News from Bob Corritore

RIP Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, June 9th,1926 - August 9th, 2010. Best known as the longtime bass player of the Muddy Waters Blues Band, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, a Greenwood, Mississippi native, passed away last night of complications from lung cancer. He was 84. "Fuzz" was the definitive blues bass player, a stirring vocalist, and a wonderful human being. Here is the email that Bob Margolin, his longtime friend, and fellow Muddy alum, wrote this morning:

Calvin “Fuzz” Jones passed away early this morning at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven, Mississippi. His family is making funeral arrangements for Saturday in Mississippi. No more information on that yet, update soon.

Calvin “Fuzz” Jones is best known for the 10 years he played bass in Muddy Waters’ band, about 1970-’80. Previously, he had worked with Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Elmore James. He was appreciated for his strong electric bass playing, rocking stage presence, deep Blues singing, and the friendly laugh and smile he had for all.

Calvin had been living in Senatobia, MS for the last few years after decades in the Chicago area. Some of you receiving this e-mail were very kind to help him financially to stay in his apartment when he faced eviction in January. He appreciated that so deeply, understanding fully that the Blues music we all love had brought him your timely help. He had beat lung cancer, and in the late 1990’s he had a large tumor successfully removed from the back of his neck. Apparently the cancer came back in one lung and he developed pneumonia in the other and couldn’t breathe and was rushed to the hospital. He suffered a heart attack there, and though he was stabilized, his heart was weakened and gave out on him for the last time this morning.

I visited him last Friday afternoon, and he was deeply sedated. I’m glad to have seen him one more time, but he didn’t know I was there. I think he was beyond medical recovery, and that his illness overtook his strength. He was 84 years old, and was enjoying his life as much as possible until very recently. He had a sincere good word for everyone, and his reaction to any kind of health, musical, or financial challenge was his hearty trademark laugh. I asked him how he could laugh so easily when life hurt him, and he said “When you laugh the world laughs with you, when you cry, you cry alone.” He brought us deep Chicago and Mississippi Blues on the bandstand and on recordings, and his Blues and love for his friends, family, and all of us are his legacy.

Sadly, Bob Margolin

More sad blues news to share:

RIP Phillip Walker, February 11th, 1937 - July 22, 2010. It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Phillip Walker at 4:30 AM of heart failure. He was 73. Phillip was a great singer and guitarist who was considered legendary, though he never broke through to the success that his talent merited. He played guitar on the Specialty and Chess recordings of Clifton Chenier (Phillip once said that it was him and Etta James singing the backup on Clifton's song "My Soul"). He moved from Louisiana to California in 1959, and released his first record "Hello My Darlin", produced by J.R. Fulbright. Phillip's first full album, produced by Bruce Bromberg and called Bottom Of The Top was released in 1973 on the Playboy Record Label (actually a business division of the magazine). He also made great recordings on Galaxy, Vault, Joliet, HighTone, JSP, Black Top, Rounder, Alligator, P-Vine, MC, and most recently on Delta Groove. Additionally, Phillip was a noted sideman who contributed to albums by Lonesome Sundown, Eddie Taylor, Percy Mayfield, and Johnny Shines. Phillip toured frequently with a great band that included his longtime partner, James "Broadway" Thomas, on bass. He was lovingly booked by Tom Radai of Blues Management Group. His passing highlights the loss of the few remaining blues artists of his generation. We salute Phillip for always delivering the true blues, for his kind and giving personality, and for his unique and awe inspiring blues style. So long Phillip, we will miss you.

RIP Randy Joe Fullerton, Sept 18, 1949 - June 27, 2010. This news comes in from Will "Smokey" Logg. Bassist Randy Joe Fullerton passed away on June 27 in Dallas, Texas. He was 60. Fullerton was a popular blues bass player in the late 60s and 70s who worked with Luther Allison, Rod Piazza, Paul Filipowicz, Jim Liban, Billy Flynn, Madison Slim and many others. He is probably best known as the young, long haired bass player in the 1970 video of Howlin' Wolf performing Highway 49 at a blues festival in Washington D.C. where he was a capable fill in for Wolf's curtailed bass player. Randy remained an active performer his whole life and is considered a top shelf bassist by all that knew him. He will be greatly missed.

RIP James "Slim" Sroggins, April 28, 1953 - July 9, 2010. Phoenix based blues and soul drummer James "Slim" Scroggins was a talented and popular performer in his home town. He died on July 9th at age 57 from complications of blood clots. Over the last 30 years Slim worked with some of the quintessential Phoenix artists and bands including George Bowman, Big Pete Pearson, Fire In The Sky, The Whitehead Brothers, and his own James Matthews Band. He most recently was the powerhouse drummer with Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns. Slim stood 6' 8" tall and had a professional and charismatic personality.

RIP Calvin Leavey 1940 - June 6, 2010. Arkansas blues singer/guitarist Calvin Leavey was best known for his often covered hit "Cummins Prison Farm". He died Sunday, June 6th of complications from Diabetes. He was 70. Aside from "Cummins Prison Farm", Calvin also had regional hits with "Going Back To The Dogs", and "If Life Lasts, Luck Is Bound To Change". Sadly his songs were prophetic as Calvin would be sent to Cummins for a drug related charge. He passed away with just one more year of time to serve. His rich, warm voice, great guitar work, and perfect blues songwriting will assure him his eternal place in blues history.

In other news:

Ike Turner honored with Mississippi Blues Trail Marker! Ike Turner was a brilliant guitarist and pianist who is considered to be the founder of Rock & Roll. A great business man, producer, arranger, band leader, and talent scout, Ike Turner helped to launch the careers of Howlin' Wolf, Little Milton, B.B. King, Elmore James, and many others. He is best known for his work with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and for a villainous and misleading portrayal in the movie What's Love Got To Do With It. Ike passed away on December 12, 2007, at age 76, leaving an amazing musical legacy.Though considered a controversial figure in today's world, nobody can deny that Ike was a simply brilliant musical force. Ike Turner will be honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker which was unveiled in Ike's hometown of Clarksdale on Friday, August 6th. The ceremony took place at 10 am at 127 Third street in downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi. Thanks to Alex Thomas of the Mississippi Department of Tourism for this information.




BOB'S BIO:

Bob Corritore is one of the most active and highly regarded blues harmonica players on the scene today. His style passionately carries forward the old school of playing that Corritore learned as a young man directly from many of original pioneers of Chicago Blues. His sympathetic, yet fiery harmonica playing is featured on over 25 releases to date, on labels such as HighTone, HMG, Blue Witch, Blind Pig, Earwig, Putumayo, Random Chance, and the VizzTone Label Group. Many of these acclaimed releases have been nominated for various Handy, Grammy, and Blues Music Awards. Bob is also widely recognized for his many roles in the blues, as band leader, club owner, record producer, radio show host, arts foundation founder, and occasional writer. His amazing website www.bobcorritore.com and his weekly e-newsletter reflect a life thoroughly invested in the blues.

Born on September 27, 1956 in Chicago, Bob first heard Muddy Waters on the radio at age 12, an event which changed his life forever. Within a year, he was playing harmonica and collecting blues albums. He would see blues shows in his early teens, including attending a Muddy Waters performance at his high school gymnasium. He would cut his teeth sitting in with John Henry Davis on Maxwell Street until he was old enough to sneak into blues clubs. He hung around great harp players such as Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers, Junior Wells, Big John Wrencher, and Carey Bell, and received harmonica tips and encouragement from many of them. He would regularly see the Aces, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Billy Boy Arnold, John Brim, Sunnyland Slim, Smokey Smothers, Eddie Taylor, and in many cases became personal friends with these blues veterans. Corritore worked with Tail Dragger, Big Moose Walker, Willie Buck, Louis and Dave Myers, and Eddie Taylor in the late 70s and early 80s. He also produced his first recordings during that time, taking unheralded harmonica greats such as Little Willie Anderson and Big Leon Brooks into the studio to produce their now classic debut albums.

