Author: Bret Adams

The gloriously soulful music recorded by Stax Records is still entertaining listeners six decades after its release, and the label has been celebrating its 60th anniversary with a reissue campaign. The first offerings are 10 Stax Classics compilations from artists including Booker T. & The MG’s, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Albert King and others.

Central to the story is guitarist/songwriter/producer Steve Cropper. “The Colonel” was a member of Booker T. & The MG’s, best known for the 1962 instrumental “Green Onions” and as the house band for most of the label’s music.

“I have my theory on what made Stax and Memphis music great,” said Cropper. “Every time I look at my wife at a concert and we see people dancing, I’ll say, ‘You know why that was a hit, don’t you?’ and she’ll say, ‘Yeah, because you can dance to it,’ and I’ll say, ‘Exactly!’”

Cropper is still a busy man at 76, though due to his success – he also co-wrote and/or produced/co-produced standards like Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” – he can work when he wants. He’s been promoting Stax’s anniversary and the 50th anniversary of both the legendary Stax/Volt European tour and Redding’s scorching set (backed by The MG’s) at the Monterey Pop Festival.

Since Booker T. & The MG’s backed Stax artists, a certain stylistic feel was inherent, but they strived to make the other artists’ music different so it didn’t just sound like a guest vocalist or instrumentalist.

“The best example is Albert King, who became the most-famous blues guitar player of all time. Listen to any of his records then to the records we made with him. We took what he was doing and made it dance blues. We just brought it up a notch,” Cropper said. “That energy, I think, is what sold Stax music.”

Though responsible for so much fantastic music, Cropper is still electrified when he hears it on the airwaves.

“I think the most excitement and the biggest thrill you will ever get out of being a musician or a songwriter is hearing either something you’ve played on or wrote when it’s on the radio,” said Cropper. “That’s a thrill you just can’t explain to people. That is the ultimate.”

Those heady early days at Stax directly led Cropper to this point in his life and career. Stax music mattered then and still does now.

“You can’t hold that music down,” he said. “It’s too good.”

These days, he tours regularly with The Original Blues Brothers Band and the group’s new album, The Last Shade of Blue Before Black, is set for a fall release. Cropper and saxophonist Lou Marini ground the band, which was conceived by “Saturday Night Live” comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. 1980’s musical comedy The Blues Brothers is a beloved cult classic.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but the basics of the Blues Brothers band that played on the first record, Briefcase Full of Blues, and did the movies had done two albums and two world tours with Levon Helm & The RCO All-Stars,” said Cropper.

Early in his career, he was known for playing a Fender Esquire and Telecaster. Cropper said the guitars didn’t distort, and engineers and producers preferred the way their clean tone cut through on songs’ backbeats.

“I liked the Tele because it had two pickups. It was a little more versatile than an Esquire, which had one pickup,” said Cropper.

His main guitar for the past nine years has been a Peavey custom.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind Telecaster copy and it’s laminated so it’s very light. It’s a solidbody, but it’s all been hollowed out and laminated. It’s a great guitar. Great tone,” he said.

Cropper also had a Peavey signature model, the Cropper Classic, created because he envisioned a quality, affordable Telecaster-like guitar for beginning guitarists.

“I spoke with Hartley Peavey and said, ‘I need to put a Tele-style guitar on the market for under $1,000.’ He said, ‘I’ll build that guitar for you.’ It’s not a cheap guitar,” said Cropper. “I’ve got fan mail that said, ‘I bought it because it had your name on it, and now it’s my favorite guitar. I take it everywhere I go.’”

Cropper isn’t much of a collector and he’s not much into acoustic guitars, but when the economy tanked nearly a decade ago, as an investment for his children he bought several Gibson J-200s that people were selling. He also has a Gretsch Chet Atkins model given to him by The Who drummer Keith Moon.

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This article originally appeared in VG January 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Brian Setzer’s guitar – usually a Gretsch 6120 – is the compass that leads him down various musical roads, live and in the studio.

Widely credited with launching a rockabilly revival while fronting the Stray Cats in the ’80s, he kickstarted the rebirth of big-band music in the ’90s with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Rockin’ Rudolph is the Orchestra’s first Christmas studio album in 10 years and third holiday studio platter overall.

