Little Tommy & The Blues Kings
You can find two Mp3's of Little Tommy & The Blues Kings at the end of the article
"There are only a few real bluesmen left. Decades of gunslinger guitarists with a thirst for hot licks, but not much else, have eroded what was once the lifeblood of American music. That peculiar mixture of country and city, urban life and down home feeling that was at the heart of it all. Every once and a while, however, somebody comes along to change things. With roots that run deep in our collective past—taking what had been pushed aside for the latest fashion and reminding us of how good the blues can really be. Little Tommy and the Blues Kings is not a revival band, a nostalgia act for a new generation. They are a collection of seasoned veterans with roots deep in southern life—sons of sharecroppers and Pentecostal preachers, blues singers and musicians. They are the real deal. Just listen to "Sunday Mornin' Blues," you’ll hear it, and then spread the word!"
John T. Sullivan - "The Delta Courier"
John T. Sullivan - "The Delta Courier"
Sunday Morning Blues
The interview below was done by phone, one Sunday afternoon just after the New Year had been rung in with a hangover and a much needed aspirin. I first heard about the band when a friend sent me an Mp3 and said, "This music is right up your alley." Meaning that it was real blues—unmanufactured music for a non-digital world. That I was listening to an Mp3 was beside the point. It was clear that the band was either an old-school, authentic blues group, or one hell of a revival act. As my curiosity had been piqued, I determined to find out more about them.
The information that was available was limited to a few online comments and not much else. There were no photos and no biographical details to draw on. But, finally, with a bit of detective work and a few phone calls, I was able to get ahold of a club owner that occasionally booked the band. He gave me another phone number and within a few hours I had made contact.
The interview was set up by Little Tommy’s longtime manager and friend Marcus Tomas. I told him that I thought it was a great record and needed to be heard by more people. He agreed and suggested that an interview and article might be helpful. He also told me that Little Tommy wasn’t likely to be an easy interview--and that he had his own sense of propriety that didn’t always jibe with anybody else’s.
Most of the people that you interview are anxious to see their name in print. Any publicity, as long as it is reasonably favorable, is welcome. With Little Tommy, it was the opposite. He seemed suspicious of my intentions initially and answered my questions reluctantly. After I told him that I was a musician, the ice began to thaw a bit. Eventually, the conversation shifted to guitars, music and women—about life in the South, Mississippi in particular, and anything else that came to mind. It was there that the interview began.
The information that was available was limited to a few online comments and not much else. There were no photos and no biographical details to draw on. But, finally, with a bit of detective work and a few phone calls, I was able to get ahold of a club owner that occasionally booked the band. He gave me another phone number and within a few hours I had made contact.
The interview was set up by Little Tommy’s longtime manager and friend Marcus Tomas. I told him that I thought it was a great record and needed to be heard by more people. He agreed and suggested that an interview and article might be helpful. He also told me that Little Tommy wasn’t likely to be an easy interview--and that he had his own sense of propriety that didn’t always jibe with anybody else’s.
Most of the people that you interview are anxious to see their name in print. Any publicity, as long as it is reasonably favorable, is welcome. With Little Tommy, it was the opposite. He seemed suspicious of my intentions initially and answered my questions reluctantly. After I told him that I was a musician, the ice began to thaw a bit. Eventually, the conversation shifted to guitars, music and women—about life in the South, Mississippi in particular, and anything else that came to mind. It was there that the interview began.
WSA – When did you first hear the blues?
Little Tommy - I can’t remember the first time I heard the blues—they were just there. Maybe it was my mother. She used to sing songs like, Juice Head Baby and Cherry Red. Those were my lullabies. When she was eighteen, she moved from Mississippi to Chicago. She would hang out with Joe Williams and Freddy Green. Both of them were with Count Basie from the beginning. I’m talking about the 1940’s. Man, she could really sing! She would sing some Joe Liggins and the Honey Drippers, some Billie Holiday, even some Patsy Cline and Doris Day. If it had that feeling, she could sing it. That was my earliest memory of the blues, my mother singing me to sleep.
WSA - What about your father?
LT - He did some of this and some of that. He was a preacher in the Pentecostal church. He wasn't a musician, he was a man of God.
WSA- Was there any conflict between your religious upbringing and your music?
