Lil' Fallay

Interview 18 December 2002

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AN A HERRRRRRRRRE WE GO

Hi Chris or can I call you Lil!! How you doing and where does the name come from? Have you always used that for your material

YES LIL FALLAY WILL DO IT'S PRONOUCEDUCED FALL-- LAY SAY IT A COUPLE OF TIMES. LIL FALLAY IS THE SAME AS SAYING WHATS UP LIL' BROTHER. MY EX BROTHER-N-LAW GAVE ME THAT NAME. THEY CALL EACH OTHER THAT BACK WHEN HE WAS IN COLLEGE AT GRAMBILING.

Your 'CV' states that you are many things - Tell me a bit about each of them. Your family life, your upbringing, where you from, where you are now - "A husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend "

WELL LET'S START WITH BEING A MAN NOT A BOY IN A MAN'S BODY. I ACT, THINK AND REACT AS A MAN SHOULD. A HUSBAND FOR 19 YEARS, A FATHER FOR 18 YEARS, A SON FOR 40 YEARS, A MUSICIAN FOR 20 ENTREPRENEURIAL-ISM HAS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE FOR EVER.

Your mother died when you were very young

I'M THE BABY BOY OF SEVEN CHILDREN, LOST MY MOTHER @ THE AGE OF 3 YEARS OLD. RAISED BY MY FATHER, GRAND MOTHER AND GRAND FATHER WHEN DADDY WAS AT WORK. I'M
FROM LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA BORN AND RAISED. I NOW LIVE IN SCOTT, LOUISIANA. I BUILT MY FAMILY A HOME 8 YEARS AGO A LIL HORSE RANCH ON 6 1/2 ACRES.

Your day job - or night I guess - 'firefighter'

FIREFIGHTING FOR 14 YEARS.

Your music - "recording artist, musician, music producer, event promoter, CEO of an Independent record label" We'll delve into this a bit deeper in a minute

I STARTED RECORDING WHEN I WAS 16 YEARS OLD WITH A BAND CALL FUTURE. AS A MUSICIAN I PLAYED KEYS AND PERCUSSIONS. HELP PRODUCED A YOUNG LADY NAME DONNA
ANGELLE HER STYLE WAS ZYDECO. I PROMOTE CONCERTS FOR MYSELF AND OTHER ARTIST IN MY STYLE OF MUSIC. I'VE ALWAYS RAN MY OWN COMPANIES, WHETHER IT'S MY
INVESTMENT GROUP, MUSIC COMPANY, MANAGEMENT COMPANY.

A local figure - 'civic community leader, social voice'

AS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE FIRE DEPARTMENT I HELD THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT VP, AND PARLIMENTARY. WE HELP EDUCASAFETYE COMMUNITY ABOUT
FIRE SAFTY AND WE ARE MENTORS TO KIDS IN SCHOOL.

Let's concentrate on the music - music was a big part of your upbringing yes? What kind of things went on, who were your early influences. I guess we're heavy into late sixties early seventies Southern Soul

YES MUSIC WAS A BIG PART OF MY UP BRINGING. I HAD A LOT OF INFLUENCES FROM BLACK ARTIST TO WHITE ARTIST. IT WAS ALWAYS AN EVERYDAY EVENT TO DANCE TO MUSIC BEING TRIED IN OUR HOME.

We're you playing anything at a young age, or was it all junk yard! You knew pretty early that music was where you were gonna be headed?

I TRIED ACCORDIAN BUT NEVER LEARN IT. I KNEW MUSIC WAS GONNA BE A PART OF MY LIFE FOREVER.

You then picked up with a high school band, what was that like, what were they called, you actually put something down didn't, what was that, any success.

THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND WAS A GREAT TIME IN MY LIFE THERE WERE GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS (LOL) THE HIGH OF BEING AN ENTERTAINER ON STAGE AND THE REACTION OF THE CROWD. THE NAME OF THE BAND WAS FUTURE. WE HAD A SINGLE, AND IT WAS PASS OFF AS A HIT IN OUR LIL TOWN. NAME OF THE SONGS WERE I JUST CAN'T CARE FOR YOU AND MEMORIES. WE PLAY HIGH SCHOOL PROMS AND OTHER DANCES, CLUBS, TALENT SHOWS AND SOLD ABOUT 1000 COPIES OF OUR SONGS.

Tell us a bit more about what happened next, the local scene , the bands you were with, music styles, any recordings- do you still have them, what do they sound like today. Anything we might know ,cos you know we dig deep over here in the UK!

THE BAND MEMBERS STARTED GETTING A LIL JEALOUS YOU KNOW ALL THAT ATTENTION I WAS GETTING BEING THE FRONT MAN AN ALL THOSE GIRLS. (LOL) TROUBLE SNUCK IN AND WE SPLIT UP. SOME WENT ONE WAY AND SOME STAY WITH ME. BUT THAT ENDED ALSO. SO I START PLAYING WITH OTHER GROUPS SUCH AS TEDDY LEWIS & HIGH LIFE, NIGHT LIFE, CHAPTER 4 AND KROSS FYRE. BUT I ALWAYS SEEM TO GET MY SELF IN TROUBLE YOU KNOW THOSE GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS THEN THEY WOULD BREAK UP. WAS IT ME OR WAS IT JUST ME (LOL) SOME WERE RECORDING BANDS, SOME WERE CLUB BANDS. I STILL HAVE LYRICS ON THOSE RED CHIEF NOTE BOOKS. MY STYLES VARY FROM BLUES/SOUL, R&B, ZYDECO.

Tell us about your Cousin Rick Williams and how this inspired you on........what time would this be?

RICK WAS MY OLDIES AUNT'S(MY MOTHER'S SISTER) SON. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN MUSIC BUT I NEVER PERFORMED WITH HIM. BUT IN THE MID PART OF 1999 WE TOUR A LOT TOGETHER WITH THIS ZYDECO BAND. THE LEADER WAS STARTING TO GET SOME REQUEST FROM PROMOTERS OUT OF THE UK SO WE KNEW IT WAS COMING TO A SLOW END. SO WE START WORKING ON SOME OF OUR OWN MUSIC WE HAD A TIGHT ASS BAND AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO BREAK UP. BUT AFTER A TRIP TO ATLANTA, GA WE CAME HOME ON APRIL 19,2000 AND RICK
DIED THE VERY NEXT MORNING. SO I KNEW IT WAS TIME TO GET MY PROJECT OUT BEFORE I MET THE SAME FAITH.

Out of all this came your first album Dreams Do Come True. How did this go down. What do you think looking back, you pleased with it. Any reaction from overseas UK, Japan maybe. It's still available yes? I'm coming home is the track for me. What did you do to promo it, do you do gigs, do you have a band? You control it all yourself?

I TOOK ABOUT $10,000.00 OUT OF THE FAMILY SAVINGS AND COMPLETED THE FIRST PROJECT. MY WIFE IS A GREAT WOMAN AND SHE'S ALLLLLLLL MINE. (LOL). I ATE, SLEPT,
WALK AND TALK THIS PROJECT I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THE ENDING RESULTS. I SOLD OUT OF THE TRUNK OF MY CAR AND OFF STAGE AND ON WEBSITES LIKE WWW.CDBABY AND
AMAZON.COM AND CDNOW.COM SOLD SOME CDS IN THE UK AND JAPAN BUT NEVER GOT A BIG BITE. I'M TALKING WITH SOME GUY IN SWITZERLAND AND I ALWAYS CLOSE MY SHOW WITH I'M COMING HOME (wait for me)

I SET UP A WEB-SITE TOLD ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND DID AS MANY BIG AND SMALL SHOWS I COULD. I TOURED WITH A NINE PIECE BAND CALL GRAND SLAM MY WIFE COLLECTS THE MONEY AT MY DOOR JOBS AND MY SON SELLS MY PRODUCTS. I STILL MY HANDS IN EVERYTHING. (LOL)

Then what was it - a couple of years till the next one 'Taste Me'. Still very Southern but incorporating love songs, and some dance music. How's this one going. Which cuts seem to be getting the best reaction. Can I dance
with you I think is great...and Swing it which also appears on the first album.

