In 1985’s Back to the Future, one of the film’s meta-jokes is that the character of Marty McFly inadvertently “invents” rock and roll by playing Chuck Berry riffs before Chuck Berry himself does. At the “Enchantment Under the Sea Dance,” for you trivia buffs.
Berry’s astonished bandleader cousin, “Marvin” holds the phone up so Chuck can hear McFly blaze away on his Cherry Red Gibson ES-45 (itself the new subject of an actual worldwide axe hunt).
Well, actor Michael J. Fox might just be chuffed to know that Marty McFly is still inspiring real musicians today. Exhibit A: Bluesman D.K. Harrell and his latest release Talkin’ Heavy (Alligator).
“I was at home watching Back to the Future and anytime that Doc Brown would tell Marty some serious news, Marty would always respond with ‘Doc, that’s heavy.’ And I thought ‘Nobody says that anymore!’” Harrell laughs. “So, I wanted to write a song about what’s going on today and use that word.”
The 27-year-old Harrell clarifies that he doesn’t think the title track is especially political, but dig these heavy lyrics:
“Lord I’m talkin’ heavy/Just take a look at the news/ You can see it all around you/The world is just heavy with the blues/Politicians talkin’ out their heads/Prices so high you can’t be fed/Say that we’re all winners/Still I struggle to get ahead.”
“Sometimes, when artists write about politics, it gets too in-depth. And because of technology, our attention span has gone down a lot,” he continues. “You got to say something early on, even in a title. And I’ve got a message in there.”
Harrell wrote all 12 tracks on the record that run the gamut from the fun and party-like (“Liquor Stores and Legs,” “PTLD”—which stands for Post Traumatic Love Disorder); hard blues (“A Little Taste,” “What Real Men Do”), chill out (“Vibe with Me”), love (“Into the Room”), contemplative (“Life’s Lessons”) and gospel (“Praise These Blues”).
Two tracks have an especially biographical slant. “Grown Now” touches on Harrell’s early life in Ruston, Louisiana and later when he was living in his car while looking for work. “Good Man” takes aim at those who either made fun of him or experience fear due to Harrell’s bulky size.
“No Thanks to You” is about his hard-fought climb to success, despite of (or in defiance of) anyone who either ignored, dismissed, or dragged him and his dreams down. And while it sounds on the surface like it could be a woman, Harrell is unflinching about its real inspiration: His own father.
“My father and I have never had a great relationship. I just got really tired mentally, emotionally, and physically of him trying to manipulate the history between us. I don’t hate my father, I just dislike his character,” Harrell says.
“I believe in being around people who love and care about you. I don’t want a negative vibe. That’s a sad song, but it has a triumphant end. And you better be careful who you put down, because you’ll never know when you’ll need them. Someone you treat [poorly] may be the brain surgeon you need years from now!”
Of all the great bluesman, Harrell has the closest affinity for B.B. King. Family legend has a then 2-year-old Harrell singing along to King’s voice. After getting his first guitar at age 12, he began to obsessively study King’s playing, records, and videos.
And when his first paying gig was at the B.B. King Symposium in Mississippi—playing the master’s signature tune “The Thrill is Gone” on King’s own Lucille guitar and backed by B.B.’s touring band—it seemed natural.
He later won the B.B. King of the Blues Award for Preserving Traditional Blues Heritage from the Jus’ Blues Music Foundation. Even as he also started looking at the music of Other Two Kings (Freddie and Albert), Muddy Waters and Elmore James.
Film also played a heavy part in Harrell’s decision to pursue a career as a bluesman and performer. Specifically, his repeated viewings of The Blues Brothers, Cadillac Records and Ray.
“Listening to the music is one thing. But when you see actors or archival footage of real performers, you get to see the physical side of them and the raw emotion,” he offers. “In can be very inspirational and powerful, even when the actor is playing someone who is real.”
His debut album, The Right Man (Little Village) appeared in 2023, and he’s since played all over North America, Europe, and Scandinavia.
Harrell also recalls how school classmates would often make fun of his for loving blues music as opposed to rap or hip-hop. It’s a situation that he shares with two other hot properties in contemporary blues and his own Alligator labelmates: Selwyn Birchwood and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
Talkin’ Heavy is Harrell’s debut for Alligator Records which, for more than 50 years, has been endlessly recording and promoting contemporary blues. It is also arguably the second most important label in the history of the genre, right after Chicago’s Chess which brought us giants like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Etta James.
“[Alligator] really took over from what Chess was doing. [Founder] Bruce Iglauer came in and really recognized blues artists, with a little more modern sound,” Harrell says.
It’s also another production that the ubiquitous Christoffer “Kid” Andersen has had his hand in, in this case as producer, recorder, mixer, and even rhythm guitar player. If there is a “man behind the curtain” for contemporary blues and Alligator Records, it is this large and bearded 45-year-old Norwegian.
“He’s very funny and great to work with. If you heard the outtakes for this record, you’d die laughing! We had a lot of those moments. And he just lets the recording run, even when we’re not actually recording!” Harrell says. “Because sometimes in those moments, ideas are passed around. And he has a great memory. He’ll be like ‘You said this yesterday.’ And I’ll be ‘I did?’”
He calls Andersen a “genius” and ponders if he might even be on the spectrum of autism with his “scary” sonic gifts and musical intelligence. “The way he can put together a whole song together in 15 or 20 minutes…that is scary!”
Finally, as thousands of audience members at his concerts or viewers of his videos can attest, when D.K. Harrell is up on stage, he’s smiling. He’s joyful. He’s clearly having a good time (much like, oh, B.B. King did).
So, while many think “the blues” is only I’m-so-sad-my-woman-left-me-and-I-can’t-pay-the-rent music, Harrell sees an entire other world.
“I’ve had people come up to me after shows, especially after they’ve seen me a few times, and ask ‘Are you really that happy?’ Honestly, I really am! And I’m a silly guy. I’m always cracking jokes,” he laughs.
“That’s just me. I’m really this big ball of energy. And I say don’t let the weight fool you! I can do four hour shows. I’m crazy!”
For more on D.K. Harrell, visit DKBlues.com