In 1981, Bob ventured southwest to live in Phoenix, Arizona. Within months, his Chicagoland friend Louisiana Red joined Bob, and the two played together around Phoenix for about a year until Red went to live in Germany. Bob quickly joined up with Big Pete Pearson, who was and is the reigning King of Arizona Blues in a musical relationship that continues to this day. He also worked around the southwest with Buddy Reed, Tommy Dukes, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, and an emerging Janiva Magness in one of her earliest bands. In 1984, Bob supplemented his performances with a blues radio show called Those Lowdown Blues on KJZZ, which is still going strong. In 1986, former Howlin' Wolf drummer Chico Chism moved to Phoenix at Bob's invitation to start a 20 year partnership that lasted until Chico's passing in 2007. In 1991, Bob opened the now famous Blues and Roots Concert Club, The Rhythm Room. Having a club created yet another catalyst for Bob's musical projects. Often he would invite great artists to come to Phoenix, and Bob's band, the Rhythm Room All-Stars would back them on shows and in recording sessions. Bob's archives of these sessions are now famous, and include sessions with Bo Diddley, Little Milton, John Brim, Jimmy Rogers, Henry Gray, Pinetop Perkins, Henry Townsend, Honeyboy Edwards, Big Jack Johnson, Ike Turner, Smokey Wilson. Lil’ Ed, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Nappy Brown, R.L. Burnside, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Sam Lay, Barbara Lynn, and numerous others.

In 1999, Bob released his first CD as a national recording artist, combining some of the highlights of his vaults. The CD was called All-Star Blues Sessions, and was released on the HighTone record label to great fanfare. This momentum created a long series of CDs on HighTone with Bob in the harmonica player/producer role. Bob started breaking into the national circuit in festival appearances with Henry Gray and Louisiana Red. In 2005, Bob brought the Rhythm Room All-Stars Featuring Big Pete Pearson to The Marco Fiume Blues Passions Festival in Italy, which opened a whole new world of European interest in Bob's harmonica artistry. This led to return visits to Europe for various festivals and performances, as well as an ever-growing world-wide fan base. In 2007, the Mayor of Phoenix officially proclaimed September 29, 2007 to be "Bob Corritore Day" in honor of Bob's musical contributions to his community. Also that year, Bob received a "Keeping The Blues Alive" award from the Blues Foundation. Bob's 2007 collaboration with Dave Riley, Travelin' The Dirt Road, was nominated for a Blues Music Award. Bob also contributed harmonica work on the 2008 Grammy®-nominated CD/DVD by Pinetop Perkins, On The 88s. Bob 's prolific activity with the Blue Witch record label as label producer/harmonica player has garnered him additional notoriety. Bob performs regularly with The Rhythm Room All-Stars Featuring Big Pete Pearson, and numerous side projects with Dave Riley, Louisiana Red, Henry Gray, Sam Lay, Tomcat Courtney, Paris James, and others.

For more information, please contact:

Bob Corritore
bobcorritore@yahoo.com
http://www.bobcorritore.com/

Phone: (480)994-1234
Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher and Bob Corritore. All Rights Reserved.
Photos courtesy of Bob Corritore

How Blue Are We in July? by Monica Yasher

Crossroads 2010

July is always a sizzling, hot month.  And, here at American Blues News it wasn't any different.  We had plenty of firery; fiesty interviews, sizzling blues coverage,and  hot off the press reviews and news.  We at American Blues News hope you enjoy our blues coverage for you and please stop back daily.  We post an article daily!

American Blues News had plenty of interviews this month.   One of our newest writers, Silver Michaels talked to Reba Russell (pictures right).  Chef Jimi caught up with Bobby Parker.  Monica discussed Clovis People with Colorado's own

Otis Taylor.  Other interviews shared were with Michael Manness, Jim Suhler, Sonny Boy Terry, and the force behind the Stax Record Label, Steve Cropper! 

There were even more interviews as Maureen met up with Foghat and Jimbo Ross.  Silver shared some insights from Austin "Walkin' Cane". And, our Sonicbids guest was Tom Principato!

Nelson's picks this month were of:  Joe Krown,

Rick Derringer (pictured right), a Blues Harp Blowout Part 1, and  Part II as well as photos of Matt Schofield!

American Blues News shared some historical items such as Black Sabbath and the blues roots the band shares.  We also presented The True Story of the Death of Johnny Ace.  A tragic tale of a great bluesman. 

As always we a deliver the truth in events and CD's.  If you are thinking about checking out a new band or CD.  Look us up here.  Chances are we have covered it!  Read more on Leslie West and Corky Laing, Skyla Burrell Blues Band,
Blues CD's to Look For, and The Honey Island Swamp Band.

Steve Miller has a new Blues CD and Blake commented on the Steve Miller Band Bingo CD and

Robert Cray Cookin' in Mobile.

We wanted to let you know that Brandon Santini and Delta Highway have a few things to share.  Check this band out when you have the chance!

It's Festival Time!  And you will never know what you can see!  We have attended many festivals.  Check out our pages to see if you were caught in a picture or two!

If you want to know the festival that are upcoming, please check out our coverage for Festivals for July and August !  Drop us a line and let us know about the event! 

Casey of Southern California shared his day at The Santa Clarita Blues Festival.  We had Jim Stick reporting on Greely Blues Jam.  And, take a deep breath!  Here we go....American Blues News has covered The 11th Annual Highway 61 Blues Festival, North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, Simi Valley Cajun Creole Music Festival, Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Live Oaks Music Festival, Atlanta to Tallahassee, Big Rib BBQ & Blues Fest, Crossroads Guitar Festival, River Bend in Kankakee, and The Chenango Blues Festival!  Whew!  That's a lot of festivals!

American Blues News is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of the Blues!  Check in everyday to see what we mean!  Thank you for the read!

June 2010 How Blue Are We? by Monica Yasher

There is a lot going on at American Blues News! We have many new writers here for your reading enjoyment! Casey Reagan, Raul Watson, and Chef Jimi have their first writings to share with you during the month of June. For the month of July, look for the following new members of our team: Mark Bastin, Silver Michaels, and Catherine! We are excited to have these three writers on our team! With fifteen writers, American Blues News pretty much has all of the United States covered!

June 21 marked the first day of summer, and with it came the heat of the blues!  We have already started our blues coverage, as we have attended and took part in many Blues Festivals. If you are planning your summer and want to know about some upcoming shows, check out festivals for June 23 thru July 19.  The Pittsburgh Blues Festival is all about feeding the hungry in the City of Pittsburgh, read about Ron "Moondog" Esser's passion of helping people in his town with the interview of: The Pittsburgh Blues Festival.

Nighthawk is our resident musician here, and he always shares where he has gone. Did anyone catch him at Thunder On the Water or follow him as he wasTouring Kansas and Missouri?  Check out the scenery!

Chef Jimi trekked to Chicago and got wet! See his bright shiny face with his rain slicker on at Amuse Bouche Chicago Style!

And, we tried to offer some notice on some blues festivals past on our festival coverage of  June 4 thru June 24.

