After decades of 250 road dates a year, Tab Benoit has earned a reputation for high-energy performances at clubs and festivals around the world.
After a 14-year break in making solo recordings, the Louisiana guitar hero returns to the bayou and re-emerges with a new album, the rock, soul, and Cajun-flavoredI Hear Thunder.
The words āhonestyā and āauthenticityā recur often during conversation with Tab Benoit, the Houma, Louisiana-born blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. They are the driving factors in the projects he chooses, and in his playing, singing, and compositions. Despite being acclaimed as a blues-guitar hero since his ā80s days as a teen prodigy playing at Tabby Thomasā legendary, downhome Blues Box club in Baton Rouge, Benoit shuns the notion of stardom. Indeed, one might also add simplicity and consistency as other qualities he values, reflected in the roughly 250 shows a year heās performed with his hard-driving trio for over two decades, except for the Covid shutdown.
On his new I Hear Thunder, Benoit still proudly plays the Fender Thinline Telecaster he purchased for $400 when he was making his debut album in Texas, 1992ās Nice & Warm. After that heralded release, his eclectic guitar workāwhich often echoes between classic blues-rock rumble-and-howl, the street-sweetened funk of New Orleans, and Memphis-fueled soulāhelped Benoit win a long-term deal with Justice Records. But when the company folded in the late ā90s, his contract and catalog bounced from label to label.
Tab Benoit - "I Hear Thunder"
This bucked against Benoitās strong desire to fully control his musicāone reason he settled on the trio format early in his career. And although his 2011 album, Medicine, won three Blues Music Awardsāthe genreās equivalent of Grammysāhe stopped recording as a leader because he was bound by the stipulations of a record deal, now over, that he deemed untenable.
āI wanted to make records that reflected exactly how I sounded live and that were done as though we were playing a live concert,ā Benoit says. āSo, I formed my own label [Whiskey Bayou Records, with partner Reuben Williams] and signed artists whose music was, to me, the real deal, honest and straightforward. I couldnāt do anything on my own, but I could still continue putting out music that had a positive impact on the audience.ā
Benoitās new album, which includes Anders Osborne and George Porter Jr., was recorded in the studio at the guitaristās home near the bayou in Houma, Louisiana.
Those artists include fellow rootsers Eric McFadden, Damon Fowler, Eric Johanson, Jeff McCarty, and Dash Rip Rock. Benoit also spent plenty of time pursuing his other passion: advocating for issues affecting Louisianaās wetlands, including those around his native Houma. His 2004 album was titled Wetlands, and shortly after it was issued he founded the Voice of the Wetlands non-profit organization, and later assembled an all-star band that featured New Orleans-music MVPs Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, George Porter Jr., Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Vidacovich, Johnny Sansone, and Waylon Thibodeaux. This ensemble, the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, has released multiple CDs and toured.
Essentially, Benoit comes from the bayous, and when itās time to record, he goes back to them, and to the studio he has in Houma, which he refers to as āthe camp.ā Thatās where I Hear Thunder came to life. āGeorge and Anders came to me and said, āLetās go make some music,ā Benoit offers. āSo, we went out to the camp. They had some songsāand George and Anders and I go back so many years it was really a treat to put everything together. It only took us a couple of days to do everything we needed to do.ā
āGeorge Porter and Anders Osborne and I saw this alligator sitting around the boat where we were writing the entire time. I guess he really liked the song.ā
I Hear Thunder has become his first number one on Billboardās blues chart. Besides the fiery-yet-tight and disciplined guitar work of Benoit and Osborne, the latter also an esteemed songwriter, the album features his longtime rhythm section of bassist Corey Duplechin and drummer Terence Higgins. Bass legend Porter appears on two tracks, āLittle Queenieā and āIām a Write That Down.ā Throughout the album, Benoit sings and plays with soul and tremendous energy, plus he handled engineering, mixing, and production.
Once again, that ascribed to his aesthetic. āMy main reason for taking on those extra duties was I wanted to make sure that this recording gives the audience kind of a preview of how weāre going to sound live,ā he declares. āThatās one of the things that I truly donāt like about a lot of current recordings. I listen to them and then see those guys live and itās like, āHey, that doesn't sound like what was on the album.ā Play it once or twice and letās run with it. Donāt overdo it to the point you kill the honesty. All the guys that I loveāLightninā Hopkins, Albert Kingāthey played it once, and you better have the tape machine running because theyāre only going to give it to you that one time. Thatās the spontaneity that you want and need.
āOne of the reasons I donāt use a lot of pedals and effects is because I hate gimmicks,ā he continues. ā Iām playing for the audience the way that I feel, and my attitude is āLetās plug into the guitar and let it rip. If I make a mistake, so be it. Iām not using Auto-Tune to try and get somebodyās vocal to seem perfect. You think John Lee Hooker cared about Auto-Tune? Youāre cheating the audience when you do that stuff.ā
Tab Benoitās Gear
Benoit in 2024 with his trusty 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster, purchased in 1992 for $400. Note that Benoit is a fingerstyle player.
