When I first seen Gene Taylor play with The Blasters in San Francisco I was blown away by his natural talent.. Gene is also one hell of a nice guy and has a wicked sense of humor. I feel blessed to have gotten the chance to ask him a few questions. So here is my interview with the legendary Gene Taylor.

Thanks so much for the interview Gene. Tell us about where you were born and when you first started playing music?

I was born in Lynwood CA (July 2, 1952) and grew up in Norwalk. When I was young there was always music in the house. In @1960 we got some new next-door neighbors; a family in which the father and two sons (both older than me) all played boogie-woogie piano. On hearing them play, I knew that's what I wanted to do.

Is it true that you originally started your musical career as a drummer?

These same neighbors had a small, set of "cocktail drums" and, since I was able to keep a pretty good beat, they'd let me bang away on these drums while they played piano. I never had any drum lessons, and never considered myself to be a drummer, but I could keep a simple beat.

Can you tell the readers about some of the legendary blues players that you have performed with?

I was very fortunate to grow up in the L.A. area because there were a lot of blues and R&B players floating around town. After I got my driver's license (@Aug/1968), I started searching some of these guys out. At the time, I had a receding hairline (at 16!), a mustache and looked to be in my early 20s, so I never had a problem getting into the bars. Pee Wee Crayton was the first big name I met, at some kind of Blue Monday jam session at a club at 53rd and Avalon (I believe it was called "Small's"), and he asked me if I was available for fill-in gigs around town. What that translated to was my being available to work cheap and also be able to chauffeur some of the other musicians around. I met Lee Allen around this time and he got my number as well. Through Lee Allen I also got to play with T-Bone Walker and Joe Turner at some SoCal shows. Lowell Fulsom was another guy who threw some gigs my way. At this same time (1968-1970), Bill Bateman and I started hanging around together and this is when I met Phil Alvin and John Bazz. And of course, I met Dave Alvin through his brother.

Did you work with James Harman?

I've known James pretty much since 1970, when he moved to SoCal from Florida. I started playing with him in 1973 and have played with him off and on ever since. In fact, James was just over here (Mar 13-25, 2013) working some shows with me in Belgium and Holland.

Did you really play piano in Canned Heat?

Yes I did. Canned Heat was going through some personnel changes in late 1974 and needed a rhythm/slide guitarist and a piano player who could also double on guitar because Henry Vestine was going through some personal/legal problems and might have to leave the band -- which is what happened. So I ended up playing piano and lead guitar in Canned Heat.

How long did you play with Canned Heat and did you tour with them?

I joined the Heat in late-Nov 1974 and left the band in late-May 1976. The first shows I did with them were 6 nights at The Starwood, in early-Jan 1975. I debuted on lead guitar because Henry couldn't do the gig. We toured constantly the whole time I was in the band, even though we didn't have a record out at the time. I got my first experience playing internationally with Canned Heat.

I met you in San Francisco when you played with The Blasters. How did you hook up with them?

Bill Bateman and I have been friends since 1968. I met the others a couple of years later. Phil, Bill, John and I have had bands together since 1970. Dave was playing saxophone at the time, but later switched to guitar. He was always a writer. When I moved to Toronto (Sept 9, 1978), Phil and James Harman inherited my Sunday night house-gig at The Sundance Saloon (a now-defunct bar in Long Beach) and the Blasters formed out of that gig.

The Blasters were such a great band... I loved the lineup with you in the band.. Tell us who that line up was?

The band was comprised of Phil and Dave Alvin, John Bazz, Bill Bateman and myself. If/when we used horn players, they were always Lee Allen and Steve Berlin.

How long did you play with them?

From @May 1981 until @Nov 1985.

What releases by The Blasters are you playing on?

All of the Slash/Warners recordings and reissues.

Tell us about your solo album "Handmade"?

That record was just kind of improvised in 1986. Bill Bentley produced it and I wish it could've been a little more together but I was flying back and forth between LA and Toronto at the time and the session days and times were all over the map. There's some decent stuff on that record but I should've waited until I had a better game plan before I recorded it.

Who did you have play with you on "Handmade"?

It's mostly just me and Bill Bateman on drums. Larry Taylor played upright bass on one cut, Freebo played tuba on one song, Louie Lista played harmonica on one and a saxophone player, Andrew Woolfolk, who was doing overdubs on another session in the building, and who I'd never met before, played on one song.

Tell the readers about "The Return Of The Formerly Brothers"?

"The Return Of The Formerly Brothers" was a recording that grew out of a show at the 1986 Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada), where Amos Garrett and I were co-leading a band backing up Doug Sahm. We enjoyed playing together so much that, a few months later, we recorded an LP for Stony Plain Records (Edmonton/CAN). We played a few shows in Canada and, in 1990, we went to Japan and cut a live record there. I wish we could've done a serious tour with this band, but the logistics were too complicated. Either Amos or I came up with the Formerly Brothers name; a nod to the fact that Amos, Doug and I had formerly played in a lot of different bands.

In what year did you join The Fabulous Thunderbirds?

My first gig with the T-Birds was Feb 6, 1993.

While playing with them did you relocate to Texas? How long did you play with The Fabulous Thunderbirds?

Yeah…I moved to Austin in 1993 because it was more convenient to live there. I was with the T-Birds from Feb 1993 until Sept 2006 and I went all over the world with the band.

What prompted you to move to Belgium?

No particular reason; just something different to do. I have a friend living here and he wanted to manage me in Europe, so I came over to Belgium. I'm one of those people who likes to move around a lot.

Is it safe to assume you prefer Europe to the USA?

It's not that I prefer Europe but that I enjoy living in different places. I'm one of these people who just can't handle living in the same place continuously.

You keep busy in Europe playing with all sorts of musicians and bands tell the readers about some of the talented folks you have and are currently playing with?

Most of the people I play with over here aren't well-known in the US. Wuff Maes, Marc Tee, Big Dave, Bart De Mulder, Nico Van Hove and the band Fried Bourbon (Belgium), Big Pete (Netherlands), the bands Red House and Los Fabulous Blueshakers (Spain), Jo' Buddy and Robban Hagnas (Finland), Micha Maas (Germany), the band Trick Bag, Ingemar Dunker and Micke Finnel (Sweden) and Marco and Franco Limido (Italy) are some of the people I play with in Europe.

Gene, How would you describe yourself in three words?

A lost child.

Do you have any Internet Addresses you would like to share with the Punk Globe readers?

www.gene-taylor.com

Tell us about some of the highlights of your illustrious career and life?

Being blessed with musical talent and being able to make a life out of it.

What does the rest of 2013 hold for you?

Playing locally until the end of May. I'll tour Sweden and Norway in June and then Spain in July, followed by a festival in Poland. I'll have a new CD out in August with my Finnish band and I'm trying to also release a compilation of piano solos. Later in the year, I will possibly(??) be doing some gigs on the West Coast, as The Gene Taylor Blues Band (featuring Dave Alvin), in Dec/Jan.

Now that William Levy is no longer a competitor on "Dancing With The Stars" are you rooting for Boxer Victor Ortiz?

Of course.

Any last words of wisdom for Punk Globe readers?

Whatever you do in life, don't get caught.