[music]
[applause]
Nick Spitzer: Yeah.
Kenny Neal: Yeah. I did that many years ago thinking about Rafael and Slim Harpo.
NS: That’s just so fine. Let me ask you this: how do you think things are going for the blues in Baton Rouge these days?
KN: Well, I think, you know, I moved back here in ’14, ’15, and I put a studio together, and this morning I had a session this morning with an 87-year-old lady came over, and she kind of scared me into this session. She said, “You know, you say you're gonna do a record on me. I'm getting on up there. I think you need to get busy if you’re gonna do it.” So, just last night I went to her house, and I met with her and I brought over this morning, and now I have the record, and it was beautiful. I had a chance to record some stuff. 80 years old, man, but she learned from a kid.
NS: That’s great.
KN: But far as the blues in Baton Rouge, I think we need to come together more with our blues festival here in Baton Rouge, because it's all about our roots from Baton Rouge, and I'm for all of the musicians all across the country. But when it comes down to your hometown, I think you should have our homegrown, because people need to see what we have to offer.
NS: No, I agree.
[applause]
KN: And I enjoy passing it on. I mean, even at this place here, I've given away guitars to the kids. They come here, I give away ten, twelve guitars and, you know, and I do it all across the country, trying to, you know, promote, you know, the love that we have for the music and carry the tradition on.
NS: Right.
Kenny Neal: The hospitality from Baton Rouge, you know. So when we have a festival, we should show our homegrown, you know.
[applause]
NS: So what would be a homegrown Baton Rouge tune? Do you have any that actually mention the city or just something you really associate with growing up here?
KN: For Baton Rouge? Yeah I got one.
NS: Somehow I thought you would.
[music]
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