American Blues News celebrates the history of the blues. And it seems the Rumboogie Cafe was, is and will be the place to go! Rumboogie Cafe Celebrates 25 years!  Their efforts in keeping blues music thriving is most appreciated! A toast.  Here's to another 25!

Nelson never disappoints us with his pictorial show reviews! Nelson has shared the following artists this month. Check them out! Watermelon Slim, Rick Estrin and The Nightcats, Slam Allen, James Armstrong and a special pictorial of James Cotton's 75th Birthday Bash! This was a sold out show and American Blues News was proud to cover this event for our blues fans!

There were lots of CD's to hear and shows to attend! Jim Stick has compiled a listing of some CD's that you may have missed in, 15 Under the Radar Blues CD's. This is a very popular read this month, so don't miss it! I personally was quite honored when the Smithsonian asked us to cover one of their events! I was proud to work with the Smithsonian in offering a review of Rappahannnock Blues CD. It is works of art such as this that helps preserve American music. Thank you to the Smithsonian. Also, try to purchase this CD and support their efforts!

One of our newest writers, Raul, has shared some going ons in his territory of the Midwest. The Midwest isn't all dry and windy! Check out The Medicine Men!

Blake shared some reissued CD's with us and offered his thoughts on Johnny Winter Live at The Filmore and Delaney & Bonnie's On Tour with Eric Clapton Reissue.

Oh, Chef Jimi! Music took Carolyn Wonderland from the big old state of Texas to Chef Jimi's backyard (so to speak!). So, with a little geography lesson, he shared this show. See if you are smarter than a third grader and answer the question! Even if you get it wrong, please keep reading!

Another new addition to the group is Casey Reagan. Casey met up with Eric Sardinas and Big Motor. Catch up with the Big Motor, if you can!

Blake shared some views on gear that went from his hands to his heart in I'm In Love With My Guitar. Do you feel the same way about your music?

We are never short on interviews here! We met up with Australia's Harper. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Felix Cavaliere. And, as Felix would say, it's always a beautiful morning when you can sit down with a cup of coffee and read the interview of Todd Rundgren. We also went all the way to London to bring you The Congo Faith Healers!


Casey offered our first filmed interview with The 44's! Look for more of this coverage in the future! At American Blues News we always try to make our pages new and innovative! We hope you enjoy this new format!

As always, we enjoy touching base with our friend, Bob Corritore! Please check out the latest news with our Bob Corritore Newsletter.

Controversy, Controversy! The State of the Blues! Several of the writers here chimed in. We had Nighthawk, a traveling musician offering his opinion of what he sees on the stage in Blues is not Dying but Alive and Well. From Nighthawk's perspective, he sees a lot of fans looking back at him! See the picture for yourself!  He feels that the blues is alive and well! He has seen it! It is people such as Nighthawk that keeps the blues alive with his enthusiasm!

We have been here before with differences of opinions at American Blues News. Blake has offered Another Opinion. Blake is our review guru and received tons of CD's. He is challenging the artists of today to push the envelope! Make the genre super exciting to new generations of fans. And, it is people such as Blake's scientific persona that questions rather than accepts. He asks things such as: How do we make it better, Why are there sub genres, Who will carry the torch after Clapton? It is always the ones that ask the questions that allow things to survive if people are willing to figure things out and offer the answers. One thing is always constant and that is change!  Thank you Blake!

And, we have Bluesman writing about his local scene and what he sees in DC Local Scene. He also sees a great blues scene in the DC area!

Thank you for reading American Blues News and we look forward to a sizzling July!

Take care,

Monica




Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Maureen Ceidro. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Bluesman. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Nighthawk. All Rights Reserved.

Photograph Copyright © 2010 Nelson Onofre. All Rights Reserved.

photo credits: Leslie K. Joseph, Michael Jackson/Chicago Reader, Dan Creed
all photos used with permission.

Our Guest Interview with The Congo Faith Healers by Monica Yasher

Today, America, we are going to London and meeting up with the Congo Faith Healers!  The band has credits of working with industry producers such as Chris Kimsey (who has recorded albums for the Rolling Stones, the Gypsy Kings ,Jimmy Cliff, New Model Army) and also with Grammy Award winner Cameron Craig (who has worked with Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse). The band is creating quite a buzz in the European markets and is currently setting their eyes across the big pond to America. They wanted me to share they are currently reviewing potential working relationships for here in the US. So, please use their contact information, if you are interested in their music! The Congo Faith Healers consists of Guitars, Harmonica and Vocals - Sonny West, Bass - Tomislav Benzon, Trumpet - Si Lips Taylor, and Drums - Jay Tubsman.   Sonny West speaks of this experience plus a whole lot more!

Monica:  How did you come about your name, The Congo Faith Healers?

Sonny West:  The name Congo Faith Healers came about as an acknowledgement to the famous New Orleans Congo Square, where at the turn of the last century, slaves gathered on a Sunday, that being the only free day a week, to worship their Gods (mainly Voodoo as many were Haitian), and to celebrate and play music. This place was a big melting pot, and is said to be the birthplace of Jazz. So Congo being Congo Square, Faith as in “we all have to believe in something”, and Healers as we all have to heal sometime and music helps us do this on a daily basis.

M:  Where does the band get their inspiration from?

SW:  The band gets their inspiration from each others musical diversity – a melting pot of different directions and different cultural influences, which when put together are stronger than a single individual influence.

Obviously the Blues, Jazz, Latin, Gypsy – anything that is not derivative.

Music from the soul and the root, complex or simple.

Lyrically I like to try and tell a story of a place and a time that can't be pinned down, but people can use the descriptions to make up their own picture in their mind.

M:  Tell me a bit about your band, what makes this partnership work?

SW:  What makes it work is the fact that everybody is having their freedom and input, but never straying from the original concept. We all are not driven or controlled by the pressures of media success or controlled by the power of money. This gives us complete creative freedom.

M:  What subjects do your songs address?

SW:  All subjects of life and all streams of consciousness and sub-consciousness. I like to write mainly as a story in narratives and metaphors, letting the listener use their own imagination when they read the lyrics to take them somewhere else. This is the reason why we printed the lyrics on our album cover. I see us as a live band, as a live experience when many of the lyrics will move by so fast they go unnoticed, whereas to listen to a CD in your own privacy it is a different experience when you are able to reach and read the lyrics of the CD cover, bringing another dimension to the music.

M:  Which song is the bands favorite and which song is the fan’s favorite?

SW:  It continually changes and it seems to be different for each person. As a songwriter I am usually quite excited with a new piece of work that goes into the rehearsal room for the band to hear, if it gets past the boys it usually goes into the repertoire. I find things in everyday life and inspiration. Hopefully this will continue to inspire my writing and keep it fresh for the fans.

M:  Tell me what it is like to work with people such as Chris Kimsey (who has recorded albums for the Rolling Stones, the Gypsy Kings ,Jimmy Cliff, New Model Army) and also with Grammy Award winner Cameron Craig (who has worked with Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse). Is it easy to let yourself be guided.? Do you lose any of your artistic freedom?

SW:  It's been a great learning curve and a pleasure to work with these top producers, especially the ones mentioned, as they all saw the band live first before we went into the studio, and appreciated us all as musicians and a tight outfit of people that had mastered their craft, and we were encouraged in the studio to capture a live no nonsense rough edged powerful performance, rather than a polished pop record. Working with Chris Kimsey on his recordings and subsequently our album Ju Ju Mix, we did everything in a very unconventional manner. Most bands will go in and record bass and drums and a guide vocal and build up from there to get a perfect performance, which can loose an energy of a performance from a band, and once that’s done, which is a lengthy process, everybody will go in again individually and replay each part to perfection, and then the whole thing is stuck together. This process usually takes months, in some cases years before you have a finished record.

