IT IS ONE THING TO PLAY THE BLUES; IT IS QUITE ANOTHER TO ACTUALLY LIVE THE LIFE OF A BLUES MUSICIAN. BOBBY RUSH’S CAREER HAS PERSONIFIED THE VARIOUS ASPECTS AND PERSPECTIVES OF A TRUE BLUES ARTIST, BEING ONE OF THE LAST OF THOSE THAT PLAYED IN THE “CHITLIN’ CIRCUIT” WHICH WAS THE CODE OF HONOR, OR BAPTISM BY FIRE, OF THE TRULY DEDICATED.
AS MR. RUSH EXPLAINS IN THIS INTERVIEW, BEING A BLUES SINGER AND HARMONICA PLAYER IS A CALLING, NOT UNLIKE THE ONE HIS FATHER HAD IN BECOMING A PREACHER. RUSH SAW HIS OWN VOCATION NO DIFFERENTLY, SEEING HIS DESTINY A CALLING FROM GOD. LIKE AN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHET, HAD PERIODS OF DOUBTS ABOUT HIS CHOSEN PROFESSION,WHICH BEGAN IN THE EARLY 50s WITH THE LIKES OF ELMORE JAMES, MUDDY WATERS, JIMMY REED AND FREDDIE KING. BUT WHEN ONE FEELS CALLED BY GOD, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SHAKE YOUR PREDESTINED PATH, AND RUSH HAS PURSUED HIS PILGRIMAGE THROUGH THICK AND THIN.
THE REMARKABLE ASPECT OF MR. RUSH IS THAT HE IS COMFORTABLE FITTING THE BLUES INTO ANY STYLE, HAVING RELEASED SOME FUNKY R&B ALBUMS AS WELL AS RURAL TREATS THAT REVEAL DIRT UNDER HIS NAILS. HIS SHOWS CAN RANGE FROM BAWDY NIGHT CLUB ACTS TO DOWN HOME FOOT STOMPING FOLK FESTS. HE, LIKE ALL EVANGELISTS, IS ABLE TO BE “ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN” IN ORDER TO WIN SOME WITH HIS WINSOME GRIN.
A MEMBER OF THE BLUES HALL OF FAME, RUSH ALSO WON A GRAMMY AT THE TENDER AGE OF 83 BACK IN 2017 FOR HIS ALBUM PORCUPINE MEAT, AND HIS LATEST SITTING ON TOP OF THE BLUES IS AN INDIGO TREAT THAT COLORS THE SPECTRUM OF DISCO SOUL TO RED CLAY RURAL.
SITTING AND CHATTING WITH MR. RUSH WAS A TREAT. HIS APPRECIATION TO GOD FOR THE SUCCESSFUL PATH OF THE JOURNEY, WHERE HE CAN NOW SEE HIS PROMISED LAND, IS INFECTIOUS.
YOUR DAD WAS A PREACHER. WHAT ARE YOUR RECOLLECTIONS OF THAT AND HOW IT INFLUENCED YOU?
My dad was my best friend, my best guardian and my best everything.
He was the main one that enthused me to write the way that I do today, because one time I brought my guitar to him ( I didn’t know he could play) and he tuned it up and sang a song that I later recorded called “Chinkapin” which is a nut. thought he was going to sing something like “Glory, Glory Hallelujah” since he was a preacher. But he sang about he and his dad going Chinkapin hunting, “she fell down and I saw sumpin’” and I thought “Oh, man!”
Him being a preacher I asked him, “How big was she, dad?” And he said, “She was fat, boy, real fat about 350 pounds.” To hear him sing about this woman falling down like that, I wanted to see it, and I played it in my mind. I never forgot about that.
Later on I wanted to see people like Louis Jordan; people who could sing about things I could relate to. My dad was the first person to teach me to talk about things people could relate to. Things like the farm, chickens and cows. I was just a country boy.
I never met Louis Jordan, but I loved that he sang about things that I wanted to talk about; things like fish fryin’ or beans and corn bread. That’s why my first record was called “Chicken Heads.”
