The pleasure of being part of Occhi is meeting the many talented individuals who show commitment to the arts beyond their personal gains or commercial success. One person who should not go unrecognized is Robert Hokum. Robert has a rich history of showcasing artists and promoting the London Borough of Ealing as a creative hub. He has been on the British blues scene for some 50 years. His accolades and accomplishments include being a Director of the much needed Ealing Club Community Interest Company, which seeks to build on Ealing’s iconic music heritage. He is the Artistic Director and Founder of the Ealing Blues Festival, which, since it was established in 1987, remains London’s longest-running Blues festival. He was also a founding committee member of The Hanwell Hootie, which has become one of London’s biggest free music festivals. With pleasure, I had the opportunity to catch up with Robert. This is the first of our special series of Ealing Club Eclectic Interviews and streamed sessions with artists living or working in the London borough.
Robert, thank you for agreeing to this interview with Occhi Magazine. Congratulations on your career to date. If you weren’t an artist, what would you be and why?
In my very early childhood, I had two ‘imaginary friends’, ‘Doody and Dotson’. Looking back, I see them in the same way as the Tom and Jerry cartoons where they had the scenes with an Angel on one shoulder and the Devil on the other, each giving conflicting advice. They’re still there in my subconscious and if I was going to personify them, maybe one would be ‘David Attenborough’ and the other ‘Tony Soprano’. Worryingly, that would point to a career in Politics!
How did you get into music?
Ealing in the ‘60s was full of ‘live’ music, record shops, and musical instrument shops. In Ealing Broadway alone there were 3 venues putting on ‘name acts’ of the time. There was a thriving Youth Club circuit featuring ‘live’ bands plus College gigs, Community Centre gigs, and more. My adolescence was defined by music. I got my first guitar on my 15th birthday in 1966, within a year I’d seen gigs by The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Ike and Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, and many more.
Who have been your industry influences?
Prince once described himself as a ‘musical sponge’ taking in all forms of music and his songs were what happened when the ‘sponge’ was squeezed. I wouldn’t pretend to be in Prince’s league as a musician, but that description certainly applies to my playing. However, when I finally got to see BB King ‘live’ in 1985, it was a revelation. His capacity for empathy with an audience was better than any musician I’ve ever seen, he was funny and managed to be a ‘self-confident showman’ but retained an element of humility. Plus, his grasp of the guitar to convey emotion remains unparalleled. Although I’d been playing Blues in various bands, that was the point at which I decided to focus on it primarily.
You’ve been active on the British Blues scene for some 50 years now. There must be many career highlights, but are there any particular episodes you remember fondly?
I have great memories of some of the musicians that I’ve been privileged to have worked with. In particular, Dorris Henderson was probably the first African-American to commercially record British folk music. She had known John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, and Bob Dylan amongst others. Coming to Britain in the early ‘60’s her 1965 album ‘There You Go’ with John Renbourne contained songs by Ewan MacColl and Cyril Tawney alongside those by Blind Willie Johnson. Dorris had an exceptional intuition for the inflections in ethnic music forms. Once when we were rehearsing, I was having problems with a particularly syncopation that she wanted and was about to admit defeat, but she said, ‘If ah kin come here and sing your folk music, you sure as hell can play the Blues’. I persevered and got it right.
In terms of my own achievements, it’s probably my ventures into ‘World Music’. In 1993 whilst in Indonesia, I heard a call to prayer from a Mosque which I heard as having a similarity to a song by Leadbelly. Subsequent research informed me that many of the ‘field hollers’ from which much of the Blues developed were Muslim in origin. The Arabic influence can be heard in some forms of both Indian and African music. A chance meeting with some Indian musicians led me to form ‘Blues Sans Frontieres’ which was basically delta Blues with Sitar and Tabla. We got a standing ovation at Brecon Cathedral as part of the Brecon Jazz Festival. Recently, I’ve been playing with ‘Blues Dharma’ with Saraswati Veena and Tabla. We’ve taken the concept further by taking ‘Blues’ motifs as themes for Raga style improvisations and also including some traditional Indian music in the set. We got a standing ovation at The Swanage Blues Festival and hopefully will start work on an album when ‘lockdown’ is over.
As for other ‘fond memories,’ we’ll leave the ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ antics for another time…….
I noticed ‘Live in Ealing by Robert Hokum & The Guv’nors’ was the most popular album in the Jazz & Blues category on British Airways ‘In Flight’ 2016/7. How did you react to this accolade?
The Guv’nors was a seven-piece band that lasted 25 years and split in 2012, mainly due to the fact the gig circuit was declining so badly that a band of that size was no longer feasible. Only 300 copies of ‘Live In Ealing’ were duplicated, just for friends and fans as a ‘memento of the band’. As luck would have it, I met the programmer for BA In-flight at a music conference and it turned out that she had been good friends with the drummer in the band. I sent her a copy of the album, not expecting anything as it wasn’t on a major record label. The rest is, as they say, ‘history’.
