Guitar Shorty, R.I.P.

From Beachcomber Magazine, Destin, Florida, April 2010...

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Blues Great Guitar Shorty Rocks Beachcomberland June 6

By Christopher C. Manson

Alligator recording artist and blues legend Guitar Shorty returns to Destin’s The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint Wednesday, June 6, for a FREE performance at 7 p.m. (He’ll play at Pensacola Beach’s Paradise Bar & Grill Inn the following night.) He’s no stranger to the area, having appeared last year at the Village of Baytowne Wharf’s concert series to great acclaim. This year marks the 55th anniversary of his first recording, and with 2010’s Bare Knuckle still eliciting well-deserved praise and earning the man new fans at every tour stop, Guitar Shorty shows no signs of slowing down.

You recorded your first single with Willie Dixon in 1957, and your latest album, Bare Knuckle, came out in 2010. How has the record industry changed for better or worse in 50-plus years?

It has changed tremendously. Most people are downloading now. I think it’s a (bad thing)…a lot of shops are closing up, everything is going to the Internet. Artists and record companies can lose a lot. You get a real CD, you get better quality sound.

“Please Mr. President” from Bare Knuckle was released during the current administration. Do you think Mr. Obama has done a good job, and what are your thoughts on the upcoming election?

I think he’s doing all right myself. All the things they say he’s done since he’s been in the White House, all that mess was there when he got there. Before he got there, actually. He’s getting the blame for all the things that have happened. There’s no way he could clean up all that mess in four years. I’m constantly getting emails with all these statements about him—I just delete ‘em. 

Your guitar style has been cited as an influence on Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, among others. Who influenced you, and how did your style develop?

My uncle was the one that taught me how to play. I used to get mad ‘cause I couldn’t bend the strings like he did. My grandma would tell me to keep practicing. “One day it will happen.” And it happened. At the age of seven, I was playing. I never looked back since. I’ve had so many people help me coming along.

What’s your guitar of choice?

In 1994, I picked up a G&L. That’s the genuine Fender—the G stands for George, and the L stands for Leo. It’s been with me ever since.

This is the third or fourth time you’ve been to the area that I’m aware of. What are some of your favorite things about Northwest Florida?

I remember the barbecue. I ate so much, I felt like a bag (laughs). I’m looking forward to getting back there again.

You’ve worked with a lot of music greats. What were some of the highlights?

My first was Ray Charles. I was just 16 years old, and I got to go on the road with him. I was scared, but I learned a lot from working with him and his whole crew. They taught me a lot. My singing—phrasing the lyrics—is very similar to his. I played with B.B. King, which was great. I’ve done shows with Guitar Slim when I was doing flips and standing on my head. Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls. Back in the ‘90s, I did some stuff with Chuck Berry. Oh, man, I can’t think of ‘em all right now. My dream now is to be on a show with Eric Clapton—I’ve been trying to do that for the longest.

How many days a year are you and your band on the road?

I used to be on the road almost 300 days a year. Now I’m lucky if I can do 200 days. I just like to be on the road. I love to be on stage. I’m happy long as I got my guitar in my hand.

Tell me about your current band.

I have a complete new band now. Right now, I have my drummer Danny Gerass, he used to be with the Who. My bass player, Eric Ward, played with Marvin Gaye, and my rhythm guitar player, Mark Burgess, he sings as well. He’s been with lots of other dudes. 

 

Have any of the new generation of blues musicians captured your fancy?

I got so many young guys coming up after me it’s pathetic. There’s one out of Phoenix, Arizona called Nick Sterling—he’s kicking up sand like it’s nobody’s business. I gave him the nickname Guitar Nick.

What advice would you offer to blues up-and-comers?

If you wanna play the blues, you got to live it. On the other hand, if you’re gonna mess with playing, you have to be dead serious about it. I see so many people playing rock and roll that don’t have a clue. I don’t consider myself a blues player—I play rock—but I can play the blues with a rock edge. 

Do you ever think about retiring?

No. I’m like B.B. If he dies with his guitar in his hand, he’ll die happy. And I’m the same way. I’ve been on stage since I was 19 years old. I still walk, jog, do my stretches. People ask me if I get arthritis going up and down the neck of the guitar, but I don’t feel it. I can still do the same stuff I did when I started.