Over the years to come, Chip’s talents
became more widely known and the gigs
became more frequent. “There were times
in my life when I’d do the classic New
Orleans musician thing of 35, 36 gigs a
month,” he said. “Those days are over for
me now but I still do my share of playing
around town.”
Among his steady playing dates is the
Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Columns Hotel
on St. Charles Avenue where he has been
performing primarily Tin Pan Alley and
big band jazz classics for over 20 years.
“I really treasure that gig and not simply
because of the longevity. The folks over
there at the Columns are great people to
work for,” Chip said.
Chip also paid his dues performing on
Bourbon Street for several years, something
he is reluctant to do now. “In the
beginning, I figured if it was good enough
for Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Louis Prima
and the Meters, it’s good enough for
me. So I definitely put in some time
there.”
A club on Bourbon Street was
the site of one of the most memorable
experiences of his career. As he
described it in a blog on his website,
“I was setting up one evening to do a
solo act when I noticed an attractive
woman of indeterminate age sitting
at the bar, with a ‘60s-style blonde
haircut with bangs. She caught my
eye and waved and blew me a kiss
and said something and I smiled back
politely.”
At the end of his set, as Chip was walking
past the woman, she said to him in a
British accent, “You are a very handsome
man. Give me some sugar.” Chip kissed
her for about four seconds before pulling
away and hastily moving on, safely
out of reach of her burly bodyguard. The
woman was Pattie Boyd, the former wife
of George Harrison and Eric Clapton; the
“Layla” of Clapton’s famous song and the
inspiration for several other songs penned
by the two superstar guitarists.
“Yes. That really happened,” he laughed
when asked about it. “You can’t make stuff
like that up.”
In his spare time Chip likes to “rescue”
vintage guitars, restoring them to playable
condition. He also contributes an average
of 8-10 articles a year to “Vintage Guitar”
magazine, a gig he has been doing for
about 20 years.
Overall, Chip appears to be
content with his life and his
creative vocation, surrounded
by the music he loves and those
in his circle who perform and
produce it. And, above all, he
is still in love with the city he
adopted as his home a quarter of
a century ago.
“Although my music is not
exactly what you would define
as New Orleans music, if I had
never lived here I would never be
making the music I’m making,” he
concluded.
For more information or to book Chip Wilson, go to https://www.chipwilsonnola.com or visit
his Facebook page. The new CD can be downloaded at www.artistshare.com or purchased
at the Louisiana Music Factory.
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/www.chipwilsonnola.com
/www.artistshare.com
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