LT - I always played Gospel music and the blues. Yeah, there was some problems. I rebelled and hit the road when I was young. I did some drinking and other things, some hard living. I don't regret it. I made my peace.
WSA - When did you first start playing music?
LT – I started playing trumpet when I was nine and I began playing the guitar when I was thirteen. But, I always messed around with instruments. I used to see kids walking to school with their saxophones and trumpets, and it made me want to play. There was just something magical about it. There was nothing, and then you could pick up a horn and play, and you had music.
WSA - Why did you choose the instruments that you did?
LT – I liked the way the trumpet sounded. I liked the fact that you could carry it around wherever you went. I could be sitting and fishing and play. It sounded like a person singing, I could put in a mute and play quiet, but, if I wanted to, I could wake the dead. I liked the guitar because it was sexy. Guitars look good, like a woman. You can carry it around like a trumpet and you can play chords as well as notes. If you’re really good, you can do both. You can make it scream and cry, or you can play quiet and soft. It can do anything.
WSA – How old are you?
LT – I don’t tell my age.
WSA – Why?
LT – Because, it don’t matter. Let’s just say I been playing longer than most people been alive and leave it at that!
WSA - Is that why you don’t like pictures of yourself? Most people want to see their face in a magazine or on television.
LT – People want to sell an image, I want to sell some music. Don’t buy it because of how I look. Buy it because of how it sounds. If you like it, buy it, if you don’t, buy it anyway……I could use the money.
WSA – Why should people buy your music, why not B.B. King’s or Buddy Guy’s?
LT – Hey man, I love B.B. and Buddy! It’s not about buying my record or theirs. I think if you listen to our music, you’ll like it. We play real blues, with real feeling. No pretend blues—just the real thing. That’s why you should buy it. That, and I need a new car!
WSA – How did you form the Blues Kings?
LT – I been playing with most of these guys for a long time—I mean a “LONG” time! Some of these guys I’ve known since they was kids—I taught some of them to play.
WSA – Is this a permanent band or do they play with other people as well?
LT – They do what they want, like me, I do what I want—if they want to play with other people that’s fine with me. They got to make a living just like I do. But, when you playing with Little Tommy, you playing with me—that’s all I ask! I mean, all of these guys can play, if you know what I mean. They can play jazz, blues, rock and roll, gospel, country, whatever. And they play it good! They choose to play with Little Tommy because I play with feeling, deep blues, real feeling, you can’t get that everywhere. When Little Tommy plays, it’s like snake charming. You ever see snake charmers like they got in India? That’s what I do. I hypnotize my audience, like that snake. Once you been charmed by my music you can’t get away! (laughter)
WSA – You play some very jazzy sounding music, it’s not exactly what you expect from a Southern blues band.
LT – Where do you think all this music came from? You think it came from New York? It’s all Southern music. And it’s all blues. People like to break things down, saying, this is this kind of music, and that’s that kind of music. To me, it’s all the same thing. It’s either good or it isn’t, that’s all that matters.
WSA - What do you want people to say about your music?
LT – I want people to say they bought it—and they tell their friends to buy it—and then I want them to say, that fool can play—and then come back to listen for another day! (Laughter)
With that, the interview ended, primarily because Little Tommy seemed to think that was enough. Of all of the people I’ve interviewed over the years Tommy seemed to care the least--almost nothing--for the formality of the business. Like a very small handful of musicians, he seemed to have a sense of his own worth independent of other’s opinions. My hope is that people will listen, and then shell out some of that hard-earned dough that he and his band seem so in need of. On the other hand, if they don’t, I’m not sure he’ll give it much thought. He’ll do what he’s been doing for at least forty years—keep playing music, because that’s what he does. And if we don’t like it, he’ll take his guitar or trumpet down to his favorite fishing hole and play the blues—and charm a few fish onto his hook—just like he does with his audience.
Rufus Brown
Little Tommy - I can’t remember the first time I heard the blues—they were just there. Maybe it was my mother. She used to sing songs like, Juice Head Baby and Cherry Red. Those were my lullabies. When she was eighteen, she moved from Mississippi to Chicago. She would hang out with Joe Williams and Freddy Green. Both of them were with Count Basie from the beginning. I’m talking about the 1940’s. Man, she could really sing! She would sing some Joe Liggins and the Honey Drippers, some Billie Holiday, even some Patsy Cline and Doris Day. If it had that feeling, she could sing it. That was my earliest memory of the blues, my mother singing me to sleep.
