Interview with Jacob Lutrell (Clay's Backup Singer)

Sorry... we missed this when it was originally posted.

A fantastic interview with Clay's back up singer by Dianne Austin.

Jacob Luttrell On Backing Up, Breaking Out and Building a Solo
Image

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

By Dianne Austin

At
this point in time, Jacob Luttrell is not a morning person. If you call him at
11 a.m., he sometimes doesn't know where he is--and I mean literally. If you
wait, and try again at noon, you may get a bit more clarity and expression, but
not a lot.

Cut him some slack though, because it might be that the
morning disorientation is simply due to his having to sleep in "a box". The box,
as he puts it, is the bus. Because for several months out of the last couple of
years--this month included--he goes on tour. Luttrell is one of three backup
singers for Clay Aiken, and he sometimes can't be sure where he is when waking
up for the day.

No worries though. The tour has less than a week to go
and on the day after it closes, Luttrell will be doing his own show in New York
City. When he gets back to his Hollywood home in September and starts tending to
individual career endeavors, he's sure to be extremely clear on the particulars
of each day as he picks up where he left off with building his own solo image.

I was able to grab some time with him at one of his venue stops along
the road. I wanted to know a little about his life before the Aiken gig, and how
he sees his career developing when looking down the road a little bit.

"I've been singing, playing, dancing and songwriting for a long time",
he said. "My uncle had a recording studio when I was growing up and I used to
love to hang out there. He was the one to encourage me at that age."

Singing since he was 3 or 4, with church providing his musical roots,
Jacob's talent emerged and became obvious. He began instrumental music in
elementary school, and at 10 years old, he was writing songs. The saxophone was
the only instrument he ever studied formally. However today, there are four or
five others he plays.

His dance skills are also noteworthy. Again, no
formal lessons, but just watching him leads one to believe that he has had dance
training. Lanky and lithe, Luttrell can move to the music with the best of them.
It's well known he's choreographed some of the numbers for Aiken's tours.

When asked about all of these musical skills he states (with a very
beguiling smile on his face, I might add), "Music runs through my veins. I love
it. Really, I love it".

The love brought him the opportunity at age 16
to travel (he seems destined for life on the road) with "Godquest", a Gospel
youth group that toured the U.S. and England. He was with the group for certain
months out of the year, for a total of seven years. This became his basis of
professional experience until he landed his first big gig with the Clay/Kelly
Independent Tour in the early part of 2004. Since then, Luttrell has
consistently toured as a backup singer for Aiken whenever Clay has gone out on
the road.

The early experience of life on the road for that length of
time has made him one. When asked about it he said, "It's just part of me--it's
what I was meant to do."

Jacob's exotic looks, courteous and caring
treatment of others, and sense of humor will help him to succeed in a business
and a world where you're lucky if you meet someone with a couple of those
traits. He's warm and laid back, and although you get the impression he would
never mislead or mistreat anyone, he also makes you feel like he's no-nonsense
and savvy about looking out for himself and keeping his own goals as a top
priority. In other words, he's driven and focused. This kid isn't letting anyone
get him off track. And in this tough world, that's just what you need to make
it.

How does he feel about the latest tour group he's become so attached
to?

"I know it's unusual in our business and today's world for backups,
musicians and a name artist to be so close, but we're all kind of like family.
We keep each other grounded. And when we're home working on our solo careers, we
keep in touch. We miss each other."

They'll be missing each other soon.
The present Jukebox Tour ends this week on September 1st, with the last concert
at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Luttrell will be going to
Manhattan the day after it closes to do his own show at The Cutting Room on 24th
Street.

He's looking forward to it. It'll be his time to pour out what's
been brewing inside of him. It's a chance for him to showcase the myriad of
musical talents he possesses that have been bursting forth for so long. Luttrell
will feature his own pop/funk (with a hint of jazz) style by presenting some
original songs while accompanying himself on piano, keyboard and acoustic guitar
for some of them. He'll also have the added plus of a backup band (two members
coming from Aiken's band--Daniel Pearson and Felix Pollard) for the rest of it.
Luttrell will also do some Stevie Wonder covers. Wonder, along with Sting, Harry
Connick Jr., John Mayer and Radiohead remains at the top of his list of musical
influences.

His promotional CD will come out in another couple of weeks.
In the meantime, you can become familiar with him and his music if you take a
look at his artist's development representation: The Vocal Corner Store,
www.thevocalcornerstore.com. Jacob is fortunate to have the opportunity to grow
with a company that encourages creative diversion and obvious emergence of a
definitive style. The attention to this type of detail is evident when one
listens to the musical wonders emerging from this young man so far. Be sure to
check out his sound--you will be amazed.

EW: In your opinion, what's
needed to make it in this business besides talent, which you so keenly and
apparently have a lot of?

Luttrell: Drive, persistence, faith, courage
and passion. I believe I have them all, but sometimes, I find the courage
dwindling. The music business today is one of the toughest professions there is,
and so many people, after being in it for awhile, find themselves giving up and
saying, "I just can't do this. It's too hard." So, I have to often refuel the
courage part of it.

EW: Are you comfortable living in Hollywood now?

Luttrell: Yeah. I lived in Fresno, CA all my life before this, and
although it's an area that's grown, it is still a rural town. I moved to
Hollywood a year ago and was living with some cousins and sleeping on couches so
that I could be in LA. Now, I have my own place, and it's fine.

EW:
You're really ready to launch this solo career now, yet there are continuing
opportunities to still do backup gigs. How difficult is it to go back and forth
between those "opposite end of the spectrum" endeavors? When you're working as
backup, are you bursting at the seams, so to speak, to get your talent to the
forefront?

Luttrell: No, I've learned to do it all. It's baby steps,
really. It's all good, and I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be at
this point in time.

EW: But, do you ever get impatient? Do you ever feel
just a bit of frustration when you're "in the back" and you feel like it's your
time to be "in the front?"

Luttrell: Sure, there are times. Because I've
been payin' my dues since I was 15, and sometimes I lose it a little and wonder,
‘When do I get my turn to step out?' But that's where faith comes in. When I
feel the negatives, I take a deep breath and then put it in God's hands. That's
what I've done before, and He's taken it where He wants me to go.

Now,
Luttrell is going to New York. Now, there's a CD coming out. Both of these
efforts are giving him the ability to express who he is. Singing songs with his
own accompaniment, Jacob will find ultimate expression for his musical self with
the words and music he's written. While cementing a musical style, he'll be
wowing the public with an intense, total package of talent.

Jacob is in
it for the duration. He's worked too hard to give it up now.

Catch Jacob
Luttrell at:

The Cutting Room
September 2, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
24th
Street, New York City

EDITOR: MICHELLE ARCE

Writer: Dianne
Austin

Now an entertainment writer, Dianne Austin is a former Social
Worker and teacher living in Southern California. Her present endeavors include
dance, travel and raising a family.