ATLANTA, Ga. - After watching "Fiddler on the Roof" at 7 or 8 years old, Chris Duarte wanted to play the violin.
His school didn't offer the violin, but he was told he could play the clarinet, he said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon. Duarte's mom nixed that idea.
His older brother already was playing the guitar, so by 1977 at age 14, Duarte started playing it. He dropped out of school at 16, and was playing his first paying gig by 17.
"For an older man, that might seem chaotic. Being that young, it just seemed like a natural thing, a natural progression," said Duarte. An above-average student, Duarte said he got bored with school.
"I knew what I wanted to do at 14, actually 13," Duarte said.
Today, his name and blues music is well-known around the world. He's played in Japan, Russia and all over Europe.
On July 11, Duarte will be the headlining act for the Blues & BBQ at Central Park at The Glover Pavilion. Duarte hits the stage at about 9 p.m., with Summertime Blues Band at 6 p.m. and Mississippi Heat at 7:15 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.After he left school, Duarte began working in a range of different music styles. He said he got into the blues, and wanted to sound like artists he enjoyed, like Muddy Waters.
In 1979, Duarte left his hometown of San Antonio and headed for Austin, Texas, to pursue a musical career. By the next year, Duarte was in his first band, Mainstreet. Duarte said it was a jazzy band.
"I couldn't play jazz, but I could play the chords," said Duarte.
Austin was the first place Duarte said he experienced a local music scene. In other places, bands just played cover songs. There was no way he wanted to do that, he said.
It was at age 18 when Duarte said people first started paying him compliments. Having a natural ability, Duarte also worked hard at his music.
At 21, Duarte and his band opened up for Allan Holdsworth. Holdsworth was one of Duarte's heroes, Duarte said. Holdsworth is a British jazz/rock guitarist and composer.
Duarte said he wanted to impress Holdsworth, but thought playing Holdsworth's work might not be the right thing to do. So Duarte just played his own stuff.
"I still have the records from that show," said Duarte.
Austin guitar players began noticing Duarte in 1983, he said. By the following year, a highly respected Austin writer did a piece on Duarte. The writer was so impressed with Duarte, he called Duarte one of the most promising guitar artists in Austin.
It was in 1984 that Duarte got his first taste of studio work with Night Train. From that experience, Duarte said he learned how to play in the studio. He also learned the cutthroat side of the music business.
Duarte said he remembers Keith Ferguson laying down a track that everyone professed to love. However, after Ferguson left, the bitching began.
With every album he puts out, Duarte said, the goal is to put out a better album every single time. He's on tour to promote his latest album, "Blue Velocity," with a sixth album set for release in August or September.
One of these days, however, Duarte said he'd like to make an album on a slower pace. He writes, records and mixes albums now in three weeks. He said he would love to have the time to do an album in a month's time.
For the upcoming sixth album, Duarte said all the tracks' vocals were recorded in eight days.
When recording a song, Duarte said, the melody has to come to him first. Very few of his songs ever come with chords first, he said. He likes to work out the words and vocals. Wordsmithing, he said, is an important part of the process. He takes into account how he says the words, the way they hit the notes, the flow and the syllables of the words.
For "Blue Velocity," Duarte said he and Shrapnel Records Founder Mike Varney wanted to work together for a long time. Varney felt Duarte was getting away from his strengths, and wanted to pull Duarte back to his roots. Duarte took about a dozen songs in to Varney, but Varney cut the list down to about six. In the studio, Duarte said, they had to write about five more songs.
"We wanted a real strong album," Duarte said.
And the work paid off. Critics and fans have said the album includes some of Duarte's best tracks. He also has become more confident in his vocals.
No matter where in the world Duarte takes his music, he said his fans are very much alike.
"I think a blues fan is a blues fan, but it's very special over there in Europe," he said.
When it comes to the blues, Americans are highly thought of as being the best blues players. Europe and Japan don't have a lot of their own blues players, either.
"They still appreciate good music. Good music is good music," Duarte said.
For those who attend the July 11th blues show in Warsaw, Duarte said they can expect to see passionate and intense music. The musicians playing with him also are intensely passionate musicians.
After his shows, Duarte is known for sticking around until the last fan's autographs are signed.
"I am there because they allow me to do what I want to do," said Duarte.
He said he wants each person to feel special for the 30 seconds or so they are with him. He likes to look them in the eye, tell them thanks for their support, and maybe have a short conversation with them. His extra time with all the fans also helps sell merchandise, he said.
"I want to be very accessible," he said.
Duarte's sixth album, titled "Vantage Point," will be released on Shrapnel/Blues Bureau International Records "realistically" in September, Duarte said.
He said he thanks everyone for letting him play music for a living, and he hopes to get better as he goes along.
