The Cash Box Kings are an up and coming blues band dedicated to carrying on the spirit of the 1940's and 1950's post-war blues sound. The band showcases the music of Chess Records and Sun Records luminaries such as Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and the Howlin' Wolf as well as lesser known artists such as Robert Nighthawk and Eddie Taylor, The CBKs also delve into the Mississippi Delta sounds of blues men like Charley Patton, Son House, Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside. The group rounds off their musical offerings with a healthy dose of original music that captures the essence of the Memphis and Chicago blues sounds of the 40's and 50's.
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Rock / southern rock / indie rock
Members: Paul Gerdts- Vocals, Patrick Bitbol- Guitars, Brother Sal- Guitars/Vocals, Chris Ball- Bass, Andrei Koribanics- Drums
A glorious return to the blues-driven, from-the-gut Rock and Roll that has been sadly missing from the world for far too long, Ghost & the Big Sky is a musical powerhouse built for performance. Original members Paul Gerdts (vocals) and Patrick Ruben Bitbol (guitar) have been composing soulful, musical stories together for years and formed a band to tell them. The band went through several line-ups as different faces entered and exited, but with the addition of Brother Sal (guitar/vocals) as a third songwriter, the vision really started to take shape. In the summer of 2011, long-time musical partners Chris Ball (bass) and Andrei Koribanics (drums) were recruited to lay anchor and complete the equation.
Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood & The Destroyers
The biggest song on this album is "Bad To The Bone" which has been a major hit for George Thorogood for as long as I can remember. "Bad To The Bone" is the 5th studio album for Thorogood and went Gold. You can also hear Rolling Stones sideman Ian Stewart on keyboards. I've been a long time follower of Thorogood. His songs have always got me singing along. Is that what good music really does? - Bluesdaddy
This sibling trio from San Angelo, TX finds it's inspiration from blues, Tex-Mex, rock, conjunto and tejano music. Henry Garza is both guitarist and lead singer of the three with an exceptional bassist in JoJo Garza and equally as talented is Ringo Garza. Their signature sound is rooted in their father's band the Falcones while they were growing up. They're unique sound in vocals as a chorus group is not to be underestimated. I first discovered Los Lonely Boys in 2003 when this album came out and I checked them out in concert at Gilley's in Ft. Worth and they did not disappoint. This is a must collection in your greatest albums list. - Bluesdaddy
I first heard Kenny Burrell after reading an article that he was one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's favorite artists. Kenny is a pure jazz guitarist who covers a wide musical spectrum. Have a listen, I'm sure you'll agree that Mr. Burrell is in a class all by himself! - Bluesdaddy
"Dennis McClung is the Blues Hall of Fame Ambassador to the State of West Virginia."
-Daniel S. Merolt, Blues Hall of Fame
ARTIST BIO
From the hometown of Blues Piano Great 'Johnnie Johnson', Dennis McClung Blues Band plays blues you can use! If you like B.B. King, Ray Charles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Chicago Blues then you'll love the Dennis McClung Blues Band! Their CD "Prisoner Of The Blues" can be purchased on the web at: www.cdbaby.com/cd/mcclungbluessy
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, but now living in the same hometown which celebrated the legendary blues pianist, the late Johnnie Johnson, blues guitarist Dennis McClung started listening to Fats Domino at the age of three. Since then, blues music has entwined itself around his soul, and it's his undying passion for the blues that keeps the Dennis McClung Blues Band playing. McClung embraces the emotions behind the music and believes that breathing life into these emotions is what gives the blues its real soul.
McClung has won many awards, including being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and being selected as Blues Ambassador for West Virginia. Called "a force of nature," "the real deal," and "the genuine article," McClung recorded his first CD, "Prisoner of the Blues," in 1998 as a testimony to the emotionally tough events in life. BluesWax, the world's largest virtual blues publication, addressed the authenticity of this release by saying it was "tasty blues, served up hot and intense...the kind you'd like to feast on in a hot, smoky club. Prisoner of the Blues has a quality sound that is hard to come by."
Blues Revue magazine also caught "the real deal" by saying, "This CD finds its power in McClung's potent voice and precise stinging lead guitar. If you asked me to guess where the Dennis McClung Blues Band hailed from, based only on the groups' sound, my answer would be some Windy City tavern....that's the pulse it has its finger on."
