Back to you. I really, really enjoyed “Master Of The Game”! It sure has a lot of grip and grit, if you know what I mean. That point is quite important, especially for Soul-Cats like me...
Here are my questions:
1. Tell me how the project i.e. the album came together.... From the first idea to the release...
After our first release, “Partner’s in The Blues,” on Burnside, we got an incredible response to the Soul/R&B tunes on that CD. It seemed to us that our audience was showing us what they wanted, so we decided to include more Soul style originals on “Master of the Game.”
2. The album is a wonderful blend of Blues, Funk, Soul and straight forward Rhythm and Blues. Do you agree? What do YOU think? Describe the music of the album with one sentence, or better: One word!
The “Master of the Game” CD is a tip of the hat to the “Deep Soul” style, while still keeping one foot in the Blues that we love.
3. You played with the Johnny Otis Revue for years and years. What is the main different to working with the Steve Edmonson Band? Does a possible emotional difference give the music a different flavour?
In the Johnny Otis Band, Johnny had control of the music, in our band, Steve and I share in all creative decisions.
4. What are the main characteristics of the combined Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band?
Steve and I and all the rest of the guys in the band work diligently to stay on the same page stylistically because we have a shared vision about the kind of music that we want to make. We are all very committed to staying together and being a band, not just an assemblage of “pick-up” musicians. It’s surprising how rare that is these days.
5. The album has a very nice flow to it...almost like watching a movie. Am I correct? Was that your intention?
We wanted the CD to flow smoothly, and if you can hear that, we have succeeded. Credit for the actual sequencing goes to Josh Temkin at Delta Groove; he really has an ear for it.
6. You dedicated the album to your uncle Neal Pattman, describing that it was him who taught you to sing the blues. Please explain... The album is also dedicated to the late great Lou Rawls. What was his influence on the music of the Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band-album “Master Of The Game”?
My uncle was a bluesman who started me out singing with him when I was a small child. He took me to my first Juke Joint which got me excited about the music, as well as teaching me how and where the Blues were traditionally performed. My uncle was a good friend and mentor, as well as being a wonderful person, and as if that wasn’t enough, he also made the best moonshine in Athens, GA.
Lou Rawls was a vocal master. We became friends while I was in the Johnny Otis Band. We continued to keep in touch by phone until his passing. His music had already influenced me before I met him, as it continues to do to this day.
7. You have an impressive background in music - and so many years of experience. What influence did that have on the album?
It is my combined experience in music that makes me the performer that I am today. The fact that I am comfortable in many different styles of music stems directly from all those years on the road and in the studio.
8. Give me three reasons why people should buy your album (especially in these days of downloads, the internet, etc.)!
The number one reason is that it’s a good CD, and as Johnny Otis said about “Master of the Game,” “Every Blues and R&B fan should have this CD in their collection.”
Number two…we need the money, LOL!
Reason three…as you said earlier; we created the CD as a complete work. The listener doesn’t get to experience that downloading individual tunes. In addition, you miss all of the things that Delta Groove put together for the CD, the artwork, liner notes, photos, etc.
9. Is there something that you expect from a person that listens to “Master Of The Game”?
I would expect him to get his or her groove on! I would hope that they would have an emotional connection with our music. On the other hand, what the listener can expect from us is to hear something that sounds vaguely familiar, but is still fresh and exciting.
10. Who or what are your influences? How do you feel about being an influence on others yourself?
Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Taylor, O.V. Wright, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Al Green, Eddie Floyd, Sam & Dave, basically all of the greats of Southern Soul and R&B music. The list is long because I soaked up everything that was going on around me as I was coming up in the business. For my money, Sam Cooke was the greatest male singer of all time, and Aretha is the greatest female singer of all time.
I hope that young musicians will listen to what we do, to learn how the music is played authentically, and to carry the torch into the future.
11. Is there anything like the Jackie Payne-sound? Describe it!
First and foremost, we are an ensemble, so our sound is a combination of influences from all of the band members, with guidance from Steve and me, of course. I feel that both Steve and I were lucky to find each other. We share almost identical, but very eclectic, taste in music, and we write songs together with such ease that I almost feel guilty. In addition to my vocal style, and Steve’s guitar style, Carl Green and his horn arrangements are an integral part of our sound. Our sound is mostly original Blues, Soul and old school R&B, played with an artistic integrity that allows each style that we do to be completely authentic while still being something new and unexpected.
12. What was your personal all-time favorite moment in music-history?
The first time that I saw James Brown perform live, I had a musical epiphany that changed my whole life. Ever since that moment, I have felt that James Brown was the greatest performer that ever lived.
13. Is music an artform or a business? Is music political? Are you political?
I would certainly like to think that music is an art form above all else. I wish that the business didn’t influence the art, but sadly we all know that it often does. We feel very fortunate that Randy Chortkoff and the folks at Delta Groove have allowed us a free reign to pursue whatever musical direction we feel drawn to. They have also bent over backwards to give us the resources that we need in order to make that music. Unfortunately, that is becoming more and more of a rarity these days.
Steve and I both have strong political views, but we rarely use the band as a vehicle to express those views. Steve has tried to write some songs with a more political message, but he says he can’t improve on Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” or “One Love.” When he does, maybe we’ll record it.
14. What are your future plans (more albums, tour, projects, etc.)? I noticed that “Master Of The Game” was released back in fall of 2006. Is there a new project/album ahead?
Our second CD for Delta Groove, “Overnight Sensation,” is scheduled to be in stores on July 22nd of this year. We will continue to tour as much as we can. I was stationed in Germany in the army in the sixties, and I haven’t been back since, so Germany is somewhere that we would really like to go. I’ve been talking to Randy at Delta Groove about including our music in the soundtrack for one of his movies, and I’ve been busy working on an autobiography that I have wanted to write for years.
15. Is it important to stick out (in life and as an artist)?
As an artist, I think that you need to stand out to be noticed. If you are referring to the way we dress on stage, we are continuing a tradition started by all of our musical heroes. From Muddy Waters to James Brown to Al Green, all of these artists felt that their appearance on stage was important, and none of them ever hit the stage without dressing the best that they possibly could. It is out of respect for them, and for our audience that we make sure that we always look sharp on stage.
16. If you could change just one thing (three things?) on and/or for this entire planet, what would it be?
My first wish would be that no one in the world would ever go to bed hungry again. I would also wish that people would realize that we are all brothers and that we have more in common than we have to separate us. One of my greatest wishes would be that we would stop trying to kill our planet.
17. Any last thought about you, your music or “Master Of The Game”? Anything vital you want to make sure I’ll tell my readers?
Just that I hope that people who hear my music, first appreciate it on an emotional and musical level, and that young up and coming musicians and singers will listen and learn the musical traditions that I have spent my lifetime learning so that this rich tradition can be passed on as an inheritance for future generations.
18. One last request: Could you please give me a comment on my magazine, the “SOUL TRAIN” (www.soultrainonline.de)?! The magazine has a subpage called “Props”, where artists are quoted on their opinions about the mag, and I’d like to include your opinion (usually it’s something general like “With the SOUL TRAIN Soul Music finally has a home in Germany” or “The SOUL TRAIN - Funky Stuff!” – just so you get an idea of what I mean...please do feel free to say whatever you like)!
“It’s nice to see that there is a magazine like The Soul Train that still covers the music that we love. Without an audience this music will just go away. Considering that it took a century to develop Blues, R&B, and Soul to the point where they are now, it would certainly be a great loss.”
