[keb mo] thank you, evan. [smith] good tbe with you. [mo] its good to be here. Nmith] may i say, i believe ive had a twoapostrophe guest in 17 years . laughs first time for everything, right . [mo] yes. [smith] for the record, its kevin moore. [mo] yes, thatmy birth name. [smith] birth name is kevin moore. [mo] Kevin Roosevelt moore. [smith] Kevin Roosevelt moore. We have a former drummer of yours tohank for christening you coi . Yes. [smith] tell that story. [mo] well, the was a band called the Billy Mitchell trio, and Quentin Dennard was the drummer in that band. They played at a club called the nucleusuance in l. A. , durin the late 80s and 90s. They didnt have a guitar player because it was a jazz trio. So i would go in and play for free. My job was to play along with the band. It wasnt really a job, [smith] it was a gig. [mo] whenever i felt like it. And i would play tes. When it was blues time, i was on. Somohen, theyd go, keb all right kevin moore and the blues. laugh [smith] kevin moore is not much of a blues name. Its more like an accountant. [mo] yes. [smith] right, i get that. audience laughs so, keb mo, thats it. [mo] keb mo. [smith] and it stuck. [mo] yeah. [smith] lets starout los. I wanna start, actually, in the reverse order i would ordinarily start. Id want to talk the record first, and well get to the record, eventually. But i wanna talk about the origin story here ofeb mo. So you grew up in los angeles . [mo] los angeles, in the ty of compton. [smith] city of compton. Your parents, actually, were not from loangeles. They were from the deep south, right . [mo] yes, they were from, her was from hooks, texas, and my father was from heflin, louisiana. [smith] yeah, do you remember in the house or . [mo] we had s records in the house. I remember like, the first record we had, not thfirst record we ha the record that i would listen to a lot was not what you think the record id be listening to. I listened to Johnny Mathis greatest hits. [smith] wething wrong. audience laughs and applauds if we agree on nothing else, lets agree, nothing wrong with Johnny Mathisrigh [mo] Johnny Mathis greatest hits was a great album. [smith] thats a great record. [mo] stayed on the chartser, not unlike tapestry or dark side of the moon. It was a great record with great songs and great production. So that was part of my introduction into music. It w [smith] did you knowom an e songs and great production. That this is what you wanted to do . I know there are a lot of stories about you as a young kid, you know, going to get your first guitar. Ive heard, in fact, you intervwed on the subject of buying your first Acoustic Guitar and then, buying your First Electric guitar, ghi think in a pawn shop, [mo] yes. [smith] in compton, right . Ive heard that story. I know that you kinda kicked around and at a young age with some other people. But i wonder what got you to think, this is something wanna do . [mo] ism, thats a long dn. That was like, thats what im gonna do [smith] yeah, you didnt have a moment of revelation, right, a that was it. [mo] but it was in my late 30s. audience murmurs [smith] in your late 30s . [mo] when thelactual moment of reon came. [smith] right, so you were just doing this r the time being. [mo] i started out, [smith] coaxed, really . [mo] yeah, invited, so to speak. Heywanna come play . My First Experience was playing the trumpet in the fifth grade at general rosecrans elementary school. My mother said, do you nna try for the band at school . You wanna play music . I said, no. audience chuckles and i said, she looked and she, you didnt say no to my mother. [smith] right. audience laughs im noasking. Im telling, . [mo] she says, she says, she says, oh well, you gonna play something. laughs [smith] your mher was everybodysther, i hav. Weve all had a version of that story. [mo] so i went. They tried me out, and i ended up on the trumpet. The following year we moved, and i went to a new school. They kicked me out of the band cause my grades weret good enough. They were good at the other school, but the next school was kinda like, different deal. So i got kicked out of the band. And thats the house that we stayed in for the next, that house is, i still, i own that house right now. ,smith] still . [mo] yeah, that hou i bought that house i still, i own that when i was in compton. We stayed there, and on that blk was chuck count t. He had a steel band, playing music from trinidad, calypso music. [smith] calypso music, right, ye [mo] and his son, carlos, who playing music from is still my good buddy today, who lives in the neighborhood, doo] and his son, carlos, who playing music from he says, hey, com. Ddy today, i wanna show you these drums. Meanwhile, i just got kicked