Papa Mali
Encyclopedia
Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne (born May 6, 1957) is an American slide guitarist, singer, and songwriter who grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana
, United States
, and is based in Austin, Texas
.
His debut recording Thunder Chicken, produced by Dan Prothero
, has been referred to as "one of the few truly wild and unruly records to come from the rock & roll tradition in the 21st century".
so he could buy every element of Brian Jones
's outfit from the front cover of The Rolling Stones
High Tides & Green Grass.
He had taken up the guitar at age four, and was learning to play rock and blues by the time he was eleven. At the age of twelve he witnessed The Meters
performing on the back of a flatbed truck in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day. This would have an impact on the young musician. John Campbell
took him under his wing when Welbourne was 14, and around that time he started taking the blues seriously. By the time he was 17, he had left home and was hitch hiking around the south, playing guitar on the streets for passing change, playing in juke joint
s, forming short-lived bands or backing up blues and soul singers.
A trip to Jamaica in 1977 exposed him to reggae music, and a few years later he teamed up with Michael E. Johnson and formed The Killer Bees in 1980. They continued to play for many years, eventually becoming one of the first American bands to perform at Reggae Sunsplash
in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1988. Earlier, while on tour with Burning Spear
aka Winston Rodney and his band, he received the nickname, Papa Mali from the reggae pioneers. By the time the Killer Bees disbanded, Papa Mali went solo.
Upon the release of his debut album Thunder Chicken he remarked that for the first time in his adult life, he was finally able to reflect warmly on the years growing up in Shreveport. In 2007, he released the follow-up, Do Your Thing, also on the Fog City imprint and produced by Dan Prothero. The album included work by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians
, Kirk Joseph
, and Henry Butler
. By now, Papa Mali was performing at many of the top festivals in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2009 he formed a new band, 7 Walkers
along with Grateful Dead
drummer Bill Kreutzmann
, The Meters
bassist George Porter Jr. and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Hubbard. Their self-titled debut was released in November 2, 2010 on Response Records. The songs were co-written by Papa Mali and Robert Hunter
. One of these songs, "King Cotton Blues", featured a duet by Papa Mali and Willie Nelson
. The record was recorded in Austin, and produced by Papa Mali.
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
His debut recording Thunder Chicken, produced by Dan Prothero
Dan Prothero
Dan Prothero is a San Francisco-based independent record producer, recording engineer, and record collector. He has been called "the true king of raw" by [ allmusic.com], for his emphasis on live performance, vintage analog recording techniques, and gritty drum tones.He founded Fog City Records in...
, has been referred to as "one of the few truly wild and unruly records to come from the rock & roll tradition in the 21st century".
Biography
While still in grade school, he was conning his cousin to take him into the French QuarterFrench Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
so he could buy every element of Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
's outfit from the front cover of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
High Tides & Green Grass.
He had taken up the guitar at age four, and was learning to play rock and blues by the time he was eleven. At the age of twelve he witnessed The Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
performing on the back of a flatbed truck in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day. This would have an impact on the young musician. John Campbell
John Campbell (blues guitarist)
John Allen Campbell was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, who was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.-Biography:...
took him under his wing when Welbourne was 14, and around that time he started taking the blues seriously. By the time he was 17, he had left home and was hitch hiking around the south, playing guitar on the streets for passing change, playing in juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
s, forming short-lived bands or backing up blues and soul singers.
A trip to Jamaica in 1977 exposed him to reggae music, and a few years later he teamed up with Michael E. Johnson and formed The Killer Bees in 1980. They continued to play for many years, eventually becoming one of the first American bands to perform at Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival...
in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1988. Earlier, while on tour with Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
aka Winston Rodney and his band, he received the nickname, Papa Mali from the reggae pioneers. By the time the Killer Bees disbanded, Papa Mali went solo.
Upon the release of his debut album Thunder Chicken he remarked that for the first time in his adult life, he was finally able to reflect warmly on the years growing up in Shreveport. In 2007, he released the follow-up, Do Your Thing, also on the Fog City imprint and produced by Dan Prothero. The album included work by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes"...
, Kirk Joseph
Kirk Joseph
Kirk Joseph is a jazz sousaphone player from New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of trombonist Waldren "Frog" Joseph, Kirk Joseph began playing the sousaphone while a student at Andrew Bell Middle School, and took part in his first professional gig at the age of fifteen when his brother Charles...
, and Henry Butler
Henry Butler
Henry Butler is an American jazz pianist.He is known for his technique and his ability to play in many styles of music. Referred to by Dr...
. By now, Papa Mali was performing at many of the top festivals in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2009 he formed a new band, 7 Walkers
7 Walkers
7 Walkers are an American rock band featuring former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and guitarist Papa Mali-History:The band formed in 2009 out of informal collaborations between Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali. Kreutzmann had been featured as a special guest at several of Mali's concerts...
along with Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
drummer Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
, The Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
bassist George Porter Jr. and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Hubbard. Their self-titled debut was released in November 2, 2010 on Response Records. The songs were co-written by Papa Mali and Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter (lyricist)
Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
. One of these songs, "King Cotton Blues", featured a duet by Papa Mali and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. The record was recorded in Austin, and produced by Papa Mali.
Selected discography
- Papa Mali and the Instigators Thunder Chicken (2000) - Fog City RecordsFog City RecordsFog City Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco.Founded in 1996 by producer/engineer Dan Prothero, the label's first release was the highly successful "Coolin' Off" which launched the career of New Orleans based funk band Galactic...
- Papa Mali Do Your Thing (2007) - Fog City Records
External links
- Fog City Records presents: Papa Mali
- Papa Mali collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive