CONVERSATION: Bobby Rush
Welcome to ramble City.
Brad:
How does an American Blues musician navigate art, Faith, business and racism during a career that spans almost 70 years and after everything and up one of the last of the first True Blues Masters on the planet. Bobby Rush is our guest today and he's won at least well, 12 Blues Music, Awards, and in 2017, at the age of 83. Yes, 83 won. His first Grammy award for the Porcupine meat celebrating the release of his new autobiography. I ain't studying your Bobby stops by ramble City to share stories from his incredible career working alongside many of the Great's of the American Music tradition and some of his personal views and philosophies on life and music. I mean, Bobby's Korea is a genuine, tremendous inspiration. To me personally, and his autobiography is a must for anyone interested in music blues or American history. I mean, Rolling Stone. Magazine called him, the king of the chitlin circuit because of his 50 years of Relentless touring. And I mean, where do you start with with a legend. “Bobby Rush? What is the blues mean to you?” My name is Bradley McCall and this is Ramble City.
Brad:
So can we can I start by asking you a very open-ended and surprise attack question. In a sense Bobby Rush, what is the blues to you?
Bobby:
The blues to me honestly is, is my life. It's my food is. My sweet. Is my go to bed. Is my wake up. Everything that I do is about the blues because I easy I sleeps it is all I know. It's a blues Man and adore own way. Have to meet me bad. Things are sad things because the same thing make your legs. Same thing that you crying. So that's some good times in the mood. That's a bad time in the room that Some ups and down in the Blues, but own wall. The good overtake, the bad. So I'm a blues, man, but it's been more good time. It is bad times and I don't know what that's the blues you expecting, but I can tell you that's the rules for me is a blues that are botheration that's on your mind? It could be good. You expecting this this good lady to go out and take it but then I'll you take up a dinner and main thing is what happened after dinner? Aye aye.
Brad:
I love the blues, okay. Blues music. It's like those that sort of love beauty. I mean, there's probably three there's Blues Legends like yourself. Then there's the blues fans who get the blues music that you guys make you Legends. And then there's other people that don't get the blues and think it's something totally different. That just had this idea about what the blues is. Do you think
Bobby:
What, I think what people said the don't get the blues, don't really know when they have the bluess. Like I said, because of Blues is not necessary to me that you feeling bad because they've been trained and Tom that we have, the blue is something on your mind that worry you. But you can also had a blue with something on your mind thinking about the good time. You have it with this woman, a great friend, a guy with the gray with the main. I mean, that's a good time. I used to work in a cotton field as a form of chopping Cotton Pickin’ cotton with all the week-long, those are hard time but come Friday afternoon about five o'clock man I could just see myself. Going in a nightclub? Yeah, I can this not only just a nightclub what's going to happen when I meet this same woman, the night club, we gon have a good time. Hey, hey. Hey man.
Brad:
Yeah, I mean, I think that's what grabbed me about it. I mean you know I grew up in Australia. We I I started as a classical singer, right? And then I came to writing musical theater and and it somewhere along the line I fell in love with America. Folk music somewhere along the line. I don't remember when it was, I mean, I was a big Billy Joel thinks I'm a piano player, but somewhere in my sort of upbringing somewhere along the line, it was more in my adulthood, I found your records, I found Louis, Jordan, I found Pinetop Smith. I mean, and then I would spend hours at the keyboard. Just trying to trying to find a way to hold a boogie woogie Rhythm. I'm just like, just hold it, keep it. Don't let it go. Just, just sit there and that's what it was for me. Was this feeling of there was a release, when I listened to you. When I listen to this music and it wasn't always about having a cry. It was a celebration and yeah, you're so someone I asked me why we race.
Bobby:
Well, Put in and put it in worries. How do you survive the blues? I don't understand what they mean. When it says, I think you mean, that's because I'm a black man who sings the blues, my ups and down in my life struggle because I couldn't do what some of the white guys did I moved to go places, white guys went that seemed to that should be something down with to that it wasn't one cent but when you don't know anything but that come on, you know. I didn't know I was poor. When I was a boy, I didn't know. Didn't have anything. All I have with what I have and I had everything that everybody else had in my peers. If they come on you know you know I wow I guess one thing that kind of strikes me now about 60 years ago, that was a long walk as a woman walk. Paulo you play the guitar on through a Walmart that was created. So the white guy can sound like the Right guys? Like that about, whoa. So they can sound like a white guy who trying to sound black.
