Starting out as a passion project, ‘Stuck In The Mud‘ by Christopher Wyze & The Tellers soon turned into something bigger. We got to talk to Wyze about it all.
Was there a specific moment you realized Christopher Wyze & the Tellers became more than just a passion project?
Well, when you get a #1 hit on a blues chart, it starts to sink in. I say that somewhat jokingly, but in all honesty, I had no idea this project would become a success. We set out to make a studio album. That was the goal, the entire goal. And that made sense. I didn’t have a band, didn’t have a band name, no record label…I hadn’t recorded a single song I’d written. I’d only started writing songs less than a year before we recorded. We had nothing…except a small pile of song lyrics I had written and some iPhone demos that co-writer and producer Ralph Carter and I had cobbled together from the starting point of my lyrics. But I had what I felt were good songs.
I knew I had a great producer and co-writer, and friend in Ralph Carter. He had given me the confidence and encouragement to write songs. And I knew he knew how to make great music. I would have been happy to say that we completed an album of our original songs – never mind accomplishing anything more. But things went in the opposite direction.
We did hit #1 with one of our songs, ‘Back to Clarksdale’, on the Roots Music Report Blues single chart, which is based on worldwide radio play. We hit #1 singles on iTunes Blues in Germany and Mexico. The album, ‘Stuck in the Mud’ and eight of the songs from it, hit multiple blues charts around the world: France, Australia, Canada, Belgium, the U.S., and several global charts.
The blues media gave us lots of love – radio stations, magazines, websites, they wrote reviews of our album and feature stories, and did photo spreads. Our videos have received thousands of hours of views. The album peaked at #2 on RMR in the early fall of 2024. At that point, I began to realize that what had started as a fun passion project had turned into something much bigger with blues lovers all over the world. It’s crazy…the #1 city in the world for listeners to our music is Paris, France. Just crazy. Starting about a year ago, I began devoting virtually full-time to music.
How do you go about evoking a classic blues sound in your music?
It starts with the material…the words and the music we create. And for me, that comes from being a huge blues fan and listener to begin with. After a while, the blues just sort of seep into you. Maybe you start listening casually, and then a bit more. That turns into hours and years of listening to how musicians interpret the blues. Then, you get to the place where the music, the groove, the feel, the message of the blues just becomes part of you. And ultimately, it finds its way into your music.
Evoking the classic blues sound comes from knowing the classic blues sound and what it feels like to hear it and play it. The guys in the band know the blues, so it’s somewhat second nature to us. The rest of the people involved with our music get it, too – starting with our producer, Ralph Carter, who is a big part of creating the sound. There’s also our recording engineers, the mixing, and the mastering. Christopher Wyze & the Tellers is a bunch of folks who feel the music and put their blues into the finished product, whether it’s recorded in the studio or performed live on stage.
Elaborate on your relationship with the Shack Up Inn and the Juke Joint Chapel. What makes these places special to you?
I live in Indiana, but for me, the Shack Up Inn is my other home. From the first time I set foot on the grounds there, about 15 years ago, I felt like I had somehow come home. For those who don’t know, the Shack Up Inn is on the grounds of the old Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale. The centerpiece is the old cotton gin, and inside that, there’s the Juke Joint Chapel Music Hall, along with rooms you can stay in. Strewn around the gin are a bunch of old sharecropper shacks that have been drug onto the grounds from the surrounding area and refurbished to make them into living quarters – cabins, if you will. There’s a grass courtyard strewn with picnic tables and remnants of things from years gone by – farm equipment, vehicles, furniture, junk art, you name it – old stuff that most folks would have probably tossed out. The whole place is a feeling. Anyway, that’s the scene. And I can tell you, if that setting doesn’t give you a flavor for the blues and the history behind it, you don’t have a pulse.
I traveled to Clarksdale and the Shack Up Inn for the first time to attend a week-long blues harmonica camp. At the time, I was fronting a cover band; we played blues. I play the harp some, but I wanted to get better. So, I signed up for the camp. I thought I’d pick up some harp tips and tricks, and I did. But I got way more than that out of my visit. I walked away with a way better handle on the blues and what it was and is all about. And I took that with me and carry it everywhere I go. It’s part of me now.
I met great musicians and teachers: Jon Gindick, RJ Mischo, Cheryl Arena, TJ Klay, Hash Brown (Brian Calway), Richard Sleigh, and Ralph Carter, who became a great friend and mentor for me. Ralph encouraged me not to just play the blues but to start writing blues songs. Ultimately, he and I co-wrote and he produced our two albums. I write most of my lyrics right there at the Shack Up Inn and I continue to go back to play music, to write music, to get together with fellow musicians…and now to record. We recorded and filmed our LIVE in CLARKSDALE album inside the Juke Joint Chapel at the Shack Up Inn.
There’s an undeniable chemistry between everyone on stage.
Yes, and it is so much fun to play with this group. We all love the music of the blues. We all respect each other as musicians and performers…and we all get a kick out of performing live. I love it when folks mention how much fun it looks like we’re having on stage. It tells me that the fun we have is contagious; it infects our audiences. That’s what it’s all about for us.
