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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — "Did you just ask me when was the last time I thought about Delaney?"
Up to this point in our phone interview, singer/actress Bonnie Bramlett has come across as perhaps the coolest and charmingly wise/spacey aunt in the history of cool aunts. But for the three or so pregnant seconds after I ask her about the last time Delaney Bramlett — her late, ex-husband and musical partner in the excellent '70s rock 'n' soul combo Delaney & Bonnie — crossed her mind, I'm literally wincing waiting for her response.
"About five minutes ago," Bonnie says. "Just leave it at that. That will be my answer forever."
And just like that, it's back to cool-aunt conversation.
In-the-know musicians and fans alike continue to draw inspiration from Delaney & Bonnie albums including Motel Shot and On Tour with Eric Clapton — yes, Slowhand was so enthralled with Delaney & Bonnie's Southern fried, no-flash approach to music and hot-buttered-soul vocals he asked to the group for a stint in the early-70s. George Harrison was also known to turn up at the group's gigs to sit in.
"What a monster band," Bonnie says. "When they put that (four-disc On Tour with Eric Clapton) box set out (in 2010), I listened to it and was blown away by the mix and how timeless that music is. We had a monster band."
You may already know those things. But did you known Bonnie was the first white member of the Ikettes, Ike & Tina Turner's backup singers and dancers? Did you know she toured as a singer with the Allman Brothers and Stephen Stills, or that as a studio musician she's appeared on key recording by artists including Eric Clapton, Little Feat, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Jimmy Buffet, Delbert McClinton and Dwight Yoakam? Or that she and Delaney co-wrote "Let It Rain" with Clapton and "Superstar" with Leon Russell? Or that as an actress she appeared in two huge early-90s hits, the ABC sitcom Roseanne and Oliver Stone's gritty biopic film The Doors?
"My life has been very, very blessed by one incredible moment after another," Bonnie says. "It's all been written down, but I haven't put it into a book form yet because I just don't want to leave anything out."
On March 28, Bonnie Bramlett and The Decoys will play an intimate club show at Kaffeeklatsch Bar, located at 103 Jefferson St. Tickets are $25 and available at the venue, 4 p.m. to close. Expect Bramlett and the band to apply her trademark gospelized aesthetics to such songs as "Love the One You're With," "Only You Know and I Know," "Soul Shaker" "In the Ghetto" and "Well, Well."
Born in Alton, Ill. and now Nashville-based, Bramlett pulls her Toyota Camry over to the side of Franklin Avenue when called for this interview. "I was just driving and listening to the setlist and doing a little visualization if you will," she says.
Bonnie, what's your pre-show ritual like these days, and how does that differ from back in the-70s with Delaney & Bonnie?
Back in the day, we had a pre-show thing where we all got together and, you know, did our spiritual thing and just hoped we had a good show. Now I don't really have a ritual, it's more like opening up to each other, like the dressing room thing. "I believe in you." And then we go out onstage and just surrender to the work. I still feel so blessed to be able to do what we do.
Delaney & Bonnie's "Motel Shot" album features a lot of amazing musicians, but two of them have grown particularly legendary since passing on later: Duane Allman and Gram Parsons. Got a fond memory of playing music with Duane and Gram?
Yeah, a whole bunch of them, so where do I start? First of all, Duane and I go way back to St. Louis before the Allman Brothers when they were freakin' Hour Glass (a pre-Allmans group), and at that point in time, with Motel Shot, he really hadn't received his (due) yet. They probably didn't know it was his solo on (Wilson Pickett's version of) "Hey Jude" at that point. Gram just refused to be famous. He just was great and was everybody's friend but he didn't wear the regalia and do the things you have to do to be "famous." You can't be that great and that good without having to suffer a little pain, and I think that's probably what killed him or a lot of it. That's a difficult one. Duane as well. Duane didn't do famous — he was great.
You had a recurring role on the hit ABC sitcom "Roseanne" in the early-90s, playing Bonnie Watkins. Roseanne's friend and waitress co-worker — with David Crosby playing your husband. What did you enjoy most about working on that show?
Every freaking thing about it. There wasn't anything about that work, preparation, rehearsal, table readings ... I love television. I love acting.
In Oliver Stone's 1991 film "The Doors," you're in this great scene in which you play a bartender that kicks Jim Morrison out of the place for urinating on the bar. Got a funny story from that shoot?