Why a 10-year gap?

“You turn around and time flies past,” he said. “And, I was wondering if there were any Christmas songs left, but then thought, ‘There’s a ton of ’em!’ There’s so many I haven’t done, like ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ so it turned into a whole bunch.”

Any musician who covers a classic song – especially a Christmas tune – debates whether to take liberties or stick to its original feel. Rockin’ Rudolph includes some Setzer interpretation.

“You have to make the songs your own, and deconstruct them. It’s a necessary thing, otherwise people could just buy the originals,” said Setzer, who first got into recording Christmas music when asked to do covers (including “Jingle Bells”) for the sound track to the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy Jingle All the Way. “I thought, ‘Jingle Bells’? I’ve got to scuff it up. It’s like a sleigh ride through Brooklyn – hitting a lot of bumps and potholes!”

For the Grammy-winning Setzer, writing original Christmas songs is a daunting task.

“They’re about the hardest thing to write. I can’t sit and write a particular song in a particular style; it really just happens the way it does. I don’t know why that is,” he said.

And while it’s easy to feel cheerful during the holiday season, it can be challenging to transfer yuletide spirit into a sterile recording studio on a hot summer day. The solution?

“We deck it out to get a little vibe. It sounds silly, but it’s nice. It’s all little red twinkling lights, a little tree, some Santas and some garland. It puts us in the mood,” Setzer said.

Beyond the “atmosphere,” recording the band involves a mix of live tracks and overdubs.

“I’ve done it live all in one room, but that can be problematic because a Fender Bassman is frickin’ loud and bleeds into everything. I’ve done it in a different room, but then you’re not in the midst of the band,” he said. “This time, I overdubbed my parts. It seems the best way.”

Despite the logistics – charting, arranging, recording, etc. – Setzer revels in the results.

“The complexity of the big band – the sound of all the parts and the musicality of it – that blows me away. To me, that is real musical power – more than a loud guitar and amp.”

Speaking of, these days he sticks to a couple trademark ’50s Gretsches and signature 6120 Hot Rod/Nashville models along with some made by the company’s custom shop, including a White Falcon Relic.

“I never have been able to play a solidbody,” he said. “I can’t really get a tone out of them. Scotty Moore told me he has the same problem.”

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This article originally appeared in VG February 2016 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Spiritual beliefs and the power of music have helped Mark Farner deal with life’s inevitable highs and lows. The singer/songwriter/guitarist achieved astonishing success fronting Grand Funk Railroad in the ’70s; best-selling albums, sold-out tours, and giant hits like “I’m Your Captain”/“Closer to Home,” “We’re an American Band,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and “Bad Time” were part of the fun.

Farner is today re-energizing his career after spending time dealing with health issues and focusing on his family, including taking care of his younger son, who was paralyzed in a fall five years ago.

Farner’s newest song, “Take You Out,” is a rocker slated to be part of an EP set for release this winter. Getting back in the public eye included a recent appearance on VH1 Classic’s “That Metal Show,” which reinforced the influence of Grand Funk Railroad – despite vicious critical bashing – especially in its original power-trio lineup with bassist Mel Schacher and drummer Don Brewer.

“Grand Funk Railroad has been called the grandfathers of hard rock and heavy metal. I think it’s the three-piece format,” he said. “That kind of sound lends itself to the rawness and openness of metal.”

Farner, who wrote the majority of the songs recorded and performed by Grand Funk Railroad, enjoyed working with other songwriters on the EP.

“When you collaborate with someone, you have to give room and bend a little. You can’t be so stuck on some idea. You’ve just got to let it all get out there. I’m still learning how to do that because I haven’t done enough of it, really,” he said. “When you write with somebody else, there is a consideration and a respect that’s paid back and forth, and that’s a good thing.”

Hitting the road for him these days can mean shows with a full band, solo acoustic, or the upcoming ’70s Time Machine Tour with former Three Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron.

“I’m very grateful to be involved in an all-star group,” he said. “I’m a student of music, and I’m learning from my peers; when you put a band like that together, it’s great – a wonderful, humbling experience. It takes you up a level.”

He’s also been a counselor at rock-and-roll fantasy camps.