This usually is done as a band will have a tendency to either not be able to guarantee a good performance on the days, i.e. if the drummer speeds up/slows down, or the singer sings out of tune ( a lot of singers will go back in and re-sing the song line by line to get the performance.).

The Congo Faith Healers did the absolute opposite of recording this way. Chris Kimsey saw the bands ability and their musical virtuosity to be able to record as a whole band and play all together. So the album was recorded live in just one day. Mics were set up in the room, the band played the songs a few times, and the best take was kept of each individual song. So everything you hear on the album is a true representation of the band and the bands energy. All songs were recorded the first day, and on the second day I decided to add an acoustic guitar as an overdub on some tracks, a few trumpet parts were overdubbed, and the whole thing was mixed down the second day, and that’s the sound you hear on CD.

All the vocals were sung live, everything as kept, and only them two things added, capturing the true sound of the band, rather than straying from the original concepts and live shows. We are very proud to have done it this way, and we knew this is what we and our fans wanted to hear.

The whole album was previously recorded with Chris Kimsey, with lots of overdubs and lots of editing.

We decided as a band , that as fantastic as it would be to put out our first album with recordings done by Chris Kimsey, who recorded albums for the Rolling Stones and Gypsy Kings, that we would forfeit the benefits that would have bought us in the industry, to release our own produced album as it was a truer representation and had a more edgier dynamic feel to it. A big decision to make for a band without a record contract to reject these recordings by Chris Kimsey, but as artists we had to go with what we thought sounded better and with what we felt people wanted from us. We are really really happy with the result.

M:  Are you having a blast or is this hard work?

SW:  This band and the music is a lifestyle which obviously a lot of sacrifices have to be made for by each member personally, as with most musicians, this is our life and we're not carpenters or solicitors in the day time. It's tough times financially to keep a band like this going, as we need to eat and pay bills.

99% of the band live on the poverty line and sometimes even struggle to find the bus fare to the gigs. It would be easier to be more financially secure, and to secure the future for the band, but also we don't want to be controlled or mis-focused by money. It's such a fine line. On the other side of the coin, when we play, the music is the only thing that matters. We can only hope we will be able to find a way through. In the meantime we are having a blast and have amazing support from people around us and our fans.

M:  For those that are unfamiliar with your work, if I walked into a room, describe the experience.

SW:  I cant be objective about this so I am going to pass that question over to our manager.

The first time I came across the band was when they came into the recording studio I was working in at the time.

I had previously worked with people like Gary Moore, Duran Duran and many of Simon Cowell's shows such as Xfactor.

The Congo Faith Healers were the first unsigned and unknown act that came into the studio to record, as we only worked with well known and established acts.

As soon as they started playing I was impressed by the quality of the songwriting and their performance. During the recording session they were racing through the songs, I had never come across a band so accurate, it only took them a maximum of two takes per song.

Now as a manager, I see the band play at all their shows, and they still never fail to impress me! If you walked into a room and had never heard the band before, you would be instantly captured by an unfamiliar sound and the charisma of the band. There would be people of all age groups across the dance floor, gazing with amazement, a certain glow and look of disbelief in their eyes and a big smile on their faces as the band play through an eclectic set of songs that send the listener on a journey right across the world.

Their live show is just so unique and unpredictable, no two sets are the same as the band are constantly changing and improvising, making every show different.

When you listen to the album, every song is a “single” in my opinion. There aren't just three songs that people like and the rest of the album gets skipped through – every song is amazing and has something unique to offer to the listener.

The CFH are by far the best band I have ever seen or heard – it's an experience not to be missed.

M:  What was your best stage moment?

SW:  Best stage moment was on stage in London and supporting Mick Jones (The Clash), and him leaning over to our manager with a big smile on his face saying “ Those guys look like a bunch op gypsies!” He meant it in the most complimentary way! Funny, one of the most legendary top punk band leaders was actually shocked by us! He followed that up by saying “This band is great”.

Also, after coming off stage from supporting KT Tunstall, KT saying that she wished she could write songs with the same integrity as the Congo Faith Healers, and how great the band was. She mentioned later on a TV interview CFH as one of her favorite bands in the world, and if she had a festival line-up, we would be headlining. Another great stage moment is coming of stage and another top producer, Steve Booker, who had had a number one at the time, a song he'd written for Duffy called Mercy, saying that Sonnys songwriting was prolific and not to change a thing. These are great compliments and great moments from successful people who are respected in the industry. Having that tip of the hat and nod of approval, confirms we're doing something right.

M:  Any other special memories from the tours you did? T

SW:  There was a great moment in Dubai, where we were called over to do a Jack Daniels anniversary in conjunction with Fender guitars. It was a big event, there were a lot of famous and known bands on and we were right near the bottom of the bill being unknown. We did a great show and when we came of stage, at the end of the evening the managing director and promotions manager for Jack Daniels and Fender presented me with a one off special anniversary Fender Stratocaster guitar with Jack Daniels logos. This was kept in a big glass case, actually in the venue. The guitar was to be awarded as a gift and a momentum to their favorite band. They were so impressed with the band, even though they had never heard of us, they took us over to the glass case where the guitar was on display and awarded it to me and the Congo Faith Healers.

M:  Tell me about your tour in Dubai.

SW:  It went from a 5 star experience to nearly being killed on the road traveling from shows from Abu Dhabi to Dubai when the rear tire blew out at 150km/h. Then we got stranded because of the volcanic ash, but as usual you drop the Congo Faith Healers anywhere in the world and everyone will have a good time.

M:  How would you describe the band in 5 words?

SW:  unique, powerful, truthful, eclectic, accessible

M:  I noticed Sonny exclusively uses Ozark guitars? How did that come about?

SW:  I was looking for a unique sound, a crossover between an acoustic and electric guitar. I tried every model and make out, and Ozark ticked all the boxes for what I needed. Simple, straightforward single lipstick pickup with a crossover electric acoustic sound, with a low action and single cutaway for fast playing and accuracy. These guitars are great, and after using them for three years, I have been made an ambassador for Ozark. I have a real straightforward no nonsense sound, no processors or complicated effects. I just plug straight into my vintage Roland Jazz Chorus. After one of the executive for Gibson guitars saw us play in London, I was offered a sponsorship with them and was asked to come down to their headquarters here in central London. There were four floors of Gibson guitars and amps and I could have walked away with anything I needed. The guys were really helpful down there, but after two and a half hours of trying everything, I turned the offer down and stuck with my Ozark, even though at that time I wasn't an ambassador. Ozark is fairly unknown and an unprestigious make compared to Gibson, but as a working musician I put the Ozark through rigorous recording and touring and they more than proved themselves as a great instrument, taking night after night of punishment, I rarely break strings and it rarely goes out of tune, and I play hard. Other guitars would just fall apart after a while, or the necks would twist, wear out and loose their ability to stay in tune. I will be sticking with Ozark and be telling the world.

M:  Will there be a second album?

SW:  There definitely will be a second album. We already have all the songs written and are performing them in our live set at the moment. I am actually working on the third album. The second album will hopefully be recorded this year. We will have the same approach as the first album, recording it live again, and capturing some more Congo moments.

