[smith] keb mowelcome. [keb mo] thank you, evan. [smith] good to be with you. [mo] its good to be here. [smith] may i say,i dont e 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, thats my birth nam [smith] birth name is kevin moore o] Kevin Roosevelt moore. [smith] Kevin Roosevelt moore. We have a former drummer of yours to thank for christening you or coining keb mo, right . [mo] yes. [smith] tell that story. [mo] well, the was a nd called the Billy Mitchell trio, and quentin d was the drummer in that band. They played at a club called the nucleus nuance 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] whever i felt like it. And i would play the blues. When it was blues time, i was on. So with kevin, you cat go like, kevin moore and the blues. laugh [smith] kevie is not much of a blues name. Its more like an accountant. [mo] yes. [smith] right, iet that. audience laughs so, keb mo, thats it. [mo] keb mo. [smith] and it stuck. [mo] yeah. [smith] leles start about los an i wanna start, actually, in the reverse order i would ordinarily start. Id want to talk about the record first, and well get to the record, eventually t i wanna talk about the origin story here ofeb mo. So you grew up in los angeles . [mo] los angeles, in the city of compton. [smith] city of compton. Your parents, actually, were not from los angeles. They were from the deep sth, rit . [mo] yes, they were from, my mother was from hooks, texas, and my fats from heflin, louisiana. [smith] yeah, do you remember listening to musics a kid, in the house or . [mo] we had s records in the house. I remeike, the first record we had, not thfirst record we had, but the record t would listen to a lot was not what you think the record id be listening to. I listened to Johnny Mathis greateshits. [smith] well, nothing wrong. audience laughs and applauds lets agree, nothing wrong with Johnny Mathis, right . [mo] Johnny Mathis greatest hits was a great album. [smith] thats a great record. [mo] it stayed on thcharts fer, 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 sic. [smith] did you know from an early age that this is what u wanted to do . I know there are a lot of stories about u as a young kid, you know, going to get your first guitar. Ive heard, in fact, you interviewed on the subje of buying your first Acoustic Guitar and then, buying your First Electric guitar, i think in a pawshop, right . [mo] yes. [smith] in compton, right . Ive heard that stor i know that you kinda kicked around e and played at a young with so. But i wonder what got you to think, this is something wanna do . [mo] hmm, thats a long decision. Because i wasnt one of these guys that was like, thats wh im gonna do [smith] yeah, you didnt have a moment of revelation, right, and that was it. [moit was in my late 30s. audience murmurs [smith] in your late 30s . [mo] when the actual mome of revelation came. [smith] right, so you were just doing this for the time being [mo] i started out, and i was always coaxed into playing music. [smith] coaxed, really . [mo] ye hey, you wanna come play . Ay First Experience was g 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 lond she, you didnt say no to my mother. [smith] right. audience laughs im noasking. Im telling, right . [mo] she says, she says, she says, oh well, you gonna play something. laughs [smith] your mother was everybodys mother, i have to say. Weve all had a ion 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 werent good enough. They were good at the other school, but the next school was kinda like, different deal. Ot 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 house, i bought thae when i was in compton. So we stayed there and on that blk was chuck count t. He had a steel band, playing music from trinidad, capso music. [smith] calypso music, right, yeah. [mo] and his son, carlos, who is still my good buddy today, who lives in the neighborhood, he says, y, come down. I wanna show you these drums. Meanwhile, i just got kicked out of the band. He started playin these drums, tand he said, look s, he says. He played somethin, da da da da da da da da. Anst played it right after, daga daga daga daga daga. laughs and so, i guess hi idad got wind of thould, you know, could do that. [smith] we need you to come play with us, right . Yeah [mo] yeah, so next thing, im in there, playin a steel band now. [smith] right, its Johnny Mathis, and the steel band, calypso music. Over time youyed blues. Youve played what i think of really, as almost Something Like rocn roll. Youve had jazz, elements of jazz in your music, over time. Its really hard to put you in a bucket or oneory, right . That youre this kind, i mean, i called you a blues musician thats true, but not accurate. Really, youre a lot more than just [mo] well, theres not really such thing as a bluesian [smith] right. [mo] or jazz musician. [smith] how do you talk about yourself, or how do about the work that you do . [mo] im a musician, but i dot think of myself as a master musician. I know music. Im not a virtuoso on any particular instrument, but i know music. I know how itt. I know the theory. I know the math of it. I have a reasonable amount of dexterity on a guitar and a banjo, or a mandolin, things like that. [smith] right, youre being 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, 25 years since your first record, we g and listen to that record today. There is more than just a reasonable amount of dexterity. We