”Music is omnipresent. It's so sad that music is trapped in the hands of a few pimps like Spotify, Apple and Amazon. Blues music is especially important as well as soul, gospel, funk, rock n roll and many other music because it is man made, handmade music. In contrast to computer, loop, autotune music. Emotion is not transported by computers!”

Norfried Baum:

Road Back to Blues n’ Roots

German-based Baum's Bluesbenders live on stage since 1993. The Bluesbenders are dedicated to the roots of modern rock and pop music, playing an honest, hot and punchy, breathtaking mix of Chicago and Westcoast Blues, Rockabilly, Boogie and Rock. They have made countless performances at festivals like the Leverkusener Jazztage, Rheinkultur Bonn, Paasblues Asten/Netherlands, Streetlife Festival Leverkusen, Bonner Bluesfestival, countless gigs in clubs and pubs, at corporate events, city festivals, as support for ZZ Top, Rick Vito, Tino Gonzales, Rudy Rotta, Big Daddy Wilson, Layla Zoe, backing band of Louisiana Red, Richard Bargel, Ali Claudi and on every occasion they have never failed to leave an enthusiastic audience wanting more. Give Bill Baum’s BB King-inspired guitar and Uwe Placke’s sizzling harmonica solos a listen and you’ll know why. No wonder that fans of all ages - from eight to eighty - feel addressed by the Bluesbenders. And quite rightly so! The band are B. Baum on guitar, Uwe Placke on harmonica, Francis Holzapfel on drums and Jan Laacks on bass.

(Photo: Baum’ Bluesbenders)

“Road Back Home" is the musical homecoming of Baums Bluesbenders, released in 2026. After a long journey, the band delivers an album that serves as a musical love letter and a deep bow to the creators of the genres that have inspired and infected them from the very beginning: Blues, Soul, Rock 'n' Roll, and Cajun. This 11-tracks album represents their personal soundtrack—a journey filled with memories and emotion—marking the exact moment the Bluesbenders have finally arrived back home.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your life the most?

I was born in 1958. My brother gave me a double album with Bill Haley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard for my birthday in 1968. Jenny Jenny Jenny by Little Richard - this energy blew me away. The first LP I bought myself was Pedulum by CCR. In 1970 I bought a BB King LP and an LP by Sonny Boy Williamson with the Yardbirds. By By Bird by Sonny Boy was the reason to buy a harmonica. I wanted to make this kind of music and then I started playing the guitar. It changed my life-my view of the world to this day. My heroes were people like BB. King, Freddie King, Albert King. J.B. Lenoir, Howlin Wolf, Peter Green and many more.

How do you describe band’s sound, music philosophy and songbook? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

The idea of the Bluesbenders is to play blues music from the 50s to the present day. But to be free to create their own interpretations. To play a jump blues in the style of the 50s as well as eperimental psychedelic sounds. Your own creativity is important. Technique is important but is always subordinate to emotion and feeling. The best blues is when we get into Trace live and the music plays us!

After more than 40 years of using the stage name "Bill" (originally inspired by Bill Haley), you announced that you will now be performing under your real name, Norfried. What does this need to return to your true self signify at this stage of your life?

The reason for using my own name was the realization that it makes no sense to project a different image or to be someone else. I’m 68 years old now and don’t want to pretend to be someone else. The journey toward and with the music that has accompanied me throughout my life should also be a journey—without a mask—toward my own musical identity. That’s why I use my own name, with the intention of saying: I am genuine, and this music is not a hollow form. This music is a necessity and my way of living out my creativity.                                           (Photo: Norfried Baum & Uwe Placke)

“It’s important that the blues doesn’t become rigid, like Dixieland, for example. There are purists who are almost fanatical in their belief that it can only be played one way. The blues continues to evolve through the people who express their emotions and, of course, find new ways to do so. It’s exciting to see where this will lead, because unlike AI, people have feelings, perspectives, and endless creativity.”

You have mentioned in the past that music today is "trapped" in the hands of major streaming platforms and that blues stands out because it is authentic, "handcrafted" music full of emotion, unlike computers and autotune. How do you see the future of traditional blues in a rapidly digitizing world?

Making music has a neurologically fascinating and positive effect. Music, whose very essence is to express emotions, is an absolute necessity for people—especially in a world of loops, AI-generated music, and quantized beats. As far back as 30,000 years ago, people were singing and drumming in a trance around the fire. I think it’s a basic human need to learn how to make music and to actually make it. The blues, as an ideal outlet for emotions, will become increasingly important as soulless AI music becomes more widespread. 

Your band has passed the three-decade milestone. What is the secret to this longevity and the ongoing chemistry between you and your long-time partner, harmonica maestro Uwe Placke?

Even before the band was formed, we often played together at jam sessions in the mid-’80s. What unites us is our love for traditional blues music—country blues, Chicago blues, West Coast blues, and so much more. There are so many influences we share. But we’ve never been mere purists. We wanted to do our own thing. That can also mean venturing into experimental music. The great thing about Uwe is that, despite all these years, he still surprises me time and again with things I haven’t heard before. I hope Uwe feels the same way about me.

Despite your long career in live performances, Road Back Home is your very first full-length studio album. Why did it take so many years to capture your music in a studio environment, and how does it feel to have finally made this dream a reality?

