What else one can say that has not been said or written before about one of the most legendary artists of the music business of the last half a century that is the American guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper? The man behind most of the fortunes of the legendary Stax Records, the 82-years-old, also known as "The Colonel" by fans and fellow musician friends, has worked, throughout his glorious career, with the biggest names in the music business, from Otis Redding to The Blues Brothers, Booker T & the MG's, Rod Stewart, Eddie Floyd, Peter Frampton, Art Garfunkel, Richie Havens, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett and the list goes on and on.
After writing and co-writing for five decades classics of Blues, Soul and R&B and having toured the world for numerous years, Cropper may have slowed down his live activity a little, mainly due to little health issues but this has never stopped the American guitarist from writing and playing in studio for himself and for other artists too.
Back from 3 years of hiatus from his last solo project, a very inspired album called Fire It Up, where Cropper was accompanied by a superb line-up of studio musicians that included also the singer Roger C. Reale, among others, Steve Cropper has recently released a new album under the name Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour called Friendlytown, a record where, together with most of the line-up of musicians already present on Fire It Up (Cropper's long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalists and producer Jon Tiven, Roger C. Reale on vocals and drummer and percussionist Nioshi Jackson), also features Special Guests of the calibre of ZZ Top's lead guitarist Billy F. Gibbons (who played on the entirety of Friendlytown), Queen's lead guitarist Brian May and country-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist Tim Montana.
Bluebird Reviews had the great honour and privilege to discuss the making of Friendlytown with The Man Himself Steve Cropper on a Zoom interview, where this outstanding artist candidly opened up about the way Friendlytown was made with his usual charme and irresistible joie-de-vivre.
BR – Hi Steve, many congratulations for your new record called Friendlytown, a record that exudes, under both a lyrical and a musical aspect, a lot of positive vibes at every point of the album itself. Do you recall, by any chance, the moment when you were asked by your record label to start working on your new album?
SC – I do, but, at the time, when I got asked, I said no, initially. Then, a bit later on, I changed my mind and said, “As long as I got a budget, I can do that” (smiles). It was nice to have the same guys I recorded the previous album with, except for Brian (May), Billy (Gibbons) and Tim Montana. You know, my previous record was a lot more serious than this, but this new one, it was a lotta fun to do, I gotta tell you.
BR – We are aware that you were looking for a new lead guitarist, for Friendlytown and we were wondering, before your good friend and longtime collaborator Jon Tiven ran into ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons (apparently Tiven and Gibbons ran into each other purely by accident in a shop), did you have anybody else in mind to play guitar on the album, Steve?
SC – No, not really! (laughs) I knew I couldn’t play lead guitar as well as I used to, back in the days, because at the moment, my hands don’t react to my brain as quick as they used to do, therefore Billy was the perfect choice, no doubts.
BR – Most of the songs part of Friendlytown have got that very distinctive Stax sound that has been a wonderful constant, in your career, while other songs have got a more Texas Blues/Rock imprint, like You Can’t Refuse, for example, where Tim Montana appeared as Special Guest. Were there songs on the album that were born in a certain music style and then changed along the way, Steve, before Gibbons got onboard with the project?
SC – Fundamentally, genres aside, for me, it’s all about groove. That particular track you mentioned, You Can’t Refuse, it has got a Bo Diddley kind of style to it and I know that Tim is a great fan of Diddley and his music, just as much as I was a great fan of Bo’s music, as he was too of mine. We met with Bo the first time, I believe, on the set of Blues Brothers 2000 and we hit it off big time. I think, if I am right, we then even had breakfast together in Seville, Spain... Bo is great, I think I have played with him at least 5 or 6 times on stage, what an awesome artist he really is.
BR - Steve, let's talk about the songs on Friendlytown and the way they took form. Were most of them originally tracked down just on acoustic guitar or did something magical happen in the studio? Did the songs just blossomed in the studio very organically, when you were recording the album live together with The Midnight Hour?
SC - Well, I guess some of that magic stuff must have happened, somehow, I guess. I remember, when I was in the studio working on the album, what really got me, when I looked at the other side of the glass, it was that everybody in the studio was dancing, including the Sound Engineer! Sounds like some magic must have happened indeed (smiles).
BR - The first single off the album is the song you recorded with Queen’s Brian May as Special Guest and we were wondering how pleased were you of the outcome?
SC - To tell you the truth, to have Brian May on the album was more the record label's idea, but it was great fun.
BR - Would you say that your guitar playing style and Billy Gibbons ones are very different from one another?
