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A suprising ‘Yes’ from gospel man Calvin Cooke By JONAS GREENBERG Among the most arresting sights and sounds of the Old Town Blues Festival this year will be 61-year old "sacred steel" pedal guitarist Calvin Cooke. Bent intently over the steel guitar in his lap, he sends heart-slashing strands of silver sound into the air, weighted down by a gritty, soulful singing voice. Cooke’s "gospel steel" music is a big bouillabaisse – a unique hybrid of gospel, blues, soul, country/western, and other elements (some quite surprising). Cooke has played the Pentecostal circuit since he was 14 years old. Growing up in church, not to mention a family of richly talented musicians, he was imbued with a deep-seated understanding of the power of music. His mother, who sang and played piano, taught him the fundamentals of rhythm and playing by ear. The two other budding steel guitarists who traveled with him during his church performances had wildly different playing styles — one played frenetic jazz; the other a Hawaiian-inspired variant. Feeling sheltered from other styles of music, Cooke got out from under the wing of the church and listened clandestinely to the country-western sounds coming from Nashville radio. Calvin Cooke and the Sacred Steel Ensemble Friday, Sept. 16 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. South Stage As if this myriad of influences wasn’t enough, Cooke was later inspired by — of all things — the ‘60s rock band Yes. His voice crescendos with excitement as he recalls the first time he heard the group. "I might have been in my late teens when my cousin came over from Cleveland with an album," he said. "See, she wasn’t as sheltered as I was from the popular music of the times. She listened to a lot of rock. I listened to the things they were doing and it was something. Man, the long hair they were wearing blew me away! In the early ‘60s that influenced me quite a bit and Yes became my favorite group." Cooke still has Yes’ album "Close to the Edge" in his CD player. Cooke describes his sound as gospel with a blues-rock flavor, but genre classifications don’t mean much to him. "Gospel and blues aren’t too different, you know," Cooke explains. "Both are personal. But with blues, whether you’re religious or not, you can relate to it. If you went through something difficult or were hurting, then I play with the same feelings you had, people will say, ‘Hey they’re talking to me!’ I try to play with such a spiritual feeling and try to be so strong with my playing so that people will feel what we’re doing; that we meant what we were playing!" This sincerity has helped Cooke forge many meaningful musical friendships. His heart-felt artistry has been sought after by the likes of Robert Randolph, Eric Clapton and, most recently, Carlos Santana. Nevertheless, despite his own powerful voice as a solo pedal steel virtuoso, Cooke admits he leans heavily on his rhythm section. "If it wasn’t for the band, I couldn’t play the way I do. Jay, the lead guitarist, plays a strong backup for me so I can play the way I want to. Ivan Shaw, our drummer, plays so strong when he improvises, but he listens! If I change in the middle of a song, he’ll hear it and know I’ll go back to it again and he’ll have something there to match it. I don’t tell them how to play. I want them to play with their own feelings. Then Grace, my wife, comes in and sings." Whatever influence the wild hair styles of Yes may have had on Cooke’s own personal "doo" may be vestigial by now. What will not be missing is the human sensitivity coupled with a strong resolve, strong musicians and powerful skills that make Calvin Cooke’s steel guitar sacred. "We don’t wanna push the music on people," he says. "We let it speak for itself." | Chicago Blues Festival | Read Articles | Le Français | | Return Home | On Tour | Calvin Cooke Store | Booking Info | Media | Send Us Your Feedback | What's New? | Gallery | Articles | |
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