(from the East Bay Times 8/17/01); by Paul Freeman
Fahey Tribute lauds acoustic guitar ace
When John Fahey died in February at the age of 61 following complications from heart bypass surgery, he left a lofty legacy in the acoustic guitar realm.
That legacy, as well as Fahey's life and spirit, will be celebrated Sunday night at the Freight and Salvage in a concert that has drawn some of the nation's most respected guitar players.
Joining Bay Area guitar stalwarts Phil Kellogg and Henry Kaiser will be Minnesota's Peter Lang, Nashville's Michael Gulezian, Seattle's Rick Ruskin, Los Angeles-based Mitch Greenhill and Chicago's Charles Schmidt.
Though Schmidt, a Fahey scholar, will perform a couple of the guitar legend's compositions, the guitarists will offer mostly their original material. Kellogg, the event's organizer says, "I don't feel we should be trying to re-create John Fahey. We should re-create his spirit, which was one of adventure, knowing one's own self and pursuing one's own artistic ideals."
Fahey gained prominence in the early '60s, putting his distinctive stamp on country blues. He helped lift several of his influences from obscurity, including Skip James, Bukka White, and Charlie Patton. Fahey, a restless artist, later explored Eastern music, ragtime, classical, Brazilian, spiritual, jazz, dissonance and other genres.
Fahey, whose musical journey can be traced in more than 40 albums, founded Takoma Records to open the door for other risk-taking musicians, including Ruskin, Gulezian, and Lang. Berkeley's Fantasy label, which purchased the Takoma catalog, will be recording the tribute concert for an upcoming release.
Kellogg, a Dublin resdient, will act as emcee. The skilled finger-picker, whose album "Passive-Aggressive" is available on the Hands Solo label, says of Fahey's passing: "It hit me hard. He was a hero of mine. I wanted to do something to honor him in some way. I did two things. The night of his death, I wrote a tribute song for him. He had always done requiems for people he admired that passed away. So I decided to do my Requiem for John Fahey. Then, gradually, I thought of this idea of doing a tribute concert."
His first move was to contact Fahey's companion of the past several years, Melissa Davis, who will attend the Berkeley concert. Based in Salem, Oregon, she suggested several appropriate artists.
Kellogg felt that the Freight would be a natuaral venue, as Fahey had performed there many times. Bay Area audiences were able to follow the guitarist's changing paths. "John went through a lot of different phases. He just always seemed to be searching for another way of expressing himself. Going through his various stylistic phases, he brought a lot of other guitar players with him. They listened to him and thought, "That's kind of cool. Maybe I'll try some of that."
Of Fahey's playing, Kellogg says, "It was extremely personal. Whatever style he was into at the time, everything he did was unmistakably John Fahey. There was always a ringing trueness to it. It was always a self-exploration. He would master the style, but you would always know it was him. His work reflected his soul."
Though other musicians grabbed larger portions of the spotlight, Fahey's impact was significant. Kellogg says, "Nearly every guitar player you talk to knows who John Fahey is. And nearly everyone else out there doesn't have a clue. He was never a huge star, but he was always a huge presence in the guitar world."
Fahey's personality was just as distinctive as his playing. Kellogg, who met Fahey several times over the years, says with a chuckle, "He was a bit off-the-wall. I remember one concert back in the '60s. He stopped after about 40 minutes. He stood up, put his guitar in his case, closed the case up, and started smoking a cigarette. Everybody just kind of looked around in puzzlement. After a minute or so, he looked out at the crowd and said, 'I'm on a break.' He always kept you on edge, wondering what was coming next."
"He was a very unique persona, both on-stage and off. I found him to be very personable. There were many years between our meetings, and he always remembered me and would know what had been going on with me. He was very interested in promoting other artists, young and old."
As a budding musician, the first song Kellogg learned was Fahey's "Sunflower River Blues". "Like a lot of guitar players, I learned to play by trying to copy his records. Back in the '60s, I just fell in love with his music. He had a very unique style that I admired and respected. I wanted to sound like John Fahey," says Kellogg, who has gone on to forge his own style.
Young Kellogg sent Fahey tapes and the guitar great responded. "He would write back, usually in pencil scrawlings on a piece of paper, saying, 'I like this. Do a little more of that. Didn't like this one so much.' It was very inspiring to me to get his feedback."
In the '80s, one of Kellogg's first performances was as Fahey's opening act in Portland. "That was quite an experience, quite daunting. In anticipation, I was nervous as heck. About two-thirds of the way through my opening set, I finally stopped thinking that 'Oh my God, John Fahey's watching me!' Things relaxed at that point and it went well, I thought."
"We chatted for hours that night, between and after sets. I had dinner with John Fahey and his wife. He told me, 'I think you're a genius.' I said, 'I'm not ready to accept that praise. Let's talk about something else.' He was so supportive of people who pursued their own artistic dreams."
Kellogg believes Fahey's legacy will last. "His music will continue to sell for years and years. And without question, his spirit will live on. Right up until his death, he was continuously moving forward musically. He instilled that spirit in so many other artists who will carry it on."
