Every time I’ve interview Glenn Hughes, he has a lot going on. The Hall of Famer is always recording, writing, singing, playing, touring — pretty much filling in every hour of every day, living and breathing music. While many of his peers are winding down, playing farewell tours, recording sporadically (if at all) — essentially riding off into the sunsets of their careers — Hughes is in constant motion, his work ethic, drive and stamina outpacing musicians half his age. By all appearances, it doesn’t seem like he has any intention of slowing down.
Two months into 2018, and Hughes is already making the rounds. In early January, he played two dates in England with his band Black Country Communion, the first shows they had done together in over six years. As press time, BCC are scheduled to do a third gig aboard guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea cruise in late February. After that, Hughes returns to the road with his Glenn Hughes Performs Deep Purple Classics Live show, which will take him around the world through 2019.
The other big project Hughes is part of is Rock Against Trafficking, The non-profit organized to raise awareness about human trafficking is making its first album, Set Them Free, a compilation of covers by Sting and Police featuring more than a few A-list singers and players. Hughes is the first to have recorded his contribution, a stirring version of “Roxanne,” and that’s what we first touch on in the following interview. As expected, his enthusiasm and passion for this project, as with everything else he’s ever done and currently doing, is contagious, and likely to help call attention to, in this instance, a very serious issue.
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So, you’re already off to big start in 2018 with your cover of the Police’s “Roxanne,” the lead single from the forthcoming album Set Them Free to benefit Rock Against Trafficking. Can you talk to me about how you got involved with this project?
I can. It would be early 2012 I got a call. Actually, I met Gary Miller (founder of Rock Against Trafficking) at Chad Smith’s New Year’s party in 2011. Chad and Gary are neighbors in Malibu. Gary mentioned to me something about what he wanted to do with human trafficking, which I really needed to educate myself on. I think we all know about it, but we don’t know how big it is. So I went home, and I Googled, and I got some instructions, and I read the numbers, and was incredibly freaked out by it all.
I think I was the first guy to go in and sing for him. He wanted to do Sting or Police covers. And he asked me what I would like to do. There’s so many great songs. I said, “Let’s have a shot at ‘Roxanne.’” So I went to Gary’s studio, and I was in there for 10 minutes and I was out of there. I normally sing a song no more than two times because I like to keep it raw and emotional and on the edge. I don’t like to paint with a lot of colors. I’m straight in there, and as raw as possible.
Looking at those lyrics as I was singing that song — I was thinking about being abducted. The girl is obviously a girl of the evening. She’s not happy and she’s going to get abducted again. So for me, I was lending that kind of emotion to my performance. I was sort of fiery when I was singing it — I was getting all worked up. I kept thinking abut this scenario, these atrocities, when I was at the microphone. That’s the way I’ve always sang. I really don’t sing about anything other than human condition stuff. It meant so much to me to be a part of it.
I love the arrangement of “Roxanne.”
Gary was very privy to some of the work I’ve done. In my work where I use these minor nine chords — very solemn, Eleanor Rigby sort of stuff. He knew what I would appreciate. At the first bar of the song, it doesn’t sound like “Roxanne.” It’s very sort of “Glennish” (sings some high notes). It’s very in the moment for me. I just started opening my mouth and the words started coming out.
The album is filled with Sting and Police songs. Is there a connection between these songs and the issue of human trafficking?
I think Gary should be the one to answer that. When I met him — and I think I was the first one to go into the studio — I never questioned him. I’m sure I would have questioned these songs if they weren’t the right songs. But Sting’s an incredible songwriter, and he’s also a guy who sings about human condition. He doesn’t sing about cyclopes and stuff. He’s an incredible lyricist. There are numerous songs that are going to sound great. All these people on the album are just amazing musicians. All these people are such good, kind, caring, giving people. And they’re all friends of mine. We’re all one for a purpose.
Who else is on the record?
They’re all friends — Slash, Carlos Santana, Journey, Keb’ Mo’, Heart — people that we all know. We got Grammy winners, we got Hall of Fame winners. Everyone who is on this — we all know who they are. Again, they’ve all given graciously. We must educate and make people aware. Billions of dollars yearly are being made by these awful, devious people that come into our homes in the middle of the day and the night and on our streets, taking our kids, who are then flown out of the country, Passports are gone, and to a world of slavery and God knows what else they’re doing. And we as parents, siblings and friends are now left with this void, while our beautiful ones are taken from us. Ninety-nine percent of them we never see again. Yes, we see the Elizabeth Smarts. We’re very lucky those things happen. Can you imagine being a family member losing someone? And then think about the poor victims. It could be a very young kid. It could be anybody. It could anyone we know. I want everyone to think the unthinkable and how we can help as one, as we move forward and educate people on human trafficking.
It’s a big issue, and I’m glad you and other artists are addressing it. You’re doing so much this year. For one, you’re featured on Joe Satriani’s What Happens Next. I guess the most unique thing about your involvement is that you’re not singing on it — you’re simply playing bass along with drummer Chad Smith and Satriani on 12 instrumentals. Can you talk a little about your role on this record?
