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Duke Robillard, Guitar A�cionadoElmore Chats With the Blues Musician About Some of HisFamous Collaborators, His Upcoming Album, and HisFamed Guitar Collection!Features | May 13th, 2016
D
By Mike Cobb
uke Robillard has played with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Dr. John, Jimmie Vaughan,The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Hammond, Robert Gordon, Roscoe Gordon,
Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Jimmy Witherspoon, JayMcShann, Roomful of Blues and many, many more. Phew!
Duke has repeatedly been awarded “Best Blues Guitarist” by The Blues Music Awards,received a Grammy nomination for his disc Guitar Groove O-Rama and been dubbed“one of the great players” by B.B.King. Duke still tours hundreds of days every year andcontinues to give guitar lessons online. Watching his instructional videos, one quicklyrealizes there’s no style he can’t play!
As a guitarist and long time fan, I approached this interview with a mix of nervousnessand excitement, speaking to Duke about his roots, some of the greats with whom he’sworked, guitars and his new acoustic album, The Acoustic Blues & Roots of DukeRobillard, which just won Best Acoustic Album at the Blues Hall of Fame Awards.
Elmore Magazine: You’re originally from Rhode Island?
Duke Robillard: Yes.
EM: That’s probably a good place to be situated on the eastern seaboard interms of touring.
DR: Well, when I really do tours, it kind of doesn’t matter where I live because it’susually pretty far.
EM: Did you grow up in a musical household?
DR: Not really. My older brother played guitar just for fun, but he did bring home thepopular records of the day when he was in high school, which was around 1955-58. SoI was there at the beginning of rock n’ roll. He had all the great records by FatsDomino, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Elvis and all those people. Before that, I had a reallove for music. We had some Hank Williams records around the house, 78’s, so I’d getto hear things like that. I really liked Hank Williams. And then I heard the �rst rock n’roll, which was rhythm and blues in a way, so that just captivated me, so that was it.
EM: I can only imagine what it must have been like to hear those for the very�rst time!
DR: Oh, it was pretty amazing!
EM: How did you get into playing guitar?
DR: My brother had his guitar and used to get together with his friends to play andjam. And I wasn’t allowed to play his guitar; he had a Fender Stratocaster. It wasprobably the second or �rst year that they made them, because soon after, in ‘56, Iwas eight years old. So when he was out on a date, or football practice, whenever hewasn’t home, I would go up in his room, take his guitar out, and teach myself to play.Nobody knew I was learning, but I actually taught myself to play that way.
EM: Wow, a ‘56 Stratocaster would be really sought after today!
DR: Well, it was a used one, so it was probably a ‘54 or a ‘55, the �rst year.
EM: Probably a sunburst I imagine?
DR: Oh yeah!
EM: I know T-Bone Walker is an important in�uence for you. What is it about hisplaying that you like the best?
DR: Well, T-Bone’s style, besides being the �rst really, truly electric blues guitar, heincorporated jazz phrasing in with blues that really swung. It was rhythmically veryexciting– and even harmonically more advanced than some guitar players of the time,certainly other blues guitar players. I don’t know. I just took a liking to it. It just came tobe all the great things about music, especially about guitar playing.
EM: How did you discover him?
DR: I didn’t discover him until the mid ’60s when he started making records for theBluesways label. So his records were contemporary at that time. He even played a lotof funky rhythms in the mid ’60s with his band. So I was really taken by his style. Butwhen I �nally got to hear his original old recordings, about ten year later, then Icouldn’t believe it; I was just blown away. I pretty much just listened to that for a longtime and really devoured his style, and it kind of became my style for quite a while.
EM: He had a unique way of playing and positioning his strap o� of his shoulder.Do you think that a�ected his tone and playing style?
DR: Well, his playing style, the way he �ngered I think more than anything.
EM: Of course his in�uence on Chuck Berry was tremendous, and I know that’ssomeone who was also in�uential for you as well.
DR: Oh yeah!
EM: I saw that you said somewhere that blues is at the root of everything youdo. But your playing also blends so naturally with country, jazz and othermusical styles. What do you see as the underlying connection between all thesedi�erent types of music?
DR: Well, the blues phrasing and the harmony is something that has really been at theroot of country music. It’s just basically kind of got a di�erent beat. And swing stylejazz is also very straight out of the blues, the soloing and the ri�s that horns play andthat style of jazz. Even later jazz and even some modern jazz. People like CharlieParker, you know was a great blues player. And although he was very advanced andplayed a lot of much more complicated progressions, he was a great blues player andliked to play the blues and composed a lot of blues songs. Not maybe what thegeneral public would call blues songs but they are in the phrasing, in the actualprogression, actual blues songs.
EM: How did the blues jump to rock and roll? Jump blues?
