Idaho musician enjoys local venues

The gospel and blues singer known only as Brother Music played all three days at the annual Homesteaders Days in Hot Springs last month. Though he resides in Sandpoint, Idaho, Brother Music has lived in Utah and many places abroad, including Japan and Taiwan. Stateside, his music has been heard from Ohio to California. He first played locally twenty years ago at Boondogglers in Thompson Falls and at the Sanders County Fair in Plains.

In his early days, "I opened for many legends such as Tina Turner, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Vanilla Fudge, just to name a few," he said. He opened for Vanilla Fudge in 1969. One year later, Led Zeppelin opened for that group at the same venue. At a Canned Heat concert, Brother Music was asked by the band manager to open on the spot. He said he didn't have his guitar, so he pulled out his harmonica and played.

In the sixties, he had a band called Brother Music Power House. Most of the time, Brother Music played the blues guitar and didn't sing much, so when he dropped the band, he had to start singing. That is when he began being noticed by big musicians like Tina Turner. He first met her at one of Turner's concerts in 1971.

"It was 2 o'clock, and I brought my guitar to Tina Turner's concert in Salt lake and asked her manager if I could be her opening act," he recalls while explaining how he started garnering the attention of the public. That idea worked for Brother Music. He got the gig that night and was invited to breakfast the next morning by folk singer Odetta Holmes, where they were joined by Turner and her entourage.

These days, Brother Music spends Saturday nights doing a radio talk show. Stories and music are shared 10-11 p.m. on Brother Music Soul Express, Spokane Public Radio KPBX 91.1 FM.

Playing local venues is more appealing to Brother Music these days. Recently, he provided live music at The Wild Coyote Saloon. He can be reached at [email protected]. Listeners can find his music on SoundCloud by searching Brother Music Chasing Shadows.