Intervista a Bob Corritore

a cura di Gianfranco Piria

The Me & Blues program I have the honor of interviewing Bob Corritore: an important artist, one of the best blues harmonica players on the international scene.
Born in Chicago in 1956, today he is the owner of the Rhythm Room, founder of the Southwest Musical Arts Foundation, editor and principal writer of the Bob Corritore Blues Newsletter, plus official supporter of Hohner harmonics.

It won the Keeping The Blues Alive award. Subsequently with the album Bob Corritore & Friends / Harmonica Blues he won a Blues Music Award 2011. We are in 2012 when Bob received a Living Blues Award in their Harmonica category. In 2019 the release of Don't Let The Devil Ride allowed him to win the Blues Blast Music Award for best traditional blues album.
Bob Corritore is a musician who already has eighteen albums to his credit. He was also a guest as a harmonica player on various works made by his colleagues, including R.L.Burniside, Pinetop Perkins and Bob Margolin to name a few.
He produced Kim Wilson and William Clarke two great harmonica players, his idols when he was a boy and he began to blow on the first harmonica.

:Hi Bob I am very happy to have you as my guest for this interview. How are you? Where are you at the moment?

Bob: Thank you Gianfranco! It is an honor. I am well and staying safe here in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gianfranco:Are you an artist used to traveling the world and being on stage, how did you react and organize yourself in this pandemic period?

Bob: The pandemic has put my live music performances on hold. My last show before the pandemic shut everything down was on March 14. I did do one outdoor show eight months later on November 14. But it’s scary to have that much exposure even though this was a pretty safe gig. I am putting my live gigs on hold until it feels safe again. I really miss being on a stage in front of an

audience. I miss performing and touring with my friends. I miss interacting with the audience and autographing CDs. So I’ve had to refocus my energy to my weekly radio show, my Facebook page, my website (www.bobcorritore.com) and reviewing master tapes of old recordings for future release. So I have remained quite busy, while still being very secluded. I really don’t want to catch the virus.

Gianfranco:The story tells of the first harmonica that was given to you by your older brother, but how did your passion for blues and harmonica come about and which musicians have influenced you the most?

Bob: Actually I do not have an older brother. My first harmonica was given to me by my younger brother, who is my only brother. I always loved the sound of harmonica. I was especially influenced by Little Walter, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson, Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton. There was a harmonica player that is mostly unheard of outside of Chicago named Dave Waldman who showed me tongue blocking and ensemble style harmonica backing. After that Little Willie Anderson, Big Leon Brooks, Louis Myers, Lester Davenport and other great Chicago harmonica players all gave me further instruction. And later, after relocating to Phoenix, Bill Tarsha, Kim Wilson, William Clarke and Johnny Dyer as well as Lazy Lester we’re also big influences on me.

Gianfranco:Being born and living in Chicago, in my opinion, means having an extra push on the things a blues artist will create. How much has the city where you were born helped you musically?

Bob. Good Question. Keep in mind that Chicago is famous for great harmonica! The Chicago style of blues has a certain sound that really reflects that city. Muddy Waters and his band were the template of that sound. It was in Muddy Waters band during the 1950s that harmonica trail-blazer Little Walter rose to prominence. Little Walter expanded the musical vocabulary of the instrument. After Walter introduced his sound everyone in Chicago was influenced. Little Walter died in 1968 so I never got to see him perform. But I saw his influence on all of the great harmonica players. So when I was learning to play I studied that Chicago sound. It has his own rule book of phrasing and tone. But when you know how to play that style then all the older musicians immediately recognize what you are doing. I won a lot of favor and found myself on some really fantastic bandstands with legendary Chicago artists. I’ve always tried to be worthy of the amazing opportunities that I have received.

Gianfranco:The thing that struck me most about your work is the amount of colleagues you manage to invite to your records, as well as your band. How do you direct traffic and relate to them from time to time?

