By Isaac Davis Jr., BGS, MBA
JC Internet Radio introduces its latest interview with the two man band who goes by the name of Ratcliff Bailey. Tim Ratcliff and Ken Bailey are two high school friends who share a love for music. The two decided to work together and have been making magic every since. Here is a recent interview that we here at the Interview Corner on JC Internet Radio conducted with Tim and Ken. Enjoy!
Isaac: Please take a moment to elaborate on who you are and your upbringing.
Ken: We are Tim Ratcliff and Ken Bailey, and we write original songs, Rock, Blues and Pop. We met in high school, and got reacquainted about 10 years later, after I had spent some time on the road with various bands. We tried to get a band going for a long time, but it was almost impossible to keep people serious about it, so we just became a studio band and concentrated on our songwriting. We have almost 200 songs at the time of this interview.
Isaac: Was there any one musician that spoke to your heart so profoundly, you were inspired to do your own thing?
Ken: for me, it was the Beatles. I know that's a stock answer, but it's the truth. The first time I heard them I knew nothing was ever going to be the same again.
Tim: It was hearing the Moody Blues' "Knights in White Satin". That made me want to write down what I was feeling. Putting it to music came a long time later.
Isaac: Which singer/group would you say you would most like to do a duet with?
Tim: John Couger Mellencamp.
Ken: John Fogarty.
Isaac: What singer/songwriter do you most connect with?
Tim: Bob Dylan.
Ken: I really admire Gordon Lightfoot, and I am in awe of Motown's Holland-Dozier-Holland, due to the amount of quality work they cranked out.
Isaac: Out of your entire song collection that you've written thus far, which song(s)would you say is/are the most personal/meaningful to you?
Tim: Probably "Smiling" from our very early days, because it was such a profound love song. And "The Fair", which we wrote back in the early 90's, but just recorded this year. It's about what Heaven is like.
Ken: For me, it's probably our song from 2006 called "Lovest Thou Me?" about how a lot of Christians are hypocrites, and don't even try to follow the words of Jesus. Not that I'm religious or anything, but I think if you talk the talk you know, you ought to walk the walk, too.
Isaac: Which singers/groups do you enjoy/like from some of today's music genres?
TIM: I heard a band recently I really like called "Thriving Ivory". I don't know who they are, but I really did on it.
KEN: I heard a band recently called "The Towels" from L.A. which just blew me away, and a band also from around there called "The Black Angel Band", who has a really driving rock/blues sounds that I really feel at home listening to.
Isaac: What charities are you involved with or support and why should people get involved?
KEN: Ratcliff Bailey thru Westfield Recording support Stomp Out Cancer. It's a charity which concentrates on research for combating childhood cancer. A lot of musicians, bike riders, and well, everybody have joined to combat Ewing's Sarcoma, and anybody can find out more information on the web at www.stompoutcancer.com
Isaac: Have you (or would you ever consider) writing a song about any of today's particular world issues/problems? If so, what world issue would speak to you the most to write about?
TIM: Of course, that's a large chunk of what we write about, holding the Government's feet to the fire, wrongs that need to be righted, yes, that sort of thing. You don't have to look very far to find several songs, kind of like Dylan passed a torch to us, or something.
Isaac: What is the main reason why should people listen to your music?
KEN: Because we tell the truth. We don't concern ourselves with being cool, but telling it as we see it. It's been that way since day one. Plus, forgive me for saying so, but it's GOOD MUSIC. There's more of that truth I was talking about!
Isaac: What has been your main inspiration to toss out such classical music?
TIM: Why do we do it? It's in us, and what's in us must come out.
KEN: Yeah, just like John Lee Hooker said "It's in him, and it got to come out". That's the reason that's sustained us thru a lot of bleak times, because that music was like someone knocking on the door, you know, that wouldn't go away.
Isaac: How far into the creation of a song do you share any of it with anyone? Who would you play it for? Would it be a chorus, a verse and chorus, or a complete song?
TIM: I think we'd play the whole thing.
KEN: Yeah, otherwise it's like kissing thru glass. What's the point?
Isaac: How much do you let others "mess around with" one of your new songs?
TIM: We have always operated in a "closed shop". We don't ask people for any input.
KEN: We do license some things "creative commons". But, they have to deal with the complete project. It's caused some problems over the years when people "invite" themselves to be dealt into the songs writing. Thank you folks, but we're not playing poker here. Closed shop, yeah.
Isaac: Do you have to be a tortured soul to be a singer-songwriter?
TIM: No, but it doesn't hurt.
KEN: Nope. My favorite quote about songwriting is from Gordon Lightfoot, he said you basically just sit down at a table and write. No big mystery to that. Your neuroses are optional. (Laughs)
Isaac: Are your songs strictly autobiographical or are they embroidered autobiography?
TIM: You mean like hopes and wishes in there? Yeah, embroidered, I see it. A little bit of everything. Reality, hopes, and dreams; whatever.
KEN: We never had any rules other than keep it under 4 minutes. I mean, if we feel like writing about tennis shoes, we'll take a stab at it. Kind of like you throw what you have up in the air and see where it lands.
Isaac: How long does it take you to process your emotions and turn them into songs?
TIM: With the words, about 10 minutes, or LESS. Tim's songwriting pizza guarantee: if it's not done in 30 minutes, it's free! (Laughs)
KEN: Takes a lot longer with the music, I'm afraid. I don't worry about how long it takes, but I can usually finish a song in 4 or 5 recording sessions.
Isaac: The best piece of advice you actually followed?
TIM: Follow your heart. First and foremost.
KEN: Don't take yourself too seriously.
Isaac: Give Shutouts to your family and friends.
TIM: We always praise the wives, Brenda and Bonnie, and our brothers and sisters, family for giving us inspiration and support.
Isaac: Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
KEN: That's just it; we don't do project and concept albums or that sort of thing. We just crank 'em out on a regular basis, and if it's good enough when we're done, we release it. I think with the iPod and things like that, people are coming back to a "singles" sort of mindset. It works out well.
TIM: Just like the Ghost Hunters T.V. show, "on to the next".
Official Website:
http://www.myspace.com/ratcliffbailey
Ratcliff Bailey
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