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" Memphis is just like coming home. "
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By Norm Shaw
Robert Cray was born and raised in the Northwest and lives in San Francisco. His heart though, and certainly his sound, is deeply rooted in the South, with Memphis at the hub. No where is that more obvious than on Cray's latest release, Sweet Potato Pie , which was recorded at Ardent and prominently features the Memphis Horns. For the 43-year-old Cray, it was "like going home." He'd worked at Ardent before on B.B. King's Blues Summit record, and done mixing work there as well. "We decided to come to Memphis because we wanted to concentrate on what we were doing," Cray says by phone from San Francisco. "We had done the last few records in the Bay Area, and we said, 'Let's get out of here, let's go someplace else.' Of course, you have those exotic Caribbean dreams that are unreal, so we said, 'Let's go to Memphis.' Memphis is a great place to be." History and tradition played a role in that decision, but more importantly was the role played by the Memphis Horns, Andrew Love and Wayne Jackson. The Memphis Horns have been almost full-time members of Cray's band for the past decade. "We first hooked up with Wayne and Andrew in '86. They were on the Strong Persuader album, but they came in after we had recorded and we were back out on the road. We had taken off, and they came in to the studio to finish the record. But then shortly thereafter, we asked them to join the tour with us. That was late '86, maybe '87," Cray says. The results of their most recent collaboration are vintage Cray. Sweet Potato Pie features nine originals of the 10 songs, seven of which were written by Cray. His trademark guitar and smooth vocals are prominent in the mix, but never overpowering. "The songs are just whatever come up," Cray says. "Although we recorded in Memphis, we didn't have that feel of the record in mind. The songs come. You lay them down." Cray says his songwriting is not forced or planned. "Normally I just do it when something pops up. I can't make myself just sit down and write a song. Whenever something pops up, I'll grab a tape player and a guitar and put it down," he says. Sweet Potato Pie is Cray's 10th album, and he's very pleased with it. "I like it. I think it has a pretty good flow to it overall," he says. In that way, the new record parallels his career. Cray formed his first band in 1974 in the Portland, Ore., area. His first record came out in 1980, followed by two more independent releases. In 1985, he teamed up with Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland on Showdown !, which brought him the first of his four Grammy Awards. His major-label release, Strong Persuader on Mercury, continued his Grammy trend and sold more than 2 million copies. Each of his following five albums also was nominated for a Grammy. Looking back, Cray is obviously pleased with his career. "I think everything has gone pretty good," he says. "I've made a smooth transition to a place right now where I really feel like I enjoy what I'm doing. "You never know what to expect. You're playing in clubs, and all the sudden somebody signs you up to a record deal and your head starts spinning around, and you kind of go nuts for awhile. But like I said, now it's enjoyable again." Cray and his band - keyboardist Jim Pugh, bassist Karl Sevareid and drummer Kevin Hayes - now head back out on the road. While many performers tire of touring, Cray sees it as a high point. "What I've enjoyed (in my career) the most is the traveling," he says. "I really enjoy going to different places in this country and abroad and playing in front of different people and seeing the world. It's like joining the services without wearing the uniform." Cray and his band go out in May, joining up with B.B. King and Tower of Power in June. The Memphis Horns will be enlisted then as Cray and B.B. stay on the road through the summer. Cray didn't know if the tour would stop in Memphis, but he was certainly hoping it would. After all, it is "just like coming home."
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