 |
| |
Just play music because you love it, and play what you want to play. There is no way to predict what is going to sell. You don't have to put on makeup or spandex. You don't have to read up on the hot trend. Just play because you love it.
-Robert Cray |
|
|
| |
|
Recording Live
"The idea of recording live is special because you have everybody's energies concentrated in one spot," explains Cray. "They are not separated by an overdub or somebody trying to figure out something. It is best when you are all there at the same time hitting or missing it. When you record live you want to find the proper settings where you can get the best from your instruments. That is always best served when your stuff is cranked up! When you are in a traditional studio you don't want to do that because you run the risk of blowing out the super sensitive recording microphones."
"You have just got to let it flow, naturally," continues Cray. "If it goes up and down just let it be. Because you are all playing together, that is the way it is supposed to be."
The Mojo Workers & The Festivals
Robert Cray by Rod Snyder
Robert Cray has won five Grammy Awards, his first in 1986, which propelled him to stardom. When he moved to Virginia and found his roots it wasn't just the music that came calling. The people who pioneered the genre were calling as well. He worked with John Lee Hooker on his record Boom Boom and a friendship ensued.
"John Lee Hooker would call me up on the telephone just to see how I was doing," says Cray. "He was just a genuinely funny man. There was a couple times where he would call me up and pretend he was a woman on the other end of the phone. 'Helllllooooo [Cray stretching in a hi-pitched voice].' All I could really do was laugh and ask, 'John is that you?' He was a great guy."
It was his work within the circle of the blues pioneers and interpreters that led to his eventual involvement in Eric Clapton's roundtable of guitar gods at the Crossroads Festival.
"I have been invited a couple times. It is a great experience. Eric does a great thing and just to be considered a friend to him is an honor. This year they asked if we wouldn't mind being the house band for the blues segment."
"The Festival has been going on for a long time and it lived a good life for a while," offers Cray. "I see it slowing down. It might be one of the only ways now for people to see some of the masters that are left. On their own, some of these guys might not get that great of a draw. What Eric does by bringing out guys like Hubert Sumlin [Howlin' Wolf] is serving a great purpose."
"When I am up on stage it's a good feeling but at the same time your mind is racing at a billion miles an hour," observes Cray. "You are trying to find someplace new to go. If you have time to hear yourself in the room you are not spending enough time trying to dig into something new."
Advice
Flavors of the month are a dime a dozen. The artists that truly matter are the ones who keep going. What allows a musician to command longevity? What makes them relevant? With Robert Cray thriving for more than 30 years, I wondered if he had any advice for the younger generation of artist.
"Play because you love it," Cray says. "Play only for that reason. That is what makes me happy. I play because I love it. Nobody can predict who is going to be a star, and that shouldn't even enter the equation. Just play music because you love it, and play what you want to play. There is no way to predict what is going to sell. You don't have to put on makeup or spandex. You don't have to read up on the hot trend. Just play because you love it."
JamBase | Worldwide
Go See Live Music!
| 