LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY, BOGIE AND BACALL, MAGIC AND KAREEM OR FRED AND GINGER, THE HAMMOND B3 AND THE BLUES SHUFFLE IS ONE OF THE GREAT PARINGS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. ONE OF THE LIVING MASTERS IS REESE WYNANS, WHO AT 72 HAS FINALLY GOTTEN AROUND TO RELEASING HIS OWN SOLO ALBUM (SWEET RELEASE) THIS YEAR AFTER HAVING A CAREER AS A SIDEMAN TO THE LEGENDS.
AND WHAT LEGENDS? WELL, HE WAS ON THE GROUND FLOOR WHEN THE ALLMAN BROTHERS WAS BEGINGING TO COAGULATE. FROM THERE, AFTER A BRIEF STING WITH THE FAMED ARTSY BAND CAPTAIN BEYOND, HE BECAME A VITAL MEMBER OF STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN’S ICONIC BAND DOUBLE TROUBLE, APPEARING ON HIS MOST FAMOUS ALBUMS SUCH AS THE CLASSIC SOUL TO SOUL.
SINCE STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN’S DEATH, WYNAN’S HAS TAKEN THE KEYBOARD/HAMMOND CHAIR IN JOE BONAMASSA’S BAND, NOT MISSING A BEAT ON SIMMERING ALBUMS LIKE DIFFERENT SHADES OF BLUES AND REDEMPTION, TOURING INCESSANTLY WITH THE SIX STRINGED GUNSLINGER.
FOR HIS OWN ALBUM, WYNANS REUNITES WITH DOUBLE TROUBLE MATES CHRIS LAYTON AND TOMMY SHANNON, ALONG WITH PRODUCER JOE B AND A BUCKLOAD OF BLUESERS LIKE SAM MOORE (FROM SAM AND DAVE), VINCE GILL, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD AND EVEN JACK PEARSON FROM THE OLD ALLMAN BROTHERS’ DAYS.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH REESE BETWEEN GIGS WHILE ON TOUR WITH JOE B, AND HE WAS GRACIOUS TO SHARE INSIGHTS INTO HIS CAREER, THE ARTISTS HE’S WORKED WITH, AND THE JOYS OF HUMMING THE BLUES ON THE B3.
HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A PERSONAL SOUND WITH A HAMMOND B3?
I first studied piano as a young kid, and I still play classical music today. I never took any lessons on the B3.
The only way I learned how to play the B3 was by watching other people. I got a Hammond book and it had a series of photos of different drawbar settings and I tried a bunch of the to see what I’d like. I realized that a drawbar was just a temporary thing because I was moving them around all of the time.
I learned to play by ear, so I listened to everybody. Every organ player I could find. Jazz, rock…everyone from John Lord to Brother Jack McDuff. It’s a little bit of imitation and adding my own flavor to it, and you then figure out who you are.
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“(The Hammond B3) can be a warm thing , a punchy, a high sound effect thing, a cool jazz thing, a funky blues thing, or even a terrific psychedelic rock thing. There are so many possibilities with it”
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WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE B3 AS OPPOSED TO THE PIANO?
There’s something interesting about the B3. The piano is more of a percussive instrument.
The organ, especially the B3, has various sound combinations. I can get that thing to fit into just about everything; it can be a warm thing , a punchy, a high sound effect thing, a cool jazz thing, a funky blues thing, or even a terrific psychedelic rock thing. There are so many possibilities with it.
I have a hard time getting the piano to fit into all of those places seamlessly. The organ fits in as if it belongs there.
IT’S ALSO A MORE VISCERAL INSTRUMENT WITH ALL OF THOSE SUBTONES THAT YOU FEEL AS MUCH AS HEAR.
Very much so; with all of the drawbars and correct Leslie speakers you can go from the lowest lows to the highest highs. It’s the nature of the instrument.
DO YOU TOUR WITH YOUR OWN B3 OR DO YOU USE LOCAL HAMMONDS?
I used to have them waiting at the gigs, but it was always a touch and go situation if I was going to get a good B3 or not.
These days with Joe (Bonamassa) I use my own with a couple of Leslies. It’s exactly the same instrument I played back in the 80s with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. In fact, Stevie was the guy who found this one for me.
IS THERE A PET PEEVE THAT YOU HAVE WITH HAMMOND PLAYERS?
I’ve got a couple of pet peeves.
One is if they use the same drawbar settings on every song, and that’s with all of the drawbars pulled out all the way. That’s what people do when they don’t know how to play.
The other thing is when they try to play it like a piano, and it’s a totally different thing. You’re supposed to play organ licks on the organ; you don’t want to treat it as if it’s a piano.
I also listen to see if they vary the speeds up; I don’t want fast all of the time. There are so many things you can do with the B3 that I want to hear the full scope of it.
THERE ARE FOUR BASIC OPTIONS OF SOUNDS: CHURCH, BASEBALL GAME, SKATING RINK AND JUKE JOINT.
