There are two things I know in this world Preacher was down to have from Louisiana.
Cajun food, which he consumed with a relish that was downright frightening anytime he could get his hands on it. After which he would review it like he was a goddamn food critic, and I’ll tell you what. Unless the chef was a transplant from that state, it was never good enough.
And Preacher could call that. He could call authentic Cajun cuisine, no joke.
[Smiles slowly]
And the second thing was anyone from the Family Williams.
Including DuShawn.
Shawn could play just about anything, but he was best on horns and piano.
And DuShawn’s granddaddy taught Preacher how to play guitar.
[Off tape]
Band lore is that the Williams family virtually raised McCade.
[Stares steadily]
They were neighbors.
When Preacher’s baby brother died, DuShawn’s momma saw how that went down, and yeah. That woman went in.
But you be a black woman in the seventies in the south and try to take over the raising of a white boy.
They allowed it when they felt like using her.
And they slapped her back in ugly ways when they didn’t.
But Loretta Williams…
[Shakes head]
The woman she was.
She kept coming back for more.
DuShawn had had some troubles.
Did some jailtime.
Because of all that, it took Tom a while to track him down.
When he did, we were heading west, and Lyla was going to be with us for spring break.
The bus had just rolled into Denver and all Preacher can think about is getting his ass off it, getting in the limo that was waiting and getting to Stapleton to pick up Lyla, who didn’t arrive for another two hours.
[Laughs]
But there’s this big black guy, hair tapered, red tracksuit, he strolls up to Preach, man.
[Shakes head, grinning]
Security that’s there for us jumps to and there’s this booming, “Don’t touch me, dude.”
Preach looks toward that voice and fuck.
[Smiles largely]
First time I ever felt jealous, sister.
It was either that the foundation of the band was all about Preacher, and Shawn’s daddy and granddaddy taught Preacher everything they knew.
Or it was just that this guy was insanely talented, and he’d fill the bill for anybody.
But for our set in Denver, we not only had the keyboard set up, we had a grand piano rolled out.
During soundcheck, DuShawn sat in.
Then he played that gig with us.
And yeah.
Right then.
History, sister.
The real Roadmasters were born.
[Off tape]
Why didn’t McCade draft Williams in the beginning?
Because he’d done a nickel for grand theft auto.
Even when he suggested him, Preacher didn’t know if he’d be available.
He was in touch with the family, but we’ll just say, DuShawn was working out issues.
As you know, Williams contends he did not steal that car.
[Shakes head]
You’re young, sister, but I think you know, bein’ black just about anywhere, be it in the seventies, eighties, nineties, fuckin’ now, don’t matter you didn’t do it.
You fit the bill, say, you’re black…
You don’t have the cash to hire a decent lawyer…
You’re goin’ down.
DuShawn, well…
His daddy, Oscar, his granddaddy, Buddy, they were quiet legends in the biz.
They recorded, had mad respect, not a lot of commercial success, but everyone who heard their records, saw them play, knew they were the real deal.
Back then, there were a lot of real deals.
Think about this.
Every bona-fide new genre of music that has come out of the US of A had African American roots.
Jazz. Blues. Hip hop.
And rock ’n’ roll.
Who are popularly thought of as the greatest rock ’n’ roll acts of all time?
Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Now tell me, sister.
What’s wrong with that picture?
Now I’ll tell you something.
Those hip-hop guys, they got it right.
That genre is black.
I’m not sayin’ there are no good white hip-hop artists.
I’m sayin’ that genre is black.
Period. Dot.
And of course, everyone thinks they’re all thugs.
It’s gotta be reduced. The messages they send, the slurs were bound to come, especially when those men held on to what they made and did not let go.
And those slurs came, and they keep coming. Because what a black man, or a black woman, has to say has gotta be degraded or the worst is gonna happen.
People will start listening.
Not just black people.
All people.
And then all hell will break loose.
You gotta think that to keep the twisted shit in your head copasetic? You think that.
Think they’re all thugs.
Those guys’ll show you a thug.
Do you some real damage.
They’ll throw their wallets at you.
I hope they stay sleepin’.
I hope they remain in their cocoons and think they got the upper hand.
’Cause there’s only one thing more powerful than words.
And that’s money.
So, they think they got it under control to keep their fists tight around the throats of those they’ve been strangling since recorded time. They think this is not a threat to that power they wield…
You put one with the other, money and message.
And you got a revolution.
Google it, sister.
What genre of music is being consumed the most right now?
[Lifts chin]
Higher than pop. Higher than rock.
Hip hop.
And Kendrick wins a Pulitzer Prize.
[Taps finger firmly on the chair]
That is a revolution.
[Clears throat, shifts in seat]
Gettin’ back to the matter at hand, Preach also didn’t go to Shawn in the beginning because he didn’t know if Shawn would say yes.
His father and grandfather were jazz and blues musicians. Shawn was brought up in that, and I hope you’ve heard some of his solo stuff. He was serious as fuck good at it.
Then Preacher asked, and lucky for us, he said yes.
[Off tape]
It is now known that McCade’s mother and father had something to do with Williams’s arrest.
[Sits back, takes time to answer]
All I gotta say about that is, when a white man points a finger, doesn’t matter he’s trash, he’s white. He’s got clout. And if he’s pointing a finger at a black man…
[Shrugs]
I have not been privy to the arrest records, court documents. Self-preservation, man. I know I read that shit, I’ll lose my mind.
But like I said, when the McCades were done with the Williamses lookin’ after their boy, they had ugly ways to slap them back.
Just sayin’, Preacher did not avoid that state because he ain’t a proud Cajun.
He is.
I think he missed that part of him every day and mourned not having it like someone passing.
But he had his reasons.
And they were damn good ones.