Double Page Spread Article

Darwin Thomas Henry. How many times a day do we hear this name? Ten, eleven? The name on everyone’s lips, whether if it’s whispered or shouted, spoken or sung Darwin Henry Thomas is the man of the moment. Born into a poor family in the dusty depths of baked Oklahoma he has risen throughout the musician ranks to our suburban shores. His rock and rolling across the US of A has taken our colonial cousins by storm, number one album of 2010, best new comer and many other prestigious awards sit in Mr Thomas’s trophy cabinet. It is an honour to say that this uber-star now sits before my eyes, let us get to know the man behind the name, behind the legend.

Let’s start at the beginning shall we? Being born into a poor family in Oklahoma how did you get in touch with your musical side?

Thanks for the poor family remark there (Chuckles). Well I had been brought up to be a farmer so I was pretty oblivious to the rock scene, when I got my first guitar that’s when it all began. I played and played this instrument until my fingers were sore and bruised (Laughing), that’s commitment, you know what they say practice makes perfect.

You thank your father for his support during your upbringing, how did he help get you where you are today?

My dad was against me taking up guitar at first, he had envisioned me taking over the family buisness of farming, but i had other plans. I was passionate for rock and roll from a young age and I persisted. I played my guitar as loud as I could every single day and in the end he came upstairs and gave me a long speech about how he would always be supporting me.

We all know that you graduated from the famous Julian music school in New York, what was it like studying there?

It was hard; I’m not going to lie it was very hard. I had nagged by parents to get me enrolled there and when I finally persuaded them to let me go I was terrified. I had only had a few lessons and the next thing I knew I was going to a music school! Yeah I spent four years there, I didn’t even get to come home because it was too far, but I tried my hardest and started playing at venues around the area.

What helped you take the massive leap from playing small venues to gigs around the country? I mean that doesn’t really happen overnight.

Yeah you know your right there, when I was younger that’s all I dreamed about was playing in front of large audiences, I used to play gigs in front of my younger brother and sister at home you see. At Julian I got noticed by some of the teachers as having a lot of potential, so they lined me up at the local bar and it all kicked off from there. It took a lot of hard work and months of playing but before I knew it I was performing at stages like Rock the Zoo in Phoenix and Rock Fest in Wisconsin. That’s where I made my break through.

How does it feel to be sitting here in England talking about your music? It must be a bit different than the USA.

Erm the weathers different if that’s for sure! (Laughing) Nah I’m only joking, yeah it’s very strange actually. Just getting off the plane was weird for me, this is the first time I’ve ever been abroad so... And I’m advertising my music so I’ve still got work to do but I love playing, only got 3 more days until my tour starts so I’m cramming in as much sightseeing as possible. Like I said this is a different world that I’m used to now, I mean I get recognised by many people in the street now, what can I say I’m here in beautiful London living the dream.

Your first album “Dear Father,” was a huge hit, what was the thought behind that?

Well I just wanted to thank my dad for all his support during my career; he’s always been there for me. I did it just to show him how important he is in my life, like my first hit single “Creek”, much of the lyrics explain the place where I was brought up, the harshness of the place and how my family brought me up to survive. The comma after the Dear Father is made out to be like I am writing a letter; it makes it personal to a lot of people.

You seem like a very down to earth guy, have you got any other artists you would like to work with? There has been a lot of speculation about you and Tinie Tempah performing a duet.

Yeah, me and Tinie have spoken on the phone and we both agreed that we would like to perform together. I would like with some artists who are big in the British charts at the moment like Tinie Tempah, even though we sing different music styles we would like to collaborate.

I mentioned earlier that your tour of the U.K starts in 3 days, what are you looking forward to most during the tour?

I know it sounds cheesy but I can’t wait to play in front of my fans here. I know that my music is quite popular here and I’ve never been here before. I honestly came to show my fans that I don’t need to stick to one country; I want to acknowledge my support coming from the U.K. I’m looking forward to performing at festivals such as Glastonbury; that will be a highlight in my career. Overall I’m over the moon just to be in this situation.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say good luck, and I can’t wait to see you perform live, everyone knows you renowned for your live performances. Thanks for speaking to fiftyone magazine today and I wish you well for the future.

Thanks very much for having me; I never once thought I would be appearing in such a big magazine as fiftyone. It was an honour to be here today and look forward to touring this beautiful country. Thanks again.