Thanks for listening and supporting this artist! - Bluesdaddy
Genres: Blues / Classic Rock
Label: Ruf Records
Management: Peter Carson, Peter Carson Productions, peter@petercarsonproductions.com, Promoagogo
ARTIST BIO
Born in Toronto, Canada, to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, Gomes began playing guitar in his early teens and was drawn to the blues sounds of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. While hoing his skills in the blues bars at night, Gomes earned a Master's Degree from the University of Toronto in the 'Racial Evolution of Blues'.
He relocated to Chicago in the late '90s to learn from the blues masters and to establish himself as a musician and artist. During his brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band” competition in 1998. Three years later, he moved to Nashville to sharpen his skills as a songwriter.
Gomes made his recording debut in 1998 with “Blues in Technicolor“. The disc introduced him as a guitar-slinger loaded with impressive firepower. Instead of following up with more of the same, Gomes boldly stepped back for an intimate acoustic offering in 2000 with the critically acclaimed "Sweet Stringin' Soul."
In 2002, he released “Unity” and proceeded to win the 2003 BluesWax Artist of the Year award. This accolade elevated Gomes to the top of the blues field, and consequently he was able to draw larger crowds to his live performances, which increased in frequency and scope. Gomes’ endless touring kept him atop the blues field, as he continued to be nominated for BluesWax Artist of the Year awards several years in a row.
“Music Is the Medicine“, released in 2006, peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Produced by Jim Gaines (SRV,Santana), the disc featured collaborations with hit songwriters, including Jim Peterik, Mark Selby and Tom Hambridge. 2008’s “LIVE”, is Gomes’ greatest commercial success to date, reaching number one on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.
Gomes is currently in the final stages of recording a new studio album tentatively titled "Up 2 Zero" which is slated for a fall release.
ARTIST BIO
CD "Road to Texas" is available here :
http://mezcaleros-music.com/
Quickly to 15, I had my first guitar, a stratocaster (even then) and a 10 watt amp with an unknown brand ...
Fast enough, having an attraction to the sounds fuzzy, I turned to the heroes of the day and turned on the radio ... ever: La Grange ZZ Top ...After a few groups, I disappeared ...
In early 2000, I bought an acoustic and I listened ... more Clapton and JJ Cale at the time ...A guitar led to another and soon I found myself with a dozen guitars, banjo and dobro ...
HOME STUDIO landed the meantime, and while I was learning to play without an amp with modeling systems ...I finally build and equip a recording studio at home ...I put some songs online and in less than a month on the sites, I found myself with 1000 fans and more than 25000 plays ...
So I decided to continue to see where it would lead me ...
I like ZZ Top, JJ Cale, Clapton, SRV, sounds fuzz and dust, the desert ... my many trips to the USA I have wrought in this direction and in that style ...Today Mezcaleros is a concentrate of all that ... I am on rotation on several radios, Belgium, France, Texas, California, Germany and UK… It is just the beginning !!!
Rock / Blues with heavy sounds and penetrating, a melody that is easy to remember and hit all those who listen ...And on stage, it will power 1000 ... These are the fans who brought me here ... so I continue ... for them!
Currently I'm on gauge mycornerbar.com a participative website where people who love can deposit money to help me make my CD, I have 3 months to collect 11,300 euros after it explode!
Put Mark Knopfler's voice, SRV feeling, Rose tatoo energy and ZZ Top Texas sounds in a shaker...Shake during 20 years .... Its MEZCALEROS .............See Mezcaleros soon in your bins and music sites ... You can hear Breakdown Limousine now, one of the 20 songs I got …
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Rock / Country
Label: Ferris Music Publishing
Management: Ferris Music Publishing BMI
ARTIST BIO
THE NEW SOUND OF THE TEXAS BLUES! Texas musician,multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, singer-songwriter of "Don't Mess With Texas" fame, James Ferris has performed for millions of fans throughout his career including national television shows and award winning commercials.
Ferris has performed WITH (not opening for) many major acts including (but not limited to) James Brown, Stevie Ray, Freddie King, Bobby Keys (Rolling Stones), Eric Johnson (album), Johnny Dee & the Rocket 88's, Bad Rodeo, John Earl's Boogieman Band, Voodoo Lounge, Brat, Celebration, Sante Fe, The Bluenotes even Mel Torme and many others.
