NIGHT TIME BUIES

Rip It Up, Issue 160, 1 November 1990, Page 8

NIGHT TIME BUIES

Robert Cray's Memphis Sool Groove

Robert Cray was in Russia last year, wandering around a town in the Baltic state of Estonia. And what did he come across? A couple of buskers playing blues guitar. That's something else," he says, "To hear Little Walter in Estonia in the Soviet Union, it freaked me out."

Cray was in the Soviet Union to play at a rock festival that drew 150,000 people. It was a surprise to him how well they knew his music, having heard it on the airwaves from Western Europe and Scandinavia. The Cray band visited just before the

tumultuous events in Eastern Europe occured, but he could tell somethimg was up.

"We had a day off and went into the town square and saw a big ceremony going on. They had this stage up and were tossing these effigies of Soviet people in Moscow back and forth. I couldn't understand whatthey were saying butyou could getthe drift. Itwas pretty strange."

► Cray is a gracious, quiet spoken character, much like his music. He has won countless awards for his no-sweat blues and has maintained the same approach on his new album Midnight Stroll. But the record has a heavier rhythm section thanks to new drummer Kevin Hayes and keyboardist Jimmy Pugh. "We weren't looking for any big directional changes, we just wanted to continue on what we've been doing." For Cray the priority has always been playing live rather than recording. "I don't really care for the studio much, to tell you the truth. We had a good time making this record but four walls kind of close in after a while. So I much prefer going out on the road." On Midnight Stroll Cray explores more closely his love of southern soul with his use of the Memphis Horns. Trumpet player Wayne Jackson and saxophonist Andrew Love contributed their minimalist horn lines to the soul classics of Otis Redding, Al Green and countless others. They now tour with Cray's band. "Hanging out with those guys who have been together for 25 years, there's not too much that us youngsters can tell them. They give me a Ipt of inspiration and push because they've seen a whole lot. They let me know when I'm wrong and when things are on the right track."

The ballad 'Bouncin' Back' has that archetypcal Southern feel. "That's a song written by our producer Dennis Walker. He's a big fan of the music we're talking about, the Stax thing. I don'tthink he really had an idea the song was going to turn out that way. That horn line is like an Otis Redding thing, right? That shocked all of us when that came out. We leave it

open for the horns to do what they want. They come in and puttheir

trademarkon it.">

Is it difficult to venture away from such an identifiable sound? 'We've been fans of the music for so long, it's hard for us to even think about anything else. We're not trying to emulate that sound, even though it

comes out that way." Innovators like James Brown and Jimi Hendrix kept exploring and re-inventing their sound. Do you think that's important? "It is important, and if you can come up with something that will stand out that's great. But it doesn't always happen and if you try to force the situation, I don't think that's very good, I say get lucky sometime in the future." Cray has been a guest on many projects by other artists. He appeared in the Chuck Berry movie Hail Hail Rockn'Roll played on John Lee Hooker's recent album The Healer and helped out that Ken Barlow of the blues Eric Clapton during his 18-night stint at the Albert Hall. When you were starting out touring with Albert Collins, did you ever get a ny advice from the old bluesmen? A survival philosophy? "You just learn. Albert Collins in those days had to do a lost of the business dealings himself," Cray laughs, "we did learn a lot about shady nightclub owners, what to take with us on the road... howto handle rough situations on the telephone with your girlfriend back at home." Although Albert Collins is one of your biggest influences, he nearly burns himself up on stage whereas you've got a much cooler approach. "That's just me. I'm not as outgoing as Albert Collins is. That's his whole personality. I come from a different kind of direction. I'm quiet, and shy in a whole lot of ways." On the road, Cray takes with him a wide variety of black music: jazz CDs, blues, R&B. "The older gospel groups like the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Five Blind Boys. I listen to all that Stax stuff and I always have to take my Wolf out and Buddy Guy and Magic Sam." Newcomers to watch out for include Curtis Algado from Oregon and Little Charlie and the Nightcaps. Cray is philosophical about his tenure at the top.

"We're here for a while and then somebody else comes up. It's part of nature. You've gotta get old." CHRISBOURKE