Exclusive Interview with international superstar Gino Vannelli

By Ray Shasho

Internationally renowned singer and composer Gino Vannelli is most recognized for his blue-eyed soulful harmonies and alluring sex appeal. But over the years, Vannelli has cultivated his incredible singing voice to master diverse musical styles while continuing to inspire audiences worldwide.     

The Montreal, Quebec crooner was musically influenced at an early age by his father Russ Vannelli who was a musician in Maynard Ferguson’s band. Gino’s brothers Joe and Ross also became musicians and were always a major factor in his life and throughout his musical career.   

Perseverance led to Vannelli’s big opportunity in show business. After a short stretch in New York, Gino and his brothers departed for Los Angeles in a last ditch effort to score a record contract. Vannelli anxiously waited outside the A&M recording studios and confronted legendary trumpeter/composer Herb Alpert to seek his help. Alpert granted Gino an audition, and a few days later Vannelli signed with A&M Records.

In 1973, Gino Vannelli recorded his debut album, Crazy Life. His brother Joe would become his full-time keyboardist and music arranger. Vannelli’s second studio album, Powerful People was released in 1974. The album spawned his first hit, a funky/jazzy/ soulful arrangement entitled, “People Got to Move” (#22 on Billboards’ Top 100). The album was produced by Gino and his brother Joe. Joe Vannelli would become a significant musician, producer, and composer in the music industry.

In 1975, Vannelli was invited to appear on Soul Train, becoming the first significant white singer to perform on a black music program.

By 1978, Gino Vannelli had developed superstar status after the release of his sixth studio album Brother to Brother. The album generated the poetic megahit, “I Just Wanna Stop” (#4 U.S. and #1 Canada) and the sensational singles, “Wheels of Life” and “The River Must Flow.”

“I just Wanna Stop” earned Gino a Grammy Award nomination and became his highest charting single to date. Gino’s brother Ross Vannelli wrote, “I just Wanna Stop” and there was resistance from Gino to sing it. Ross Vannelli would become an invaluable composer in years to come. Gino Vannelli also toured with Motown legend Stevie Wonder in 1978. Brother to Brother was certified platinum in 1979. Vannelli was also the recipient of Canada’s Juno Award for Best Male Artist.

(Gino Vannelli albums of the 70s …Crazy Life, Powerful People, Storm at Sunup, The Gist of the Gemini, A Pauper in Paradise, Brother to Brother)

The 80s would prove to be another pivotal and successful period in the music career for the soulful crooner. In 1981, Vannelli would deliver yet another smash hit with the passionate, “Living Inside Myself” (#6 Hit Billboard’s Top 100) from the Nightwalker album.

The album Black Cars produced the hits “Black Cars,” and “Hurts to be in Love.”  Brothers Joe and Ross won a Juno Award for Recording Engineer of the Year for the title track.  

(Gino Vannelli albums of the 80s …Nightwalker, Black Cars, Big Dreamers Never Sleep)

Throughout the 90s, as music changed, Vannelli began to better familiarize himself with other genres and styles.

(Gino Vannelli albums of the 90s were … Inconsolable Man, Live in Montreal, Yonder Tree, Slow Love)

In 2003, Gino Vannelli astonished the entertainment world by truly showcasing his magnificent vocals and passion for music on the album Canto. Gino sang original compositions in several languages, including French, Italian, and Spanish. The music was compared to a cross between a full-blown opera and a Broadway musical. Canto received rave reviews. After the release, Vannelli was asked by the Vatican to perform for Pope John Paul II. 

(Gino Vannelli albums of 2000s are … Canto, These Are the Days, A Good Thing, Stardust in the Sand, The Best And Beyond)

Sixty year old Gino Vannelli continues to tour worldwide, including sold-out performances in Las Vegas. His current tour begins in Tokyo, but he’ll be making several rare appearances in Florida. Gino Vannelli will be performing live onstage January 26^th at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Fl and at the House of Blues in Orlando, Fl on January 27^th.

This is a must see show!

To purchase tickets go to www.rutheckerdhall.com or call (727) 791-7400 for more information.

Or http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/orlando/   407-934-BLUE (2583)

I had the rare opportunity to chat with Gino before he left for Japan last week.

Here’s my interview with singer/songwriter/musician/producer/international superstar/ GINO VANNELLI.

Ray Shasho: Hi Gino, you’re actually in the studio right now?

Gino Vannelli: “Yes, getting ready for rehearsals with the band. We’re going to Tokyo to do eight shows, but preparing for the southern shows already. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been in the southern United States … I feel like I’m playing in a foreign country. (All laughing)

But I’m really looking forward to it and just bending over backwards to do this, because I’ll be in Sweden and Denmark till around January 23^rd and making a near impossible run to get to Clearwater and Orlando. But the dates came up and I really wanted to do this because I haven’t seen a southern face for a long time.”

Ray Shasho: You’ll be at the historic Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida on January 26th and then at the House of Blues in Orlando on January 27^th … we’re really looking forward to those dates. 

Gino Vannelli: “We’re also playing at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia on January 24^th.  

Ray Shasho: The tour kicks off from Tokyo … I speak with a lot of artists who really seem to enjoy playing for Japanese audiences. 

Gino Vannelli: “They’re different. Not as vocal as some American or European audiences, but have their own way of showing appreciation, and it takes a little while to get use to it. Sometimes you wonder if their digging it and towards the end of the set they’re kind of losing it.”

Ray Shasho: Your dad was a big band musician, was he a big influence in your decision to pursue a music career?

Gino Vannelli: “Yea, of course. My dad was just so much into music … he was a record aficionado of big band, jazz, Latin, a real lover of music. We were privy to a lot of records that a lot of kids my age had no idea existed. I mean, when I was seven or eight, of course I knew who Ricky Nelson was, but I also knew who Miles & Coltrane was. I also knew who Caruso was, or Ravel was. So we had a very broad understanding and perspective of music from the onset.”

“But I started playing drums when I was seven or eight years old and got really serious about it. I met Gene Krupa and other great drummers, and then became so enthused about it that I became the house drummer in a major club when I was eleven years old. We got to see a lot of the big bands that came through like Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, and some of the great singers. And of course I’d be looking at Ella Fitzgerald singing, but looking at Sam Woodyard playing the drums more. And it was just a great experience.”

Ray Shasho: So you first learned to play the drums, when did you discover that you could sing?

Gino Vannelli: “That was kind of an accident because I was playing the drums in my group and the singer couldn’t quite cut “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones. I kept telling him …You sing it this way …Try it this way. And then in a dare he said, “If you’re so smart, why don’t you sing it.” So I said, Dammit… I will! So I ended up singing the song and a few other people said you ought to get off the drums when you’re singing it. And I was terrified because my drums were my fortress. When I eventually did get out from behind the drums and I noticed the girls looking at me, I thought, hey, this is pretty cool, maybe I should get from behind the drums more.”

Ray Shasho: Did you emulate anyone in particular growing up?

Gino Vannelli: “You get into performing for the craziest reasons, and finally as you get a little older; it’s the love of what music does to you that really motivates you.”

