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Listen Here: EG Kight Interview
Craig Garber (00:00.982)
Hey everybody, this is Craig Garber. Welcome to Everyone Loves Guitar. I’ve got an awesome guest, a great blues artist with us today with a lovely E.G. Kight out of Georgia. Quick thank you to our mutual friend, Bill Hines for the introduction. Thanks very much, Bill. Bill’s a phenomenal guitar player. He was on the show a while back. You wanna hear a good show, listen to his as well. So, Cliff Notes on E.G. She’s a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and blues artist originally from and still living in Dublin, Georgia on land that has been in her family for four generations, which I think is really cool. I think is rare also. She’s toured the world, had a number of her songs covered by other artists and she’s licensed her songs on TV and movies. Before getting into blues, she was a country artist who performed regularly on Nashville Now, that was a really popular TV show. She’s also the author of a children’s book called Things I’ve Learned from a Goat based on her own experience raising and caring for goats.
talk about that. She’s released 10 studio albums since 1997, including her most recent album, which is called Sticks and Strings, which debuted in the top 10 on billboards and is still doing really well on billboard regular charts and on the blues charts. EG, thanks so much for your time. I appreciate you coming on the show.
EG Kight (01:16.046)
Oh, I’m proud to be here.
Craig Garber (01:57.586)
Alrighty. So you grew up on gospel and country music. And if what I read is correct, you got turned onto the blues after you heard Coco Taylor. I was curious how you first heard Coco and what was it about the blues, particularly Chicago blues that sort of hooked you.
EG Kight (02:21.065)
Well, I was playing a wedding reception in Warner Robins, Georgia one night, and a waitress, and I wished to my goodness I knew who she was, came up to me and said, you need to listen to Coco Taylor. Cause at that time I was doing more country. And I said, well, mama was with me. I said, write that name down. And she put it in her pocket book. C-O-C-O-A Taylor. It’s so hard for that age.
Craig Garber (02:47.293)
That’s cute.
EG Kight (02:51.593)
And well, I got a cassette tape and I was going down Interstate 16, going to a gig in Macon and put that on and just started smiling. And I thought, who is this woman? She is feeling it from her toes to her head. And then the more I listened to it, I thought I’ve got to learn some of this stuff. This is wonderful. It just made me feel good. So I started incorporating it in my country act. And when I would do one of her songs.
I would put on sunglasses. Well, it got to the point that even if I was with some hardcore country fans, they’d say, put on them sunglasses, girl. And at the same time, I was doing Nashville Now sometimes with Ralph Amoran, the producer came to me and he said, E.G., you know, I’m trying to help you. And he said, you need to quit flirting with them blues. Well.
When I got to a certain point and I was enjoying it so much, I just jumped right in the middle of it. And little did I know that later on, that I would become friends with Coco Taylor. She was my mentor for sure. She was my blues mama. And that she would record some of my songs and do it with me on one of my albums.
It was, it is beautiful.
Craig Garber (04:15.17)
What a beautiful thing. That is so, yeah. So how do you look at, like, so this woman comes into your life and exits just as quickly, and the guy, the producer, how do you look at those things? Are they like serendipity? Is that a God thing for you? Is it like, cause you know, I’m always fascinated by these stories. And you know, my own life, things that just happen.
EG Kight (04:40.553)
Well, it has to be a God thing. I think, you know, I always pray for guidance and it probably had to be a God thing. You know, and it was just so cool to be close to her and you know, I could always call her and she was so funny. One time she was recording one of my songs in the studio. All of a sudden it just started going like that and more I was going with him because I was ready to get out.
Craig Garber (04:44.47)
with no reason.
Craig Garber (04:55.19)
Yeah. Amazing how that
EG Kight (05:08.433)
And she calls me on the phone, I thought, I don’t need to talk on the phone right now, going this fast to Atlanta. And she said, E.J., I’m in the studio recording this song and she starts singing it to me. And she said, does this sound all right? I said, I said, Coco, do you understand that you could sing My Dog Has Fleas and I would love it.
Craig Garber (05:36.147)
Oh my god.
Craig Garber (05:47.977)
Yeah, I like that. How did you wind up meeting her?
Craig Garber (07:02.069)
Hahaha
Craig Garber (07:27.042)
Wow, what a beautiful story. That’s really cool. I’m so glad you got to experience that. That is awesome. Was it kind of like surreal that you’re sitting in a bus talking to Coco Taylor? Ha ha ha.
