NOTES ON THE CORRIDOR

NOTES

ALONG THE Corridor

by RICK REILEY

Travis Kidd: A TULSA MUSIC AMBASSADOR

I met Travis Kidd a few years ago in Stillwater during a Red Dirt Relief Fund event. He was a new face to me and a new voice. I heard him rehearsing and was wondering who he was and how he learned those guitar skills! A few years later I appeared on stage with him in Tulsa during a Tom Skinner Skyline Radio tribute. And again, upon hearing him I wondered, “Gee where does this guy come from?”

Those are the only two times I’d run into him over the course of a decade or so. But I kept seeing media posts advertising his appearances and recently discovered new music released this year and got in touch with him to ask a few questions.

RR: Where are you from?

Kidd: “I was born at a very young age in Pryor, OK.”

So right there I knew he had a sense of humor!

He says that his entire family was and is into music and he was surrounded by a variety of musical instruments growing up.

RR: What music did you listen to growing up?

Kidd: Van Halen, Ozzy Osborne, Motley Crue, Ratt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Bros, Charlie Daniels, ZZ Top, Prince, NWA, Hank Jr, Queensryche, Pantera and Top 40 rock/pop Tulsa radio.

RR: How did you develop as a musician/ songwriter?

Kidd: I started out as a guitarist and really only wrote music at first ( for my band in high school, ‘Ironside’). Here’s a link to a recently remastered Ironside album: https://ironsideofficial.bandcamp.com/album/iron-ideremastered-2020

Then later, as I became more involved with vocals, I began writing lyrics to my music - I’ve always written a guitar riff or rhythm first, let it stew for a while and see what lyrics materialIze later on.

I listened to a bit of Ironside. It has a heavy metal sound and those early influences of Motley Crue and Ozzy Osborne are very apparent in the album.

RR: Was there a specific moment when a light went off and you knew music would be more than just background in your life?

Kidd: No, I’ve always been in and around music

somewhat - there were always guitars, pianos, drums, organs, synths, amp around the house to jam on whenever I felt it.

RR: How has living in Oklahoma factored into your career?

Kidd: Oklahoma is a gold mine for musicians, culturally and financially…anyone who says it’s not is doing it wrong. Living in Oklahoma has afforded me to be a full time musician for right at 20 years - raising a family of 4 and also being able to pay my band mates a nice chunk of money each year! I barely leave the state anymore for gigs - I don’t need to.

RR: Who are your Oklahoma musical influences?

Kidd: ‘Steve Gaines , is pretty much the only Okie musician that I truly idolize, aside of a few local rockers that were a few years older than me where were/are killer guitarists: Steve Doc Morris, Scott Evans, Brad James, Aaron Brown, Sam Matthews, Jimmy Taylor, Bruce Hill, Soupbone, Bob Lynn, Eddie Bishop, and quite a few others I grew up watching around the northeastern Oklahoma rock scene.

Steve Gaines, guitarist/songwriter from Miami, Oklahoma, was a member of the band who pioneered southern rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Gaines was killed along with other band members in a plane crash in Mississippi in 1977.

I asked about the high points in his career so far. He mentioned that in 2007 the Oklahoma Centennial Commission adopted his song Oklahoma Sunset for a few events.

He’s also won awards ranging from best vocalist, to best country band, to best acoustic act in several settings from 2000-2020. He’s also been called a Tulsa Music Ambassador.

Somewhere along the way country music crept in, apparently through that door Hank Jr. and Charlie Daniels opened, and made a heavier impact on his music. Most of what I’ve heard would be a welcome addition to anyone’s country/rock playlist.

In fact you can go to his website, listen and watch for yourself. Go to the Watch/Listen section and scroll down. There’s plenty to choose from including very professionally rendered video.

He added, “I’ve loved playing regional events in the past like: The Grape Ranch, Woody Guthrie Festival, Gypsy Cafe, Tulsa MayFest, CountryFever, Bikes, Blues & BBQ (NWArk), Tom Skinner Skyline Radio Fest just to name a few.”

RR: Where can people see you perform?

Kidd: I play mostly around northeastern Oklahoma: bars, restaurants, casinos, car lots, boat docks, marinas, schools, festivals, carnivals - pretty much anywhere I can!

I took a look at his online calendar and saw that, yes indeed, he’s a busy man! He has August gigs at Grand Lake, the Tulsa airport, Hard Rock, Riverspirit and Cherokee Casinos as well as a car show and private events! I guess he’s right; there’s no need for him to leave Oklahoma to ply his trade. And we’re lucky to have him!

He released a live album last year with the Travis Kidd Trio (Travis Kidd, Joey Trevino and Mark Proctor), Live Acoustic Tulsa and his most recent, released this year is East of the Rockies.

Both are delightful!

To see his schedule and to find out more go to: www.traviskidd.com

Also- Spotify, Apple Music etc.