“But when I was a kid, I’d love just listening to the acoustic version Bob Dylan. I loved folk music … Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, and loved the simplicity. At the same time, I loved Oscar Peterson. Oscar, Ray Brown, and Ed Thigpen, all had their trio doing a weekly show in Canada every Friday. When I came home from school, I’d be stuck in front of the TV around four or five o’clock where they’d have this half an hour jazz show that was really exceptional back in those days.”

“But you know … I went to see every rock concert too. I went to see The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and everybody that came to town … so that was a cool thing to do too.”   

Ray Shasho: You’ve become a successful international artist, not only because of your soulful hits of the 70s and 80s, but because of singing in several languages and using that gifted voice for original opera and Broadway musical style compositions.  

Gino Vannelli: “I was lucky along the way to get a few mainstream hits, but as time wore on, I made a decision in the late 80s...early 90s, to pursue my own train of thought, and I was lucky enough that people followed me, and it created a different kind of career, a career that I enjoy to this date worldwide.”   

“The four concerts that I’m doing in Scandinavia are with some of the top jazz musicians that exist there. We’re doing a show that’s completely different, and I like to do that because it really kind of challenges my vocal chops and arranging. Coming to the south, I’ll be taking my west coast band, and that’s really at the heart of who I really am. Because its music that people really know me by, dating all the way back to 1972-73 … up onto introducing some brand new songs from a new album that I’m working on right now … which spans four decades. It’s interesting to see people’s reaction to the band that just kills those old songs.”

Ray Shasho: What musical direction will you be taking the new album?

Gino Vannelli: “I would say it’s not really a direction, it’s like painters that go through periods. For me … I go through periods where I really love classical and then recorded an album like Canto. Or a little more like acoustic jazz and I recorded Yonder Tree. And now … for the last two years, I’ve been in this period of just gravitating towards blues and the blues idiom. And of course I like to mix and match things so I’m infusing a little bit of jazz, a little bit of classical, a little bit of soul, into the whole blues idiom and I’m coming up with something that I’m really interested in. So it’s really primarily a blues project that has some other influences in it.”

Ray Shasho: I’ve chatted with a lot of artists lately who are gravitating to the blues. 

Gino Vannelli: “It’s a very pure and simple idiom and really gets to the point. It also kind of gets you in the gut too.”

Ray Shasho: Gino, talk about your first encounter with Herb Alpert.

Gino Vannelli: “Herb was one of the original guys who was a hip-shooter … he really shot from the hips, and when he believed in something he didn’t have to go through formalities. He just had a hunch and he went with it.”

“I ran through the gates as I saw him walking across the parking lot, I accosted him, and he was shocked, and a little bit afraid. But when he saw the desire in my eyes and before the guard hauled me away, he asked what do I want? I said I really wanted to record. He just said, “Come back in a half an hour and audition for me.” And I went back in a half an hour and I played him “People Gotta Move” on my little Aria classical guitar and he said, “Okay let’s record.”

Ray Shasho: So sometimes, it’s just really all about perseverance.

Gino Vannelli: “Isn’t that the case. You try to earn a PhD, a Masters, or just Bachelors or whatever. You try and raise a family …you’re trying to get from point A to point B and sometimes in traffic ... and sometimes it just takes a little determination.”

“The love of the art is what keeps me going. Like I said, it’s that sound that runs through your bones. When I’m singing at the piano and I’m having a really nice fun day singing, if I have a headache, the headache will immediately dissipate just the notes going through my head.”

Ray Shasho: Gino, were you in fact the first white performer to sing on Soul Train?

Gino Vannelli: “I hear there may have been another artist, but for all intensive purposes … I think I’m the white guy people remember being on Soul Train. You know how that all happened was very strange. I was staying at a motel on Sunset Boulevard and recording the Powerful People album, and I was a little bit dogged that day because things weren’t working out in the studio like I wanted them to. So, I went out to the pool to try and grab a nap and I heard, “Crazy Life” the title cut from my first album, which was really a dud and didn’t sell anything at the time. And I heard it being sung at the pool area, echoing off the brick walls of the motel. So, I followed it and wondered who’s singing that song? I thought …that sounds like my song!”

“I finally came upon Stevie Wonder and his brother. So as Stevie was singing, “Crazy Life” his brother said, “Hey, there’s the dude!”  So, I met Stevie and we spoke and gave each other a big hug, and he said, “Hey, you want to tour with me?” He said, “Chaka Khan is going to pass on the tour, would you like to do some dates with me?” So, I took the tour and we did seven or eight dates, and halfway in the tour, I got a call from Don Cornelius (Bless his soul). He said, “Would you like to do Soul Train?” I said, Don I’m flattered, I’d love to do Soul Train, but I didn’t know if he knew that I was white. So, I said very-very reluctantly, Don, you know I’m white. He said, “Well, I consider you beige. (All laughing) He was very gracious and it really was helpful for me to do Soul Train because, “People Gotta Move” made it to the Top10 on the R&B charts after that.”

Ray Shasho: I was on the air working top 40 radio when, “I just Wanna’ Stop” (1978) and “Living Inside Myself” (1981) was released. I remember all the hundreds of requests that I received from the listeners to play those songs …those hits are timeless.

Gino Vannelli: “That’s why we redo them. We stay true to the record as we stay true to the spirit of the song. And people will be amazed how this band handles it. It’s so dynamic. This band, like I say, just kills it, in a way that is so magical. And I’m taking this west coast band to the south with me and that’s why I’m anxious to show this band off.”

Ray Shasho: Your brother Ross actually wrote, “I just Wanna’ Stop?”

Gino Vannelli: “Ross wrote, “I just Wanna’ Stop” with a little bit of kicking from me here and there … saying, I won’t sing that word! But my brother Ross is great! He’s my manager, production man, and also does sound. And my brother Joe and I are so very close.”

Ray Shasho: It’s not easy to have a close working relationship with your brothers.

Gino Vannelli: “The key is I think … Robert Frost says …”Good fences make good neighbors” Now I think, Good boundaries make good brothers. We know who we are and we know not to cross certain boundaries. There’s no end to the love and dedication. When you’re young, you want to convince everyone that you’re right and they’re wrong. As you get older, it’s not important if your right or wrong, it’s important that we work together and get this thing done. So, it makes my mom very happy.”

Ray Shasho: Ross and Joe are musicians as well, so you all share the love of music together.

Gino Vannelli: “That’s the common denominator.  

Ray Shasho: Did you grow up in an Italian household?

Gino Vannelli: “I actually grew up speaking English and French …because of Montreal. All my friends were French. I still speak it pretty well.”

Ray Shasho: I’ve chatted with Frank Marino, another very interesting artist/musician from Montreal. Besides being an incredible guitarist, Frank has studied Theology for most of his life.

Gino Vanelli: “Yes, I know. Music will inevitably get you into Philosophy, and once you logically see that through, will end up getting you into Theology. Once you see that through, it will end up getting you to a simple place of being happy with yourself and everybody around you. With all the catastrophes that are going on, and all the hardships that are going on around the world, you don’t do the world any service by walking around in pain and at war with yourself. You’d do a lot better good, a lot better service, if you find that thing within yourself that says …move forward it’s okay. It’s are duty to see through it and work through it.”

