American-born, Germany-based blues man Big Daddy Wilson is packing his bags for a 26-date New Zealand tour that will feature encounters with friends both old and new.
Drawing from a wide spectrum that includes folk, soul and gospel, Wilson will be joined on tour by Steve "Guitar" Gilles, a German who teamed up with the singer to form the Carolina Blues Connection, a five-piece band focusing on modern blues, R&B and soul that played clubs and festivals in north Germany during the early 1990s.
Gilles moved to New Zealand in 1996, thus this tour will mark the reunion of two old friends.
It will also provide a chance for Dunedin "folk-pop" trio Delgirl (Erin Morton, John Dodd and Lynn Vare) to further explore a repertoire that straddles everything from roots to Pasifika, folk and country.
Both acts will play individual sets then combine for a mixed set in which they will cover each other's tunes plus play a couple of other covers.
"Touring different countries gives me a great opportunity to connect with different people and I learn so much," Wilson enthused in a recent email interview.
"I feel that I am the one on the receiving side and I am happy if I somehow could inspire someone, touch someone, spread a little love.
"I am specially excited about the tour in New Zealand."
Born in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina, Wilson quit school at the age of 16 and later joined the United States army.
It was while he was stationed in Germany that he rediscovered his musical roots.
"I'd been writing poems and songs long before I started singing the blues.
"I didn't know what it was, but it was mixed in my blood.
"I haven't always been drawn to the blues. I discovered it relatively late, [but] I feel like the blues chose me a long time ago.
"The blues has a powerful effect on me; it touches my most inner parts in a special way."
Wilson's recently released second album, Thumb a Ride, recorded with the Big Daddy Wilson Trio (Jochen Bens and Michael van Merwyk shared songwriting duties), showcased Wilson's voice, set to sparse production. The songs sound like they could have been written and recorded 50 or 60 years ago.
The result was deliberate, Wilson says.
"I wanted to take a trip, to journey back through time and so I decided to thumb a ride.
"I believe the simple approach to a song is the strongest. Less is more. Because you can build on it in so many beautiful ways.
"I like to tell a story. I feel I have a message to get out there, and for storytellers, acoustic instruments are the best platform for that, [though] I love Chicago and electric blues, too."
Catch him
Big Daddy Wilson's "Thumb a Ride" tour (featuring guitarist Steve Gilles and support act Delgirl) includes the following dates in the South:
• Thursday, April 19 (8pm), Saint Martin's Hall, Northeast Valley, Dunedin
• Friday, April 20 (8pm), Players Entertainment Centre, Invercargill
• Saturday, April 21 (9pm), Dux de Lux, Queenstown
• Sunday, April 22 (5pm, child-friendly), New Orleans Hotel, Arrowtown
Tickets available at Marbecks, Twang Town, Portil and online (www.eventfinder.co.nz ) or by contacting venues.