I’ve never had a record or publishing Contract, and so to quote Marlon Brando in ‘On the Waterfront’, this was an, ‘I could have been a contender’ moment. I’m under no illusion that I could ever have been a ‘major recording artist’. But fame is a transient and fleeting thing, so I’m happy in the knowledge that ‘on my day’ I produced something that ‘made the grade’.
Sticking with the ‘Ealing’ theme, you’re a major contributor to the documentary film ‘Suburban Steps to Rockland- The Story of the Ealing Club’. Can you tell us more about your involvement in the production?
I started the event that was to become The Ealing Blues Festival in 1987, by this time nearly all Ealing’s music venues that had thrived in the ‘60s were gone. By default, I became the only person actively championing Ealing’s Blues/Rock Heritage. Then in 2011, I met Alistair Young and he suggested that we do something about promoting the Heritage. We formed the Ealing Club Community Interest Company and on March 17 2012 erected a plaque at the former premises of The Ealing Blues Club, 50 years to the day after Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies founded Britain’s first dedicated electric blues club there. At that point, everything changed, Ealing Council agreed to double the size of The Ealing Blues Festival from one day to two, a Heritage Plaque to Marshall Amps in Hanwell was planned, and much more.
Around this time, aspiring Italian Film Director, Giorgio Guernier had moved to Ealing and come across our website and got in touch. Thus the idea for a film and Alistair Young took on the responsibility as a Producer. We’d already contacted a lot of relevant people for the Plaque. I knew some of the original musicians and having grown up in the area knew the social context, thus providing and researching content was quite straightforward. Also, I’d been to gigs on Eel Pie Island which was where ‘the scene’ moved to after the Ealing Club and that’s the area I talk about in the film.
One of the problems that plague ‘independent’ filmmakers are acquiring licenses and paying for archive video and audio. As I mentioned earlier, I have no ‘contractual ties’ and thus have complete control over my original recordings. So, I suggested to Giorgio that I could knock up some ‘60’s’ style pastiches in a local recording studio that I could hire cheaply. Trying to replicate the early sounds of The Who, Kinks, Rolling Stones, etc. was a fascinating challenge. Our track ‘Big Bird’ appears just before Terry Marshall talks about Marshall Amps in the film.
You’re also Artistic Director and Founder of The Ealing Blues Festival, one of London’s longest-running Blues Festival, and a founding committee member of The Hanwell Hootie, one of West London’s biggest one-day free music festivals. Unfortunately, the pandemic caused the cancellation of these and so many festivals last year. How do you see the live music sector and industry bouncing back from an awful 2020?
When the face masks and social distancing have gone, then I think that the pubs which had hosted ‘open mic’ nights and smaller gigs will be able to carry on as before. Similarly, I’d expect Arts Centres and Theatres to recover to a certain degree.
For myself, as I own a Public Address system and can perform ‘self-contained’, I can be back gigging at a moment’s notice.
But here are the issues as I see them. The mid-range club venues have been in a state of decline for over 30 years, with excessive business rates, pressure from property development, etc. The pandemic has accelerated this decline. It’s debatable whether this ‘mid-range’ sector can recover in the absence of suitable affordable premises. At the higher end, it remains to be seen how much of the infrastructure survives. There has been speculation that up to 40% of people employed as lighting technicians, sound engineers, etc. have left or are looking to leave the industry. As well as the potential bankruptcies of the large PA, staging, lighting, transport companies, etc. Thus, even if the festivals, concert Halls can re-open to full capacity, there is a question as to whether they will be able to find experienced staff for them.
However, on a positive note, the lockdown has seen a surge in acoustic-guitar sales as people take up playing a musical instrument. We may see a growth in ‘open mic’ and ‘jam’ nights as these people want to get out and play ‘live’. Within this context, music at local markets, fetes, carnivals could grow.
Also, with the collapse of many retail brands and a move to online shopping, the high street is in trouble. The only way that many High Streets will be able to build footfall will be via ‘leisure’ based offerings. The Arts could play a vital role in this. However, the concern is that high street premises will become a ‘free for all’ for property developers. I’ve seen property developers pay ‘lip service’ to the arts by offering so-called ‘community spaces’. But they don’t make any effort to find or incentivize people with the skill sets necessary to run them.
You were an Invited speaker at the ‘All Party Political Group for London’s Planning and Built Environment’ on ‘How do We Protect Music Venues From Closures’. This was a platform to engage UK politicians in protecting arts heritage and the creative industries. Do you feel enough is being done by politicians?
Firstly, I’d like to say what a great supporter of ‘live’ music Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central has been. She arranged for a showing of ‘Suburban Steps To Rockland’ at The House of Commons, was responsible for inviting me and Alistair Young to the All Party Political Group, and is a regular at Ealing Blues Festival. However, I think she’s ‘the exception rather than the rule’.