Music was not always my fan. Sometimes there were lean years, years where I was uncertain if I was doing the right or wrong thing. And years where there wasn’t the acceptance, years of economic hardships, and failures. That’s when you get to know either who you are, what your made of, or what’s inside of you. If you don’t probe deeper, you’ll never know, and you can’t go on.”

Ray Shasho: So, how did you persevere through the difficult times Gino?

Gin Vannelli: “At first, I became a man in search of truth, a seeker of truth, because I wanted to know what the problem was. Then I realized, as I was seeking truth more and more, the truth was far greater than my personal problems. A little time and wisdom does a lot. You can never really get rid of it. I can’t ever forget the lean years … losing my house, and losing my car, or half the house walking out because they didn’t like what I was playing. You can’t forget those years … they teach you.”

Ray Shasho: Sadly, many musicians have a tough road if they can’t produce another hit or feel as they are washed up … and many times leading up to taking their own lives.

Gino Vannell: “I can relate to that …it’s almost like the artist finds himself in the position of an alcoholic. The artist has to hear that one more round of applause or has to know he has that one more hit, just like the alcoholic needs that one more drink. And once the artist says, you know what, I’m more than this. First is the man …and then the music. If the man is not intact, the music will not happen.”   

Ray Shasho: You must have really enjoyed singing on the Canto recordings.

Gino Vannelli: “I sure did, it was a labor of love. And it’s still some of the most requested music that I get. And we’ll be singing some of that material on the tour.”

“When I was in Italy a few years back, right before Pavarotti died, I was with an artist called Pino Danieli who is a big blues artist in Italy. I said, Pino, would you ask Luciano a question for me? Pavarotti was seventy years old at the time. I asked… How does he keep his voice from muddying up? He kind of covered up the phone and said, “Just take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and water a day and everything will be fine.” (All laughing) So for all you singers out there, that’s my little advice of the day.”

Ray Shasho: Gino, what’s your connection with Holland?

Gino Vannelli: “I lived there for two years, 2006 and 2007, just twenty miles south of Amsterdam, and got a different prospective on life, and it was a hell of an experience. Because Amsterdam is so close to all the European cities, and such a hub, I was able to perform, meet, and get a lot of new acquaintances in Italy, Scandinavia, France, and Spain. So it was a whole new awakening for me.”  

Ray Shasho: If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish …to sing a duet with someone from the past or present… who would you choose?

Gino Vannelli: “I think because I’m in the blues mode right now, I’d love for Billie Holiday to sing with me.”

Ray Shasho: Your latest release is The Best and Beyond and you’re currently working on a new album …how about upcoming collaborations?

Gino Vannelli: “I’m going to be collaborating with Eric Benet on a tune … and I like Soul/R&B singer Frank McComb too, and I’ll be looking for a good country/soul singer for a tune that I wrote for the next album.”  

Ray Shasho: Gino, thank you for being on the call today … but most of all, for all the great music you’ve given to all of us over the years. We’ll see you at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on January 26th.

Gino Vannelli: “It’s been my pleasure Ray, I hope we get to say hello when we get to Clearwater.”

Gino Vannelli will be performing onstage January 26^th at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Fl. Purchase tickets at www.rutheckerdhall.com or call (727) 791-7400 for more information.

Gino Vannelli will also be performing at the House of Blues in Orlando, Fl on January 27^th. To purchase tickets go to http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/orlando/  or call (407) 934-BLUE (2583)

Gino Vannelli Official Website www.ginov.com

Purchase Gino Vannelli’s latest release, The Best and Beyond at amazon.com or on his official website.

Special thanks to Ross Vannelli for arranging this interview.

Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com   -Support Ray so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting.

~~Pacific Book Review says Ray Shasho is a product of the second half of the 20th century, made in the USA from parts around the world, and within him is every trend in music, television, politics and culture contributing to his philosophical and comically analytical reflections collected in his fine book of memories. I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray.  So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book!  It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are.

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‘Candice Night’ Medieval Princess: A fairytale journey with ‘Ritchie Blackmore’

By Ray Shasho

Candice Night interview:

CANDICE NIGHT is the enchanting singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, for the medieval folk rock group Blackmore’s Night.
Candice was raised on Long Island, New York and began a modeling career at the age of twelve, appearing in print ads, commercials, and promotions at trade shows into her 20s. She hosted a rock show at a local Long Island radio station which helped transform her destiny.


Night met Ritchie Blackmore, legendary lead guitarist for Deep Purple, at a soccer match hosted by WBAB the classic rock radio station she worked at. Blackmore enlisted Night to sing backup vocals for Deep Purples’ The Battle Rages On tour in 1993.
 
Night went on to co-write and contribute her musical styles to Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on the tracks, “Aerial” (Charted #2 in Europe), “Hall of the Mountain King,” “Black Masquerade,” and “Wolf to the Moon” for the Stranger in Us All album (1995). Night also toured with Rainbow as a background vocalist.
Candice also provided vocals on Ritchie Blackmore’s version of “Apache” on the album, Twang! A Tribute to Hank Marvin & The Shadows. The compilation features some of the greatest guitarists of our time.

In 1997, BLACKMORE’S NIGHT catapulted the duo of Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night into a fairytale journey, performing wizardry medieval folk arrangements with a dose of rock and roll. The group’s debut album, Shadow of the Moon endured the European music charts for seventeen weeks. The track “Play Minstrel Play” featured Ian Anderson, the superlative flautist of Jethro Tull.

Blackmore and Night toured Europe extensively with their newly christened band, decorated in medieval garb, while capturing the ambience and spirit of Renaissance as they perform shows at castles, theaters, churches, opera houses, and fairs. The group also performs with many of the musical instrumentation used during the Renaissance age. Self-taught, Night learned to play the hurdy-gurdy, the shawm, rauschpfeife, pennywhistle, recorder, cornamuse, and gemshorn. The addition of these amazing instruments, along with performances by virtuoso musicians, spotlighted by Ritchie Blackmore’s valiant and poetic acoustic strumming and Candice Nights’ enchanting fairy tale vocalizations, completes an exciting and extraordinary musical celebration.
But then occasionally you’ll also witness Ritchie Blackmore “the legendary rocker” wailing on his ‘Strat’ on tunes like “The Circle.”

Blackmore’s Nights’ music is positive, inspiring, romantic, and it wakes up the soul. Their audiences are so inspired, that they contribute to the celebration by dressing in their favorite garb, mimicking their most revered fairy tale, medieval, or Renaissance era character.

Blackmore Night’s subsequent album releases … Under a Violet Moon (1999), Fires at Midnight (2001), Ghost of a Rose (2003), The Village Lanterne (2006), Winter Carols (2006), Secret Voyage (2008), and Autumn Sky (2010).

Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night finally tied the knot in 2008 after a nineteen year relationship. Their first child together, Autumn Esmeralda Blackmore was born in May 2010. Blackmore’s Nights’ eighth album, Autumn Sky was dedicated to the birth of their first born daughter.

Candice Night released her first solo album entitled Reflections in 2011. It’s an awe-inspiring collection of music written and performed by Candice. The album was not influenced by husband Ritchie, leaving Candice alone to do her own thing. Track two … “Gone Gone Gone,” should be sitting at the top of the country charts, while “Dangerous Smile” could easily be the theme to the next James Bond movie. “Alone with Fate” is a beautiful composition reminiscent to the timeless classic “Those were the days” by Mary Hopkin.
… I instantly fell in love with the CD and gave it (5) stars.