DR: Well, I think the blend of what country and western swing was, along with bluesand jump blues, you kind of put them together and they kind of equal rock and roll.You take the swing feel from swing or jazz and also the western swing guys playedvery much in a jazz style, and they played a lot of blues; a lot of the tunes were bluesprogressions. And Western Swing is like the grandfather of rock and roll, the originalrock and roll in many ways. They just fused that style along with the beat and thepiano styles of some of the swing and country music and just added the new rock androll beat, and it’s all very logical really. It’s very easy to trace it.
EM: You’ve had so many incredible encounters and experiences with some of thegreats of blues, jazz, and rock and roll. Can you tell me about some of the recenthighlights over the years? Things that have been really memorable?
DR: Well the most memorable is a ways back, and most of those people are not withus anymore. People like Jay McShann, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Big Joe Turner, MuddyWaters, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roscoe Gordon, those are all people that I’ve produced,played with, or backed up live. Those guys are the real innovators of the roots ofrhythm and blues and the pre-rock and roll people. So you know they all had a big
impact on me and those were the guys that I idolized. So to work with them, and get toback them up, and in many cases actually produce them and call the shots and playwith them at the same time, I mean nothing could beat that! I’m very fortunate to haveplayed with a lot of my heroes.
EM: My goodness, that’s quite a list right there! Incredible! I know that in theearly days, you used to share bills with The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
DR: Oh yeah, with Roomful of Blues there were times when they came up our way toRhode Island, they would open for us, and when we went down to Texas, we wouldopen for them.
EM: And you had the opportunity to jam with Jimmie Vaughan, I know.
DR: Jimmie and Stevie, quite a few times.
EM: Wow. And then eventually you replaced Jimmie, no?
DR: Yeah!
EM: After that, was that when you met Dr. John or was that earlier?
DR: I met Dr. John earlier, but we never gigged together. He’s on one of my recordsand I’ve played with him on a couple of Johnny Adams records where he was thepianist and got to know him quite well and did co-bills or bills where I opened up forhim. I met Dr. John back in the late ’70s when I would open for him starting at theBottom Line in NY.
EM: And you’ve worked with Tom Waits & Bob Dylan. Any interestingrecollections about working with either of them?
DR: Well, sure. With Tom Waits, I just did a two week tour with him, but it was really awonderful experience. It was great! A lot of fun and he was a great guy to be around. Ireally enjoyed working with him and hope I get a chance to again. Bob Dylan, we didone tour where it was really fun, and then I did part of a another tour, and he was in adi�erent frame of mind at that point, so things weren’t so fun, and that’s when I lefthis band. I was only there for a few months.
EM: As a band leader, did he give you a lot of freedom? How does he work?
DR: Well, we spent a lot of time rehearsing, and he was very speci�c about what hewanted, but as far as solos, you were on your own to interpret your solos. He didn’ttell me how to play like anybody else or what to do. It was really just the arrangementsthat had to be a certain way.
Duke Robillard by Arnie Goodman
EM: You’ve got a new album out now. Can you tell me about that? Where it wasrecorded and who’s on board?
DR: My new album… by the way it just won the Acoustic Blues Album of The Year atthe Blues Music Awards, a few days ago actually…
EM: Fantastic, congratulations!
DR: Thank you! That album is something really di�erent for me because I’ve nevermade a totally acoustic album before. It’s a combination of in�uences both white andblack, from blues people like Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy to some of the white peoplewho played blues like Jimmie Rodgers “The Singing Brakeman” and the DelmoreBrothers who had a bluesy sound. And there are also some classics, like “St. LouisBlues,” that I did with a 20 piece mandolin orchestra. There’s a few tunes of mine thatwere written in a classic ’20s style, so there’s a lot of di�erent things on there. HankWilliams tunes. There’s a nod to country and the bluesy country side of music from the’20s, ’30s, and ’40s. So it touches a lot bases. It’s almost like a history lesson in a way.
EM: Can’t wait to hear it! I imagine for each di�erent track, you’re going for acertain sound. Were there certain guitars you were grabbing to get thosesounds?
DR: Well, yes, on that album, I had at that time, collected, I hate to use the wordcollected, I had a lot of rare, very old acoustic guitars, from the early 1900s, a 1917Gibson, a 1911 Joseph Bowman Guitar, old Gibsons, old Kays, just all really di�erentkinds of guitars that I made the album with. So I probably used �ve or six di�erentguitars, plus I play dobro style guitar on it, I play mandolin, I play a lot of di�erentthings all acoustic instruments, but I played quite a few instruments on there, ukulele,even a Turkish instrument.
EM: Wow! And do you �nd that old instruments bring better sounds?
