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Andy Chase

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Andy Chase’s earliest memories of enjoying music and art date back to his preschool years, but because he grew up an Air Force brat, moving every few years from one end of the country to the other, his creative influences run the gamut.

“I listen to everything from Bach to Led Zeppelin,” he says. “I have a hard time putting boundaries on the creative arts.”

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Andy moved to Amarillo in 1990 from Clovis, New Mexico, where he worked in radio, to take a job doing the morning show at KATP. When the job stopped “being fun,” Andy left radio to pursue a music career.

“I’m eclectic,” he laughs. “I play mostly blues and rock. I guess I’m mostly influenced by Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, the old guys who experimented.”

Since leaving radio, Andy has played everywhere from a recording studio in Nashville to B.B. King’s blues club Los Angeles, and he rarely has to solicit work.

“You just make connections and meet people and it falls together,” he says humbly. “It’s God. It’s a real blessing.”

Andy has four albums to his credit, two secular – Aces, Eights and Angels and Tunes to the Moon – plus a gospel album, Bloodline, and a live album called Live from the Boondocks. He’s currently working on a new album, as well as putting all of his music online for download.

“I just keep working at it. No matter how worn out you get, consistency is key. Even when you think you’re too old to be a musician,” he laughs.

Andy currently plays at 575 Pizzeria, the Blue Sky café, and Leal’s on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays consecutively, leaving the weekends free for traveling shows, church activities, and time with his wife, Danielle, and children, Jessi, 13, and Isaac, 11.

“You know, I’m really interested in pleasing God and making sure my family is provided for,” he says. “The rest of my joy comes from music.”

When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is…whatever Danielle was listening to last, or a very old Jerry Jeff Walker cassette that I keep stashed.

My friends and family call me… Fuzz, Dad, Beautiful Man, Andy Man.

My favorite meal to make from scratch is…Pasta.

In an alternate life, I would’ve been a…Piano Player.

My biggest pet peeve is…Bad drivers.

If I had an open plane ticket to anywhere, I would go to…Jerusalem again.

After a long, hard day, I love to…hang with Danielle and my kids.

One of my favorite childhood toys was…Tonka Toys: the jeep.

One movie I could watch over and over again is…The Milagro Beanfield War.

If I were a character in a book, I would be…King David or Solomon.

The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received is…"Don't worry about tomorrow; let tomorrow worry about itself."

When my children grow up, the one thing I want them to always remember is…God created them to be unique, and that they are totally surrounded by love.

You may be surprised to know that I…Speak survival Turkish and once appeared on an episode of "ER."

One habit I wish I could break is…eating after my gigs- too late to munch.

My guilty pleasure is…The Sons of Anarchy.

I know every word to the song…Well, about a thousand of them last time I tried to count.

If I had the time, I would…Ride my motorcycle from Santa Monica pier to the Chicago stockyards on old Route 66.

My favorite bad-for-me-food is…Fried chicken.

When I get online, I always go to…Ebay.

The thing I love the most about living in Amarillo is…The people that I have loved playing music for going on twenty years now.

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.

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