Craig Garber (08:09.026)
Ah, that’s really cool. That’s so nice. I read that you were, thank you for sharing that story. That was really cool. I read that you were a professional musician already in your teens. Tell me about that.
Craig Garber (08:31.908)
Mmm.
Craig Garber (08:59.478)
How did that happen?
Craig Garber (09:44.494)
That’s amazing. And it was early on, it was just, was it like hardcore country or like what kind of country were you playing?
Craig Garber (09:56.957)
Okay.
Yeah.
And it was just you on acoustic.
Craig Garber (10:07.17)
That’s amazing.
Craig Garber (10:12.418)
That’s fantastic. Just goes to show you, you know, a lot of people have excuses about why they can’t do stuff. You’re operating out of Dublin, Georgia, and you’re getting gigs all over the place. I mean, come on, right? You know what I’m saying? Really? Okay. So yeah.
Craig Garber (10:32.906)
Ha.
Craig Garber (10:36.274)
After I graduated high school. That’s great. That’s fantastic. Wow. So let’s say after high school, what were some of the challenges like as far as getting things moving and growing now as a musician, as an artist?
No, back then, once you got your career, you know, as you started, you know, blossoming, let’s say after high school, I’m assuming after high school, you said, Hey, this is what I’m going to do. I want to play.
Craig Garber (12:16.758)
Wow. It’s really cool that all these people sort of like, like almost shepherded you in, you know, into what you’re doing here for the, for your whole life. It’s pretty cool.
Craig Garber (12:33.762)
Amazing.
Craig Garber (12:37.77)
Hey, I want to talk about a few of my favorite EG Kight songs. So coming down with, with the blues off a new day, it’s a beautiful soulful blues and I think it’s a minor and you wrote that with Tom Horner. Tell me about that track.
Craig Garber (12:59.671)
Oh really? It’s a great song. Beautiful.
Craig Garber (13:47.274)
It’s such a pretty song. It’s really why one of your favorites, because of the way it came up or.
Yeah.
Me too, yeah.
Craig Garber (14:15.042)
Do you do that when you’re, do you still play that song when you’re out on the road?
Craig Garber (14:28.342)
I’ll be requesting it when you come down to Florida next time. I promise you that.
Off the New Records, Sticks and Strings, All Things Considered. Again, another really pretty song. Again, you and Tom Horner. And what I liked about it has like that cool sort of like a Spanish guitar riff in the background. And I think it’s about a breakup maybe.
Craig Garber (14:52.059)
Any back
Craig Garber (15:20.202)
I know the record’s doing really, oh yeah, yeah. I know the record’s, well let me ask you about the next track, because it’s also from Sticks and Strings. My Baby’s Hiding Something. And here’s my comments, any truth to the lyrics in this one was your baby hiding something. Ha ha ha.
Craig Garber (15:43.373)
Hahaha
Ain’t that the sh-
Craig Garber (15:51.03)
Yeah, it’s a lovely track. Are any of those like so the new albums doing really well? Are any of those two tracks sort of like, do you have any idea what’s leading the pack on that? Or how does that work?
Craig Garber (16:07.334)
On the record, like which tracks are like, is there any tracks that are carrying it more or?
Craig Garber (16:22.158)
Great. Yeah, well, they’re pretty songs. I read in your bio that you mentioned songwriting has always come really easy to you. And why do you think that is because it’s not for most people.
Craig Garber (17:08.003)
Sure.
Craig Garber (17:30.276)
Ugh.
Craig Garber (17:37.11)
You’re kidding. That’s so funny.
Craig Garber (17:50.035)
That’s so, yeah, right? Yeah.
Craig Garber (18:15.67)
Yeah, I like how your attitude is about it. It’s a lot of fun. I think if you’re approaching stuff or if you do have fun with it and it’s not like wrestling and alligator to write a song, you are more apt to write easier. That makes a lot of sense. Also sounds like you’re a very good listener, which I think helps a lot.
Craig Garber (19:17.162)
Yeah. That’s fantastic. So you grew up in Dublin, Georgia, not Dublin, Ireland. What was your childhood like growing up there?
Craig Garber (19:58.178)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (20:07.406)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (20:14.03)
I think being around nature like that is so, I mean, I grew up in New York City. I was never around nature, but even, but now that I’m, not that Florida, where I’m living is, we’re in Tampa. It’s not like the country at all, but I just love seeing like squirrels and any, it’s, I find it and we have a bunch of cats and I don’t know. It’s just something about being around animals that, for me anyway, it’s just so, it’s so pure and so peaceful and they’re not, they’re nice, you know, that’s like.