M:  The band have a very strong image and dress style. Where does that come from?

SW:  Our image and style is a mix of contemporary and vintage, and is really influenced by what we can find from thrift stores. We like suits, but find them too hot to play in so we just wear the waistcoats. I have an old pair of snakeskin boots that I have had over 25 years that I just love. I almost always wear them on stage and off stage, they are so comfortable but there's not much left of them now.

The hats are kind of a retro feel, but in the last couple of years we've noticed they seem to have come round in fashion again, a lot of contemporary artists/rappers also seem to wear hats which makes them easier to buy now. Before you could only get them from thrift stores. We customize some of our clothes, we add bits on and cut bits off. We like to adapt things and maybe even one day we'd like to experiment a bit more and have our own clothing label. Just recently, Blaqua Clothing, who make very fine quality tailored clothing and have a shop in London’s Carnaby Street, have teamed up with us and we're working on some new designs and they also supplied some clothes for our Street Robbery Video. We'd really like to explore this avenue a bit more, being another extension of our creativity.



Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.

Photographs used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

Interview of Todd Rundgren by Monica Yasher

Today we meet up with Todd Rundgren, who has a new CD being released this summer that showcases Robert Johnson songs.  For now, Todd has labeled the mini version of his songs already released as, "Todd Rundgren's Short Johnson".  Todd's first professional music experiences are blues based, as he performed with the band, Woody's Truck Stop.  Aftter the break up of the band, Todd chose to direct his musical career as a songwriter/performer, having written songs like, "Can We Still Be Friends?", "I Saw the Light", "Hello It's Me", and my favorite, "Bang the Drum All Day".

As a songwriter, one is more in tune with the mechanics of the song.  If one is writing a hit song for the radio, as Todd has done, one is quite aware of specific rules that need to be followed in the songwriting process.  Listeners expect things in a song, a standard format that is repetitive.  The goal in this being to have the users sing along, catch the song in their head, and be listened to and requested or be a branding tool for various markets.  Now the blues doesn't do any of these things.  Your first verse may not be like your second verse, and your second verse may not be like your third verse.  Todd speaks of how he had to untrain himself to tackle this project, which led him back to his initial professional musical days of the blues. 

Todd shares with me his icons.  He speaks of his personal legend, Eric Clapton and how this CD pays tribute to Mr. Clapton moreso than Mr. Johnson, and how intimidating it was to start this project.  He speaks of his gratefulness of The Beatles and how he may never be where he is today as a professional musician without them, which was a thought I never had.  And, though Todd has reached great musical heights, he is very realistic in knowing his strengths and weaknesses with music.

Todd spoke of how musicians can be a combination of entertainers, musicians, and celebrities.  Todd put on a great show that I saw in the Pittsburgh area, so entertainer:  check.  His guitar playing placed him with one of his icons, Ringo Starr in his All Starr Band, so musician:  check.  And as a celebrity, well he didn't act like one at all.  Celebrity:  No.  Famous:  Yes.  We laughed a fair amount and I truly enjoyed speaking with him.  So, two out of three ain't bad!  Probably, three out of three would be bad!  BTW, yesterday was Todd's birthday and anniversary.  So, hit him up on FACEBOOK and offer some well wishes and let him know you can't wait for the CD to come out this summer!  Here's what we talked about.

Monica: Hi Todd! How are you doing today!

Todd: Not so bad!

M: Hey Todd-How does a Pennsylvania person get to live in Hawaii?

T: (He laughed.) It’s a long trek but worth it!

M: Did you learn how to surf?

T: No. Actually, I’m not a very good swimmer, so I enjoy the ocean from the standpoint of being near it. I don’t go in it very much.

M: You seem to like to do a lot of different things. You seem to have been all over music. Electronic music, progressive rock. Do you find it rewarding or frustrating to venture into so many different things?

T: I’ve always maintained a distinction in my own mind between the role of a musician, the role of an entertainer, and the role of a celebrity. They are all distinct things. You could be all three. You could be only one of the three as well. The thing that drove me initially was my appreciation for music. When I first started out the idea of being in a band and making a living at that seemed like a very unlikely career choice, because I grew up in the fifties and early sixties before The Beatles. Very few people made music, You would either have to go music school and learn how to read and play. At least Classical music, at least be able to read music and play standards. So you could get a gig by sitting around a union musician’s office waiting for someone to ask for five pieces for a wedding.

Then The Beatles happened. Anybody who could find three friends who could make a little bit of noise with an instrument could not only make a living at it, you could become world famous. It completely changed the way that I thought about music. The way a lot of people thought about music. The difference for me was that I already felt I had a commitment to music, before I realized that you could become famous and successful at it. The Beatles demonstrated that to a lot of people. So a lot of bands in the mid sixties started to form around that basic concept.

And, I decided I wanted to get into a band with my friends or with anyone that had the equipment and could play. And all through my high school years I was in various sorts of bands. I never saw myself in those days as a front man. I just wanted to be a guitar player and devoted myself to any sort of music that would advance myself as a guitar player. I believe I was a junior in high school when I met a kid in the neighborhood who had developed this appreciation for the blues, and was a very convincing harp player. He was the one that introduced me to the Paul Butterfield Band and Junior Wells, James Cotton and other phenomenal harmonica players. And through them, guitar players like Buddy Guy and Howlin’ Wolfe and various other musicians. The great advantage I had was at the time they were still alive. You could see them and see them play in a club. I always had a thing about music and all the different forms that it could take. I never felt..

M: There’s a learning curve when you take on something new. It seems you never were frustrated. You just took it on.

T: Some people have a fascination with music that derives from the feeling that they get from it. People who become musicians are interested in the mechanisms behind it. The mood, the scales, the way you turn the notes into a mood and things like that. There’s the average person’s appreciation of music, and then there’s the appreciation that a musician has for music, in addition to whatever feelings it conveys to them. I guess very early on I was fascinated by how was music transcribed.

When I was very young, I tried to teach myself how to transcribe music with what little I knew about it. In the end I never really developed the skill, for instance, to come up with the melody in my head and write it down on scoring paper. Or, even more difficult for me is looking at a score and being interpreted into notes. Then I ended up doing everything by ear. That also makes you more adept at music than the average person...this ability to take a snapshot in your mind of music, and be able to analyze it at your leisure. I always had that aptitude.  That’s what led me in the direction of music. As I said, most people never really thought that making music is a practical living until The Beatles came along, and demonstrated how successful you could be at it.

M: I don’t think music and the arts are promoted enough even today. You talked about The Beatles and you did play in Ringo’s All Starr Band, did you thank him?

T: Well. When Ringo asks you to play, you realize that if you're of that generation, which is the generation that I came from, you almost owe your living to The Beatles, because they were the ones that went out and demonstrated what kind of success you can have with just a quartet. Yeah. I freely admit that, and I believe that most of the people that I know will admit it as well. They never would have gotten the idea to make music their career if it was not for The Beatles.

M: I agree. You stated that the kind of music you play depends on your mood. So why are you doing a blues album now? What were your thoughts?

T: It is a little bit ironic.

M: You started out with blues...

T: When I first went to high school and to find a gig, unfortunately had to get in a band that was a local act from Philadelphia called, Woody’s Truck Stop. They were a white blues band in the same mold as the Butterfild Band. Same kind of lineup. Two guitar players, keyboard, bass, drums and a harp player. That was my first real gig. It lasted probably about nine months before the rest of the band decided they wanted to go to the country and drop acid and become a Grateful Dead style jam band, and I decided that I wanted to go in a different direction.

