E-mail a friendEarl Klugh
airdate May 22, 2008
One of the most in-demand live artists, Grammy-winning guitar icon Earl Klugh has a multi-million-selling career that spans 30 years and as many albums, including four #1s on Billboard's jazz chart. He began his pro career at age 15, teaching guitar in a music store in his Detroit hometown, and was eventually discovered by jazz great Yusef Lateef. Klugh is also a songwriter and composer, whose work can be heard in several films. His new project, "The Spice of Life," is just his second CD in nine years.
Jazz guitarist describes the eclectic mix of songs on his latest album and how he makes timeless melodies. (2:26)
Earl Klugh
Tavis: Earl Klugh is a Grammy-winning jazz guitarist who's sold millions of albums around the world during his more than 30-year career in music. He's currently on tour in support of his latest disc called "The Spice of Life." And in a moment, a special treat for you: a song from the new disc. Earl Klugh will be joined by a couple of his band mates to give us some love on the sound. So how you doing, man?
Earl Klugh: I'm doing great, thank you so much.
Tavis: Nice to see you. This must be - what is this, this is May? Yeah, May. So things are about to get busy for you, I assume.
Klugh: Yeah, very busy.
Tavis: Summertime, you must be on the road all the time.
Klugh: Oh, yeah. We do a lot of shows during the summertime. We're starting off I think the really big part of the concert series, I'm doing a show with George Benson at Chastain Park in my hometown of Atlanta.
Tavis: In Atlanta, yeah.
Klugh: Yeah, so that's good.
Tavis: You live in Atlanta now.
Klugh: Yes.
Tavis: But born and raised in Detroit.
Klugh: Detroit, yes.
Tavis: Yeah. You and I, I remember discussing this on our radio show once, about your growing up in Detroit and how you got turned on by Chet Atkins, which is a whole nother thing - a Black kid in Detroit being turned on by Chet Atkins. That's a story unto itself, which we discussed on radio.
What I didn't realize, though - I did some more reading after our conversation - you were actually teaching guitar in Detroit at 15
Klugh: Yeah, that's true. I wandered into a guitar store with a couple of my buddies when I was 15 and I picked up a guitar, and the store owner heard me playing. He said, "Was that you playing?" I said, "Yeah, that's me playing." He says, "Well, how old are you?" I said, "I'm 15." He says, "Well, would you like to have a job on Saturdays teaching little kids how to play guitar? I'll pay you." I said, "Oh, yeah, I'll ask my Mom about it." (Laughter)
Tavis: "Mom, could I get some of this money?"
Klugh: Yeah, that's it, that's it. (Laughter) And it worked out just fine. Because I started, I played piano for, like, five years, and then I kind of played guitar by ear. I took lessons for about six months, but I transferred what I learned on a piano to the guitar, and I went from there. I bought a lot of records. In those days, you just moved the needle and you'd keep trying to play with Chet or George or whoever was playing, and I just stuck with it.
Tavis: I love you, but I hate you. (Laughter) I always hate people who just pick up something and just start playing by ear, and then they've sold 30 million records a few years later, and they just learn it by ear. What do you make of that gift, that you just picked this up and you and the acoustic thing just fell in love with each other?
Klugh: Yeah, it took a lot of time, but I just loved it so much I just stuck with it.
Tavis: Was the acoustic thing first?
Klugh: Yes, absolutely.
Tavis: It was always acoustic.
Klugh: Always acoustic, yeah.
Tavis: But you never thought about electric, you never thought about?
Klugh: I bought an electric guitar, but by that time I was so far into the acoustic guitar. I had friends when I was growing up who were electric players and I wanted to be a part of that because that was the cool thing. But by then I had developed a classical player's technique, and it just didn't transfer.
Tavis: You mentioned you and Benson - George Benson, that is - playing at Chastain this summer. I've seen you guys there before, and I hope I'm in Atlanta, somewhere near Atlanta, when you guys do it again this summer - it's a great show. But silly question from me, what is it about that acoustic thing, at least, that just sounds better at night, outside, under the stars, or is that just the romantic in me?
