For example, the title track is a hybrid of Clifton Chenier and Otis Rush. I started thinking about all the music that I cared about, then started writing songs that represented my entire record collection. “My third record and break-away release was Crescent City Moon, which I produced myself. He has also collaborated on a few occasions with another excellent songwriter, Anders Osborne, to produce his albums. For that album, Sansone co-wrote several songs with Boudreaux and played guitar, accordion, and harp on the session. Then the editing starts and that is extremely time consuming.”īecause of that process, Sansone does not find it easy to try to co-write with others, although one exception did result in a Grammy nomination this year for Tab Benoit’s Production of Big Chief Monk Boudreaux’s release, Bloodstains and Teardrops. I’ll listen to it over and over, picking it apart. I’ll bang around on a song until it makes sense and then I’ll record a demo. I might start at 9 am and suddenly realize its dark outside and I haven’t left the table. Sometimes I get in such a deep trance that my mind can drift off into a visual place, kind of like inside of a movie. I’ll surround myself with all those little note papers and my instruments and lock the doors. Then I’ll take all the notes when I’m ready to write. I’ll look at a situation or listen to someone talking, hear what they’re going through and try to relate to their pain or joy. “It’s rare to find a musician who not only writes, sings, and solos, but also sells the songs live on stage. He noted that, for him, songwriting is an activity that occurs constantly, and being a good songwriter is one of the traits he admires most in others. Sansone has been referred to as a Zen-like philosopher whose observations about life have led him to be recognized as an award-winning songwriter. A four-piece band belting it out at a local blues jam can be just as satisfying as the latest hot-shot on the main stage.” “Like a fine wine or whisky, you must start with the finest ingredients, distill it down, ferment it, and then present it after years of experimenting. But mixing in certain proportions with other spices changes all directions.” You could only use salt and garlic and make something tasty. Absorbing the simplicity of the music is not easy. Later, the Fabulous Thunderbirds would hot rod his songs to a whole new generation of fans. Blues, R&B, gospel, country, Cajun, and zydeco can all be heard in his music. Known as a Louisiana Swamp-Blues man, Lester’s music was a product of his musical region between the New Orleans and East Texas border. A favorite example was my good friend and guidance counselor the late Lazy Lester. “Blues, the first American roots-music, can be traced back to regions, like all cultures, food, art, and just basic survival. The legendary guys seemed more organic to me.” Wells shared firsthand information with me, and we ended up as friends for many years. In the early years of Chicago blues, the great musicians weren’t as guarded as you might think. Then I found out that they were just regular people, and they were interested in the fact that I was interested in their music, and eventually friendships were forged. I was able to see so many legendary blues musicians. “I consider myself fortunate to have been on this career path in the 1970’s and 80’s. Sansone has been a full-time musician since the early 1980’s, and cherishes the opportunity he had to witness performances by some of the blues legends such as Howlin’ Wolf, Clifton Chenier, Big Joe Turner, James Cotton and Junior Wells. Blues Blast Magazine had the opportunity to catch up with Sansone when he was performing at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas. However, what often stands out even more prominently is the beautiful tone of his incredibly powerful singing voice. Sansone has impressed many with his talent as a multi-instrumentalist, playing harmonica, accordion, and guitar. In his early years, Sansone toured as the featured vocalist and harp player in Ronnie Earl’s Broadcasters, and he later worked with legendary bluesmen John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Rogers, and Robert Lockwood Jr. But he has now lived more than half of his life in the rich musical city of New Orleans. Johnny Sansone was born and raised in New Jersey, the son of a saxophone playing schoolteacher who was in Dave Brubeck’s Wolf Pack band during World War II. We have four Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Bob Corritore & Friends, Brad “Guitar” Wilson, Gary Cain and Todd Sharpville. Anita Schlank has our feature interview with Johnny Sansone.
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