Brad:
Look, just look at the charts now. I mean, it's no different to any or any pop music, you know, as soon as we've had since, you know, since since the blues. But, you know, there's so much that I found in your book that just, you know, I heard myself sort of, you know, laying in bed at 11 o'clock. Clicking Pages page going. Yep. That's it. Yeah yes. Yes, you know so many things about music that if you're a music fan or a musician, there's so much in it to educate, you know.
Bobby:
There's so much here in the book that you said that they caution one thing was so hard about this book was that I couldn't put everything about how I've built in this book, but I could, I could put over all things about the book Because when you're talking about where I being the things I've done as a black man as the blues main, yes, so many things could not do but that's so many thing I did do, you know, is overtake you and I remember back in the early 5th and I talked about me going to these places working behind a curtain and because the people want to hear my music, but they don't want to see my face as a black man. Yeah, yeah. But I told about those kind of things because those are true things. But man, I had so much fun playing behind the curtain. Now, I never told this about the book, I didn't tell him that I knew I'm gonna be behind this curtain. So I would get my little girlfriend and put it behind the curtain with me. I will be playing like this man more than one hand. Something like that.
Brad:
You gotta do what you gotta do to the magic? You know, you build a Vibe. You need a Vibe know.
Bobby:
Hey, I know they couldn't see me anyway. I was it. They don't then don't keep my baby. I said did it did it and did it, didn't you do what I feel?
Brad:
Now, kind of, I feel like I've been ripped up that I have never had the chance to play behind a curtain. Odin before because that sounds kind of fun.
Bobby:
Yeah and everybody laughs at me so oh that's so sad. But true you have played behind the curtain but they didn't know it was a good time and a good night because they could see what I was doing. They should have saw my hand and most of the time it wouldn't be here top.
Brad:
I take your soul. Oh no, you take it easy. Gimme five minutes… So win your book you talk about guitars the first instrument, you pick up?
Bobby:
Yeah, I talked about that because, you know, I don't know. What should I like to get time? But I think what I did over with most doctors the hot model, the heart because I because, I because I had give me this gift. I can do so well with the heart without without the guitar with music Ivan is due to hard man. And come you probably never heard that side of me, but God let you know just what people want to know, survival rates. What are you made of? I have a harp in my pocket. I'm gonna demonstrate
Brad:
Please little concert. Someone asked me some the lion's mane in Australia right now. I think you Bobby Rush, this is great. Hey, what's hands up? Hands up hands up? Please while you're playing hands up while you're playing some ways the world.
Bobby:
Why do you play the move is because your woman left you, you can have the blues. When you want me to leave you, let me tell your brother. You can have the blues if they Stay too long.
BOBBY SINGS/PLAYS GARBAGE MAN
Brad:
Oh my God, we made my year, man. Forget me talking. Let's Next, what's next?
Bobby:
I just I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you. How much that I have God has blessed me to be sitting talking to you and you love in my music. As a white guy who's loving my music, as a black man, who love what I do and respect what I do. I'm so appreciative. I'm so thankful because I'm one of the few black men that done what I'm done, had crossed over to the two white audience but yet I never crossed out. The black audience is not many guys in did that because I'm known with the white, black, Hispanic and what happened. That's a hot. I two wear two or three hats, man, it's hard to do since I deserve to Wed is hell.
Brad:
And how does that happen Bobby? So in I mean, it's impossible to talk about American folk music and American - and look when I talk about ferric American folk music, it's because so I did my masters, studying what you guys did in that, I just wanted to immerse myself and I would just listen for a year just because I was like, this is the hippest stuff I've ever heard in my life, this speaks to me, I don't know what it is, but I just wanted to soak it all in. And I just, I mean that was kind of a piece of paper that was like it just meant that I got to listen to it for a year and a half and just do that for you and a half. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's you know, that's what it's not real, it's not real. It's me just pretending but, but the thing for me was that it, you know, ever since then it's To me, it's what I talked about, you know, R&B music and then, you know, rock and roll and then disco and and then, you know, soul music. It's all to me, American folk music. And then the British Invasion is just a copy of doing that sound and then even me, I'm a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. You know, I'm the first to put up my hand and be like, I just, I'm, I'm 12 cousins removed from the source, you know what I mean? But but you can't talk about this music without talking about. You're talking about which is the history of America and you know your story that's in the book and the stories you're talking now. So let's take a quick break and let's go back, kind of the start and sort of just carry that story forward for us. Let's we'll be right back.
Brad:
So you said, you know, being a black man and me being a white man and you being in two audiences for someone like me, what does that mean? I don't understand really what that means do I, so what does that mean?