out of the band. He started playin these drums, and he said, look at this, he says. He played somethin, da da da da da da da da. And i just played it right after, daga daga daga daga daga. laug d so, i guess his dad t wind of that i could, you know, couldo that. [smith] we need you to come play with us, right . Yeah [mo] yeah, so nt thing, im in there, playin a steel band now. [smith] right, its interesting to me, you know, Johnny Mathis, and the steel band, calypsmusic. Over time youve played blues. Youve plaat i think of really, as almost Something Like rock n roll. Youve had jazz, elements of jazz in your music, over time. Its really hard to put you in a bucket or one category, right . That youre this kind, i mean, i called you a blues musician co the introduction to ouersation today. Thats true, but not accurate. Really, youre a lot morehan just [mo] well, theres not really such thing as a blues musician [smith] right. [mo] jazz musician. [smith] how do you talk about yourself, or how do u want people to think about the work that you do . [mo] im a musician, but i dont think of myself as a master musician. I know music. Im not a virtuoso on any particular instrument, but i know music. Know how its built. I know the theory. I know the math of it. I have a reasonaount of dexterity on a guitar and a banjo, mandolin, things like that. Be[smith] right, youre g very modest. You have more than a reasonable amount of dexterity. laughs [mo] clearly, you havent heard tommy emmanuel. chuckles [smith] well look, i think that if you go back, [mo] chuckles [smith] ase sit here now, 25 years since your first record, we go back and listen to that record today. There is more than just a reasonable amount of dexterity. And that was then, right . Over time, oreiously, youre a dif musician than you were back then. [mo] what i love is songwriting. You know, i think the songwriting factor, all that leads up to there. Like i say, i was coaxed into things. I could tell you story after story, but just know wasnt the impetus for the goin in there, you know. But i loved music. I always loved music. Im really thankful for those people who did and coax me into musical situations because i wouldnt be standing here now without them. [smith] well, no success is your ccess. Its everyones success. All of us feel that way, right . Evy contributed to it. [mo] yeah, so i played the steel drums, and then in high schi playe. So i was in the Compton Community youth or compton. Actually, when i was in compton, we had, there was a syhony in compton. It was a junior symphony in the 60s, in compton, thand i was in it, playinfrench horn. cause was very first french horn at the high school, and the first frorn person got to go play in the orchestra. [smith] its amazing, french horn. [mo] yeah chuckles [smith] probably all over the country, there are kids who are thinking, this is going to amount to nothing. This is like being a math major. t[mo] yeah, and it dimount to much, but i was in the band. It wasnt about the [smith] well, if youre around the stufts what happens, right . [mo] its about being in the band. Met these two guys, and they were in the band, playing frenchorn. I was hangin with them. They said, why dont you come . They may need another french horn player. They said, why dont you come . It was not glamorous. French horn was not glamorous. [smith] yeah, i can imagine. Its not glamorous, righ yeah. Its the french horn. [mo] i hadnt been playing trumpet for years, and that was. The teacher said, okay, here its the french horn. Get in line audience chuckles and i was in the marching band. [smith] thats pretty great. [mo] laugh[smith] what was y, keb, into the business, into the music business . You stout not actually as a performer. You started out working in the business, but not peorming, right . [mo] i was performing. The steel band had gigs. [smith] but im talking about the real, like honesttogoodness sic business, [mo] oh, that started in dallas, texas, when i was iplay called s at the dallas repertory theater. I was a guitar man in that thing. I was playing acoustic, you know, Country Blues part and singing. A woman came up and asked if i had anything to sell. Her name was vicky. She said, do you have anything tsell . I said, no. She said, why dont you have anything to sell . What do you mean, you dont have anything to sell . She just likw just reamed my youknt so i got somethin to sell. I took some of my tapes that i had brought with me, and i put thether [smith] put it together. [mo] and wento a studio in dallas. Had em run off a hundred cassettes. Lehad a guy draw up a liharacter of me. I went to kinkos, put it on a piece of paper, audience laughs put it in there, folded it up and t it in