BB King had a nephew ...

Phillip-Michael Scales.

© Christian Rose

By: Joe Farmer Follow

3 min

Phillip-Michael Scales is a talented singer and guitarist who has to deal with the aura of a very famous uncle: BB King!

To reduce the musical adventure of this brilliant instrumentalist to his prestigious lineage with the "King of the Blues" would however be very unfair.

Although the attention paid to him by the public and the media often passes through the prism of his illustrious "uncle", Phillip-Michael Scales was able to distinguish himself by opting, at the start of his career, for a rock tone more in line with his generation. 

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At 35, he readily admits tinting more blues in his current repertoire as his latest album to date:

lets it filter

. If the lyrics of his songs may seem dark, there is always a glimmer of hope. Behind heavy themes, Phillip-Michael Scales manages to maintain this vital flame that his expressiveness assumes more and more openly. He knows that the challenge now is to find his way between the absolute need to be himself and the transmission of heritage. His duet with John Lee Hooker's nephew, Archie Lee Hooker, is not insignificant. It would be easy to imagine that this composition,

, was driven by shameless mercantile considerations, but there is a much nobler intention behind this rough chanting, and that is the desire to honor the elders and look to the future.

Knowing what to bequeath to his descendants is a legitimate concern and Phillip-Michael Scales is no exception.

Phillip-Michael Scales in studio at RFI.

© Christian Rose

Halfway through his artistic development, Phillip-Michael Scales must assert his identity. He has been doing this for years. His maturity now allows him to assume his choices and his filiation with a universal artist. BB King did not seek to interfere in his nephew's sonic universe, he knew that his global notoriety could hinder his personal and creative development. This clairvoyance preserved the young Phillip-Michael who, however, remained curious to hear the "King of the Blues" tell him his epic. In 2007, at age 22, he recorded one of their conversations and published it, years later, on his website. Phillip-Michael Scales was not bragging about publicizing this broken exchange,he just wanted to testify and allow listeners to understand the destiny of a man whose status as an American citizen had been repeatedly violated because of the color of his skin.

Phillip-Michael Scales doesn't miss an opportunity to perfect his guitar playing.

© Christian Rose

Unsurprisingly, this interview resonates irresistibly in the repertoire of Phillip-Michael Scales.

The lessons he learned, perhaps unconsciously, from his discussions with his glorious elder seem to be reflected today in his words and in his notes.

Finding the balance between the claim of a specific musicality and the respect of a heritage is a long journey which takes shape gradually and which one feels dawning in the works of Phillip-Michael Scales.

 deserves more than just listening.

This album requires our full attention and understanding. 

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