From Michigan to Morocco, Cadillac’s Luke Winslow-King embraces diversity

Luke Winslow-King has embraced a wide array of sounds and influences since growing up in Cadillac.

First, it was Michigan’s thriving folk scene, followed by 15 years in New Orleans, steeped in the wondrous and tantalizing milieu of jazz, Delta blues, Cajun music and more, before moving overseas to the picturesque and inspiring environs of Spain.

“Just to have that dry air and to have these beautiful mountains and open space — those kinds of things really do influence an artist and a songwriter,” the singer and guitarist said in a recent interview with Local Spins from his home in Spain’s Aragon region.

“Having that space and that sense of peace has really led me to being more productive and more relaxed and given me the freedom to explore different approaches with my music.”

But nothing he’d ever experienced quite prepared him for the unusual rhythms and musical approach of artists in Morocco’s Sahara Desert. 

After his longtime collaborator and Italian guitarist Roberto Luti began working with “desert blues” artists in the region, Winslow-King — who has a 10-year relationship with the Playing for Change Foundation that aims to “create positive change through music and arts education” for marginalized youths — traveled to Morocco to complete a two-year project that transformed his 2016 song, “I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always” into a world music masterpiece. 

The reimagined version of the tune with the Joudour Sahara Music School features lyrics sung in three languages and participation by artists from Morocco, Mali, Western Sahara and elsewhere, along with Luti and Winslow-King.

“Just to see their style and ornaments and the way they do their trills is just completely foreign to me,” he said. “It was just an incredible experience to work with these artists and to try to understand how they hear music and try to share our sense of rhythm and timing with them.

“It's so foreign. It's as foreign as the language, the way that they hear the timing and the cadence of music and where the phrases land. It's so hard to translate that. So this song, I feel was a big victory for both of us, that we were able to speak each other's language, get all the languages and timings and instruments to work together to finally finish this recording.”

Partly recorded at a desert bivouac camp near the oasis village of M’hamid El Ghizlane, the single and accompanying music video — released last month to “celebrate unity, resilience and a renewed fair in brighter tomorrows” — so far has racked up more than 52,000 views on YouTube and about 46,000 listens on Spotify. 

“It was two years in the making, so we're really excited for that to see the light of day and have such a great response out there in the world.”

Of course, Winslow-King also has a soft spot for his home state and frequently returns to Michigan for tours every year — a chance to “come home and see some family and friends” along with “a more intimate solo tour.” 

He wrapped up a brief Michigan tour with The Go Rounds’ Graham Parsons and special guests over Thanksgiving week, giving his home-state fans a chance to toast his success. 

“I know for certain I wouldn't have made it this far without the support and the group of musicians and music fans we have back home in Michigan. So I want to send a shout-out to all my people in northern Michigan and throughout the state that have supported me for all these years. I'm forever grateful,” he said.

“So that's one of the reasons that I always try to come back to my home state and play music, even if I'm living over in Europe.”

Winslow-King even played a show on Nov. 22 in his hometown of Cadillac — where he was influenced as a teem by artists such as Jimi Hendrix and The Allman Brothers — playing “for all my teachers in high school and the mayor and everybody I know back from town. So it does put a little bit of pressure on you. It's kind of a milestone,” he said. 

“You have to come home and show people where you've been and what you've been up to. So like I said, I'm really grateful for the support and excited about it.”

Winslow-King also hinted at a soon-to-be-announced new recording, the follow-up to his 2024 Bloodshot Records release, “Flash-A-Magic,” with plans for performing several of those fresh songs on this Michigan tour.

“I’m excited about it,” he said of the new album that he noted will show “the influence of nature and how precious it is in this life.” 

— Find more Michigan music news and concert listings at LocalSpins.com. Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.