box, and five greeting cards

We Are the Music Makers Book and CD

We Are the Music Makers: Preserving the Soul of America’s Music, written by Timothy and Denise Duffy, features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over 20 years along with stories and songs. Of the book, B.B. King said, “We Are the Music Makers highlights an essential part of our culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken every opportunity to sustain a dimension of blues culture that could easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his new book.

BGS Zip-Up Hoodie

Stay warm with a Bluegrass Situation hoodie. This design is printed on a slim fitting, soft-style, zip-up sweatshirt.

BGS Leather Coozie

Extremely high quality leather coozie that is bound on two sides to make sure the coozie doesn’t slip from your beverage.

Counsel of Elders: William Bell on Learning Your Craft

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When William Bell speaks, he peppers his sentences with laughs — big, boisterous sounds of joy that burst forth from his being. He is a happy man whose gratitude and graciousness arise through the chuckles that begin, end, and sometimes interrupt his answers. Bell’s newest album, This Is Where I Live, finds the singer and songwriter returning home to Stax Records, the label that launched him when he recorded his debut single in 1961, “You Don’t Miss Your Water (Until Your Well Runs Dry).” From the sound to the poignant lyricism, there’s a classic Stax feel that runs throughout the album, juxtaposed with the growing and stretching and learning Bell has done along the way.

His newest effort is full of original songs, including the moving, introspective “The Three of Me.” It’s a steady jam punctuated with slow-building horns, as Bell waxes philosophical about “The man I was, the man I am, and the man I want to be.” That kind of perspective can only be gained through time and experience, and, thankfully for listeners, Bell remains willing to share what he’s discovered. Beyond that, the album focuses on the highs and lows of love — especially the beauty and pain memories can deliver — the communities that made him, and a new take on an old classic. The album contains a fresh version of “Born Under a Bad Sign,” the renowned song Bell co-wrote with Booker T. Jones. It’s been covered and covered and covered again, but producer John Leventhal put together a new arrangement for Bell that strips away some of the song’s most memorable parts to show off another, somehow more crackling, side.

The lyrics in your opening song, “The Three of Me,” are quite striking. It reminds me of something Joan Didion once wrote about remaining on speaking terms with your past selves. How do you reconcile all the versions of yourself as you’ve grown over the years?

Hopefully, I’m a little bit better. The cards aren’t all in yet, but I hope so. You know, you grow as you grow older, so I hope I’ve grown some and improved my outlook on life and everything else — my values and everything.

How do you handle regret or disappoint, when you don’t live up to that idea of the man you want to be?

It’s all a learning process. As long as you learn from your mistakes, I feel like it’s okay. Just don’t keep repeating the same ones over and over. Life is a learning experience, that’s how I look at it. A long time ago, my grandfather told me, “The only way you can keep from making a mistake is that you never do anything.”

Right, and that’s not living a life.

Right, it’s not.

As you’ve gotten older, what are you still learning about what it means to be a part of this world and how to contribute to it?

Well, the first thing that you learn is to try to treat everyone as you would like them to treat you. Once you learn that, you’re able to deal with life problems in a much better manner and everything. Once you reach a certain age, if you’re smart, you’ve made all the mistakes that you’re going to make. It’s pretty smooth sailing, once you reach a certain age. You still have problems to deal with, but you deal with them on a different level.

Can you take me through this particular version of “Born Under a Bad Sign”? As I understand, your producer John Leventhal came to you with a different approach.

Yeah, he did. He came and said, “I want to do ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’ on you.” And of course I’m going, “Uhh, I don’t know, John. I’ve done that song a couple of times. It’s such an iconic song. I don’t know what we could do to reinvent the wheel.” He said, “I’ve got an idea I’d like to try on and I hear it in a different, almost acoustic, swampy kind of way.” I said, “Well, lay a track and let me see what you’re feeling.” And he laid a track for me and, at first, because it didn’t have the iconic bass line — and me, being one of the writers, that’s what I look for — I’m saying, “Let me live with this a couple of days.” I lived with it a couple of days, listening to it, and the more I listened, the more I got into it, and I think about the third day, I came in and I said, “Okay, let’s cut it.” I did one take on it. He said, “Great, great.” I said, “No, let’s cut it again.” He said, “No you can’t do it any better.”

Does it still surprise you that, after all this time, there’s still a different version out there?

Yeah, interpretations are, I guess, what makes life go around. Individualities and stuff like that. It always amazes me when another artist or another producer hears something in a totally different way. It broadens my outlook on it. I’m going, “Okay, I can hear this now. I never thought of it in that sense.” It’s like the version we did on it is almost like back porch picking.

