Tommy Castro's brand of high-energy, soul-inflected
blues has brought him a national audience in the space of a few
short years. Since his 1995 recording debut, he's gone from being
a San Francisco Bay Area favorite to sharing stages coast to
coast with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and John Hiatt on King's annual
package tour.
His newest album, released in mid-2001, found him on a new label:
the Tower Records subsidiary 33rd Street Records. Guilty of
Love is also notable for containing what's reportedly the
last recorded performance of John Lee Hooker, who died just before
the album hit shelves. Hooker lends vocals to the disc's Stax-style
title track.
Castro took time to speak with Blues Revue during a morning
walk. Here's what he told us.
Guilty of Love is your first album for this relatively
small label. Did things end amicably between you and your previous
label, Blind Pig Records?
I was just looking to try something different.
I'd fulfilled my obligation to Blind Pig and then some, and we'd
had a great relationship, but an opportunity came to do something
new. There are things about my new arrangement that are very
artist-friendly, like the fact that the label doesn't own my
performances forever; we get them back after five years. The
royalty arrangement is in our favor, too. And it's only a one-album
deal.
Last year you toured with
B.B. King for the second time. Is it intimidating to share a
stage with someone who's been a legend for so long? How did you
first get involved with the tour?
It's not only that he's a legend - it's also
that he's been one of my major influences ever since I got my
first B.B. King album more than 30 years ago. I actually learned
how to play my first licks from listening to his records. So
for me to hang out for two and a half months with the undisputed
king of the blues - not to mention the nicest guy you'd ever
meet - was the highlight of my career. He's just a really good
example of how you should conduct yourself in the business. He
likes to treat everyone with respect, whether it's the fans or
the people he works with.
We'd been building a track record around the country for several
years, having four releases at the time and some SoundScan to
back it up. The tour promoter was aware of us and liked us, and
B.B. liked us, and we got the call to join the tour. It's been
the best thing that's ever happened to me. It felt like we covered
just about every amphitheater in the United States.
(continue
to part 2)
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