g and listen and that was then, right . Over time, obviously, youre a different musician than you were ban. [mo] what i love is songwriting. You i think the songwriting factor, all that leads up to there. Like i saythi was ways coaxed intgs. I could tell you story after story, but juhe know that i wasntmpetus for the goin in there, you know. But i loved music. I ways loved music. Im really thankful for those people who did invite and coax me into musical situations because i wouldnt be standing here now without them. [smith] well, no success is your success. Its everyones success. All of us feel that way, right . To everybody contributet. Cess. [mo] yeah, so i played the steel drums, and then in h gh school, i played frern. So i was in the Compton Community youth or compton. Actually, when i was inompton, we had, there was a symphony in compton. And i was in it, playin the french horn. cause was very first french horn at the high school, and the rst french horn 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, im playing the french horn inchool. This is going to amount to nothing. This is like being a math major. [mo] yeah, and it didnt amount to much, but i was in the band. Asnt about the [smith] well, if youre around the stuff, thats what happens, right . [mo] its about being in the band. I met these two gu, and they were in the band, playing french horn. S hangin with them. They said, why dont you come . They may need another french horn player. Why dont you play it . It was not glamorous. S. Rench horn was not glamor [smith] yeah, i can imagine. It was not glamorous. Its not glamorous, right, yeah. Its the french horn. [mo] i hadnt been playing trumpet for year and that was. The teacher said, okay, here its the french horn. Gline audience chuckles and i was in the marching band. [smith] thats pretty great. [mo w laughs [smith] wh your way, keb, into the business, [sminto the music business . Alyou started out not ac as a performer. You started out working in the business, but not performing, right . [mo] i was performing. The steel band had gigs. [smith] but im talking about the real, like honesttogs music business, recording business, right. [mo] oh, that started in dallas, texas, when i was in a play called spunk 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 nameicky. She said, do you have anything to sell . Id, why dont you have anything to sell . What do you mean, you dont have anything to sell . She just like, just reamed myouknowwhat about not having anything tsell. So i got somethin to sell. I took some of my tapes that i had brought with me, and [sput them together th] put it together. [mo] and went to a studio in dallas. Had em run off a hundred cassettes. I had a y draw up a little character of me. I wenteco kinkos, put it on a of paper, audience laughs put it in there, folded it up and in there, cut it just right and then [smith] total diy deal, right, yeah. [mo] i did hundred of those [smith] hundred of those [mo] and put em up. [smith] and started selling them. [mo] and i sold all of them. [smith] did you . audience laughs you probably never thought in a million years, right . [mo] and thats the pointushen i was in the musicess laughs audience applauds [smith] 1,000 is real money, right . [s[mo] thats right. Th] thats real money. So youve just had your first studio album, solo studio album come out in 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 w 2014. [mo] oh yeah, yeah, youre right. [smith] so its five years. [mo] youre better at math than i am. audience laughs a [smith] theres a loings you can do that i cant do, beginning with the fnch horn. But i know that its been five years since the last rord, and i think people were waiting around to see what this was. This is a really pretty terrific record, this record oklahoma. [mo] oh, thank you so much. [smith] there are so many songs on it. I mentioned to you, before we came out here, that when ive listened tthe record, theyve stuck in my head. I find myself thinking about the songs when im not listening to it. Would yolk a little bit about how this record came to pass . I mean, there are a lot of interesting stories about this record. R mom. Your m [mo] yeah. [smith] right . Its got personal aspects to it, i understand. Co but talk about this and why its called oklahoma. D [mo] okay well, it start, i called my friend colin linden. I said, man, im tired. Come help me make this record. Come, you know, help me. Soe coproduced with me. I sent him the songs. I went through all my computer and looked at all these things that i had written. I said, aw. Im thinking, im gonna have to write a whole album two weeks. Colin calls me back. He says, i dont know, man. I think you got a record here. You know . [smith] thats how this works for those of us who are not in this line of work. You have a file oncomputer where you just keep things s. That youre working on, id [mo] throughout the year, you have a file oncomputer therell be writing sessions. You work with these people, everything. [smith] so y dont just write when you have an album coming out. You just write when you write, and you just save it. [mo] all the time, you always. Youre always writin, and then you have it. [smith] youre puttin it in a pipeline [mo] mmhmm. [smith] right . [mo] so 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 happe tis, i had this ides 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 k needs a hook. Im