Doc Blues Records

An interview with Dr. Jim Thompson, founder of Doc Blues

Q: So, why did someone with a successful career in medicine decide to start a blues label?

A: "I've always felt I had something of a creative spark. so I decided that if I could play a part in helping to establish a solid, viable, blues record label based on spiritual principles I wanted to do it. I had the desire for years and flirted with doing something in Port Arthur in the mid-'90s but, because of alcohol, didn't have the focus to get it done. It wasn't until I moved to Austin and events led me to join a fellowship that has given me a new life and a new way of living by means of 12-Steps which are suggested as a program of recovery, that I had the ability to realize the dream."

Q: How is Doc Blues different from the blues labels already in existence?

A: "This is a label that really is more concerned with making music than making money. We're here to keep the blues alive and well in the 21st century and you do that by not only documenting the present scene and what has come before but also by advancing the ever-evolving sound of the blues by introducing new artists with new ideas. To us that's not a a marketing trick or an attempt to keep up with trends but is instead a principle of operation. We see ourselves as performing a job that commercially-oriented labels aren't doing; documenting the artistry and authenticity of blues musicians, both young and old, who are being overlooked otherwise."

Q:Describe how the label came into being.

A: "I was working part time at night at a prison outside of Austin and had some extra money. I began to think of resurrecting the Doc Blues concept and making a serious effort to turn it into a reality. I figured I was being blessed with some extra money and it really wasn't my money, it was God's money and I would pass it through all these beautiful artists here and on to the tape. I checked my thinking with people who had been in the blues business for decades, beginning with Tary Owens and Uncle John Turner, and they offered encouragement. One night at Blue Monday at Antone's I talked to Derek O'Brien, George Raines, Larry Fulcher, and Riley Osbourn, all of whom ultimately became involved as musicians and producers, and told them my plans while asking for their help. They, too, were enthusiastic and once they were all behind the concept things began to rapidly move forward. The core group of people involved steadily expanded, adding the recording studio expertise of Fred Fletcher and Stuart Sullivan and attracting the attention and participation of like-minded professionals in other music-related fields."

Q: Is there a Doc Blues recording philosophy?

A: "It's the artist's music, not the record label's, so we just want to create a situation where he can get the fullest expression of his musical vision. In blues that means letting the musical personality of the artist come through without a lot of superfluous production getting in the way. With people like Stuart Sullivan, one of the best recording engineers in the business, working with us we're always going to have high-quality production, but what we're really looking for is passion in the music, not perfection inthe studio."

Q: Is there a particular blues style that identifies the Doc Blues sound?

A: "We're naturally going to emphasize the talent of Texas and Louisiana, one of the creative cradles of blues, because it's our home base and there are still so many deserving artists in the region who haven't been properly recorded. But it's not so much the sound of the music as it is the music's sincerity, how authentic and connected to real life it is, that is the deciding factor. We may release recordings with different styles, instrumentations and approaches but all of them will be unified by an emphasis on artistic honesty and respect for the blues tradition."

Q:How do you create a recording situation that allows such unusual artistic xpression?

A: "You just get out of the way of the music. The artists know what they want to do and how to do it and all the label should do is facilitate the process by creating a comfortable creative environment. We surround the artist with some of the best musicians around and let them make music. The label is just a conduit for their creativity so we try not to add or subtract anything and by avoiding that we ensure that the artist's music and message will be communicated as close to its original concept as is possible."

Q: For a new record label Doc Blues seems to have assembled a very experienced group of blues veterans, effectively allowing it to hit the ground running. How did you recruit such a high level of expertise in such a short time?

A: "I've been blessed by having people interested in what we want to do with the label come to me and offer their assistance. The idea of the label seems to have special appeal to people who have been previously been involved with the blues and have experienced the negatives of a strictly commercial approach that doesn't put the music, and the musicians, first like we do."

Q: The people involved with the label appear to be more like an extended blues family than just record label employees. Was that a goal of the label and how did you reach it?

A: Once again, it was more a matter of people being attracted to the label and what it stood for. I think that brought together a lot of kindred spirits who have the same all-inclusive attitude toward the music that I do. Everyone involved in blues in part of a family anyway. But our family is probably closer than most because we all are working toward the same goal of making the label an outlet for genuine blues expression and that common quest is a powerful bond."

Q: Doc Blues appears to be a label more concerned with making a lasting impression than just making a quick buck. What is your vision of the label's future?

A: "We're definitely in it for the long haul. I expect the recordings we make to still be available and still be selling decades from now. And while we don't ask for a long-term commitment from our artists we do feel we have a long-term obligation to their music. We fully expect many of our artists to go on to international blues stardom and a few may move into legendary status as the years go by. But even the recordings made by those who don't achieve commercial success will still have musical significance, both when they're released and far into the future."

Q: It seems as if you're keeping the label's options open for the future. How has the original concept expanded?

A: "Our success with our first recording projects has encouraged us to enlarge our vision to include in-house booking to help the artists get heard when they play live and not just when fans play their cds. We're now also involved in distributing other small labels and recordings by individual artists who share our approach to popularizing the blues without sacrificing the spirit that makes the music so special. We don't have specific plans beyond that but we're open to any and everything that helps the music and the musicians get wider exposure and appreciation."