“Music is a healer; the best blues music will turn sadness to joy. You can get lost inside of a song or performance like nothing else and come out feeling different, better.”

Marc Lipkin:

Alligator Attack - Labor of Blues Love!

Marc Lipkin is the Director of Publicity for Alligator Records and 2006 Keeping The Blues Alive Award (The Blues Foundation) recipient. Imagine how hard it is to get the Blues into the mainstream media. Marc Lipkin has fought that fight for over 32 years. Marc writes all Alligator Artist bios and press releases as well as staying in close contact with writers, editors, television talent bookers, and National Public Radio Producers. Because of Marc’s tireless efforts, Blues fans have been treated to the likes of Mavis Staples, Koko Taylor, Shemekia Copeland, the Holmes Brothers, Marcia Ball, and Little Charlie and the Nightcats on NPR broadcasts as well as on national television programs. His efforts have brought coverage of Alligator artists in local Blues society newsletters to weekly alternative papers to major daily newspapers to national publications like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.

(Photo: Marc Lipkin with the late great bluesmen Junior Wells and Loonie Brooks, NYC 1993)

Marc says: “For 53 years now, Alligator has continued releasing what Bruce Iglauer first called "Genuine Houserockin' Music." Every album may not be a timeless classic (although we try), but certainly every Alligator album will come from a singularly talented artist with a compelling story to tell. So even if you may not be familiar with an artist, the fact that an album is on Alligator should be enough to assure you it'll move your feet, make you think, and rock your soul. It's always been the case that the more people hear this music, the more people like it.”

Interview by Michael Limnios          Special Thanks: Marc Lipkin (Alligator Records)

How has the music influenced your views of the world? How does music affect your mood and inspiration?

Growing up in Chicago I listened to everything from The Beatles to Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger to Bob Marley, James Brown to Bruce Springsteen. Through music I sought joy, acceptance and a growing sense of fairness and equality for everybody. 
Then, through Bob Dylan's first album, I discovered the blues. I borrowed Muddy Waters' Sail On LP from a friend and never gave it back. I hit the junk shops and flea markets and picked up as many original old blues records as I could get my hands on. Back in the 1970's and 1980s, it was easy (and fun for me) to walk into any used record store in the city and walk out with a huge stack of original pressing Chess, Vee Jay, Prestige, and other import and private label blues LPs for next to nothing. I didn't realize it back then, but I was getting schooled.

Music is a healer; the best blues music will turn sadness to joy. You can get lost inside of a song or performance like nothing else and come out feeling different, better. Koko Taylor used to say blues heals the blues; Luther Allison's song Soul-Fixin' Man defined his purpose — healing souls with his intense, passionate performances. The best blues music is also timeless. Muddy Waters' She Moves Me sounds as forceful and powerful today as it did when released in 1958. Robert Johnson's Hellhound On My Trail, released in 1937, will raise the hair on the necks of your future grandchildren. This is powerful stuff.

”Additionally, and this is most important, Alligator has remained successful for so long because of the dedication of the entire staff — most of whom have been with the label for decades — working tirelessly to keep bringing the music to all corners of the world. It truly is a labor of love. (Marc Lipkin with Bruce Iglauer, founder and president of Alligator Records, Chicago Il, 2011 / Photo by Ted Drozdowski)

As a veteran publicist, what characterise your philosophy? What do you think is key for a good Media & Public Relations service?

I bring to my job the same passion our artists bring to their music. Since 1992, I've written every artist bio and every press release in addition to working each new album to media, seeking reviews, interviews, feature stories and television appearances. At Alligator, with help from my colleagues Chris Levick and Jill Dollinger, we additionally work every one of our artists' live performance dates to local press. We view every live gig as an important retail opportunity.

The blues tells many stories. Publicists tell and share these stories, so it's important to not only be intimately familiar with our current project, but to know blues music history as well, and how the album and artist we are currently pitching contextualizes into the blues' historic and colorful timeline. The fact that Lil' Ed Williams is the nephew of blues great J.B. Hutto is important to know when discussing with media his latest release or upcoming gig.

On my very first day of work at Alligator, label founder and president Bruce Iglauer came into my office and hollered, "If you're not busy every minute of every day, you're doing something wrong." I got the message. It's up to me to get the word out. No one is beating down my door to offer the cover of Vintage Guitar magazine to one of my artists, or to invite an Alligator artist to perform on CBS Saturday Morning. I pitch and follow up and then follow up some more. And keeping in mind Bruce's day-one orders about always being busy, I like to, at the end of each workday, throw out one last pitch. Sometimes it'll be a simple follow up that could have waited until morning, other times a pie-in-the-sky email to some mainstream outlet, or some crazy idea to include an Alligator artist in plans that are already underway (see Lil' Ed Williams' appearance on the old Conan O'Brian show, with Ed teaching Conan to play and sing the blues, for example).

I was brought up to believe that every good person is important, from the front row to the last. B.B. King would talk to the President with the same respect and attention with which he spoke to his valet. I've learned to always show up prepared and on time, and to stand up when shaking hands. These things demonstrate respect. As a publicist I try to set realistic expectations. I prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. I never blow smoke. And I never talk about any artist I work with to another artist or manager. This is how trust gets established.

