By ERIC SCHELKOPF
For acclaimed blues musician Mike Zito, making his latest album, "Life Is Hard," was a way for him to express his emotions about his wife's battle with cancer.
He recorded the album just a few months following her death in July 2023. Zito will perform March 23 at Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, as part of a CD release party for the album.
Billy Flynn will perform a free acoustic set from 5:30 to 8 p.m. followed by the Bernard Crump Blues Band from 9 to 10 p.m. Zito will take the stage at 10:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25, available by going to buddyguy.com.
I had the pleasure of talking to Zito about the new album, which was released after the death of his wife, Laura, from cancer.
Q – Of course, your new album, "Life Is Hard," debuted on the Billboard Top U.S. Blues Albums chart at #1. That must make you very proud.
That's pretty good. No complaints. I'm happy about that.
Laura would be proud. She was excited about the idea of making this record.
I'm thankful that we got it made. More importantly, whether it's number one or number whatever, is that we made a really good record.
It was very cathartic for me and I think it lets the whole world know how much she meant to me and how much I loved her. And that's all that matters.
Q – Are you hoping that people who listen to the album and who are maybe going through similar situations, that it might help them?
Well, sure. The music is mine when I make it. But once it's released, it doesn't really belong to me any more, it belongs to whoever is listening to it.
You know, I've been sober for 20 years. Sixteen years ago, one of the first label records I released had a lot of songs about recovery and being sober.
People going through something similar came and sought me out to tell me their stories.
So I hope that people fall in love with the music on the new album and it means something to them. Hopefully it is cathartic for everybody.
Any kind of good music, especially good blues music, is supposed to be relatable to people. You're relating to the hard times that everyone goes through. That is absolutely what this record is about.
Q – Musically, what were you trying to do with the album?
I definitely and sincerely wanted to make a blues album, which is something I've never ever done. I've never ever said, "Oh, I'm going to make a blues album."
I realize that I'm a 53-year-old white dude from South St. Louis. I grew up in the '70s and listened to rock 'n' roll.
It's not my music. It's the music that was in St. Louis that I fell in love with.
I'm a student of it. This particular time, I set out to make a blues record. It's like I gave myself permission to do that.
Q – Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith produced the album. What made you want to bring them on?
Joe and I have been friends for 20 some years. I've known him before he was the Joe Bonamassa that you know now.
Obviously, he's incredibly successful but he's also a sweetheart and a great friend. We all worked together on the studio album "Blood Brothers" with Albert Castiglia. Joe and Josh produced that album.
And it was a great experience. I really enjoyed it.
I wanted the music on "Life Is Hard" to be as top tier and as good as possible. And Josh Smith is an unbelievable arranger. He's so good at arranging.
And Joe pushed me to do my best when I was playing guitar. And I knew he would, which I'm very thankful for.
Q – Of course, you will be playing at Buddy Guy's Legends on March 23. I was just wondering how Buddy Guy has influenced you and your music.
I personally believe I have the best Buddy Guy stories. I kind of grew up in St. Louis and in my 20s, I was opening for a lot of the artists that came through town.
I also was going to Chicago a lot to get seen or heard. I was playing Legends in the '90s and many times I ran into Buddy.
Some of them are really funny stories where he's blocking the parking lot and I'm honking at him because I'm late. And he gets out of his car to yell at me and saw my guitar and asked, "Are you the band?"
And I told him yeah and he says, "Well, come on, you're going to be late." One time I got there at 4 p.m. to do sound check and Buddy and Otis Rush are sitting at the bar drinking.
Then I come back to play four or five hours later and they're still at the bar and now I've got to play in front of them. And I got done and then the bouncer comes over and says that Buddy wants to see me.
And then I come over and Buddy tells me, "Hey, that was pretty good. You can play here any time."
And they ask me what I want to drink and I'm drinking with Buddy Guy and Otis Rush at the bar. I will take that story to my grave. That was a great night.
Q – When he said that to you, did it make you feel that you made the right choice in getting into the music business and that you should continue on?
Yes. I've gotten to meet several of my heroes that I listened to when I was a kid, like Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter and I've gotten to play with them.
And Johnny Winter told me, "Hey man, you're a good blues guitar player. You got to keep playing the blues."
Those are things that always remind me why I keep doing this.
Q – And of course Buddy Guy is 87 and is on his farewell tour. And you're 53. So that means you have at least 34 more years of touring in you, right?
I hope so. That would be great.
Q – Of course, you have other projects as well. You're co-owner of the Gulf Coast Records label, which has released several critically acclaimed blues rock albums.
Has the record label exceeded your expectations?
Oh man, by far. I didn't even consider that we were going to make a real record label.
I thought it was going to be a side project to help certain young artists. It never really occurred to me that we could be where we're at today.
I'm so proud of it. We have a whole team that works so hard. We couldn't do it without them for sure.
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