WSA - What about your father?
LT - He did some of this and some of that. He was a preacher in the Pentecostal church. He wasn't a musician, he was a man of God.
WSA- Was there any conflict between your religious upbringing and your music?
LT - I always played Gospel music and the blues. Yeah, there was some problems. I rebelled and hit the road when I was young. I did some drinking and other things, some hard living. I don't regret it. I made my peace.
WSA - When did you first start playing music?
LT – I started playing trumpet when I was nine and I began playing the guitar when I was thirteen. But, I always messed around with instruments. I used to see kids walking to school with their saxophones and trumpets, and it made me want to play. There was just something magical about it. There was nothing, and then you could pick up a horn and play, and you had music.
WSA - Why did you choose the instruments that you did?
LT – I liked the way the trumpet sounded. I liked the fact that you could carry it around wherever you went. I could be sitting and fishing and play. It sounded like a person singing, I could put in a mute and play quiet, but, if I wanted to, I could wake the dead. I liked the guitar because it was sexy. Guitars look good, like a woman. You can carry it around like a trumpet and you can play chords as well as notes. If you’re really good, you can do both. You can make it scream and cry, or you can play quiet and soft. It can do anything.
WSA – How old are you?
LT – I don’t tell my age.
WSA – Why?
LT – Because, it don’t matter. Let’s just say I been playing longer than most people been alive and leave it at that!
WSA - Is that why you don’t like pictures of yourself? Most people want to see their face in a magazine or on television.
LT – People want to sell an image, I want to sell some music. Don’t buy it because of how I look. Buy it because of how it sounds. If you like it, buy it, if you don’t, buy it anyway……I could use the money.
WSA – Why should people buy your music, why not B.B. King’s or Buddy Guy’s?
LT – Hey man, I love B.B. and Buddy! It’s not about buying my record or theirs. I think if you listen to our music, you’ll like it. We play real blues, with real feeling. No pretend blues—just the real thing. That’s why you should buy it. That, and I need a new car!
WSA – How did you form the Blues Kings?
LT – I been playing with most of these guys for a long time—I mean a “LONG” time! Some of these guys I’ve known since they was kids—I taught some of them to play.
WSA – Is this a permanent band or do they play with other people as well?
LT – They do what they want, like me, I do what I want—if they want to play with other people that’s fine with me. They got to make a living just like I do. But, when you playing with Little Tommy, you playing with me—that’s all I ask! I mean, all of these guys can play, if you know what I mean. They can play jazz, blues, rock and roll, gospel, country, whatever. And they play it good! They choose to play with Little Tommy because I play with feeling, deep blues, real feeling, you can’t get that everywhere. When Little Tommy plays, it’s like snake charming. You ever see snake charmers like they got in India? That’s what I do. I hypnotize my audience, like that snake. Once you been charmed by my music you can’t get away! (laughter)
WSA – You play some very jazzy sounding music, it’s not exactly what you expect from a Southern blues band.
LT – Where do you think all this music came from? You think it came from New York? It’s all Southern music. And it’s all blues. People like to break things down, saying, this is this kind of music, and that’s that kind of music. To me, it’s all the same thing. It’s either good or it isn’t, that’s all that matters.
WSA - What do you want people to say about your music?
LT – I want people to say they bought it—and they tell their friends to buy it—and then I want them to say, that fool can play—and then come back to listen for another day! (Laughter)
With that, the interview ended, primarily because Little Tommy seemed to think that was enough. Of all of the people I’ve interviewed over the years Tommy seemed to care the least--almost nothing--for the formality of the business. Like a very small handful of musicians, he seemed to have a sense of his own worth independent of other’s opinions. My hope is that people will listen, and then shell out some of that hard-earned dough that he and his band seem so in need of. On the other hand, if they don’t, I’m not sure he’ll give it much thought. He’ll do what he’s been doing for at least forty years—keep playing music, because that’s what he does. And if we don’t like it, he’ll take his guitar or trumpet down to his favorite fishing hole and play the blues—and charm a few fish onto his hook—just like he does with his audience.
Rufus Brown
Little Tommy & The Blues Kings
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