Kilzer back with Ph.D., divinity degree, new CD

Memphis musician John Kilzer admits it has been a while since he performed in Little Rock, but he has a good excuse, or several, in fact.

After admitting that he is an alcoholic in 2000, there was recovery to go through. Then the former basketball player, who had gotten a master's degree in English from what was then called Memphis State University in the 1970s, decided to get another master's degree, this time in divinity, from the Memphis Theological Seminary in 2005.

But he wasn't through then, going on for a doctorate from Middlesex University in London in 2010, the same year he was ordained and began a recovery ministry at St. John's United Methodist Church in midtown Memphis.

So now he's the Rev. Dr. John Kilzer.

"Just call me John," Kilzer says, laughing. "By the grace of God, I recovered after a bit of alcoholism, and I wanted to then do a lot of things, trying to give back. One of those things is 'The Way,' a Friday night service for people in recovery, which attracts a lot of musicians in Memphis, since it has a 6 p.m. time, and they can go on to gigs or to record or whatever afterwards.

"Then on Sundays, I'm just a regular associate pastor, and I put on my 'Friar Tuck' outfit and help out where needed."

Meanwhile, he has a new CD -- Hide Away -- to promote, and is returning to Little Rock to perform it. Of the dozen songs, Kilzer wrote 11 of them, and co-wrote the other one, "Until We're All Free," with saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who played on the album. Recording the songs was done the old way, where they all played together live in the studio.

The musicians included a couple of the regulars at Kilzer's Friday night services: bassist Sam Shoup and guitarist Steve Selvidge. The others were Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, Lucero's Rick Steff, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bobby Manuel, Kim Trammell and Greg Morrow.

And though he's now a man of the cloth at 57, Kilzer is not interested in his music being lumped in with what is called contemporary Christian music, or praise music. He prefers that his music be heard not just by believers, but also by those who might be helped by hearing it.

Kilzer dedicated his album to a couple of Memphis musical legends: the late Sid Selvidge and the late "Teenie" Hodges, who co-wrote "Take Me to the River" and "Love and Happiness" with Al Green.

"Teenie was one of a kind," Kilzer says. "If it hadn't been for him coming into my dorm room in college, helping me learn to play guitar, I wouldn't have gotten this far in music."

Back before recovery, Kilzer had started an acclaimed singer-songwriter career that included a Top 10 single, "Red Blue Jeans"; his 1988 debut, Memory in the Making; and 1991 follow-up, Busman's Holiday. Touring followed, and he went out as an opening act for Little Feat, The Moody Blues and The Tragically Hip. As he tired of touring, he moved over into writing songs for others, including Dobie Gray, Trace Adkins, Jimmy Davis and Rosanne Cash (who recorded Kilzer's "Green, Yellow and Red").

Accompanying him to Little Rock will be guitarist Joe Restivo, who plays in Memphis band the Bo-Keys.

"He's an extraordinary musician," Kilzer says. "He went to The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and he'll probably bring his electric guitar. I play acoustic. We'll be playing all of the songs on the new album and maybe some of the old stuff."

He adds that he's more likely to do some of his previous songs if requested to do so by Little Rock friends, including Rusty Mathis, general manager of Ben E. Keith Foods, who has long been a friend and supporter.

And after the show, Kilzer and his wife, Stacey, will visit one of their favorite vacation spots: Hot Springs.

Weekend on 11/20/2014