Bobby:
Well, let me tell you that. You don't have to understand everything but just read we mount for a minute because that's something that I didn't understand about myself. And I think I've been doing, I remember going to Chicago 1951, I went to a place. Taking the dogs. Did I dition for for place? Where they said on the door? No color folks are allowed. Yeah, and I went there with three white guys to do audition, but I did the audition to get, I get the Chinese guy was running the place. He said, This good man. You'll black guy with three white guy. We're going to integrate this plate. I didn't want the guy to know I didn't know what he was talking about because I never really heard, you know, great back in 1951 even hit a little great thing, you know. Like I don't really know what it meant and I didn't want the guy to know, I didn't understand that. So when I went to work that night or Wednesday night, I went to work at nine o'clock. I went ten minutes to nine, so I got the three black guys with me now in my band, but I did the audition with the Thruway guys. They don't know that. So, I waited to ten minutes to nine to go up to the door because I didn't want the main, the CD black guys, and have time to find me before I start the work, so he didn't have a 10 minutes either take me, I don't take me so he can have his old man. What your band? I said here, he's all God. You're gonna get me killed, you're gonna grate my plate. Second time I heard integrate. So we went in and we played one hour on when I'm off to had a white band in one room and we could stay in with the White Band. So they created another room for us at black men in the cloakroom and they put a change on the door and locked it up on. Want to go to bed when we have to set phone phone. Phone, three times. If you want to do, number two is pull tab. If you want a meal as minor, that's why they brought sandwiches. You come to you point. Andouille. Here's something you don't know. I don't know where integrate was. I thought because I'm a black man. I thought integrate was what that do take them right man and you put him in a room with a bunch of ladies and your breathing and make good slaves. So I thought I could make some integrator.
Oh, 1, 2 3 4. That means water. If you want to go to the bathroom, you know, wow. And you get really got to go, you know, you know, if you want once a family, you're not pretend that me just wants to be.
Brad:
You know, hearing stories like this to it's like for me and my upbringing obviously on the other side of the world in a totally different upbringing in Australia, has its history and it's got its complications and it's got its choices and we're wrestling with stuff at the moment like everyone is, you know in our families and in our wider Community, but whenever I hear stories and I talk to my friends and musicians and people like yourself, like, it feels like another world, you know? For me. It's so I'm so far removed from these stories and it's… yeah, it's actually, you know what I mean? It's kind of, especially someone that's grown up with this music in that I've just kind of idolized. I've idolized the musician in this music, to me. It's like and then to think the music was being created through this time and through this period of you know playing only certain venues and playing with certain people. It's another world away from me.
Bobby:
Yeah but you know what, I think about hardest thing was Never, another thing was so hard with me. It try to tell this story about this book and let people know everything I told her about myself, don't be a bad about that because that was the truth about what went on and it's still going to have a lot of things have changed, but so many things remain the same right, you know like you know like the black life matters thing - just that's okay. I mean this it does but what matter most - If we both get what we want in and both out, we want out then it doesn't matter is much, you know, black lives do matter but a life matter, what matter what me now is having a way to pick up the pieces and go from here beyond because we all know what's wrong. But we don't know how to fix, what's wrong. And my attitude about that we must have love for each other and respect each other. But what it is, I mean, just like we can live in this world by ourselves. You know, and music is one of the things that links us together is one of the few things that link us together. You know, I have some up to downs and everybody liked especially musician. Like but one thing about musician when we playing music, man, we if I don't say all, but most of them don't see. No, black and white issue, they just see the music man, you know, the see the music. And when I got in this music, I think about the money now, but when I first started playing music, it was about the feeling is about the love of it. And Muddy Water told me one time, Bobby Rush you gonna’ make a lot of money man. One of these days you mean I can make a lot of money for doing something. I have to do for you because it went back to money, issue is about the love of it and the same thing when I was writing this book, I try to write about what brought me to this point. It wasn't about the mistreatment. It was a good time that I had because I was mistreated. Those what kept me going. I talk about some things in this book. My first marriage, I had three children and a wife. I lost my daughter, my second daughter lost, a wife to son and that was my whole family were wiped out. She had three sisters were living with me. They thought I was a dad it because they came with me when they were seven, eight years old. But I lost all of those and you know, and you know that married again. But you know how long, the whole family, how you find your way through that? You pick up the piece and you go from that, and you thank God for what it is when I think about what it could have been. I'm so thankful for what it is.
Brad:
And the book, I found so much in that for myself, like, it sounds so silly to for me to talk about in this way, you know, I really loved the book and I got so much out of it, but it was really true. Like, I really loved a Bobby and I really can't encourage everyone enough to go a buy a copy, you know, pre-order it right now, I mean by the county that the book will be out so you got to just buy it now that it's out
Bobby:
22nd of June.
