Today we’d like to introduce you to Noah Wotherspoon.
Hi Noah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Noah Wotherspoon; I was born in Kettering, OH in 1982. My father was always in education (teacher, principal); my mom was very into literature when I was growing up – introduced me to Washington Irving, Poe, Shakespeare, etc. I have 2 older siblings. (Adam & Sascha). I became increasingly interested in music around the age of 10. My older brother and his best friend (Greg) especially, were into guitar-oriented music: Guns ‘n Roses, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan… This sparked something in me – my brother picked up on it and bought me a guitar for my 11th birthday. My first guitar teacher was Michael Harris – a virtuosic guitarist from Dayton. A few years later, when I was about 13, my mom took me to a blues jam in downtown Dayton, and there I met Tim Arnold – a local blues guitarist. I started taking weekly lessons with him – he introduced me to the world of the blues… the stories and styles of all the great players. I formed my first official working band “Noah & the Stratocats” when I was about 15 – and we started playing gigs in and around Dayton.
When I was 16, a local club owner recommended us as a replacement for a band that canceled their headline time slot at the Chicago Blues Festival (1998). We found ourselves playing for a few thousand people and selling out of our first indie CD release. It was a surreal experience – (it’s now on YouTube). We were invited to play again the next morning – Jimmy D. Lane (son of Muddy Waters guitarist Jimmy Rogers) saw us play – and that led to us doing a record with APO Records in Salina, KS. The album “Buzz Me” – featured the legendary Hubert Sumlin (guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf) on two tracks. I was fortunate enough to work with Hubert a few other times over the course of a few years. As my blues career progressed, I had a concurrent musical life/interest in The Beatles, indie songwriters, and various music outside the blues realm. In my mid 20’s, I floated between Providence, RI, NYC, and State College, PA – developing more in the way of songwriting and exploring other styles with various projects. This culminated with a studio album of psychedelic pop/rock called “Elusiville” under the name Noah + the Rescue Radio. In 2009, I met my girlfriend Jessi Bair (also a musician ) – we moved to Cincinnati together. I put together a new blues/rock trio – Noah Wotherspoon Band and worked a lot mostly in the Midwest for the next few years. In 2015, we participated in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN where I received the Best Guitarist Award (aka Albert King Award); and the band placed 2nd. This opened up a lot of doors as far as playing festivals nationally and abroad (Eastern Europe/Iceland/Mexico). Since then we’ve released 2 studio albums and I’ve had the opportunity to tour Europe every year between 2016 and 2020. In the last few years, we’ve expanded the band for most shows and recording with a horn section the “Just Strange Brothers”, and Da’Rosa Richardson on Keys. We are planning a new album for 2023 as well as more touring. I’m now 40 and feel I’ve gotten to a place where I can realize/integrate other creative passion projects as well. I have new recording projects and select shows in the works with a new incarnation of the Rescue Radio projects with Jessi Bair, as well as a long-conjured Multi-Media project called “Ishkabibble”.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A good amount of anxiety off and on… but am learning ways to deal with that better.
Also getting over some fears of expressing myself more fully as a musician/artist. It’s been a bit of a winding road journey to where I’m currently. I’m just now learning how to have a more integrated creative life/bring in more music/art that I’ve been hesitant to share – and I believe that’s also revitalizing everything else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a musician (guitarist/singer-songwriter); mostly known as a blues guitarist.
I’m proud I’ve been able to stick with it all the years haha… and proud of my band’s accomplishments at the International Blues Challenge, our recorded work, and our successful tours in the US and Europe. I’m also proud/grateful for all the friendships that came into my life via music.
My hope is that the original material/my songwriting, and the unique combination of influences that I and the people I work with bring to the picture offer something new and inspiring to people.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The desire to grow musically/spiritually. A devotion to goals/visions. Healthy and honest communication. Adopting new perspectives, mantras & affirmations to improve the experience/enjoyment of performing live, etc. – my girlfriend Jessi’s love & support…and our 2 rescue dogs!
Contact Info:
- Website: Noahwotherspoon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noah.wotherspoon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noah.wotherspoon
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@NoahWotherspoon
Image Credits
Color photo at top is by: Rubato Photo
Black and white photos are by: Asta Magnusdottir
