Danny Rhodes

Blues guitarist Danny Rhodes isn't a Tucsonan. He actually hails from Cottonwood, north of Phoenix. But when we heard he was coming to Tucson for a show at the French Quarter, we felt he would be perfect for this column.

For one, he will be accompanied by two of the Old Pueblo's blues staples at the show, guitarist Danny Krieger and bassist Steve Grams, as well as his son, Gabriel Rhodes.

Then there is his reputation as one of Arizona's best bluesmen. Rhodes has honed his skills as a musician growing up in Louisiana and living in Nashville, Tenn., and Austin, Texas.

He has cut songs as a Warner Brothers Nashville songwriter for Etta James and Eddy Raven and was recently inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame.

Who have been some of your influences? "Well, I guess my mom first. She played piano and sang. She was professional. She supported our family to a large extent as a nightclub entertainer. Then there was Elvis and the Beatles. From there, it went on to the Yardbirds, Cream and Santana and then everything else. You know, I started getting into jazz and fusion and then it sort of came full circle. I enjoyed playing jazz, but I do a lot of really earthy, rootsy blues and R&B now."

You have lived in big music towns like Austin and Nashville. What brought you to Arizona? "Well, in '96 I came out here on family business. I had some good times in Austin and Nashville, but I'm happy and pleased there are people that like what I do wherever I am. Tucson reminds me of Austin 20 years ago. There are a lot of musicians and people that really support music. You can't make a lot of money, but it is stimulating being around a lot of good players. I really enjoy playing in Tucson."

Do you think Tucson is on the verge of becoming another Austin? "I hope not. There is a sweetness to Tucson that I like. Austin is still in Texas. Texas has a hard edge to stuff down there. There is a little more of a sweetness to Arizona. It is like the mid-South, like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. My grandma always told me Texas was a mean ol' state, and it kind of is. Nothing against them. There are some great folks down there. It was a good education for me to go there. But I think Tucson has a sort of a progressive quality about people, as far as what they like musically. It's great."

You were a staff songwriter for Warner Brothers Nashville for a couple of years in the 1970s. What was that like? "I was supposed to turn in 10 songs a year, and that was pretty much it. They took some of them. Some got cut, and some they still have. They just keep them on file. Those tunes are under contract with them."

Could they still use one of your songs? "Oh yeah, I wish they would. I wish they would pull them out and pitch them to somebody. In Nashville, I was considered a little bit eclectic. I've written everything from reggae to Cajun to jazz. I'm a sponge. Everything is filed away in the old databanks. I never close my ears to any kind of music except bad music."

Your son will be playing with you at your upcoming Tucson gig. Is he a regular part of your band? "My son Gabriel is 17, but he has been playing and beating on stuff and keeping time since he was 2. He plays drums and percussion. He plays with me quite often. Sometimes he is not always available because my wife says if he doesn't do his homework, he can't go. If everything goes right, he should be with me."

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