I started to incorporate more British influences. The acts that influenced me besides The Beatles were: The Who, The Yardbirds, Cream, Jeff Beck.  Bands that were coming out of this English Blues tradition that has a whole history of it’s own. It is related to what happens here in the US. In England there was a lot of towns in England that are sea faring towns that also became towns of great musical influence, for instance, Liverpool.

The thing about Liverpool is all the British Merchant Marines sailors would go back and forth to the United States and out of those ports of call out of the Southern United States, like for instance, Mobile, Alabama, which is a big shipbuilding community like Liverpool. They would find all of these recordings that were not available in England, and indeed not available in most of the US because they were blues records by black artists and were considered race records. There were a lot of places that would not play this music, and then it would not be stocked in record stores. Ironically all of these blues records are finding their way to the ears of young British musicians. But not to the ears of young American musicians. So we started hearing about all of this music through bands like the Yardbirds and Cream and other blues influenced groups like the Jeff Beck group. They were white like we were.

So we started to play it like they played it, which was a derivative style and not necessarily authentic in the way that black Blues music was. That was the path that we took. It was so much more about guitar playing than about anything else. It become a platform for a lot of us to hone our guitar skills.

To answer you question, I was originally in a blues band but never recorded any blues music while I was in that band. About two years ago I was finishing up a record called “Arena”.  I made a deal with a company who not only distributed records, but also had publishing catalogs, and one of them was the Robert Johnson catalog. They had no masters of Robert Johnson’s songs. Those were owned by somebody else. So, part of the deal they made with me was for my distribution of my record “Arena” was that I would do an album of Robert Johnson covers, so that they would have songs they could use for mechanical licenses and things like that.

So, I agreed to it without thinking about what the challenges were. When I got around to confronting those challenges, it took me quite a long time to figure out how I was going to approach it. I finally figured out that I should just go back to the way that I would have done it in the sixties. Think like a white English guitar player. Figure out a way to structure all of these songs so that I have an excuse to play guitar.

M: Why do you play guitar more so than piano? I see you play.

T: Well, I went through a phase of being a piano player, and I use a lot of keyboards on my own records. I’ve pretty much stopped playing piano live, because I’m not very good at it in a live context. I’m fumble fingered. I tend to concentrate on what I’m singing, and then forget what I’m playing and get lost. I did a double bill tour with Joe Jackson, who is an accomplished piano player, and the comparisons were just too unflattering. So I came to the conclusion that I should stick with the guitar live. Just avoid the embarrassment. (He laughed.)

M: You know that’s probably next, a keyboard hero game on Wii like Guitar Hero.

T: It’s very competitive That‘s how it was in the sixties. Top Gun. Everyone knew that Eric Clapton was the top gun and he kind of got unseated by Jimi Hendrix. That’s kind of the way it went.

M: Do you really think Clapton was number one? Don’t you think BB King? If you want to be the best in guitar you have to pick who you think the best is and emulate it. So who was the best to you that you wanted to model after?

TL Originally it was Eric Clapton. But as a kid it was Duane Eddie and things like that. The guitar instrumentals of the fifties. For a while there were very few guitar players to emulate or model yourself after. Then when The Beatles came out, everyone wanted to play like George Harrison. But George Harrison was not an improviser. He would work out these very meticulous, very musical guitar parts. They were like transcriptions. It was a good way to develop technique, but not a way to free yourself for the improvisational aspects that blues kind of demands.

The blues, unlike jazz...the improvisational aspects of the blues is not like the improvisational aspects of jazz. Jazz is trying to take something that is very structured and elaborate on it and find different ways to listen to it. Blues is improvisational, because blues players never remember what they played the last time! They never memorize anything!

The thing I learned from Robert Johnson is, his takes never played the same thing. They don’t go to any trouble to try to get something down to a particular way. They play it once. And, they kind of play it remembering part of what they played. They are just trying to think up the rest of it. They never had the discipline to remember something literally or they may be a little drunk. It’s a difficult thing when you are used to playing the same thing all the time to teach yourself to be forgetful. It’s something that comes naturally to someone born of the blues. Something that the rest of us may never learn how to do. We may never learn how to be forgetful or learn not to care about a particular melody line or something.

M: You know I have to agree with you. When you think about the open jams and you are up there with a bunch of people you never met and you’re not sure how things are going to come out, you can just divert to the feeling of the music.

T: That’s essentially it. Jazz is the void of emotion. Equally intense in terms of emotion. What a Jazz player is trying to accomplish is nothing like a Blues player is trying to accomplish. A jazz player is purposefully trying to break rules, and a blues player never knew what the rules were in the first place.

M: They are playing for feeling and it turns out well. Honestly, it does! It just works.

T: It’s a tough idiom to understand once you develop a certain level of sophistication and understanding about music. It’s really difficult to go back and develop that naivety, and in that sense, I don’t even try. I take that secondary more derivative approach, which is I’m a guitar player and I hear the music as an opportunity for me to get liberated.  As a guitar player, that’s my approach to it.

M: I did catch your show in Greensburg, PA. It was a really great show. There was a great song that you did. Something about Jalapeño Peppers?

T: What’s that? (He laughed.)

M: I don’t know. I just knew that I had to learn it.

T: You’re talking about "Hot Tamales"?

M: Yes, that would be a great song for a female!

T: He makes food references and other references all the time because of all the sexual innuendos. That’s true blues. Come on in my kitchen. There’s a whole lot of them. It’s funny kind of music, because it’s idiomatic. There are cultural references that have gone out of fashion. And, if you sang literally what the lyrics are to a Robert Johnson song, people would just be scratching their heads thinking, “What the hell does that mean?”

M: Oh...you know what it means!

T: Half the time you have to do that anyways. I had no idea what a nation’s sack was.

M: What is it?

T: It’s a little kind of voodoo bag that a woman makes to keep her man faithful. It has little things in it that she gives him to maintain his favor. Obviously, there is no such thing anymore. It was one of the lyrics I couldn’t figure out a substitute for. I did it literally. There are other kinds of weird combinations that you had to try to straighten out a little bit for a contemporary ear.

M: Sounds like you had fun doing this.

T: I did. Once I finally got over the stigma of the fact that one of my personal heroes, Eric Clapton, had already devoted a significant part of his lifetime to tributing the music of Robert Johnson...that was the thing holding me back the most from getting the project on. I finally said, "The hell with it, and I have to start this", and not be so self conscious about the fact that I am not tributing Robert Johnson directly. I’m tributing Eric Clapton more so than Robert Johnson. I’m tributing my guitar influences.

M: I find that when I talk to a lot of blues guitarists, that they keep going back to where they find a root. I find it interesting that you said that you wanted to go back to where you started, and take a listen to where your roots are. You didn’t take a look at how it evolved through these years. I find that interesting.

T: There is argument about authenticity in the day. Can a white man sing the blues? Can a white man play the blues? Is it even feasible? There would be purist of all stripes of all colors that would maintain both sides of that issue. Certain people can get by with not being born black, but do it with such commitment and sincerity. And, that was Eric Clapton. Nobody would argue with Eric Clapton’s right to play the blues. No one is going to say that Eric Clapton can’t play the blues because he is white. He became an influence of guitar players of all colors, even other black guitar players. For a very long time, when a lot of us white guys were discovering the blues and putting our own spin on it, there were still those that thought it should be played a certain way. Or you had to do a funny thing to your voice and sing gruff to sound more bluesy. The whole point, as you pointed out, is if the music doesn‘t transport you, then it doesn‘t matter who you are or what color you are. You, as a musician, must be transported by what you are playing.