there, cut it just right and then [smith] total diy deal, right, yeah. [mo] i did a hundrehose [smith] hundred of those [mo] and put em up. [smith] and started selling them. [moandem. Sold all of i made 1,000 [smith] and started selling them. [smith] did you . audience laughs you probably never thought in a million years, right . [mo] anwathats the point when in the music business laughs audience applauds mith] 1,000 is real money, right . [mo] thats right. [smith] thats real money. Soe just had your first studio album, solo studio album come out the summer of 2019, in five years, right . First studio album in five years, right, oklahoma . [mo] no, i have a solo one called blues americana. [smith] but that was 2014. [mo] oh yeah, yeah, youre right. [smith] so its five years. [more better at math than i am. audience laughs [smith] theres a lotta things you can do that i cant do, beginning with theh horn. But i know that its been five years since the last record, and i think people were waiting around to see what this was. This is coreally pretty terrific , this record oklahoma. [mo] oh, thank you so much. [smith] there are so many ngs on it. I mentioned to you, before we came out here, that when ive listened to the record, thve stuck in my head. I find myself thinking about the songs when im not listening to it. Would you talk a little bit about how this record came to pas i mean, there are a lot of interesting stories about this record. Your mom passed away last year [mo] yeah. [smith] ri . Its got personal aspects to it, i understand. But talkbout this record and why its called oklahoma. [mo] okay well, it started out, i called my friend colin linden. I said, man, im tire come help me make this record. Come, you know, help me. So he copr with me. I sent him the songs. I went through all my comper and looked at all these things that i had written. I said, aw. Im thinking, im gonna have to write a whole album in two weeks. Colin calls me back. He says, i dont know, man. I think you got a record here. You know . [s for those of us who are not in this line of work. You have a file on your computer where you just keep things that youre working on, ideas. [mo] throughout the year, therell be writing sessions. You work with these people, everything. [smith] so you dontwrite when you have an album coming out. You just write when you write, and you just save it. ,[mo] all the ti you always write. You just write when you write, youre always writin, and then you have it. [smith] youre puttin it in a pipeline [mo] mmhmm. [smi] right . [mo] so the story about oklahoma, to me, is the most interesting thing about the album. Why is it called oklahoma . So it was originally gonna be called this is my home. But oklahoma came up. The way it happened is, i had this idea, this riff, goin Dang Dang Dang adanga adanga da blanga da blanga. Im just playin it over and over about two weeks around christmas time. Im goin, i like playing this. It just feels good to play it. I know it needs a hook. Im goin, okay. I was in l. A. At my sisters hoe. Im goin, oklahoma i was like, oh thats crap laughs [smith] you have no connection personally to the state of oklahoma, right . [mo] yeah, i do have. Ill get to that. [smith] okay. Was kind of this odd thing for that reason. [mo] ill get into that. [smith] okay, good. [mo] ill get into that. So i got this idea. New years day, i have a party. My wife and ouhave a party at the every year, and we invite everybody over. We got food, liquor, music, everying. Everybody just comes over. Bring anybody you want and, you know, like that. My drummer, marcus finnie, when i do have a band, he saywant you to meet this lady, dara tucker. You should wre with her. You know what i mean . And im goin, okay, now that i got this record, i dont have any songs. So, i give it to her, and she comes over like the next d. I say, where are you from she says, oklahoma. audience chuckles bing chuckles [smith] right, divine intervention. [mo] so ive got an idea now, oklahoma. What about this . Lets just work on this. I explained to her that i didnt so we on the Wikipedia Audience chuckles and started lookin at stuff and thinkin abo, whats happenin in oklahoma . I knew, i had been to oklahoma and seen a tornado. Aftermath now of a rnado, thats a big one. I went there with kenny wayne shepherd. We did a benefit. [smith] did a benefit concert. I remember that, righthe [mo] kenny wayne sh, robert randolph. Like i said, we did a benefit. I was like, oh, a tornado is no joke. chuckles that thing grinds like a meat grinder, but its not meat. Its wood and steel and just all this stuff. [smith] destn lefts so bad. [mo] its so bad, definitely. Also, i became friends with garth brooks and vince