Smokestack Lightnin' Interview
with
Michael Pickett

We get requests to do interviews with relatively unknown artists all the time on Smokestack Lightnin', and we turn down most of them. Michael Picket probably falls into that "largely unknown" category, but he had sent in a couple of CDs to the Ilakanickel Studios and I had previewed them as I do all the CDs that we receive. Although I hadn't played much of Michael's material on the show at that time, the fact is, Michael Pickett is a "better than most" bluesman. He's an excellent guitarist with a natural feel for the blues, and a very adequate vocalist. He performs live on stage all alone with his vintage National Steel guitar and has the ability to capture and hold an audience's attention. I found out why during this interview. The tunes that Michael performed were spellbinding, which is why this interview is now part of our new "interviews" section. So even though you may not have heard of him, give a listen! You won't be sorry.

Tommy Thompson, Program Manager