Following a smash-hit national tour and back by popular demand the unforgETTAble sounds of Vika Bull and the Essential R&B Band will grace the stages of Bendigo, Ballarat and Subiaco (WA) this July to delight audiences with the story of one of the most influential soul singers of all times – Etta James.
With a long and respected career that includes being an integral performer with high profile and well known bands like the Black Sorrows, to a TV show with your sister Linda, what or who has been your biggest influence?
The first major teacher was Joe Camilleri when I worked with the Black Sorrows. He took us, Linda and I, around the world and showed us how to perform night after night and give 110% every night. Joe really taught us what it meant to be a professional working musician, just how hard it was but also how to manage our careers, money and our talent. It was a very good learning experience for us when we were very young. Then, later in my career, meeting Paul Kelly he encouraged Linda and I to write.
Did Paul Kelly help you find your own voice?
Yeah he sat down and showed us how to write a song. Sometimes you would have to sit there all day trying things and working on ideas and hopefully by the end of it we would have a song. We would do that once a week, get together and work on something, drink wine, eat dinner and write.
That sounds like a great process and learning curve. Would Paul stop you and suggest new things, or ideas you hadn’t thought about?
Definitely, he really helped us to understand what worked and what didn’t work and would guide us. And he managed to do it in a way that wasn’t intrusive, that just helped us find what we liked.
To go a little away from music… I know you and Linda started a kids clothing store – Hoochie Coochie – in Melbourne. How is it going?
We did start it together but it’s Linda’s business now. I realised I’m hopeless at retail. She really loves it, the business and the creative side of it, so she is now running it on her own. She has hung in there for 9 years. Linda has that creative side, where she likes to paint, and make new things, she is very arty farty.
Have you ever considered doing anything else (permanently)?
No. I have been a musician now for 31 years and have pretty much always worked. I’m very lucky in that sense. But I am a trained legal secretary and maybe would have done something in that field. I occasionally still go and do some work in that field. I really love it because I love the procedure. I like that kind of order and structure and discipline. It is a long way from music…
Yes it is! That is surprising fact… So back to music – What was your first introduction to jazz and why were you drawn to the sounds of the likes of Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Ruth Brown?
I fell in love with RnB. I really loved the black RnB singers Aretha, Ruth Brown, and Etta. They were belters, they had this power in their voices. I was so amazed by the way they could sing a song and tell a story. I used to think how do they do that? Then I realised that they must have lived a kind of life that exposed them to hard ships and pain and they expressed it in songs.
Was this music you were brought up with or did it find you?
When I was 17 I was introduced to harmonies and soulful music in the first band I joined. One of the musicians thought I would really like it and he was right.
Mum and Dad listened to Elvis and the like but also listened to Mahalia Jackson. When I heard her gospel singing, her power, and how rich her vocals were I said to myself “who is this woman and how can I sound like her”.
Do you think you were drawn to these women of soul, with the belting voices, as there was something inside you that resonated with them?
I knew that I was a belter, that I had a strong voice. So I started out copying them, well copying anything really. I sang anything and everything that was on the radio, and Countdown was my favourite show. But that soulful belt, that’s what I wanted to sound like.
But these women had a completely different up bringing to me. They had it tough. Etta started out really young, going on the road at 14, on her own. I guess I’ve lived on the road since I was 17 but my home life was completely different. So in order to relate to the music I had to draw on different experiences.
Is this project just show-casing Etta’s songs or is it more than that?
Well, I was approached and asked to do the show. I was a little nervous at first. Etta is my favourite singer, and I thought, am I going to be able to do it properly, sing her songs night after night. I thought about it for a week before agreeing. I was worried that I might not do it justice? But also thought if I found out someone else was doing it I would be jealous. So I agreed.
The writer, John Livings, and I met and I read the story and he really touched on every part of her life without going too deeply into the really dark portions. Her kids are still alive so we wanted to show respect to her family. If you want to find out about the really dark parts go and buy the book.
The show is about her life, starting her career at 14 right up until her death at 74. Touring, the experiences, meeting different men, what they did to her, how they ripped her off, and the songs that she wrote.
How long has the show been going?
We have already done two seasons at the Opera House, and it has toured for the last 12 months. The album has 12 songs from the show and is pretty true to how its done in the show, a very live recording. There are actually 24 songs in the live show.
After Ballarat there are a few more dates in Oz then we maybe heading to NZ. Her story is really fascinating and she was funny, had a great sense of humour. If you watch any of her youtube clips she is overtly sexual, which can be quite embarrassing to try and perform, I can’t do it.
For an idea of how amazing she was check out Dr John and Etta James “I’d rather go blind”.
Plans for your next project?
More touring and singing. Linda and I would like to do another record. But we are a bit lazy and we have teenage kids now so that takes our time up and away from writing. Linda likes the studio, but I prefer performing. Maybe soon…
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For more information on At Last – The Etta James Story, performed by Vika Bull, check out: http://atlasttheettajamesstory.com.au/. Dates for the upcoming performances.
Thursday July 10th, 8pm – The Capital, Bendigo
Friday July 11th, 8pm – The Capital, Bendigo
Saturday July 12th, 8pm – Her Majesty’s, Ballarat VIC
Return Perth season due to popular demand!
Regal Theatre, Subiaco WA
July 2014
Wednesday 23rd – 7:30pm
Thursday 24th – 7:30pm
Friday 25th – 7:30pm
Saturday 26th – 7:30pm
Sunday 27th – 5:00pm
Tickets on sale now through Ticketek.
