By way of church, Chad was musically christened in the Pentecostal Church as a young teen, playing feverish southern gospel music alongside many of Fort Worth’s’ most soulful renunciates. He reflects on that period of his musical upbringing fondly, “There were bobby pins flying and women walking on pews talking in tongues . . . I was playing alongside some of the most amazing country, soul, blues and gospel players in Texas. . . One day I was getting cocky on the guitar, playing standing up and the preacher singled me out, put a hand to my forehead and made an example of me preaching on about the evils of vanity.”
This may have been directly related to the dual life Chad was leading, spending his Fridays and Saturdays in the secular blues bars and his Sunday mornings in the house of the Lord. He had begun performing on the Ft Worth scene taking lessons from his father’s friends as well as blues legends, U.P. Wilson and Robert Ealey. At the age of 19, Chad was hired by Texas Diva, Miss Molly to tour with her band. Molly was legendary for her wild ways and on that tour, Chad was inaugurated into the secular scene once and for all.
After his tour with Miss Molly, Chad gained momentum performing alongside legends like Buddy Miles and even did a short run on tour with Robert Earl Keane. He played in a band with his father called “Hot Cotton,” named in tribute to his late grandfather. The Popes and the other members of Hot Cotton toured Texas and Europe. Chad was not satisfied with just one genre of music and was also involved in many other projects over the years ranging from Southern Soul to Jump Blues to Rockabilly to Traditional Country.
In 2007, Chad relocated to Austin, TX and immediately fell into step with one of Austin’s rising songwriters and performers, Wendy Colonna. Wendy’s musical upbringing was also quite diverse and is clearly reflected in her songwriting. Her music resonated with Pope as did not neatly fall into one genre, but it reflected depth and versatility. In 2007, Pope joined Wendy on her Live album “Old New Borrowed & Blue; Live At Antones” and soon after the live album’s release, the two began collaborating on the style and songs for Wendy’s most recent release “We Are One.” “Chad’s an awesome player, he’s got groove and a distinctive soulful sound, but he can cover lots of ground and you can hear that his playing comes directly from the heart.” says Colonna.
In 2011 Chad partnered up with his long time friend, James Hinkle a fellow Fort Worth guitarist and the two formed a power duo called “Daddies JuJu.” They toured the Southeastern US and recorded “The Belgian Sessions” with special guest Eddy de Smul on harmonica on a red-hot debut tour in Europe. In Daddies JuJu, the two guitar-slingers trade off elegantly on both lead guitar and vocals. The CD is intimate, gritty and rich with mojo. In the latter part of 2011, Chad began collaborating with many of Austin’s finest rock and soul artists and formed “Buggaboo” with former “Dertybird” front man, Clayton Colvin and percussionist/songwriter Douglas J. Boyd. The trio’s thick harmonies, slide guitar and deep grooves take listeners to the depths of the delta.
Although Chad Pope’s sound can’t be easily defined, one can hear that he pays tribute to many of his musical heroes in his work. He combines the sexy stutter of Magic Sam, the bold and brash slide of Muddy Waters, the smooth gospel tremolo that defines Pop Staples, the nimble licks that reflect Ike Turner’s rich musicality, the lap steel and baritone of Bakersfield country and the haunting weeping sounds of the resonator guitar. On top of all these musical styles, one can also hear Chad’s distinct and hysterical personality in his playing. Colonna says “He glides across the strings like Casanova and then turns around and pranks you with a lick that’s just a little off - equal parts catchy and rebellious - constantly keeping your ears on point and your focus engaged.”