Absolutely. I'm sitting across the bar from Billy Idol and I have no clue who that is. And in-between takes, Val (Kilmer) stays in character. He just steps away from the bar, turns his face to the wall and maintains character. And so Billy starts whining to me assuming I know who he is, and he has this huge crush on (my daughter) Bekka and she's not interested. If you've seen the movie The Doors you saw what (Billy Idol) looked like right? And this guy's talking about calling my daughter? [Laughs.] "Don't you dare call my daughter Billy Idol." [Laughs.]
Ever thought about writing an autobiography?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you read one, you've read them all. If you were there you were there, and it's the same story for all of us. We were all there, and those of us that didn't die, tell the story. I haven't told mine yet, but I'm seeing what everyone else is doing and I might go right on to film. I'm an actor so I might write a screenplay as opposed to a book. And the book comes out there. I have no idea. I've even entertained writing it chapter by chapter, by request — you know, "What do you want to hear?" — because I have worked with everyone. When I look at everyone I've worked with I think, "My Lord, I should really be tired by now."
Is there anyone you haven't worked with that you'd like to?
Elvis Costello. [Laughs.] I haven't worked with him. [Laughs.]
That's an infamous story about him using the n-word a couple of times while talking with you at a bar (reportedly referring to James Brown and Ray Charles. This reportedly started a bar brawl, and Costello later held a press conference apologizing and claiming he made those comments to end a conversation by being obnoxious.) You never really read anything about that incident anymore. Why do you think it is?
I never have said anything about it in interviews. Can I tell you why? That was in my first year of sobriety, by the way — and I was trying everything I could not to do that — but unfortunately that was a bunch of bullshit that happened in a bar. And that was Elvis Costello, one of the greatest songwriters, just a genius, and I think I'm pretty good myself, I don't want to go down in history for a bar brawl. It's nothing to be proud of.
The Delaney & Bonnie albums sound awesome on vinyl. What format do you listen to music on?
When I listen to music I drive. I listen to music when I'm alone because I don't want anyone talking or interrupting. When I listen to music I go somewhere so it's not easy for me to listen to music in a group.
Any upcoming projects, musical or acting, we can tell people about?
Nothing I want to do tell you right now because I don't want to jinx anything.
There's a great photo on your Facebook page of Jimi Hendrix sitting-in with Delaney & Bonnie in 1969. What stands out in your mind about sharing a stage with Hendrix?
We had to try and find a guitar at the last minute. I'd been knowing about Jimi since we were both 17 or 18. We were both being groomed by Ike Turner so we heard about each other. And we didn't put that together until that night at the (Hollywood) Palladium.
Do you remember what tunes you played with Jimi?
Nah. We just did the set. We probably did some blues — "Come On In My Kitchen," or something like that. My life has been very, very blessed by one incredible moment after another.
Your daughter Bekka Bramlett has enjoyed a long music career of her own, working as a session singer with artists including Faith Hill, Buddy Guy and Robert Plant, and for a time in the '90s she actually joined Fleetwood Mac (after Stevie Nicks' exit). As a music-biz lifer yourself, was there one particular piece of career advice you wanted to make sure you passed on to Bekka?
There are some bits and pieces and significant everyday things where I can give her a shortcut here and there. But she kind of grew up around it so the really strong stuff is almost innate with Bekka. She already knows that. And it's something that nobody taught me and something that nobody taught Delaney. It's an innate knowledge. It's a blessing. There are some things you don't teach but you do, and they see you do it and then they do it. I teach by example not by lesson.
Are there any singers — male or female — to have come out in the last 10 or 15 years that blew you away?
Lately, Beth Hart blew me right out of the water. I love that. Male vocalists? I wish I was blown away by some stuff lately, but I'm not. What can I say?
On their last few tours, The Black Crowes played "Poor Elijah — Tribute to Robert Johnson Medley," from the "On Tour with Eric Clapton" LP, quite a bit. Have you heard the Crowes version?
Oh yes, yes. They really love us, and have attributed us well, those guys. It's beyond flattering, it's humbling.
What's the first song you can remember singing along to as a kid?
"The Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr. I learned how to put hurt in your voice, whether you've been through it or not. I didn't know anything yet about that wheel of fortune, but the way she did her throat when she sang it she sounded like she was crying out words as opposed to singing them like I normally heard in church. I come from four generations of gospel singers. I never had a music lesson in my life but I was raised by maestros. My life was a music lesson.
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