Sam Kelly
Barry Middleton (BM) interview with Sam Kelly (Sam) - May 2010
BM: What were your first experiences of the Blues?
Sam: The first time I met the blues was when I was about 12 years old, my brother was a big music fan and he used to buy these compilation albums by a company called “Marble Arch”. Listening to tracks by Muddy Walters, Sonnyboy Williamson II.
BM: Who were the influences on your musical career?
Sam: Quincy Jones as a producer, composer, arranger. Richard Bailey and Kieran O’Connor for drumming. I can keep reeling off names and you won’t have enough paper to print it on – the influences are diverse.
BM: Do you play any other instrument than drums?
Sam: NO
BM: What is the biggest festival you have played?
Sam: Biggest Blues festivals were with Gary Moore in 2008/09
BM: If you didn’t play music in a band what would you be doing?
Sam: Either a photographic printer or an engineer or dead!!!
BM: What bluesman (dead or alive) would you like to play with, live on stage?
Sam: Sonnyboy Williamson II
BM: Aims for the future and what do you hope to achieve within the Blues?
Sam: To play with as many different artists and bands as I can – I like diversity and challenge. I hope to pass on my experiences within the Blues to as many people as I can through workshops, festivals, club appearances.
BM: Which country do you enjoy playing in most of all?
Sam: America – it’s a great feeling taking their blues music and playing it back to them
BM: Who was the last blues act that you paid to see?
Sam: Have never paid to see a blues act!!
BM: What can be done to keep the blues music fresh and modern or do you think it should stay in the past?
Sam: Relating to my previous answer – I think the words are expressing the sentiment of the blues but the music can be rhythmically moved around. For example people like B.B King, Robin Ford, Giles Hedley and the Aviators, Sam Kelly’s Blues Band and Sam Kelly’s Station House. We all keep the lyrical content the same but move things around rhythmically. In my opinion, the music is strong enough to withstand these changes and it brings it up to present day demands. It is more appealing to the younger generation if blues music is not quite so formal.
Thank you Sam for taking the time to fill out this interview
Barry Middleton
Nottingham Blues Society
BM: Why do you feel that young people are not as attracted to the Blues as other Genres?
Sam: Because a lot of young people seem to think it is an easy music form to master – I have been playing Blues for more than 35 years and I’m still finding the twists and turns it can throw at you.
BM: What other styles of music have you drawn inspiration from?
Sam: New Orleans 2nd line, rock, pop, jazz, reggae – you name it!!!!
BM: Do you think the blues scene on the continent is better than in the UK?
Sam: YES!!!
BM: What was the last blues CD that you bought for yourself?
Sam: John Lee Hooker’s Hobo Blues
BM: What do you do to relax when you have some spare time away from music?
Sam: I like listening to Radio 4, watching TV, read and very interested in photography
BM: What makes a good gig for you as a performer?
Sam: To get a reaction from an audience – any reaction, good or bad, it just shows they are listening. I particularly like taking a blues standard and totally rearranging it. This I do regularly with my bands and it is gratifying to see the reaction.
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