vivfox
07-02-2009, 03:46 PM
A Blues Chat With Slide Guitar Virtuoso - Jeremy Spencer (Part One)
Interview by Lisa Zimmer
First I would like to say, thank you, Jeremy, for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview, particularly since you have just recently performed at and returned from the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival.
LZ: I’d like to start by asking, how did that go; what songs did you perform?
JS: It’s usually hard for me to be objective when being asked how such events went, unless they were an obvious disaster! But judging by the crowd responses and in-person reactions afterwards, I think that everyone concerned was happy overall. I was especially encouraged by the positive responses of quite a few people (usually younger) who did not know who I was and did not relate me or my music to Fleetwood Mac. On top of that, those very people reacted mainly to my recent material. That is the best thing that can happen to an ‘elder statesman’ in music; it makes you want to go on!
LZ: And was this your first time returning to the ‘Windy City’ since recording the historical Blues Jam in Chicago album there with Fleetwood Mac, 40 years ago?
JS: This has not been my first visit to Chicago since making that FM album. My wife and I visited briefly in July 2006 to meet and discuss with the Blind Pig company, then a year ago I did a couple of gigs there with the Norwegian band, including one at FitzGerald’s, which was a success. A wonderful crowd. I like Chicago, and have generally found the people to be real.
LZ: In 1967, you joined Fleetwood Mac, bringing to the band the guitar stylings of Elmore James. What drew you in to play in that raucous, frenzied and unbridled style of blues, rather than, for instance, in a more subdued, melodic manner?
JS: I suppose in a nutshell, I was a raucous, frenzied and unbridled individual at times, and that came out! Inside though, I soon wanted to play more melodic and subdued. I was beginning to feel like Buddy Holly when he said he was ‘tired of screaming’ and began to record softer songs.
LZ: Of all the Elmore James songs that you have covered, which is your very favorite and why?
JS: I would probably say ‘The Sun is Shining’ (followed by ‘The Sky is Crying’). After all, ‘Sun’ was the one that turned me onto wanting to play slide and sing like him when I was sixteen years old. It was his impassioned singing and answering with those bending crying notes that got to me.
LZ: If by some blues miracle, you could have the opportunity to sit down and shoot the breeze with Elmore James, what is the first thing that you would say to him?
JS: When I get to my blue heaven, (not so far away) I will tell him ‘thank you’, that if it hadn’t been for him, and God having me hear him when I did, I would not be enjoying this beautiful way of expressing emotion through the slide.
LZ: In 1969, Fleetwood Mac recorded, Blues Jam in Chicago [Blue Horizon](aka: Blues Jam at Chess; Fleetwood Mac in Chicago 1969) at the internationally famous blues label Chess Record’s (Ter-Mar) studios, with legendary bluesmen including Otis Spann, Shakey Horton, S.P. Leary, and Honeyboy Edwards. Please give us some insight on what the sessions were like- the energy, the atmosphere, the vibes…. during that recording which went on to become a much-heralded and celebrated album in music.
JS: Sadly, there seemed to be a little resentment brooding with some, manifested by their joking between themselves. It stemmed from a sentiment in those days among some black blues musicians that white kids were getting rich off stealing their music (understandable up to a point, but I do feel we were giving them a lot of credit). I know Pete sensed it, and it affected the vibe of the session for him.
J. T. Brown, however, seemed to be a more traditional old school gentleman, and race and class didn’t faze him, thank God, and he and I just had fun playing together. We must have smiled the whole time, and I think that comes across on the album. He was like a grandfather to me and seemed to enjoy the novelty of this little whitey from another time and place being so taken with his music.
About nine months after the recording, J. T. called me in London from Chicago, and played me a 78 rpm over the phone of Elmore’s ‘Coming Home’, telling me the story of how Elmore had cut it the day after coming out of hospital. About three months later, J. T. died. He was ‘Coming Home’.
LZ: What was it like to work under the supervision of the multi-faceted Willie Dixon who was known to be a stickler for perfection?
JS: Willie played the bass on my tracks, and he was okay. Being a big boss man of blues, he was mindful of diplomacy. I didn’t notice him being a musical stickler at that time, though.
LZ: While in Chicago for the festival, did you get a chance to drop by the Chess ‘’2120 South Michigan’’ studios which is now a museum or go to any of the blues clubs such as Kingston Mines, Buddy Guy‘s Legends, or Rosa’s?
JS: After the slide workshop, I received an invitation to go by the Chess studio that evening, and I regret that I didn’t go, due to some other plans that had come up. I look forward to another opportunity. I did get to play a couple of numbers with Dave Herrero at Kingston Mines in the middle of a Jimmy Burns’ set when we first arrived. Friday night of the fest we did a show at Reggie’s, which again was a lot of fun with a good crowd. Then the Tuesday night before we left Chicago, I was able to play three numbers at Buddy’s Legends. He had shown up for his 20th anniversary of the opening of the club. (He remembered the Chicago 69 session by the way!) The crowd was very enthusiastic. I am not familiar with Rosa’s.
Next Week- Part Two of the Jeremy Spencer interview!
Interviewer Lisa Zimmer is a music journalist based in the San Francisco Bay area. Over the years, she has conducted numerous interviews with recording acts such as Bob Weir; Eric Burdon; Savoy Brown; Canned Heat; and Francis Clay. Her interviews and various articles about music have been featured in an array of publications. She is also co-producer of the annual Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins Birthday Tribute radio show, including co-conducting interviews with musicians such as Tommy Shannon; Chris Layton; Doyle Bramhall II; Lonnie Mack; Johnny Winter; Robert Cray; and Buddy Guy. Other aspects of the music business in which she has been involved are photography; album jacket design; record retail; music merchandising; and publicity.
http://bluesman2001.blogspot.com/2009/07/illinois-blues-news.html
Interview by Lisa Zimmer
First I would like to say, thank you, Jeremy, for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview, particularly since you have just recently performed at and returned from the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival.