I feel that we have some major issues, culturally, with attitudes to music in this country. I’m amazed at the level of ‘cultural fascism’ which still exists whereby there are people who regard anything other than ‘classical music’ as not artistically valid. At another level, music is just taken for granted by many.
The ‘big picture’ has to be considered, and if music can be re-enforced as a key part of our overall culture, then venues are integral to that. So, overall here are a few of the things I’d like to see the national and local government address.:
- Stop cutting music funding in schools. Make it properly resourced. Music can be an essential focus of identity for children and useful in dealing with mental health issues.
- Recognize and fund more music therapy in the health services. I’ve seen the value of Music Therapy with adults with learning disabilities. Also, it’s accepted that Music Therapy helps Dementia sufferers.
- Re-introduce proper Arts subsidies for Student Unions. There was a time when every University Student’s Union promoted ‘live’ music events with many of them having thriving Jazz Clubs & Folk Clubs. Then Thatcher’s lot took it away. Being a Social Secretary of a Student Union in those days provided exceptional practical experience in running Arts Events. It’s how I learned as did Harvey Goldsmith.
- Parking permits for musicians at gigs. Lugging a couple of guitars, an amplifier and a leads bag on public transport is not feasible, some taxis won’t take musicians with equipment. Thus one has to drive. There’s the unloading of the cars under the eyes of traffic wardens and opportunist thieves, leaving your valuable equipment inside a venue whilst you find somewhere to park, and so on. If I can buy a resident’s permit for a visitor to my home, why not a similar scheme for musicians?
- Administrative support to potential promoters. Booking facilities for an event can be a nightmare. Apart from the exorbitant prices, there is the need for public liability insurance, risk assessment documents, electrical testing certificates…. the list goes on and it scares and demotivates people from running events.
- An integrated approach to Sports and Arts. Many Sports Centres have an infrastructure compatible with ‘Live’ Music events e.g. parking, reception/admission areas, refreshment facilities, changing rooms, etc. A dedicated performance area just the size of a badminton court could be included when these places are built/refurbished at very little additional cost.
- Strict regulation on Property Developers to include proper Arts performance facilities in new developments. Not just paying ‘lip-service’ to it to get their planning permissions passed.
- Business rate relief for ‘Live’ Music venues and incentives for potential venues to Soundproof.
However, there is an underlying issue that we just don’t have enough entrepreneurs with the skill sets needed to run music events. Also, the failure of many potential venues to grasp that integrating ‘live’ music into their business model can drive footfall onto their premises.
What projects are in the pipeline?
2022 will be 60 years since the ‘birth of British Rock Music’ so The Ealing Club C.I.C. is looking at some events to celebrate that.
The Indian musicians I work with within Blues Dharma want to add additional ethnic percussion to the band and do some recording for an album – really looking forward to this.
A musical contact on mine has been given the use of some premises on a farm in Kent and has set up a recording studio there. Before lockdown, he’d asked me to go there for a week and record with his band. This would be more ‘traditional’ electric style blues. Be good to give those BB King licks an airing as soon as restrictions are eased.
Also, in the 90’s I worked with a very good recording engineer who builds high specification boutique valve guitar amps. He now lives in Lanzarote and has invited me to go out there and ‘play with music toys’!
As for when Festivals and gigs can resume. The most realistically optimistic estimate is mid-Autumn, but if the virus continues to mutate, who knows?
Where can our readers find out more about you and your projects? Note: please provide website and social media links.
For the music heritage projects, check out the Ealing Club links. There’s also a mailing list one can sign up to:
The film ‘Suburban Steps To Rockland’ is at:
www.facebook.com/SixtyTwoFilms
My links are:
https://www.facebook.com/robert.hokum
https://soundcloud.com/robert-hokum
And a couple of the bands I play with:
Blues Dharma https://www.facebook.com/bluesdharma
The Great West Groove https://www.facebook.com/thegreatwestgroove
But if you ask me to select just one thing for you to check out, it’s ‘Walkin’ The 4020’ by Blues Sans Frontieres. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49IsPm6hdDU
The A4020 is the Uxbridge Road which runs through Ealing, it passes the premises of The Ealing Blues Club, my old school, the first Marshall Amps shop, and the hospital where my father died and my first daughter was born. It also links the Caribbean community of Acton and the Asian community of Southall. So, it’s autobiographical and multi-cultural, hence the line-up of the band.
We wish Robert continue success with his projects. The London Borough of Ealing should be proud and honored to have him as one of its own!
Photos
Bob Hokum, founder of the Ealing Blues Festival performs on 22 July 2018 on the closing night of the 31st edition of what’s now a two-day annual event in Walpole Park, Ealing.
With Member of Parliament Rupa Huq, and Ealing Club CIC Director Alistair Young
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