He’d sing about a monkey and a buzzard being good friends, and coming up with sayings like “Straighten up and fly right.” That taught me a lot of things to sing about.
DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME BECAUSE YOUR DAD DIDN”T WANT YOU TO BE A BLUES SINGER?
I didn’t change it because my dad had a problem. It was because I had so much respect for my dad and what he stood for and who he was as a preacher. I’m a Junior; he was Emmett Ellis, so I just changed it out of respect for my father. No other reason.
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” I can’t help being how I was born as a black man and grown up in the country. I’ve lived as who I am, and I love who I am, so I deal with the situation head on”
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IT’S INTERESTING THAT ON YOUR ALBUMS AND DURING YOUR SHOWS, THERE SEEMS TO BE 3-4 DIFFERENT SIDES OF YOU; THE COUNTRY BLUES MAN, THE R&B BOOGIE MAN, THE STREET PREACHER AND THE BAWDY WITH A GRIN JUKE JOINTER.
It’s all in one. You see a serious side of me, you see the blues man, and then I’ll laugh about things that you just can’t help. I can’t help being how I was born as a black man and grown up in the country. I’ve lived as who I am, and I love who I am, so I deal with the situation head on.
WHAT ADVICE DID YOUR DAD GIVE YOU ABOUT THE MUSIC LIFE?
He never told me to sing the blues, but he never told me not to. To my mind that was a green light.
He taught me to be good at what I do. To strive hard at what you do and be kind to people who may not understand who you are.
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“(My father) taught me to be good at what I do. To strive hard at what you do and be kind to people who may not understand who you are”
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IN YOUR EARLY DAYS YOU PLAYED WITH GUYS THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME LEGENDS, ELMORE JAMES AND FREDDIE KING
It probably would have been to my advantage if I played with them, but actually they played with me. I would have learned more if it were the other way around. I had my little band, and I just needed a guitarist to play with me in Arkansas back in 1951. I needed had a superstar at the time to replace Homesick James, who was Elmore James’ cousin. He told me about his first cousin Elmore, and he played with me for about a year.
Homesick told me that he taught Elmore how to play the slide. I don’t know if it’s true or not, as I was just a teenager trying to put a band together. I paid Elmore $5 a night for the weekend, but Elmore wanted $20 and I couldn’t pay it. I’ll never forget that.
I could pay a little more when I got Muddy Waters in my band; he got $5.50 a night.
DID YOU THINK ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THEM AT THE TIME?
No, they were just guys that people wanted to hear, so I wanted them in my band. I wanted to make my band bigger.
I didn’t know anything about getting played on the radio at the time. Not until I got to Chicago, heard them there and re-introduced myself to Elmore James. He was a superstar by that time in ’56, but I didn’t know that back at first. He was just a cousin of Boy Jimbo, and I needed a guitar player.
YOU WERE AT GROUND ZERO AT THE CHICAGO BLUES SCENE IN THE 1950s. WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
When I got to Chicago, Willie Dixon was there, Slim Harpo was there, John Lee Hooker was in and out. Little Walter was there. There was also Pigmeat Markham and Moms Mabley as comedians, and Bo Diddley came in in 1953-54.
Jimmy Reed was there, but he recorded with Cee-Jay Records, which changed to Dee Jay Records. He and Jerry Butler along with Hooker went over there.
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“We didn’t know about a special time or special place; we were just trying to make a living. Trying to fit in where we could fit in and find whoever would want to listen to us”
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DID PEOPLE KNOW IT WAS A SPECIAL TIME?
We didn’t know about a special time or special place; we were just trying to make a living. Trying to fit in where we could fit in and find whoever would want to listen to us.
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“That’s how I made my money. We were working for the food, man. Most of the time we wouldn’t only eat the food, but we’d sell it. Twenty five cents a plate”
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YOU ARE DESCRIBED AS “THE LAST OF THE CHITLIN’ CIRCUIT”. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THAT?
