For nearly 17 years, Montreal blues lovers have been tuning in to John Detcheverry’s radio programs where, every week, he showcases the many avenues and sounds of the blues. He also makes sure that our great Canadian musicians get the airtime they deserve. This month, we’re very proud to present an interview with John Detcheverry – also affectionately known as “John D.’”

 

 

CB: What first attracted you to the world of radio?
JD: I was working in retail and was usually off Thursday mornings when there was a blues show on CKUT. The host left and a succession of staffers substituted, some of whom were not particularly knowledgeable about the idiom, and the quality of the show became at best uneven.

 

One night I was at a show at the Terminal (now Fats Pool Hall/bar) and ran into a girl I knew from the Dawson Institute of Photography who had been filling in on the Subterranean Jungle on CKUT. I told her that I would love to host the blues show so she invited me to be a guest on her show and use that appearance as a demo to apply for a show. That was in December of 1989 and I got called by the program director to start on Thursday, January 2, 1990.

 

CB: Can you recall the first blues record you ever played on radio?

JD: That was “Early In The Morning” by Boogie Jake from a compilation called “Louisiana Swamp Blues”. It served as the theme for the Morning Roll & Tumble.

 

CB: Who was your first live interview?

JD: I’m not 100% sure but I think it may have been Paul Deslauriers. He actually performed an acoustic piece that I used as a theme/ID. I’ve also interviewed Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Pop Staples, Philip Walker, Sue Foley, Sherman Robertson, a whole lot of others and most of you guys.

 

CB: How long has your current program at McGill been running?

JD: I’ve been there since January 2, 1990 but we’ve changed time slot from Thursday morning to Sunday night, obviously changing the name of the show.

 

CB: How do you determine your playlist? Can “unknown” or independent artists submit their music to you?

JD: I guess I’ve settled into a format that allows me to include music from any style or era of blues. I try to start with some themed or topical material, move to either new releases or an artist interview, an historical section, requests, then end with the roundup of what’s happening live around town.

 

The only criteria I have for airplay is that it fit into a blues show in some logical way and that it be technically reasonable. I’ve included blues, jazz, rock, and many other styles if either the song, artist, style, theme or other aspect makes sense. I believe that campus/community radio is among the best places for independent artists to submit their work and all are welcome to do so. We’re much more approachable than the corporate station and every host determines their own playlist. We don’t use “marketing “ or “polling” firms to choose artists or songs to promote or play and incidents of payola are pretty much nonexistent because we don’t individually exert that much influence on the sales of music or royalties paid to artists. I’ve never had anyone at CKUT tell me to play anything in particular and I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone else.

 

CB: You’re a fantastic guitarist who, on occasion, will show up in public to jam. Any chance we’ll hear more? An album, perhaps?

JD: Fantastic!? Thanks for the compliment. I don’t know when, where, or with whom I would end up playing but time always seems to too short and my schedule these days doesn’t coincide with that of many people I know. So the answer to the first part is “probably”  - beyond that, who knows?

 

CB: Speaking of guitar, how long have you been at it? Which artists influenced you the most?

JD: I bought an Efkay acoustic guitar from Boulevard music on Decarie when I was about nine years old. I had a paper route and I think I paid something like $13.25 including tax for that finger-killing piece of crap. That would have been about 1962 or ’63. The Beatles and Stones were getting big and all the older guys in my neighbourhood were getting guitars. My neighbour Steven showed me some stuff like “Peter Gunn” and “Autumn Leaves” and I picked up a Nick Manoloff instruction book. My older brother was a music nut and had lots of records of all styles. We still have a lot of his old 78’s. I still remember that Bo Diddley/Chuck Berry album “Two Great Guitars” and couldn’t imagine anything cooler than those guitars sitting in that convertible on the cover. Like most guys at the time I got into The Yardbirds, Cream, and Jeff Beck … all the blues based bands from the British invasion. Then came Paul Butterfield, Johnny Winter, J. Geils and along the way I learned about the original artists of many of the songs they played. I guess those early influences stay with you but I hope I’ve tempered that with an appreciation of all the classics, especially the Chess catalogue and the west coast guys who took after T-bone Walker.

 

CB: Let’s continue down the artistic pathway. You’re also a pro photographer. Tell us more! Do you have a website where visitors can view your work?

JD: I graduated from the Dawson Institute of Photography and have been shooting, processing and printing since I was a teenager. Some of my work can be seen by CLICKING HERE but I have thousands that are not online.

 

CB: Of all the characters you have met on the blues scene, which ones stand out as particularly special? Any great stories that come to mind?

JD: A local promoter hired the little blues band I was in to back up John Lee Hooker for a couple of shows and we got to play at the Capitol Theatre opening for BB King. We never really got to rehearse with John Lee. He showed up not too long before the first show wearing a fine fedora, a girl on each arm and stinking of gin.  He said, “You boys know how to boogie?”  We tuned up and hit the stage. It was great.

 

CB: What is your view on the future of the blues and what can be done to better promote the genre?

JD: I don’t know that the future of the blues is any different from that of any roots music. It will never die because it is the base of so much popular music (as well as music legends). Every now and then someone comes out to remind the public of that. Whether it’s Stevie Ray Vaughan, Martin Scorsese, Outkast, or a website like this, someone will dig at their roots because of this kind of exposure.

 

CB: You occasionally contribute to Toronto’s Maple Blues Magazine. How did that relationship come about?

JD: The blues community is fairly small and communication is so easy now. And, of course, volunteer organizations appreciate anyone who steps up to do anything. I actually wrote more for Scene Magazine, formerly Blues Scene Quarterly, out of Winnipeg.

 

CB: Any future plans, in or outside of radio?

JD: I’m trying to catch up on scanning and properly cataloguing my photos, still trying to learn some jazz, and generally trying to live a healthier life. I recently went to the local driving range and the clerk offered me the “seniors’ price” so I guess I’m officially old and better start taking care of myself. As for radio, I still love it – especially the discovery of talented new artists regardless how they incorporate blues in their music. I’m thinking I should shake up the format from time to time to avoid falling into a rut.

 

CB: Thanks so much for chatting with us John. Any final comments?

JD: Congratulations on a great site!

 

CB: And congrats to you, John, for helping us discover countless great musicians every single week.