Duffy Bishop and Chris Carlson: Doing What They Want
Duffy Bishop and Chris Carlson: Doing What They Want
Every blues fan in the Northwest knows that Duffy Bishop Is a force of nature, and a living legend. She is a member of the Washington blue society Hall of Fame and the cascade blues Association and Oregon music Hall of Fame. She is set to release her ninth album, I’m Gonna Do What I Want, in June. It is a collection of her signature hard driving blues and sweet jazzy soul, with a touch of gospel and a new anthem for the #Me Too, movement. Delivered with that fire signature Blues fans have grown to love. I got to speak with Duffy and our longtime partner in crime Chris Carlson from their home in Florida, about life in the sunshine State, the new album, and their recent trip to Memphis as an entry in the international Blues Challenge.
Rick J Bowen: How is life in Florida, you’ve been living in Florida for five or six years now, what drew you to the sunshine state?
Duffy Bishop: Great, well we’ve been coming out here since the 80s Chris’s dad lives here, he grew up here. I fell in love with Saint Augustine, I love the warmth. I love the people in the northwest but the gray it got to me, I love the sunshine
RB: You found a community there in Florida.
DB: We are fortunate because Chris still had old school friends here in town And musicians he played with when he was young, we ended up playing with several of them like Richard Wright.
Chris Carlson: Who I’ve known since grade school.
DB: It was easy coming here because we knew people and then of course we went out in braved the sit in gigs and jam sessions. That’s always so hard. But we were welcomed in.
Duffy Bishop Band at BB Kings on Beale Street during the 2020 IBC in Memphis TN
RB: Let’s talk about going to Memphis for your first International Blues Challenge, How was your experience? And don’t sugarcoat it.
DB. The first thing even to be able to go we had to find a different bass player, because our bass player couldn’t make the trip. And then in December our Drummer had surgery so he was out of commission.
We called a bunch of different people until we got the name of this fellow in Memphis.
CC: Robert Hall, a great player, he has been playing for Jerry Lee Lewis for the past 27 years.
DB: We got there on Tuesday and rehearsed with Robert in the afternoon for one hour and then the next night played for the competition.
CC: But everybody’s is a pro, so it went ok.
DB: It’s a big blanket to say “Blues Challenge,” and the judging is odd, I read through the whole point thing, But it always comes down to someone’s personal opinion of what you do. There was one comment that we were to “loungey.” And the timing thing is tough I didn’t know that we had gone over time.
CC: We are different than the average Blues band, and some people like that and some people may not.
DB: My main thing is always trying to connect with people and make them feel included, and feel better., it’s cathartic. If I make them feel better that’s good. If they think I’m goofy and they laugh that’s great, and maybe that’s not what people think of as being the Blues.
CC: I thought we had a good Set, especially the second night at B.B Kings. And the Northwest showcase was a blast.
DB: That was a highlight for me. Getting to play with all those tremendous people and getting to hug people that I hadn’t seen in a long time and meeting new people it was the best.
CC: The camaraderie is incredible.
Db. We went to an incredible seminar with Bobby Rush, and Shakura S’Aida gave an incredible workshop, it was stunning and everybody that was there learned something, and everyone went away feeling more positive.
CC: Bobby Rush talked about the elephant in the room, racism. He just told the truth Not in a mean way.
When I asked why he keeps talking about race by a young person in the room, he said “because it’s important. And we need to acknowledge where the blues comes from.”
DB: This is the part that confuses me, everybody across the whole world gets the Blues and knows how it feels. I wish there were less labels of what is the Blues. And what isn’t.
RB: Let’s talk about the new record. I’m Gonna Do What I Want. Is it your ninth album?
CC: Yes, we also have two Rhythm Dogs albums that are going to be released.
RB: I am really enjoying it. The album has quite a variety and gets better with every listen, it isn’t your basic blues album with Shuffle, Rumba, Ballad, repeat. It feels like you have a theme and a story to tell.
DB: That’s what we tried to do you know.
RB: It’s a bit about getting older and finding just what you want to do.
DB. Yes, you get to the point in your life where you decide to go to the places where you want and play the places you wanna play. It’s a validation when you make people happy. I don’t do this for the money. But when people come up and say I’ve seen you perform for years or I saw you when I was a kid and now I’m bringing my kids out to see you, and others say they’ve named our dog after you.
RB: Has that happened?
CC: Yes, but I don’t recommend it.
RB: The title track is a bit of a rebellious anthem.
DB: Chris wrote the lyrics with me in mind, it taps my inner child, it really does. As you get older you get less concerned about all the trappings, I make jokes about all the wrinkles in my face. I still wear wacky clothes.
