Page 33 - BiTS_12_DECEMBER_2022_Neat

THE BITS INTERVIEW: STRATCAT WILLIE

Willie Hayes has had a long career in the blues, starting out in the 60’s under the

influence of Michael Bloomfield, T-Bone Walker, Johnny Winter and BB King amongst
others. He was encouraged to form a classic rock covers band but resisted that siren call
to play the blues and formed Blues Plate Special in 1995 to play original music plus some
selected covers and the band worked the southern end of New York state to good effect,
issuing four albums along the way. Ian McKenzie spoke to him on the telephone.

SWH: Good morning, or good afternoon, I guess, depending on where you are [chuckling].

BiTS: Good afternoon [laughing]. It’s afternoon here, Willie. Morning with you. How are you?

SWH: Yes, indeed. I’m very well
today, and you, sir?

BiTS: I am indeed, yes. Thanks for
agreeing to speak to me. I need to tell
you, as it makes it legal, this is being

recorded.

SWH: Yes, indeed. I expected that and
hoped for it.

BiTS: Let’s make a start then, if we
may. For those people in this country,
that’s the UK, that don’t know you,

tell me something about yourself.
How long have you been at this
game?

SWH: Well, I have a story if you
listen to the last cut on my newest CD called “Runnin’ With The Strays”. It gives you a good low-
down on my life story and how I got here. I’ve been actually playing music for close to 60 years.

BiTS: How did you get into it in the first place?

SWH: That’s kind of an interesting story. I could spin a yarn that would try to create that image of
born on the bayou thing, but the fact of the matter is, I’ve followed a path that many folks did back
in the 60s. I played music. I always had a guitar and was lectured quite heavily by my parents about
the importance of having a day job. Played with that theme. George Thorogood has a good one out
there about get a haircut and get a real job. So what I always did was I kept one foot in each world.

I kept one foot in the world of the day eight to five world and the other one in the music world and
proceeded over the next 50 years to do a little bit of both while raising a family and released a few
CDs early on in the 90s with another project and then finally, at this ripe old age, I decided it’s time
to throw myself into this full-time — whole hog, as they say.

BiTS: How did the blues find you?