goin, okay. I was in l. A. At my sisters house. Im goin, oklahoma i was like, oh thats crap laughs [smith] you have no connection personally to the state of oklahoma, right . Yeah, i do have. Ill get to that. [smith] okay. I thought the fact that it was oklahoma 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. [smith] okay, good. W years day, i have a party. My wife and i have a party at the house every year, and we invite everybody over. Ot food, liquor, music, everying. Everyby just comes over. Bring anybody you want and, you know, like that. My drummer, marcus finnie, when i do have a band, he says, i want you toet this. You should write 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 day. Where are you from . She says, oklahoma. audience chuckles bing chuckles [smith] right, thats divine inteon. [mo] so ive got an idea now, oklahoma. What about this . Lets just work on this. I explained to her that i didnt have much of a cnection. So we on the Wikipedia Audience chuckles and started lookin at stuff and thinkin about, ats happenin in oklahoma . I knew, i had been to okla aftermath now of a tornado, thats a big one. I went tith kenny wayne shepherd. We did a benefit. [smith] did a benefit concert. I rememberhat, right. [mo] kenny yne shepherd, 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 andjust. [smith] destruction lefts so bad. [mo] its so bad, definitely. Al g, i became friends with brooks and vince gill, guys from oklahoma. I started meetin all these people from oklahoma. I started really lookin at the people even my favorite guitar player that i grew up with, david t. Walker, was born in oklahoma,ople timmy b. Schmit from the eagles. Oklahoma is a state of great things. [smith] so you have a connection to oklahomaish. [mo] its a connectio but i kinda like had to dig and build it. [smith] right, im a littlrried you wrote the song basedipn what you read on wia. audience laughs this is actually, this has stuck with me. [mo] no, no i know people and the people were in the area, im thinkin like. Garth brookslike, and vinc, those are some of the most downtoearth, shameless, good people ive ever met. You know, oklahoma, you know . Shameless, good people so i go,r met. We write tg. And theres also, the gap band is from oklahoma too, just so you know that. You dropped a bomb on me baby laughs so eres all that good stuff. [smith] theres good things in oklahoma. I agree. [mo] charlies from oklahoma. [smith] i get it. I get it. [mo] uncle charlie. [smith] so this is a record that actual, 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 difrco, right . Youre not political artist 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 envibonment, a little bit feminism and the place of women in society today. You have a great collaboration on this record [smith] a song called put a woman in charge, right . Its a really interesting and od song. And theres actually a discussion of immig ytion [mo] immigratioh. [smith] and the fact that you said, which i did not know until you said it, that you had intenthe record this is [mo] my home. [smith] this my me. You actually have a perspective on whats happening now, out in the worldo] y. [smith] this my me. [smith] about immigration as a subject. I think its subtly visible. Talk about that. I think thatsally interes. [mo] thats right. I put the subject of immigration as a love story, not as a talt people who come here, not goin right at the issue. I wanted to humanize immigration, in a sense. I think you walk away from it [mo] even in oklahoma, theres a big political thing in too that everybody misses. [smith] well, help us, give us the easter egg. Show us the easter egg in the song. [mo] its the bridge where i go like, and over on greenwood, archer and pine. [mo] its the bridge whe in the 20s, in oklahoma, back then, it was called black wall 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. Anavlike people, you had tour own stuff. But word has it that a dollar would go around the community 30 times. And then on the other side of the tracks, in another part oftulsa, o, you think about racial tension back then. This is the 20s. So. Some black men got accused of, you usually the thing of inappropriately someth[sg with a white woman. Th] right. [mo] they got wind of it, and it was already probably hot. And burnt and bombed the place down. [smith] wow, so thats the reference. [mo] yeah, an like. It was squashed down in history for a few years, not in any history books. It was very quiet, but it was the biggest race riot there ever was. [smith] well, this recor 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] yeah, man. 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. Ay [smith] i was about to you ha been successful in the getting bald department. [mo] 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 justlower, cuttin it lower and lower and lower. Finally got to the point where i was, oh, thiidiculous, dude. Just shave it all off. And then, it looks like this now. audience chuckles [smith] great, yeah. audience applauds [mo] i st need somethin, i just need somethin to block out the light from my head, shinin. audience laughs [smith] but e u said to me again, bef came out today, this kinda really caught my ear. I wanted to ask you abt this. You said, buying a hat is an arduous task. [mo] yes. [smith] we could do 30 minutes on this. Why dont you do a shorter version of it . [mo] well, my friend, colin