Brad:
Yeah so you know so let's um let's turn sort of but we sort of entered this sort of section of the show. Talking about you mentioned some of the early days of playing in two different places, I would love to talk about the Chitlin Circuit just with you in those days because I mean one of the big things in your book is to is one of the things you've said today is you - no don't feel sorry for me about these things. This is just the story and this is my story and this is you know as you as you've said it best the thing about the chitlin circuit for me is so many great artists have come through this thing that it's not a negivite like you said in the book, it's not a negative thing. There seems is its kind of tation on it. It's like this down-home kind of it's just where we put all the but I mean the list of artists or anyone that doesn't know. I'm just going to give you some quick notables. Count, Basie, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wheels.George Benson Cab Calloway, Ray Charles Sammy Davis. Bobby Rush the king of all the chitlin. Circuit Wilson Pickett Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Little Richard Miracles, this is a couple Bobby Blue. I can't forget, Bobby, Blue. I mean, Mighty Waters. The list goes on and on. Yeah.
Bobby:
When you speak about A blues saying now and blues audit. Most black people young black men don't want to be called blues singer because it been written, I said that blues singer is something unless there's something else. Now the blues singers most of the time, it's not the black people said it is two Riders, the TV station, that people who write about it cellulite and stuff. It's always a down, what? They kill, a white guys, do it, then it's the best thing. The best thing since bubblegum, you know? Yeah. But but but the but I want to tell all of people's knowledge, listen to us, I talk about the Blues in a way, not because I'm a Blues saying, but I happen to know the history of Blues and gospel being a root of all music. And I often talk about, if you don't like the blues, you probably don't like your mama.
Brad:
As you know, a young man, loving sort of, you know, what was 1970s, modern-day rock and roll music at the time, you know. So I mean I found it in the 90s but that's when I sort of fell in love with it. And then when I realized there was something before it, that was like, even purer, I was like, Whoa, man. This is blowing my mind. Yeah, you know.
Bobby:
You say something important because it Commute that I do. It's been here all the time. It's just what your ruler music, even the rappers, listen to my Bobby Rush because I have a rapid rapid bowing. If it weren't for a barbarous wouldn't be no 50 Cent. We had a map or something like that. Yep. Because I started to rap thing. If you notice, if you know it's lyrically, I'm mortified in my music, what I'm doing along with the time. If you noticed in my music, my story never changed. Cause’ the nothing new Under the Sun but I did change. Some musical thing to kind of keep up with the time what we doing because just this look at us now, 25 or 30 or 50 years ago. We couldn't have this kind of quality interview we doing without being in some studio with each other. It's almost like having an outside toilet. Let me show you what that mean. You probably don't know about having a Toilet outside your house when I was coming as a kid. As a black man, we didn't have no inside toilet. We had to go outside to a toilet. They stink, it is smell good. Now, in my house, I got nine toilet, they all smell do it, guess what? Whatever we do in am now, never change. We've been doing this same thing and that hasn't changed. It just changed looking at everyone is nodding, along with you now, because everyone's got outdoor. Toilets in Australia, back in The day. Everyone has outdoor toilets. I don't know why it was, it was great.
Bobby:
You just like we did in the state. We have outdoor toy with no inside. We didn't have
Bobby:
Yeah, I do know the teams weren't winning back then.
Brad:
The thing is though that that it all of ours though all of our outdoor toilet had snakes, that would kill you in spiders that will kill you
Bobby:
and yeah, you know, we got a little bit but there is one thing for sure. You'd die if it didn't come out of you, you still. Dan is dead, man?
Brad:
Yeah, to the chilling circuit you were playing at some point. How many shows were you doing a year at the map?
Bobby:
I play one time for all, what 55 year, but no less than a hundred, unless a hundred nine and a half to two hundred twenty shows a year.
Brad:
Wow. How did how did you go we you you ever kind of just burnt out or just we I mean, of course. That's a silly question.