Bob. In 1981 I moved from Chicago to Phoenix for what I thought would only be one year. I did not realize that I would start putting down roots in

this city. Right after I moved into town Louisiana Red followed me out here from Chicago and stayed with me for a year. We booked a lot of gigs, and I was quickly established musically in Phoenix. In 1984 I started a blues Radio Show and in 1991 I opened a venue called the Rhythm Room. So at that point I was an established musician with a great band, a radio show and a blues concert club. So the Rhythm Room immediately became the stop in Phoenix for touring Blues acts. This gave me access to so many of the great artists and many recording opportunities. I started to invite the people that I would want to record with to the club while offering them both a concert date and a session. Please keep in mind that this is a very unique situation. Each person I make music with brings something out of me in a unique way. If you want a certain sound on a certain song then there’s certain people you need for that job. I’ve gotten pretty good over the years at putting together some really interesting combinations of people.

Gianfranco:Lately, thanks to you, I’ve listened to and aired several of your songs and I’ve come up with my own idea. In the sense that in addition to Let the Devil ride of 2018 which has depopulated and filled with awards, I think that The Gypsy woman told me, made together with John Primer is one of your best productions.What do you think about it?

Bob. As I continue to put out releases I’ve become better at producing albums and I’m always working and improving my harmonica skills. I’m also better at constructing bands and choosing song selections that bring out the best in all the artists. I am very proud of the level that I have achieved and I think you can hear that each album release takes it farther than the one before. John Primer and I first started recording together in 2010 and we immediately connected because we share that Chicago sound. But it keeps getting better! The Gypsy Woman Told Me is our best so far! But I think all three of our collaborative releases are really great. But The Gypsy Woman Told Me had extra magic! John Primer and I are both very proud of it.
Bob:Already in 2017 you had worked together and between you there is a real alchemy that works in your favor, but how did this friendship and collaboration arise?
Bob:. I had known John Primer since the mid 1970s when I used to go see Junior Wells play at Theresa’s Lounge on the South Side. I followed his career with Muddy Waters, James Cotton and his long run with Magic Slim. I witnessed him launching his brilliant solo career! But it took us till 2010 to perform and record together. As I mentioned before we both play blues in the Chicago style so there was an unspoken understanding that we immediately shared. Additionally John has become a valued friend and we look

forward to getting together and touring and recording.

Gianfranco:With the great Henry Gray you made Cold Chills, what kind of experience was it?
Bob. I just love Henry Gray and we had a 25 year run of making music together until his passing February 2020. Henry is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. He also had the deepest history is in Chicago Blues, playing on some of the most important releases of 1950s and 1960s. I first brought Henry to the Rhythm Room in 1996. This became an annual event where we set up a concert and recording session. Cold Chills is a second volume of collaborations with

Henry Gray. This is an album of very deep Chicago Blues roots. Henry played and sang in the style of the 1950s. He was such a strong singer and piano player and his abilities stayed undiminished up until his last year. What a powerhouse! That album Cold Chills is a testament to Henry’s power!
Gianfranco: Fascinates me most about your music is the continuous search for something new without ever upsetting that something "old" that are the traditions of the blues. what are your future projects?
Bob: Thank you Gianfranco! On May 14 I have a new album coming out called Bob Corritore & Friends/Spider In My Stew! It features a huge array of amazing artists: Lurrie Bell, Sugaray Rayford, Alabama Mike, Diunna Greenleaf, John Primer, Johnny Rawls, Francine Reed, Oscar Wilson, Willie Buck, Bill and Shy Perry, Bob Margolin, Junior Watson, Kid Ramos, Johnny Main, Bob Stroger, LA Jones and Adrianna Marie, Fred Kaplan and more. These are all recent recordings done in 2018, 2019, and early 2020 before the pandemic shut down. I think this may be my best album so far. It takes my playing and producing to a new level! Look for it on the VizzTone Label Group!
Gianfranco: Dear Bob, it was a pleasure to talk to you and I hope in the months to come to have you live during the course of the broadcast, indeed we will conduct a broadcast together, since among the many things you do you find the time to be a Radio DJ. See you soon.

Bob:Thank you Gianfranco! Please be safe and we

….very sure…