keep the blues alive

Q&A with Piedmont singer/guitarist Gail Ceasar, floating between bluegrass and the blues deep into the Virginia soil

"Well, I just go with the flow. However I'm feeling at the moment when I'm playing."

Gail Ceasar: Guitar Woman Blues

Gail Ceasar is a self-taught Piedmont blues and bluegrass singer/guitarist, who through the help of the Music Maker Foundation is releasing an authentic blues album titled Guitar Woman Blues (2023). Floating somewhere between bluegrass and the blues, the music of Gail Ceasar has roots that run deep into the Virginia soil. After Music Maker met and began working with the great blues guitarist Boo Hanks in Virginia, Tim Duffy says "we began doing more fieldwork in that state and soon met a blues player from Pittsylvania County named Pete Witcher. We returned several times to record Pete, and every time we visited, Pete made a point of taking us to see his niece Gail Ceasar". He was so proud of her guitar playing. Gail is a unique musician, flowing seamlessly between bluegrass and blues with incredible precision and feeling. Also unlike most musicians, Gail has little desire to go out on tour. She’s happy to stay at home in Virginia where her family’s roots run very deep.

(Gail Ceasar / Photo by Tim Duffy)

"On one visit, Gail and Pete took us to see the old plantation where their enslaved ancestors worked. They showed us an immense stone wall carved into the mountains that had once been a part of the plantation house. They told us how their forefathers, talented stonemasons, had built that wall". Gail and her extended family live within a longstanding oral tradition that’s reflected in the stories they tell and in the music they play. Gail plays her tunes with an exquisite tone—always deep and rich, no matter the song she’s playing. It was the morning of July 1, 2022 in tiny Pittsville, Virginia. Piedmont blues and bluegrass singer/guitarist Gail Ceasar smelled smoke. Gail lost more than her home that day. The loss of her two guitars and amplifier meant the loss of her livelihood as a musician. Music Maker sprung into action, getting her a Fender American Stratocaster, a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, and a Martin guitar. She will grace the stage at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. on February 26.

Interview by Michael Limnios Special Thanks: Tess Stogner & Nick Loss-Eaton

How has the Blues and Roots music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

My family played a lot of blues and, well, I brought my first guitar down in Gretna. They played a lot of bluegrass and I liked to listen to the music. And when I learned how to play, I learned to play both blues and bluegrass. I got my first guitar from a music store that used to be in Gretna called Pokies, and they were playing music when I went in there to buy my first guitar. And they always got together and played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And when I got good enough to play with them, I started going in there every now and then playing along with them. And as far as Blues, My cousin Pete Witcher played a lot of blues and I learned it, watch, watching him play, learned it from him, and other people in my family played blues.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? Where does your drive come from?

I don't really have a philosophy. It's just something that I like to do and that I enjoy doing. It's a comfort to me to play music.

What's the balance in music between technique and soul/emotions? How do you understand the spirit, music, and the meaning of life?

Well, I just go with the flow. However I'm feeling at the moment when I'm playing.

"I just hope people can enjoy it and just sit back and listen to it and just let it be a comfort to them or how they feel. I just hope they can be able to enjoy the music for what it is." (Gail Ceasar at Music Maker studios with a Martin, a Fender American Stratocaster, and a Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp donated to her by Music Maker / Photo by Tim Duffy.)

Why do you think that the Piedmont Blues continues to generate such a devoted following?

People still like to listen to it. I like to listen to it, and I believe it just has a lot of history behind it.

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

Well, I just miss hearing my family, my cousins play. I miss hearing Pete (Witcher) play. I miss playing with them. Not too many people playing up there anymore where I'm at. I hope I encourage other musicians to continue playing and to continue with the music to keep it going.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I got to go to a couple of places that I haven't been to. I got to see people and experience what it's like to actually be on stage. And I'm just hoping that what I do, I hope people enjoy it and I hope it brings them comfort as well.

What is the impact of Blues on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

I just hope people can enjoy it and just sit back and listen to it and just let it be a comfort to them or how they feel. I just hope they can be able to enjoy the music for what it is.

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 get nervous a lot. I'm the only female that's playing music around where I live at. I haven't seen any other females do it that play blues up where I'm at, other than what I've seen on TV or listened to on a CD, YouTube, or something. I get nervous, but I do the best I can and I just hope that everybody enjoys it. I just do the best I can.

Gail Ceasar - Music Maker