What were your earliest musical influences?
When I was growing up I listened to all sorts of musical styles. My father was a professional musician and sang and played trumpet in some of the leading big bands in Britain during the 1950s. So I heard big-band music, jazz and blues, and later on country music among others. When I was a teenager, Britain was becoming more multicultural, so I also listened to a lot of ska and reggae. There were many very different influences on me in my early years. That’s why I’ve always hated when people try to label my music as being one thing
or another.
You mentioned that Country Music has been one of the big influences on much of your work, is that still a passion?
I’ve just released a new album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music. I worked with people like T-Bone Burnett on that. We had worked together before. I’d also recorded country songs on albums like Almost Blue and King of America.
You’ve travelled extensively playing all over the world, are there any places you haven’t visited yet?
I’ve never been to South Africa. During the years of apartheid, I insisted on including a clause in my recording contract that my records wouldn’t go on sale there. I supported the boycott.
India is another country that I’d love to see. I’d like to visit more of Asia. For instance, my last visit to Singapore was many years ago when I had a short stopover on the way to New Zealand. We took the band down there for a break after a lot of touring and recording.
What do you listen to when you’re travelling?
Like a lot of other people, I’ve got an iPod that holds thousands of songs, too many really, who has time to listen to that many? Recently, I’ve been re-listening to a lot of old blues music. But I like a lot of different styles, I always have.
Do you listen to your own music?
Yes. I also have to listen to my own songs since I’ve written over 400 of them. So I have them on my iPod too, to help me remember lyrics and help me decide which ones should feature in a particular concert line-up. There’s a lot of preparation needed before rehearsals.
What’s your travel schedule like at the moment?
I’ve just flown in from France where I was with my family. My wife (Canadian jazz singer Diana Krall) is touring there. We travelled around Europe with our twin
boys. After the Singapore concert, I’m heading down to Perth, playing in Fremantle, Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney, Canberra and then Brisbane. My Australian tour is just ten days long, so it’s a pretty hectic schedule.
You were born in London, brought up there and on Merseyside and you’ve lived in Dublin and New York, where’s home now?
When we’re not on the road, we’re in Vancouver. It’s a great place for families and for bringing up the kids.
