Firstly, are you well? You know something? For a 74-year-old man, I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I’m having with my life.

You toured with and played backing for a lot of legends when you were just a teenager; people like Chuck Berry, James Brown and Ben E King. How did you find yourself rubbing shoulders with these artists at such a young age? Isn’t it odd that we don’t question our karma and our fortune? Look, somebody gives you a call on the telephone. How did they get your number? No idea. ‘Hey man, there’s a gig at so and so. I was wondering if you were free.’ Sure. You show up and who’s the gig for? Chuck Berry. He’s playing in this state fair and you’ve heard of Chuck Berry all your life and you’re like: ‘Oh my god, I’m a kid.’ And then he comes in and he says to you: ‘Look, when I take my headstock and I go up and down like this, you start. And when I take my headstock and I go sideways like this, you stop. You got it?’ Everybody: ‘Yes, Mr Berry.’ Carlos raises his hand and says: ‘Mr Berry, are we going to rehearse?’ Mr Berry whips back and says: ‘Boy, we don’t rehearse rock’n’roll.’

You maintained long, successful professional relationships with the likes of David Bowie and Luther Vandross. How do you achieve longevity when it comes to creative partnerships? You don’t do it through musicality. Musicality is a job… when it’s in the studio, I need creativity and a creative. But when it’s on tour, I basically need somebody I like. Why? Every great musician can listen to the song and cover the part. But who do you want to go with on the road for six months? Not that guy that when he stops at the bar, all you want to do is say: ‘You shut the hell up.’

You’ve done so much in your career; you’ve played on 32 gold or platinum records Well, more than that, but we don’t want to brag!

Apologies. You’ve worked with countless influential artists. Do you ever resent how much of the coverage you receive focuses on the Bowie era? Because I was a minister’s son, in a strange way I kind of was meant to serve. And so my basic premise is very simple: all bragging rights belong to the boss. I don’t need bragging rights. The bragging rights that I give are my performance.

You were a professor of music and technology at college for many years. What was the most important teaching you passed on to your students? Your best teacher was your last mistake.

What has compelled you to get The DAM Trio back together and head out on tour? I want to represent something that I’ve been listening to all my life. That’s the same attitude that the fans have when they come to see the show. They want to be 22 again. They want to be 24. Our lead singer has a problem: why? Everybody knows all the words to every damn song. They have been living with this David Bowie all their lives. And you know what? They’re gonna sing along and you’re not gonna stop them. And they’re gonna be with their people. The same people who love that period. What can you expect from the show? The only thing I want you to accept is that we are going to have fun. There should be no other reason for you to go see a concert if it’s not for you to have fun; for your adrenaline to be pumping as fast as mine; for your pacemaker to be going: ‘You better stop jumping around!’; for you to be able to say: ‘You see, son, that’s my music’… and understand that yes, there are certain things that are once in a lifetime chances. I have no intention of repeating this tour. Why? The DAM Trio is available now! Why don’t you let tomorrow speak for itself? There’ll be plenty of cover bands. We are not a cover band. We are the band.

What does your tour rider look like in 2025? My rider looks like no expectations. Ask for nothing and you get everything. My rider is that I’m doing a tour under the lowest circumstances necessary… just want the legacy to be shared. The legacy of The DAM Trio, the memory of [drummer] Dennis Davis and your own legacy to finally understand why you started, why y’all started this so long ago and why we’re still together. Once we see each other on stage, we’re going to relive those moments and you know what? You’ll see David (Bowie) because you’ll hear David, and if you can hear David, then you’ll feel David; and then if you feel David, then David is still with us, and that’s all we do this for.

The DAM Trilogy is touring the UK and Ireland until Monday 1 December.