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He played alongside Muddy Waters from '73-'80, as well as with musicians like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Koko Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, and Hubert Sumlin.
A long way from when he first picked up a guitar in 1964, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin is coming to Sarasota for the Blues Fest, bringing with him his eclectic style of "Old School" Chicago blues, funk, rock & roll and jam band originals and classics.
Solo albums include: Old School, Powerhouse, Down the Alley, My Blues & My Guitar, Up & In and Hold Me to It, featuring music that earned him "Best Guitarist" by both the McHandy and Blues Music Awards, not to mention "Best Historic Recording" for "Breakin' it Up, Breakin' it Down". His Acoustic and electric stylings can also be heard on Muddy Water's Grammy winning Woodstock album, Kenny Wayne Shephards Ten Days, and Koky Taylor's Old School CD releases.
Currently on tour, I was able to catch up with Margolin via the luxuries of modern technology, for a Q&A.
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Q: Many artists have a "defining moment" in their life, a time where they know - without question - they are meant to sing, write, perform...whatever. What was your defining moment?
A: For me, being a musician in both identity and profession happened gradually. I kept doing it from when I was a teenager and nothing stopped me, so I still am. But I certainly did have a "defining moment" -- or "crossroads" of life -- in 1973. Legendary Bluesman Muddy Waters was my favorite musician and I knew him and he was encouraging to me. That year, when I was 24, Muddy invited me to join his band and I knew right away that it was an opportunity to learn from a master and a gateway to deep musical and social experiences. It has been both challenging and gratifying to live and play Blues with the advantage and privilege of having learned from a master, an educational process that does not happen often in modern life. I've tried to live up to that opportunity and not let down Muddy or the music or the people who love it.
Q: If you had to freeze one moment of your career in time, with the option of going back to revisit it any time you liked, what moment would you pick?
A: There is not one moment, only because there have been so many in the past, present and future. I've had a lot of musical thrills, but I still have them and don't plan on stopping. I always try to give everything I have when I play, so perhaps the Sarasota Blues Festival will be my next big thrill. I can certainly promise that Diunna Greenleaf, who will be working with my band, is one of the most deep and powerful performers I've ever experienced. There's a song we perform together, just the two of us, that always touches both of us and the audience, taking us to the soul of our humanity. We've done this many times together and it's a very powerful feeling. I invite our audience in Sarasota to expect something special. It's not entertainment, it's life and love. We won't let you down!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: As it happens I'm in New Jersey, working on mixing an album for my young friend Matt Hill from Greensboro, NC, near where I live. He's a tremendous talent, and another young friend and amazing musician, Dave Gross, is working with me putting this album together forand with Matt. I often work with older legendary Bluesmen, but it's also a thrill to work with creative, ambitious, and very advanced musicians who are much younger than I am. I feel blessed to experience and make music with soulful players with a wide range of ages, from 95-year-old Pinetop Perkins to 23-year-old Matt Hill. Between them, I feel like I can reach out and touch more than a century of Blues music that brings all kinds of people together, worldwide.
Q: You've played with some legendary musicians in your extensive career. If you had to limit your choice to three of artists who influenced the most, who would you pick and why?
A: Honestly, I wouldn't want to give the impression that naming three excludes countless others, famous or not. Muddy Waters is a central figure to my music, a mentor, friend, employer, and teacher. He's been dead since 1983 but his presence in the world has only grown. Pinetop, whom I mentioned above and was the oldest in Muddy's '70s band while I was the youngest, is also very inspiring for his youthful spirit. A third would be the late Blues guitarist Jimmy Rogers, who was in Muddy's band 25 years before I was, treated me like a good friend, and whose music is still a big part of my life.
Q: Can you tell us a little about Blues Revue and BluesWax, and your involvement as a writer?
A: I can certainly say more about Blues and who I am with a guitar, but I enjoy writing about music. I've been a regular columnist for Blues Revue, the largest circulation print magazine about Blues, since 1993. Since 2003, I've also written stories and interviewed friends for BluesWax online magazine. They let me write what I want to, rather than assign topics to me, and it's gratifying and interesting to be able to say what I want to a large Blues audience who enjoy reading about the music they love as well as listening to the music itself.
Q: Where do you like to go when you visit the Tampa Bay Area?
A: When I'm on the road, I'm rarely a tourist, mostly all I see is the venue and the hotel where I stay. I enjoyed playing at Skipper's Smokehouse club occasionally, and I've made friends with a fine singer from the area, Sandy Atkinson. Last June, she brought me down there to play at a benefit for the Children's Home Society of Florida at Skipper's and I met a lot of wonderful musicians and music lovers. I've also played at Aces in Bradenton, and liked it a lot. There seems to be a good music scene in Florida these days, in your area and all over the State, and I find myself playing there more than ever.
Q: What do you do during those "in between" times, when you're not eating, breathing, and living music?
A: I've been on the road since 1973, and I still have wonderful experiences touring, but In the last few years I've found and married the love of my life and a we have a sweet, peaceful home together. If I was under house arrest there for the rest of my life, I'd say, "fine..." We have two dogs and a cat and I enjoy their beauty, grace, comedy, and love very much.
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More about Bob Margolan can be learned from his autobiography and website. Visit www.bobmargolin.com or www.myspace.com/bobmargolin. He'll also be performing at the Sarasota Blues Fest at the Ed Smith Stadium Complex on November 1st (Ticketing information available on www.sarsotabluesfest.com or by phoining 941-954-4101 x5454).
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