Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Mueller.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Ever since I was a little child, music has always been a central part of my life. I began taking piano lessons at age four, and even started writing music at 12 years old. I would spend hours not only listening to the radio, but also reading Billboard magazine. I was obsessed with knowing as much about music as I could: the names of all the hit songs, the names of the performers, the albums, and even the years the songs were released. Whether it be playing, writing, or listening, music has always been my greatest passion.
I never chose to pursue a career as a musician when I was younger, because at the time the idea of the instability of the music world intimidated me. I went to college to study to become a psychologist, though I changed career directions and entered the world of education. I teach math, and I also work heavily in the area of Special Education.
Even though I was not pursuing music professionally, I grew more and more in love with the Dallas music scene. Aside from the Tales from The Edge CD’s, my first real introduction to local music was through a high school friend of mine, Catherine Cuellar. She was able to convince her friends Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond to perform at an Amnesty International benefit at our school. This was before there was an Old 97’s, but I already knew there was something special about Rhett’s songwriting ability.
As the years followed, I discovered more bands through Old 97’s, and by the early 2000’s, I was going to see local bands on a regular basis: Deathray Davies, Chomsky, [DARYL], Lucy Loves Schroeder, Sugarbomb, and Flickerstick, just to name a few. It was a glorious era for local music in my eyes. But towards the mid 2000’s, the local music scene hit a patch of turbulence. By 2007, Deep Ellum began to look like a ghost town. I started thinking to myself that the scene just wasn’t like it was in “the good old days.”
That thought made me stop in my footsteps. I was too young to be thinking about “the good old days”, as if the best of those times were over. I thought about a friend of mine who told me I needed to start a blog about local music. I didn’t know music about the world of blogging; I only knew that I felt I had to do something to help the local music scene I loved (and still love).
I wanted to come up with a good name for a blog. As I was trying to come up with a name, I thought about the history of Dallas music. I knew that Blind Lemon Jefferson was one of the first musicians to come to the Deep Ellum neighborhood. I thought about how his legacy affected the community. I also envisioned his spirit wandering through the streets at night and acting as a guiding spirit for today’s musicians. That’s when I decided that the perfect name for the blog would be Ghost of Blind Lemon.
Please tell us about your art.
I’ve always said the purpose of Ghost of Blind Lemon is to “keep the spirit of DFW music alive.” I write about the musicians in the local community (and even throughout Texas) that I feel are making music that deserves and needs to be heard. That can mean album reviews, show reviews, interviews, playlists, or any events and stories in the local music community that are worth sharing. There is so much talent in the area, and much of it can be overlooked. Sometimes media only focuses on the biggest names in our scene, like Sarah Jaffe or Leon Bridges. What I strive to do is provide a voice for not just the big names, but the smaller names with the big talent.
As time has gone by, I’ve been able to find other ways of promoting the local music scene. I’ve booked showcases at several venues, including Dada, Double-Wide, and Opening Bell Coffee to name a few. I also began The Ghosty Awards in 2015, as a way to further recognize the talent in our area.
Perhaps the most special opportunity I’ve had is the ability to work with Deep Ellum Radio. I have a weekly show on the station, called Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio, appropriately enough. It’s another outlet where I can express my musical tastes, and where I can introduce listeners to local acts that they might not have discovered otherwise. This past year, I was promoted to the position of Program Director on the station. I thank Kim Taylor, owner of Deep Ellum Radio, for giving me the opportunity to live out two things I daydreamed about as a teenager: having a radio show and being a Program Director.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Make good music. The rest will fall in place.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can listen to Ghost of Blind Lemon Radio every Wednesday night 7-9 PM on Deep Ellum Radio, and the show is rebroadcast on Thursday afternoon from 1-3 PM.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ghostofblindlemon.com
- Email: ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostofblindlemon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GhostBlindLemon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghostblindlemon
- Other: www.deepellumradio.com
Image Credit:
The main cover photo, as well as the Scrabble themed photos, were by Jessica Waffles. The other two photos were by John Allen Grant.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
