"The blues makes you return to every memory of sadness and betrayal, of loneliness and joy, in order to invest yourself in the song."

Tim Williams: Riding on the Cayuse

Tim Williams' career began in the coffee houses of Southern California in the mid-1960s and continues today around the world from his home base on the Canadian Prairies. Tim has played festivals, folk clubs, concert halls and roadhouses from Rabat, Morocco, to Melbourne, Australia, and from Dawson City, Yukon Territory to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, all to huge acclaim.

 

 

His guitar skills are frequently compared to Ry Cooder and David Lindley (and like them, Tim plays a wealth of other string instruments), and his songwriting has won praise from the likes of Tom Russel and Willie Nelson. A string of Maple Blues Award nominations, two JUNO award nominations (Canada's Grammy equivalent) , five Betty Mitchell Awards for composition/musical direction in theatre, and roughly a dozen awards from Real Blues magazine attest to the high caliber of his work.

Tim has shared stages with a large roster of well known blues and roots music artists, and the following list is by no means complete: Taj Mahal, Big Jack Johnson, Rory Block, Roy Rogers, The Earl Scruggs Revue, John Fahey, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Dr. John, The Holmes Brothers, David Lindley, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Mary Flower, Paul Geremia, John Hammond, Guy Davis, Eric Bibb, Odetta, B.B. King, Robert Lockwood Jr., Honeyboy Edwards, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy.

Tim's live solo shows (he also works with his band, the Electro-Fires) are a trip down the river of North American music...blues, ragtime, old-time country with dashes of Mexican and Hawaiian influence, performed on a variety of string instruments.

 

Interview by Michael Limnios

 

What do you learn about yourself from the blues, what does the blues mean to you?

The blues makes you return to every memory of sadness and betrayal, of loneliness and joy, in order to invest yourself in the song.  When you do that, it helps you conquer the bad memories and celebrate the good ones.

 

                                                                                     Photo by Robert Zawaski

What experiences in your life make you a GOOD MUSICIAN, PRODUCER and SONGWRITER?

I was drawn to music from my very earliest years.  When I first picked up a guitar I could see how country music, the blues, Mexican folk music, Hawaiian music and rock & roll were related to each other.

 

How do you describe Tim Williams sound and progress, which is your music philosophy?

My music is based in traditions I learned from the area in which I grew up; Southern California.  Although the blues has been the heart of what I do, I’ve always believed that good musicians can almost always find common ground.  A good song is at the heart of every worthwhile musical effort.

 

What characterize Cayuse Music, how did you come up with it?

Cayuse was a tribe of Native Americans whose name came to mean “horse” in the old west.  A horse of unknown parentage, not fancy.

 

Which was the best moment of your career and which was the worst?

There have been so many moments, it’s hard to pick a “best and Worst”.  I think the best was playing a gig with Robert Lockwood Jr. On a warm night in Memphis, Tennessee.  The worst moments are when I feel I’ve done a bad show; I didn’t play well, or didn’t connect with the audience.

 

From whom have you have learned the most secrets about blues music?

I would have to say I learned the most from Lightnin’ Hopkins.  I listened to him a lot in my teens, saw him play, and then opened for him for six nights.  He was elegant and funky at the same time, and was so inside the music he was playing, it was really inspiring.

 

What is the “feel” you miss nowadays from the 60s? Which memory from 60s makes you smile?

The feeling I miss most from the ‘60s came to an end the day Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered.  Before that, it seemed many young Americans...white, black, Mexican, Asian, were working toward a place of mutual respect and understanding.  It doesn’t always seem that way now.

 

                                                                                     Photo by Robert Zawaski

Are there any memories from the coffee-house scene of California in the mid 60's, which you’d like to share with us?

My favourite memory of that time is of sitting in the dining room of my house in Santa Barbara, California, playing “Red River Blues” with the great Jesse Fuller.

 

Which is the most interesting period in your life and why?

I would have to say now is the most interesting point in my life.  I get to do music for theatrical productions, I get to serve as producer on recording sessions for other artists, I get to play often with some of the greatest musicians in the world in concert halls, nice clubs, and at beautiful outdoor music festivals, and I get to travel to a lot of interesting places and meet the musicians there.

 

How has the music business changed over the years since you first started in music?

When I started out, music was a more personal thing, because not as many people were doing it.  And it was much more inter-active, because the only way to learn to play was to watch and hear other players.  Now it’s very common to meet young players who have no idea how to play with other musicians; they only know how to play their own music.  Recording technology lets us work anywhere, and you can still reach a large audience even without a record company.

 

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians thinking of pursuing a career in the craft?

My advice to aspiring musicians is two-fold : learn your craft, its’ history and its’ legends, because without that knowledge you can’t create anything new that has any foundation or worth; and always remember that music, like life, is a journey instead of a race.  You should always be learning, searching with open ears, an open heart and an open mind.

 

Why did you think that Tim Williams continues to generate such a devoted following?

People who follow my music enjoy the years I’ve worked and the miles I’ve travelled to learn my trade, and the honesty I try to bring to what I do.

 

What is the best advice a bluesman ever gave you?

The best advice many of the older bluesmen gave me was to just be myself, and not copy others.

 

What the difference and similarity between Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Hula Hattie, and Flaco Jimenez “feeling”?

Robert Johnson and Hank Williams were both blues singers, one black and one white.  And they both loved to go outside the confines of “blues” or “Country music” when a good song appealed to them (Robert Johnson, when he was alive, was famous for playing the old “pop” song “My Blue Heaven”).  Slide and steel guitar both come from the Hawaiian tradition more than anything else.  And Flaco’s music is Northern Mexican music, with roots in German and Czech accordion music, mixed with country and r & b.

 

What’s the best jam you ever played in? What are some of the most memorable gigs you've had?

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival, with Eric Bibb and The African Guitar Summit.

 

You have played with many musicians, which gigs have been the biggest experiences for you?

I’ve been blessed to play so many great gigs; I can’t honestly name a favourite.

Some music styles can be fads but the blues is always with us.  Why do think that is? Give one wish for the BLUES

The blues speaks of very basic human truths, and every generation discovers those truths, and the blues, for themselves.  My wish is that it continues to grow, for real, and that audiences learn the difference between good and bad blues and support the good stuff.

 

Is it easier to write and play the blues as you get older?

It’s harder to write as I get older only because it’s hard to make the time.

 

Are there any memories from “THE ROAD WITH THE BLUES”, which you’d like to share with us?

At a gig in Vancouver one night with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, I looked up to see junior dancing back by the sound board.  He was a tough little dude who didn’t very often let his happiness show through except on stage, and I was very moved.

 

Which things do you prefer to do in your free time? Happiness is……

Music is my life.  I like to play golf when I can, but only when my music business is taken care of.  Happiness is a day when I can play some golf and play some music, or sitting by a beach in Mexico with my wife, drinking beer and listening to mariachi music.

 

Tim Williams: Cayuse Music - Home