Bobby:
Sure. You show you show, you get run out, but you get energy because there's there's, there's a blessing that's another opportunity for you to keep going. And I will just like this, this mule horse running with the feeding of front of them trying to catch up with it.So I just added all the time but that made me think about where I come from. I come from literally nothing man. My first gig 1949-50 I've only made them 45 set up our some time, I got to $3 a date, man. When I got in Chicago and I can pick the one, I worked in place it where I would seven thousand pictures of night and I paid Muddy Waters out of the picture. Sent to come back to do 2D show five hours and fifty percent 1931. And I will make it seven dollars as a band leader. Now, now I got to take myself doll. I got three guys, I got a bill. But that's what the children's looking about. A lot of people right about the chili sort of being a juke joint, being his hook at talk. Being this little small places all that happened. That true one way, but that wasn't what a chiller said was set up. They were set up the set up because they were serving you chitlins and that's when the band get paid children, I was so good. In 1951, the owner will pay me in Chilli. He will pay me for killing plate. I would eat one. About 30c a piece he will give me five hamburgers and I would eat one instead of the other 25c a piece So what I mean, I'm making $3 piece a night on my food. And it was, so you chitlin’ the inside, I'm a pig or a hole that's chitlin, circuit.
Brad:
There were larges venues in the Circuit?
Bobby:
I want to set this thing that's is not as many is juke joint. Now that it was then but still a lot of you just now but they're not called, you don't, you know why? Because the white people's owner.
Brad:
What do they call now? Cabarets
Bobby:
Yet cabarets and then Casino where the cotton field. To be what are used to pick cotton. They got Casino in the country are now, but you're still hand the same black people for less money. Working in a casino for the same kind picking money.
Brad:
Wow.
Bobby:
This really still picking cotton just a different form. Yeah so everything help change what yet remain the same
Brad:
Yeah, man. That's I got nothing with that. I'm just going to keep buying on your records. I mean, that's all I'm gonna do over this side. That's all I can do.
Bobby:
That's a great start. We were just we just hope we can educate the people's out there so they can so won't be so much download, I know, downloads great because sometimes you can't get a advertisement with yourself. Let you use your phone as a download or whatever.
Brad:
It's all a big. S, it's all a big mess. I mean, let's not even it's a big,
Bobby:
it's a big mess, but we got to face it and talk about the issues and try to make the best out of what it is, because of me. Yeah, yeah. Well we got to make the best out of what it because you and I when I was I'm using you and I as an example. Can't keep walking around talking about what I should or should not do. We got too excited by not doing anything we shouldn't do to each other? Yeah, we gotta put that action, you know. Yeah, we all know what we should do to get to yell as peoples in this world. You don't know what got to do, you know? I just talking to a gentleman this morning. We got the wise, I had, we got to get X shots and stay out of this for now because the virus adapt. But you guys still got people saying. Well, I don't want to take it because I'm afraid of because something to have them hundred years ago. It made it happen. But when you sit down to eat your dinner, you said your grace Blessed, are you bless the table and hope for the best? You know who cooked it? You know, where come from, you know what ground they come out of it. So you got to take this shot just like that. And take life like this and you when you do the thing where you get married, all you do is you take your oath and hope things go. Well, if things don't go well, she go away, you go your way, whatever happens. But pick up the pieces with someone else with the same person and make some out of Life by, by drawing back in love and try to get along with everyone. Because it's what we had we, we like is this too much zig, zaggy too much separation.
Brad:
And you know, one of the things to this I kind of found in your book as well. Is that I think there's a lot of talking - myself included. I think I can spend a lot of time talking and less time just - just doing, just just do it, just do it. Just that just kind of just its action, you know what I mean? Like, you know, in all these years, you know, in all the years playing the circuit, right? The sort of, at the peak time that you were doing all those shows. How many records did you make? Do you remember off the top of your head?
Bobby
Yeah, I know how many hours a day are made 397 records.
Brad:
Wow.
Bobby:
As of today I 397 record and 381 I think it was dorota. And you know what? God have give me the the mind to remember. 205th at all some yeah yeah
Brad:
What happens when someone calls out play this one and it's one of the one of the 130 on not on the list, you go. Yeah. Yeah we'll get to that after break. Yeah.
Bobby:
Remember enough of it to make them feel good about it yeah yeah someone asked me to lie, Survivor rich said doo doo doo doo doo. What I know do to do was come from a list and he said well what about Dog made Boo? When I am did the song How are you and a half? But it came to me, I said, in a little Shack down by the bay, not far from New Orlean. I met this pretty woman down there, when I was about 19, she went and told her that if she wanted to marry me and the look on a database, really was a sight to see. He said, get out of here with you and don't you come back? No more. Well, I wanted to meet her daddy, like a young main order, but he didn't want no blue saying like, Bobby, Richard, marry his daughter. When I went by the house that day. He met me at the door with a brother-sister, big brother, John and a dog named both saying, get out of here to don't you? Come back, no more. When I want to, I want to get with the kid, but this is the dogs on me made attempt on my clothes. I were running fast. Trying to get away down at Dustin Rhodes. Everyone in bed, trying to get away down the railroad track. I saw him here throwing rocks at me every time I stood look back when I sit down to get married, you should you decide which route to take this woman for your lawful wife and not a one-night level? Before I told my mouth to say, I do get some work to do, dad, mom Big, Brother John but don't make both what I thought, right? Then if I want to get married anyway, I have to find a way to elope with Decide to go to Las Vegas to get away from a nosql soon. As I got the last big, the same be, I won't be another older kid, all the print and the big dog again saying, get out of here. I'm a best name to remember those kind of things and I can remember, 250 songs like that. Yeah, man, it is. And I'm not bragging about I'm talking about how thankful I man. Yeah, you follow me, my dad was a preacher and I talked about this book, my dad was a preacher who really from the front to the back. I guess I heard some of that thing from my dad. My biggest thing I think, is this what? I remember? Because I love your big brother when you're old as I am. When you get 80 something years old, I use a tea or something because I'm not 90, but I'm certain overrated by, you know, well thank God for that.