M: I find it amazing that you touched on a question that I was going to ask. You said there are great musicians, entertainers, and celebrities. What is most important to you in your musical career?

T:  There are people that are incredible musicians that are incredibly boring to watch. For whatever reason, they may be feeling the hell out of it, but just don’t convey that in any sense. This is part of the original argument of white vs. blacks. It was originally to entertain each other. To feel no shame in expressing yourself.

For white people, it was kind of the other way around. You don’t want to give yourself away. Be reserved to people.  Don’t guess what’s going on inside of you. To get yourself to essentially to change your nature and be able to express yourself in the same way as someone who was brought up to express themselves, is not an easy thing. It doesn’t necessarily compromise what you feel about what you are playing.

I, essentially in becoming a performer, I got famous not by being a blues performer, but as someone who wrote their own music and the band emulated The Who, which was somewhat of a carnival. The great thing about The Who, was that everyone in the band was worth looking at, because the lead singer is swinging his microphone all around. Pete is jumping all over the place, and Keith is going freakin’ crazy and there was a Frankenstein character just staring and his fingers are going all over the place. They were just a great band to watch. This was how you got your money's worth. We developed our show on this. That never left me. That’s something that would come naturally to someone born into the blues. To demonstrate your feelings would come naturally. For a white guy, I had to see a bunch of other white guys like The Who flailing around, for me to figure out how to express myself.

M: Your stage performance was great in Greensburg.

T: In a sense you are trying to do more than just move your fingers. You are trying to put your entire being to reach maximum impact before trying to reach the entire audience. That was the whole…things have changed a little bit...when people think of live performance and production, they hire a choreographer and dancers instead of developing their individual performance. And, such, maybe the competition isn’t what it used to be. It used to be the kind of show you put on that was your competitive edge. Now, records sales make up for that I suppose.

M: Do you miss those big productions? You used to have the backup singers, and costumes...

T: I really enjoy when I can afford to do that. There are different kinds of shows. That’s where the bar is. The more of a spectacle you can put on for people, creates memories for your audience. They will remember those shows. Even if they never see you again, you left them with something really worth remembering. The reality is you can’t always afford to do that. I’m lucky if I can take a lighting guy on the road now a days!  (He laughed.)

M: Your lighting was beautiful. That stage was beautiful.

T: It’s definitely worth it. It’s nice to have someone who makes the lights go on and off at the right time. It’s tough when you are standing there when all the lights are on.

M: Like a deer in the headlights?

T: That’s part of the impact of the show I think (We are both laughing.).When the lights work it makes the whole thing seem like you care more!  (It's a shame you can't hear him say this!) 

M: It was beautiful.

T: Terrific!

We talked about a few more things, since he is a fellow Pennsylvania guy.  Oh, one more thing, Happy Birthday Todd!

If you enjoyed reading this interview, you may enjoy reading about another Ringo Starr All Starr, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals!


Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Maureen Ceidro. All Rights Reserved.

Interview of Felix Cavaliere by Monica Yasher

Felix Cavalaire and I had a very early morning interview. I just got my children on the bus and called Felix. He was in a time zone that was one hour earlier than mine. And, Wow! This man is a morning person!  He has such energy, and is so excited about his work! It seems that life can be in chaos in any family’s home, even a great musical legend such as Felix, who shared that he has four children and was used to getting the kids off for school days too.

Felix is a really fun guy to talk to. Yet, there is a seriousness to him as he talks about being blessed to achieve what he has done in his life musically, which does include being an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though his latest effort with Steve Cropper was computer inspired, he strongly feels that computers have their place, and that is not to fix the vocals of live performances. Felix is proud of his craft. He's proud of his vocal accomplishments and his songwriting.  Let’s see what Felix had to say about the music in his life and his new CD, "Midnight Flyer", that he produced with Steve Cropper.

Monica: Felix, let’s talk about songwriting. Felix, sometimes when I write a song it doesn’t come out how I would have thought. Not that it is a bad thing. But do you think sometimes the music just has to take you somewhere?

Felix: I put that in one of my lyrics as a matter of fact. That’s the fun of making music. Especially if you make music with other people, which I think is really the way it is supposed to be. Today we have a tendency to make our music by the computer. A lot of this album, believe it or not, was done via the computer, as the stimulus, the catalyst. It was based around that. I know that many will not identify with that with Steve and myself, because we come from the old school.

It was so much fun to start something that was totally generated by a software. And, then put our taste on that. I had a blast with it. The title song, “Midnight Flyer”, I grabbed those lycs right off of a program called, "Logic", that Apple makes. We wrote to that. It was so much fun! When you are young and have a band, you sit around and say, “Let’s go into the studio and write a song“. That’s kind of how we did this. Only instead of a whole band, we had three of us plus the computer (he laughed). Seriously the computer at this time was sort of like the drummer. It was like having an extremely talented international person in the studio with you that could sing and play and do anything you wanted them to do right on the spot. We had a ball. I really enjoyed it! You bring in new technology with the guys who are used to making records the old way, it’s very much fun!

M: Did you start with the drum track first?

F: Actually we started with the guitar track on there. There’s a guitar loop on there that is amazing!
I don’t know who played it. But it was excellent. I would like to thank him because it was excellent.
Whatever inspires to get an idea…that’s where it really starts. That’s where you begin to feed. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

M: How long did it take you to do this effort?

F: Because both of us are traveling musicians, and we are touring almost all of the time, it took us at least a year. We had one out previously. I think, last summer. The record company said we would like you to do another one. So, we got started. We couldn’t do it continuously. We had to do it when we were home.

M: Felix, I would like people to learn something from you. I would like to build on this. You are using canned computer tracks. For that artist out there that wants to do a song, is there licensing requirements or concerns with this?

F: The correct term is loops. When you buy a product such as Apple’s "Logic". "Logic" is a professional one. The amateur one is called, "Garage Band". They supply you with loops and basically the license is free, and you are able to use them. Of course, you can purchase loops from a lot of different sources, if you are so inclined.  A lot of the magazines like “Keyboard Magazine” and “Electronic Media” will do reviews on different CD’s that people make for loops. You can get drum loops, guitar loops, bass loops. It is amazing what they compile. What we did is used a loop to inspire a song. In other words, what a great groove that is. What a great beat that is. Wow! I’m going to write to that to this groove. Then after the song was completed, in terms of the lyrics and melody, we played to it. Like live. We actually wrote a lot of these songs right in the studio. Guitar, keyboards and loop.

M: This sounds like fun!

F: It was a blast. Because first of all the drummer was the computer, who can play anything. Anything! With all due respect to a lot of drummers, that really does it. From Brazilian to African whatever it may be. When you put a real drummer on top of that, which we did, then you bring in the human element. The inspiration that comes from that loop is really a lot of fun.

M: Cool. Now I read that you are co producer of this effort. Tell me about that experience.

F: When you have people like Steve and myself, Steve has been producing for years. I’ve been producing for years. You are really in charge of everything in terms of the writing, selection of the songs, the arrangement, the playing, everything. We really needed a third party, which was Tom Hambridge. Sort of like a referee (he laughed). You know? The United Nations Representative! (We laughed)

Tom has the most balanced personality . He is a real gentlemen, respectful of everybody, takes all opinions and puts them into play without any kind of upsetting anyone.  When a producer comes into a situation, unless it is a Phil Specter, who basically is responsible for everyone, he is utilizing the artists talents as writers, players, in order to make an album. That is basically what happened here. We had three people contributing at varying degrees. We were all very involved in the creation process.

