Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Beatles Blues Blast , from Gaetano Letizia & The Underworld Blues Band and it's a different look at the Beatles. This release covers 17 of the Fab Four's top hits with lots of twists and turns. Opening with Come Together , Gaetano Letizia on guitar and vocal, Mike D'Elia on drums and vocals and Lenny Gray on vocal and bass give the Beatles active guitar and a funky edge they never had. Beatles classic rocker Money gets a good workout with bluesy guitar riffs and even a visit to Surfaris land. Tax Man gets a shuffle beat, extended guitar lines and a fresh sound. While My Guitar Gently Weeps has a stately sound with solid guitar work, a snappier drum beat and "Vanilla Fudge" like vocal harmonies. One of my favorite remakes on the release is Latin flavored instrumental cover of And I Love Her . The band is well balanced with just the right amount of bass and drum under an expressive lead guitar ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Resurrection , from Gaetano Letizia & The Underworld Blues Band and it's quite interesting. Opening with title track, Resurrection , Gaetano Letizia shows you right up front that you are in for something special. Gaetano, who plays guitar and sings, is joined by Larry Keller on bass, Steve Renko on drums, Bill Ransom on percussion, Bob Esterle on sax, Mike Fisher on trumpet, Tim Keehn on trombone and Robin Stratton on vocal. A dynamic guitar intro unfolds into a jazzy, laid back shuffle with Letizia twisting the blues on his guitar as only he can do. Very nice. Old Guitar Player has a really nice drum line compliments Renko and Keller's bass work sets the tempo. Letizia's vocals are straightforward and his guitar playing fleet and stylistic. Very nice! Latin infused, Hot and Cold Woman , really moves and with Mike Fisher popping up the top on trumpet. Letizia's vocals are crisp and his rhythm guitar ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Long Black Train , from Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers and it's a solid blues infused rockin romp. Opening with boogie, Burn Me Up , Ray Fuller on vocal and guitar leads the way with Myke Rock on bass, Darrell Jumper on drums, and Doc Malone on harp. This is an excellent opener with a lot of drive. Voodoo Mama is a modern day rocker with deep roots and contemporary links to CCR and ZZ Top. On hot rockin, Hip Shakin' Mama , Fuller kicks it up a few notches and with his slide blazing, has the essence of Hound Dog Taylor going. Very cool! Title track, Long Black Train , has a hard driving Chuck Berry flair and Fuller kicks it nice. Something' Shakin' is a solid 12 bar number with cool harp work by Malone. Fuller steps up big on this one with hot slide work in the flavor of Elmore James or Billy Gibbons. Very nice. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman has the strong foundation of Muddy and with it's Chicago se...

I just received the newest release, Above The Fold , from Blue Lunch and it's lush! Opening with Ain't Trying To Kill Nobody , a cool groove with cool guitar work from Bob Frank and hot sax work from Chris Burge. With a cool story on vocals Frank makes for a cool track. On more laid back jazz track,  One Fine Day , Burge is joined by Bob Michael on trombone and Mike Rubin on trumpet for some real nice solo work. Pete London lays down cool harp work and Mike Sands on piano with Ramond DeForest on bass and Scott Flowers on drums make this a tight instrumental. Very nice! On boogie track The Long Game , London gets the chance to really blow out his harp and Frank takes a nice stretch on the fretboard. On swing track, Everybody's On The Phone , these guys really set a super groove with great harp work and solid vocals. Sands steps up with a cool piano solo coaxed along by the horn section. Excellent! On bluesy ballad, Woman I Bleed , the band pulls a nice contrast between a...

I just received the newest release (April 15, 2014) Live At Buddy Guy's Legends Chicago , from Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers and it rips! Opening with a hot cover of Elmore James' Wild About You Baby , Fuller wastes no time in whipping hot the hot slide action. Excellent! Next up is Rock N Roll Cowboy , a blues/boogie with a western twang. This track moves along really well and Fuller really knows how to deliver on guitar and vocals. Next up is John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom . Glen "Manny" Manuel on bass and Mark Ward on drums carry the bottom and Keith Blair rides the organ on this primarily vocal boogie. Richard Doc Malone fills in with some choice harp riffs and Fuller continues JLH's intention with guitar in pure boogie style. Love and Alcohol is a cool original slow blues track with great old style blues riffs throughout. JL Hooker and Johnny Winter are definitely present in spirit. This is a very expressive track with a lot of the feel of delta blues...

