Boz Scaggs brings soul and blues to Rodney Strong Vineyards

After 55 years in the music business, singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs still can shred.

His latest record, “Out of the Blues,” came out this summer as the third in a trilogy of recent records that pay homage to the soul and blues music he knows and loves best. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine blues chart; it has held a firm grip on that position for three weeks [as of filing time] and counting.

Scaggs still plays about 90 shows each year, including the Sept. 9 concert to close the summer season at Rodney Strong Vineyards.

The 74-year-old recently spoke with The Press Democrat about music, his Napa vineyard, and moving on after the October 2017 wildfires.

Q. Put “Out of the Blues” into the context of “Memphis” and “A Fool to Care.”

A. The records didn’t start out as a trilogy. One thing led to another and each step seemed obvious after the one before. Memphis was done in Memphis. It was done in a manner that expressed the history of blues from that part of the world. We decided to follow up in similar context, and for the second album we moved over to Nashville. The first two lean on Louisiana influences and early rhythm and blues. The third time around I wanted to identify where I have come from musically, so the new record zeroes in on my Oklahoma and Texas roots. The result is that it’s one of the most joyful records I’ve ever made.

Q. The song, “Little Miss Night and Day,” is your only writing credit on the new album. What does that song mean to you?

A. It’s a very Texas thing. I’ve got Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton playing with me on that, and there’s a local connection because Doyle is from Santa Rosa.

Q. Why did you include a cover of Neil Young’s “On the Beach?”

A. I did a show in Texas last year that featured the music of Neil Young. The producer of the show asked me if I knew “On the Beach,” and I wasn’t that familiar with it. It’s minor blues -a different side of the blues that people are used to listening to. I feel close to that music form. It fit into the context of the album with its lament and lyrics and basic structure. The song spoke to me immediately.

Q. Why are the blues relevant today?

A. This type of music draws on some of the most basic human emotions. There is a soul to it that doesn’t rely necessarily on what the words are saying. There’s something essential about it with everyone.

Q. How has your creative process changed over the years?

A. I’ve never been a natural songwriter. It’d take a gun to my head to get me to finish anything. I usually write music first. I still approach songwriting with caution and trepidation. I still look for clues and write notes here and there when I really feel like I have to get something out of my head. I have a handful of things I’m saving for a future album. Creatively I’m more involved in putting the pieces together to make records than I am in writing. I guess that means I keep the big picture in mind.

Q. You’ve got quite a following locally. What does it mean for you to play in Sonoma County?

A. I came to the Bay Area for the first time in 1967. The experience brought me up here. Music in Marin County was really a big deal back then. People who were involved in the movement lived up this way and lived in the woods; Sonoma and Napa counties always seemed to be part of the scene. Years later my wife and I bought a house up in the hills near where Napa and Sonoma meet.

Q. That house was burned in the October 2017 wildfires. How have you processed that loss?

A. The process isn’t going to be over any time too soon. Everyone has their own experience with those fires. We lost the home and a lot of handwritten lyrics and mementos inside. I think I was Zen about it at first. I thought: I’m a lucky one because I have work and I have resources. To be honest, I am still struggling. It’s never going to be the same, but you try to put the pieces together as best you can. Now we are going through the process of redeveloping the property. Processing something like the fire is like going through the various stages of grief that are only reserved for the loss of a life. I wish everybody the very best to get through it.

Q. What’s the latest with your winery, Scaggs Vineyard, in Oakville?

A. Recently we partnered up with Matt Naumann at Newfound Wines to produce our wines. We love that aspect of our lives up here and we’re going to continue that.

Q. What’s next for you musically? How much longer do you expect to be at this?

A. There’s a lot of music still left to do. I’ll be touring for the better part of this year. Then I’ve got a couple of other albums in the works. I really discovered a new voice and approach in making these last three records, so maybe my next project will be some sort of follow-up to that.

Q. Whom among current musicians do you admire?

A. Bruno Mars just knocks me out. I also loved the last album from Alabama Shakes. It’s all part of a continuum. If you listen to Taylor Swift, even her music is coming from someplace that I recognize. At the end of the day, though, I get my thrill from ’50s and ’60s jazz.

Matt Villano is a freelance writer and editor in Healdsburg. For more about him, visit whalehead.com.