Being a full-time musician/entertainer, when James is not working on his own original career, he is the most sought after "Mick Jagger" impersonator in the country, with his uncanny resemblance and voice to match rock icon. James and his band are currently recording their third album to be released early summer of 2011.
THE NEW SOUND OF THE TEXAS BLUES
With a career that spans over five decades, James Ferris' musical talents (piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizers, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, and vocals) are as diversified as his influences. From Amadeus to the Animals and all points in between…Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello, Todd Rundgren, Stones to the Beatles, Stevie Ray to Stevie Wonder, Carol and B.B. King, just to name a few.
James has performed at almost every club in the Dallas/Fort Worth area during the 60’s and 70’s and many others thru out the U.S. and beyond. James has also played keyboards or fronted for some of the most popular local and regional acts since the mid-sixties. 1964-1966 he played with The Seventh Street Prophets, one of the few bands playing at that time. This was also James’ first experience with recording; the band released a 45 titled Everybody Needs Somebody (a Stones hit).
1968 to 1970 James continues to climb the ladder being hired by Santa Fe; just three days before opening and touring with Three Dog Night. Managed by Ray Dennis and Beverly Beard, who wanted a bigger sound for the three piece, had James learn their entire show on keyboards in just a matter of hours. Besides touring with Three Dog Night, they also opened for Spirit and others. At the Dallas Memorial Coliseum opening for “3 Dog”, James’ parents saw their “long hair son” and proclaimed lovingly “I guess those piano lessons finally paid off!”
Tommy Katona (Tamas Katona), born August 15th 1984, was raised in Pecs, Hungary. At the early age of four, the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan became one of his biggest musical influences. It began one day, while he was watching one of his father’s videos of the Texan legend playing. Tommy’s father, Tamas Katona Sr., is also a great blues guitarist. When Tommy saw his father performing live, it inspired him to pursue music as his path in life.
At the age of nine Tommy started playing with his dad’s band and was regarded as a child prodigy. In the mid 90’s, he had numerous successful shows, as well as TV and radio performances in Hungary. As he was growing up, Tommy’s infatuation with playing the blues developed. One day, Tommy’s dad told him about the sudden and tragic passing of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Tommy then decided to learn more about Stevie’s music and life so that he could follow in his footsteps. During this time he was also studying the music of the old great blues musicians. His inspirations were: T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix and at last but not least his father Tamas Sr. Even though Tommy spent over four years in music school learning to read and write music, he always learns and composes by ear. American blues music, especially Stevie Ray Vaughan’s, highly influenced the young player.
A few highlights of his early life were: opening for Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones, playing with Memphis blues legend Eb Davis, sharing a stage with Muddy Water’s son, Big Bill Morganfield and the great Chicago harmonica player Sugar Blue.
Tommy’s big dream was that someday he could go to Texas to play the blues. Just a few years later his dream came true. His first visit to Texas was in 2006. He attended the Stevie Ray Vaughan fan club tour and the SRV Ride and concert in Dallas. He was able to play with local Texas greats such as Wes Jeans, Texas Slim, Jim Suhler, Cheryl Arena and Alan Haynes. After his three week trip to Texas he went back to Hungary bearing many great experiences. Texas was pulling at his heartstrings and he was ready to go back.
Meanwhile, Tommy recorded and released his first original album “Let Your Fingers Bleed”. He began touring in the spring of 2007. Tommy and his Hungarian band “Full Blast” were fortunate enough to play at the Puisto Blues Festival in Finland. They had the prodigious opportunity to open for the great Johnny Winter. They also played in Italy and opened for Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers. After the summer tour Tommy decided to return to Texas to try and start a new life. As an only child it was very hard to say goodbye to his parents. Knowing well this was his only chance to be a successful musician, Tommy’s parents released him to his destiny.
Tommy landed in Dallas on October 3. 2007. Stevie Ray’s birthday. A chance circumstance!
After living with a close friend for a year and a half, Tommy found the love of his life, Rachel. They got married on September 1. 2009. While in Texas, Tommy played with many musicians and had different musical projects. One more of his dreams came true when he played with Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon at the Granada Theater in Dallas! As well as constant performances, Tommy also teaches guitar during the day. His favorite guitar always has, and always will be a Fender Stratocaster!
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Rhythm and Blues /Soul / Electronica
Management: Azure Music Group, Odysseus E. Johnson III M.Div.
