LESSON } Blues
This month Phil Short checks out an original American bluesman and renowned exponent of the Fender Strat, the wonderful Robert Cray.
Brought to you by…
Five-time Grammy award winner Robert Cray is one of the longest-standing bluesman in the current scene. Still touring with his band, Cray has been active for almost 50 years. Born in the early 1950s in Columbus, Georgia, Cray’s musical journey began in his high school years, playing in bands and inspired by the famous bluesmen of the day. These included many of the usual suspects including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Freddie King. After playing in high school bands, it was in his early 20s that Robert decided to form The Robert Cray Band and pursue his career in music. This was directly due to seeing his heroes Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert.
In 1980 Cray released his debut album on Tomato records. The album, Who’s Been Talkin’ showcases some robust classic blues tunes with some beautifully played guitar work. Unlike many of his heroes who sported Gibson guitars, Cray has always favoured the Fender Stratocaster, and the album features some of the best classic Strat blues tones you will hear.
As well as being a striking guitarist with a familiar yet personal sound, he is also a strong singer and great story teller. This element has been an integral part of his career with his strong songwriting capability earning him a plethora of Grammy awards, and Gold or even Platinum albums.
As his success grew, other big stars started to notice his talent and it wasn’t long before he was picked by the likes of Keith Richards and Tina Turner. Richards put Cray in the backing band for Chuck Berry in the 1987 film, Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ’N’ Roll, and Tina asked Robert to be part of her Break Every Rule TV special.
By the late 80s, Cray was becoming a household name, selling out his own tours and appearing as the opener for megastars like Eric Clapton. Not only this, but Cray also had the opportunity to work with one of his heroes, John Lee Hooker. Hooker got Cray to provide a guest solo on his song, Same old Blues A
