Interview - Everything Under the Sun:
About
Noah Wotherspoon is an absolutely phenomenal and captivating musician, who found his calling at a young age, and made a name for himself as one of the leading musicians, and blues guitarists, to rein from Dayton, Ohio.
Noah first began playing guitar at the age of 11, and by 15 he was fronting his own band, Noah and the Stratocats. Only a year after their incarnation, the band quickly picked up speed, and they found themselves performing in front of thousands at the prestigious, Chicago Blues Fest, where they would continue to appear for the next 8 years. It was in Chicago that Noah was discovered by Jimmy D. Lane (son of blues legend Jimmy Rogers), leading to the recording and release of his debut album on APO Records “Buzz Me”, featuring the legendary Hubert Sumlin.
Since then, Noah has lived multiple musical lives, exploring various styles and earning a reputation also as a prolific and compelling songwriter. Over the years, he’s opened up for icons such as Chris Issak, Leon Russel, Box Scaggs, and Savoy Brown and has performed, and/or recorded with, a wide range of his heroes, including Bobby Blue Bland, Hiram Bullock, and Will Lee, to name a few.
In 2015, Noah received the Albert King award for best guitarist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, and the Noah Wotherspoon Band (with Brian Aylor and Rob Thaxton) placed 2nd overall. Shortly after, the band (with varied members) began performing at venues and festivals around the world, touring Eastern Europe multiple times, performing in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria, as well as headlining both the Reykjavik Blues Festival in Iceland and the Salva Jazz & Blues Festival in Salvatierra, Mexico.
As you listen to Noah, there is an undeniable outpouring of soul and feeling. It many times has people curious, what musical influences have inspired him over the years. “...within the first few years of playing I became immersed in the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. By way of guidance from Dayton musicians Tim Arnold and Shake ‘n Dave Hussong, I dug deeper into learning about the blues, and fell in love with classic Texas/Chicago blues artists such as Otis Rush, Albert King, Magic Sam, as well as Dayton’s own musical legends like Robert Ward. I’ve also always drawn inspiration from the Beatles and great songwriters in the realm of Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley and Doyle Bramhall II. Reading Jack Kerouac as a teenager was a big eye-opener and got into a lot of my writing. I also love world music, and listen to a lot of artists from India especially.”
Noah continues writing, performing, and recording in an array of projects such as: Noah Wotherspoon Band, Noah + the Rescue Radio, and with fellow musician, and girlfriend Jessi Bair. The NWB have released 2 albums, ‘Mystic Mud’ and ‘Mobile Juke House Theater' and have a new album and world tour in the works. The current NWB line-up features Da’Rosa Richardson on keyboards, Tom Rastikis on bass, Brian Aylor on drums and the Just Strange Brothers Horns from Cincinnati on select shows.
- Contributing Writer, Khrys Blank