Interview by Dave Callari, ©1996
Willie on...Getting Started | Influences | Studying | Equipment | Electronics | New Music
Who are you presently playing with now?
I've been playing with Junior Wells and Luther Allison, but currently it's with Luther Allison.
Where is the tour starting?
On the east coast and it will last ëtill about September 16.
Wow, thatís a long run. Have you played with either of these guys before?
Well ... I played with Luther a while ago and I played with Junior... sat in with him when I was a kid.
What do you find challenging between the two gigs?
With Luther itís more high powered. Junior is with a horn section and Luther is just a four piece. And, with Luther, thereís a lot of energy ... you have to really keep it up.
Is it strictly blues music with these guys?
Yeah... mostly.
So Junior has a horn section.
Yeah, three horns.
What is your role in these groups? Are you able to contribute ideas or is it more of a sideman role?
You get to contribute a lot of ideas, actually.
You must rehearse before starting a tour, right?
Yes we do. With Junior... weíve been together so long, I just know the shit... it just comes natural.
With Luther, I practice with him, ëcause he just won five WC HANDY awards in Memphis, so I was down there with him learning his two albums.
How long do you usually rehearse before going out... a couple of weeks?
No. When I went to Memphis I only rehearsed for a day. Iím going back down and we hit the road on Thursday.
Have you done any recording with either of these guys, either in the studio or live?
Iíve done live recording overseas with Junior.
So this is the first time playing with Luther?
Well... yeah, since the early seventies.
Could you tell me a little bit about how you got started?
The first time I started playing I was probably four years old. This was around 1954. Then I got serious around 1959. I had three cousins that stayed in the same apartment building as my dad, and they were into the marching band thing. Theyíd practice everyday. So Iíd go up there and just sit and watch. I never let ëem show me anything... I always had [done] it off the top of my head. But then they would show me the right way to do it.
It stuck with me so easy that when I got to high school I knew how to play already. They made me the leader of the orchestra, and the marching band. So I took it from there.
Who were your biggest influences?
Thereís a fellaí named Bobby Neely... he no longer plays. He showed me a lot. Also, Quintan Joseph that used to work for Brunswick Records. They helped me hook up with Chess Records. I recorded with a number of artist there. Iíve played with Dave Garibaldi from Tower of Power.
When did you play with him?
When they were hot... they were doing Soul Vaccination.
What was your involvement with Dave?
Just learning techniques from him, and Bernard Purdie with Aretha Franklin. Also, a fellaí named Jo Jones, who used to be with Count Basie. I took all of that and put it into my own style... and it works.
Well, thatís definitely some good background.
Oh yeah. Well, we toured Europe together with Bernard back in ë76. He was playing with a saxophone player named Gotto... Fabereage, or somethiní.
Have you done any kind of traditional studying?
I studied with William Abernathy when I was in high school. He used to do Motown sessions. He taught me to read ëcause I had to get control over the orchestra and marching band.
Nine times out of ten when I go into the studio and I play to somebodyís sheet music, they ask me, "What do you feel?" and "What do you hear?". I close the book and play, and they use that.
Thereís still no substitution for feeling.
No, there isnít. When I played on this song, "Three Hundred Pounds of Heavenly Joy" with Big Twist... when I left, no one could play it. And it was so simple, you know? They had to stop playiní it.
Sometimes the simplest things are the most elusive.
Uh Hum. The thing is I play with traditional grip. Lots of drummers play matched grip. Iím also left-handed. I was taught to play right-handed... so that makes my left hand quicker.
So your kit is set up right-handed. Thatís a definite advantage.
Letís discuss equipment. What kind of kit are you currently playing on?
Right now Iím using a Tama Rockstar set.
What about heads?
Remo Pinstripes.
What kind of cymbals, and how do you set them up?
I use Zildjian. I use just a ride, crash, and hi-hat. Thatís a 21" ride, 18" crash, and 14" hi-hats.
What kind of sticks do you use?
I use Promark 5B woodtip for most things. For concerts I use the 2B woodtip, which is a heavier stick. I might use the 5B for studio or small clubs, and use the 2B for live applications.