On February 7th 2012, Candice Night gave birth to their son Rory Dartanyan.
Blackmore’s Night continues to amaze and illuminate audience’s worldwide, bringing joy and happiness to their faithful, young and old, and who for one very special evening are transported into another place and time … filled with fantasy, magic, chivalry, clever repartee, and a reason to be merry.

Blackmore’s Night is currently celebrating their fifteen anniversary.

The group’s latest release is called Blackmore’s Night: A Knight in York. It’s an incredible journey of some of the groups most recent tracks performed live in York, England. The special edition collection contains a single audio CD accompanied by (1) DVD and (1) Blue-ray DVD. The DVD is where you’ll receive the genuine Blackmore’s Night experience. You’ll witness the colorful onstage wardrobe and scenery, capturing the true ambience and celebration of the show. You will also share what their audience’s have experienced for fifteen years … the enjoyment and magic of being part of a Blackmore’s Night event. I gave Blackmore’s Night: A Knight in York - The CD/ DVD special edition collection (5) stars.

Coming in mid January 2013! Blackmore’s Night will be releasing “The Beginning” A documentation of their early period. -Including Shadow Of The Moon and Under A Violet Moon as well as rare video footage of their early tours "Live In Germany 1997-1998" and "Under A Violet Moon - Castle Tour 2000” -Available for the first time on DVD and only in the "The Beginning” box.

I had the delightful opportunity to chat with Candice Night last week about her life before and after meeting her legendary guitar-hero husband.

Candice was definitely one of the most personable artists that I have ever interviewed. She gleams with positivity, is extremely cheerful, and just a pleasure to talk with.

Here’s my interview with the enchanting songstress/ songwriter/ and multi-instrumentalist for Blackmore’s Night… CANDICE NIGHT.
Ray Shasho: Candice, thank you for being on the call today, where are you calling from?
Candice Night: “I’m in cold, wet, and rainy New York, but the leaves here are amazing right now.”
Ray Shasho: First of all, I’d like to say congratulations on the groups fifteen year anniversary.
Candice Night: “Thank you very much Ray … you’re one of a few men who remembered an anniversary (All laughing).”
Ray Shasho: Tell Ritchie, I also like to clean house and run the vacuum like he does.
Candice Night: “I hate to tell you this … but this is probably one of the main reasons why your wife married you, because I could say that about my husband (Laughing). He calls it a Hoover, because the big separation of language between the English and American, so I often need a translator when he’s talking. So when he says I’m running the Hoover, I say that’s exactly why I married you my darling (All laughing).”

“But it’s so funny when you listen to all the different dialects when you’re traveling and touring. This one whole area where Ritchie’s ancestors are from, Jamaica Inn, which was based on an old story by Daphne du Maurier, it’s a little bit north and east of Penzance where all the pirates use to come and bring all their booty there and distribute it. So the Jamaica Inn actually exists and it’s very haunted on Bodmin Moor. Whenever we go to England, we try and go to this place because a lot of Ritchie’s ancestors are from there, it’s a lot of farm country, and all the people out there literally have a pirate’s dialect. It’s like being out on a movie set … you have the sign swinging in the wind, it’s really dark and misty, the cobblestones are outside, and then the door blows open and some guy comes in talking like a pirate … and I go, can somebody just pinch me, I just love it!”
Ray Shasho: Ritchie always looked like a swashbuckler anyway … put a sword in his hand and he could even be one of the Three Musketeers.
Candice Night: “He’s a big fan of Errol Flynn as I’m sure you could imagine. And of course you watch The Princess Bride and he’s like Inigo Montoya. Actually Mandy Patinkin who played that part, we went to see him in concert at Westbury Music Fair awhile ago and he was just brilliant. He has this amazing voice where when he sings he sounds like an old 1920s record. It’s so funny because apparently for his encore he ends by running back on stage and saying “Hello: My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” And then everybody applauses and he comes back off the stage (Laughing).”
Ray Shasho: Candice, you and I share something in common … we were both in radio.
Candice Night: “Actually, when I first met Ritchie that was my chosen career path. I tried to figure out where I’d fit into the radio world, trying every aspect of it … promotions, I was cutting commercials, and just seeing where I’d fit in before someone came along and scoop me up and ride off in a white horse … or black horse probably.”

“I met Ritchie back in 1989 on a soccer field. I was there to cheer on my team; we were actually number one arbitron-rated for a classic rock station here in Long Island. I was going to New York Tech for communications and taking my radio courses. So I was interning there for about a year and half at WBAB and Deep Purple came into town and said let’s play a charity soccer match. We brought our guys down, and they brought all their ringers from Europe, and our guys were not the most athletic, they were really good at eating pizza, and running up and down on the field was not their forte. So you can imagine that Deep Purple beat us pretty badly. So after the game, I went over and congratulated him and that’s when our meeting began.”
Ray Shasho: Was Ian Gillan the singer of Deep Purple at the time?
Candice Night: “Yes, but the funny thing was he wasn’t on the soccer field. Ritchie and Roger Glover came, but I think the rest of the guys just said have a nice time boys.”
Ray Shasho: I chatted with Joe Lynn Turner last year, and it sounded to me that he really cherished working with Ritchie, so they must have had a really good working relationship. But it didn’t sound like Ritchie and Ian Gillan liked each other very much.
Candice Night: “Joe and I ended up doing a duet; we redid “Street of Dreams” on one of our albums a couple of years back. Joe is one of those guys we keep in contact with and just such a good guy and so overenthusiastic and has got a lot of energy. But yea, I think there was a lot of friction and from what I wound up seeing there was a large amount of friction in the last days of that Deep Purple incarnation, which was so sad because in the beginning they had such an amazing rapport and they had so many amazing songs. But towards the end, everybody is travelling in their own separate limo and they only talk when they get onstage …if then, and maybe egos were pulling everyone in opposite directions, and it’s kind of bad to see that sort of thing happen. You also don’t want to keep people in one box when they’re like that because somebody is going to explode somewhere along the line.”
Ray Shasho: What did you think when Ritchie asked you to become his musical partner at that time?
Candice Night: “It’s a funny thing; we never actually went through a conversation like that. Everything that we’ve ever done has been a really natural evolution. When I first met him, we ended up being friends first and then obviously the evolution of our relationship grew and he got me on the road with him. He knew I could sing …when he has parties, he’ll bring out the acoustic guitar and play for you, but he also wants everybody to give a little bit of themselves to be on an equal playing field. He doesn’t care if it’s reciting a poem, or doing a dance, or playing an instrument, singing a song or whatever it is, just bring it and let everybody have a good time and participate. So when it got to my part when I first met him at one of his parties, he said what’s your contribution to the party? I said I’ll sing a song … and I think the first song we ever did together was the “Theme from Mahogany” believe it or not, he loves that song. At that point he knew I could carry a tune. So when I went out on the road with him in 1993 with Deep Purple, he had asked me to do some backing vocals on his “Difficult to Cure” solo. So they had me well hidden behind some drapes and had amplifiers stacked up in front of me so nobody could see me.”

