The Classic Rock Archive
> Browse > Latest IssueSearch the Archive
Enter your search below and click "Search".
(e.g. 'hendrix' or 'guitar solo')
Your Account
You're not logged in! Logging into the archive will allow you to flag and retrieve articles you're especially interested in.
> Login to your account > RegisterOli Brown
From page 93 of Classic Rock Magazine June 2011
Cover of June 2011 issue.
Young bluesman defies health and safety and heads out on the road.
N ot even hospitalisation after a particularly nasty fall could derail this fast rising young British blues guitar sensation from heading out on his latest tour. And even better, he clearly won’t let fame go to his head.
So, you’ve been in the wars? [Glumly]: I fell in the dark and landed my pelvis, fracturing it. I also cracked my lower spine.
You can admit it to us... were you in a refreshed state?
No. We’d got back from a gig and were about to start celebrating. I’d gone back to the van for the whiskey when it happened.
All the same, it’s hardly the ideal preparation for a tour?
No, but I’m stubborn. As long as I can use my arms and sing, the show will go on.
At the age of 21 you already have a mantelpiece of trophies, including Male Vocalist and Young Artist Of The Year at the 2010 British Blues Awards. Are you conscious of how fast things are moving?
A little, but I feel lucky. Although I’m in the position I am, I’ve still a long way to go. I’m just enjoying it. When I started this, my ambition was to play music, but also to have fun.
You’ve been feted by Joe Bonamassa and Walter Trout, and have accumulated incredible praise along the way. So is it sometimes hard to reconcile such things when you turn up at the smaller venues like The Piper in Hull, or Exeter’s The Timepiece?
[Sounding shocked]: No. Not at all, man. I’m just happy to play. Stick me in a room and I don’t mind how many people there are. I know that in development terms I’ve a long way to go. I record all of my gigs and I listen back to them, striving to develop my singing and guitar playing ability. I’m not yet at the pinnacle of my career.
Still, appearing at last year’s Glastonbury must have felt like vindication of the years of roadwork you have put in. Yeah. It was an amazing
experience. I’d never been there before and couldn’t believe it didn’t rain. There were so many bands and the vibe was great – it was hard to take it all in. DL Brown’s tour is currently ongoing, and ends at the Darvel Music Festival on May 22. For more info go to www.oliselectricblues.co.uk.