CC: I love it when Duffy sings, “I am 60 years old or is it six years old, “
RB. You recorded the album all in Florida, it has a marvelous live sound. Especially on this opening track where it goes from a two beat shuffle to a fast swing and back again.
CC: Thanks, I love that, and Paul (Unsworth) did that so well. With no click track. The engineer who recorded us began the sessions with one, but after a few Takes said oh you don’t need this.
DB. Jim DeVito is his name and he was great. His studio is out of the 70s.
CC: It’s called Retrophonic, he’s been doing this a long time. He does as much analog recording as possible. It’s right on the beach south of Saint Augustine.
RB: Let’s dig deeper into the songs. The album is half originals and half covers, the first of which is a deep cut from the Paul DeLay catalog, “Love Grown Cold.” Why did you pick that one?
DB: Chris and I will forever be grateful that we got to play with Paul. That man was a unique songwriter.
CC: The last band he had was doing mostly straight ahead Blues, not doing many of his original songs, which I think are brilliant, like “The Other One,” and “Chalk And Roll.” I’m surprised they’re not blues standards.
RB: “Love Grown Cold,” is not one of his famous songs and it’s out of print why did you choose it?
DB: A couple years ago at the Water Front blues festival they had a Tribute show for Paul and that is the song I chose to perform. I have been doing it since then and it gets a great reaction from people, it’s nice melody. It is a sad song but a fitting tribute to Paul.
RB: And then you turn the knob and Sing the Raunchy tune “69 Years Old.”
“-all laugh”
DB: yes, click, we had a cheer them back up.
RB: I know you’re a pro comedian, but how did you get through that song without cracking up?
DB. Because I sing it serious, you know. its life. I finished singing it at a club it down at Daytona called The Bank. This older gentleman comes up to me after and says “here I got something for you, “and he hands me some Cialis.
RB: For real?
DB: Yes, and I thought it was so fun, he said “pass these on to someone who needs them. “
CC: It used to be pot or cocaine now it’s Viagra that someone is offering you after the show.
RB: You really give the Lesley Gore song “You Don’t Own Me,’ a new edge, and take it far beyond the original.
DB: Because I don’t sing it like a little girl. I rewrote some of the words about being strong and about being older. I still do the first part, “you can’t tell me how to do my hair, you can’t tell me what to wear.”
It is an anthem and I have been singing it for a number of years.
RB: Ok so it has been brewing for a while now.
DB: Yes, but it got to a good response immediately. Young women love it and that’s how I felt when I first heard it. I went to see a concert film in Sacramento when I was 12 or 13. It was The Beach Boys; The Beatles and Leslie Gore was the headliner.
RB: Wow that was 1964, so This song is a part of who you are and has had a big influence on you.
DB: She was one of the first big-name powerful girls I ever saw. When I was young, I saw Etta James and that knocked me out, and I saw Janice of course. I loved Odetta. I like to people with a message. And women who had equal standing.
RB: I think you are in that group of powerful women performers, so I see where you got it
DB: Oh, Thank you
RB: Another original song on the album that Chris wrote, “One Time, “feels like an old Leon Russell tune.
CC. Oh I like that, I was showing the band the song and I said it was kind a like a Stones song, but I like it as Leon.
RB: I say that because the piano leads it
DB: Alex (Richman) does a great job on that track, she is really fun to have in the band.
RB: That shows off your strength as bandleaders and songwriters that you let someone else shine.
CC: I like to be surrounded by people who are better than me. Do you want the very best players and just let them do what they do?
RB: Next you do the Gospel song “My Road Is Not Wide,” written by Lloyd Brown. Tell me about him.
DB: Ok, Chris has a high school friend Carol who lives around the corner from us and is married to Peter Brown, Lloyds brother. Lloyd passed in 2000. Peter gave me a recording of his songs; I heard this one and I just really love it.
CC: He was a working musician in Maine. It was recorded in more of a church setting and we give it a full band treatment.
RB: Then you have a classic train song, “Whistle Calling.”
DB: It’s classic, but it’s about my life. I start with the west where I grew up, Then I moved to the north, then we went east, and now we are down south in the sun. It’s my story in short.
RB: It is also a vehicle for some amazing guitar playing.
DB: Amazing guitar playing and amazing drumming.
RB: Did you do that song in Memphis?
DB: whooh! Hooh! Oh yeah, it went well,
RB: Let’s give the drummer some more, you end the album with the song written by your drummer Paul Unsworth. “The New Song.”
CC. He’s a prolific songwriter. He charted it out and brought it in.
DB. I love it because it’s an old Timey tune.
RB. Yeah, I had to look it up because I thought it was something old from the 1930s
DB. That song is the after dinner mint. A nice little desert after everything else.