What was it like to share this momentous moment with Irene Smits on stage?
Well, it was cool, fun, and energizing. Irene lights up the stage…and is such a beautiful songstress. I met her and her husband, Tom, years ago in Clarksdale. I’ve watched their music take shape and evolve…at the same time, my music took shape. They perform and record as Goodnight Irene. The crazy thing is that I had no idea Tom and Irene were in Clarksdale at the time we showed up for the show. I found out the day before we recorded and filmed. They were in town from their home in the Netherlands to play a gig. We somehow connected and I asked Irene if she’d be up for joining us on stage for a song – ‘Stuck in the Mud’. She came to rehearsal the day before the show to run through the song a couple of times. And the next day, she joined us for ‘Stuck in the Mud’ in the live show. What started as a crazy coincidence turned out to be one of the highlights of the live album and video.
What’s been the response to ‘Stuck In The Mud (Live)’, and the greater project so far from your fans and listeners? How do you feel now that this performance is released to the world?
The response has gone beyond our wildest expectations. Going into this project, people told me how tough it is to be successful with a live album. They warned me not to get my hopes up too high. And just like with our debut album, which we did in the studio, my only expectation was to make some great music. I figured if we did that, well…mission accomplished. I felt really good when we finished the studio recording sessions, and felt the same way about the Live in Clarksdale session. I felt like we pulled it off and had done our best. The reception we’ve gotten is icing on the cake. Once again, we made it onto the blues charts around the world, and the album, show video, and documentary film have gotten lots of media coverage and reviews from around the world. And our fan base, listeners, and followers on social media grow by the day. How do I feel? Fantastic!
Is there anything you learned about yourself while crafting this three-part project?
I keep learning, and it’s pretty much the same lesson: have a “why not?” attitude, and good things might just happen for you. I say “might” because there are no guarantees in this world. But it’s hard to do anything of any consequence without first believing you can do it. Shortly after our debut album was released – and we saw the great reaction it was getting – I had this idea, call it more of a dream. I wanted to record and film a live show, and do it at the Shack Up Inn, in the Juke Joint Chapel, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Now keep in mind, at that point, Christopher Wyze & the Tellers was just a studio band – one that had spent a total of five days together in a recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Truthfully, there was no live performing band; it didn’t exist. So, the first thing to do was to put a band together. Then, arrange the gig at the Shack Up Inn, line up the audio and video recording crews, get producer Ralph Carter on board, get Big Radio Records, our label, interested…and on and on. Well, the learning in all of this is that if you think you can do it…well, maybe you can. And if you think you can’t…you definitely can’t.
What do you want the world to know about Clarksdale and its place in blues history?
It’s the hub, the center for the music of the Delta…the blues. In the documentary film we made (WYZE in CLARKSDALE), we take people to the very place where W.C. Handy first heard the blues: Tutwiler, Miss, a few minutes from Clarksdale. Handy took that music he heard at the train station there and popularized it. He gave it to the world. Handy grew up in Clarksdale. So it’s fair to say that Clarksdale and that area of the Delta is where the blues were born. People should know this about the blues – and many do. The whole town and area is steeped in blues music. In the documentary film, I introduce people to some of the history, places and people that make Clarksdale so special in that way. Sadly, Americans seem to be less aware of the importance of Clarksdale than do others from outside the U.S. Take a trip to Clarksdale and on any day of the year, the majority of people visiting are from outside the U.S.A. Europeans, in particular, cherish the blues, and they flock to Clarksdale. He’s something crazy: for our band, Spotify tells us that the #1 city in the world for listeners to our music is Paris, France. Crazy.
Where does Christopher Wyze & the Tellers fit into an emerging blues revival? What can fans look forward to next?
That’s maybe a better question for our fans and the blues media, but it’s looking like we’re right in the thick of it. All of this has made our heads spin to think about what’s happened for our music in just the past year – the Radio play…the media coverage…hitting blues charts in the U.S., Australia, France, Canada, Belgium, iTunes, Mexico, Germany, and several global charts. And now, being nominated for a Blues Blast Music Award for “Best New Artist Debut Album” (fans can vote here)…it’s just amazing to be a part of all the great things happening with blues music around the world.
All of this has come on the strength of one studio album of original music and one live performance as a band…our LIVE in CLARKSDALE album and video. Next for us…we’ve just now gotten the ball rolling on plans for a studio album of all-new, original music. We’re at work to put together a touring schedule of festivals in the U.S. for 2026. We’ve got an outside chance of getting to Europe for some shows next year.
To our fans out there: I want to say, “Hey folks, let those venues and festivals out there know you want them to book Christopher Wyze & the Tellers!” Finally, we continue to put out more and more video content and other goodies on our website and social channels. If you love the blues, join us at our website. When you do, we’ll keep you posted on new music, new videos and tour dates.
You can watch the live video of ‘Stuck In The Mud’ below, and find out more about Christopher Wyze & The Tellers and their music online on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