“So really after that … was when he left that band and reformed Rainbow, and he knew I was kind of a closet poet, constantly scribbling in my journals and writing poetry. So when the guys in Rainbow were having a hard time coming up with lyrical content he came to me. He called me up on the phone and I was coming up to visit anyway, he played me a backing track over the phone and said, look, see what you can do, if it’s not something that works for us, we’ll fly up a professional guy and head that way. So I thought I’d just give it a shot and got on the ferry up here from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport and by the time I got to the other side, and after an hour and fifteen minutes of just looking at the water and listening to that backing track in my head, I came up with fourteen versus. When I got to the other side they said … great! We’ll take this one and that one. Then they’re circling … yea, this one, that one, and the other one, and we’ll piece this together … there’s the chorus and there’s the song. I said wow that was easy! And it was something I really loved. So that was actually how I ended up writing or co-writing.”

“While the other guys in Rainbow were doing the backing tracks, Ritchie and I would be sitting in front of a big raging fireplace in Massachusetts at Long View Farm Studio with the snow falling down, and he and I would have the acoustic instruments, and I would make up lyrics and he would make up songs, and that was kind of his escape from what the rock and roll world had become for him, because he had been in it for over thirty years at that point. So like I said, it was just all a natural revolution, we started writing together, the people wanted to hear the music more, and then a record company offered, and it grew and grew. Now it’s been fifteen years and every step of the way has been amazing.”
Ray Shasho: Blackmore’s Nights’ music is positive, inspiring, romantic, and it wakes up the soul.
Candice Night: “This is one of the only shows where people leave with smiles on their face. It’s like a contagious energy that’s all positive and it makes me feel so good in a world that is so unsure, unknown, and negative. And you have everything from road rage to air rage to your senses being bombarded by texts and emails and everything is always in your face all the time. Even the commercials are screaming at you all the time …and it never ends! For me it’s just nice to see people enjoying the music and enjoying the escape to be able to close their eyes and go someplace else and get away from all the stress and the pressure. I love the age range of the people that come to the shows … from five year old little kids who are enjoying it because they’re still innocent enough to dress up and become anything from princesses to fairies, or Robin Hood. Then the parents get involved because the fathers followed Ritchie’s music since the 60s, and now that guy’s married to a wife who likes the romantic lyrical content. Then there’s the grandparents who think it’s just good old melodic music.”
Ray Shasho: I watched an interview that you and Ritchie did implying the decision to play Renaissance-type music was because of Yoko Ono … was that a joke?
Candice Night: “Its tongue and cheek I think. I’ve heard rumors that I may be referred to that occasionally but no one has been brave enough to say that to my face luckily, probably because I do have medieval torture devices all through my house. We have converted our home into a medieval dungeon. I think when people get so caught up in nostalgia; they just look at their favorite bands and think those bands are going to be exactly the way they were in the 70s, just stay in that box and be like that forever and ever. And when something comes along, that world changes and their whole world gets shattered and they have a hard time dealing with that.”

“Let’s go back to the John Lennon/Yoko Ono thing, when you’re watching any of the documentaries, for better or for worst, did you ever see John Lennon happier than with Yoko Ono?”
Ray Shasho: I don’t know … I really thought Paul McCartney broke up The Beatles. (All laughing)
Candice Night: “When the Beatles ran their course and weren’t happy anymore, you can’t keep them in that box. So who’s ever around at the time ends up getting blamed, and I can speak from personal experiences. Being with Ritchie, I’m with him first and forth most at a personable level and if something is going to make him smile and be happy than I’m for that one hundred percent. But if somebody’s going to tell me, he’s got to go on stage and be absolutely miserable, and I know its eating him up inside, and he hates what he’s doing every night, which one are you going to support? I stand behind him whatever decision he makes, and so the decision he made was to follow another path.”
Ray Shasho: I do like hearing all those Ritchie Blackmore rock and roll stories though. Like when he destroyed the cameraman’s TV camera at California Jam. Greg Lake told me that he’d become annoyed over the fact that Emerson, Lake & Palmer were headlining. They didn’t want to be playing in the support role.
Candice Night: “I think they were promised by the promoters when they were to go out and do their show that they would be the first band to play when the sun went down. So they ended up getting completely screwed on that. He said he had people banging on his door for like an hour saying you’re going to get cut from the list, than you can’t go out, and you’re going to get sued…. they tried to get rushed out and he said no, this is what was in the contract, this is what we were promised. So… sorry Greg, it had nothing to do with that. But it was probably the fact that they had promised him that slot and he was just so pissed off. It’s just such an amazing visual when you’re the first band that comes onstage when the lights come on.”

“But there were problems on the Come Hell or High Water video too. And these are all the stories behind the stories. We were in the dressing room and we knew they were going to film that night, Ritchie had said, “Why don’t you film on the first couple of nights because the singer tends to blow his voice out on like the second or third night and I’d rather you guys get a good performance.” So they kept putting him off, and putting him off, and saying no. They finally decide they’re going to record more towards the middle or end of the tour. So Ritchie wasn’t happy about that, he didn’t feel like it was going to be a really good performance for everybody involved.”

“Ritchie goes to the side of the stage and sees cameras setup on the stage, and a camera was setup right in between him and the audience. He said, “That is not going to happen because those people paid money to see me, not to see the back of a cameraman’s head.” Everything he does is fighting for the fans, which is so ironic because he has such a bad name, but nobody ever hears the stories behind while these temper tantrums are happening. So he spoke to management and they said okay I get it, we’ll move the cameraman, get ready to go onstage. Ten minutes later, the cameraman hasn’t moved an inch, he’s still out there. So Ritchie says, “That’s it… I’m telling you, I’m not going out there.” And everybody is waiting and the guy still isn’t moving. Ritchie says, “I’m not having a cameraman in between me and the fans!”

“By the third time, Ritchie tells the roadie to move the cameraman. Five minutes later, Ritchie hears the band starting. Now they’re starting “Highway Star.” Ian Paice is out there getting the drumbeat started; everyone is starting and their waiting for Ritchie. The band is thinking if they go ahead and played Ritchie has to come out and play at some point. So they’re going on and on and on with the backing track of “Highway Star” without a guitar.”

