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Vocal Dynamo
Darrell Nulisch
Puts His Own
Brand on
Blues
and Soul with
his New CD,
Just for You
Blues and soul
man Darrell
Nulisch has the
kind of voice
legends are made
of – big,
strong, and
supple, rippling
with élan and
colored by the
dust of his
native Texas.
It’s a timeless
instrument, yet
Nulisch keeps it
firmly in the
present as he
wraps the lyrics
of his defiant
new anthem, “You
Don’t Know Me,”
and nine more
tunes in its
bold tones on
his masterful
new CD,
Just for You.
On the surface,
Nulisch might
seem a purveyor
of retro sounds,
since it’s so
easy to compare
his elegant
delivery to
greats like
Bobby Bland, Sam
Cooke, Ray
Charles, and O.V
Wright. But the
truth is he and
his tight-knit
band — which
includes
longtime
songwriting
partner and
bassist Steve
Gomes and
guitarist Johnny
Moeller — have
crafted a fresh
hybrid of swamp
blues, Memphis
soul, Motown
pop, and Lone
Star State strut
on Just
for You
that infuses
those classic
forms with
bristling
energy.
It
crackles in the
organ colored
cooker “Let a
Woman Be a
Woman,” and in
the sweet
melodies Nulisch
employs — along
with
reggae-based
guitar and
backing vocals,
and Motor
City-style
tambourine — to
update fellow
Severn artist
Lou Pride’s ’70s
hit, “Work for
Love.” And on
Slim Harpo’s
“Just for You,”
Nulisch’s
harmonica gets
to the song’s
lonely heart as
effectively as
his singing,
using just a few
beautifully
chiseled notes
to convey deep
love and loss.
You
practically need
to force Nulisch
to talk about
his talents. The
Dallas native is
a humble guy
despite his
worldwide
concert
appearances and
multiple Blues
Music Awards
nominations —
including a nod
for 2007’s
Goin’ Back to
Dallas,
which was
nominated for
Best Traditional
Blues Album. But
when Nulisch
does discuss his
music, it’s
clear he’s a
natural.
“I’ve
never thought
about phrasing,”
he says. “I
didn’t even know
what it was
until somebody
asked me about
my ‘phrasing.’
I’ve never
thought about
how I sing other
than to
enunciate so
people can
understand the
story I’m trying
to tell. For me,
it’s about
storytelling,
not trying to
blow anybody
away with my
voice. And if I
come across as
smooth or
elegant, the
truth is that
I’m just trying
to be real.”
The
last time Nulisch aimed to
impress somebody
with his vocal
gifts he was in
kindergarten,
seeking the
attention of his
older siblings
by singing the
early rock songs
they heard on
the radio. But
he was on the
path to
performing even
earlier.
“There’s a
picture of me
when I was two
holding a
broomstick like
a guitar and
acting like I’m
on stage,” he
offers,
chuckling.
Nulisch’s
brother and
sister were his
first connection
to music. “They
brought home all
the cool albums.
By the time I
was a teenager I
was listening to
the Yardbirds,
Animals and
Rolling Stones.
That’s how I
found out about
blues. Real
blues records
were hard to
find.”
Nulisch’s first
teenage group
played tunes
like Muddy
Waters’ “I’m a
Man” and Calvin
Carter’s “I
Ain’t Got You,”
learned them
from their
British Invasion
heroes.
“Eventually we
found some
Lightnin’
Hopkins records,
and we ate that
up!”
Meanwhile, the
roots of the
modern Texas
blues scene Nulisch would
join were being
planted around
him.
“Jimmie
Vaughan’s band
the Chessmen
played in a
nearby park,
which was filled
with hot rodders
washing and
waxing their
cars on
weekends,” he
recounts. “And
the guitar
player in my
band was friends
with Stevie
Vaughan. He came
over to jam when
he was 14 and he
was already as
good as he ever
was. We knew he
was going
places.”
After Nulisch
outgrew playing
teen dances he
was briefly
drawn to folk
music and sang
in local
coffeehouses.
That changed
when he met
Anson
Funderburgh, a
young guitarist
making his name
in the scene.
“Anson
was in a
soft-rock band
and mutual
friends had been
trying to get us
together,” Nulisch says.
“When that
finally
happened, we
clicked fast.
Anson’s band had
a residency
across the
street from the
bar I was
playing in Fort
Worth. During
his set breaks
he’d come over
and play blues
with me.”
Soon
they formed
Anson Funderburgh and
the Rockets, and
Nulisch sang and
played harmonica
in the band for
seven years.
“That
was an intense
period,” says Nulisch. “I
played 200 to
250 dates a year
and learned
about hard-core
blues. Anson
really turned me
on to a lot of
the innovators,
like Little
Walter and Sonny
Boy Williamson,
who had a big
influence on my
harmonica
playing.”
Looking for new
musical
challenges, Nulisch next
teamed with
Dallas guitarist
Mike Morgan in
his band the
Crawl. And in
1987, Nulisch
raised his
profile by
joining Ronnie
Earl in the
ex-Roomful of
Blues six-string
virtuoso’s band,
Ronnie Earl &
the
Broadcasters.
After three
years and two
critically
heralded albums
fronting the
Broadcasters,
Nulisch decided
it was time to
take the reins.
“After
all that
experience, I
knew the kind of
material that
suited me best
and how I wanted
it played,” he
says. So Nulisch
formed Texas
Heat, recorded
1991’s
Business As
Usual
and hit the
road.
Although that
band lasted just
one album, Nulisch’s
fertile
songwriting with
Gomes has
continued for
six CDs under
the singer’s own
name.
“Steve always
seems to write
lyrics I really
believe in,”
Nulisch offers.
“He’s also
opened me up to
different kinds
of music, like
reggae and jazz,
which have
influenced my
phrasing and my
tone.”
Between his own
gigs and
sessions, Nulisch also
toured from 2006
to 2008 with
James Cotton.
“The call to
join James came
out of the
blue,” Nulisch
says. “I studied
his records when
I was a kid,
stopping the
needle on my
stereo and
backing it up to
learn harp
licks. Anson and
I played a lot
of his songs
together, too.
And then to
share the stage
with him — it
was an honor.
“Truly,” says Nulisch, “when I
consider
everything I’ve
been lucky
enough to
accomplish, I
feel humbled.
Today I’m
exactly where I
want to be:
making the music
I want to make,
which I’m happy
to do for the
rest of my
life.” |