SC - The way we play guitar, although someone may say they are different, in reality they are much more similar than what people may think, in terms of licks, not lead licks though. Billy is undoubtedly a great guitar player. You know, there is an independent company that is currently working on a documentary about me and Billy is on that documentary too. Apparently, although his engineer told me this thing in confidence, Billy stated, at some point in the making of the documentary, that he was so proud of a track he did on that documentary. During the filming, also somebody from the production company asked him "Can you do a Cropper lick for us?" (laughs). I hope that will appear on the documentary, that would be funny to watch.
BR - Do you remember whether there was any song, off your new album, that was a bit more tricky to nail, Steve?
SC - No, not that I recall. Maybe, Rain On My Parade. That particular song was more of a Jon Tiven idea, with some great lyrics too.. I did find that song really sweet, it was a real stroke of genius. I mean, there is some slow Blues, on the record but I can play that stuff in my sleep, to be honest (smiles). Back to Friendlytown as a whole, I think everyone can relate to the tone of the whole record, people can really put their souls in those songs and think "Yes, I have been there before, in that place called Friendlytown"!
BR - Talking about the album title, Steve, were you referring, perhaps, to Nashville, a place where you have been living for more than 30 years or elsewhere?
SC - Subconsciously, maybe, who knows? But there was no mention of any nod to Nashville, between me, Jon or Roger, neither music wise nor lyric wise, as the type of Friendlytown we are talking about. The tracks themselves, they have got more a Memphis, Stax kinda groove. People say, "How comes Stax was so successful, back in those days"? Pretty simple, it was because we were not selling music, we were selling groove! And groove works every time. Music works, sometimes but not every time. But groove does, as it does on Friendlytown too, in my opinion.
BR- Judging by what our website saw, in those YouTube videos you published, about the making of Friendlytown, there was in the recording studio a real feeling of genuine cameraderie, where everyone was getting on with each other very well.
SC - That is very true. Except for the track we did with Brian May, that didn't happen in the same studio. The track was done here in the States, but Brian did most of the writing over there in England.
BR - Steve, can you please tell us a bit more about one of the songs of the album, Talkin' About Politics. It really felt like there was a bit of anger towards American politicians in general, on that track.
SC - (smiles) That track was Jon Tiven's idea. I don't normally put politic, in my songs. Let's face, they mostly are liars, crooks and clowns (as mentioned in the song too) and they don't care whether you could be their best friend or not, they would be still behaving that way anyway!
Cropper, Jon Tiven & Billy F Gibbons
BR - Do you still feel, after all those years that you have spent in the music business, that music still holds that magic of bringing unity among people, especially in a country like the United States, where politicians, almost systematically, in later years, have failed to deliver their promises to people?
SC - I don't know, it's hard to say.. what's failure, what's not failure, who knows? I wouldn't have an answer on that. People is still not complaining, despite all, about things like the rising cost of life and especially the price of groceries. Evidently, they can still afford to buy some crap and if one day, say, I can't afford to buy them myself anymore, then, I guess, I'll just get skinnier, ha! (smiles)
BR - Steve, we guess that you have not planned any Tour at all, in support of Friendlytown, is that right? If that is the case, is that because you don't feel like touring anymore, after more than half a century or are there any other personal reasons?
SC - It's nothing to do with not wanting to Tour anymore, but it is rather a physical matter. My hands are still steady but it's more a matter of immediacy between my brain and my hands. Hopefully, I'll get over it, I know I shall. The record label asked me the same question, about touring, just a little while ago and I said to them "Right now, I don't know, I got no plans". I understand that tours need at least something like six months in advance of planning but, at this moment in time, I cannot give certainties, in that respect.
BR - Are you considering working with Billy Gibbons again, on a new album in future, Steve?
SC - Yes, I think so. He even attended my Birthday Party, last year and it was so cool. Such a great guy. We have been knowing each other for years but never played together, before Friendlytown.
BR - Whenever we look at your incredible career, we look at an artist that has fulfilled any possible achievable dream in his lifetime. Where do you still find, Steve, at this stage of your life and career, that desire, that drive to reach that musical perfection that has transpired and still transpires in everything you do and have been involved into?
SC - Well, that is something you never lose, it's something that you get from birth and you carry on for your whole life, I guess. I just love the idea of being part of something, like on my new album. To be honest, it's not about me, it has never been about me, about Steve Cropper the guitarist or the songwriter.. it's more about the other person, the one you are playing to. It's what really keep someone like me motivated and happy to be alive.
Photos courtesy by Stacie Huckeba.
