"Every life lesson we all go through is expressed through the music we make. Music can heal us and allow us to make life long friends. Music seems to underscore our very existence usually for the better."

Richard Wilkins: Portland Blues, Sláinte!

It's been two years since Richard's last CD, "Life's for Livin," was released with critical acclaim. New album "Empty Seats" (2024) features top Portland musicians, including Paul Brainard on guitar, lap steel, and trumpet, LaRhonda Steele on vocals on “Empty Seats” and “Rainy Sunday,” and Jimi Bott on percussion. Since the late 1960s, Richard has shared stages big and small with everyone from Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Bonham, Lightning Hopkins, Johnny Winter, and many more. This CD is a romp through his lifetime growing up in LA in the ‘60s, listening to Jimmy Reed and The Rolling Stones, and going to the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Richard now lives and plays in Portland, Ore. He loves the joy of writing songs and playing music. The self-produced CD titled “Empty Seats” is an epic journey through nine stunning originals and covers of Hollywood Fats and Rod Piazza, plus some traditional Irish and Scottish tunes. Portland, Oregon blues singer/songwriter, bass guitar/ tenor sax player Richard Wilkins is accompanied here on drums by Jimi Bott [Fabulous Thunderbirds, Mannish Boys] and Paul Brainard on guitar, lap steel, trumpet, along with LaRhonda Steele adding her vocal to the title track “Empty Seats.”

(Photo: Richard Wilkins)

Portland, Oregon blues singer/songwriter, bass guitar/ tenor sax player Richard Wilkins has been performing and recording most of his life. Starting back in San Francisco in 1967 to New York City in 1969 than Los Angeles, Orange County, and now to the Portland Oregon area. Since the late1960s, Wilkins has shared stages big and small with everyone from Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Buddy Miles, James Cotton, Lightning Hopkins, Boz Skaggs, Johnny Winter, Mathew Fisher, and many more.  

Interview by Michael Limnios

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

The Blues offers me a chance to get back to the simpler things in life. Free from the everyday turmoil of politics, covid, and the general anxiety of the our current times. When I travel in the states or overseas, I always seek out Blues clubs and other musical venues. There's a connection with other musicians I real enjoy.

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? What touched you from the sound of saxophone?

My sound is based on two things, tone and phrasing. When I was learning the sax back in grade school the one thing that was always impressed upon me more then technique was tone. The big players of my day were King Curtis, Boots Randolph, Louie Prima, Illinois Jacquet. They all had great tone and awesome phrasing. My songbook is from early surf and rock bands, and blues greats like Jimmy Reed and BB King. I was inspired to play Bass guitar by attending Dick Dale concerts in Anaheim, CA Realizing in my opinion, that was where all the movement for dancing was coming from. My musical philosophy is to keep it simple, and make it appealing to the ears of the average listener.

How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

I pray about what I'm doing and try and let the spirit come through me is the best for me.

"The Portland blues community is a very close nit group. Everyone for the most part supports each other and try's to lift one another up. Even though were in competition for the same gigs, there's still a since of community here I love.  I like the hometown feel of Portland." (Photo: Richard Wilkins)

Currently you’ve one release with covers of Hollywood Fats and Rod Piazza, plus some traditional Irish and Scottish tunes. How did your relationship with Celtic music, and Hollywood Fats & Rod Piazza’s music come about?

I was fortunate to have heard Hollywood Fats play a lot in South Orange County, CA in the 70's. Larry Taylor's bass groove along with Richard Innis the drummer was so solid. Al Blake's vocal phrasing was beautiful. Really learned a lot from those guys as well as Rod Piazza band The mighty flyers. I’m very grateful to Rod for letting my sit on sax many many times. Covering their songs is a way to say thanks for helping me develop as a player. Plus Jimi Bott played with Rod for years so I thought it would be cool to revisit one of his original drum beats on Somebody. I've been fortunate enough to be part of a lot of musical genre's. I have Scots / Irish heritage and have always liked that music and felt a calling of sorts. In the early 80's I was learning bagpipes when the Pipeband I was playing with needed a bass drummer for a gig. So, I switched to playing bass drum which lasted for 27 years. I was lucky to have won the world championships band competition in Glasgow, Scotland for our grade 3 band in 2018. The pipeband gigs were really fun. I was playing in my blues band at the same time. I always felt a satisfaction playing Scottish and Irish music. I go to Ireland every year and hang out in pubs just to listen to the guys play traditional Irish music.

Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “Empty Seats”?

