Guy Tortora

Barry Middleton (BM) interview with Guy Tortora (Guy)

BM: What were your first experiences of the Blues?

Guy: I grew up in Pasadena in Southern California. My youngest experience of the blues was listening to night-time AM radio in a little place where my parents used to spend weekends out in the Mojave Desert. When the atmospheric conditions were right you could get stations from east of the Mississippi. Some of it was old style country music, some played gospel and revival stations, and some played (mostly electric) blues and RnB. I was still pretty young when the big 60’s blues craze hit, so like a lot of young white Americans at the time I was introduced to a lot of the blues that was invented in my own country by British bands like the Rolling Stones. When I was old enough I found out that there were some little joints in Pasadena’s African-American neighbourhoods where they played the blues all night long!

BM: Your first instrument was a violin, have you ever thought of featuring the fiddle on any of your albums?

Guy: Yes I have, but so far I haven’t found the right player for that particular job, though we did put a little string section on one of the tracks for the “Living on Credit” album.

BM: You have never been a person to stand still with your music, using all different genres to find the right sound; do you think more “blues artists” should spread their wings?

Guy: I don’t see why not. There’s a real danger that the music is getting stuck in a groove, like some of that old vinyl we used to play. But there’s the problem that if you get too far from the source folks say “that ain’t the blues”.

BM: Does “Living on Credit” epitomize Blues musicians?

Guy: Not just blues musicians, but probably just about any musician you know! I was having one hell of a time trying to tame my cash flow when I wrote that one. The world of music is a great mountain, and there aren't many who get up above the tree line.

BM: What was your first guitar?

Guy: Well the first guitar I ever played was my big brother’s Spanish guitar, much too chunky for my small hands at the time. The first guitar I had of my own was a Fender Mustang, which was a much better guitar than I realized at the time I owned it. I later had to sell it up to help pay for my flight when I first came to Europe, something I’ve regretted ever since.

BM: You are a singer/songwriter. What drives your song-writing?

Guy: When my un-conscious or sub-conscious mind gets into gear it just seems to drive on automatic -- I feel like all I’m doing is taking dictation. Other times it's a struggle. But the content of the song has to have some meaning for me or it doesn’t work, and I can’t put the song across.

BM: What’s your advice to a young person just starting out?

Guy: You do it because you love it, because you have to do it – that’s fine, it’s a gift. But take care of business, too -- don’t let anybody screw you over.

BM: How would you like to see the music industry change over the next 10 years?

Guy: I’d like ‘em to pay my bar bill!

BM: Which young act on the British blues scene impresses you most?

Guy: I haven’t had the chance to see many! Kyla and Danny are great musicians, and Bex Marshall is a very dynamic performer. Matt Schofield does a great show.

BM: What do you do to relax when you have some spare time away from music?

Guy: Read, go to the movies, go hiking, pay my bar bill.

Thank you Guy for answering my questionnaire

Barry Middleton