“Those give us an opportunity to be one on one with the fans,” said Farner. “To make somebody that happy… Wow! Pinch me. That’s a beautiful thing.”

The Michigan native is always open to learning, and he still discovers new musical avenues.

“Two and a half years ago, I had a pacemaker put in; I actually died and came back – twice. When I came back to my bone suit, I think I might have brought somebody with me, or a part of somebody, because I had never played slide guitar before,” he said. “A friend sent me a National resonator. I pull it out of the case and put on the slide. I know how to play this thing! Where did this come from?”

Farner still owns the original Musicraft Messenger guitar he used with Grand Funk, while his acoustics include a Guild D-32 and a Gibson J-45. His main guitar for nearly 20 years has been a Parker Fly.

“I love it. It made a better guitar player out of me because it’s so precise. The neck is wider than any other guitar I’ve ever played, and when I do the vibrato on the high E string, I don’t pull it over the edge of the fret board like I would on my Strat or Tele. It’s such a pleasure to play, and those frets never change – there’s no wear at all. I’ve been playing the same Fly since ’96 and there is zero fret wear. That’s my baby.”

As for another GFR reunion, Farner said. “I’ve been trying to get the guys to do a Grand Funk tour. I said, ‘Remember when the Beatles were all still alive and we all wanted them to reunite? We’re all still breathing, and we could give fans something none of us can give them separately. Why don’t we just bury the hatchet and go out?’ They won’t hear of it.”

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This article originally appeared in VG December 2015 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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When does Joel Hoekstra sleep? To say the always-smiling guitarist has a full plate is an understatement. For several years, he has juggled performing with the smash hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages, toured with the holiday sensation Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and served as a member of melodic hard-rockers Night Ranger.

He amicably parted ways with Night Ranger to join Whitesnake; hand-picked by founder David Coverdale, Hoekstra joined an illustrious list of axe-slingers including Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Mel Galley, John Sykes, Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini, Doug Aldrich, and current member Reb Beach. Whitesnake is set for a new album and tour in 2015.

Hoekstra has also released three solo albums, nurtured side projects, and done sessions and scores for the likes of singer Amy Lee and the television shows “Duck Dynasty” and “Wahlburgers.”

“Over the last five years, I’ve averaged 400 shows each year between Rock of Ages, TSO, and Night Ranger, including sessions and things like that. I’m basically gigging every day,” he said. Oh, and Hoekstra and his wife have a toddler, so down time is rare.

He’s currently on the road with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and loves every minute of it.

“This year, we’ll be doing ‘The Christmas Attic’ for the first time. We’re excited to have new material to play. It’s just another page in what’s become a Christmas tradition for a new generation. It’s awesome to be a part of. I can’t think of anything else like it that appeals to so many different people and does so well commercially.”

Hoekstra grew up in the Chicago area, and his parents had him learning cello and piano at an early age. Then, something wonderful happened – he heard the guitar as played by Angus Young in AC/DC.

“At that moment, music changed for me – hearing AC/DC and ‘Back in Black,’” he said. “I thought Angus Young was the coolest thing in the world… I still do, really.”

He picked up the acoustic guitar first, and started studying rudimentary song books, but wasn’t satisfied. Wanting to rock, he hit up a friend who taught him power chords and told him about a teacher at the local mall who showed his students how to play rock-and-roll songs.

“I didn’t know there were such things as scales or exercises, per se,” he recalled. “I was learning all the songs I liked and that was a great way to get myself motivated.”

From there, he started playing in bands as a teenager and began learning on his own. He also started giving lessons, which he says was vital to his growth as a musician.

“I taught 70 students a week for years, which gave me a really good opportunity to work on my ear and fundamentals. It kept me playing guitar for a living,” said Hoekstra. “There are people who go, ‘I’m just gonna sell these stereos until my band makes it big.’ Eventually, though, you find out that practical living usually overcomes the dream living, and your ‘fantasy’ gets swallowed up.”

Hoekstra’s main electric guitars include a Gibson Les Paul goldtop ’57 reissue, various Gibson Les Paul Customs, a 50th-anniversary Flying V, an SG, a Howard Roberts, a Fender Jazzmaster, a Jackson PC1, and a striped EVH (several of them are fitted with Fernandes sustainers). His acoustic guitars include a Gibson CL-40, a Taylor 914ce, 614ce, and an 854c 12-string.

