Doyle Bramhall II wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but from his long and storied career it is easy to imagine he was born guitar in hand. His father, Doyle Bramhall, was childhood friends with, and formed bands with, Jimmie Vaughan (The Chessmen) and Stevie Ray Vaughan (The Nightcrawlers).
Growing up in the music filled Bramhall household provided a unique combination of nature and nuture that prophesied Doyle II’s career path. At the age of eighteen Doyle II was recruited to tour with Jimmie Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Two years later he formed the critically acclaimed but short lived Arc Angels with fellow guitar prodigy Charlie Sexton and the rhythm section from Double Trouble. Doyle has toured and/or collaborated with Eric Clapton, T-Bone Burnett, Allen Toussaint, Sheryl Crow, Gregg Allman, Dr. John, B.B. King, and Roger Waters making for a busy schedule and full resume which left little time for solo albums.
On Rich Man (Concord Music Group) Doyle moves front and center with twelve original tracks and and one cover. As expected, his Texas blues-rock guitar roots are showing but there is a fuller more varied sound than that label would imply. Doyle uses horns, strings and back-up singers to give several of the songs a retro soul groove that recall when radio was not a segregated art form. The funky “Mama Can’t Help You” and “November”, a poignant tribute to his late father, are just two of the highlights found on Rich Man. “My People” and “Hands Up”, while not overtly political, are calls to look a little deeper, try and understand our differences, and come together as one, while the bubbling bass, guitar and sexual bravado of “Keep You Dreamin’ ” soars like a lost 70’s Stax soul single. The album winds down with “Saharan Crossing” and “The Samanas” which together form a thirteen minute mini-suite of atmospheric oud and guitar driven world music reflecting some of the various styles and sounds he’s discovered and assmilated in his travels before circling back and closing the album with a cover of Hendrix’s “Hear My Train A Comin’ .” It’s been fifteen years since Doyle’s last solo studio album and Rich Man was worth the wait.
HB-Congratulations on Rich Man. It’s a great album! It must feel satisfying to put your name on your record after so many collaborations.
DB-Thank you very much. It does feel really good to make an album that’s been brewing inside me for many years and I am very proud of it. That said, all of my collaborative efforts have influenced this record.
I love the variety of the tracks. You hit the blues, rock, soul and added some world music flavor too.
Thank you. Music is music is music. I think it’s the most beautiful art medium. It can have many forms and no form at the same time. I’m inspired by music from all parts of the world.
You’ve described the album as a journey. The quest is never complete but you sound like you’re personally in a pretty good place.
I think the searching and the quest leads to the mystical parts of life. My personal journey is in this album. I’m in a great place now personally but I always like to keep working on myself, always striving to be a better human.
But there are problems we face in this country. Kasey Chambers sang “If you’re not pissed off at the world, then you’re just not paying attention.” “Hands Up” references Ferguson and the racism that still exists fifty years after the Civil Rights Act.
“Hands Up” does comment on this most recent moment of unrest in America and it’s also about personal resignation. A parallel can be drawn between reflecting on your own choices and questioning social constructs. We have a lot to think and talk about.
The album is dedicated to Big Doyle. It must be bittersweet that he isn’t around to enjoy your success.
My Dad was always there for me and was a very proud father. He championed me throughout my career. I definitely have sad moments, but always feel like his love is with me.
Could you talk a little bit about the musicians on the album?
I had many musicians contribute to this album. A lot of them I met along the way as a session musician in Los Angeles. To name a few: Woody Jackson, James Gadson, Sebastian Steinberg, Chris Bruce, Carla Azar, Abe Rounds, Tim Lefebvre, and Keefus Ciancia. Halfway through recording the album I found my new live band and brought them into the studio as well. Adam Minkoff, Ted Pecchio, Anthony Cole; they are some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever played with. Adam Minkoff who played guitar in my band also did the string and horn arrangements on the album.
Growing up in Texas with Doyle as your dad it must have felt natural to be surrounded by musicians. You went from being the kid just hanging out to eventually becoming a peer to so many great musicians including the Vaughan brothers. What comes to mind when you think of Jimmie Vaughan?
Jimmie Vaughan was like an uncle and a mentor. He taught me about the power of subtly in guitar playing and really getting inside the music.
Stevie Ray Vaughan?
Stevie was like an older brother to me and was such a beautiful force of nature. His music and spirit were definitely a gift to all who got to see and hear him play.
The Arc Angels featured you and Charlie Sexton, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon. One of my favorites Tonio K shared some songwriting credits. That’s quite a line up! Charlie has toured with Dylan and you’ve recorded with and toured with Clapton. To be handpicked by those two guys must be a guitarist’s dream. Could you have ever imagined that level of recognition and success both as a solo artist and collaborator 20 years ago?
I couldn’t have imagined it. I am very grateful to have such a charmed musical life. I trust what the universe puts in front of me and I feel blessed for all of it.
