Darrell Nulisch

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Darrell Nulisch - a pureblood Texas Bluesman

Blues and soul man Darrell Nulisch has the kind of voice legends are made of – big, strong, and supple, rippling with élan and colored by the dust of his native Texas. It’s a timeless instrument, yet Nulisch keeps it firmly in the present. On the surface Nulisch might seem a purveyor of retro sounds, since it’s so easy to compare his elegant delivery to greats like Bobby Bland, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and O.V Wright. But the truth is he and his tight-knit band create a fresh hybrid of swamp blues, Memphis soul, Motown pop, and Lone Star State strut. They infuse those classic forms with bristling energy.

You practically need to force Nulisch to talk about his talents. The Dallas native is a humble guy despite his worldwide concert appearances and multiple Blues Music Awards nominations — including a nod for 2007’s Goin’ Back to Dallas, which was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album. But when Nulisch does discuss his music, it’s clear he’s a natural. “I’ve never thought about phrasing,” he says. “I didn’t even know what it was until somebody asked me about my ‘phrasing.’ I’ve never thought about how I sing other than to enunciate so people can understand the story I’m trying to tell. For me, it’s about storytelling, not trying to blow anybody away with my voice. And if I come across as smooth or elegant, the truth is that I’m just trying to be real.”

Meanwhile, the roots of the modern Texas blues scene Nulisch would join were being planted around him.“Jimmie Vaughan’s band the Chessmen played in a nearby park, which was filled with hot rodders washing and waxing their cars on weekends,” he recounts. “And the guitar player in my band was friends with Stevie Vaughan. He came over to jam when he was 14 and he was already as good as he ever was. We knew he was going places.”After Nulisch outgrew playing teen dances he was briefly drawn to folk music and sang in local coffeehouses. That changed when he met Anson Funderburgh, a young guitarist making his name in the scene. “Anson was in a soft-rock band and mutual friends had been trying to get us together,” Nulisch says. “When that finally happened, we clicked fast. Anson’s band had a residency across the street from the bar I was playing in Fort Worth. During his set breaks he’d come over and play blues with me.” Soon they formed Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, and Nulisch sang and played harmonica in the band for seven years. “That was an intense period,” says Nulisch. “I played 200 to 250 dates a year and learned about hard-core blues. Anson really turned me on to a lot of the innovators, like Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson, who had a big influence on my harmonica playing.”

Looking for new musical challenges, Nulisch next teamed with Dallas guitarist Mike Morgan in his band the Crawl. And in 1987 Nulisch raised his profile by joining Ronnie Earl in the ex-Roomful of Blues and -Sugar Ray & the Bluetones six-string virtuoso’s band Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters. After three years and two critically heralded albums fronting the Broadcasters, Nulisch decided it was time to take the reins. “After all that experience I knew the kind of material that suited me best and how I wanted it played,” he says. So Nulisch formed Texas Heat, recorded 1991’s Business As Usual, and hit the road. Although that band lasted just one album, Nulisch’s fertile songwriting with Gomes has continued for six CDs under the singer’s own name.“Steve always seems to write lyrics I really believe in,” Nulisch offers. “He’s also opened me up to different kinds of music, like reggae and jazz, which have influenced my phrasing and my tone.”

Between his own gigs and sessions, Nulisch has also toured from 2006 to the present with James Cotton. “The call to join James came out of the blue,” Nulisch says. “I studied his records when I was a kid, stopping the needle on my stereo and backing it up to learn harp licks. Anson and I played a lot of his songs together, too. And then to share the stage with him — it was an honor. “Truly,” says Nulisch, “when I consider everything I’ve been lucky enough to accomplish, I feel humbled. Today I’m exactly where I want to be: making the music I want to make, which I’m happy to do for the rest of my life.”