ONE YEAR 3 MONTHS LATER I RELEASE MY 2ND PROJECT TASTE ME IT'S DOING VERY WELL WITH THE SOUTHERN REGION AND VERY GOOD ON INTERNET SALES ALL OVER THE UK.THE
SONG CAN I DANCE WITH YOU IS BEING PLAYED ON AMERICAN BLUES NETWORK A SYNICATED SHOW ON 32 RADIO STATIONS. SWING IT IS MY SIGNATURE SONG. THEY CALL ME THE SWING
OUT MAN.(LOL)

You did the whole album yourself, tell me about your writing, there's the serious relationship side of things but there's humor too. How has your work progressed from the first one.

FROM FINANCE, TO WRITER, I DID IT ALL. I WROTE TASTE ME THE SONG BECAUSE I WANTED THE PEOPLE TO KNOW I WAS ABLE TO WRITE A GROWN UP SONG. BY THE WAY I DROP THE BOY TO MY STAGE NAME. THIS BIZ WILL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU REAL QUICK LIKE. I WROTE TONS OF MUSIC FOR THE FIRST ALBUM SO I WAS ABLE TO JUST PICK SOME SONGS FOR THE 2ND ONE.

Who else helped you out

MY CO-PRODUCERS ARE VES FROM LAFAYETTE,LOUISIANA AND DONALD JENKINS FROM ORANGE,TEXAS.

You've been doing some gigs, how are they going and where have they taken you. Tell me about some of the people you're working with - like Larry, Lead Singer Of The Bar-Kays, Mel Waiters, he's a blues man isn't he, Sir Charles Jones is up and coming, perhaps I should make contact, Tyron Davis, Big Cynthia, Sheba Potts Wright, Lattimore, Ernie Johnson. Some of these I don't know but it must be great to work with Tyrone Davis and Latimore. Sheba is getting some good reaction in the UK right now.

I HAVE DONE SO MANY CONCERTS SINCE LAST YEAR. TRYON DAVIS AND LARRY THE LEAD SINGER OF THE FUNK GROUP THE BAR-KAYS AND MIKE COOPER OF THE FAME GR0UP CON FUNK SHUN. THESE PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS IN MY LIFE BUT TO PLAY ON THE SAME STAGE WAS UNBELIEVABLE (LOL) SMILING
BEING A HOT THANG IN MY LOCAL ERA HAS ALLOWED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY FESTIVALS , HOLIDAY BALLS, RADIO STATIONS ANNUAL CONCERTS, TV AND RADIO TALK SHOWS.

Anybody out there that I should be looking out for?

SIR CHARLES IS HOT RIGHT NOW AND SHEBA POTTS WRIGHT IS A GREAT PERFORMER.

Anything else you'd like to say.

IN CLOSING LET ME SAY THIS. BOOTLEGGING FOR PERSONAL USE IS AT A MINIMUM ACCEPTED BUT BOOTLEGGING FOR PROFIT IS AGAINTS THE LAW AND EVERYONE WHO DOES IT
SHOULD BE THROWN IN JAIL PERIOD. I PRAY THAT EVERYONE WHO BUY MY ALBUM ENJOY THE MUSIC. I PRAY THEY ENJOY IT SO MUCH, THEYWILL TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT. KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS AND I WILL KEEP YOU IN MINE.

Good luck and thanks for your time - stay in touch

BEST REGARDS,
LIL' FALLAY

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