LZ: I’d like to start by asking, how did that go; what songs did you perform?
JS: It’s usually hard for me to be objective when being asked how such events went, unless they were an obvious disaster! But judging by the crowd responses and in-person reactions afterwards, I think that everyone concerned was happy overall. I was especially encouraged by the positive responses of quite a few people (usually younger) who did not know who I was and did not relate me or my music to Fleetwood Mac. On top of that, those very people reacted mainly to my recent material. That is the best thing that can happen to an ‘elder statesman’ in music; it makes you want to go on!
LZ: And was this your first time returning to the ‘Windy City’ since recording the historical Blues Jam in Chicago album there with Fleetwood Mac, 40 years ago?
JS: This has not been my first visit to Chicago since making that FM album. My wife and I visited briefly in July 2006 to meet and discuss with the Blind Pig company, then a year ago I did a couple of gigs there with the Norwegian band, including one at FitzGerald’s, which was a success. A wonderful crowd. I like Chicago, and have generally found the people to be real.
LZ: In 1967, you joined Fleetwood Mac, bringing to the band the guitar stylings of Elmore James. What drew you in to play in that raucous, frenzied and unbridled style of blues, rather than, for instance, in a more subdued, melodic manner?
JS: I suppose in a nutshell, I was a raucous, frenzied and unbridled individual at times, and that came out! Inside though, I soon wanted to play more melodic and subdued. I was beginning to feel like Buddy Holly when he said he was ‘tired of screaming’ and began to record softer songs.
LZ: Of all the Elmore James songs that you have covered, which is your very favorite and why?
JS: I would probably say ‘The Sun is Shining’ (followed by ‘The Sky is Crying’). After all, ‘Sun’ was the one that turned me onto wanting to play slide and sing like him when I was sixteen years old. It was his impassioned singing and answering with those bending crying notes that got to me.
LZ: If by some blues miracle, you could have the opportunity to sit down and shoot the breeze with Elmore James, what is the first thing that you would say to him?
JS: When I get to my blue heaven, (not so far away) I will tell him ‘thank you’, that if it hadn’t been for him, and God having me hear him when I did, I would not be enjoying this beautiful way of expressing emotion through the slide.
LZ: In 1969, Fleetwood Mac recorded, Blues Jam in Chicago [Blue Horizon](aka: Blues Jam at Chess; Fleetwood Mac in Chicago 1969) at the internationally famous blues label Chess Record’s (Ter-Mar) studios, with legendary bluesmen including Otis Spann, Shakey Horton, S.P. Leary, and Honeyboy Edwards. Please give us some insight on what the sessions were like- the energy, the atmosphere, the vibes…. during that recording which went on to become a much-heralded and celebrated album in music.
JS: Sadly, there seemed to be a little resentment brooding with some, manifested by their joking between themselves. It stemmed from a sentiment in those days among some black blues musicians that white kids were getting rich off stealing their music (understandable up to a point, but I do feel we were giving them a lot of credit). I know Pete sensed it, and it affected the vibe of the session for him.
J. T. Brown, however, seemed to be a more traditional old school gentleman, and race and class didn’t faze him, thank God, and he and I just had fun playing together. We must have smiled the whole time, and I think that comes across on the album. He was like a grandfather to me and seemed to enjoy the novelty of this little whitey from another time and place being so taken with his music.
About nine months after the recording, J. T. called me in London from Chicago, and played me a 78 rpm over the phone of Elmore’s ‘Coming Home’, telling me the story of how Elmore had cut it the day after coming out of hospital. About three months later, J. T. died. He was ‘Coming Home’.
LZ: What was it like to work under the supervision of the multi-faceted Willie Dixon who was known to be a stickler for perfection?
JS: Willie played the bass on my tracks, and he was okay. Being a big boss man of blues, he was mindful of diplomacy. I didn’t notice him being a musical stickler at that time, though.
LZ: While in Chicago for the festival, did you get a chance to drop by the Chess ‘’2120 South Michigan’’ studios which is now a museum or go to any of the blues clubs such as Kingston Mines, Buddy Guy‘s Legends, or Rosa’s?
JS: After the slide workshop, I received an invitation to go by the Chess studio that evening, and I regret that I didn’t go, due to some other plans that had come up. I look forward to another opportunity. I did get to play a couple of numbers with Dave Herrero at Kingston Mines in the middle of a Jimmy Burns’ set when we first arrived. Friday night of the fest we did a show at Reggie’s, which again was a lot of fun with a good crowd. Then the Tuesday night before we left Chicago, I was able to play three numbers at Buddy’s Legends. He had shown up for his 20th anniversary of the opening of the club. (He remembered the Chicago 69 session by the way!) The crowd was very enthusiastic. I am not familiar with Rosa’s.
Next Week- Part Two of the Jeremy Spencer interview!
Interviewer Lisa Zimmer is a music journalist based in the San Francisco Bay area. Over the years, she has conducted numerous interviews with recording acts such as Bob Weir; Eric Burdon; Savoy Brown; Canned Heat; and Francis Clay. Her interviews and various articles about music have been featured in an array of publications. She is also co-producer of the annual Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins Birthday Tribute radio show, including co-conducting interviews with musicians such as Tommy Shannon; Chris Layton; Doyle Bramhall II; Lonnie Mack; Johnny Winter; Robert Cray; and Buddy Guy. Other aspects of the music business in which she has been involved are photography; album jacket design; record retail; music merchandising; and publicity.
http://bluesman2001.blogspot.com/2009/07/illinois-blues-news.html