It’s like the opposite of Facebook. You go watch where animals hang out, you know? I wish people could be so peaceful. It’s so calming. Yeah, I really dig that.
Craig Garber (21:01.426)
Yeah, I believe that.
Craig Garber (21:07.298)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (21:11.466)
Yeah, that’s great. Um, question for you. People often attracted to the blues because they have some pain or emotions and blues is such a healing music. I was curious, is there anything in particular you’re healing through playing blues?
Craig Garber (21:58.55)
Me too. I’m a blues guy. I love, I love listening to blues all the time. All right. So this is like some crazy stuff. You have two adventures. Well, I guess he didn’t consume adventures at the time. Uh, in early 2011, you thought you had, you thought you might’ve had a stroke or a TIA, but it turns out you had meningitis and encephalitis at the same time.
And since these are viral infections, not bacterial, there’s no, there was no medication available and you basically had to let these conditions run their course through your body. You wound up recovering later on that year, but with some pretty significant setbacks, I would love to hear you talk about that experience, especially, or specifically the most challenging aspects of your recovery.
because that’s heavy stuff.
Craig Garber (24:00.923)
Oh my god, wow!
Craig Garber (24:10.987)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (24:25.288)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (24:48.716)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (25:18.774)
Wow.
Craig Garber (25:30.491)
Isn’t that interesting?
Craig Garber (25:35.766)
Yeah.
Wow. What did you learn anything from that experience?
Craig Garber (26:02.4)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (26:07.934)
Yeah. It’s so important to look for the good because it’s easy to look for the bad or like it bothered but
Craig Garber (26:21.738)
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you. That’s great. And as if that wasn’t enough, another I couldn’t believe this when I read all this stuff. I was really like, Holy smokes. And you’re a tiny little woman. I mean, you look like a tiny little woman. Well, it’s a lot for someone to go through it, whoever, regardless.
But this another scary incident occurred. So you’re walking on your property about a half mile from your house out of nowhere. You get attacked by three pit bulls. And they’re really having their way with you there. And obviously that left you in bad shape for several months, but your experience and how you wound up surviving this and the
kind of the grace that you maintained through that I thought was pretty fascinating. I’d love if you could share that story if you’re comfortable.
Craig Garber (29:07.67)
Wow, I just got goosebumps just hearing this.
Craig Garber (29:16.254)
I saw it on one of your photos.
Craig Garber (29:48.163)
Whatever happened with the dogs, were they put down or?
Craig Garber (30:11.542)
God, that’s so scary.
Craig Garber (30:20.226)
Wow, that is so scary.
Craig Garber (30:35.342)
Do you still walk that same path?
Craig Garber (30:51.83)
Yeah, I can’t blame you. A little. Yeah.
Craig Garber (31:06.93)
Yeah, right. I feel you on that. Wow.
Craig Garber (31:13.266)
So which of your personality traits do you feel have contributed to your success? And when I say success, I don’t just mean your career, like your success in being able to overcome these things. Cause that’s not. You think.
Craig Garber (31:34.064)
So you don’t, somebody said something I guessed on my show one time said, you know, take what you do seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. And I really like that.
Craig Garber (31:48.909)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (31:53.246)
I want to talk about the switch to switch gears and thanks for sharing all that. That was pretty heavy stuff.
Craig Garber (32:03.373)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (32:13.8)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (32:21.979)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (32:27.838)
Yes, I would agree with that. Yeah, it does make you stronger for sure. I want to talk about your gear for a minute. What is your go-to guitar and what other two guitars round out your top three?
Craig Garber (32:52.406)
Deal with Tim. Deal.
Craig Garber (33:00.686)
Tim’s a great guy.
Craig Garber (33:32.768)
Oh.
Craig Garber (33:55.094)
That’s a beautiful guitar. I’ve seen that. Yeah. Tell me about that.
Craig Garber (34:24.83)
Yeah, you have a sticker on you have a cool. What’s the sticker you got on there? Yeah, right. That’s what I remember. I saw that.
Craig Garber (34:38.794)
You got to see him? Where?
Craig Garber (34:57.854)
What made you get that guitar, the Thinline? It’s not a very common guitar.
Craig Garber (35:14.39)
It suits you. The photos of you with that guitar, it really suits you and it suits your music. It’s kind of cool to see that.