“Ritchie says, “That’s it!” He went out with a glass of water and threw it right into the camera and it was taped. The guy’s camera was ruined, and I think somewhere along the way when he threw that water it got Ian Gillian’s wife at the same time. It was not international but it did happen. So that was the story behind that.”
Ray Shasho: Deep Purple will never capture the excitement it once had; especially now that Jon Lord has left us. Did you and Ritchie attend Jon Lord’s funeral?
Candice Night: “We actually got the news five minutes before we stepped on stage one night. We didn’t go; we were actually on tour at the time but we were invited to it. We actually made a large contribution to pancreatic research in his name and obviously sent condolences to his family. But it was just devastating for Ritchie.”
Ray Shasho: Blackmore’s Night recently released A Knight in York and will be releasing “The Beginning” box set sometime in mid January of 2013. I really want to chat about “Reflections” your first solo album …it’s an awe-inspiring CD.
Candice Night: “Wow, that’s so nice thank you. When you do something solo you kind of take off the training wheels, you’re doing the whole thing by yourself. Ritchie didn’t even know I was going to the studio and doing that, I would book time when he wasn’t in the house with the producer, and didn’t even ask his advice or want him knowing it. If I had asked his advice it would have been the same as a Blackmore’s Night song. So it was really important for me to do that one hundred percent by myself.”
Ray Shasho: The second track on the album “Gone Gone Gone” can easily be sitting on top of the country charts, are you a big fan of country music?
Candice Night: “I love country music; Richie stays far away from that stuff, I obviously have different influences than he does, he’s much more into the renaissance purist aspect of things and I get more involved with the fantasy aspect of things. And I’ll listen to radio tracks, even on “Dangerous Smile” I was getting inspiration from a Kelly Clarkson track at that point which was “Walk Away” as far as instrumentation and production was concerned. Yea, I love country music and listen to it often. As a matter of fact it’s probably almost the last passion of music where I feel they really craft their songs and their lyrics. Sometimes I listen to some of those lyrics and it brings tears to my eyes. I can’t think of another genre of music that makes me feel that deeply at this point.”
Ray Shasho: The DVD of Blackmore’s Night: A Knight in York is so important because it captures the full essence of the concert experience, not only the music, but the beautiful set and wardrobe. How do you determine the on-stage wardrobe?
Candice Night: “I have a lot of different colored outfits that I mix and match so it looks like I’m wearing all different outfits every night. On that show, I was five and a half months pregnant. My daughter comes out in one of the songs and I did not know that they were going to bring her out at that song. We’re in a brilliant opera house and she’s walking out onstage while I’m playing the shawm towards the microphone and there’s a big huge drop where the orchestra pit was. So I’m watching her frantically as she’s walking out and I’m having a mommy- moment. (All laughing) So I finally scooped her up while I finished the song because I knew she was in my arms … but it was so funny.”
Ray Shasho: A lot of your audience also dresses up in renaissance garb as well?
Candice Night: “We’ve seen everything from five year old little girls dressed up in fairy outfits to knights and shining armor, peasants, kings and queens, minstrels, and eighty five year old jesters in full bells in England. Actually in England, I’ve seen men dressed up like women coming to the shows. But it always adds to like a costume party type of event and makes the show a lot of fun. It’s always so interesting to me to see what these people wear, when they wear their personality on their sleeves.”
Ray Shasho: Candice, you are an awesome songwriter, where do you usually receive your inspiration for writing?
Candice Night: “Nature is my number one inspiration. I think there is just so much complexity and simplicity in dealing with nature. You go outside and see a flower and really get involved with the intricacies of that flower …. Like the bees going into it. Nature provides miracles and magic every single day and so many people are caught up on survival mode, or survival techniques, so we don’t get a chance to see it, enjoy it, or appreciate it. And if you king of unplug everything and just step outside …listen to the crickets, feel the wind in your hair or face, see the stars or sunset … all these things are in front of you all the time. If you just unplug and give yourself to that moment ….it’s incredibly inspirational. So if I ever feel low on inspiration, I just take a walk through the woods and it all comes back to me.”

“The other thing I like to do is when we are travelling, doing our touring, I always like to get absorbed in the legends, the myths, and fairytales of the regional area, which I always find fascinating. That’s where songs like “Benzaiten” about one of the Goddesses from Japan wound up coming to me. She actually lived at the bottom of a lake and played this sixteenth century instrument and married the dragon king and I thought … huh, that’s kind of close to my life. But she’s an incredible legend, out of the seven Gods of good fortune; she’s the only Goddess from Japan. So I reworked that legendary story and put it into a song.”
Ray Shasho: We’ll be looking forward to “The Beginning” box set coming out in mid January 2013. The set also includes footage from your early castle tour?
Candice Night: “For the fans who really want to see where our roots came from and where it all started, I think it’ll be a great collector’s piece for them and they’ll really appreciate it.”
Ray Shasho: Candice, thank you so much for all the great music you and Ritchie have given to us over the years. And please come down to Florida … Imagine Blackmore’s Night performing at Epcot or the Magic Kingdom?
Candice Night: “We love Epcot! Ritchie use to have a house down there on Marco Island about twenty years ago.”
“It was great talking with you Ray!”

Candice Night official website http://candicenight.com/
Blackmore’s Night official website www.blackmoresnight.com
Order now…Blackmore’s Night: A Knight in York at amazon.com or on Blackmore’s Night official website.
Order now … Candice Night’s incredible solo release Reflections at amazon.com
Coming in mid January 2013! Blackmore’s Night will be releasing “The Beginning” A documentation of their early period. -Including Shadow Of The Moon and Under A Violet Moon as well as rare video footage of their early tours "Live In Germany 1997-1998" and "Under A Violet Moon - Castle Tour 2000” -Available for the first time on DVD and only in the "The Beginning” box.

Special thanks to Chip Ruggieri of Chipster PR & Consulting www.chipsterpr.com

Contact classic rock music journalist RAY SHASHO at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com -Support Ray so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. 

 ~~Pacific Book Review says Ray Shasho is a product of the second half of the 20th century, made in the USA from parts around the world, and within him is every trend in music, television, politics and culture contributing to his philosophical and comically analytical reflections collected in his fine book of memories. I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book! It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are.

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Maria Muldaur rekindles the spirit of 'Memphis Minnie' on her latest release

 

 By Ray Shasho

Maria Muldaur interview:

MEMPHIS MINNIE (Lizzie Douglas) was born in Algiers, Louisiana. At thirteen years old, she ran away to Memphis, Tennessee playing her guitar at local nightclubs. In 1929, a Columbia Records talent scout signed Minnie and her new husband Kansas Joe McCoy to a recording contract which led to their hit song “Bumble Bee.”
Minnie became an American blues icon. Not only was she a female trendsetter, but also among the first musicians to play an electric guitar. Minnie was musically engaged between the 1920’s and 1950’s, accomplishing an incredible forty-year journey in show business as a disciple for the blues, an unimaginable undertaking for a woman and a blues artist during those times. She was very popular during the early Depression years through World War II.
Minnie combined her Louisiana-country roots with Memphis-blues, which transformed into electric urban- blues and helped pave the way for artists like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers.

She was an exceptional singer, songwriter and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. One of Minnie’s co-penned classics was with husband Kansas Joe McCoy, “When the Levee Breaks” (1929), a tune re-created by countless artists over the years including Led Zeppelin. A few other legendary compositions by Memphis Minnie include, “Nothing in Rambling,” “In My Girlish Days,” “Looking the World Over,” and “Me and My Chauffer Blues.”

Memphis Minnie died at the age of 76 in 1973.

The blues are probably the most important genre in American history, and yet there are still many pioneers of the genre that are either forgotten or unknown. And besides the fabulous Bessie Smith, early blues-women are rarely discussed … until now.

MARIA MULDAUR has rekindled the spirit of a legendary blues-woman on her latest release … First Came Memphis Minnie. The album is also a milestone for Maria, it being her 40th recording in an illustrious musical career.
Maria Muldaur began her melodious journey in the early 60s performing blues, bluegrass, and Appalachian “Old Timey” music with John Sebastian, David Grisman, and Stefan Grossman, as a member of the Even Dozen Jug Band. In 1963, she became vocalist for Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band and became part of a Greenwich Village scene that included legendary songwriter Bob Dylan. Maria married guitarist, composer, and fellow jug band member Geoff Muldaur.