He caught a break while working with singer Cathy Richardson, who went on to portray Janis Joplin in the musical Love, Janis, and helped get him a spot in the production. Stints with Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Turtles, and others steadily built his career. Hoekstra is especially grateful for his eight-shows-a-week Rock of Ages gig, which has reached 2,000 performances and counting, and also led to a cameo in the 2012 movie. Each stepping stone, he says, has been important.

“You don’t go from not gigging, or even gigging in a bar band, to the next day gigging in an international touring act. You have to find your way through,” he said. “‘What’s the next step?’ I think that’s really the way careers are built. You find your career is built more off of just taking one step further every time than it is jumping from point A to point Z.

“I’ve always been of the mindset of it’s great to have as many avenues of employment going as possible, so if one of them goes away, your picture still remains good. I guess people could say that’s a sideman mentality, but I think it’s a musician mentality. At the end of the day, it’s a blessing to be able to make a living in music.”

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This article originally appeared in VG January 2015 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Mike Rutherford prefers focusing on the future, even if recent projects have required the guitarist/bassist to think about life.

Late 2014 saw the release of a three-CD retrospective, R-Kive, featuring favorites from his days in Genesis as well as selections from band members’ solo careers, and Sum of the Parts, a feature-length documentary that uses archival footage and new interviews to tell the band’s story, warts and all.

Early 2015 brings the Mike+The Mechanics greatest hits (and some Genesis songs) tour to North America as well as a two-CD deluxe reissue of 1988’s Living Years with live tracks from that tour and a new version of “The Living Years.” In addition, Rutherford is set to release an autobiography that discusses not only the early days of Genesis, but England’s post-war generational and social changes; it was inspired by Rutherford’s discovery of his late father’s unpublished memoirs, and the parallels in their lives. “I’ve learned more about me in the last year than the previous 20 years,” he said. “It’s been an interesting time.”

Rutherford released two solo albums in the early ’80s, but his dissatisfaction with them led to the formation of Mike+The Mechanics, which included two incredible lead vocalists in Paul Carrack and Paul Young. The self-titled 1985 debut album produced the hits “Silent Running,” “All I Need is a Miracle,” and “Taken In.” The band recorded a handful of albums before Young died in 2000. Rutherford resurrected the band in 2010 with vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.

Though he is happy with his work as a guitarist and bassist, Rutherford thinks of himself primarily as a songwriter. He has written on his own, but prefers a partnership.

“My most original aspect is writing songs that sort of have a character, a personality. I think my main point of view is to write. That’s my main passion over the years, whether with Genesis or the Mechanics. I still feel that way. I find songwriting a bit lonely and a bit dull on my own sometimes, maybe because I’ve always been in a band and collaboration with others excites me. I enjoy the process. I think it’s really where I come to life the most.”

If you spent more than three minutes in the mid ’80s listening to pop radio or watching MTV, you know “The Living Years” was a major hit about a troubled father/son relationship. Rutherford said it reflected more on the experience of co-writer B.A. Robertson. “I still get phone calls, e-mail, letters, and notes from people saying the song changed their lives,” he said. “I find that very humbling in a nice way.”

The source of the live tracks on the Living Years deluxe edition may surprise those interested in recording technology.

“The live stuff is all from cassette – board tapes. Cassettes were always frowned upon with the hiss and noise, but they’ve got a nice feel to them. And board tapes, of course, are always too loud. But, the compression on the cassette is working nicely. I’m surprised at how good the cassettes sounded.”

Rutherford has always used an eclectic variety of guitars, basses, and bass pedals to create his sound – everything from Shergold to Rickenbacker to Steinberger. These days, his main guitar is a Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton signature model that is virtually stock; he also favors a Gibson doubleneck and a Yamaha bass. He recently purchased a vintage Höfner violin bass.

Speaking of gear, more is readily at hand after he helped organize Genesis’ stored equipment.

“The studio had a big barn next door, stacked full of cases with amplifiers and guitars. We finally converted an old studio control room into a shop, and now all the guitars, amplifiers, keyboards, drum machines – everything – is out. It’s like a showroom. I found stuff I didn’t know I had!”

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s April 2015 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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