Adventures in Greaseland: Kid Andersen

Guitarist, songwriter and producer Christoffer “Kid” Andersen is a blues traveler. His musical journey began in his native Norway; taking up the guitar at age 11, he was inspired by the blues when he saw a TV news story on the 1996 Notodden Blues Festival. “It was only about ten seconds of Richard Cousins and Robert Cray,” he recalls. “But I remember seeing it and thinking, ‘That’s blues? That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!’” His future became clear then and there.

Andersen doesn’t remember when he decided he’d eventually move to the United States. “I just knew that if I wanted to do this in a manner that meant something to me, I would have to go to where it came from.” He noticed that a lot of top blues players came from the West Coast, so after forging a friendship with band leader Terry Hanck, he moved to California in March 2001. “I’ve been in the Bay Area ever since,” he says.

In addition to acclaimed and high-profile guitar spots in a number of bands (including with Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite, and in Rick Estrin & the Nightcats) Andersen is the go-to producer in today’s blues scene. With more than 80 production credits to his name, Andersen has established his Greaseland Studios as a premier facility to capture the authentic sound and vibe of today’s blues artists. His schedule is so packed that many years passed between his last solo album and his most recent, half of a double LP with wife Lisa, Spirits and Soul.

With modesty, Andersen insists that he’s still a student of the blues. “If you really want to start learning about something,” he says, “the first thing you’ve got to learn is: You don’t know anything.”