It totally has that feel. There is a growing roster of artists who like to reference classic sounds in their music — I’m thinking of Leon Bridges, in particular, here. All music is referential to some degree, but what do you make of these new artists putting a contemporary spin on these older styles?

I think it’s great because we all are influenced by something or other. When younger artists can look back on one of my songs or one of the classic songs, and do their interpretation of it and the way they are feeling in this day and time … because I found out one thing in traveling around the world: People are people, the world over. We have the same wishes, frustrations, desires, and all of that. It’s just great to listen to another artist who has a different approach to a lyric or song.

Why do we need these new takes on old styles?

Creativity needs to be enhanced and broadened, as we grow older and as the generations change. I think it’s good for an artist to not only learn the origin of a certain sound, but to improve on it. I’m happy with these youngsters that come along, like Bruno [Mars] with “Uptown Funk.” When I listen to it, I’m thinking, “Okay, I heard that sound before,” but to a 20-year-old, it’s brand new. It’s great that they take that particular sound and add their particular rhythmic concept and a little rap here and there and make it work for them. That’s great.

Unless the listener thinks that they’ve invented the wheel, in which case it might be helpful to go back and study the history.

That’s absolutely true, and once they find out, it will enhance their creativity.

As a writer, is it more difficult to write a happy or more melancholy song?

It’s harder to write a happy song. When you write a sad song, usually you’ve lived it or you’ve seen someone else live that particular situation. You’ve got a concept there already, just from experience. But with a happy song, you’ve gotta find a way to bring that exuberance to the forefront and make it connect with people. Sometimes the simplest way is the best way, but that’s the hardest way.

How has the message in your songwriting changed, if at all?

It’s changed a little bit, in terms of it is more reflective now. When you’re younger, you write about things in the moment, as you live it and experience it. When you grow and live a life, you can be more reflective and expressive in a different sense and make sense of it all.

Your newest album is a return to Stax.

Full circle. Absolutely. It was like coming home. Even though the personnel who were at Stax — the new Stax — were different, they knew the history of William Bell and they knew what I was about as an artist. They welcomed me with open arms. We were like a family at Stax, of course. It just feels good to come home.

Especially if we’re talking about songs as memories. I know your new album involves original compositions, but to revisit some of what you had done. How interesting.

Yeah, and from time to time, I run into my label mates and we have a reunion, but that’s rare, so it’s good to get back to the actual logo and the thing. Actually, on this particular project, we did vinyl and CD, so it’s just great. I’m going “Okay, we’re doing vinyl again.”

It’s so popular. Lastly, what is the best piece of advice you ever received about writing or performing?

When I was really young, like 14 … 15, I had a bunch of great musicians around me and jazz people and R&B people and blues, growing up in Memphis. The best advice I ever got was "learn your craft." Get an education and then learn your craft — learn how to write a song, learn the behind-the-scenes aspect of the industry so you will have a full, well-rounded idea of what you’re going into. I got that from B.B. [King] and Rufus Thomas and some of the other people who were a little older than I was.

Interesting, like any kind of information you can gather will only help you make better negotiations and what not.

A lot of the business stuff came from Sam [Cooke]. He was a stickler, even back then when it was not fashionable for an artist to own his own publishing and do his own production and everything. He was one of the forerunners of that. I had a chance to sit with him and talk with him about production and publishing. I said, “Oh, you can make money from publishing. Okay.” But that was good advice, from a business aspect.

Photo credit: Ginette Callaway

LIVE AT LUCKY BARN: Little Freddie King, ‘Tough Frog to Swallow’

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We've teamed up with the good people at Pickathon to present a season's worth of archival — and incredible — videos from the Pacific Northwest festival's Lucky Barn Series. Tune in every fourth Tuesday of the month to catch a new clip.

The third episode from the Spring season of the Lucky Barn Series features blues man Little Freddie King rumbling and rocking through "Tough Frog to Swallow." After pulling off a leg split that would make Chuck Berry proud, King talks about the first records he ever bought: Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Albert King. Of emulating Hopkins, King says, "I couldn't play just like him, but I loved his style … I got pretty close to him, but I couldn't reach him."

Pickathon comes back to the Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, from August 5-7, 2016. Recent additions to the festival lineup include Mac DeMarco, King Sunny Ade, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Joseph, Ry X, Cory Henry, Promised Land Sound, Town Mountain, Myke Bogan, Blossom, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms, Open Mike Eagle, and Chanti Darling. Tickets and the full lineup are available now.

