Dirty South TV Interviews Andrew Black as his smokin hot new album
Andrew Black and The Naturals "14th and Crescent" is being released!
Andrew Black
"Musical Chameleon-Doing what it Takes"
ALL NEW UPDATED EXCLUSIVE DIRTY SOUTH TV INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW BLACK AND HIS NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM!
September 18th, 2007
Where were you born? St. Paul, Minnesota
Where were you raised? Northern Indiana and Northern Georgia. I lived in Indiana for 9 years and moved to Georgia in 1983 and I’ve been here ever since.
How old were you when the music bug bit you? When I was 7, I took piano lessons until peer pressure came into play. “Back then you didn’t play piano; you played football”. If I only knew then what I know now. When I was in the first and second grade, I sang along to music on the radio and realized I could sing. I was 15 when the bug really bit me. I bought Ozzy Osborne’s Blizzard of Oz and it was over … wow, man, what a sound!
What was the song? One day I heard The Rolling Stones “Satisfaction.” It was all over with right then and there, and I was permanently hooked on music.
What interested you the most at first (singing/guitar/piano etc.)? Singing, piano, then guitar.
Who were some of your early music idols? Ronnie Millsap, Kool and the Gang, John Cougar, Bob Segar, the Doobie Brothers, George Benson, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Kiss, and Earth Wind and Fire, to name a few.
You began to play the piano at age 7, was it immediate for you-music taking you over and funneling through you or did it take time? It was immediate for me-I felt instantly connected.
How old were you and where were you on stage the first time in front of people? I was 5.
Were you trained traditionally? Yes, I learned how to read music through piano lessons and while playing trumpet in the school band.
Tell us about your previous albums. My first record “Live Now and then” was made for $2,500 at The Blue Sky Tavern in McDonough, Georgia. Other albums followed: “Live Now and Then 2,” “Live at Fee-Lay Gumbo.” And the new album was released on Friday, September 21, 2007, “Andrew Black & the Naturals - 14th & Crescent.”
Who have you worked with or collaborated with in the past? Barry Richman, Tom Gross, Sean O’Rourke, The Derek Trucks Band in ’95. I was so young in life and in music at that time. I played with Derek at the South Myrtle Beach Hard Rock Café, and while on stage, my necklace broke and it distracted me to the point that I missed my singing cue. This has stuck with me all these years; it will never happen again. Also I’ve played with Yosi Piamenta, John McKnight, Yonrico Scott, Jack Hall, Jimmy Herring, Jeff Sipe, Oliver Wood, Count M’Butu, Tinsley Ellis, Derek St. Homes, Chuck Rainey, John Schwenke, Charlie Wooten, Zack Brown, Coy Bowles, Mo from Mothers Finest, Caroline Aiken, Bill Sheffield, Wayne "Bear” Sauls, Donnie McCormick, Sean Costello, Joe “Lex” Luther and many other great musicians.
What makes this Album special to you? It’s the first album where I have some really solid horn arrangements which were done by Wes Funderburk, and it’s the first record where all of the guitar work is mine. I just love studying , playing, and performing on the guitar.
When and how did this Album come to you? I wanted to commemorate my life in music with The Natural Jazz Quartet. We have been playing from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. for the past four years at Front Page News. We headed down to 800 East Studios and did the recording with old school mixmaster, Damien Lewis .
Where have you played, or better yet-"Performed"? All over Atlanta, McDonough, Macon, Valdosta, Woodstock, Savannah, Marietta, (I love Marietta -- I call it my hometown now) West Palm Beach, Key West, Charleston, DC, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Ocean City, Roanoke, Vale, Tallahassee, Chattanooga and Raleigh, NC.
Who did you have collaborate with you on 14th and Crescent? Will Scruggs on sax, tour and studio vet Dustin Sargent on bass, Jack Jones on drums , Wes Funderburk on trombone and Ken Watters on trumpet. I can’t thank these guys enough for making the studio experience so cool.
What is your Goal for 2008? To take everything up to the next level, more concerts, music festivals, conventions and larger team-ups.
Now, we noticed that you're with a new Management Company , please let us in on that occurrence.
Well, that’s Terry Reeves with Music Matters Entertainment. I first met Terry at the Yosi Piamenta show. She was there representing Tony Tyler and Mojo:Saint. I was standing next to her for a while and I noticed that she was fixated on and very focused on her artists. I’m a fan of her style and dedication, so I called her about three months ago and the rest is history. I’m now properly taken care of and I can fully concentrate on the most important things -- my music, the studio and the song writing.
"Terry takes all of the smoke fog and weight away from me so I can be me -- Andrew Black, the Artist, the Musician".
(Click on Album Cover to order yours!)
When will 14th and Crescent be released? Friday, September 21st, 2007.
Some of Andrew’s musical influences:
God, Family, Friends ,Fans, George Benson, Prince, James Brown ,Donnie Hathaway ,Gregg Allman , Duane Allman, Derek Trucks, Dickie Betts, Eric Clapton, Gene Simmons ,Paul Stanley, Todd Rundgren, Sting, Travis Tritt, George Strait, Charlie Daniels, David Ruffin, Smokey Robinson, Barry Richman , Motor City Josh, Oliver Wood, David Ryan Harris, Rich Ward , Barron Ruth, Paul Kelly, Sean O'Rourke, Tom Young, Stevie Wonder, Vince Gill, Lenny Kravitz, Ozzy Osbourne, David Coverdale, David Clayton Thomas, Beau Hall, Tab Benoit, Luther Allison ,Keith Urban, Tuck Andress, Steve Ward, David Gilmour, Tom Grose, Luther Vandross, Otis Redding, Bob Marley, Roy Clark, Micheal McDonald, Ernie Isley, Marvin Gaye , Wilson Pickett, Ronnie Milsap, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Todd Smallie , Stevie Ray Vaughn, Paul McCartney , John Lennon, Ray Charles, Sean Costello, Mike Tomlin, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Jim Morrison, Albert King , Freddie King, B.B. King, Steely Dan , Steel Pulse ,Albert Collins, Dwight Yoakam, Harry Connick Jr. ,King's X, Wes Montgomery, Carlos Santana , Chris Hicks, Jonnie Lang, Mato Nanji, Waylon Jennings, Miles Davis, Willie Nelson, Will Scruggs , Chris Duarte, Dustin Sargent, Dan Baraszu, Nat "King Cole, Brian Setzer and Col Bruce Hampton.
To see and hear just how truly great Andrew Black is, please go to www.andrewblack.com.
“Old School Soul, Blues and Jazz-with a shot of Country"
Dirty South TV
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