When the marriage ended, she began a solo career. Maria’s self-titled first album was released in 1973. The album spawned the megahit “Midnight at the Oasis” (1974 hit #6 on Billboards’ Top 100). The seductive lyrics were evenly matched by Maria’s seductive performance. Maria performed the song on The Midnight Special and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. The song penned by music/television/ film composer David Nichterm earned the singer several Grammy nominations.

In 1974, Maria Muldaur opened concerts for Stephen Stills and The Grateful Dead, and also became a backup singer for ‘The Dead’ in the late 70s.

Maria Muldaur continues to sing, record, develop, produce, and amaze audiences by covering American Roots music. Her eclectic musical styles have included gospel, R&B, jazz, and big-band. Maria has also recorded several award-winning children’s albums. But it’s apparent that her favorite genre is the blues. The critically-acclaimed Richland Woman Blues album (2001) was nominated for a Grammy and by The Blues Foundation as Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Her follow-up album Sweet Lovin’ Ol’ Soul was also nominated.

In 2009, the album Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy captured Maria’s 6th Grammy nomination.
In 2011, Muldaur returned to New Orleans (her “musical and spiritual home”) to record a contemporary electric blues album entitled, Steady Love. Maria calls her favorite music to perform “Bluesiana Music” … her brand of New Orleans-flavored blues, R&B, and “Swamp Funk.” Steady Love reached #1 on the Living Blues Radio Charts.

Her latest release First Came Memphis Minnie features an incredible lineup of legendary musicians including classic tracks by Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor. Also new recordings by Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block, and Ruthie Foster … and previously released tracks that Muldaur recorded with Alvin Youngblood Hart, Del Ray, Roy Rogers, and Steve James. The recording is also produced by Maria.

The album is pure, down-home soulful blues at its finest …If you love the blues, you’ll love First Came Memphis Minnie -I’m giving it (5) stars!

Maria Muldaur will be performing live in Tampa at Skippers Smokehouse on Sunday, October 28th. Visit www.skipperssmokehouse.com or call 813-971-0666 for tickets and information.