Brad:
Well, let's, let's take another quick break. And then let's talk about some of those. The other 249 you remember and making records, we’ll be right back.
Brad:
All right, Bobby. So I am. I thanks so much for having such a great time. By the way, before I leave this back in. Thanks again, such a pleasure man. Let's see your wonderful wonderful. Maybe you'd best make them up a bit. I mean it's that's nice. That's nice to say, I appreciate that. All right, so let's say I wanted to before we come in, I wanted to talk about just making Records and and and what it's like, as a bluesman and how you kind of come to making a record. So incarnate in terms of, whether it's kind of like a full LP or just kind of getting your band together, just giving people kind of a little insight into how you do that. Let’s talk making records with the great, the legend, Bobby Rush here. Talk to us about making Raw. The raw and for people that don't kind of know, what goes into making a record in getting musicians, together in writing songs or choosing covers. You know most people just take you know, if they're lucky they take the vinyl out of the case. They blow it off, they put it down. They remember they don't own a record player. They put the LP back up on the case and then they push play on iTunes. But for those that, you know, want to understand a bit more run us through how you came up with Rawer Than Raw and how that all came about.
Bobby:
Well I got different approaches by different things. I do expect you in this music business when your producer when you're a writer like I am and I try to write about things, I think people wants to hear about, they want to hear about life love and making money and ups and down. How'd you get out of balance? Piranha roll was a song that was a CD that I had already written and as a pandemic has hit her so hard and I wasn't working. I would do anything, but sit around the house, with my guitar playing trying to keep myself active so I would run crazy. What have you… And I said I got about 75 records in the can that I have stopped working on and I alway right by myself with my guitar. And I said, this is great stuff already. I don't need anything around it, plus I can't go to work and some hit me pump, put it out, be honest with you, I didn't go to the studio and cut up thing. It was already done. I got enough a record. Now recorded, I can put out 10, 12 record when I go into the studio now. That I recorded through the years, like the recorded demos, but it's already completed. Their is just not to be band things around, just me and guitar. When I was hard for me to choose what I want to do with this. As I said, well, this way of going, but I want to recognize people that I looked up to like the muddy water. Same, Jay Sammy, Davis jr. People like that, is he? But he never Mississippi. Let me get immediate, holla. Whoa, I am Jose. These got the Mississippi. The hottest came back. If you notice a guy from Louisiana, where I'm from Louisiana, but most of my loser guys, went West to a la San Francisco and places like that. And when they got an uptown pretty soon, they have depth with whatever was going on in that town. It's not that sounding like them guys in the town of ladies decide to doing what they do and their death. Yeah, when you ever noticed, got four Mississippi, whenever he win, whatever you goes, He you don't ever change with the old man's mouth. Beautiful, I bet you for Mississippi, this is nice. They have a changed, and I want to talk about guys who had a sound and never change - Muddy Waters, Sonny, Boy, Williamson Mo, James people like that. That's why I picture them because I looked up to them because they'll never change it never changed or long as I known BB maybe he couldn't change, but the reason may be the reason he can't couldn't change because he shouldn't change whatever you hear you fine. 1951, when he pays you hate the same thing out. He never shaved here. Our as a Blues Man, all we try to modify what I was doing. Try to keep up with Louis, Jordan, people with Bobby Blues, Muddy Waters… you hear all that and by risk element. Because you can hear a little piece of this little piece of that and I put it on in a bowl and stood up, that's when you come up with a Bobby Rush. But you didn't hear that with some of these guys, whatever they open their mouths is- why it's not like 1951 or 49 you heard him if you hear them today that sound the same way.
Brad:
Yeah, it's like something hot going up on our porch or a side corner and someone's just playing for joy and for tips, you know.
