"I don’t think the blues will ever die as long as we have people that love it and interpret the boys in their own way."

Dennis Spencer: Bluesman From Jupiter

Dennis Spencer’s life in music has been great…when it wasn’t trying to kill him. When he was 12, his father came home with an accordion and a guitar and told the kids to flip coins. Dennis got the guitar. At 16, he got backstage to a B.B. King concert and jammed with the legend for a few minutes. He went home and tried to look up “Blues” in the dictionary. He couldn’t find anything and says he has been looking ever since. He lived fast for a while. He partied at Studio 54. He learned how to smuggle guitars to London and turn a profit. He was living two doors down from Sid Vicious at The Hotel Chelsea the night Nancy was killed. He took a Concord to Paris to ask his girlfriend to marry him under the Eiffel Tower and she said no. The same girlfriend later died in his arms of a drug overdose. Fast living turned into barely living. Walking the streets of NYC all night and sleeping in a few hallways was a common occurrence after being locked out of hotel rooms. At a low point he went to a Gypsy in Times Square for advice. She wouldn’t take his $5 and told him he had no future.

(Photos: Dennis Spencer & Dennis Spencer with Bobby Warren)

He wound up in prison where, he will tell you, he was in three fights and won all but two. He was taken in a body bag to a hospital and when he was being officially pronounced dead from an OD, they found a heartbeat. He has survived car crashes, guns being drawn on him, motorcycle accidents and will tell you that it is very hard to kill him. He finally kicked heroin in a New York jail cell. Today, he is on his fourth wife and has been a millionaire and bankrupt, twice. All Dennis's  experience's can be heard on his new album Bluesman From Jupiter (2024), 10 original tracks that cover it all, from the high times to the rocks, from boogie to the blues. This is a man who has paid his dues and then some.

Interview by Michael Limnios                Special Thanks: Frank Roszak Promotions

How has the Blues and Rock music influenced your views of the world? What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music?

Music is just in me since I could get a hard on. When I hear music, I like it brings me to a different place. When I play music the driving force is my audience and the dancers. I watch and play to the dancers. It’s important not to disturb them...

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

I would say my sound is a mix of blues, funk and Chuck Berry style rock and roll with simple grooves melodies.

Regarding technique and skill and old timer long ago told me “play with your dick” and that when I try to do. You can throw a rock in a crowd of people and hit a guitar player better than me. I try to keep things to a minimum and put what I feel into every note.

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

Meeting B.B. King and playing with him for a moment backstage as a teenager was a highlight moment for me.

Every time I get off stage if I’m covering with sweat, I feel like I’ve done a good job and that is a highlight for me.

"Music is just in me since I could get a hard on. When I hear music, I like it brings me to a different place. When I play music the driving force is my audience and the dancers. I watch and play to the dancers. It’s important not to disturb them..." (Photo: Dennis Spencer aka Tall Guy)

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 days when you could put an LP on the turntable, listen to music, reading the liner notes and just dream about maybe doing that someday with my life.

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

I got into a cab in New York City when I was in my 20s and was carrying a guitar. The driver was an old black guy, and he asked me if I was a guitar player and do I wanna get better. Of course, I said yes and he said “listen to Sax players like Louis Jordan, Cleanhead Vinson etc... Don’t listen to guitar players. Try to re-create those sex solos on your guitar and it will make you go places that you never dreamt of.” Tuesday, I tried to follow that advice.

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

I just try to keep my mind open for new ideas, Melody’s, etc., and write them down. If people like what I’m doing so be it.

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

I don’t think the blues will ever die as long as we have people that love it and interpret the boys in their own way.

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

Women, have brought me both the greatest joys of my life and also to my deepest darkest moments of despair.

(Dennis Spencer / Photo by Kevin Merrill)