DR: Sometimes, not always, but they usually have the sound of the period. Forinstance one of the guitars I used was made of birch, and nobody makes guitars out ofbirch anymore. And it was a common wood for cheap instruments in the ’20s and ’30sand also a unique sounding wood. So I used that on a few tunes, and it really achieveda sound that you just can’t hear it anymore.
EM: How would you describe the birch tone?
DR: Well, di�erent guitars respond di�erently to the wood, but the one I was usinghad a very dry, hollow, brittle kind of tone that translated really well on a few tracksthat I used it on. Very mid-rangey and bit bright, but very unlike anything else today.
EM: Which guitar was that again?
DR: That was a 1930’s Kay Deluxe which had a round sound hole but a carved top. Soan arched top but a round hole. Gibson made a lot of those kinds of guitars in theteens and the ’20s.
EM: So you get a little more projection?
DR: Projection and mid-range.
EM: And I’ve seen you play an Epiphone Zephyr Deluxe Regent, which sure is agorgeous guitar.
DR: Yeah, I used to own one of those. I’m not playing one at the moment.
EM: You trade up a bunch I’ve read.
DR: Yes, I do. I trade guitars. I sell, trade. I like to experience them all!
EM: What do you �nd you’ve stuck to over the years? What are some of the keyguitars you haven’t been able to part with?
DR: Not much really, I’ve got a Gibson archtop acoustic, an L7 that I’ve had for a lot ofyears. That Kay I’ve had for a lot of years, ‘cuz it’s pretty much irreplaceable. I’ve justhad many di�erent years and models of Les Pauls, Stratocasters, Telecasters, 335s,330s, L5s, Gretches, all the popular guitars.
EM: I’ve enjoyed watching your instructional videos on Youtube over the years.I’ve seen you play a lot of di�erent guitars, and it’s amazing how with the switchof pick position, �ngers only, capo, pickup, etc, you’re able to radically changeyour tone, which is quite astonishing to me. How do you do that?!
DR: Well, honestly mostly it’s in the �ngers. It really is mostly how you actually play theguitar. Although the di�erent instruments help the tone to my ears, but to somebodyin the audience, they usually tell me, you could be playing a big acoustic archtop oryou could be playing a Telecaster. You sound the same playing either one! It’s mostlyfor my bene�t that I change guitars.
EM: So the instrument’s not as important as important as the tone that youachieve personally as a player?
DR: Yeah, it’s taken me about 50 years to learn that, but I’ve �nally �gure it out!
EM: I know you continue to teach.
DR: Yes, I teach online lessons for a company called Sonic Junction. And I do weeklylessons, usually a new song every month. I’ve been doing it for about six years or so,and I have tons of countries all over the world where I have students.
EM: What is that you enjoy most about teaching guitar?
DR: I’ve found that since I’ve been doing this online, a lot of people really want to reallyabsorb the knowledge I have of all the older styles. So people primarily come to me tolearn older blues or swing or rock and roll or things that I play. And it’s been veryencouraging that they want to concentrate on the older styles. I really enjoy doing it!
MC: Do you �nd there are groups out there who are continuing on some of thetraditions that are contemporary and of this time as well?
August 23rd, 2016Rhythm and Roots Festival
June 3rd, 2016Holger Petersen Rings In 40Years With Stony Plain
October 29th, 2015Duke Robillard
March 2nd, 2015What’d I Say
DR: Well, I just came from the BluesAwards and for the �rst year, I likeeverybody there, and it was seven hoursof music! There’s a lot of people that arereally gravitating to the traditional side ofit and not taking it too far out of context,and a lot of great people. There’s a lot ofyoung people with a tremendous amountof respect for the original genres andplaying the music right, so I found thatvery encouraging and heartwarming.
EM: Anybody that stands out as a greatnew player? Who are somecontemporaries that you admire.
DR: Jimmie Vaughn, Mark Hummel andThe Lone Star Golden State Review withAnson Funderburg and Charlie Baty onGuitar; there’s a fairly new group calledthe Cash Box Kings that I really enjoy.There’s just tons of them now coming outof the woodwork at this point; they’re allgood and they all pay a lot of respect to the traditional side of the music and want toplay it right.
EM: I know you’ve got a show on Friday the 13th in upstate NY. What can you tellus about that?
DR: Yeah, it’s at The Turning Point in Piermont, NY right outside of New York City. It’s aclub I’ve been playing for 20 years. It’s a small listening room, but it’s always a greataudience. We love playing there, and we are there Friday night!
EM: Fantastic! Sounds like a show that can’t be missed, and I’m hoping to make itup there myself. Thanks so much Duke. I really appreciate your time. Talking toyou has been a pleasure, so much to learn and to hear about. I’ve really enjoyedyour music over the years, and I really appreciate that you took the time to dothis.
DR: No problem. Come up and say hi if you make the gig!
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