Photo by Doug Hardesty
Guitar
- 1972 FenderĀ Telecaster Thinline
Amp
- Category 5 Tab Benoit 50-watt combo
Strings
- GHS Boomers (.011ā.050)
The I Hear Thunder songs that particularly resonate include the explosive title track, the soulful āWhy, Whyā and the rollicking āWatching the Gators Roll In,ā a song that directly reflected the albumās writing experience and environment. āGeorge and Anders and I saw this alligator sitting around the boat where we were writing the entire time. I guess he really liked the song. Heād be swimming along and responding. That gave it some added punch.ā As does Benoit and Osborneās consistently dynamic guitar work. āIām not one of these people who want to just run off a string of notes or do a lot of fast playing,ā Benoit says. āIt has to fit the song, the pace, and most of all, really express what Iām feeling at that particular moment. I think when the audience comes to a show and you play the songs off that album, youāve got to make it real and make it honest.ā
When asked whether he ever tires of touring, Benoit laughs and says, āAbsolutely not. At every stop now I see a great mix of people whoāve been with us since the beginning, and then their children or sometimes even their grandchildren. When people come up to you and say how much they enjoy your music, it really does make you feel great. Iāve always seen the live concerts as a way of bringing some joy and happiness to people over a period of time, of helping them forget about whatever problems or issues they might have had coming in, and just to enjoy themselves. At the same time, I get a real thrill and joy from playing for them, and itās something that I always want the bandās music to doāhelp bring some happiness and joy to everyone who hears our music.ā
YouTube It
Hear Tab Benoit practice the art of slow, soulful, simmering blues on his new I Hear Thunder song āOverdue,ā also featuring his well-worn 1972 Telecaster Thinline.
Fake Fruitās Hannah DāAmato takes flight, while the bandās drummer, Miles MacDiarmid, lurks in the background.
Fake Fruit bandleader Hannah DāAmato tells a tale of two Neils as she, PG staff, and reader Kevin Ramsay dig into their songbooks.
Question: Which artist have you learned the most songs by?
Guest Picker:Ā Hannah DāAmato ā Fake Fruit
A: Neil Young. I think heās an incredible human archivist who knows exactly how to distill the highs and lows of being an alive person better than almost anyone. Playing his songs is about as cathartic as it gets. His straight-down-the-barrel soloing is a huge inspiration, too.
The one and only Neil Young.
Obsession: My current obsession is a Karina cover of Neil Sedakaās āOh! Carol.ā Originally written from the male āDonāt leave meā perspective, the Spanish translation very sneakily urges Carol not to bend to the manās will and to chase her own happiness without looking backābadass.
Reader of the Month:Ā Kevin Ramsay
Kevin Ramsay, welcome to our pages!
A: Iāve learned the most songs by John Lee Hooker. His raw, hypnotic blues style captivates me. His mastery of the guitar and distinctive voice make his songs unforgettable. Learning his repertoire taught me about blues rhythms, storytelling in music, and the emotional depth that can be conveyed through powerful lyrics.
This album is classic solo Hookerāa live jewel in his catalog.
Obsession: My latest music-related obsession is Maryanne Amacher and otoacoustic emissions. Amacherās pioneering work with sound and perception, particularly exploring otoacoustic emissions, fascinates me. Her innovative approach to sonic art challenges conventional boundaries, inspiring me to delve deeper into the intersection of science, sound, and human perception in music.
Assistant Editor:Ā Luke Ottenhof
Our man in Montreal, assistant editor Luke Ottenhof.
A: I think it would have to be Weezer. I went through an all-consuming Weezer phase after my older cousins introduced me to them, then binged Blue Album, Pinkerton, and Green Album. I forced my poor, brilliant guitar teacher to show me how to play those songs instead of teaching me stuff that surely would have made me a better player today. Thanks for indulging me, Scott!
Weezerās 1994 debut album.
Obsession: Creating different types of sonic mayhem through pedals. I always think itās funny when you get a crazy new pedal that makes your signal virtually unrecognizable and someone says, āThat doesnāt sound very useful.ā Iām thankful for the imaginative builders who donāt just make what sounds āuseful,ā and to artists who create sounds beyond the call of capital.
Chief Videographer:Ā Perry Bean
Donāt mess with Perry Bean!