”As much as I love listening to my old records, I don't do nostalgia well. Blues music today, as played by the best musicians, is as exciting and creative a force as ever. Successful working, touring artists range in age from 19 to 95. People will always have the blues and will need the music to get them through.” (Photo: Marc Lipkin with Shemekia Copeland, Arthur Neilson and Tim Kolleth, AmericanaFest, Nashville 2018)

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

In 1990 I wrote and sent Bruce Iglauer, whom I did not know, a letter in the mail, introducing myself and asking him to hire me. He actually wrote back and said, "You sound cool. I'll keep your number on file just in case." Almost two years later, out of the blue, he called. "I need a publicist right now," he boomed into my answering machine. As I walked into the Alligator offices for my first interview with Bruce, I knew this was it. I felt like I had prepared my entire life to meet this very moment, and I was determined, once I had my foot in the door, to walk my whole self through it.

I've been soaking up lessons since I started both from Bruce and from the artists I was quickly getting to know. Within a short time, legends including Koko Taylor, Charlie Musselwhite, Lonnie Brooks, Kenny Neal, Lil' Ed Willaims, Ann Rabson (of Safire--The Uppity Blues Women) and Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin all welcomed me with encouragement ("you got this") and only a touch of menace ("you better have this").

When I first met Luther Allison, I told him how excited I was to be working for him. He cupped my hands in his, looked me in the eye and said, "No. You don't work for me. You work with me." Koko Taylor, when I'd call and ask if she had time to do one more interview, would say, "let's pluck the chickens while the water's hot." She knew the best time to get more press was when you're already getting attention. One time when I called Lonnie Brooks to tell him David Letterman wanted him on The Late Show, he said to me, "whenever you call, something good is about to happen." In 2006 I received the coveted Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation. I was the first publicist to ever receive this honor. I felt then, maybe for the first time, that I must be doing something right.

”The blues tells many stories. Publicists tell and share these stories, so it's important to not only be intimately familiar with our current project, but to know blues music history as well, and how the album and artist we are currently pitching contextualizes into the blues' historic and colorful timeline.” (Photo: Marc Lipkin, Director of Publicity for Alligator Records with Toronzo Cannon and Guitar Shorty)

Why do you think that Alligator Records continues to generate such a devoted following around the world?

For 53 years now, Alligator has continued releasing what Bruce Iglauer first called "Genuine Houserockin' Music." Every album may not be a timeless classic (although we try), but certainly every Alligator album will come from a singularly talented artist with a compelling story to tell. So even if you may not be familiar with an artist, the fact that an album is on Alligator should be enough to assure you it'll move your feet, make you think, and rock your soul. It's always been the case that the more people hear this music, the more people like it.

Additionally, and this is most important, Alligator has remained successful for so long because of the dedication of the entire staff — most of whom have been with the label for decades — working tirelessly to keep bringing the music to all corners of the world. It truly is a labor of love.

Which meetings and collaborations have been the most important experiences for you? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I have been fortunate to have had many outstanding adventures over the years, but a few that come to mind include killing time in New York City with Lonnie Brooks and Junior Wells not four months after I started my job; accompanying Koko Taylor when she recorded her parts for an episode of the animated children's television show, Arthur; and, along with Alligator's long-time radio head Tim Kolleth, joining Elvin Bishop and Little Smokey Smothers as guests of Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker for an unforgettable day of baseball and old blues stories from two blues masters. Working alongside Mavis Staples for her 2004 comeback album, Have A Little Faith, and her continuing friendship, remains the most important and rewarding highlight of my career.

”As a publicist I try to set realistic expectations. I prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. I never blow smoke. And I never talk about any artist I work with to another artist or manager. This is how trust gets established.” (Photo: Marc Lipkin,  2006 Keeping The Blues Alive Award recipient with Elvin Bishop)

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

As much as I love listening to my old records, I don't do nostalgia well. Blues music today, as played by the best musicians, is as exciting and creative a force as ever. Successful working, touring artists range in age from 19 to 95. People will always have the blues and will need the music to get them through.

New young artists like DK Harrell, Southern Avenue, Chris O'Leary, Selwyn Birchwood, Toronzo Cannon, and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram acknowledge the past while defining the future. Established masters including Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Tinsley Ellis, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Shemekia Copeland, Marcia Ball, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, Nick Moss, Coco Montoya, Carolyn Wonderland and JJ Grey & Mofro all continue to blaze new trails with each new release.

On the business side, everything is becoming more corporate now, more digital. One reason blues music is so impactful is that there is such little separation between artist and fan. This is even more true in a live setting. When you witness Shemekia Copeland singing Ghetto Child in person, her voice will reach out, grab you by the lapel and pull you in. When you see Ronnie Baker Brooks shredding his guitar, singing about Blues In My DNA, you are living blues history.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

It would be great if more people would discover the blues, buy more CDs and records and go out to more blues concerts. With the streaming services today, Alligator's music is available worldwide, from Chicago to China, from New Orleans to India. Alligator continues to produce and release the best blues and roots rock music in the world. And we will continue to introduce the next generation of blues artists to the next generation of blues fans. 

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where would you really want to go - and what memorabilia (albums, concert tickets, books, etc.) would you take with you?

Of course, I'd love to be able to see some of the legends like Hound Dog Taylor, Howlin' Wolf or Elmore James perform (I did get to see Muddy Waters in 1980), but I'm perfectly content with where I currently am. I like the here and now, and I am excited by the number of great blues artists who are yet to be discovered, and all the amazing, life-changing music that is yet to be released.

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