Artist combines hip-hop and blues
Chris Thomas King brings his unique sound to the Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival.
Published Sept. 7, 2007
Among the many revered blues musicians making their way to Columbia for the Boone County National Bank Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival this weekend, Chris Thomas King might be the only one who fuses blues and hip-hop together.
King, a pioneer of using digital recording in blues music, won the Album of the Year Grammy in 2002 for his role on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. King also played Tommy Johnson in the film and played a bandleader in "Ray."
King grew up and worked in his father's juke joint, Tabby's Blues Box, which was located in Louisiana. He was surrounded by music at an early age, and by the time he was 13, King had recorded professionally and was touring with Southern blues artists, but he found himself part of the hip-hop generation as well.
"I am influenced by a lot of popular music and the beats and grooves of hip-hop," King said. "As an artist who wanted to make my artistic statement, I've made it a point to fuse that with my blues music."
Fifteen years ago, King began exploring a combination of hip-hop and blues that garnered mixed reactions at first, but it has lasted for 13 albums.
"Some people call it noise," he said. "I call it beautiful music."
King, who is influenced by blues greats such as Albert King and Muddy Waters, said he uses his own experiences to shape his songs. He used Hurricane Katrina as a springboard for songs such as "What Would Jesus Do?" and "Baptized in Dirty Water" off his album Rise. Thomas lost his home during the hurricane, and he is still trying to repair after the chaos.
"The last album was very honest and raw," King said. "The album was made under extreme stress and uncertainty. When we were forced out of New Orleans, we were homeless. Wherever I went, I wrote music that was inspired directly after Hurricane Katrina."
King said the album title was inspired by the sentiment, "It ain't gonna be bad forever."
"I titled it Rise, because blues is about hardships and having to see your dreams become nightmares," King said. "The ingredient of the blues that makes it different is that there will be morning. The light will shine tomorrow. It will be a new day."
Thomas said he finds the recording process harder every time despite the fact that working on his own label, 21st Century Blues, gives him more creative freedom.
"The new record is going to sound good," King said. "I know the landscape that I am going to use. It is just what story that I want to tell and what melodies that I want to use that I still have to figure out."
Since recording his first album on vinyl, King's music has changed quite a bit. To create an authentic blues sound for his first record, he played all of the instruments, but now he relies on computers to create his beats.
"Computers are becoming an instrument since we live in a digital world," King said. "I am living in the present. The key is to use the computer as a tool, and you need to keep that in perspective."
As one of the first to use digital recording, King said many people originally thought he was not preserving the music by using technology.
But Thomas was able to keep the essence of his music and reach out to younger audiences because of it.
"The blues are very emotional music," he said. "It is important to have human emotion, dynamics and sensitivity that make music touch people and make them feel special."