Roger Wilson Has The Blues
With Polished Skills And Soulful Lyrics, Wilson's Worth A Listen
Sep 2, 2009
Travelling the country as a solo act or hooking up with some fellow musicians to form a band, Wilson has the ability to please any crowd with his guitar, deep voice, and often haunting lyrics. Wilson exhibits the ability to relate to any crowd. His recent performances in the Northeast had the “Hurricane” playing blues, roots, Americana, and country music to inner-city crowds, normally a recipe for disaster. Despite the difference in cultures, Wilson’s music has the true heart and soul that any music lover can relate to.
There are eight “Hurricane” Wilson albums to choose from, and their styles range drastically from one track to the next. His album "Live From The Eye Of The Storm,” released in 1996, may have the grittiest, dirtiest blues sound of any of Wilson’s albums. Roger Wilson agreed to be interviewed by Suite101 to get a feel for the man and the music.
“The influences were from just many years of playing live, and were just trying to capture some of that in one place.” Wilson stated. “That CD really took a lot longer to do than it should have.”
Influenced By Legends
Wilson’s electric sound can be described as a mix of Duane Allman and BB King, among many others. In 1980 he jammed with Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn, which he sites as two early career highlights. Roger was also able to spend time playing along with the late and legendary Les Paul. In 2003, Roger was on tour in the Northeast and plunked down thirty dollars to see Les Paul play at the Iridium Jazz Club near Times Square in New York City. During some generous open microphone time, Les Paul invited an audience member up on stage to play along with he and the band.
After hearing a less that sterling rendition of “Stormy Monday” by the customer, Roger was able to speak to Russ Paul, Les’s son, about what had just happened. Although it wasn't his intention to get on stage when he first went into the club to see Les, Roger explained to Russ that he was on tour in the northeast, and was just there to pay his respects to Les.
Russ then introduced the two, and Roger was able to play along with one of his childhood heroes on stage that very night. He was able to sit in with Les off and on for the next 6 years, becoming fast friends with Les and the band. Les Paul was an inspiration to Wilson, as he recounted Les Paul’s passion for excellent tone and sound.
“After the second show, Les came back into the dressing room, collapsed on the couch and said, ‘Man I’m Tired!’” Wilson recounted. “I said, ‘Les! Are you OK? I was really quite concerned about you earlier.’ He said, ‘Oh yea, I’m fine. I’ve just been putting in these 14 hour days’. I replied, ‘14 hour days! What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m still trying to get that sound right!’ I was amazed! This is why he would jump out of bed every morning….to keep chasing sound.”
Varied Sounds From Each Album
Wilson’s sound has transformed through the years. His more recent albums, such as “The Way I Am,” offer many songs that border on country or folk music. Roger’s take on the transformation offers insight into his development as a musician.
“As any musician will tell you, each recording represents you at the time it was done,” Wilson stated. “The road and working regularly will make you mature whether you want it or not. The stuff I am recording live now, once I sort out the keepers, will be exactly what I would send to somebody to represent exactly what I do.”
Wilson’s next recordings are already in the works, but his varied talents leave open the possibility of a bluesy, tough sound like “Hurricane Blues,” or a more acoustic sound, like “The Way I Am.” Whichever he chooses, Wilson has decided that live recordings will be what he presents to his fans.
“’Exodus’ was electric,” Wilson commented. “Now I'm back to acoustic mostly, but I have a device to record all of my shows live. Whatever they are, acoustic or electric, they will be live. I know that's where I do my best work.”
One of the more haunting tracks from “Exodus” is the song “Hurricane,” which was originally recorded by Leon Everett in 1981 as a country song. Wilson was able to take the song and make it his own, and if any track from Wilson captures a feeling of the blues, it may be this one.
Wilson records on Bluestorm Records, and can be found on the web at www.hurricanewilson.com. On his website, you can also find links to several of his songs at no charge.
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