Click here for more, and stay tuned for another wonderful season of Lucky Barn videos. 

Photo credit: Todd Cooper

In Memoriam: 2015

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For this month's In Memoriam, we’re going to honor the Americana musicians who have passed this year. Americana is a broad term — part of what makes it so great is its diversity. The communities are often based on regions instead of genre, which adds to its breadth and scope. In no way is this article meant to be all encompassing. Inevitably, deserving people will be excluded. Consider this a communal effort. We want to know who you will miss — no matter how big or small, whether they were a local stalwart or a national treasure. Follow our Spotify playlist and add your own commemorations. Together, we can celebrate the lives of all the deserved musicians that have passed this year. 

Little Jimmy Dickens in 1971. Photo credit: Public Domain.

Country

It’s been a tough year for country music as some legendary folks have died. Little Jimmy Dickens passed on January 2. He was 94 years old, and best known for a long career on the Grand Ole Opry. We also lost Johnny Gimble on May 9 at 88 years old. Gimble is remembered for fiddling with Bob Wills. His work is one of the hallmarks of Western Swing, and a defining feature of the Texas Playboys’ sound. On June 11, Jim Ed Brown passed. Though he’d been out of the spotlight for decades, Brown had a string of hits beginning in the late '60s up until the early '80s. Today, he is perhaps best known as the DJ responsible for the popular radio show Country Music Greats Radio Minute. We lost Buddy Emmons on July 21. He was one the of the greatest steel guitar players that ever lived. Emmons played with everyone from Little Jimmy Dickens to Ray Price, Ernest Tubbs, andGeorge Jones. Lynn Anderson followed on July 30. Anderson was 67 years old. She is best known as a 1970s country-singing siren and was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show. Her contemporary style and crossover appeal made her one of the biggest musicians of her day. Tommy Overstreet passed on November 2 at 78. In his time, he placed 23 songs in the Billboard Top 40.

Blues

B.B. King's death devastated the blues scene. He was a living legend and an ambassador for not only the blues, but also the United States. His absence will be felt for decades and his importance cannot be overstated. North Mississippi bluesman Robert Belfour passed on February 24 at 74 years old. Belfour introduced a lot of folks to North Mississippi blues. His live performances were mesmerizing, opening eyes to the infinite possibilities inherent in the blues. We lost Captain Luke on May 12. His lounge inflected blues were unique and singular.

Percy Sledge in 1974. Photo credit: gtpugh via Foter.com / CC BY-SA.

R&B/Soul

The soul community lost some greats, as well. Ben E. King, the legendary voice that fronted the Drifters, had a long and illustrious career, but will forever be remembered as the voice and co-writer of the timeless masterpiece “Stand By Me.” Muscle Shoals' artist Percy Sledge passed on April 14. He is best known for his breakthrough hit “When a Man Loves a Woman.” We lost Allen Toussaint on November 10. Toussaint was one of the most successful songwriters and producers to ever come from New Orleans. He left an indelible mark on everyone from the Meteors to the Band.

Folk

The folk world lost some important musicians from its second wave. Ronnie Gilbert, who is best known for her work in the Weavers, passed on June 16. The Weavers were the template for every 1950s folk act that followed — their intricate harmonies and clean-cut image were an instant success. If not for the McCarthy Witch Trials, their hey-day would have surely lasted years, if not decades, longer. Gilbert continued performing and recording as a solo artist, and the Weavers received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 Grammys. We lost Theodore Bikel on July 21 at 91 years of age. Bikel is best known as Tevye from The Fiddler On The Roof, though he was also the co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival.

Bluegrass

Bluegrass wasn’t as hard hit, but we did lose New Grass dobro player Tut Taylor who played on John Hartford’s classic album Aero-Plain. In later years, he played extensively with fellow New Grass legend Norman Blake. Taylor was 91 years old. Richard Watson — son of Merle, grandson of Doc — passed, as well, on June 1. 

Behind the Curtain

Behind the scenes, we lost two seminal figures. Samuel Charters passed on March 18 who was best known for the book The Country Blues. Charters' books, although often flawed, brought many southern bluesmen back to prominence in the 1960s. We also lost legendary producer Bob Johnston on August 14. He helmed the board for Columbia Records on classic albums from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel.

 

Follow our Spotify playlist and add your own commemorations:

Lede photo credit: victorcamilo via Foter.com / CC BY-ND.