What people know as the “Chitlin’ Circuit” is what was the juke joints and smaller clubs; the funky clubs where you drink and fight. Sometimes you could look down and see through the floor and see chickens running under the house because it wasn’t put together very well
The Chitlin’ Circuit wasn’t just the juke joints, it was where the entertainers worked for food; they fed us chitlins inside the hall. That’s what we’d have for dinner.
I remember we had food, and a couple guys, like Elmore was p laying with me. We’d get good and play in the suburbs of Chicago, playing for a dollar or two a night, but we could eat all the food that we wanted. So, they’d fix us 2-3 plates of chitlins. At 25 cents a plate I’d eat $1.25 worth of food! (laughs) That’s how I made my money. We were working for the food, man. Most of the time we wouldn’t only eat the food, but we’d sell it. Twenty five cents a plate.
DID YOU EVER GET DISCOURAGED AT WHERE YOU WERE IN YOUR CAREER?
Oh, man. I’ve had that happen so many times in my career that it was the last of me. “What am I doing here? Where am I going?”
But, every time that there was a road block in my life, God would always somehow lift me up and bring something or somebody into my life.
Because of that, I’m one of the most blessed men in the world. Now, I’m known as “The King of the Chitlin’ Circuit” and white audiences across the country are beginning to appreciate me. I may be the only one that has crossed over to have both the black and white audiences.
Most of the black blues artists get one side of the fence; I have both sides of the fence. I’m so thankful for that blessing. People accept me for who I am and what I do.
YOUR ALBUMS REFLECT YOUR VARIOUS SIDES. YOUR ALBUMS RAW AND LOUISIANA ARE ROOTSY AND HOMESPUN, WHEREAS OTHERS ARE MORE POLISHED R&B. ARE THE MORE ‘POP’ ALBUMS MADE TO CROSS OVER, OR TO REFLECT A DIFFERENT SIDE OF YOUR STYLES?
It’s just a different side of me; I don’t think about crossover when I was doing those albums. I think about it now that I’ve crossed over! (laughs)
I just play good music and play what I know, what feels good for me and what I feel good about doing.
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“I was doing what James Brown did, but also what Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf were doing”
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YOU’VE PLAYED ON ALBUMS WITH KEB MO AND JOE BONAMASSA. DID THEY PICK YOUR BRAIN FOR IDEAS OR INSPIRATION?
I didn’t talk to them about it, but I think they played with me because I play something that they want to play, and that it’s something they relate to. I was blessed to have both of them to play on my records. They just have a deep love for what I do and where I came from as an old man and still do what I do and my modifications.
I’m still a blues man, but I’m modified in what I do and the ways that I do it. I haven’t changed anything other than the modification of it.
Just like having a conversation on the phone. 40-50 years ago, we’d have had to see each other one on one, but now we can modify it.
I always talk about modification, to stay ahead of the game. In the 50s and 60s I was modifying, and was ahead of the game by doing the funk thing way back then. I was doing what James Brown did, but also what Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf were doing. When you hear the funk stuff in me, that’s my modification. I’m always thinking about how I can make the music better and make young people come hear me. It’s what I do, man.
BESIDES SINGING, YOU’RE ONE OF THE MASTERS OF THE HARMONICA. HOW DO YOU GET A PERSONAL SOUND OUT OF THAT INSTRUMENT?
That came kind of naturally as I came up with Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. I never played with the microphone like Little Walter did, as that was just his sound. I don’t have to do that to make my sound. I’m twice Little Walter’s age when he passed, so I don’t have to do what he did; I just do Bobby Rush. I’m not a copy of nobody; I wasn’t trying to get my own sound, it just happened.
WHEN YOU BLOW YOUR HARP ON THINGS LIKE “BOBBY RUSH SHUFFLE” OR ON YOUR R&B FUNK, THESE ARE JUST DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF WHO YOU ARE
It’s Bobby Rush; all in one. I came out of that mold where I’m old enough to know where BB King came from, but also young enough to be impressed by Stevie Wonder and Prince and the whole bit. These younger guys were watching me all of the time as I was modifying funk and R&B. Ya follow?
