Spotlight on ... Steve Washington
by Dirk Faes

A short biography



Steve was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, land of sunshine and reggae, on September 29th, 1961. As part of the West Indies colony of the UK, the Jamaicans were invited to move to England and so the Washington family moved to the UK when Steve was one year old.

In his career as a professional drummer, Steve played with many artists like Whitney Houston, Take That, Wet Wet Wet & Nik Kershaw.
Steve replaced Mykey Wilson in Texas just before the start of the Greatest Hits tour in 2001 but if you weren't a hooked Texas fan then you would have never noticed.
Steve recently formed his own band, the Washington Lees Experiment with who he is touring the English Club circuit.


The Interview

Get up, stand up ....

Tid: You were born in Jamaica, does that mean you were brought up with reggae music?
Steve: No, not really. I was raised listening to all kinds of music. My parents weren't musicians themselves, my grandparents were; they played the piano and guitar.

Tid: When did you first knew you wanted to become a musician?
Steve: Oh, when I was 11 years old. And I knew I wanted to become a drummer right away. My parents and grandparents bought me my first drum kit from their savings for £150, which was quite some money in those days.

Tid: Are you married or do you have a girlfriend?
Steve: I have a girlfriend yes.

Music was my first love ...

Tid: When did you take your first steps in the music business?
Steve: When I was 13 years I started to play in the Mac & Katie Kissoon band until 1977. Mac & Katie Kissoon had some hits in the early seventies like "Sugar Candy Kisses".

Tid: That was quite young, didn't you have to go to school?
Steve: I was very young yes. I used to go to a private school back then, I had a private teacher.

Tid: What happened after that?
Steve: Then I played with a punk band called The Slits from 1979 till 1981, after that I joined a group called The Red Lights and we supported Squeeze on their tour. In the early 80's I joined the Ras Messengers a spiritual Rastafarian jazz ensemble, followed by a West African highlife group called Native Spirit with whom we toured throughout America and Canada promoting our first album called Native Spirit. In the late 80's I did some studio work and toured with some South African musicians, we did a lot of Apartheid gigs back then.

Tid: Do you play any other instruments besides drums?
Steve: I also play the bass, guitar and keyboards.

Tid: Is drumming a good anger therapy?
Steve: Sometimes yes, it's a way to loose your energy.

Tid: Do you prefer studio sessions or live gigs?
Steve: Well, I like both but the fact is that lately it has become difficult for professional drummers to find work in the studio with all those drum machines.

Tid: Do you also have a big example like other musicians have?
Steve: I would say Keeley Coburn who was one of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and Lenny White who was the drummer for Miles Davis.

Tid: Which other hobbies do you have besides music?
Steve: I like cycling, cooking and .... making love. (great hobby Steve :^) )

A change ....

Tid: Recently you started your own band, the Washington Lees Experiment, is it your intention to work full-time with them?
Steve: I started the band with a friend of mine, Sam Lees. So I can say it is my band. We write our own songs which are mainly based on blues / rock.

Tid: When it comes to WLE are you inspired by any other artists then?
Steve: Mainly Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top and 60's rock.

Tid: What's in your cd player as we speak?
Steve: A cd from JJ Cale.

Ladies and Gentlemen .... Texas

Tid: You joined Texas back in 2001, just before the start of their Greatest Hits tour. I suppose it wasn't easy for you?
Steve: I had to learn all the songs in just 2 or 3 days time. It wasn't that hard since I'm a professional drummer. I only knew two Texas songs back then, Black Eyed Boy and Summer Son.

Tid: Did it bother you at first that you were drummer number 4 in Texas?
Steve: No not at all. If I wouldn't have taken the job then someone else would have. And since I do this for a living ....

Tid: Did you feel at home right away in the band?
Steve: Yes, right away. Everyone was great so that wasn't a problem at all.

Tid: Were you nervous for your first concert with Texas?
Steve: No, not nervous, excited yes. You get used to things like that.

Tid: Could you do your own thing on a show or did you have to follow strict directions?
Steve: They gave me enough freedom but of course I had to use some discretion, which I did.

Tid: Which are your favorite Texas songs?
Steve: Both to listen and to play "Insane", but also "Summer Son" and "Black Eyed Boy".

Tid: Was there any experience that stood out during the Greatest Hits tour? What about the fans?
Steve: Not really no, the entire tour was great. The fans were all lovely and very friendly.

Tid: What else did you do during the two year breaK?
Steve: Besides working with the Washington Lees Experiment I also did two gigs with Sam Moore in Norway.

Tid: Did you co-operate on the new Texas album?
Steve: No, I didn't. They didn't ask me so I also haven't heard any of the songs yet. I think the drum parts were done by a drum computer, I don't really know. But I would love to go on tour with them again. (and us fans would love that also)

Thanks again Steve and lots of success in the future


2003 - texasindemand.com

Questions by Bea, Kathy, Rute, & Dirk



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