Bobby:
You're right. You know, if there was something I did earlier was talking about the garbage man, it was harping… No more than can I believe now That I'm probably the last other kind, like a dinosaur. You got young guys coming on. They can do it and do it well, but they don't sound like a sound of some of the old guys started because they were had a feeling they copied, there's a copy of the copy. That's right. The copy. Now, I'm one of the guys, man.
Brad:
You're the real thing.
Bobby:
Hey, I'm the kind of the seven years old, you know?
Brad:
We don't have the technology But so for those who don't know, it's a rather was a very stripped down and, you know, Acoustic sound like you said, it's guitar harmonica. You're singing a very different sound to the one that you won your first Grammy with, a few years earlier
Bobby:
When you go to strip down. But if you notice the way I play guitar players, If you miss, you think that because I play with the base, but I got a base going like this all the time, moving up and down play with. I play this out because I'm a bass player. So, so I developed this thing as a bass player, all the same time, I'm playing like this.
Brad:
I think this is thing to the sound like and I certainly didn't imply this by saying stripped down, but this, there's this thing about like, I guess I would say like, “True Blue” Blues, true, blue is such an Australian term. It means like the real thing or kind of like the purest, kind of thing - it can come across as simple and I'm doing bunny ears - when it's when it's stripped back but it's not. It's so there's so much in it. But you have to kind of know what you're listening for to really, you know? To really sort of fall into the well and once you're in the well you just went, you can't get out, you just swam and you know, it's all you want, you don't want nothing else but no blue you know,
Bobby:
But you don't have to feel bad about what you said about shipped out. Cuz that's what it is though. Honestly. Yeah. Like are you still not awake but honestly just ripped ship everything out. But that's what it is. You you can hear me with what might be going like this. It just like three people doing it.
Brad:
Did you have your welcome? Yeah, it's high. As I can is one take this just thrown out.
Bobby:
I didn't ever I didn't have an overdone on this session. I'm not nothing one, take everything with one thing other than a couple harmonica, couple down because it goes, I don't have a wreck around my neck but that's no over do, there's nothing so well, I'm gonna put this down. It'll get that, but nothing, none of that. That's one take with Bobby Rush. I gotta pick up my guitar and play through.
Brad:
If you know… That ain't easy to do.
Bobby:
I have to make sure that that I know enough about the make my changes right, where you see a John Lee Kooker bless your soul, but he changed when you get ready. I'll try to change them pattern if I'm doing a thing. One, two, three, four, (sings) and it's, you know, if are formed on example…
BOBBY PLAYS HARMONIA.
So, the harp players understand when I say (plays) they understand that… every harp player in the country understand, they understand that note, because hardly a plate. I play one note at a time that because I know what I'm doing. They understand, they understand
BOBBY PLAYS HARMONIA.
They understand that.
Brad:
I'm just, I'm just dancing. Let's go. It's 9:30 in the morning and I'm hitting the club. Let's go. My side of the world it in.
It's so funny. The thing you said about using your base kind of your thumb to get the base going, because you didn't have guy to sort of play the bass, I often sort of talk to people about, you know, when you're talking about sort of groove or you just talking about, you know, I use the word rock and roll you know. But you know, the Roll in The Rock, the roll did, you know, who's in R&B and soul? That's the roll It's funny that you were kind - you felt I need this to kind of get the full spectrum of the sound. I need this base to kind of play - even here. And you were like this one, man band getting this Roll. You know.
Bobby:
Thank you. Roll in the Rock, that's it. You gotta roll in the rock. Wow.
Brad:
Let’s take another quick breath. Cause i’m going to just keep asking you play Harmonica. I'm going to calm down and then let's come right back.
Brad:
The biggest thing that I took from your book is that, you know, the music business is a tough business. I think musicians will know that more than anybody else, the ups and downs. It's not to feel let me correct myself. The music business is a strange business.
Bobby:
Yes.
Brad:
And looking at it from face value, and not letting that get you down and not letting that become the reason to kind of. If I can use this term for myself - feel sorry for yourself. Just to see it as it is and get on doing what you love and just ride to the next town and play another show, and just do it because it's what you meant to do. That was one of the big things for me. That's just I got that kind of from myself, you know, making making records in in sort of, you know, I'm not a 20-year old guy anymore and I'm kind of, you know, making sort of rock music now, you know, you made so many. records over such a period of time and it wasn't till, you know, you're 80’s that after many Gram noms you won your first, even though you are making records in the 70s that 30 years later would be called some of the great Blues records of that time, you know, I guess, I'm just saying you're so wise!