(laughs) I’ll go with your definition for now, but you forgot the Schmaltzy Holiday Inn and Armenian wedding organ! “Tie A Yellow Ribbon.”
CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD B3 AND THE NEW DIGITAL HAMMONDS?
I can tell the difference immediately. There is something about what the B3 has, that those other sampled organs, even through a Leslie, don’t have. They don’t have the power, and it gets very thin in the high register up there. You get into the high C and on a B3 it is screaming. You never hear a screaming XB2 or MK2. They’re very nice for sound effects; don’t get me wrong. They serve a great purpose and you can get them into a certain track and it’s beautiful.
ARE THERE CERTAIN VINTAGE HAMMOND B3 YEARS OR NUMBERS AS THERE ARE FOR GUITARS AND SAXOPHONES?
Not so much. You don’t want to get a Hammond that’s too old, as the drawbars will click so you can’t move them around. That changed around ’56, so anything after then you’re good.
The whole deal is if you can find one that’s been well maintained.
YOU WERE AT THE EARLY DAYS OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, EVENTUALLY HAVING GREG ALLMAN REPLACE YOU. WHAT HAPPENED SO THAT THERE WEREN’T TWO ORGANISTS AS WELL AS TWO DRUMMERS AND GUITARISTS?915
In those days it was rare to have two of anything except guitars. The fact that they had two drummers was unbelievable.
At the time I was “The Guy” in Jacksonville. I was a young player, barely 20 years old, and was playing with everybody, and I was not a great player by any means. But, I knew how to play in a psychedelic rock band and knew my way around the organ.
But what I didn’t have that Gregg Allman did have, was a fantastic voice and his great songs.
I like Gregg’s organ style. The way that he fit in with his brother and the band was perfect. It was simple and exactly right. If I had been in the band it would have been a whole different thing. Sometimes they work out like they’re supposed to.
YOU WERE ALSO ON THE ARTSY ROCK GROUP CAPTAIN BEYOND
I was only on Sufficiently Breathless.
Funny you should mention this right after the Allman Brothers as my old friend Larry Reinhardt from Sarasota was with me and Dicky Betts in the “Pre-Allman Brothers” band Second Coming. He was in Captain Beyond and after leaving the Allman Brothers he asked me to come help him out, as he was their lead guitar player.
I thought they were going to tour and play a lot of shows, but they weren’t working enough for me, so I found something else to do. Working with “Rhino” (who was also the guitarist for Iron Butterfly and Bobby Womack) was like going home. I loved that guy; he was one of my best friend.
I liked their stuff. I liked them all, but particularly Bobby Caldwell and was disappointed that he didn’t play on the record that I was on. A good band that did some wild stuff, and we had fun making that record.
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“What I do think a lot about is what would Stevie be playing today if not for that tragedy. What would he be up to now, what kind of music”
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WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE NAME STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN?
My first thoughts are passionate and inspired guitar playing, living the blues all the way to his toes.
HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET?
We both danced around each other as we lived in the same city of Austin, Texas. He had his band and I was with Jerry Jeff Walker and Delbert McClinton. But, in Austin, anyone who liked the blues ended up at Antone’s Home of the Blues. I’d see Stevie there and at the Continental Club as a fan. I don’t remember meeting him before joining him in the studio for the Soul to Soul sessions.
I was actually at the studio as a coincidence. I was working with the sax player Joe Sublett, who was a friend of (drummer) Chris Layton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Delbert had just finished his tour in Dallas at the same time that Stevie Ray Vaughan was recording there. Stevie wanted Joe to come over and play sax on “Look At Little Sister” and someone was supposed to come up from Austin to play the piano part, but he didn’t make it.
They’s heard about me and asked if I’d like to come on and play piano. I said “Of course!” I wouldn’t miss out on that; they were one of the best blues rock trios I’ve ever heard. I jumped at the chance.
We played “Look At Little Sister” at it sounded great, we were playing in the studio and playing loud, just like it was at a big concert. It was deafening in there! I could barely hear myself while playing the track.
Joe left and they asked if I wanted to play organ the instrumental “Say What.” We then played “Change It.” By this time it’s 6 o’clock in the morning and we were exhausted, but we got three killer tracks. That’s a great night. Anytime you can get three masters in one day it’s a heckuva thing.
They invited me back the next night and we did three more tracks. Things were moving along and something was happening.
Whatever the reason with me added good things were happening. After the second night he asked me to be a regular band member.
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“My first thoughts (of Stevie Ray Vaughan) are passionate and inspired guitar playing, living the blues all the way to his toes”
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HOW WAS THE FIRST TOUR?
He threw me right into the fire. We get to the first gig, in Dallas with about 10,000 people. I just figured we’d play the songs we did in the studio. He said, “Play the whole night; play EVERYTHING!”
I didn’t know any of the other songs, but I muddled my way through it.