Official Site: Killer Ray Allison
ARTIST BIO
“Killer” Ray Allison first broke into the blues during the early 1970's. Now a regular on the Chicago Blues scene for over four decades, "Killer" Ray has been an integral tour-de-force in bands by Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
With a reputation as the hardest hitting drummer in the blues world, "Killer" has turned down gig offers from Eric Clapton, John Mayall and the late Gary Moore, so he could fully focus his energies toward leading a band. In 1998 and 2000, Ray was nominated for the W. C. Handy award as an instrumentalist.
In 1995 he appeared in the movie Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead with Andy Garcia, and in 1998 he played for Hilary Clinton’s birthday party in Chicago. From South Side holes in the wall to the Chicago Blues Fest and around the world, Ray never fails to please crowds of any age with his energetic shows, and his quick-draw staging gets audiences of kids clapping and singing along. When he takes a guitar to school, the kids all want to try their hand at it. Killer Ray says, “Right away the kids see it takes a lot of know-how, skill and strength in your hands to play the right chords and get into the rhythms. Learning music gives them something to work on.”
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Rock / Jazz Label: Shrapnel Label Group / Blues Bureau International Official Site: http://www.rickderringer.com/
ARTIST BIO
Young guitar great, vocalist and entertainer Rick Derringer was just 17 when his band The McCoys(TM)recorded the No.1 hit "Hang On Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, knocking "Yesterday" by The Beatles out of the top spot. The McCoys had enjoyed four years of successful touring, when Rick merged his talents with Johnny Winter in 1969 forming Johnny Winter And (And referring to The McCoys).
Rick was the only producer of all gold and platinum Winter Brothers recordings.
In '71 Rick was featured on three records, "Johnny Winter And", "Johnny Winter And-Live" and "Edgar Winter's White Trash". "And" featured the first version of Derringer's "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" which was also released as a single, then selected again for "And - Live". Eventually, the busy Derringer joined Edgar Winter's White Trash full-time and produced the gold LP, "Roadwork". Derringer's solo album, All American Boy was released in '73 with the now already popular "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo", this time as a 'hit' single.
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Memphis Soul / Americana
Label: Alligator, Alligator Records, Northern Blues
Official Site: http://www.janivamagness.com/
ARTIST BIO
“As I move forward,” says award-winning vocalist Janiva Magness, “I’m more willing to put myself on the line. I’m less willing to burden myself with unnecessary problems, less willing to care what people say about me. As it turns out, the more vulnerable I allow myself to be, the more strength I draw from that.” That vulnerability and strength is on full display on Magness’ powerful new album, Stronger For It. Magness, through her passionate vocals and, for the first time, through her own original songs, delivers the most moving and intimate album of her career.
Produced by Dave Darling (Brian Setzer, Meredith Brooks, Dan Hicks, John Waite), Stronger For It is Janiva’s declaration of independence. Having recently come through an intensely difficult period in her life, Magness has found new strength in her music. On these performances, she lays her soul bare, singing of loss and recovery, pain and redemption, hurt and healing, looking back and moving forward. Recording Stronger For It was as cathartic for Magness as listening to it will be for her fans. “Every human being goes through times of huge upheaval and personal transition,” Magness says. “I think everyone can relate.”
Magness, known primarily as a musical interpreter, co-wrote three remarkable, autobiographical songs for the album, including the poignant and melodic Whistling In The Dark, the riveting I Won’t Cry and the take-no-guff showstopper There It Is. Of her songwriting, Magness says, “Writing songs for me is laying out my experiences for everyone to see. It’s another level of vulnerability.”
Robben Ford is one of the premiere electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A four-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, and many, many others.
Born in 1951 in Ukaih, California, Robben was the third of four sons in a musical family. His father Charles was a country and western singer and guitarist before entering the army and marrying Kathryn, who played piano and had a lovely singing voice. Robben’s first chosen instrument was the saxophone, which he began to play at age ten and continued to play until his early twenties. He began to teach himself guitar at age thriteen upon hearing the two guitarists from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. In the late 1960’s, Ford frequented the Filmore and Winterland Auditoriums in San Francisco to see Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Albert King, B.B. King and all of the progenitors of blues. “It was an incredible time for electric guitar,” Ford recalls.
On his interest in jazz, Ford says,” I fell in love with the sax playing of Paul Desmond and The Dave Brubeck Quartet, and before long found Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Yusaf Lateef, Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and of course, Miles Davis.” These influences have stayed with Ford, playing a large part in his particular blend of jazz and blues that define him as a guitarist and allow him to play in a wide variety of settings.