Klugh: No, I think it actually does. There's something - the acoustic guitar is romantic to me. Electric guitar can be, too, but I just think it's a very sweet and subtle sound.
Tavis: To that word "sound," how did you - my friend Al Jarreau says that each of us has a thumbprint on our throats, whether we are a musical artist or whatever it is that God has blessed us to do with our gift, we have to find that thumbprint on our throats, we have to find our own voice. How did you create your own style? Because when you turn on the radio - I can turn the radio on and your fans, I know, feel the same way - if I hear just a few notes, if they had an Earl Klugh category on "Name That Tune," I'd clean up.
All you got - just strum a few notes for me and I know it's Earl Klugh. You have a sound.
Klugh: Okay. I think that is really god-given. Everybody strives for their own identity when they're playing, and I never really heard it until I started making records - I could differentiate. I don't really do it as anything special myself, but people tell me that, which is a wonderful thing, to have an identity like that.
Tavis: This new CD, "The Spice of Life," this is - I'm trying to find the right word - it's an eclectic collection.
Klugh: Yes.
Tavis: Lot of stuff on here. And the reason for that was, is?
Klugh: Well, it's a little bit of everything that I've tried to do in my life and in my career, musically. There's a piece that's semi-classical, and I had a great love of playing classical music when I was a boy. There's some funky things that remind me of my high school days when I was working. And it's just a mix of everything that I've come to enjoy and like in music, and then some standards which I think I really enjoy, and a lot of original material as well.
Tavis: Yeah. This may sound strange to you, being the kind of artist that you are, but indulge me for a second. Because you can't really, to my mind; at least to my ear, because you can't really get too far out there on an acoustic instrument as - if you're a vocal artist, you can sing a variety of stuff, you can sing country-western, you can sing jazz, you can do a lot of different things with the voice.
Klugh: With the voice, yeah.
Tavis: With the acoustic guitar, my sense is at least you can't get too far out there, and yet album after album you've got to find a way to make this record sound different than the - does that make sense?
Klugh: Yes, absolutely.
Tavis: How do you do that on an acoustic guitar?
Klugh: What I do guitar-wise, I try to write what I hope are timeless melodies. Something that has some substance, in other words. And I think that goes a long way when you have something that is - where either I write it or a beautiful song that I've heard that I want to play, I think the thing is you express it through your instrument, and I think that that's more of what it is than anything else.
Tavis: So finally here, they told George Benson, they told George, your friend, years ago, "George, just play. You ain't got no business trying to -" you know the story as well as I do.
Klugh: Yes I do.
Tavis: They told George Benson "Just play, George, don't sing." George started singing anyway, and the rest, as they say, is history. But Earl Klugh, proper English, I ain't never heard you sing, Earl. Is there a reason for that?
Klugh: And you never will. (Laughter)
Tavis: On that note - on that note.
Klugh: I have the worst voice in the world. You hear where my voice is, it stays there. I can hear the notes, but I sure can't sing them.
Tavis: All right. Well, I'll take that. I'll take the fact that he can't sing, because he can play. He plays awfully good, you Earl Klugh fans, like yours truly, know that. And for those who have not been turned on to Earl Klugh after all these years, you're about to get turned on.
His new CD, first of all, is called "The Spice of Life," and in a moment he'll be joined by two of his friends, and they're going to give us a little "Driftin'," I think.
Klugh: Yes, absolutely.
Tavis: Good to see you. Thanks for coming on.
Klugh: Hey, thank you.
Tavis: Congrats, have a great summer.
Klugh: All right, thank you.
Tavis: Up next, a special performer from Earl Klugh. Here we go, stay with us.
From his new CD "The Spice of Life," here is Earl Klugh, joined by Al Turner and Gene Dunlap, performing 'Driftin'.'" Enjoy. Good night from L.A., and keep the faith.
(Instrumental musical performance)
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