When I was given this opportunity to send Lurrie some interview questions by email to coincide with the release of his new CD, I wasn't given any guidelines on what I should and shouldn't ask. Since he'd obviously taken steps to get past the events of earlier this year, it seemed obvious that I owed him the respect of honouring that commitment and wasn't about to start asking him about it. "Tell me – how's it feel to lose your wife and your father in the same year" just didn't seem appropriate.
Lurrie's not the most chatty of men in these situations, I think he prefers to leave the talking to his music, so his answers are short and to the point. But I figure if anyone has a right to be reticent it would be Lurrie after the year he's had.
Is there any truth to the rumours that a) you were born with a guitar in hands, b) backstage during a sound check before a gig your dad was playing at Buddy Guy's, and c) that you were sitting in before the night was out?
(Laughs) Yeah, I’ve been playing the blues ever since.
Well if that's not the case maybe you better set the record straight and tell us how you came to pick up your first guitar?
I first picked up the guitar when I was hanging with my father at his rehearsals. I think I was 4 or 5 years old.
Was there pressure on you to become a musician? What if you had wanted to be an accountant or something, would that have disappointed your father?
No pressure but my dad was very proud that I had made a name for myself being a musician.
Seriously was there ever any doubt in your mind about what you were going to do?
NO
You were sort of like an elite athlete in that you really didn't know anything else aside from your chosen profession – you were playing professionally by 16 or close to that. Do you think given the opportunity you might do things a little differently?
I wouldn’t change a thing music is my life and always will be.
One of your first permanent gigs was playing in Koko Taylor's band, and since then you've played with who knows how many hundreds if not thousands of players. Are there any in particular that stand out from the crowd who might not be the household name that Koko is but who made an impression on you – you know people like Taildragger?
A guitar player that’s not a big name that I always liked was Wayne Bennett. He could make the guitar sound so smooth. I’m going on tour next week with Taildragger, I’ve been knowing him for many years. Southside blues man.
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