Key to the Highway The Royal Blues of Koko Taylor

Rip It Up, Issue 127, 1 February 1988, Page 8

Key to the Highway The Royal Blues of Koko Taylor

“Sir, I’m trying to connect you, but for some reason it’s not connecting.” 1 Getting through to Koko Taylor’s hotel reception was easy, but try as they did they could not get my call to the blues singer’s room. A solution was proposed: I phone back in five minutes and Ms . Taylor will take my call in the lobby.

It worked and Koko, quiet spoken and friendly, was sure keen to make it clear that, “I’m looking forward to cornin’ down t’ Nooo Zealand.”

The singer works 10 months a year, mostly in the States, travelling endless highways in a van, but she’s not daunted by winging it to New Zealand. “Ah,

don't scare me naught. I've heard the plane takes about 20 hours ” ,‘l._. "t. ~ ■ Come on in My - Kitchen Does she get tired of hotel meals? ’ “I sure do,” she laughs. “I . don’t care for their beds, too. But I'm doing what I enjoy most." When she’s not travelling? “I’m not at home catching up on things that don’t get done when I’m on the road.” Do you get into any home cooking? “I sure do. I cook all the corn bread and chicken I can catch up with — but I like singing the blues and I like making people happy with my music all over the world —that's why I’m coming to Australia.” Koko Taylor is no spring chicken, she had her first hit on the legendary Chess Records

label in 1964 with a million selling record ‘Wang Dang Doodle. ’ Did the Chess label treat her right? “Well they did one good thing. I recorded ‘Wang Dang Doodle,’ a tune that was wrote forme by Willie Dixon. Chess was the first company to get my name across and a lot of people know me from that tune. I’m still surviving from that ‘Wang Dang Doodle' almost 20 years on. ”

Alligator Blues Undoubtedly Koko Taylor’s most fruitful years have been since founding her own band, the Blues Machine, and joining Chicago’s modern blues label Alligator in 1975. The small label run by Bruce Iglauer has the cream of modern blues players: Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, Fenton Robinson, Johnny

Winter and Roy Buchanan. Taylor has recorded five albums for Alligator. When you first met Bruce Iglauer did you imagine you'd be doing so many successful albums for his label? “No I didn't realise that would be happening. I am very proud that I got with Alligator, as the company really promotes their artist. Alligator do more for the blues than any other company. ”

As you listen to An Audience With the Queen, her 1987 live album, it's not difficult to pick the influences on that Koko Taylor growl: Tm a Woman’is her signature tune. “I came up with those lyrics, it was an answer to Muddy Waters' ‘Mannish Boy.' It was because I admired Muddy

Waters so much and he was my number one idolthat was my reason for doing my answer song and titling it Tma Woman.’

Queen Bee On Koko Taylor’s last studio album Queen of the Blues, she has a tough persona, . §J; particularly on the track 'I Can Love You Like a Woman (or I Can Fight You Like a Man.’

Which is the real Koko Taylor? “No, no, no, that’s not me at all, that's just the song. I'm not a fighter, I’m a singer! [laughs] The lyrics or meaning of the song is just being a strong

woman, a woman that speaks up, live up and do up whatever she has to do. The lyric of this song is saying, this is what you want and this is what you get, but not because I lead that life.” The hardest working man in showbiz, James Brown, sings ‘lt’s a Man's Man's World’ —is the blues world a man’s world? “It pretty much is—this whole blues scene is a man’s world. And I am hoping to be one of the women going into this world. Again, just talking about that song now, I have to be a real strong woman to be here in this man’s world, so that’s just like the song was saying, if I’m not gonna be strong then I couldn't hang in there, cos it’s not easy being out here on the highway, sleeping in hotels, being away from home and eating out of restaurants and running up against all the different things on the road; you gotta be strong forthat.” Mean Woman Blues Have other women performers influenced you? “I like Bessie Smith, Big

Mama Thornton — all of those women I thought were really great. I’m a lover of all music and blues is my favourite music and Muddy Waters is my idol. ” It’s ironic that the music of the rural south should now be embraced by young college audiences. “Most of my audience is 90 percent white and all-white clubs.” Do you find it strange? “No, not really. The blacks are not into the blues like the young whites are today. If it wasn't for young whites I wouldn’t have nowhere to go and sing. Most of the blacks are listening to rock, disco and soul music, and now they got this rap music, and they’re not into the blues. “There is not a lot of blues being played on the radio, so a lot of young blacks are not being exposed to the blues.” However the Chicago scene has a lot of promising young players and singers. Koko mentions too young women singers Valerie Washington (on Alligator compilation The New Bluebloods) and Big Time Sarah. You’re called the Queen of the Blues —would you prefer to be known as the Queen of R&B or the Queen of Soul? "No, llikejustwhatlam, Queen of the Blues, because I chose to sing the blues. I’m doing it because I want to do it and I’m called the Queen of the Blues because that's what I am.”

What can New Zealand audiences expect from Koko Taylor? “Nothing but the blues. And if you’re a blues lover and want to experience the blues, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed with Koko.” Koko chuckles, she’s a big friendly woman and proud to have those Grammy awards and recognition, but most of all she seems to get off on stepping out on stage, nearly every night of the year, and meeting some new faces.

Murray Cammick