M: I always believe that conflict yields a good product. If everybody is on the same mindset all the time it doesn’t always…you just need that devil’s advocate in there to say what about this….

F: Absolutely. I totally agree. Otherwise you just may as well make it all by yourself, which to me, is not the way music is supposed to be. Music to me, seriously, is like making love. It is an interplay between you and me. It’s got nothing to do with just me, me, me, me, me. When you play with other musicians that are really powerful, it is really a joy to hear the way they think about what you just started. They think the sound is different. Who is right or who is wrong? There is no such thing. There is no such thing as right or wrong. You hear it your way. I hear it my way. So, the important thing is for people to be respectful of one another. Not get angry. Not get ticked off. It happens a lot you know. But it’s really funny, because, who’s right? Believe me it’s gotten so technical today, that if you go around people who make music, they will argue about how fast or slow the song should be to the degree of point five.

M: Oh My!

F: It’s so subjective. We can control everything now. It’s absurd. It used to be you had a drummer and you played. Now you can get that drummer to play at the exact time you want with the speed. Believe it or not, that’s a big decision,  how fast or slow the song should be.

M: Oh it is.

F: A song has a certain place that it lives.

M: With today’s market, the shorter the better. You think about Pink Floyd, with their ten minute songs that can’t happen today.

F: You know why that is?  There’s a big article out about Google and all these programs are making our attention spans less than ten seconds.

M: It’s true.

F: We don’t have time. Now, bing, it’s done.

M: I’d like to talk about getting a group of people together, as you said, and everyone having their own ideas. I see that you did tour with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. What was that experience like? He puts great bands together.

F: It’s a lot of fun. For me I made a lot of friends. New people that I would never have met under any other circumstances. My tour with him was with Mark Farner from Grand Funk. We had Randy Bachman from Canada. We had John Entwistle, who passed away.  He was on the bass. Billy Preston, who also passed away, was on the keyboards with myself. Ringo’s son was a great, great guy. You know I never would have had the chance to play with one of  The Who or Billy. And, of course, Ringo.

Every time you open your eyes and see a Beatle, it’s kind of a Shock. (He laughs) It’s so much fun. He’s a really good, good person. He’s a guy who basically still has the love of being on stage and playing and getting that adoration and getting that thrill of the performance. It just never gone away with him. He’s like a little kid when he gets up there, which is pretty much like the rest of us….except he’s got a hundred times the money! (We both laughed.)

M: So he’s so much more happier!

F: Those guys are phenomenal.

M: Where are the lines drawn for you between saying I have a blues album, a funk album, a R&B album?

F: When I started playing music, I started playing as a classical musician. Then when I first went into the musical world, I was playing for everything. Weddings, Bar mitzvahs. We had to play everything. I don’t put myself into a category of I can only do this. We had to play whatever those people wanted to hear that night.  It was our responsibility to play it. I learned it all. Latin music. Love Latin music. I have incorporated that into my work for many years.

M: What was it like to perform with your daughter, Aria?

F: She’s a great singer. She really wanted to give it a shot to be in this business. She found out it is very difficult to be in this business period. Great singers are fun to be with. Great singers that are related like the Bee Gees or the Jacksons, they kind of have a certain something about singing together. I wanted to see if that would happen and it did! I was very proud of her. She’s a twin by the way.

M: Cool. I wanted to get to a voice question. I read in your early days that you thought your voice sounded bad, which is obviously not.

F: Thank you.

M: For that vocalist out there that gets the Simon Cowell of, "You shouldn’t be doing this!".  What is your encouragement for that vocalist? Can they be great?

F: I am fortunate. When we were coming up we had to do other people’s songs. That was demanded upon us from the clubs that we were working in. I tried to emulate all of these great singers. Whether I was doing it or not, I thought I was doing it. So I was doing Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, Rolling Stone, The Beatles, and trying to do my version of what I thought they sounded like. Low and behold something happens that becomes you. It’s kind of like learning how to paint when you learn the basics, and then learn from the masters and copy their work so you know how to do it. I think this is the same thing. Now whether you establish a style or not, that really to me is good fortune. I have no idea how that happens. I’m very, very happy about it, because I love to sing!

M: Well we love to hear you!

F: Enjoy it, that’s all I can say.

M: What do you do to keep your voice healthy today?

F: You have to sing. You have to sing. Like any muscle in your body, you have to work out. So I try to sing as much as I can. Especially when your doing studio work. It’s much more finite. On stage you can get away with more things. Those of us that can still sing on stage, that’s a dying art by the way, because of computers. When you do a word document you have that thing called spell check. Well we now have this thing called tune. Auto tuning. The computer programs are so sophisticated now that I can tune you live. A second delay, and you will never know it. But, I can tune you up live. It has become disgraceful. That’s all that I can say. I feed you into the laptop through the virtual tuner, which is getting faster as we speak, as you well know. No problem.

M: That makes me sad.

F: That’s the way it is. That’s what is going on out there. It’s taken over like spell check. People can’t spell anymore or write. I use spellcheck. I will use auto tuning as well. But, not live. I’m not pulling the wool over anybody’s eyes. In the old days you sang until you got it right. Now. Just sing. Go home and I’ll fix it.

M: Let’s get the look and we will fix it up.

F: Technology has changed everything. Negative side.  We have a tendency to think about how someone looks rather than perform. That’s not fair. That’s belittling to our craft. I’m sorry, it’s demeaning! Madonna got live performer of the year. Madonna won’t go on stage without this tuning. They should have a category best live performance with tuning. That’s not live. That’s canned. Elton John really reacted to that when she got that over sees. For those of us that try to keep our voices strong and tuned, it’s like a waste of time. That’s the world. Could you imagine a man like Bob Dylan going on American Idol today?

M: I don’t think he would make it today. Would he? He honestly wouldn’t make it!

F: Well Bob.  You may have to tuck in your shirt. (We both laughed)

M: People always speak of Bob Dylan as the Great Bob Dylan.

F: He’s the best. He’s a phenomenon. There isn’t an American songwriter that comes near him. What a writer. His body of work is unbelievable. The talent. All the songs that he has written and he is still writing. He’s an American icon for real.

M: Absolutely! Would you rather be known as a songwriter or a performer? What do you think?

F: It doesn’t matter. I moved to Nashville to continue to write and to be more part of that world. I figured I will not be able to tour the rest of my life and sing. It’s all great. It’s an honor to make a living at this. I’m very very fortunate. I love to produce. I love co writing with other artists to get their energy and their style. It’s all about making a living at something you love.

M: Hey don’t say you’re not going to perform. Honey boy is 94 and still at it.

F: He’s amazing! It’s becoming harder and harder out there because of the travel. It used to be a lot of fun to fly.

M: It’s kind of degrading now.

F: The old days we could load our own gear in the bay of the plane. Those days are long gone.

M: With your CD, will you be touring?

F: Not sure if it is feasible. It’s tough with the economy. It’s difficult on the road. A lot of the summer tours are less than they were a few years ago. I’d love to play this live.

M:  Well Felix, we would love to hear you. I want to thank you for your time.

F: Thank you, Monica.

There is a secret during this whole thing that Felix shared with me. Felix always had the term, Blue -eyed soul, associated with his music. Now, take a real good look at Felix’s picture. What do you see?

If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy reading about another Rock and Roll Inductee, Kim Simmonds.

Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photos used by permission.