Page 30 - BiTS_03_MARCH_2024

THE BiTS INTERVIEW: MICHAEL MESSER

Michael Messer (born 28 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter,
slide guitarist, recording artist, producer, guitar designer/manufacturer.

He is noteworthy for his ability to combine acoustic and electric National
slide and lap steel guitar into his playing style. The American magazine

Spirit listed Messer as one of the greatest slide guitarists alongside
Duane Allman and Ry Cooder.

Messer is included in the Virgin Encyclopaedia of the Blues. He also

appeared in his own 'blues' episode of the BBC Television show,
ZingZillas. (From Wikipedia)

Ian McKenzie spoke to him on the telephone at his home.

BiTS: Michael, I would like to talk to you about the new album, but I also want to talk to you about
the past as well. Your background and that kind of thing. Is that okay?
MM: Absolutely, yeah, absolutely.

BiTS: Thanks. Let’s start right at the beginning. How did you get into blues in the first place? As I
say sometimes, how did the blues
find you?

MM: Well, the blues found me
through, I guess, the pop music of
my childhood. I’m now 67, heading
for 68. I was born in 56, so by the
time The Beatles and The Rolling
Stones thing happened, I was a child,
7/8/9-years-old, and I absolutely
sucked it up, the whole thing. I have
two older brothers, so that helps
because when you've got older
brothers around, they're bringing
music in. We all were musical and
played. Not at the time blues or
anything, but you know, trying to
copy pop records and stuff. My mother was a big fan of what was happening. She loved rock and roll
and all that kind of thing, so she was the main instigator of bringing music into the house. Earliest
memories would be Elvis Presley on a wind-up gramophone, that kind of thing. We lived down in
Kent at that time, down in Margate, and it was my mother who used to take us to the Pop Package
concerts at the Winter Gardens in Margate. I think she used it as an excuse to say I'm taking my son,
but actually, she wanted to go. And of course, when I think about it, she was only probably about 30
years old, so it wasn't odd or anything. So I saw lots and lots of those Pop Packages 63/64/65, around
that time and, of course, a lot of those bands, Them, Manfred Mann, they were blues bands. One
particular show that really blew me away, and I remember this so clearly, it was Them, Van
Morrison’s Them, and it was John Hammond. Back then, he was Johnny Hammond then, and he came