Fuzionz Magazine and TV Spring Issue | Page 115

really met was in 1980, when I went to see one of his shows at the Paramount Hotel in Downtown Dallas. He was standing outside of the room and there was nobody there. It was going to be a small show. He said, “Man you look just like me,” and I said, “No, you look just like me.” He said, “No, you look like me because I’m the oldest” and I said, “Ok then” and that was the beginning of a longtime and lifelong friendship. A couple years before Lou died, he was going to help me with my music, so it didn’t happen, but it was a lifelong friendship.”

Dorsey has had several bands, including The Lon Dorsey Band. According to the jazz great, bands are kind of hard to put together sometimes, especially when it comes to doing blues music. “We do straight up jazz and something that doesn’t require special things, so anybody can play for you. I’ve had numerous bands and numerous keyboard players. The kind of keyboard player you have is going to determine the kind of band you have. This last gig I did was with Jason Davis and his band and it went well. People loved it and they showed it with applauds. I did “You’ll Never Find” and I did “Stormy Monday.” Most of the bands play “Stormy Monday,” but “You’ll Never Find” caught them off guard. Jason wrote that the night before. He can write charts and music; it came out real good,” Dorsey said.

When asked has he performed with any other jazz artists in your career, this is what Dorsey had to say, “Yes, over the years probably most of them. You probably saw Shelly Carroll and me together. We know each other and if we wanted to put something together, we could. I do Lou Rawls music right now and they do straight up jazz. Jason Davis is the key to my doing more in Dallas and you’ll see more of that. I do blues music and people don’t get that, often, and when they do, they go wild. I noticed that when I started singing the songs in the last show.” Dorsey says he has never performed overseas, but would love to. According to the musician, he’s been asked to go to Germany, Spain and Denmark, to name a few. “A gentlemen has been persistent in trying to get me to come to Spain, so I told him that we would have to get with the Chamber of Commerce. I would love to entertain overseas. I’ve been concentrating on anything that keeps Lou out there, in the States. You can’t go across the world without somebody knowing who Lou Rawls is,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey’s advice to young entrepreneurs who are seeking their career as a jazz musician is, “Don’t ever give up, no matter what happens. There are a lot of things that people do to you or they don’t do for you but don’t ever give up.”