BLUES IN BRITAIN NOVEMBER 2025

 
 

INTERVIEW

            THE CALIFORNIAN  WITH THE BLUES

          BRAD ‘GUITAR’ WILSON

 Editor Nick gave me a copy of Brad’s latest album for review, but also suggested an interview. Looking up his web site, backed by the shoreline waves of the Pacific ocean, a smiling Brad Wilson, guitar in hand and again the ocean behind him.The albums very good indeed so a great time to grab a chat with the man himself.
 

Q. Brad Wilson thank you so much for taking time out to chat with us in the UK, as your new album hits the shelves. With this smiling musician backed by the ocean, lets begin at your own musical beginnings please;

A.  San Francisco California and all the amazing concerts I saw influenced me to play guitar and make a life based around music. I attended the shows of the greatest guitar players from Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, BB King, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughn to name just a few. Started taking lessons at 13 years old and was in a pro band at 18 years old playing clubs. Signed a recording contract at 23 with RCA records.

 

Q.There’s so much variety of music on the album, clearly bringing the bright sunshine of California, and the blues, Where did your earliest influences come from, did you begin by playing blues alongside other influences;

A. California is a large diversified state with so many cultures, environments from the ocean to the mountains, deserts, National parks. I moved from San Francisco to Southern California's Hollywood with a band for my first record contract and began as a Rocker on the famed Sunset Strip. As a blues music fan I loved touring the Southern United States and hearing and seeing the origin of Blues music. I got a break in the movie TV business working with The Robb Brothers record producers and movie maker John Carpenter on the film Vampires and was working on the soundtrack along side of Blues stars Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. Hollywood show business and working as a session guitar player at Cherokee Studios allowed me to appreciate the making of lots of different styles in making Hit records.

 

Q. So the early bands, the way your career began to develop,and was there plenty of chances and venues to play blues;

A. California was and still is limited in Blues venues and festivals. The music scene is very big and the record industry in Los Angeles is the home to many artists, agency's, managers it is the business of music capital. Stevie Ray Vaughn's manager Chessly Milligan contacted me after hearing me and suggested I sing my own songs, go solo and reach out the Blues community and it changed everything for me. I moved to Central California and put out an album called Power Blues Guitar and that album opened a lot of doors. The Blues industry is incredibly supportive to artists. Touring and recording along with Blues radio airplay as a solo artist has become my life ever since.

 

Q. Your publicity speaks of your soulful contemporary sounds, would that fit you nicely;

A. At the heart of what I do is all my songs as a songwriter. I have always been the songwriter in my earliest bands and it is what my records are about. I write a lot and my albums are produced by grammy winning producer Francis Buckley. His experience with songs makes for a great team as we select the songs for each album. Honestly we both enjoy the way records were made when the entire band was in one big room in the studio and we are trying to keep as much of the process in a direct to disc less editing record.

 

Q. 2022 was an eventful year for you alongside some very big American bands, what was the road that lead to these prestigious gigs across the country;

A. The business of music for me is about directing my career and having the time to write songs. I am involved with the use of my time and touring is very time consuming. I started touring in The Netherlands, France and Belgium in 2019 and it was an immediate Hit for me. I loved Europe, the culture, the music fans and am on my eleventh tour in Europe. I hope to perform in the UK in the spring of 2026 for the first time. The USA is so big it takes up lots of time to get around. I have made an album every year starting in 2022 and the writing recording process is important to me so touring is just one portion of a year of work.
 
Q.  Obviously many UK fans have likely not seen you over the Pond, so tell us about your album and live shows, through the years;
My shows are built around the audience. The song selection is a combination of my current record along with the best songs from my career. I like to play lead guitar so I have songs that I can stretch out and solo on. My favorite time in the show is sing along's on a chorus of my song or a well known classic. Connecting with the audience is the most important part of visiting with everyone. Cover songs and my songs in my current show included are Summertime Blues, Can't Always Get What You Want, Ready For Love, Someday After Awhile and songs from my new album Say You Wanna Dance, Lightning In A Bottle, Heartbreaker and Monterey. 

 

Q. Movie tracks is another side of your musical bow share a little about them, because they have proved to be pretty successful for you;

A. Publishing royalites are the largest in TV and movies as a songwriter and record company. Not easy to get music placement and mostly about knowing someone involved with the production. Living and working in Hollywood was the oppertunity to get my music in NBC & CBS television and two movies with movie maker John Carpenter and The Robb Brothers.