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“I’m just so happy that God allowed me another chance to demonstrate who I am and what I do”
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YOU EVEN DO SOME BARRY WHITE ON THIS LATEST ALBUM WITH “SLOW MOTION”
(laughs) Well you could really say that Barry White was doing Bobby Rush (laughs)! That’s what it was. Barry White liked what I was doing, and I was just being myself.
I’m just so happy that God allowed me another chance to demonstrate who I am and what I do. I’ve got myself a little bit of a name now, so I can do a few things now that I couldn’t do 50 years ago. Back then I had to do what the record company or radio wanted me to do. Now I can do what I want to do and hope that they play it.
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“I try to make (blacks) not be ashamed of their culture. Nowadays, blacks are afraid of even eating watermelon! (laughs)”
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IT’S OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE THANKFUL TO GOD. DO YOU STILL READ THE BIBLE AND GO TO CHURCH?
Yea, I do both. I still read the Bible. I’m a blues man and a Bible studier. I’m not a “religious” nut, but I’m a Bible student because the Bible is the path of life for me. It’s my road map.
It’s a personal thing; it tells me what to do and also what not to do. I strive real hard to do what I can do as well as what I cannot do. I work harder on what I can’t do because if I do, the things I can do will take care of themselves.
EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE SHOWS WITH THE WOMEN DOING THEIR FUNKY DANCING, IT’S ALL DONE WITH A TWINKLE IN YOUR EYE WITHOUT ANY BAWDINESS.
That’s all part of the culture that goes back to Africa, man. Even the Hawaiian dances come from Africa.
When you see people in the African culture, they run, dance and do all kinds of things. I try to make them not be ashamed of their culture. Nowadays, blacks are afraid of even eating watermelon! (laughs)
That’s who we are, and we’re all God’s children, and this is what we do. When you see me on stage, you see a guy that was a shoe shine boy. I do what I do, and I’m good at what I do.
IS THERE STILL A CHITLIN’ CIRCUIT OUT THERE?
Yes, but there are guys who don’t want to do the Chitlin’ Circuit because it and the blues are sometimes seen by blacks as something less, something that the white guys are now doing.
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“When you see me on stage, you see a guy that was a shoe shine boy”
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HOW HAS YOUR UPBRINGING IN AND TRIALS IN THE CHITLIN’ CIRCUIT ALL THESE YEARS MADE YOU A BETTER MAN?
I think that my not having things, and people telling me what to do and what not to do has made me a stronger person. You can’t stop me by telling me what I can’t do. You can’t put a line around my life and say “Don’t come out of this.”
I’m the one who dared to come out.
Two years ago I had the “Box Set Of The Year.” You’ve got to amass something to have that. Those were all of my masters recorded through the years.
It doesn’t make me feel great that I won that Grammy award so late in life, but it’s better late than never!
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE TO MUSICIANS WHO ARE STARTING OUT?
Be good at what you do, and try to learn everything you can about this business.
I know everybody doesn’t like Bobby Rush, but if you see a Bobby Rush show, I want them to say, “I may not like him, but dang he’s good!”
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
As a guy who did his best to please everyone around him, but also tried to please himself first.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER FELT ACTUALLY CALLED BY GOD TO DO SOMETHING, IT WOULD BE HARD TO APPRECIATE BOBBY RUSH’S TENACITY, BUT ONLY SOMEONE WHO’S FELT A DIVINE APPOINTMENT COULD WITHSTAND THE HARDSHIP OF THE PATH AND PILGRIMAGE. AS JOB SAID, “BUT HE KNOWS THE PATH THAT I TAKE, AND WHEN I HAVE BEEN TESTED, I WILL HAVE BEEN PROVEN AS GOOD AS GOLD.” MAY WE ALL FEEL THAT STRONG A CONVICTION IN ALL THAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO, AND IF WE WAVER, WE HAVE SOMEONE LIKE BOBBY RUSH TO SHOW THAT THE ROAD MAY BE LONG, BUT IT CAN BE COMPLETED.