When blues guitarist Willie J Legal guidelines was a child, he’d sweep the flooring of his grandfather’s beer joint in Corpus Christi, Texas, listening to an eclectic mixture of nation, soul, R&B, rock and extra on the bar’s jukebox that performed 45 rpm vinyl data. It was that jukebox that Legal guidelines says had a huge impact on forming his style in music.
He’d even generally get to take the 45s dwelling with him.
“It was a pleasant mix of all these genres on that jukebox,” Legal guidelines says. “I’d get me some quarters, throw them within the jukebox, and hearken to no matter music. And simply to look at the machine choose the report up, flip it over, and throw it on the desk … that was wonderful to me, man. That was magic.”
These days, Legal guidelines is creating his personal magic on stage and on report along with his model of blues music infused with a myriad of various genres, together with funk, soul and R&B. He’ll be bringing his present on Friday, Oct. 28 to the Music Room in West Yarmouth.
With a brand new report presently in manufacturing and exhibits scheduled, it’s a busy time for the Massachusetts-based musician. He took a while out of his schedule to talk about transitioning from being within the U.S. Navy to changing into a performing musician, and an opportunity encounter that helped make all of it potential.
An surprising gig results in a profession in music for Legal guidelines
Legal guidelines has been making his title identified in Massachusetts since shifting to the state 11 years in the past for family-related causes. Since then, he gained the 2011 Mass Blues Society Problem, was a two-time Greatest Blues Act nominee for the New England Music Awards in 2015 and 2016, and was a 2015 Greatest Blues Act nominee for the Boston Music Awards.
Earlier than shifting to Massachusetts, Legal guidelines’ band was the home band on the Home of Blues in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay and he additionally performed with the Grammy Award-winning Los Texmaniacs.
With such a listing of credentials, you’d assume Legal guidelines would have been a type of musicians who began taking part in at an early age and has been working at his craft since he may first choose up the guitar. However Legal guidelines says he didn’t turn out to be “tremendous critical” till 1987 on the age of 26 — after he’d left the Navy due to an accident that injured him.
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“I used to be actually prepared to remain in and make it a profession,” he says in regards to the Navy. “However music has at all times been an integral a part of my life.”
It was throughout his time within the Navy that he met blues guitarist Phillip Walker at a music membership known as Cooper’s Alley in Corpus Christi, setting in movement a future in music for Legal guidelines.
“I used to be nonetheless truly within the Navy reserves and I did considered one of my weekends on the base there in Corpus and once I acquired completed I went to Cooper’s Alley to have a beer and simply take a look at whoever the band was and it was Phillip Walker,” Legal guidelines says. “And it was very seldom that anyone Black (taking part in) blues would come via that city, so I needed to go test it out.”
A neighborhood drummer who knew Walker and Legal guidelines was additionally on the membership and advised Walker in regards to the budding guitarist.
“He advised Phillip ‘Hey, that younger man over there within the sailor swimsuit, he performs the guitar,’” says Legal guidelines. “After which Phillip comes strolling over to me and he goes, sort of like a gunslinger as a result of he had the hat, ‘Floyd over there tells me you play the guitar.’ And I mentioned, ‘Sure, sir. I attempt.’ And he mentioned, ‘Why don’t you are taking my guitar and my band and play two or three songs?’”
Legal guidelines had no prior expertise performing in entrance of a reside viewers aside from “within the choir at church.” And, though the provide caught him off guard, Legal guidelines says he was prepared.
“I wasn’t nervous,” he says, remembering two of the three songs he performed: Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” and a B.B. King tune. “I simply went up and did my factor and I’ve been doing it that method ever since.”
That didn’t solely get Legal guidelines’ music profession going, it additionally began a friendship and mentorship with Walker that lasted till his demise in 2010.
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“He instantly took me below his wing and adopted me,” says Legal guidelines, calling himself considered one of Walkers’ “guitar sons.” Quickly after their assembly, Walker took Legal guidelines out on the street with him to tour.
“Phillip was my go-to man till he handed away,” Legal guidelines provides. “I couldn’t even hearken to him (after he handed) and now I hearken to him often, and I at all times attempt to do one or two songs of his in my units.”
New album within the works
Legal guidelines is presently within the mixing stage of his newest album that he’s aiming to launch “hopefully earlier than Christmas.”
Legal guidelines hasn’t selected a reputation for the album but, however says that it’s a sort of full-circle creation for him.
“It’s like every part that influenced me rising up within the late ‘60s, all via the ‘70s, ‘80s,” he says. “I assume there was quite a lot of that in my unconscious thoughts, and quite a lot of it began coming to the floor once I began doing this (new report).”
Among the songs he “sort of simply pulled out on the fly” throughout the previous six months and he credit a spur of creativity.
“ when that little artistic factor hits you as a result of for some individuals it doesn’t come every single day or on a regular basis,” he says.
Paul Nelson, a blues guitarist and producer who’s a enterprise companion of the Music Room, is producing Legal guidelines’ new album.
“He’s only a nice, nice producer,” says Legal guidelines. “He hears these issues {that a} producer hears and for me it’s nice as a result of most of my tasks have all been self-produced.”
Legal guidelines says he’s trying ahead to returning to the Music Room, and sees it as a vacation spot increasingly more musicians are searching for out to not solely carry out but additionally report within the studio positioned within the venue.
“Lots of people are desirous to go down there and do stuff down there,” he says of the Music Room. “I assume, actually, it’s due to Paul.”
Learn how to see Willie J Legal guidelines
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28
The place: The Music Room Gallery & Wine Bar, 541 Primary St., West Yarmouth
Tickets: $25-$50
Reservations: musicroomcapecodtickets.com/occasions