Q. Tell us about yourself, why is music important to you,
especially the genre you play.
Well, I
grew up in a poor, but musical family, and music is
ingrained deeply in my soul. I can't imagine, nor do I want
to, how miserable life would be without song. I
particularly love the blues. It's such a strong and
versatile genre. I can express all of my emotions through
my blues, whether they're happy or sad.
Q. You have been compared to
B.B. King by the Press, tell us your opinion of this
comparison.
I shutter
every time I think of it. I can tell you that I am not
easily flattered; however, when someone tells me he or she
can hear the heavy influence of B.B. King throughout my
music, I am so totally overjoyed that I cannot help but be
flattered. Other than my Father, Mr. King (without even
knowing that I exist) has been the greatest musical
influence in my life. I spent many years (day and
night) listening to the King and practicing my guitar. I
even wrote a song on my first CD named "Private Lessons with
B. B. King" in honor of my Dad and B.B. If I live to be 100
years old, I'll never be the phenomenal guitarist that he
is, but I will be the best that I can be.
Q. What was the
worst case
scenario with your music and what is your best
experience?
WOW!! There are so many good and bad. One bad experience
that comes to mind happened a few years ago. I was booked
to do a gig one night, and prior to leaving home, I broke
one of my front teeth off eating "take-out" chicken.
(That's the second tooth I've broken on chicken. You'd
think a bright chic like me would get a clue in a minute).
Anyway, I couldn't get in to see my dentist to have it
repaired, so I had two choices (1) don't show up for the
gig, or (2) Go on and look crazy. I didn't want to break my
word so I went. I decided it was better to laugh at myself
than to wait for others to laugh. I had written a song for
my first CD named "I Ain't Cooking Nothing", and I walked
onto the stage that evening like I owned it, which is so
unlike me. I broke out with that song, and when it was
finished I told the audience "By the way, I don't recommend
that you ladies tell your husbands you "ain't
cooking nothing" unless you want to wind up with your teeth
knocked out like mine." The house roared with laughter and
everything went great from then on. Okay, almost
everything. My husband didn't think it was so funny. I
eventually told them what actually happened so they wouldn't
think my husband was mean.
I had a
wonderful and shocking experience a few months ago when I
was doing a concert with the Mike Dollins Band. During
intermission (with no forewarning whatsoever) Joe Pitts,
Babs Bearden and myself were called up and inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame. This is an honor I'd never even
dreamed of receiving, and it was happening. It was
wonderful!
Q. Do you think the blues are here to stay or have blues
musicians strayed away from the real deal?
The blues
will always be here. Whether we call it by that name or
something else, the blues will never die. I mean, with the
high prices of food and gas, war, broken homes and societies
- the blues isn't going anywhere!
The blues has
definitely evolved since I was a child. It seems to be
taking on a rock edge more and more. Blues had more
definition in those days. I mean these guys are playing so
fast now that I'm not sure what I just heard. However, each
generation seems to think the music of its day was better
than the music of the current generation. It will be
interesting to see what the next generation does with the
blues. In my mind's eye they can't play any faster, so
whatever change is made, it will have to be a slower
rendition.
Q. How long and when did you begin to play the blues?
I've been
playing the blues ever since I was about 12, and I am now 54
years old. After picking around with my Dad's guitar for a
while, he realized that I was serious, so he bought me a
guitar of my own. The money was supposed to buy a washing
machine, but thankfully he realized that music was more
important that clean clothes. No, I'm just kidding. The
old washing machine just had to last a while longer before
being replaced.
Q. Who was your mentor and inspiration?
First and
foremost, my Dad - then B. B. King. My Dad taught me the
rootsy-type blues music, and Mr. King taught me the
electric. I wrote a tribute song about them on my first CD
titled "Private Lessons with B. B. King."
Q. What would be the most important message you want people
to know about your blues style or blues per say?
I would
ask that people listen to my blues and then judge, instead
of judging without listening, because much of my blues is
actually filled with humor. I recall talking with a hotel
manager about playing in his club a few years ago, and he
asked me what type of music I played. When I told him the
blues, he immediately dismissed me as a possible performer
at his hotel. He said his hotel was too upstanding for some
"old blues." You know, it was his loss because fortunately
the business down the street (his competition) had a
different thought. While many blues tunes speak about
downheartedness, my blues often has a lighter side. Blues
can make a sad person feel better if he or she will learn to
laugh at his or her situation. From whence I came, giving
up wasn't an option. You get tired; you go rest; then you
get back up and fight even harder.
Q. Tell us what it's like being a blues female artist? Do
you feel you are treated equally and fairly in this genre?
I love
being a female blues artist, and occasionally it works to my
benefit, but most of the time it doesn't. So far as being
treated equally, we've not quite arrived there yet, but
we're working on it. I've entered blues competitions before
and have had judges actually announce to the audience that
"Essie has played the best real blues we've
heard tonight." However, for some unspoken reason, I still
didn't win.
On a better
note, many of the blues musicians have started warming up to
me and accepting me on my own merit, regardless of the fact
that I am a woman. Arkansas has a pool of wonderful
musicians, and my hat goes off to my producer, William
Stuckey, who is a phenomenal keyboard player as well. He is
a very kind person to work with, and that makes recording as
well as on-stage performances, a joy. My Son, Richard, has
also produced a few of my songs, and studio time with him
is not a joy for me. If I didn't hold my ground with
him, he'd have my finished product sounding straight up
hip-hop with a touch of blues; instead of blues with a touch
of hip-hop. I must admit, thought, he's good at what he
does.
Q. What
genres of music did you listen to during your early
years?
I
listened to a lot of blues and country, and I still love
both of them.
Q. How many CDs do you have and are you also a writer of
your own music performed on your CDs?
I have
two CDs. I released my first CD - "Attitude-itis" in 2003;
and I released my latest one - "Shape Up" in 2007.
I do most of the
writing for my CDs; however, my whole family writes.
Q. Who are some of the musicians you have shared the
stage with during your career?
I
have shared the stage or bill with many great
local musicians as well as a few national /
internationally-known ones, including Michael Burks, Kenny
Neal, Billy Jones, Mike Dollins, John Craig, Ramona Smith,
Joe Pitts, Charlotte Taylor, etc.
A very special
moment in my life happened three or four years ago when I
had the opportunity to attend a concert of Blueswoman
Deborah Coleman. This lady is one heck of a
guitar-slinger!! She and I talked during intermission and
discovered that we had lived very similar lives. When her
show was over, I was standing near the stage admiring her
beautiful, blue Gibson guitar, when all of a sudden she
picked it up and handed it to me and said "Do you want to
play it?" I was actually dumbfounded, because the last
thing I'm going to do is hand someone I just met my guitar
"Ruckus" and ask them if they want to play. I told her
sure. She and I sat down on the stage and played for a
while, and when we were done, she gave me a big hug and said
"I'll see you farther on up the road, girlfriend, because I
know you're going to be there." Maybe someday she'll see me
in concert, or even better, maybe we'll play again together
--- in concert.
BOBBIE'S
