“Music brings people together and connects them in ways that other mediums can’t. It’s a great healer,and comfort in times of need or an immense source of pleasure when times are good. It can be a teacher, give you a sense of pride, and a way of preserving your culture and heritage.”

Kerri Simpson: Crossroad of Blues Highway

Kerri Simpson is a blues singer and guitarist from Melbourne, Australia. Renowned for her ability to effortlessly own whatever genre she cares to inhabit Kerri Simpson has successfully navigated myriads of genres throughout her career. In 2024 Simpson was inducted into Blues Music Victoria's Hall of Fame. Her band Opelousas, a trio with Allison Ferrier and Anthony 'Shorty' Shortte, won Music Victoria Awards in 2024 for best blues work, and best blues album in 2019 with Opelousified.Kerri spent her formative years as a musician playing and writing in the US and Europe, Her blues albums are showcased on Chicago radio and receive regular airplay there. She recorded Confessin’ the Blues with a host of the country’s finest players. Simpson's album Confessin' the Blues was nominated for a 1999 ARIA Award for Best Blues & Roots Album. In 2005 Simpson won Chain Australia Blues Music Awards for best female vocals. Predominantly a blues musician, she has also performed country with 'Kerri Simpson and the Prodigal Sons', gospel with the Gospel Belles and Ska with The Ska Vendors.

(Kerri Simpson / Photo by Carol Milton)

Gospel Belles were formed in 2006 and consists of singers Kerri Simpson, Kelly Auty, Marisa Quigley and Diana Wolfe. The Ska Vendors is a Ska band fronted by Melbourne Ska Orchestra's Steve Montgomery alongside Simpson, Steve Phillips, Chris Rogers, Johnny Holmes, Dean Hilson, Russell Roberts, Michael Havir and Pat Powell. Kerri supported Dr John and Keb Mo on their national tour. As a result of that release and her previous work in New Orleans, Kerri was invited to perform with Norman and Ricki Caesar, Jason and Aaron Neville Jnr at the 1999 Jazz and Heritage Festival, making Kerri one of the few Australians to appear at the prestigious festival, and the first Australian female to perform there. Few singers anywhere have so successfully traversed musical genres as Kerri Simpson. The woman dubbed as "Australia's own Blues diva" by Bruce Elder of the Sydney Morning Herald has made herself a home in a myriad of genres.

Interview by Michael Limnios  

How has the music influenced your views of the world? 

Well, to me music is the universal language, it can touch you regardless of what language you speak. Music informs you culturally, historically or politically, it gives you understanding, connects you to yourself and others. Working as I have with so many musicians from all over the world, gives you insight into all aspects of their lives which feeds into your own playing and performance. It continually broadens your horizons.

What moment changed your music life the most?

I was in Cape Town earlier this year on a drumming tour organised by Sri Lankan/Australian master percussionist Ray Pereira. As part of this tour we participated in a workshop with the group Ithongo Lethu - an artistic and cultural group of young performers from the township of Gugulethu. The group's passion, engagement and commitment to the performance of their traditional rhythms and dances moved me to tears and reminded me unequivocally of the power of music, how it can allow one to transcend any obstacles and find strength, hope and happiness.

“I don’t like to think of musicians as male or female, I make it a point to only play with people who approach music with a genuine and honest respect. I made the decision to only work with people like that early in my career. Having said that, I feel that there are so many women working in the industry now as compared to when I started and that is a positive thing. Although clearly there is still a long way to go, many of the barriers are still there.” (Photo: Kerri Simpson with Opelousas)

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? 

I play across many different mainly roots genres, but at the base of everything I do is the blues. Regardless of the genre, there is an earthiness and honesty that the blues adds that informs each note. 

I love collaborating, interpreting and experimenting, but for me, it all has to come down to “feel”. I think my current band “Opelousas,” named after the town in Louisiana, brings together the elements that inform my sound.  When Alison Ferrier and Anthony Shortte got together to rehearse the first time, Ali’s husband Jeff Lang, who is a renowned guitarist here and abroad, set up a few mics and just pressed the record button. Listening back we realised that the sum of the three of us, had created songs that had that hypnotic, HiIl country, swampy,grungy, sound that was just dripping with feel. We ran with that and are still running. I love that band. 

I’m grateful that as a young musician I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend much time listening and playing with people in places like New Orleans, Chicago, London and Barcelona which really helped me to develop an understanding of feel, phrasing and rhythm. Melbourne, where I am based, has an incredible array of world class musicians also, so playing here gave me a solid apprenticeship. As to the songbook, I’ve collaborated on scores of artists albums but my own individual songs vary depending on the projects, I have written and recorded blues, alt country, alt rock, gospel, ska, RnB, and an original album based on traditional Haitian Vodu music. 