How do you feel about electronics?
I donít get into the electronics, ëcause if your a drummer you make ëem work for you. I see the electronics as a way out, yaí know? If youíre going to be a drummer, you make everything work. Thatís why those syn drums never lasted.
Itís about time they started using real drummers again.
Thatís right. You go into a recording and they put all this bullshit together, but when youíre on-stage itís a whole different thing. You can use all the tricks you want to.
Thereís no substitution for human feel.
No... No. A machine canít duplicate the breathing and phrasing of a human drummer.
Can you tell us a little about what drum kits you first played on?
Sure. My first kit was one I put together that was given to me by my sixth grade music teacher. That was a sight to see, but that encouraged me all the more to play them. All the other kids had nice drum kits, but I couldnít afford that. It made me so determined that I played them. I was embarrassed to set them up on-stage next to the otherís kits. Then my Uncle, bless his heart, went to a pawn shop and got me this old kit with this big-ass bass drum...
Like a 26"?
Yeah... and they laughed me off the stage with that. So this fellaí in the neighborhood, who couldnít play guitar, had all this equipment. Amongst all this stuff he had a white drum kit with a pearl finish. He still had a few notes left to pay on it, so he let me take over the payments and let me have the drums. From that point on it seems like drums just came to me. Later a friend of mine who owned a music store sold me a set of Slingerlands, and then a Ludwig kit after that. Some time after that I got the Tama kit, and Iíve been playing that ever since.
Then you like the Tama Rockstar set the best so far?
Well... you know... they got the deeper toms. But itís really not the drums, itís how you tune them. You can take an old bullshit kit and make ëem sound good.
Just as long as you have some decent shells to work with. What about the snare? What kind of heads do you use on them?
I use a clear head, and sometimes a batter.
How many piece kit is it?
Itís a five piece: 12", 14", 16" toms, a 22" bass drum, and a 14" snare. I also use some percussion items by Slug Percussion. They make some nice stuff that have been really useful. That's what I look for in a company, a good relationship and great products.
Are there any new groups or music that have grabbed your attention?
No... not really [laughter].
Thatís unfortunate [more laughter].
Thatís it man. Iím trying to make it happen. Iím supposed to be recording with Seal Johnson on his next album. He wants me to, anyway.
So you listen to the older stuff mainly.
Yeah, mostly. Iím not into the new shit. I like the older stuff... itís down from the heart. You have to really play, you know?
You must have been influenced by the Motown sound.
Oh yeah, we used to play all that stuff. The first person to take me on the road with him was Magic Sam... I was with him when he died. He took me out of the basement and I went out on the road with him. I was about sixteen or seventeen at the time. I had a No. 4 record in ë66 when I was in high school. That did pretty good. And then I had a band called South Side Movement. I got a gold record in the Philippines for that one. I played with Koko Taylor when I was fourteen. I also got a Grammy Award in 1987 with Koko Taylor at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Switzerland. I did an album called the Blues Explosion.
That Grammy must have been nice.
Yes, it was. Really nice. I also went on to do recordings with Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows "Playing For Keeps", the Son Seals album "Bad Axe", the Mighty Joe Young album "Bluesy Josephine" and "Live at the Wise Fools". There was so much stuff... I even played a couple of times with Sonny and Cher [laughter]... but that was a long time ago.
The Grammy you got when you were with Koko was in 1987, but you say you played with her when you were fourteen?
Yeah, I couldnít even go into the club. I had to wait in the dressing room until we went on.
When did you begin touring?
Around 1976. I was with Mighty Joe Young at the time. We toured with B.B. King, and The Mercy Ellington Orchestra with The Count Basie Alumni. Also with Fats Domino.
Where did you play?
Everywhere... East France, Germany, Switzerland... yaí know, all the spots.
So what do you see yourself doing over the next ten years?
Iíll keep playing... try to make somethiní work when all this rap bullshit dies down [laughter].
All right then. Thanks for your time. I really appreciate this opportunity to speak with you, and wish you the best.
No problem... I hope we can do this again.
Special thanks to Slug Percussion for setting up this interview
Interview by Dave Callari