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Jazz / Swing
Label: Delta Groove, Delta Groove Productions
Official Site: http://www.candyekane.com/
ARTIST BIO
Candye has been called a survivor, a superhero and the toughest girl alive. (All are also titles of her self-penned songs.) Her eleventh CD release, Sister Vagabond, released August 16, 2011 on Delta Groove Records was produced by Kane and her noted guitarist Laura Chavez, Sister Vagabond is a worthy successor to their 2010 collaboration, Superhero, which was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues CD in the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards. Kane is nominated for 2012 BB King Entertainer of the Year and Best Contemporary Blues female. Vote at www.blues.org
The jump-blues singer, songwriter and mother of two from East Los Angeles is a seven-time nominee for National Blues Awards, has nabbed ten San Diego Music Awards and starred in a sold-out stage play about her life. She has performed worldwide for presidents and movie stars while raising two sons.
But her path to success was not always glamorous or easy. Raised in what she calls a dysfunctional blue-collar family, Candye became a mother, a pinup cover girl and a punk-rock, hillbilly blues-belter by the time she was just 21 years old. Ten CDs, six record labels, millions of international road miles and countless awards later, Miss Kane has proven to be a true survivor, beating pancreatic cancer while scrambling her way to the top of the roots-music heap, creating a world renowned reputation that has spanned two decades.
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues / Rock
Label: Roadrunner
Management: Vector Management - Shepherd Entertainment
Official Site: http://www.myspace.com/kennywayneshepherd
ARTIST BIO “One of the wonders of the world.” – James Brown Recorded in Chicago’s House of Blues during the critically acclaimed 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads tour, Live in Chicago showcases Kenny and his band, Noah Hunt, Chris Layton, Scott Nelson and Riley Osbourn, along with special guests, Hubert Sumlin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Buddy Flett, Bryan Lee and Tommy Shannon (of Double Trouble). Though an illness nearly kept Kenny from performing that night, his heartfelt commitment to the music (and quite a lot of adrenaline) ensured that he took the stage, sharing with the audience one of the most spectacular performances of his career, and one that fans can now hear on Live in Chicago.
A genuine guitar hero, Kenny has been playing since childhood, when he learned Muddy Waters licks by listening to his father’s record collection. By 16, Kenny had a deal with Giant Records, and recorded his first album while still in high school. Since then, Kenny has enjoyed two platinum and one gold albums, six Top 10 singles, and his album Trouble Is holds the distinction of being the longest running album on the Billboard Blues Charts, hitting the 2 year mark.
Over the course of his storied career, Kenny has amassed four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award and a Blues Music Award. In 2008, Fender released the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Signature Series Stratocaster. 2007’s CD/DVD 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads was nominated for two Grammy Awards, aired on PBS television nationwide and has been certified RIAA Gold as a Long Form Video.
ARTIST SUMMARY
Genres: Blues
Label: FatCat Radio Network
Management: Micah Autry
Official Site: http://myspace.com/lazyjandthedirtyshuffle
ARTIST BIO
The blues is at the heart and soul of Texas music as well as the best rock’n’roll. And now from the heart of Texas now comes the supercharged blues of Lazy J & The Dirty Shuffle. The three-piece led by guitarist, singer and songwriter J Grover reaches down into the deep roots of the blues and brings the music into the 21st Century, firing it up with sizzling guitar work, propulsive rhythms and impassioned vocals to create blues music that honors the traditions while taking the music to new and exciting places.
“It’s greasy lowdown funky Texas blues music,” says Grover of what he and bassist Marcus Berrios and drummer James Gettys have created on the group’s debut album, Bone To Pick. Produced by David Zychek, a fellow guitarist known for his musical tenure in such groups as Airborne, Night Ranger, The Ken Hensley Band and more in addition to his own Texas-based band, the disc roams across many modes of the blues with a thrust and potency that doesn’t let go.
On the album, one can hear echoes of such influences as Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix (check out “I’ve Had Enough”), Buddy Guy (“Little Angel,” written as an homage to the blues master), T Bone Walker (on the title track) and The Allman Brothers Band (“You Don’t Love Me”) and many others. Yet the music’s final imprint is the high-energy blues of Lazy J & The Dirty Shuffle.
