ROGER TILLISON
"This could be the last chance for me to make an album in my style."
(Sudden come back, and the first performance in Japan. The living 'legend', the going-my-way Tulsa guy talked about now and then.)

Interviewed by Hiroshi Udagawa


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I guess that there still remain many fans who remember the raw texture of his vocal backed up by the swamp-rock sound created by Jesse Ed Davis. It was in 1971, more than 30 years ago, when the masterpiece 'Roger Tillison's Album' was released from Atco Records. Since then, his story as a legend has been passed down from a generation to a generation. Then, who could imagine that the day has come when the legend turns into reality? In this spring, 'Mamble Jamble', the first album for these 32 years, was finally released. In addition, it should have been an unexpected extra present to his fans that he came to Japan in June.

Evidently, he became old after these years. He sang songs from both the old and new albums and those written by Woody Guthrie he admired, with no accompaniment but his acoustic guitar. In the second half of the performance, he had accompaniment of the backing band (a Japanese new roots rock group, Rally Papa, took that roles), which apparently made him regain his power and led to the sound that was reminiscent of the swamp rock of the Atco album.

When I interviewed him on the next day, Roger Tillison, who looked like just an old and ordinary Okie man, told me his long personal history.

-- Yesterday, I felt as if I could have finally got a chance to witness the performance by the living legend!
RT: Thank you. My dream of coming back to Japan again also came true. When I was in the Army, I stayed in Korea on my duty, and visited Japan for just 2 weeks or so, it was in the 60's.

-- I was impressed by your new album 'Mamble Jamble', especially your great song writing that should have a root in the southern culture.
RT: Thanks. But my music came from not the south, but the southwest. Besides, since I was moving around to LA, NY, Nashville and so on, you can find in my music many pieces of influence from these places. Nevertheless, I of course love music from the south very much.

-- We had heard nothing from you for such a long, long time.
RT: Well, I was actually writing songs. Do you remember that J. J. Cale picked up my song, 'One Step Ahead of the Blues' for his album? It has been my daily life to write songs. Sometimes, I have been making a performance, because it could contribute to promoting my song writing. Nevertheless, I do not like being involved in the music business too much. I had another job of graphic art and I am still continuing it.

-- But then, what made you release this new album?
RT: I actually did not mean to. I just kept on writing songs, and maybe the time has come back to my side. I have tried to make an another album before, but I always found something blocking my way. So perhaps, this could be the last chance for me to make a new album in my style. I am happy to release it from a Japanese label, because I love Japan for such a long time.

-- The new album contains lots of songs on women and hoboing.
RT: Both of them are romantic, forever themes. In addition, my hero has been always Woody Guthrie.

-- Last evening, you sang two songs by Woody Guthrie. One of the songs was 'Old Cracked Lookin' Glass', which had been contained in your Atco album, but wasn't it a rare song?
RT: Yes, when I decided to make the first album, I wanted to sing a song by Woody Guthrie, but a very special one. So I asked a friend of mine, who knew Woody's songs very well, if I could sing a Woody's song nobody had ever recorded, and he taught me this song.

-- In LA, you made a recording debut as a duo with Terry Newkirk in 1965, but who was she?
RT: Well, Terry and I met in Norman, Oklahoma, started playing music together, and went down to LA. You know, it was the time of Sonny and Cher. We made a contract with the Snuff Garret Production, and Leon Russel was there at the audition. We had been loving each other, but only for two years. It was a surprise for me that she contacted me last year. She once married with Steve Young, but she is now a priestess. I was really amazed.

-- In the 60's, you wrote many songs for e.g. Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but did you want to be a songwriter?
RT: No, I wanted to be a performer. Once I played a trumpet, and wanted to be someone like Ray Anthony and Louis Armstrong. In parallel, I was crazy about Rock'n Roll, and then moved onto folk music.

-- You lived in Woodstock in the late 60's?
RT: Yes, Levon Helm invited me to get there. It was the time when my contract with Leon Russle and others was over. Levon once lived in LA; he, I, and Bobby Keys had been living in the same apartment for a while until Levon left for Arkansas, and I went back home in Oklahoma. Then one day, Levon called me, asking me to join a blues band in New Orleans. Although I didn't accept it, he called me back again and told me that he would record an album in Woodstock with the Boys. You know, he called the members of the Band the Boys. He said that he would master the recordings in LA, so I went down to LA to see him. It was the album, ' The Big Pink', and then he invited me to go to Woodstock.

-- How about the life in Woodstock?
RT: Well, I lost my weight. I was playing music, drinking, smoking.. It's hard to believe I could survive there! So I was lucky that Jesse Ed Davis called me. We became close friends when we were working for Leon Russel in LA.

-- Then, that Atco album was born with Jesse Ed as a producer. What sort of a man was he?
RT: He was perfect about music. He was really a professional musician starting his career at his age of 16 in the Conway Twitty's band. He is tough-looking at a first glance, probably because of his blood relationship of native Americans. You know, such a guy tends to defend himself first. But actually, he is a gentle, sophisticated man.

-- In the last, could you tell us who gave the strongest influence to your music.
RT: Levon Helm, Leon Russel, Walt Ritchmond (a producer of his new album), and .. Jesse Ed Davis. If I was asked to tell you the name of only one guy, it is Jesse Ed. He came from the same place as I, had the same blood of native Americans as I, and we were the closest fiends each other.