There aren’t many performers in Plymouth’s local music scene who are as respected, lauded and followed as much as Vince Lee. And there certainly aren’t many musicians who have been going as long and as strong as the much-loved homegrown blues singer-songwriter-guitarist.

We don’t get too many music stars hailing from our fair city — and if we do, they often leave for pastures new — so Vince Lee’s name has become synonymous with Plymouth’s music scene — up there with the likes of Mad Dog Mcrea and Joey the Lips — over the years. He’s super talented, engaging, versatile and he’s kept his roots here throughout.

I — your writer, Matt Fleming — used to watch Lee perform when I was just a teenager. In fact, he inspired me to learn blues guitar and I took what I learned into the bands I played for on the Plymouth rock scene for many years. Well, I’ve stopped all that now but Lee, after 35 years playing across the South West and beyond, continues to bring both joy and blues to local crowds on at least a weekly basis.

But where did the 56-year-old’s journey begin? “I have been playing guitar since 1980,” he tells me, “so I’ve been a musician for 45 years. I was actually a drummer throughout secondary school and played my first proper gig supporting The Subhumans at some long-gone punk venue on Union Street. I was 13 years old.

“By the time I left school, I had developed an interest in much older music. I had decided by 1986 to make the move from punk drummer to blues frontman which came as a complete surprise to most of the people around me. Seeing BB King perform with his spectacular band as a teenager changed my direction altogether.

Vince Lee from the old days. (Pic by Trevor Burrows)

“So I started my first blues band in ‘87 and it lasted around eight years. We used to play all of Plymouth’s legendary long-gone venues — The Swan in Devonport, The Breakwater, The Cooperage, The Academy on Union Street and The Ark Royal. Over that period I was getting influenced by all kinds of vintage music and was looking to incorporate old swing tunes, country blues, calypso and ragtime into my live set so I put together a smaller trio in 1996.”

That ‘smaller trio’ became the band that Lee, who labels himself as ‘an authentic, virtuoso blues musician’, is mostly known for and is still going strong today — Vince Lee & The Big Combo. He says the outfit ‘have become almost legendary around the Devon and Cornwall areas’. Sure, the act has gone through several lineup changes but it has always kept its roots in Plymouth and has always had Lee up front and centre.

Al Wallis has been The Combo’s bass player since day one and the band’s latest drummer, Kevin Crowe, has been with Lee and Wallis since 2003 when they also formed The Wildcards. “Our debut album, ‘Call it What Ya Wanna’, was released in 2003,” says Lee. “Things started to pick up after it was released. We also formed The Wildcards that year with former members of The Nightporters, a well established South West blues band. The Wildcards toured the UK and Europe for 10 years and released three albums over that time.

“Sharing the stage with some of the world’s best blues acts forced us to up our game so I learned a lot over those years. Since the Wildcards split in 2012, I have continued to perform around the South West with The Big Combo and various blues duos and other related bands. Since 2022, I have mostly been performing as a duo with my partner Sophie Lord who is a fantastic double bass player. She plays traditional slap bass which gives our music a strong rhythmic beat without the need of a drummer. Our live performances have been very well received at blues festivals and venues around the UK and USA.”

Lee, a keen collector of vintage American guitars and amplifiers, has always been an active promoter of blues music in and around his hometown. His involvement with many of the city’s finest players has led to several notable musical projects, bands and recordings over the years. He has also recorded and helped produce four albums with fellow Plymouth blues songwriter-guitarist, Thomas Ford, who has received much acclaim on the European blues circuit in recent years.

Lee is a well-known face on the UK’s festival circuit — evermore so now alongside Lord. The duo’s social media following is massive thanks to the quality of their blues music videos which have reached millions of people around the world. They visited the USA in early 2023, performing at the world-famous Topanga Blues Festival in California and the Gator By The Bay Festival in San Diego. They will be returning next year after establishing themselves on the Southern California music scene.