 

Q. Share a little of your previous albums before we come onto this latest one, alongside the fabulous band you share the stage with;

A. Over the years I have always made records. Learning a lot about recording, song structure and gear in the studio. Making records is always about capturing a great performance a well written song and the engineer. 2022 was a breakout album Brad "Guitar" Wilson. I covered Tales Of Brave Ullyuess from Cream and it went right to the top of Blues and Blues Rock radio at #1. Introduced me to Australia, Canada and Europe. 2023 I performed in Paris for the first time and wrote some cool songs from the traveling for Lovers Before Sunrise album. 2024 was the release of the Buckle Up album and it got a lot of attention from radio and print. I recorded part of the record in The Netherlands with my Europe touring band and with songs like Buckle Up, Can't Always Get What You Want and a smash radio Hit called Lucille, lots of radio shows added the album. 2025 album is The Californian includes the #1 song from the #1 movie soundtrack John Carpenter's Vampires. Two song were recorded at the legendary recording studio in Brussels Belgium called ICP studios. For those sessions my Europe touring band was in the studio. Toto Poznantek on drums,. Fabrizo Erba on bass and Luca Catlefamo on keyboards. We recorded "Dead Flowers" from The Rolling Stones and Bad Co song "Ready For Love". Producer Francis Buckley was with us via Zoom in Brussels to produce these super cool songs. When I returned to California I entered the Musicians Instutue Studios in Hollywood for multiple days with the American studio musicians, who are stars in touring bands, Tony Brungal on drums, Chris Rhyne on keyboards and two bass players on different days, Hal Cragin and Brian Beal. The sessions were incredible and the feeling of something special going on with the songs was noticed immediaitly. "Lightning In A Bottle, and "Say You Wanna Dance" just jumped out of the speakers along with "Moaning The Blues" and the mega Hit "Heartbreaker"!

 

Q. The week I recieved your album for review, was also the one in which we heard the passing of Mick Ralphs, who you have on this new release ‘Ready For Love’ the old Mott The Hoople song;

A. This song for me is also about the great vocals from Paul Rogers and the recording on the Bad Company album. Mick Ralphs was incredible as a guitar player in a trio with only bass and drums. The guitar work is very powerful like a Pete Townson of The Who. Very full and the chord stuctures carry the song. On this song the lyrics are amazing! The message is timeless and crosses over to blues. One of the best songs ever. Very proud that I could record and sing this beautiful writing. I had played it awhile and over time changed it a bit to fit my style and Francis Buckley and the band in Brussels did a fabulous recording. I loved recording this song at ICP Studios in Brussels because it gives the recording the feel of how Bad Company might have recorded with the vibe of this legandery studio in their time.

 

Q. I do hope Uk fans get a real chance to hear this great new album, untill they do please tell us all about it and some of the songs you’ve included on it, some we know very well like Summertime Blues. Then especially your own songs, the process behind them;

A. I plan to tour in the UK in May of 2026. The Californian album has reached new chart heights for me. #12 UK Blues chart with 5 weeks at #1 Roots Music Report Blues Rock Chart USA. #1 songs include "Say You Wanna Dance", "Teaser" and "Lightning In A Bottle" at the #2 chart position. "Groaning The Blues" is a favorite of mine and features Dutch harmonica player Maria K. She does so wonderful at creating a Chicago Blues sound and just the right riffs. 'Heartbreaker" features Dutch keyboard player Frankie Vriens and Wow, he really plays amazing on that song! The surpise song is "Love and Peace" recorded by Quincy Joes is where Francis found it. A bit of a departure for me in style yet It really added so much to the album. My guitar work is using a clear jazz tone on my amp and it showcases my guitar work in a wonderful presentation. "Monterey" is where I am lots of the year performing and visiting with my friends. "Back Roads" is written traveling through the Dutch and French country side as I love the small villages and the lovely look for those countries. "Goin' Home", well with 10 tours of Europe and then the travel back to California, that was an easy song to sing. Because I could feel that so many times and as much as I like to fly, love the trains in Europe, it is such a great feeling to walk through the door after traveling ten thousand miles in a day!

 

Q.  Do you live near the ocean because both your website and album cover brings the Pacific on board, bringing sunshine from a man who clearly enjoys all he does. 

A.  Elfi Kluck is my photographer of choice. An artist, painter and visionary photographer of colors. She lives near the sea and I travel to the coast of California a lot. I love the coast of Central California, Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey!! Not always sunny and warm however always very beautiful. It is always where my heart is so the photos are for me a chance to know me better through photography.

Q. Brad, thank you so much, anything you’d like to add please go ahead, the albums a joy and clearly your live shows reflect that, so any chance you’ll be touching European shores any time soon ?

A. I will be in The Netherlands and Belgium in October 2025 and UK, France, Belgium and Holland in May of 2026. It is super exciting to introduce myself and music through Blues In Britan! I look forward to making many new friends in the UK and performing song here every year. Honestly I think it will change my life to visit the UK. I love all the music recorded here. My web site has all the news.  http://www.bradwilsonlive.com. Thank you everybody for reading my interview.

Brad thank you so much your time here,your music and some views of the ocean, Thank you so much !

                                         Pete Clack

JULY 2025 INTERVIEW

 

****** Brad Wilson, 2025 / Questions Interview ******

 

1-Currently you’ve one more release. How did that relationship with the music come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “The Californian”?
 