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions? 

It all depends on what genre I am performing as to the balance between technique and emotion. I think anything you perform has to come from the heart and be honest. To do that you have to understand the song, lyrics, melody, harmony, and the rhythm. But, you also have to understand the cultural and social significance, the history behind what you are performing, otherwise you’re not respecting the music or able to interpret and deliver a song in any meaningful way that listeners will be able to connect to. I have spent decades studying, listening and practicing, a lot of time travelling and immersing myself into the music scenes I love.

“The blues gives people a deep, intense, sensual grounding and connectedness. It’s something everyone can relate to because it came from real people telling their stories in their own way with whatever they had at hand.” (Photo: Kerri Simpson, a blues singer and guitarist from Melbourne, Australia)

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

Over the years the Aussie Blues scene has had its times of being fashionable and unfashionable amongst punters and media alike. Currently the Blues scene here is thriving with a lot of younger players coming up through the ranks and plenty of older ones out and working too. It’s developed over the years into something much more akin to how it is in the US or Europe with players of all ages out working. In the 80’s it was a smaller pond of predominantly men in their 20’s and 30’s playing, very few women.  I think it comes back to the simple thing that blues, no matter where it is performed is raw, earthy and honest, that moves people. We have a pretty healthy community radio scene here too with many dedicated dj’s who promote the blues, which helps the local scene enormously. 

With such an illustrious career, what has given you the most satisfaction musically? 

There have been so many that come to mind, all in their own way have bought a sense of pride and contentment. I think though, that whether I am on a big concert stage or at a little neighbourhood bar the satisfaction comes from playing with musicians you have a mutual respect and connection for and when everything locks in and you are all feeling it, it takes you off onto another level, you all kind of transcend into another space together and the audience feels it. That is the thing that I adore about performing and recording.

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

Not sure that I miss things from the past, but I'm grateful that I managed to see so many great artists who have now passed away perform when I was younger. I hope that there continues to be such a flourishing scene for younger artists coming up through the ranks and that musical opportunities and voices don’t get stifled. As to fears AI potentially could be a big problem as are the big streaming platforms for smaller independent artists. 

“I play across many different mainly roots genres, but at the base of everything I do is the blues. Regardless of the genre, there is an earthiness and honesty that the blues adds that informs each note.” (Photo: Kerri Simpson with Opelousas)

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

In 1986 I was sitting in Kingston Mines in Chigago it was the end of the night and the bar was closing up. A women came up to me and asked me If I was the “little white girl” from Australia who could sing the blues. I said yes and she took me out to meet a group of local female blues singers including Valerie Wellington. They said “girl you just like Janis Joplin” l took me under their wings and invited me to their jam nights to sing with them. That night I thought to myself that no matter what accolade may be heading my way, that being accepted by those singers in Chicago was the most meaningful and important honour I would ever receive.

What does to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown says? What is the status of women in music?

I don’t like to think of musicians as male or female, I make it a point to only play with people who approach music with a genuine and honest respect. I made the decision to only work with people like that early in my career. Having said that, I feel that there are so many women working in the industry now as compared to when I started and that is a positive thing. Although clearly there is still a long way to go, many of the barriers are still there. 

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

Music brings people together and connects them in ways that other mediums can’t. It’s a great healer,and comfort in times of need or an immense source of pleasure when times are good. It can be a teacher, give you a sense of pride, and a way of preserving your culture and heritage. The most important lessons I have learned have been during the times I spent in the US, Europe, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Haiti when I have been witness to the strength and empowerment music can give you. 

“Well, to me music is the universal language, it can touch you regardless of what language you speak. Music informs you culturally, historically or politically, it gives you understanding, connects you to yourself and others. Working as I have with so many musicians from all over the world, gives you insight into all aspects of their lives which feeds into your own playing and performance. It continually broadens your horizons.”

(Photo: Kerri Simpson)

Why is it important we preserve and spread the blues? 

The blues gives people a deep, intense, sensual grounding and connectedness. It’s something everyone can relate to because it came from real people telling their stories in their own way with whatever they had at hand. Sometimes just their voices and hands, sometimes whatever instruments were available. When someone plays the blues earnestly it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up or gives you a rush of energy through your whole body. The blues is powerful,  keeps it real, if it isn't honest and heartfelt it’s not the blues.

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