I had the opportunity to chat with MARIA MULDAUR recently about the latest album and her incredible musical journey.
Ray Shasho: “Hi Maria, thank you for being on the call today … so where’s the band playing tonight?
Maria Muldaur: “I’m in Minnesota, drinking a nice cup of cocoa, but we can’t wait to be down in Florida.”
Ray Shasho: Yes, you’ll be here in Tampa at Skippers Smokehouse on October 28th.
Maria Muldaur: “I played there before and always remember the amazing seafood… nice kind of backyard casual atmosphere which is perfect for playing the blues and we’re looking forward to it.”
Ray Shasho: Well, the weather here in the Tampa Bay area has been consistently perfect.
Maria Muldaur: “Good! … Well tell them to hold that till we get there.”
Ray Shasho: First of all Maria, I want to say congratulations on the release of your fortieth album.
Maria Muldaur: “Thank you dear, yea, I couldn’t believe it when I counted it all up, some people think I’ve done forty three but my count said forty, so we’ll go with that.”
Ray Shasho: Would you say that your musical career has been a smooth journey?
Maria Muldaur: “I think it’s been an amazing journey and its unfolded one passion at a time, and I just followed where my passion has led me and it hasn’t stirred me wrong yet, Even though I’ve had a few huge Pop hits, but basically my career can be described as a long and adventurous odyssey through various forms of American roots. I started out falling in love with Appalachian “Old Timey” music and country blues, bluegrass, jazz, and all sorts of music and at various stages as the mood lent me, I began to explore different genres …and continuing to do that. It’s been fascinating; we have such an amazing, rich, musical heritage in this country and it’s something I never get tired of exploring.”
Ray Shasho: We are very lucky to be able to enjoy so many different styles of musical culture in America.
Maria Muldaur: “Like this fortieth album … a tribute to the late great blues artist Memphis Minnie. Except for one cut … it’s all early acoustic country blues. I travel around with my Red Hot Bluesiana Band … and “Bluesiana” is a word that I made up years ago to describe the kind of New Orleans flavored blues/R&B that we call “Swamp Funk” that we like to play.”
“I had been doing a string of albums for Stony Plains Records and three of them were nominated for Grammy’s in recent years. I got three Grammy nominations back in the days of “Midnight at the Oasis” and just in the last decade got three more Grammy nominations for a series of albums I’ve done for Stony Plains Records paying tribute to various blues legends and pioneers. And they’ve all been acoustic because the early blues were acoustic. My agent last year said, “Why don’t you do an album that reflects what you sound like live with your Bluesiana Band?” … and I thought that was an excellent idea. So I went down to New Orleans and hooked up with some of my favorite musicians down there and did an album called, Steady Love which I really loved doing, and love the songs that are on it. I’m happy to say it made it to #1 on the Living Blues Charts last year. So we’re coming to Tampa with a combination of material from the Steady Love album which is all very high-octane, high-energy, high-spirited Bluesiana music … as well as a lot of music from the Memphis Minnie album.”
Ray Shasho: When I received First Came Memphis Minnie in the mail … I thought it’s about time someone released a tribute album honoring a blues-woman. I commend you Maria for raising that awareness.
Maria Muldaur: “Well, thank you … as I travel around, I ask people in the audience … How many of you have heard of Bessie Smith? Almost everyone in the audience starts to clap. Then I go, okay … How many of you have heard of Memphis Minnie? Maybe two or three of the hipsters in the crowd will say they know who she is … and so that’s exactly why I did the album. She was a woman who started recording in the late 20s, and not only sang the blues, as a lot of the early blues-women did, but she wrote and recorded over two hundred of her own songs. She also played absolutely amazing guitar, and smart enough to marry … not one, but several guitar-playing husbands. She was a pioneer, a maverick, and created a career for herself that spanned several decades against all racial, social, gender, and financial barriers.”
“Despite the fact she was called Memphis Minnie, in the early 1930s she migrated up to Chicago and became the queen of the blues scene up there. In the early 1940s, she was one of the very first blues artists to plug in her guitar and go from acoustic country-blues sound to an electric Chicago-blues sound. She helped forge the sound that would become the electric Chicago-blues sound, which in the late 1950s morphed into R&B and rock and roll. So really, we owe Memphis Minnie a huge debt of gratitude and a lot more recognition that she’s gotten in past times.”
“So, I got together with several of my soul sisters in music that also love and revere her music and we put together this CD. And everyone picked whatever song resonated with them the most. The interesting thing is … here it is 2012, and most of these songs are supposed to be originally written in the 1920s and 30s, and yet they resonate today … very contemporary and universal. To me the very best songs are songs that are very universal and very personal. And Memphis Minnie’s music totally fits those criteria’s for me. She writes about things that really happened to her. Like the song, “In My Girlish Days” is a great example. I think Phoebe Snow’s rendition of it is just phenomenal.”
“Because she had such an interesting and adventurous life as an independent woman … the songs are very interesting and tell the stories of her adventures. At the same time, they’re the kind of situations that many a woman has gotten herself into … Both Bonnie Raitt and myself, Rory Block and Ruthie Foster whom I just adore, and Koko Taylor and Phoebe Snow. And so many other artist as well, love Memphis Minnie and appreciates what she did, and kind of like a role model for us. If I had the time and money there would be more people that I would have gotten on the album, but just the logistics of it … we reached out to Lucinda Williams who is another huge Memphis Minnie fan, and also Michelle Shocked.”
“Memphis Minnie wrote, “When the Levee Breaks” and even Led Zeppelin recorded their version of her song. So I wanted to shine a little spotlight on someone so unique, soulful, and such a great influence on the music that evolved from her day to today.”
Ray Shasho: Just about every American music genre evolved from the blues, and there were so many great blues artists that never got their fair share of credit or fame.
Maria Muldaur: “I’ve paid tributes on other albums to Mississippi John Hurt, Lead Belly, Mississippi Fred McDowell … and on that series as with this album, I’ve always enlisted the help of my fellow blues artists who share my passion for the early music. So I’ve been blessed to do duets with Taj Mahal, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bonnie Raitt and so forth and so on. It’s a music that is very important to us and I’m hoping that it will endure. I think it will …people are loving the material.”
Ray Shasho: Well, my review is going to say … The album is pure, down-home soulful blues at its finest and if you love the blues you’ll love … First Came Memphis Minnie. I’m giving it five stars!
Maria Muldaur: “Thank you so much! “Each gal on the CD does their own interpretation, they make it their own and true to Memphis Minnie’s basic spirit and vibe, but each track sounds completely different. I think it’s very interesting on how that turned out.”
“When I designed the album cover, I wanted to make the cover like Memphis Minnie was shining down from blues heaven. All her energy and inspiration is shining down on us to this day. That was the idea behind it. And I slaved over the liner notes because the more I looked into it, the more of a complex story I was discovering and wanted to share with people, all in a space of a two inch, by two inch, little piece of paper that they stick in a CD anymore.”
Ray Shasho: Maria, I really like your version of “Crazy Cryin’ Blues,” that had to be a difficult tune to sing?
Maria Muldaur: “Thanks for noticing that! Ray, I’m here to tell you, I love the song; it’s a very haunting song the way she does it. The incredible guitar work on most of the cuts on the album were done by an amazing guitar player named Del Ray, and she loves and reveres Memphis Minnie as much as I do, and focused on Minnie’s guitar styles. And between us, when she’s playing and I’m singing, we pretty much channel Memphis Minnie into the room. But she kept telling me …you’ve got to do “Crazy Cryin’ Blues.” And I said are you kidding me, I could never sing that. So she worked out all the intricate guitar parts and nudged me into doing it. So I said …okay but I’m not promising anything. But in the end, I think it turned out okay.”
Ray Shasho: Maria you did a marvelous job on the song, I knew as soon as I heard it, that it must have been a relentless task.
Maria Muldaur: “It was one of the most challenging things that I ever had to sing …thank you Ray for noticing that. But who hasn’t been in a state of mind like that where you’re just so heartbroken and beside yourself, crying all night, you haven’t slept and in such a deep state of pain. And that’s what all that moaning is all about in the song. I rose to the challenge and I think I pulled it off.”
Ray Shasho: And I really liked Koko Taylor’s version of “Black Rat Swing” … cool song!
Maria Muldaur: “I thought it was so important… two people that are on the album that are no longer with us, I had been planning this project for awhile, and I saw Koko Taylor a little over two years ago because we usually end up at the blues awards in Memphis every year together. I told her I was going to do this project and she excitedly said she’d do it. But that song is done like a real straight ahead electric Chicago blues style. I thought that was such an important song to have on there for the fact that Minnie went electric and helped create that electric Chicago blues sound. And to have Koko Taylor … the queen of the Chicago blues scene for years and years and probably inherited the crown from Memphis Minnie when she was young. When I found out she recorded it for the last album she did, it was just a real blessing that we got the chance to include it on the Memphis Millie tribute album.”
“I met Phoebe Snow in 1970 and one of the first things we talked about was Memphis Minnie. She knew I was a fan because I had already touched “Chauffer Blues” with my husband Geoff Muldaur in 1969 …a quite different version than the version we have now. But Phoebe whipped out her guitar and started playing it right on the street while standing in front of a club in Greenwich Village, and I was just blown away. I had never heard anyone sing like that and then she played pretty damn good blues guitar as well. And so from that moment, Phoebe Snow and I bonded over our love of Memphis Minnie and became friends and sisters from that time forward. Phoebe had been planning a version of “In My Girlish Days” when she heard about the project and unfortunately should took ill, but we found this early version of it and I think it’s just stellar, it’s magical …I love it. What a singer …I miss her so much!”
Ray Shasho: Maria, I’m going to make a comment even though I know my wife is in the room … When I first saw you sing “Midnight at the Oasis” it may have been either on the Midnight Special or Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert around 1974. I was in high school and already had a thing for Linda Ronstadt, but Linda played second fiddle after I saw your performance. Both you and the tune were incredibly seductive and that was one good reason it was such a huge hit.
Maria Muldaur: “Oh my goodness … Linda and I and Bonnie Raitt were definitely the hot babes of the 70s. We palled around a lot and are still very dear friends. But I was just sort of a young hippie doing my little thing. It wasn’t like Madonna, who by the way, I really respect and admire a whole lot. Her sex appeal was kind of calculated and definitely embellished, and I was just out there with my little halter top, denim skirt, little bellbottom jeans … shaking my tambourine. I hear from people that it really got to them … so whatever works.”
“Several years ago, I should have been writing down all the stories that people would come up and tell me when I was signing their CD’s and so and so. All the little stories about what they were doing when they first heard my song …and I’m telling you, I would have quite the X-Rated book by now.”
“I still do those songs too because people love to hear them. At our show, not only will we be doing some of the Memphis Minnie material, and a lot of the Bluesiana material, but also the old favorites like “Midnight at the Oasis,” “Don’t You Feel My Leg,” “It Ain’t the Meat, It’s the Motion,” …so we aim to please and don’t disappoint anyone.”
Ray Shasho: A final question Maria … If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish to sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or present, who would that be?
Maria Muldaur: “There are two. The one person I asked to sing with me said yes, but then he got called to do a performance at the White House, so it never worked out … I would love to sing with Al Green. I’ve sung with Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and Aaron Neville … which is a singers dream come true … I’ve sung with Hoagy Carmichael, Taj Mahal … you name it, but I’d love to sing with Al Green.”
“The other thing I’d like to do is collaborate with Bob Dylan. I have played with him kind of unofficially, but would love to do something with Bob Dylan.”
Ray Shasho: Maria… thank-you so much for being on the call today and more importantly for all the great music you’ve given to all of us through the years. We look forward to your appearance at Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa and the release of First Came Memphis Minnie.
Maria Muldaur: “Thank you Ray, I hope to see you at the show.”

Maria Muldaur official website www.mariamuldaur.com
Maria Muldaur will be performing live in Tampa at Skippers Smokehouse on Sunday, October 28th. Visit www.skipperssmokehouse.com or call 813-971-0666 for ticket information.
Order Maria Muldaur’s latest release … First Came Memphis Minnie on Maria’s official website or at amazon.com

Special thanks to Jill Kettles of Mark Pucci Media www.markpuccimedia.com

Contact music journalist RAY SHASHO at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

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