I got involved in this in 2012 when Joe and I did a show at the Wembley Arena for Marshall’s 50th anniversary. Joe and I were backstage and we’d done a couple songs, and we had a little mini meeting about doing something like this. Five years later, Joe calls me and asks, “Hey are you available to play on a record I want to do — an instrumental album?” And I said to Joe, “Are you asking me to play simply, just the bass?” And he said, “Yeah.” And I said, “Joe, I’ve been on 150 albums with other people and on my own, and I’ve never really just played bass. Thank you for the opportunity so I can just start slamming.” I’m not singing on this album, which is quite funny. I had an amazing time with Joe and Chad. Who wouldn’t? I mean, these guys are dear friends of mine and talented musicians.
I was listening to the record earlier, and when I heard “Catbot,” my initial reaction was this needs a Glenn Hughes vocal.
Yeah. Get a visual because you know Joe, you know me. We’re recording each song, and after each song, I would go to Joe: “You sure you don’t hear a Glenn vocal here?” (laughs). As we were recording and we can hear each other, I’m singing melodies to Joe, and at the end of the session he says to me, “Would you mind if I used some of those melodies for my guitar parts?” And I said, “Of course not.” I can’t help myself. I’m always singing. I never asked him to sing. I just said, ”It’s quite funny you haven’t asked me to sing.”
You’ve been extremely active in the last couple of years with projects you did sing on. For one, in late 2016, you released a solo album called Resonate. What inspired you to make that one?
It had been eight years since I’d made a record. I thought it was time to do it before Black Country Communion IV came out. It was around the time of the Hall of Fame induction. I wanted to have a piece of work that came out. I had written songs over the course of a few months in 2015 in my home studio. As you know, I’m songwriter, that’s what I really like to do. And I had all these songs I had just written. My guitar player has a studio in Copenhagen, and I said, “Hey, we’re doing festivals in June. We got like a couple of weeks here. Can I come in?” I didn’t play him or anybody the songs. We went in the studio, and each song, I said, “Well this is this song, and this is this song,” so nobody had any preconceived notion of what it was. For me, it was a bit of an expression.
These songs, as I did with “Roxanne,” are about human condition and feelings and thoughts. The Resonate album is about what goes on in the human body — and about our fears, and about our faith, and about our lack of faith. It’s about whatever’s giving us love and what’s taken from us. It’s an autobiographical album.
I think the best thing you did last year (2017) was the Black Country Communion IV record. In my opinion, it’s one of the best albums of your career, and undeniably the best Black Country Communion record in the catalog. Do you think the four-year break helped?
You know that Joe (Bonamassa) and I are tight. When the band disbanded in 2012, it disbanded for reasons, which you know about it. It didn’t disband because there was some kind of turmoil between band members. The band broke because we couldn’t find the time to tour. We couldn’t find a window of opportunity to do any touring. So what happened was, we sort of closed the door, we didn’t completely slam it. Wouldn’t you know, four years later, I’m getting inducted in the Hall of Fame in New York, and the first person who calls me, the morning after. is Joe to congratulate me and asked if I’d like to have dinner with him. I got home to LA and we got together, and asked me about making another album.
I said, “Joseph, young man, I would love to make a record. I have two things I would like you to think about — number one, I think we should write this together at my home studio.” He loves the studio I got called the Magic Room. He loves to write here. I wrote most of the first three albums. I said to Joe, “We got to write this album together, toe-to-toe, chair-to-chair. Just me and you, tape is rolling.” And that guy showed up at my house 10:59 AM every morning, for 13, 14 days in a row. And we wrote that album and it was so incredible. It made our friendship even stronger.
Secondly, I said to Joe, “This album has got to be…epic. It’s got to be epic. I don’t want to go into the studio and release anything that isn’t going to be mind-blowing. “ And I think we did this album proud.
You did. It’s such a strong record. I know you played a couple of Black Country Communion gigs in the UK, and you’re slated to do another show aboard the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea cruise. Are you looking to do any other Black Country Communion dates in 2018 and beyond?
Joe and I had a little chat after the show in London about the possibility of that. If there’s a window open where Jason, Derek, Joe and I are available, that window will be Black Country Communion shows. I wouldn’t hold my breath for anyone. There have been rumors and talk, but there’s nothing on the table. The way things are moving with us as friends. Everyone has their careers burgeoning at the moment. I would like that to happen. Joe and I would absolutely love that to happen, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Yes, everyone is busy. You toured extensively last year behind Resonate and you also played a lot Deep Purple songs. I wish you would have come to the States.
We are doing that in 2019. I have a career overseas. I live here in America, but my career is basically overseas. We started the Glenn Hughes Performs Deep Purple Classics Live, as it’s called, in Australia and New Zealand in September and October. And then I had to get ready for Black Country. I’m going back out on the road again in April. It’s going to be an 18-month tour. We start in South America. We’re going to work our way up to the Pacific Rim, then I’m going back to Europe. We’re going to Africa. When I’ve done the cycle, I want to end it in North America and Canada.
This is an important show for me. What people need to know is that I’m not doing studio versions, I’m doing the versions that we were doing in the mid 70s, kind of going into Cal Jam or maybe Europe or Live at Long Beach. I’m taking the audio and visuals of the way things were arranged back then. It was pretty wicked, you know. It’s a helluva show; a real production. We look forward to bringing it to America.