I’ve been playing in  bands since the mid-70s. I’ve been self-employed since 1982. My musical instrument business took up a lot of time—often 60 to 80 hours a week. Still, there was always time left over for rehearsals and gigs. The last few years, in particular, have been tough. All across Europe, musical instrument dealers are dropping like flies. The market dominance of Thomann, Amazon, Temu, and Shein is destroying jobs for musicians—and with them, technical expertise—on an unprecedented scale.

I’ve always written songs. Two years ago, I told the band that we finally had to make a CD with our own material. Unfortunately, our longtime bassist left the band. Luckily for us, Jan Laacks agreed to play bass and help produce the CD. That was a stroke of luck, since Jan is not only an exceptional musician but also a top-notch recording expert. His commitment was the catalyst for the production.

“As far back as 30,000 years ago, people were singing and drumming in a trance around the fire. I think it’s a basic human need to learn how to make music and to actually make it. The blues, as an ideal outlet for emotions, will become increasingly important as soulless AI music becomes more widespread.” (Photo: Norfried Baum, German-based Baum's Bluesbenders live on stage since 1993)

The album features exclusively your own original compositions (such as Online, Sweet Rocking Mama, and Traffic Jam). What were your main sources of inspiration during the songwriting process, and how did you balance the different genres you love, from Chicago Blues to Rockabilly and Cajun?

The source of the various blues and roots music styles is the soundtrack of my life. Even as a little boy, I listened to my older siblings’ rock ’n’ roll records featuring Bill Haley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and many others. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to experience, throughout my life, the unique music that emerged during that era. The Beatles, the Stones, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Free, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan were on the charts, to name just a few. In 1970, I bought my first blues LPs by Sonny Boy Williamson & the Yardbirds and B.B. King. The ’70s and ’80s were filled with memorable concerts. Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Jimmy Witherspoon, John Lee Hooker, Luther Allison, and Johnny Copeland, to name just a few. On top of that, there were experiences with Cajun Zydeco. Al Rapone & The Zydeco Express—that was magic. And rock ’n’ roll with the Stray Cats and others. 

The album cover shows you with a blue guitar against a desert sunset, and the record is described as "a journey toward a musical homeland." What does the concept of "home" ultimately mean to you through the language of the Blues?

The blue guitar is a Superfly guitar prototype by Duesenberg.  I had the honor of helping to design the pickups and the wiring for the guitar. The journey to our musical homeland is a journey into the music that has always fascinated us—the records, CDs, and the live concerts—we were blues junkies, and we still are.

We notice that the blues is constantly evolving auditorily and blending with new genres, without ever losing its traditional identity. What drives this balance, and what do you think the next step in its evolution will be?

It’s important that the blues doesn’t become rigid, like Dixieland, for example. There are purists who are almost fanatical in their belief that it can only be played one way. The blues continues to evolve through the people who express their emotions and, of course, find new ways to do so. It’s exciting to see where this will lead, because unlike AI, people have feelings, perspectives, and endless creativity.

”What I miss most is the human beat. The human being is replaced by loops and computer beats. Quantized to the technically exact time. Music is losing its soul and groove. It's also the loss of the swing feeling and the triplet shuffle grooves. A lot of pop music produced today is soulless computer babble. And I miss the blues - the blues guitar! It has disappeared from pop music.“ (Photo: Norfried Baum)

Are there any specific memories or highlights of your career that you would like to tell us about?!

There have been many, many highlights in more than 30 years. We played shows with Louisiana Red. At the first concert with him, he was supposed to play solo and we were in the opening act. But he wanted to play with us. We had never played together before and without a rehearsal it was an incredibly intense concert. Another highlight in the band's more than 30-year history was our concert in 2024 as the opener for Z.Z.Top. We even had the honor of playing an encore.

Why do you think that German Blues Scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

This is a consequence of the long blues tradition. The American Folk Blues concerts by Lippman and Rau in the 60s to 80s were very important for the blues. There is a long history of blues concerts and festivals in Germany. I like to think back to the 1976 blues festival in Dortmund with Muddy Waters. Even today, many international blues artists come to Germany. There are many great blues bands in Germany, often born out of the many blues sessions in pubs and clubs. Although the blues is rarely heard on radio or television, it is still popular.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

What I miss most is the human beat. The human being is replaced by loops and computer beats. Quantized to the technically exact time. Music is losing its soul and groove. It's also the loss of the swing feeling and the triplet shuffle grooves. A lot of pop music produced today is soulless computer babble. And I miss the blues - the blues guitar! It has disappeared from pop music.

”Your own creativity is important. Technique is important but is always subordinate to emotion and feeling. The best blues is when we get into Trace live and the music plays us!” (Photo: Norfried Baum on guitar & Uwe Placke on harmonica. Baum’s Bluesbenders on stage, Germany)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

If an organizer says after a successful concert where the audience went wild and there were encores, he will get in touch about a new date. Next month he won't know who you are. The lesson is with so many good bands you always have to promote yourself to get gigs.

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

Music is omnipresent. It's so sad that music is trapped in the hands of a few pimps like Spotify, Apple and Amazon. Blues music is especially important as well as soul, gospel, funk, rock n roll and many other music because it is man made, handmade music. In contrast to computer, loop, autotune music. Emotion is not transported by computers!

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

We as the band Bluesbenders cannot change the world. We are far too unknown for that. What we do for ourselves is constantly evolve. We play traditionally but also experiment with new wild ideas. But the most important thing is that we play with feeling and energy and that appeals not only to older audiences but also to young people. As young people don't get much blues music in the media, they are often very enthusiastic when they hear it and get involved.

Baum’s Bluesbenders - Home

(Photo: Baum’s Bluesbenders)