“Olu Dara, born Charles Jones III, is a multi-talented entertainer who has been performing since he was 7 years old. Born in Natchez, MS, Olu Dara has drawn on his Mississippi roots to create a mix of blues, jazz. gospel, R&B, Caribbean and African rhythms. Olu first landed in New York in 1963 after a stint in the US Navy which took him all over the world. From that time on, Olu has embarked on a career that spans the world of music, dance, and theater. In the 1980s Olu put together 2 ensembles: Okra Orchestra, a 7-plus-member band, and the Natchezsippi Dance Band, a 5-piece unit. Since then this has been Olu’s preferred musical environment for creating the roots-based musical style that the audience now hears. His main recordings are “In the World:From Natchez To New York,” and “Neighborhoods”. A short sample of his numerous awards would include the following: New York Jazz Award for Stylistic Fusion; France’s Django d’Or International Trophy in Blues category; three Audelco Awards; a Drama Desk nomination for “I Am a Man” by OyamO; induction into (2003) the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. In the Dance field, Olu has collaborated with choreographer Diane McIntyre for over 20 years. During his musical performances he plays the trumpet (pocket trumpet), a wooden aboriginal instrument that he picked up on his travels, the guitar, and the harmonica; in addition he always sings, vocalizing his many stories. Think of him as a modern equivalent of the itinerant traveling musician/historian of years past. As he puts it, ” I sing about women, food, and life in general”.
Q. I read that your primary instrument is the pocket trumpet. However,
you are well versed in other instruments such as the cornet as well.
What inspired you to play and when was it clear to you that this was
what you wanted to do?
“When I was around 6 or 7 years old, a man came to town. He wanted to
teach us how to play instruments. We went down to the college and we
found some old instruments. At first I wanted to play the
trumpet…..not it was a cornet. I liked the way it looked and I
wanted to play it. I changed the instrument I was playing, in the
beginning, which was a clarinet. I went from that, to the trumpet and
then we started a band. That was it!”
Q. Your name has its origins from Yoruba and the English translation
is “God is Good”. Can you tell us what was the catalyst that made you
change your name to something so powerful?
“Well, I was talking to a saxophone player in New York. He said my
original name was Olu Dara. I didn’t question him. I got on the phone,
called my father and told him I have another name. I asked him to
accept my new name. My name is West African; Nigerian. I like the way
it sounded and people treated me with a lot of respect. THe name
brought me a lot of good things but tought me a lot of bad things.
Some people did not enjoy me having an African name. I learned from
that. Most people like my name. It’s been a good thing for me every
since.”
Q. How did your father react to your new name?
“He asked me if I was a communist! (laughs) I said, no daddy. He said,
well it sounds that way.”
Q. With so much negativity in the world, it is important to stay
grounded. And I strongly believe that a person’s upbringing, cultural
background and spiritual roots all play a big part in being able to
sustain oneself regardless of what forces are around them. How
important has culture and spirituality been to your success?
“That’s who you are! I always lived that way. I was born in Mississippi and it’s like an old world. There was nothing but culture. I live it everyday. I live it now. While living in New York all these years; I needed it to survive here. It helps out greatly.”
Q. The songs that you have done with your son Nas have been widely
successful. Can we expect to hear more projects with the both of you
in the future? Also, tell us about other projects that you are working
on?
“Maybe….we have some stuff we recorded years ago. I am out of the game right now. I don’t do much music anymore or hardly at all now due to my health and age. But one never knows, as they say. If we do work on something; I’ll send it to you! (laughs)”
Q. What encouragement/advice would you give to individuals who wish to have a successful, long-standing career in the industry?
“Well, you have to be smart and intelligent about life. You must be a very nice person and observe.”
Q. It’s best to have a good attitude, be observant and think before you speak?
“You know what you’re talking about! (He begins to sing) You have to live and learn! (laughs)”
Thank you for taking time out of your day to participate in this interview! It was an honor! We will definitely keep in touch with you!
“You know how to find me! Thank you very much and God bless you!”
Q. I read that your primary instrument is the pocket trumpet. However,
you are well versed in other instruments such as the cornet as well.
What inspired you to play and when was it clear to you that this was
what you wanted to do?
“When I was around 6 or 7 years old, a man came to town. He wanted to
teach us how to play instruments. We went down to the college and we
found some old instruments. At first I wanted to play the
trumpet…..not it was a cornet. I liked the way it looked and I
wanted to play it. I changed the instrument I was playing, in the
beginning, which was a clarinet. I went from that, to the trumpet and
then we started a band. That was it!”
Q. Your name has its origins from Yoruba and the English translation
is “God is Good”. Can you tell us what was the catalyst that made you
change your name to something so powerful?
“Well, I was talking to a saxophone player in New York. He said my
original name was Olu Dara. I didn’t question him. I got on the phone,
called my father and told him I have another name. I asked him to
accept my new name. My name is West African; Nigerian. I like the way
it sounded and people treated me with a lot of respect. THe name
brought me a lot of good things but tought me a lot of bad things.
Some people did not enjoy me having an African name. I learned from
that. Most people like my name. It’s been a good thing for me every
since.”
Q. How did your father react to your new name?
“He asked me if I was a communist! (laughs) I said, no daddy. He said,
well it sounds that way.”
Q. With so much negativity in the world, it is important to stay
grounded. And I strongly believe that a person’s upbringing, cultural
background and spiritual roots all play a big part in being able to
sustain oneself regardless of what forces are around them. How
important has culture and spirituality been to your success?
“That’s who you are! I always lived that way. I was born in Mississippi and it’s like an old world. There was nothing but culture. I live it everyday. I live it now. While living in New York all these years; I needed it to survive here. It helps out greatly.”
Q. The songs that you have done with your son Nas have been widely
successful. Can we expect to hear more projects with the both of you
in the future? Also, tell us about other projects that you are working
on?
“Maybe….we have some stuff we recorded years ago. I am out of the game right now. I don’t do much music anymore or hardly at all now due to my health and age. But one never knows, as they say. If we do work on something; I’ll send it to you! (laughs)”
Q. What encouragement/advice would you give to individuals who wish to have a successful, long-standing career in the industry?
“Well, you have to be smart and intelligent about life. You must be a very nice person and observe.”
Q. It’s best to have a good attitude, be observant and think before you speak?
“You know what you’re talking about! (He begins to sing) You have to live and learn! (laughs)”
Thank you for taking time out of your day to participate in this interview! It was an honor! We will definitely keep in touch with you!
“You know how to find me! Thank you very much and God bless you!”