In the making of Empty Seats, I wanted it to be a story of sorts of all my influences and life changing events. The record starts of with 27 seconds of 6/8 march Duncan MacGillvray. 6/8 marches are used for drum major competitions and opening shows. It has a swagger to it that I have always loved. Track 2 Rainy Sunday Morning is a song I wrote back in 1971 about waking up drunk and feeling lost. Never recorded it before. It has special meaning to me. Track 3 Empty Seats is about so many friends of mine that have passed on. Just wanted to honor a few of them. My friend Kevin McIntyre who sang Minstrel boy and Song for Ireland on the album is a piper friend of mine who lives in Winnipeg. He has a beautiful tenor voice who sings at a lot of the Scottish highland games. I wanted him to sing these two songs because I love them, and he could do them justice. When I practice my sax I play bagpipe, and Irish tunes all he time. The closing song on the album is a bagpipe tune used a lot as a march off tune for bagpipe bands in closing shows. I just thought that would be a cool thing to do. The whole album has a personal meaning to me. Sort of romp through my life.

"It’s been a life long journey. I've stayed pretty close to my roots of blues and early rock n roll guys. I'm definitely more confident and all my varied experience is invaluable. I try and tell a story in my songwriting and try to keep it simple." (Photo: Richard Wilkins)

What moment changed your music life the most? What do you learn about yourself from the blues?

Many years ago in New York I was asked to sit in with Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Buddy Miles and Eric Clapton. The music we made was nothing I like I had ever experienced before. The groove was so fat and the dynamics we covered was amazing! Definitely a life changing event. I have always gravitated towards the blues. I was heavenly influenced by Jimmy Reed in my teens. Even in my rock n roll days I have always felt at home playing the blues.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

It’s been a life long journey. I've stayed pretty close to my roots of blues and early rock n roll guys. I'm definitely more confident and all my varied experience is invaluable. I try and tell a story in my songwriting and try to keep it simple.

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

There has to be balance. Chops are great but you need emotion and passion just as much. Blues is the soul of American culture in my opinion. It will always be there, I hope.

Are there any specific memories in California in the ‘60s, and going to the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, that you would like to tell us about?!

I was lucky to be born in a time where live music was everything. My first artist I saw from an outside window in at an Armory in Highland Park, LA was Richie Valens. I was blown away by the sound and vibe. Probably about 15 and definitely life changing. Driving up to Monterey with my friend Carl drinking wine coolers and smokin pot was a memorable trip. Otis Redding performance blew my mind. The Who, Jimi Hendrix. It was hard to fathom what I saw happen at 21 years old. All the San Francisco bands with super long hair was crazy. One month later I transferred my railroad job up to Oakland from LA and joined a band called Martha's Laundry and started playing professionally.

"There has to be balance. Chops are great but you need emotion and passion just as much. Blues is the soul of American culture in my opinion. It will always be there, I hope." (Photo: Richard Wilkins)

What is the music legacy of Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon music? What do you think is key to a music life well lived?

The music legacy of Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon is its timeless quality. Everyone gets the blues about something. Everyone has struggles in life and the blues expressed by those two artists really speaks to a lot of people. The key to a music life well lived is listening to other musicians while your playing together and collaborating together to produce something bigger then the sum of its parts. Space is equally important. Music, like all living things, has to has to breathe.

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

There are so many memories and highlights I've been blessed to have. Receiving praise from other fantastic musicians is always the best. I was recording with my band Under Milkwood for our album for A&M Records at Electric Lady land studios in NY in 1969 when I met Mathew Fisher [organist from Procul Harum] in a bar and asked him if would like to come and sit in our session? He came by and added a beautiful organ part to a song we were doing. He expressed how much fun he had. That was huge. Another highlight was when Eric Clapton gave me a real good compliment about my bass playing. I had just finished jamming with him, Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Buddy Miles in a club called Unganos in upper Manhattan in New York the spring of 1969. That was definitely a highlight.

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

I miss the simple arrangements and natural sounds of real instruments. I'm not a big fan of over produced synthetic music. My fears our that musicians won't be able to support themselves. The money has become horrible and record sales have dropped as a result of streaming services. My Hope is that we won't loose this Art form. It's such valuable part of our existence. I for one could not live without live music.

"The Blues offers me a chance to get back to the simpler things in life. Free from the everyday turmoil of politics, covid, and the general anxiety of the our current times. When I travel in the states or overseas, I always seek out Blues clubs and other musical venues. There's a connection with other musicians I real enjoy." (Photo: Portland, Oregon blues singer/songwriter, bass guitar/ tenor sax player. Richard Wilkins)

What would you say characterizes Portland, Oregon blues scene in comparison to other local US scenes and circuits?

The Portland blues community is a very close nit group. Everyone for the most part supports each other and try's to lift one another up. Even though were in competition for the same gigs, there's still a since of community here I love.  I like the hometown feel of Portland.

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?

This a hard question. The best advice I received was to practice and really own your instrument. Treat it like a lover. Be gentle but firm. Make it laugh or make it cry. But be honest and genuine in your expression.

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

Every life lesson we all go through is expressed through the music we make. Music can heal us and allow us to make life long friends. Music seems to underscore our very existence usually for the better.

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

Music is the very fabric of our social-cultural experience. Hopefully music will move you somehow. Dance, be still, laugh, or cry its our soundtrack of life!

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(Photos: Richard Wilkins)