Micki Free has all the admirable elements of a fiery Texan guitar slinger in his musical DNA, but his roots actually extend across the pond to Europe.
“I was born in Texas, but I never really spent any time there,” says Free, whose has a bloodline mix of Cherokee/Comanche Native American. “My stepfather was in the service, and after I was born we went to Germany, so I grew up in Europe.”
Now fully entrenched Stateside, Free is bringing his special brand of power-trio blues rock to Morongo Casino Resort Spa Sept. 23.
In the 1970s, Free initially flourished under the tutelage of KISS impresarios Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (more on that in a bit), before finding chart success after becoming the lead guitarist for soul-pop artists Shalamar, who had two big soundtrack hits in the ’80s: Dancing in the Sheets from Footloose, and the Grammy-winning Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly Hills from Beverly Hills Cop.
And while you may also be aware of Free from Dave Chappelle’s infamous Prince sketch — “everything you see in it is true!” he confirms — the man is much more comfortable when he gets to rub professional elbows with the likes of powerhouse drummer Cindy Blackman-Santana (a.k.a. Carlos Santana’s wife, who gets behind the kit for Free whenever she can) and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICKI FREE
Jimi Hendrix was a major influence in Micki Free’s music career.
“I love Billy!” Free says enthusiastically of the legendary long-bearded guitar hero. “He gave me one of his Billy-Bo custom guitars, and I also got to record with him in the Bahamas. He’s a stellar human being, and a good friend. I love him.”
While taking a breather after finishing a pair of grueling back-to-back video shoots, Free spoke about what songs will he will perform at Morongo, his lifelong love for Jimi Hendrix, and the depth of his personal and professional relationship with the late Prince.
Have you spent time in Greater Palm Springs over the years?
Oh yeah! I lived in L.A. for probably 35 years. When I was in Shalamar, I used to go to Palm Springs to wind down and hang out. I used to love doing that. I know Morongo. In fact, I know all of those casinos all too well! (chuckles)
When you say “wind down,” were there any special spots you went to?
I would just go to one of those cool Dean Martin-style hotels and chill out for 3 or 4 days, man. I’d go hang out by the pool and drink lemonade and Stolichnaya Vodka, back in the day. (both laugh)
It gets hot out in Palm Springs, but it’s beautiful too. I also love Joshua Tree. I used to ride my horses out there.
When you were growing up, which song that inspired you to make music your career?
It was All Along the Watchtower. Forget it, man! I dig Bob Dylan’s version, but when Jimi Hendrix did it, I was like, “What the f—, dude?” I was into music before then, but when Hendrix did it, even Bob Dylan got into it.
Will you perform that song at Morongo? What somgs will in your set?
It’s going to be a lot of originals from American Horse like Wounded Knee, and lots of stuff from Tattoo Burn (2012). But I can’t not play Hendrix, because I’m kind of known for that — so I’ll also be doing All Along the Watchtower and Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).
Because playing as a three-piece is my joint, the band that night will be me, Curly Smith from the band Boston on drums — he’s a monster! — and bassist David Santos, who has played with John Fogerty. It’s going to be a fun set, man. The music from American Horse is more blues rock, while Tattoo Burn is more in the Delta blues style of rock, like Gary Clark Jr. and ZZ Top. And I’ll tell you, man — I just jammed with Gary Clark Jr. in Nashville. He’s my guy. He’s one of my new favorite players.
“But what’s going to be really cool and fun for me is I’m doing this version of [The Rolling Stones’] Honky Tonk Women that I jammed with Prince on a long, long time ago. It’s so cool, so I’m going to do it at Morongo the way he did it. Dude, it’s so bad!”
It was really sad when Prince passed away [on April 21]. Now that a few months have passed, what’s your perspective on him?
You know, it’s still a hole in my heart — and in the world at large. I had a one-on-one relationship with Prince, beyond just being a fan of his.
I played basketball with him that one night [as recounted in the aforementioned Chappelle Show sketch], but we used to hang out a lot in L.A. when he’d come out to the house he had out there.
It was a huge shock to me, and a painful realization that someone so profound and beautiful is gone — especially him. I was in the studio recording a flute song called Lavender Touch, and when I heard he had died, I changed it to Lavender Kiss. It’s on my new flute CD, The Native American Flute as Therapy.
Gene Simmons said it best — Prince was singular. He was amazing. He could do it all, and he could do it all well. Brilliant. But when you were one-on-one with him, it was like a religious experience — I’m not kidding you. He was just deep that way. He wanted to know what you were doing, and how you were. And then music would come up, and clothes, and fashion — but mostly girls, of course. (both laugh) It was great. He was a really interesting, beautiful human being who was just from another planet. He was light years ahead of everything.
Micki Free, 10 p.m., Sept. 23 at Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon, 800-252-4499, www.morongocasinosresort.com