The second night was in front of 75,000 people at the Chicago Blues Fest, and then flew over to Europe to play in Montreux. That was my third gig!
YOU’RE PLAYING WITH SOME GUYS WITH CHOPS, SUCH AS STEVIE RAY VAUGH, KENNY WAYNE SHEPPARD OR JOE BONAMASSA. HOW DO YOU NOT GET LOST IN THE AVALANCHE?
You have to know the song, and then figure out what my role in the song is. This is the music I love, so I can recognize it immediately. I’m not going to get lost in what I’ve loved for 4 decades; I know what Shepard and Bonamassa are going to do, and they can take any blues-rock song and I tell them “This is what the keyboards can do.” I can imagine what they will sound like, whether it’s piano, keyboards or B3.
CAN YOU GO BACK TO STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN’S RECORDINGS, OR IS THERE TOO MUCH EMOTION WITH IT SINCE HIS FATAL HELICOPTER CRASH?
I listen to it all of the time. There’s stuff on Youtube with great old footage of us on live shows. I love to watch them.
DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT YOU WERE NOT ON THAT HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED? ANY “SURVIVOR GUILT”?
Any of us could have been on there. I try not to think about it too much. It is kind of painful thinking about that.
What I do think a lot about is what would Stevie be playing today if not for that tragedy. What would he be up to now, what kind of music.
I don’t mind looking back on my 5 years with him. It was a great time in my life; it was a time that defined me musically in so many ways. It was a joy playing with them.
THAT LAST ALBUM OF HIS IS INTERSTING AS IT HAS JIM HENDRIX’S “LITTLE WING” AS WELL AS SOME KENNY BURRELL!
Stevie was a versatile player; he loved the Kenny Burrell stuff. I can’t help thinking that he would have expanded upon that. I think that if he were around today he’d be a renowned blues jazz guitarist.
He also liked to rock. His Hendrix stuff was as vital as ever. Stevie had a great variety of styles; he liked all kinds of blues.
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” I think that if he were around today he’d be a renowned blues jazz guitarist”
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THAT BAND IS IN THE HALL OF FAME. DOES THAT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CALLS ON YOUR IPHONE?
(laughs) It certainly increased the visibility with my family, that’s for sure. They suddenly realized that I used to be somebody! (laughs)
Being at the Hall of Fame ceremony was fantastic. I sat next to Bill Withers who was inducted the same year as we were. He’s just the best guy; we talked for an hour. He impressed me quite a bit as a person.
WHAT B3 PLAYER WOULD YOU PAY $500 TO SEE IN CONCERT?
Well, I stood out in the rain to watch Jimmy Smith play, so that’s close.
I never saw John Lord, and I would have loved to see him play somewhere. I never saw Keith Emerson , either.
Jack McDuff is my favorite. I thought he could do no wrong.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE A SIMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH JOE BONAMASSA. HOW DID THAT START?
Joe played me a song; I heard the song and told him that the organ could come right here and there. He knew what I was going to bring.
I don’t copy myself, but I have a concept of what each keyboard will bring to each particular song. Joe ****saw that I had a grasp of each song and liked what I was bringing. He just lets me go.
Joe has a producer, Kevin Shirley, and he has an idea of what the keyboards can do. Sometimes we agree and other times we disagree, but I don’t mind taking directions. I tell him that I’m happy to bend my ideas and find a happy medium somewhere.
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“(Joe) just lets me go…I’m inspired by music”
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO FINALLY PUT A SOLO ALBUM OUT AT THIS STAGE OF YOUR CAREER?
I’ve never considered myself any kind of a front man.
The idea of doing a solo album appealed to me the last few years. I turned 70 a couple years ago and figured I should have something with my name on it, so my children can know who I am musically if they were curious about that.
This record, Sweet Release, was fantastic to do because I not only felt I had a chance to look back on some of the music I’ve performed on before, but I also had a chance to shine a spotlight on some unappreciated bluesmen like Tampa Red and Otis Rush, and play their stuff that I really like.
The best part about it was getting to work with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon and replay some of our old songs. I really liked doing that.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I get inspired by music. I listen to all different kinds of music; Hans Zimmer movie soundtracks, classical music, blues, rock, Sam & Dave, Booker T. I listen to everybody. I’m inspired by life in general.
ALTHOUGH HE SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME TOURING WITH JOE BONAMASSA, THE IMPRESSIVE TUNES ON HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM BEG FOR REESE WYNAN TO HIT THE ROAD ON HIS OWN. IF HE DOES COME TO YOUR TOWN AS A LEADER TO PLAY THE SMOKING MATERIAL ON THIS ALBUM, IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAGINE WHO WOULD BE IN THE BAND. BUT, YOU CAN BE SURE OF ONE THING WITH WYNANS AT THE HELM, THE BLUES SHUFFLE AND GROOVE WILL DEFINITELY BE SITTING IN ON THE SET.