gill, guys from oklahoma. I started meetin all these people from oklahoma. I started really lookin at the pple even my favorite guitar player that i grew up with, david t. Walker, was born in oklahoma, timmy b. Schmit from the eagles. Oklahoma is a state of great things. [smith] so yok have a connection thomaish. [mo] its a connection, but i kinda like had to dig and build it. [smith] right, im a littlrrie you wrote the song based on what you read on wikipedia. audience laughs this is actually, this has stuck with me. [mo] nono i know people. And the people were in the area, im thinkin like. Thigarth brooks ish me. [mo like, and vince gill, those are some of the most downtoearth, shameless, good people ive ever met. You know, oklahoma, you know . Shameless, good people so i gver met. We write the song. And theres also, the gap band is om oklahoma too, just so you know that. You dropped a bomb on me baby laughs so theres all that good stuff. [smith] theres good things in oklahoma. E. [mo] uncle charlies from oklahoma. [smith] i get it. I get it. [mo] uncle charlie. [smiha] so this is a recordactually, i dont think of you as a political [mo] oh, im political. But i dont think of you as a political but youre not an expressly. Oh look, youre not ani difranco, right . Youre not a politrtist in the sense of that you wear your politics on your sleeve [mo] no, i hide it. [smith] you hide it. But you know, but there is a, i detected, i thought, a subtle but unmistakable political vibe on this record. [mo] yeah. [smith] a little bit about the environment, a little bit about feminism and the place of women in society today. You have a great collaboration on this record [sth] a song called putwoma . Its a really interesting and good song. And theres ac a discussion of immigration [mo] immigration, yeah. [smith] and the fact that you said, ou had intended the record to be called this is [mo] my home. You actually have a perspective on whats happening now,n the world [mo] yeah. [smith] about immigration as a subject. I think its subtly visible. Talk about that. I think thats really interesting. [mo] thats right. I pusubject of immigration as a love story, not as a talk about people who come here, not goin right at the issue. I wanted to humanize immigration, in a sense. [smith] but you t there, though. I think you walk away from it [mo] even in oklahoma, theres a big political thing in there too that everybody misses. [smith] well, help u give us e easter egg. Show us the easter egg in the song. [mo] its the bridge where i go like, and over on greenwoarcher [mo] its the bridge whe the 20s,e, one of the biggest race riots ahoma, back thell it was called black wa street. And there was this community in wall street where these exslaves, you know, African Americans had figured out how to do buness. They had a community. Probably a lot of it was because of segregation. And like p you had to havur own stuff. But word has it that a dollar would go around the community 30 times. Me and the communitythat beery prosperous. O and then on the other sidef the tracks, in another part of tulsa, oklahoma, you think about racial tension back then. This is the 20s. So. Some black men got accused of, you know, usually the thing of inappropriately something withte woman. [smith] right. [mo] they got wind of it, and it was already probably hot. And burnt and bombed the place down. [smitherwow, so thats the rce. [mo] yeah, and its like. It was squashed down in history for a few ars, not in any history books. It was very quiet, but it was the biggest race riot there ever was. [smith] well, this record, whether you are interested in the politics of it or not, is a really great record to listen to. I wish you a lot of success with it. Can i completely pivot away from music for a second and ask you about your love of hats . audience chuckles[mo] ye. Well, back in [smith] thats a nice hat. I like that hat. [mo] i started goin bald in, um, 1970. [smith] is that right . [mo] yeah, and i went bald very slowly. [smiwas about to say, you have been successful in the getting bald department. [m] yeah, no. [smith] you are successfully bald now. [mo] but it was like really slow. I mean, i had hair til my mid30s and late 40s, not late, my 40s. And it gradually, it finally just got. I just kept lower, cuttin it lower and lower and lower. Finally got to the point where i s, oh, this is ridiculous, dude. Just shave it all off. And then, it looks li this now. audience chuckles [smith] great, yeah. audience applauds [mo] i just neethin, i just need somethin to block out the light [smith] but you said to me again, before we came out today, this kinda really caught my ear. I wanted to ask you about this. You said, buying a hat is an