By Kathy Oswalt-Forsythe
Dan Ouellette counts himself lucky to have two rewarding positions: a Vicksburg High School English teacher and a founding member of local blues band, the Out of Favor Boys. It’s been an interesting mix, one that Ouellette enjoys.
Ouellette has always been a reader and a music lover, and he credits his family for those interests. His dad, a union electrician, and his mom, a homemaker, provided a supportive home rich in literacy and music. Ouellette learned to read at an early age. “I always loved reading, and I remember reading a lot as a boy—anything and everything.” He recalls his parents keeping his bedroom shelf full of books. He was also an excellent student. “I always did well in school, and I felt connected to my English teachers,” he says. Both influenced his path to becoming a teacher.
Ouellette says his family stressed the importance of school, and “it was always assumed I would go to university.” He was the first in his family to graduate from college. To make it possible, he and his parents all worked extra jobs and Ouellette secured some loans to pay for his education. “They supported me in every way they knew how.”
As for guitar skills, Ouellette is mostly self-taught. When he was a child, his older brother, Joe, was taking guitar lessons, so there was a guitar in the house. When Joe got a new one for Christmas in 1979, Ouellette had more access to the old one. Joe taught him a few chords and they both started playing from an old song book. Joe eventually gave up the guitar, but Ouellette says by age 7 he was hooked.
By 9 or 10, Ouellette looked at a chord diagram and “guessed that’s where I’m supposed to put my fingers.” He already could pluck some melodies and began adding some chords. When he was fourteen, Ouellette met one of his dad’s co-workers, who showed him chords and their relationships. “That opened up a door for me.”
About that time, Ouellette’s oldest brother gave him lots of cassette tapes, including Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and The Who, and Ouellette began playing along. “I came to realize that if I played in a certain area of the guitar’s neck, most of the notes sounded okay, and I could kind of ‘solo.’ I know now I was discovering scales.”
After watching BB King on the Cosby Show, reading guitar magazines and listening to other artists, Oullette realized that he “loved the blues and I really began to feel like I was understanding the guitar.” Gradually, the quality of his instruments improved from beginning guitars—which are hard to play—to better quality guitars, thanks to gifts over the years from his parents.
During his studies at Western Michigan University, Ouellette connected to several students who shared his love of blues music. Their friendship and passion for the blues grew, and from these relationships, the current roster of The Out of Favor Boys developed.
Joel, a vocalist, guitarist, and bandmate for nearly twenty years, lived down the hall. Ouellette says Joel bought a cheap acoustic guitar; they started playing and soloing and accompanying. They started going to blues jam sessions at Wonderful’s in Kalamazoo, which Ouellette eventually helped host. He joined The Crossroads Blues Band and became a part of the Kalamazoo State Theater’s Thursday night blues concert series. Ouellette describes the blues community as supportive and encouraging to new artists and groups. “There is a tradition in the blues world of musicians going out after their show to see local bands. There’s another tradition of local bands asking touring musicians to sit in with them for a few songs.”
Around 2002-2003, Ouellette, Joel – who had recently moved back to town – and a local sax player connected with a keyboard player, a drummer, and a bass player. This ensemble became the first roster of the Out of Favor Boys. They quickly began recording, writing music, and securing gigs on weekends. They took over the Thursday Jam Session at Wonderful’s, eventually moving to the 411 Club. Continued practice, commitment and local exposure increased the band’s opportunities over the years.
Oullette says that Kalamazoo’s music scene has always been strong and was historically a “gas gig” for touring bands. Bands booked shows in Chicago and Detroit, and being situated halfway between the two, Kalamazoo was seen as an opportunity to play a smaller show that would help cover touring expenses.
“As far as blues, Kalamazoo has mostly benefited from its proximity to Chicago. Many of the people that we’ve been able to jam with have been Chicago artists. Of course, Chicago has been one of the most important centers for post-war electric blues. Blues bands don’t make much money from album sales or music licensing or publishing. They make their money from touring.”
Over the years, the band has shared the stage with many musicians, some famous. Tab Benoit, Three Dog Night, and Frankie Ballard are some of the headliners that the Out of Favor Boys have opened for and played with. Again, Ouellette’s hours of practice allow him to step onstage and jam with full-time guitarists in front of hundreds of fans. This seems impossible and intimidating for most people, but Ouellette explains, “I learned to play blues in jam sessions. It works the same whether it’s with a buddy in a dorm room or in the basement at Wonderful’s or on the stage at the Kalamazoo State Theater. The same musical basics and unspoken communications work in any setting on any scale.”
Ouellette is also a songwriter, and his work appears on several of the group’s albums. The band is again enjoying performing live, after a nearly two-year pause because of COVID.
Ouellette has taught at Vicksburg High School for 23 years, and while balancing classroom responsibilities with band commitments can be challenging at times, the band’s creative outlet has refreshed and benefitted him.
“I still feel very lucky that I’ve been able to pursue two of my passions for all of these years — teaching and playing music. I’ve been able to share and relate the two worlds and make valuable connections with many students throughout my career through music. I’m not ready to give either up any time soon.”
More information can be found at www.outoffavorboys.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
The band’s music is available on all streaming services.