His Brighter Shade of the Blues Travels Well : Frankie Lee and his cohorts come in off the road for a moment to bring their gospel-tinged music to Nicholby’s in Ventura.

Are you so lazy you’re just going to lie there until you become a sanitation problem? Or not even answer the door if your sexual fantasy partner is outside with a pizza? Too many rock stars are slothful like this. They take three years to make an album, tour for a few months, start every gig late, then take a few years off.

By contrast, there’s not much moss growing on blues musicians, who always seem to be driving somewhere. Frankie Lee, who will be doing the Blue Monday gig at Nicholby’s in Ventura, may be a bit more energetic than the average bluesman.

Last week, the band drove 900 miles in one night to get to a gig. Nine hundred miles!

Born in Texas in 1941, Lee has lived in Los Angeles, New York and now the Bay Area. He’s driven through all points in between. Many times.

After high school, Lee moved to Austin and was playing the local bar scene when Ike and Tina Turner heard him sing and hired him as a featured vocalist. Later, while living in Houston, Lee had a chance to work with many of his idols, such as Big Mama Thornton, Bobby (Blue) Bland, Clarence (Gatemouth) Brown and Buddy Ace. In 1963, as Little Frankie Lee, he made his first recording, “Full Time Love.”

Next, Lee left the Lone Star State with guitar whiz Albert Collins and toured with him for six years. By 1971, Lee was in L.A., playing with his cousin, Johnny (Guitar) Watson. By 1973, Lee had moved to the Bay Area, as the recurring pattern of his itchy feet became irrefutable. Anyway, Lee hasn’t even slowed down, and now he has a new album to promote: “Going Back Home,” on Blind Pig Records. Lee talked things over before a one-night stand in Winnipeg, Canada.

Nine hundred miles on the road in one night?

I’m on the go, man. We drove from Calgary, Alberta, to Winnipeg--it’s a little more than 900 miles. No, that’s not a record--we’ve done 12 or 13 hundred miles in a (single stretch) before. I’m on the road about nine or 10 months a year, and I’ll be on the road the rest of this year.

What’s up with the new album?

It’s doing good--that’s why I’m on the road. I got to stay ahead of it and keep an eye on it. It’s doing good in Canada, but it’s only been out for a couple of weeks. It’s been getting a lot of press; people are excited and I’m excited. We got the best musicians in the Bay Area for that one. I was going for the gusto. It was an opportunity that I never had before.

How did you get the blues?

I’m doing this because this is what I want to do. I’ve always wanted to do this all my life. I first heard the blues when I was a kid and could first recognize music. Some of my family was into the blues, but I was raised by my grandparents and my grandmother was a big missionary worker in the church. I was brought up very strictly and blues was “the devil’s music.” She wasn’t too enthused with the blues. I used to sneak out and go places for a little while.

Are the blues getting bigger or smaller?

It’s getting bigger every day, man. More and more people are coming to see that the blues are not a downer, but an upper. Youngsters have always felt that blues were down, and I’m bringing another dimension to them. People think blues is about being down and out, holes in your shoes, sleeping outdoors. It’s not true. There’s bigger audiences out there now. Kids come up to me all the time and tell me that this is what they been missing and this is what they want. Only college radio plays the blues, and you know who listens to college radio? College kids. The major stations are playing rap and stuff, but not blues. Even the (Grammy organizers don’t) know what blues is. I looked at the groups that were up for Grammys last year. I don’t know what that stuff was, but it wasn’t blues.

Tell me about Ike and Tina Turner.

I was just thinking about them the other night. That was one of the highlights of my career. I was into their music--that was the kind of stuff I wanted to hear. After I saw their show, I knew that was what I wanted to do onstage. Later that night, I was jamming around Austin and they came to my show. I was like 21 or 22 years old, didn’t know nothin’. He invited me to their hotel and Ike asked me if I could travel. He told me he liked my singing, which gave me a lot of confidence. He gave me that shot of confidence that I needed--it was like a dream come true. I learned stage presence from him. I didn’t know nothin’ about taking a bow, or a standing ovation, what’s that?

You lived in L.A. and now the Bay Area. When the Dodgers come to town, whose side are you on?

I like the Giants, the Dodgers are OK too, but I’m not really that much into baseball. I’m more into football because I played it all through high school. I’ve been a 49ers fan since 1952. Back then they were so bad, they couldn’t beat a high school team. This year, it looks like back to the Super Bowl.

Describe Frankie Lee music.

I’m just like the 49ers--up and down, just like a seesaw. I play more of an R & B style as opposed to a straight-ahead blues. It’s a ‘50s feel with a ‘90s flair. My music has a gospel feel. I’ve never lost that gospel feeling--the seed was planted when I was 2 or 3 years old. I may not get rich, but I won’t go hungry, either.

Tell me about a strange gig.

I’ve had quite a few of those. One time, a long time ago, we played this club in a little town. Victoria, Texas. When we were done, we went into the office to get our money. This guy had money stacked everywhere, and with a big pistol sitting on his desk right in the middle. So he picks up this pistol and says, “I ain’t paying you no money.” We got mad, but we left. We didn’t mess with that guy anymore. I figured if this business is going to be like this, to heck with it.

Anywhere you haven’t been to yet?

Yeah, there is. I want to go to a few places abroad like Norway, Australia and New Zealand. I understand those people are just now learning about the blues.

Details

* WHAT: Frankie Lee

* WHERE: Nicholby’s, 404 E. Main St., Ventura.

* WHEN: Monday, 8:15 p.m.

* COST: Six bucks

* ETC.: Call 646-7230