SOLO BLUES HARMONICA AND VOCALS
"Need To Make A Dollar" Keith Dunn -Solo
What follows are excerpts of an interview between Keith Dunn and SinCity Sue. A more complete interview will be available on the Keith Dunn Band blog.
SinCity Sue: Mister Dunn
Keith Dunn: Please! Call me Mister Wonderful.
SCS: (laughing real loud!)
KD: Okay, I tried! Just call me Keith. I have a friend who wrote a great song called "I'm Not Mister Wonderful".
SCS: Sounds kinda Punkish..
KD: Yes, it was.
SCS: And right now you are busy with the Keith Dunn Band, a new band, without bass.
KD: Yes, our band is great and I love it. The fans love it too. We have two guitars, drums and harmonica. The band is new but word is getting out and we are starting to be asked to headline festivals. We practice and work on new material all of the time. There is tradition in the band of course but we keep our sound fresh and danceable. We are more concerned with songs, beats and rhythms that grab our audience then in being a guitar or harmonica-god band. We want people to come to our shows, dance, have fun and leave happy.
SCS: In your band there seems to be something for everyone.
KD: Well, they will be happy to hear that.
SCS:...In a world filled with musicians who have done nothing yet promote themselves like crazy, you have done a lot yet you promote yourself hardly at all.
KD: Why should I?
SCS: I will read some of the facts that I have found about you. Please stop me when they are not true or if you want to add something. Does that sound good?
KD: That sounds fine.
SCS: Why don't we have some champagne?
KD: It worked for Muddy.
SCS and KD (laughing!)
SCS: You worked as a cook in various restaurants...for about 12 years and have cooked for an impressive list of people including; Hunter S. Thompson, Fats Domino, Mohammed Ali.....You cooked a birthday dinner for Big Walter Horton...
KD: Well the birthday dinner for Walter was in a private home, the house of a friend, not in a restaurant as I remember James Cotton was there too.
SCS: What did you cook for Mohammed Ali?
KD: Ali, my idol! He had Blackened-Redfish.
SCS:
You have been playing music for more that 35 years... you have performed from Mexico City to Moscow...from Lincoln Center in New York to the Opera House in Vienna. You have played with...Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy Rogers, Big Walter Horton, Lurrie Bell, Roy Eldridge, Hubert Sumlin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Cramps, Luther Allison, Sleepy LaBeef, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ronnie Earl, Magic Slim, Kenny Smith, Jo Jones, The Wolfgang (Howlin' Wolf's Band) Pinetop Perkins, Billy Branch, Joe Louis Walker, Big Jack Johnson...When you opened with Jimmy Rogers the Muddy Waters Blues band came and sat if the front row...After all of this what will be the next?
KD:...Well, I have also worked with people who are great but may not be so well known..With Renaud Lesire and Bart De Mulder on guitars and Alex Lex on drums, we have a great band right here and now. The idea is to play as much as we can, everywhere and make beautiful recordings with the Keith Dunn Band....
During the past few years in addition to playing with bands I have done my solo show called "Alone With The Blues". You will find audio and video examples of it on this page and many sound samples by clicking the CD Baby link. I have also formed a band. We are two guitars, drums and harmonica (no bass). You can follow the band here: www.myspace.com/keithdunnband or for more information visit www.keithdunn.com
thank you, Keith
