For nearly 20 years, Andrew “Blaze” Thomas has been a full-time professional drummer playing with some of the biggest blues acts in the world, including Grammy nominee Billy Branch, Ana Popovic, Mississippi Heat, and Nigel Mack & The Blues Attack.
Now, Thomas’ has found a new rhythm – as a historian.
Thomas is pursuing his master’s degree in history at Illinois State University. His thesis is an oral history of Black musicians talking about race, based on his interviews with Chicago-area talent. Thomas said it’s the first research of its kind.
“Blues is a Black heritage music, but it’s no secret that it’s been commodified and the business is controlled by white people. White people are the majority of the award recipients and they’re the majority of the lucrative record-label contracts in blues, while Black people are being marginalized and excluded from all these big-time opportunities in music,” Thomas said.
It’s a world and a dynamic that Thomas knows well.
He grew up on Chicago’s west side and has been drumming since he was literally a toddler – when he’d yank pots and pans out of his family’s kitchen cabinets and play them with a wooden spoon. His first paying gig was at church, and he made a full-time go of it in 2004 after college. He's even written a book with practical advice for finding a career in music.
Thomas’ big pivot came in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic pressed pause on live music. Thomas started getting more active on social media, including posting drumming videos to YouTube.
Then, George Floyd was murdered.
“That really gave me an awakening to my fan base and to a lot of people I was entertaining. I was using my platform to talk about social justice, and I realized a lot of my fans did not like that. I thought that they really, really cared about me and loved my music so much. But it turns out, they were just tolerating my talent and tolerating me because they enjoyed my talent. But I felt like they didn’t really care about me personally. It’s like the old saying: They love my rhythm but not my blues."
Most of his fans were white.
“I didn’t understand why so many of my fans who I would assume loved Black people could love the music so much but not care about Black people at all,” Thomas said.
Thomas was angry. But he felt getting educated – pursuing his master’s – might quell that frustration.
As he finishes his thesis, Thomas also chairs the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project, which has been around for over 40 years. Next, Thomas plans to pursue his Ph.D. He wants to be a historian and a teacher.
“There are not enough people who look like me who are historians. I think we need more Black representation in education. I also believe blues and blues history should be taught in our school systems. Blues history should be part of our pedagogy. Oftentimes, we don’t (realize) that without blues, there would be no other styles of American music,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ deeper consideration of race and history has also influenced how he writes and performs music.
“It’s made me more sensitive to blues lyrics. Understanding blues history, now I listen to the music a bit differently. I approach the music a bit differently. When I’m writing music, I’m writing it in reference of my ancestors. The more history I know of Black heritage, the more I’m able to connect with the music of my ancestors.”
One example, he said, is Buddy Guy’s song “Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues.” Thomas has performed with Guy before.
“Now that I know the history of Cobra Records – it was this ephemeral Chicago blues label. It was only in existence for five years in the late 1950s, from around 1955 to around 1960. Then it was over with. They put out major, major artists. Just understanding Buddy Guy’s history, to understand that he came up from the south during the Great Migration. Every time I listen to his music, now that I understand the history and his history, it makes me appreciate it a lot more.”