I just received the newest release (February 4, 2014), Blues With Friends , from Dixie Peach and it's actually quite smooth! I didn't realize it when I first received this release, but I had this band's first LP in my vinyl collection for many years (bought by a collector as a part of a atlas van sized purchase a few years back). I bought this release one day from a store called Record Rama in Etna, Pa based purely on the hopes that their version of Paint My Mailbox Blue would be decent. I really liked the release.  Opening with the woody sound of a slide guitar, Too Much Trouble sets a solid path of southern rocky blues. Ira Stanley knows his way around the slide and delivers warm luscious tones. Complimented by Tony Paulus on keys and his own vocals this is a nice track. Next up is Pork Chop Blues , a blues track with Latin rhythm. Stanley takes the first solo with a little chicken pickin' and shows he knows how to strum the strings too. He is joined by Jack Pea...

Starting in 2003 in Mansfield, OH, Fat Daddy's Blues Band has featured several musicians throughout the years. The current lineup focuses on Traditional Blues and '60s Soul. We have appeard with Jimmy Vincent, Ohio Express, Stick People, Rolling Hams (Featuring Jumpin' Ed Jonnet), and featured as the Opening Act for Solomon Burke. Headlined at the Rockin' Rib Fest at NorthCentral State College in 2006. A staple of the local nightclub and benefit scene, including Special Wish, Wounded Warrior, and various other fundraising events. Fat Daddy's Blues Band likes to give back to the community.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

I just received the newest release, No Medicine Like The Blues , from Buck 69 and it's a real rockin' party. Opening with These Blues and it really moves with JJ Cale like melodies and British guitar riffs. John Sevilla shows right up front that he's packin' on guitar and Tom Clawson is solid on vocals. Ugly Teacher Blues seems an answer to Hot For teacher by Van Halen with plays on both lyrical and guitar riff themes. Vocals are handled by rhythm guitar player Tom Clawson and lead guitar by Randy Parades. Dead End Road has a slinky rhythm by drummer Daryl Burgess and bassist Dennis Gulley and warm organ work from Johnny Neel. Title track, No Medicine Like The Blues , is a cool jazzy blues ballad with really clean guitar melody by John Sevilla. Clawson on lead vocals does a nice job with call and response against the lead guitar work. This is a pretty smokey track and certainly one of the best tracks on the release. That's Life adds some funk to the mix and h...

On a given night (or on a given album) he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing 'em all together seamlessly into his own stew. Yet, the one thing that most people notice about Patrick isn't his ability to copy - it's his authenticity. Like his heroes, artists like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Doug Sahm, Joe Tex, Patrick somehow manages to blend all of these influences into something all his own. It's no wonder that as a kid he immersed himself in his dad's extensive record collection: 60s folk, vintage country, soul, and, of course, blues. Patrick spent hours teaching himself to fingerpick along to Leadbelly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and other folk-blues giants. In his late teens, Patrick began playing the clubs and coffeehouses around Kent, OH. He quickly gained a reputation for the intricate country blu...

Eric Jerardi is a true blues rocker. It's his relentless commitment to touring that has resonated so deeply with audiences. His live shows are legendary all across markets in the United States. This commitment has picked up sponsorships with Budweiser, and SITS strings. Jerardi has released 6 CD's since 1997 and has worked with some of the industry's best. From producer David Z [Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Johnny Lang] to recording with Chuck Leavell [Rolling Stones, Allman Bros., Black Crowes], Jerardi is having the time of his life. 2013 according to Jerardi will "be my year." A whole set of new songs are ready to be recorded in the first quarter of the year and an onslaught of touring is scheduled. Jerardi began his musical career with winning a battle of the bands contest in 1989 at Ohio University. Two years later, Jerardi won another contest at OU, which secured a spot on MTV as the Midwest's Best Unsigned College Band. Over the years, he has shared...

Janice Harrington born in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up within the tradition of Black American Music. In the 60’s,at the peak of the Black Liberation Movement, her career as a Gospel, Blues and Jazz singer began. Her greatest idols, to name a few are Mahalia Jackson and Dinah Washington.In 1969, she opened her career with a tour through South East Asia, where she sang for the U.S. military during the Vietnam war. Janice was a star guest in the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel from 1975 to 1977.During that period of time she was also well known as actress in the theater and in the American TV series „Days Of Our Lives“. In the 1970’s, she was on stage with Billy Daniels, Lloyd Bridges, Frank Sinatra Jr., Sammy Davis Jr. and Lionel Hampton. Janice began her career in Europe in 1980. While she lived in Norway, she sang for Bishop Desmond Tutu, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize and was also the opening act for Joan Armatrading. In 1989, Janice and the Kenn Lending Blues Band were the opening act f...