A: If youāre gonna riff, riff with me! At the risk of sounding boring or rudimentary, I probably know the most songs by the Misfits. I discovered them as I was learning guitar, and while not complicated or hard, those barre chords set me up with a foundation to build from. More importantly, learning those songs made guitar an interesting and fun hobby for me. I hated lessons at first because I was forced to learn and play music I had no desire to listen to, let alone play. (Sorry, Elvis!) Besides, guitar is supposed to be fun, right? Long live the Misfits!
The Misfitās ultra-recognizable logo.
Obsession: Introducing my son to a vast world of good music. Last thing Iād ever want for him is the embarrassment of saying something like, āDave Matthews is awesome!ā in a public setting, for lack of knowing better.
Although John Lee Hooker lived in Los Altos, he told Ted that Eliās, across San Francisco Bay, was a favorite haunt to play and hang out when he was at home.
Sometimes the joy performing brings can pay dividends greater than moneyāand fried shrimp and sausage, too.
As Iāve written, I have a passion for exploring the special spaces where great American music in its unadorned form is still madeājuke joints, honky-tonks, dusty farm fields. And while I never want to impose on the authenticity of the music with my presence, sometimes I do get to show up by invitation with a guitar in hand. So, a storyāabout the kindness, gratitude, and community that comes with playing live music.
In 2005, West Coast-based blues and roots music promoter and manager Mindy Giles dropped a gift in my lap: a string of dates up the California coast for Scissormen, the Mississippi-hill-country-informed blues duo I had at the time. Back then, I lived in Boston, and with just an EP out, there was no practical reason to tour the other side of the country, even if SiriusXM was playing it. But I was eager to gain a toehold anywhere and I love to perform, so ⦠off I went, with the great drummer Jerome Deupree (Morphine, Joe Morris) riding shotgun.
Many of the dates were depopulated, although a little place in the pines outside of Santa Cruz that had once been a firehouse and Constable Jackās in Newcastle, where we opened for West Coast blues-guitar master Chris Cain, were great. But in a way, none of that really mattered for me, because our final destinationāand the real hook for me wanting to do the tourāwas Eliās Mile High Club in Oakland, a legendary juke joint John Lee Hooker had told me about, where Muddy Waters, Charlie Musselwhite, Bobby Rush, James Brown, and so many of my heroes had played. I never thought Iād get to see this storied place, let alone perform there. I was thrilled!
We arrived at Eliās, a humble room in a rough part of town, at the appointed time for load in, to find the door chained and padlocked on a Saturday night. When I called the manager/booking agent, it sounded as if Iād woken him up, but he told me to come back in two hours. We killed some time touristing in Jack London Square and got back to find the doors open and the manager and a bartender at their stations. After a quick soundcheck, we reveled in the dressing room, where Bobby Rush, Hubert Sumlin, Etta James, and a host of other notables had left signaturesāincluding John Lee Hookerās rough-drawn J.L.H.āon the wall. I was inspired, and didnāt care if only a handful of patrons were there when we started our first set.
āThe real hook for me wanting to do the tour was Eliās Mile High Club in Oakland, a legendary juke joint John Lee Hooker had told me about, where Muddy Waters, Charlie Musselwhite, Bobby Rush, James Brown, and so many of my blues heroes had played.ā
Then magic happened. Slowly, people began filing in, until the audience of mostly middle-aged Black residents of the neighborhood and local collegiate hipsters packed it standing room only. And we caught fire. In addition to our originals and tunes from the canon of Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside, and the Hook, we improvised a handful of tunes on the spot, complete with hooks, turnarounds, and lyric choruses. Iāve never done that as well again, and I could tell our freestyle-slide-guitar-and-drums combo was hitting the mark by all the dancing, laughter, and ardent shouts.
After the set, many people told us our music had spoken to them, including one man who tearfully explained he hadnāt felt as at home as he did while hearing us since heād left the deep South years before. Moments like that make you feel like youāre actually doing something right with your life.
And while the cover charge was low, weād managed to bring in more than $400āwhich was our biggest take of the tour. (Ouch!) Only after heād handed me the money and shaken my hand did the manager tell us the staff hadnāt been paid by the owner in weeks, and that heād taken pity on us and opened the room despite the labor dispute.
Jerome and I quickly conferred and decided the best thing to do was to split our take with him and the bartender, in gratitude. Suddenly, weād made new friends. And they cooked up a heap of andouille sausage and fried shrimp, and we laughed and ate together for hours.
At about 4 a.m., I had to take Jerome to the airport, so he could fly to a wedding, and I began a four-day cross-country solo drive home. But the joyful energy of the night kept me going past the sunrise toward Truckee and into the desert, where I enjoyed watching nightfall turn the rocks and sand dark red before I started getting tired, finally stopping for the evening near the Great Salt Lake.
A while after that, Eliās ended its 30-plus-years as a blues room, but itās reopened as a punk rock club today, where, I hope, other musicians can still have their hearts as well filledāand the staff always gets paid!