But how has he kept at the top of his game for so many years? “I have always attracted an older audience,” he says. “When I started performing in my teens, the whole band was made up of guys in their 30s and 40s. It was hard to find people my own age who had an interest in vintage blues music.

“Those guys would lend me their old vinyl at band rehearsals and I would study those records obsessively. I guess after all these years I’ve caught up with my general demographic. Having said that, the music is timeless and people of all ages have been influenced by what I do.”

I attest to that. Lee was a clear influence on my own guitar work and has been for so many other young musicians in Plymouth over the decades. His own influences, however, are varied. He actually started out listening to 1950s electric Chicago blues all those years ago, moving swiftly on to Delta blues and the Piedmont blues pickers from the US.

“From that,” he says, “I learned about ‘40s and ‘50s jump blues from California and Texas. I was influenced by T Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton and Louis Jordan as well as early acoustic blues artists like Son House, Charley Patton and Blind Blake. This only scratches the surface of all the influences I’ve picked up over the years, though.

“There are elements of calypso, Cuban, surf music and rockabilly in there too. I came to performing live music through early ‘80s punk and never had any interest in the mainstream music my friends were into. Some say they can still hear a punk energy in the way I approach music — which I wouldn’t deny.”

Lee notes that his ‘secret’ is simply that he’s ‘a huge fan of the kind of music I play’. “Performing will always be secondary to that,” he claims. “I realised very early on that fickle music trends come and go but although the blues might not be making a big comeback any time soon, there will always be an audience for it.

“I have stuck to what I love and haven’t compromised that to gain more popularity. I have lost count of the times folks have told me they didn’t think they liked blues until they heard my music which sounds like I’m blowing smoke but I must admit it feels good to convert people and spark their interest in these old songs.”

The Plymouth Music Forum, under Plymouth Culture, is currently on a mission to improve the local grassroots music offering so that we have a music scene in our city that is built from the ground-up and elevates us to the sort of heights this city deserves. Lee agrees that this is an excellent way forward.

“Plymouth has always had a rich music scene,” he says. “Touring acts rarely make it to the South West but local musicians have always found a way to get their music out there. There are many acts that never travel outside the area so it can make for a slightly weird microcosm. I believe there are bands and performers out there who could only exist in this part of the world.

“Having said that though, I feel live music has been on the decline since the pandemic. Although I have a weekly residency on Tuesday nights at The Ship on the Barbican, I rarely play weekend shows in Plymouth these days. Most gigs I manage to get are duo-based. Venues rarely request my full band, even though we play to full rooms all over Devon and Cornwall.

“There seems to be an explosion of generic cover bands and open mic nights which I think isn’t helping matters. Sadly it seems many venues would rather play safe with tame cover acts than give original artists a chance. I have always been a niche performer in this town so I don’t really fit in with the general live music vibe in Plymouth. But that, of course, has never stopped me from marching on…”

Lee, who lives on the outskirts of Plymouth and recommends Russell Sinclair’s blues jam every Wednesday night at Pier Masters House in Madeira Road as a cracking weekly gig, plays with Al Wallis every Tuesday night at The Ship on the Barbican. This is the best place to catch the guitarist, although he also obviously has other gigs around town from time to time, plus plenty of shows in other spots around Devon and Cornwall (check out his website for details).

“When the Blues Bar and Grill on the Barbican closed its doors for good at the start of the year,” says Lee, “we literally jumped ship straight away by moving our Tuesday night blues session over the road to The Ship. We were approached by several venues who wanted to take it on but we have settled at The Ship which has a large outside area for us to play on warmer evenings during the summer.

“I was upset to see the Blues Bar disappear but we have successfully brought a bunch of our followers with us so we have kept the tradition of blues on Tuesday nights alive on the Barbican at The Ship. It’s a chilled atmosphere and we regularly invite guest musicians to join us.”

