Warren Haynes is one of the most revered guitarists of his generation – a latter-day lynchpin of the Allman Brothers Band, founder of Gov’t Mule, honorary member of The Dead and a solo artist, whose blend of blues, rock, jazz and improvisational genius has earned him enduring acclaim.
His new album, The Whisper Sessions – featuring solo and duet versions of songs from last year’s record Million Voices Whisper – showcases the voice and the songwriting soul at work behind the powerhouse musical punch of his band.
How did The Whisper Sessions come about?
It wasn’t something I planned as a release. I went into the Power Station studio in Connecticut – where I’ve done three records in a row now – with a video crew to film some promotional performances on my own. When I listened back, I thought there was something unique about hearing the songs in that raw, singersongwriter form. Then Derek Trucks and I recorded a version of Melissa – just one take – and someone suggested putting it all out as a release. I thought the hard-core fans would really appreciate it. It wasn’t designed to be the next big album, more a companion piece.
It feels very personal, a lot more intimate than the full band record.
That’s why I wanted to do it. Million Voices Whisper is a very personal album, and these recordings show where the songs came from, how they sounded when I first wrote them. I’ve always loved alternative takes, out-takes – the little things that show how a song develops. I’m that kind of obsessive fan myself.
Do you demo songs before recording an album?
Not usually. For Million Voices Whisper there were hardly any demos. We went into the studio, I showed the band the songs, we’d talk about arrangements, and then an hour later the song might be completely different.
How many songs have you written?
Probably about six hundred or seven hundred songs overall. Some of them have never been recorded by me. Other artists picked them up. I’m still writing. I can’t imagine stopping.
Your lyrics sometimes get overshadowed by the band’s instrumental muscle. Is this record an attempt to bring them to the forefront?
Definitely. In Gov’t Mule there’s a lot of complexity – the jamming, the improvisation – and sometimes the lyrics can get buried. But they’re always important to me. I’ve noticed women tend to listen more to lyrics than men do. Maybe that’s a generalisation, but I think there’s something in it.
Is there anything you’ve learned recently about songwriting?
I’ve learned that it’s okay for me to express a more positive side of myself lyrically. In the past people would say: “Why don’t you write more happy songs?” And my answer was always: “Because when I’m happy I’m not writing songs. I write songs when I’m unhappy”.
You must have had a pretty miserable life.
No [laughs]. It’s a correlation of playing the blues, that it makes you feel better. It’s therapy. You pull yourself out of whatever you’re going through. And songwriting is that for me. Playing and singing is that for me too. But songwriting is a different thing, where you can express yourself and cleanse yourself in a way that nothing else really does. But I’m starting, the past five years or so, to realise that it’s okay to have a more positive outlook on life, and on your own life and on the world. Part of that is based on how much dark shit is going on in the world that I don’t want to get bogged down with.
You’ve covered Tammy Wynette’s ’Til I Can Make It On My Own here. Why that song?
I’d wanted to sing that one for years. Billy Sherrill, who co-wrote it, was a mentor to me early on. He produced George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Ray Charles… I worked for him as a session musician when I was about twenty-one. He’d let me come into his office and play him songs I’d written, and he’d critique them. I never forgot that.
You also cover Melissa. What does that song mean to you?
I loved it long before I met Gregg Allman. It was one of those songs I’d sit around playing when I was a kid. Then I became friends with Gregg, travelled the world with him. I always thought it was one of his masterpieces. There’s a different side of him in that song – softer, more reflective.
What do you think makes for a good musical partnership between two guitar players?
It’s the right mix of contrast and similarity. If two guitarists are too similar it gets bland; too different and it can clash. But when there’s that balance, something magic happens. Derek and I have been playing together for so long we almost don’t have to think about it. We can finish each other’s musical sentences. There’s trust, respect, a shared philosophy about what music is. You need that – and a healthy amount of competition, but not one-upmanship.
Your wife, Stefani Scamardo, manages Gov’t Mule. How important has she been in steering your path?
Very important. She worked in A&R and knows this business inside out. There was a year when my schedule was so crazy, I said: “I don’t think I can do this tour with the Dead”. And she told me: “Just get over there. Make it work.” And she was right. That tour was a big moment for me. She knows how to push me when I need it. She’s a much more aggressive personality than me. I can be a bit passive.
You have a new signature Gibson Les Paul out now. What does Gibson mean to you?
It’s the sound I heard in my head from the beginning. So many of my heroes played Gibsons – Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Duane Allman. My first Gibson was an SG Junior which I got when I was fourteen. I just always gravitated toward the Gibson.
The Whisper Sessions is out now via Fantasy Records.
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