Oli Brown

Barry Middleton (BM) interview with Oli Brown (Oli) - May 2010

BM - Who were the influences on your musical career?

Oli - My family is the biggest influence on my career as they always have supported me in my decisions. Musically, Chris Cain, Tom Waits, Jon Cleary are a few of the influences on my career

BM - What’s next in your musical career?

Oli - More gigs all over the world. I love traveling so the more places I go to the better, I get a kick out of experiencing different parts of the world, always have.

BM - How did the band come together?

Oli - I was out searching for musicians in my local area through jam nights and that’s where I found the beginning of my band to get me out into the scene. I then later found another Bass player when I was on tour with the "Blues Caravan 2009", called Roger Inniss, a fantastic bass player. But because of dates clashing, for the latest UK dates I will be with Gary Rackham who recorded on my latest album. So for the latest Tour its Gary Rackham (Bass) and Simon Dring (Drums), and I really can't wait!

BM - Do you think Blues is making a comeback?

Oli - It certainly seems that it's getting a lot of exposure in the live scene. There is a great buzz growing in the live market and lots of new artists are coming out. I don't know if it will go as far into the pop scene to get into major radio play but who knows.

BM - Does singing the Blues come from experience?

Oli - I think everyone has their own reasons why they sing a certain kind of music. It's very limiting for anyone of a young age to start singing blues because they will just get shunned for not having experience if that’s the case. I sing what I feel, what makes me happy or something that I have had to go through. The older you get the more experiences you may encounter but doesn't make anyone more qualified to sing blues.