With a solo album just released, and riding high on the CDB's new hit "This Ain't No Rag it's A Flag," we spoke with the talented and
Taz DiGregorio a few days prior to his return to the recording studio.
Where were you born and raised?
Well, I was born in Worcester, Mass. and I lived there until about 1962, when I went on the road at that time. The first band that I played with was called Paul Chaplan and The Emeralds and they were famous for a song called "Shortnin' Bread" and we sold about 250,000 records in 1959.
So you were on that record?
Yeah, it was one of those things when I was 17-years-old and did not know much about life or music and knew about eight chords and I recorded the song and it hit. Then by 1960-61 the band was completely gone.
How early did you play music?
I started when I was about 16 and I learned a Fats Domino song called "Blue Monday," I had been listening to Fats Domino and Little Richard and Elvis and that was what was going on at the time. I just sat down one day and played and sang the whole song, my sister was there at the time and it just totally freaked her out and she said "How did you do that?" and I said well, I don't know. That's how it all started.
Who would you say are your musical influences?
My biggest influence was Ray Charles, at the age of fourteen, in 1958 I hitchhiked 150 miles to see him. He had his original band with him. He had Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford, Margie Hendricks-and I think she has passed on. He had about sixteen people with him and I was the only white person in a sea of about 5,000 black people in 1958. He was at that time the hero of all black people. I can see why, it was like being in a church. I still draw from that one experience today. This was about a two- hour show and I was on the edge of the stage and soaked up the feeling and I still draw from that feeling. I can still see it in my mind today just like it was yesterday and it has been a long time.