Genres: Country / Americana / Roots/Rock/Country
Label: Bordello Records
Management: Judy Hubbard
ARTIST BIO
With a keen eye of observation and a wise man’s knowledge, Ray Wylie Hubbard composes and performs a dozen songs that couldn’t spring from anywhere else but out of his fertile rock and roll bluesy poet-in-the-blistering-heat southern noggin. ”I like to look at both enlightenment and endarkenment,” he declares. “I feel comfortable observing each.” A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment demonstrates the kind of talent that every great songwriter yearns for. Throughout the album, his focus remains on the song- constructing and performing stories set to music that resonate in a way that is completely his own.
Hubbard recruits an ensemble of accomplished musicians to make the album’s larger than life outlaw tunes echo from track to track. Among the musicians featured on the album are Kevin Russell (The Gourds), Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen), Bukka Allen (Ian Moore, Jack Ingram), Billy Cassis (Bob Schneider,Double Trouble, Soulhat), Ray Bonneville (B.B. King, JJ Cale, Muddy Waters), Seth James (Percy Sledge, Delbert McClinton), David Abeyta (Reckless Kelly) and The Trishas as well as his own son, Lucas Hubbard.
The writing and recording of A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment came on the heels of Hubbard’s first screenplay endeavor, which was funded and filmed with a cast of icons including Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam and Lizzy Caplan. A weekly radio show, constant touring, and producing kept him busy, but didn’t manage to steal the Texan singer-songwriters focus. The outcome of the album is a juxtaposition of songs like “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” a fundamental gospel piece, and “Drunken Poet’s Dream,” a cowritten with Hayes Carll.
Lucky Peterson - You Can Always Turn Around (New release on Dreyfus Jazz)
★★★★ "One of the best blues records of the year" - DAILY NEWS
★★★ 1/2 (Three and 1/2 Stars) - Rolling Stone France
"Lucky Peterson's version of my song, "Atonement" just blew me away! It is just spectacular!!!" - Lucinda Williams
"A masterpiece." - Linda Yohn, WEMU Radio
Artist Bio:
Lucky Peterson was discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was three years old, released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show. Trained by keyboardists Bill Doggett and Jimmy Smith, Peterson went on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Kenny Neal. On return from the “Young Blues Giants” tour of Europe, he signed first with Alligator, then Verve, Blue Thumb and Birdology/Dreyfus, where he recorded what Amazon.com called “his finest album,” Black Midnight Sun, in 2003. The New Yorker called him “a master of the guitar, organ and microphone.”
But his journey was not a smooth one, and Peterson spent the next few years in transition, with personal troubles preventing a proper follow-up to Black Midnight Sun.
But you can always turn around. These words took on special meaning for the 45-year-old Peterson, which is why the first album since his rehabilitation is titled You Can Always Turn Around. It is an uplifting collection of songs that speak of struggles and salvation, using the gritty clarity of acoustic roots-blues (with modern touches) as its main musical vehicle.
The album, released September 28, 2010 release on Dreyfus Jazz, was made in the Catskills with master Woodstock musicians Larry Campbell, guitar (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm); Scott Petito, bass (The Fugs, Mercury Rev, Rick Danko Band); and Gary Burke, drums (Joe Jackson, Shania Twain). Peterson as usual plays a mix of instruments: duolian resonator, piano and acoustic and electric guitars. Also prevalent is the acoustic piano on which Lucky sounds like a bluesy Elton John. “He’s something of a genius — his piano playing remind me of Aretha Franklin,” says drummer Burke, who has played behind Franklin on the road.
Beloved by audiences throughout the world, the Eric Tessmer Band has captured the attention of fans from all ages as a result of their uncompromising musicianship and unbridled aggression. Their music is organic and natural—they’re real and every note you hear leaps from the speakers and is completely unfettered by superfluous studio trickery. With each performance, The Eric Tessmer Band’s collaborative vibe continues to evolve, built on a career and catalog of material that inspires and fuels the evolution of rock/blues.
Live Collaborations:
Anders Osborne, Stanton Moore, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Coco Montoya, Alan Haynes, Monte Montgomery, Storyville, Bugs Henderson, and many more.
Key Performances:
Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
Taste of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, QC
Mont Tremblant Blues Festival, Mont Tremblant, QC
Johnstown Folk Fest, Johnstown, PA
Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride, Dallas, TX