Lee says that Plymouth doesn’t really have a strong blues scene. “I’ve played shows all over the UK, Europe and Southern California,” he says, “which has opened my eyes to how well the blues is supported and promoted in other places. For better or worse, I’ve stuck at playing the music I love in Plymouth regardless of its shortcomings. I have still managed to win over fans without compromising my music.”

Lee also notes that Plymouth doesn’t have enough local music venues that support the grassroots scene in the city. He says we have ‘lost a lot of our old-school venues’ over the years. “The older punters who remember them still lament to me about it regularly. I feel there was a stronger music community here when I was younger but maybe I’m just out of touch with the current situation.

“The Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival between 2010 and 2014 was successful in putting Plymouth on the map for a while but that sadly came to an end. I’ve heard a lot of folks complaining in recent times about the lack of public music events going on in the town compared to other areas so it’s definitely a concern.”

Lee, who just released a limited seven-inch single called ‘Laughing in the Face of Death’ with Sophie Lord (find out about that on his Facebook page), is a clear veteran of Plymouth’s local music scene. He laughs as he admits that he was ‘being referred to as a veteran musician way back when I was 28’ so ‘it’s nothing new to me really’. “I know I have inspired a lot of people in the local area,” he says. “Musicians and fans alike. I feel a great sense of achievement from having folks thank me for turning them on to the blues through my guitar playing.

“I used to spend a lot of time collaborating with local musicians and was involved in a lot of different recording projects. I helped produce a bunch of albums for different acts from Plymouth and surrounding areas but I haven’t done as much of that in recent years. I worked with Thomas Ford, C Bone, Russell Sinclair, Shakin’ Jake Landers, Becca Langsford, Mama Tokus and Jim Macgregor’s Head of Programmes.

“I haven’t done any of that since the pandemic. I have spent a shedload of time at the Plymouth Music Collective (PMC) studios recording with my old friend Doc Collins. PMC has always been Plymouth’s best local music resource, in my opinion. I was there when it first opened in the ‘80s and have been involved with many projects with them over time. In recent times I have been focused on my own projects and recording. I play a lot of different instruments and record a lot at home as part of my creative process.”

And now’s the big question — how long does Lee think he’s got left playing in front of blues fans in the city? “I don’t think you ever get to retire from this music,” he retorts. “It’s in my soul, so unless I get some serious health issues which make it impossible, I see no reason to stop. As things stand, my fingers still work and my voice is in good shape so I will not be quitting any time soon.”

There. We have a lot more Vince Lee to come in our city. If you’ve never had the pleasure, head to The Ship on the Barbican on a Tuesday night and find out how the blues are played, Plymouth-style. You’ll become a fan by the second dominant seventh chord…

Catch Vince Lee at The Ship on the Barbican every Tuesday evening. Also catch him at a nearby festival soon:

Friday 15 August, from 6.30pm — Vince Lee & Sophie Lord @ The Globe Inn Beaford Beer Festival between Bideford and Exeter.

Friday 22 August (playing at 9pm) — Vince Lee & Sophie Lord @ the Sunnyhill Campsite Festival near Wincanton.

Saturday 23 August (playing at 7pm) — Vince Lee & The Big Combo @ Ashburton Guitar Festival in Ashburton.

Sunday 31 August, between 10am and 5pm — Vince Lee & Sophie Lord @ the Uffculme Show and Country Fair near Exeter.

Sunday 28 September (playing at 7pm) — Vince Lee & The Big Combo @ the Kernowfornia Festival on East Looe Beach in Cornwall. Headliners include Marillion, Embrace and Wille and the Bandits.

To find out more about Vince Lee, check out:

https://m.facebook.com/vinceleeblues/?

http://www.vinceleebigcombo.co.uk/giglist.htm

https://youtube.com/@vinceleeblues?si=imErzRAXdkvA2we9

https://www.tiktok.com/@vinceleeblues?_t=ZN-8yJHAO0tvC2&_r=1

In Conversation with Vince Lee

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In Conversation with Vince Lee

In Conversation with Livewire’s Andy Rance

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