Bobby:
I'm so thankful to have you explain that to me. I couldn't explain that in a better than - No way I could come up with how you said that. Because what happened with me and life.
I didn't know I was I don't know. I know I got here. What I recorded I want my first grammar when I was 83 years old. I had many records sold more records than that but I didn't but I was just playing records and playing music. I wouldn't plan to politic someone so well what has Politic got to do with you, you got to pay politic and you got to know how and when who to go to and who to ask for help because that was some things I've done, before now that maybe I should have done, but I didn't know how to go by doing it. I don't know how to play the politic in the business. You know how to get my record on certain radio station. Didn’t know how to go by cutting the record and thinking about commercializing it, you know, not not I just playing the music, but when you play music you got to play music like you love it, but you go also have to think about who you playing’ for. Are they 15 years old, 35 years old, Hannah years old. What have you? It's just like, if you go to make candy, if you can is hard candy, when you make hard candy, you can't, you can't send it to the old folks home. They can't you, they got no teeth. So, you have to think about where you going to sell it. And if what you got to think about only that's going to be an early day, I'm just playing music man, but think about not. Now, think about, who buys for me, who is my fan? Who like this kind of cake, unless you're selling it to, you got to think about all know, kind of elements - that's the politics of Music. That's politic a business. You know, you don't make a miniskirt for 80 years old Minister - who comes Bobby Rush. I got to think about the songs and the attitude and approach that fits the people who come to see me.
Brad
Do you think that that's something that you could have been aware of earlier in your career? Do you think that's something that people find at a certain point in time? Or do you think coming up the way you did the way America has been for the last 100 years that it was always going to be that it the way it was going to be for blues musicians?
Bobby:
I just saw that new. I thought this way going to be, as Paul said in the writing, when you learn better, you do better. Yes. I would have changed something. The bit the time - we are doing it now, we are zooming, we wasn’t zooming 40 years ago, crazy. But we but not, but you have is what we have to do. What we got to do. You follow me?
Brad:
Yeah, I'm with you.
Bobby:
You got to learn it. That's what you got to do, you don't have to change what you say, you got to change the approach and the way you say it it ain't what you do is to way you do
Brad:
Because each time you put that harmonica to your lips and you get that thumb moving on that base, the music stays the same. It's just how it then goes out into the wall.
Bobby:
That's right. It's what you say and how you say it. God man, I look at when I started in 1947 let me give you a run down… So you know how this book really came by I couldn't put everything in this book because the book would be because the book would be bigger than it is now. Yeah. In 1947, I got my first job. My first job was killing foxes. That box of Pops. Now somebody pops they went mad in 1947 Louisiana and they did dog. They had rabies and they would bite you and hear you. So the government will give black men as a whole one dollar for every foxy kill we try to kill 10 foxes every day so we can make $10. Well, I had an uncle and myself and I got real smart. So whatI did, I found a fox who has some little foxes. So I taken at Fox capita, pop and brought him and put him in a pin and build a fence. And I start to raise and foxes. That’s what you got to do. We’re zooming. This book. Because I talked about it before and I'll talk about it. Now, everybody should go out and get this book. Yeah. Cause if I don't want you to feel at me about this book, I just want you to read it. It may relate to your life. If you don't read it, “I ain't studio’ Ya.” That's the name, you know, be too.
Brad:
I think that if I can just like you know, because I don't like to try and sell things. I like I just think it's people don't come to places for, you know, I know you're the same. I've got that impression from you. It's but I do think that not just musicians will find a lot in the book. It's, you know, a book about, you know, your life story about more than music. So much of music, relationships love life. I mean, we all live a life and we all make choices and we all have, you know, different backgrounds. But there are a lot of similarities in all of us and and one of them is I believe we should all love the blues. That's me. Anyway, that's just how I feel.
Bobby:
You know, funny you would say that? Not just love the blues but as men’s as a whole - I have lived long enough to see me as a whole…
You, you're crazy main man.
Brad:
Yeah, man. Yeah, all right, thank you so much for sharing your time with me today. It's been a bucket list moment for me for sure. Go by the book folks. Go buy the albums- just it's been a real thrill Bobby. Thank you for your time and for sharing,
Bobby:
Thankyou, my plan is to do all I can. Why I can I know that will come a time. I cannot do but I won't regret what? I did not do. So this book is not telling you everything but a year some of my life where I've been, why I am where I'm planning to go. You get a summer Bobby Rush. That don't mean it's good. That I mean it's a true thing is my story and I'm telling you.
Brad
It's a real privilege. Thank you Bobby.
Bobby:
Thank you so much. Appreciate