Craig Garber (35:23.346)
EG, do you have like a worst gig ever story?
Hahaha.
Craig Garber (35:33.582)
Ha ha.
Craig Garber (36:14.039)
Yeah
Craig Garber (36:38.087)
Oh gross.
Craig Garber (36:58.947)
Sure.
Craig Garber (37:10.49)
some hillbilly stuff, man.
Craig Garber (37:18.666)
This is like something you see in a movie, right? Especially with the woman with the cigarette, with the boots, yeah.
Craig Garber (37:44.408)
That’s a good story. Oh my God. Tell me your top desert island discs, top three records, just the ones like for now because I know that changes for all of us all the time.
Craig Garber (38:10.242)
Great record.
Craig Garber (38:35.315)
I’m gonna have to check that record out.
Craig Garber (38:45.398)
Man, what a voice. That woman was amazing, wasn’t she?
Craig Garber (38:53.014)
Yeah. Incredibly talented woman. She had a pretty tragic life, I think. Right. She died young with cancer or something like that. Yeah. Incredible. Yeah. All right. I want to talk about something that’s near and dear to your heart. You’re goats. I know you raise them and your specialty. You wrote a child’s book about them and the book talks about things you’ve learned from them. I’d love to hear you share some of these things and just how did you get into the whole thing with the goats?
Now listen, now you gotta realize I’m from the Bronx. This is really foreign territory. None of my neighbors had goats.
Craig Garber (39:37.162)
know. Although I love goats, but I’ve never just like foreign to me, you know.
Craig Garber (40:41.218)
close it.
That’s almost 20 years. How long do goats live?
Craig Garber (40:49.567)
Okay.
Craig Garber (40:54.274)
Wow.
Craig Garber (41:01.547)
Yeah, sure.
Craig Garber (41:07.074)
Hmm. So tell me what you’ve shared. Tell me what you’ve learned from them. Like, what’d you
Craig Garber (41:24.482)
I can’t through the, it’s cloudy so I can’t, but once it’s aired people will be able to see it for sure.
Craig Garber (41:37.814)
Hahaha!
Craig Garber (41:47.406)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (41:56.074)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (42:10.562)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (42:15.95)
I know what you mean about it’s hard to let them go because my wife rescues cats. And so we’ve rescued some cats, right? So we’re supposed to be fostering them. And they’re all foster fails. Not on her, on me, because I like, you know, and the worst thing is you give them a name.
And then it’s like, how can you get rid of Hazel? You know, you can’t. It’s so it’s like, so I get that totally. Yeah. Cause they, you know, they’re endearing at it. Like, you know, we talk animals are just. Yeah.
Craig Garber (43:01.781)
That’s great.
Craig Garber (43:12.511)
Oh.
Craig Garber (43:16.392)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (43:19.99)
That’s cool. That’s cool. A.G. What are the biggest risks you’ve taken, both personally and professionally?
Craig Garber (43:43.674)
Yeah, choices you’ve made or things you’ve had to do. I mean, but look, being an artist is a risk itself. That’s a pretty big risk.
Craig Garber (44:24.67)
Yeah, very.
Thank you. That’s that is a that is a tough one. And I and I a lot of my guests have had a very similar response to that. You know, to not choose to not have a family the way they maybe had envisioned themselves to so they can their career. Yeah.
Here’s a tough one. What do you like most about yourself?
Craig Garber (44:52.918)
Hahaha.
Craig Garber (45:00.47)
Yeah, that’s what it’s about.
Craig Garber (45:09.454)
Some of your best childhood memory. It sounds like you had a real good childhood.
Craig Garber (45:54.382)
That’s sweet. What kind of music did she, cause you said she got offered a, didn’t you say she got offered a record contract or, Oh, what did, what, cause she sang gospel.
and she was offered a record contract.
Craig Garber (46:28.33)
That’s pretty amazing coming from that little small town like that. I really, that’s so impressive.
Craig Garber (46:57.887)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (47:01.694)
Yeah, that’s wonderful. Tell me something about yourself, EG, that people might be surprised to hear or even find a little odd, besides the goat thing.
Craig Garber (47:27.766)
Wow! How did that- that’s pretty cool!
Craig Garber (47:40.686)
Very cool. Yeah. How did you get to be a vocal instructor for Burgess Meredith? For people listening, if you’re not a baby boomer or you’ve never watched the Batman or the Penguin or Rocky, Burgess Meredith was a very good actor back in the day. Very successful as well. Good character actor. How did that, that’s pretty unusual. How did that come about?