 

  The first songs for this album were recorded in Brussels, Belgium at the world famous recording studio ICP Studios. I had performed the night before at the legendary club The Music Village with the musicians Toto Poznantek,  Lu Ca and Fabrizio Erba. The show was incredible so as we entered the studio the next day, we were very excited to record "Ready For Love" written by Mick Ralphs and "Dead Flowers" written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
 
The audience had responded wonderfully to the performance of those songs especially the night before. When I returned to California I entered the studio in Hollywood, Musicians Institute with the world famous producer Francis Buckley Over three days we recorded the majority of the album with the blues music award winning drummer Tony Braunagel along with Hollywood Ace musicians including Chris Rhyne, who had toured with Santana and Gino Vannelli. The sessions were outstanding and we decided we would come back in a few weeks to complete the album with the same lineup.
 
Some of the songs recorded were of course blues Classics but also it was exciting to hear the new songs come to life as the musicians are artists themselves putting their own particular sound and style to my new original songs. The album was recorded in a large studio, so the musicians were recording as a band live and could see each other while they worked.
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2-What touched (emotionally) you from the songs: “It Hurts Me Too”, “Dead Flowers”, “Summertime Blues”, and “Ready For Love”?
"It Hurts Me Too" written by Tampa Red has incredible lyrics, a story of love and with a message that when it hurts you, it hurts me too. I was knocked out with the lyrics and was lucky enough to work with musicians that could interpret this very old song in a brand new way.  It opens the album sequencing and was mixed beautifully by Francis Buckley.
 
"Dead Flowers"was recored because I am a huge fan of Jagger and Richards as a song writing team and love that era of music. 'Summertime Blues was an idea from Francis because the album was a summer release. I loved playing lead guitar on the song and updating the guitar work. "Ready For Love" was a song I had played over the years and this was the right time to record it in Brussels. I felt as an American in Brussels staying there, I could get an idea of how the band felt writing and touring Europe when Bad Company began together. With ten tours of Europe it has been wonderful to perform where my favorite albums and musicians wrote their songs.

 

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3-Why do you think that Californian music scene continues to generate such a devoted following?

 

 
The lifestyle of California includes the Pacific Ocean, national parks, and multiple climate environments because of the size of the state.  Major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles make it one of the largest states in the USA.  There's a huge tourist trade for gigs, lots of musicians, recording studios and a great place to live. We have Charlie Musselwhite, Tommy Castro, Chris Kane, Coco Montoya, Joe Bonamassa, just to name a few artists that are based out of California. I spend most of the year touring this huge state while also touring in the months of May and October in Europe.

 

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4-Your work is known for creatively reimagining blues tradition. How do you balance respect for the roots with experimentation?

 
First and foremost, I’m a songwriter. I always have been a songwriter all my life, no matter what musical setting I’m in. I moved from San Francisco to Hollywood years ago, I have been lucky enough to work with John Carpenter, the movie Director, and producers the Rob Brothers and get songs placed in NBC television and CBS television shows.
 
I look at the songs that are Blues classics from a songwriter’s point of view. Often the blues songs carry a powerful lyrical message emotionally. They also have lots of room to play lead guitar because of the chord structure. In order to re-interpret one of the blues classics, the first and most important thing is to have blues musicians on each instrument that can replicate the feeling of the song. The next most important thing is the tempo of a Blues song has to be correct and also it has to fit my voice so that I can feel the words and sing it with passion. 
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5-You’ve worked in many different settings, from clubs and studios to open air festivals. How do you navigate between these different worlds?

 
Traveling and moving the band from show to show is always a concern. I perform in Belgium, throughout France and throughout the Netherlands. I have concerns about the equipment and the sound, especially my guitar and amplifier. It is important that the musicians have food and lodging and the distance between the shows is not overwhelming. Traffic in the big cities is becoming almost impossible to navigate as everywhere I go from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and more are in near gridlock on the streets.
 
I’m not quite sure what the future holds, but I have to leave earlier and earlier to get to the shows. The planning takes a long time in advance. The advertising of the performance is more and more moving to social media and the only way to reach people is on their cell phone. Photographers are at all the shows as people get to know my work.  It is an honor, of course, to perform in the major cities of the world, but I also enjoy the smaller gigs as well. It is rewarding to have the audience respond. Language is not a barrier and every show is important. 

 

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6-How has your experience with the “golden era” of blues rock influenced the way you compose and perform today?

I will always be influenced by the great guitarists that came out of the UK, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and of course the Irish guitar player Gary Moore. The tone and style of their music and work will be inspiring forever in their recordings. The technique is incredible, the sound of their guitars in the amplifiers is Blues reflected with the rock of that era. You can’t help but to be curious and go and listen to where they got their influences from like B.B. King,  Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry - it all tells the story of the electric guitar. I’m sure there will be another golden era, but for me these great guitar players, including Keith Richards, they defined all that the electric guitar does when it’s set in a blues rock songwriting style. I try to achieve work on this level, however, the era and that time in history could never be replicated.

 

 

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