Craig Garber (48:23.586)
That is, that’s pretty.
Craig Garber (48:49.914)
Oh
Craig Garber (49:00.847)
What was the name of the movie?
Craig Garber (49:46.524)
S.
Craig Garber (49:53.638)
Wow, that’s an unusual. That’s a, that’s a first. I haven’t heard anything like that. That’s really cool.
Craig Garber (50:02.338)
What was it like being in a movie?
Craig Garber (50:16.086)
What was it like being in a movie set? I’ve never even seen something like that.
Craig Garber (50:28.747)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (50:38.647)
Yeah.
Yeah, that is interesting. And tell me the most important thing your dad taught you.
Craig Garber (50:54.148)
Hey, that’s a vital skill.
Craig Garber (51:27.008)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (51:31.999)
I’m so sorry. That’s very young. Oof.
Craig Garber (51:52.538)
Ah, she’s probably afraid, you know moms are, yeah.
Craig Garber (52:04.398)
Great.
Craig Garber (52:13.814)
That’s the number one trait that successful artists have in common, at least from the… I’ve had a good 900 and something guess here. That’s the number one thing that they all have in common. They had support from their parents.
Craig Garber (52:31.574)
How about your mama? What’s the most important thing she taught you?
Craig Garber (52:46.818)
Great. I’m so happy for you for that. That’s wonderful.
Besides goats, do you have any other hobbies or interests outside of music?
Craig Garber (52:59.074)
What kind?
Craig Garber (53:11.574)
Hmm.
Craig Garber (53:25.47)
I like photography too, that’s one of my hobbies.
Craig Garber (53:33.035)
Yeah.
Craig Garber (53:44.018)
Yeah, yeah, photography is great.
Tell me the best advice you’ve ever been given and who gave it to you, E.G.?
Craig Garber (54:20.194)
That’s like really good advice.
Craig Garber (54:29.81)
And the most important lesson life has taught you in general.
Craig Garber (55:12.822)
Hey, that’s a.
That’s a really beautiful way to end this. And I just want to thank you for everything and thank you so much. And I want to tell people to please check out EG Kight’s new album. It’s called Sticks and Strings and EG Kight. It’s K I G H T. And, uh, again, the record opened, it was just released in September, opened at number 10 and billboard. It’s doing really well on the blues charts. And you can also please go to her website, EG Kight.com.
Her touring schedule’s on there. She just finished a very lengthy tour, but she’s going to be back out at next year in 2024 and follow her on Facebook under EG Kight Arts and Entertainment and on her Instagram account. And is there anything else I can promote for you? You’re lovely. You’re just a really nice person to talk with you. I feel, I feel better just talking to you, man. Honestly, I’m like, wow, this is great. Whatever you download.
Yeah, man, you just downloaded a bunch of good stuff. I’m like, my day is good. Now I’m probably raring the rest of the day. Yeah, I mean that. Yeah, I mean that. Thank you. You made me feel good.
Craig Garber (56:26.825)
Any other secrets? Tell me.
Craig Garber (56:36.636)
No, you have. Listen, thank you so much.
You did, you’re very sweet. You’re a very kind person and I appreciate that. Remember you said that like, I appreciate when, you said you appreciate when, you know, you’re playing and your fans come and share stories with you. I can’t tell you how grateful I am when people come on here and share stuff with me. I mean, I don’t take any of that for granted. And it like, I often wonder, like, you know, I feel like it’s a gift people give me to tell you the 100% truth. And so, and I…
I don’t know how or why it happens, but I’m just really grateful that it happens, you know.
Craig Garber (57:26.474)
Well, thanks. Thanks. Thank you so much. Well, hope I when you come down here, I’ll be I’ll be in line. I promise you. Hang on. Hang on one second. Let me just wrap this up again. Everybody please check out EG Kight. Please check out the new record stream. It sticks and strings. It’s doing great. And follow her on Facebook and Instagram and go to her website EG Kight.com and check her out when she comes to your town. She tours a lot. And she just tours.
with her she tours with her trio that they just they record live old school and they play live old school just like music was meant to be played. So everybody, thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed it, please share this on your socials with your friends. I want to thank E. G. Kight very much for her time and I wish you nothing but the best because you deserve it. And again, hold on a minute and most important remember that happiness is a choice so choose wisely.
Be nice, have fun, go play a guitar, and we’ll see you soon. Peace and love, everybody. I am out.