Bobby Marchan (born Oscar James Gibson) (April 30, 1930 in Youngstown Ohio – December 5, 1999) was a well-respected American rhythm and blues bandleader, MC, singer-performer, recording artist, and female impersonator, who initially began performing in New Orleans nightclubs, specifically the Dew Drop Inn and the Club Tijuana in the mid-1950s. Marchan also toured with the band of Huey "Piano" Smith, sometimes performing as lead singer / bandleader and substituting vocally for Huey Smith (who reputedly often would stay in New Orleans to write and record while his namesake band "Huey Smith and the Clowns" played clubs and toured on the road). The touring band included James Booker on piano. One of Marchan's vocal performances with Huey Smith and the Clowns can be heard on the New Orleans R&B recording, "Don't You Just Know It", which was released in 1958. Marchan also had a solo #1 hit on the national R&B charts in 1960 with the tune "...

I have just received and had the opportunity to review the newest release, Singing In My Soul , by Lisa Biales with Ricky Nye and The Paris Blues Band . You want real wholesome Americana/Blues music, this is it. Opening with A Little Bird Told Me , Biales sings a song so real it could be right out of a Roy Rogers movie. You an tell that Biales really enjoys her work and her voice is really well suited for this material. Nye and the Paris Blues Band, Thibaut Chopin on upright bass, Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar, Ricky Nye on piano and Simon "Shuffle" Boyer on drums add substantial realism to the track with vocal backing. On Sister Rosetta Thorpe's Strange Things Happening Every Day , Biales gets the house swinging and Stelmaszack adds a real slick guitar solo to tip off the track. John Hurt's Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me is up next and Biales really does a nice job bringing new life to this track. Doug Hamilton also adds a real nice violin solo on this track. Sipp...

Jimmy Mundy (28 June 1907–24 April 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Earl Hines. Born James Mundy in Cincinnati, Ohio, and gained his arranging skills in the 1920s while playing with local bands led by Erskine Tate, Tommy Miles, and Carroll Dickerson. In 1932 he joined Earl Hines for four years, originally as a saxophonist, but swiftly developing a reputation as an arranger. After selling one of his arrangements to Benny Goodman in 1935, Goodman hired him away from Hines, and Mundy became Goodman's staff arranger. (Mundy also did a couple of arrangements for Claude Hopkins in 1932.) Mundy was also a significant supplier of arrangements to Count Basie (from about 1940 to 1947), as well as writing for Gene Krupa, Paul Whiteman, Dizzy Gillespie (in 1949), Charlie Spivak, Harry James, and many others. He briefly led his own band in 1939, but after World War II he returned to arrangi...

“Many a bluesman paid backbreaking dues chopping cotton in the flat Delta fields of Mississippi and Arkansas. There was no cotton crop to tend to in the grimy rust belt town of Youngstown, Ohio in the 1960’s, but there was grinding, dirty work for some, as human grist in the mills of U.S. and Republic Steels. It was this dismal blue-collar legacy that Nick Vigarino was born to. Vigarino had his way out of this existence before he even knew it. Nick fell into possession of a battered guitar, feebly equipped with one string. As fate would have it, he learned to play the guitar in the exact same way as a hundred seminal blues musicians had two generations before him, on a homemade one-string diddley bo. With a poet’s fierce commitment to birthing his own music, he continued to play on ever-improving instruments the angry and mournful melodies in his head, carrying his music into the bars and roadhouses of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Impressed with the Northwest’s clean air an...

Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note. From a very large family with five sisters and nine brothers, Henderson was born in Lima, Ohio, and was encouraged by his parents and older brother James T. to study music. He dedicated his first album to them "for being so understanding and tolerant" during his formative years. Early musical interests included drums, piano, saxophone and composition. According to Kenny Dorham, two local piano teachers who went to school with Henderson's brothers and sisters, Richard Patterson and Don Hurless, gave him a knowledge of the piano. He was particularly enamored of his brother's record collection. It seems that a hometown drummer, John Jarette, advised Henderson to listen to musicians like Lester Young, Stan Getz, ...

William Franklin Hardman, Jr. (April 6, 1933, Cleveland, Ohio – December 5, 1990, Paris, France) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop. While in high school in Cleveland he appeared with Tadd Dameron, and after graduating he joined Tiny Bradshaw's band. He appeared and recorded with some of the foremost jazz musicians: his first recording was with Jackie McLean in 1955; he later played with Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, and Lou Donaldson, and led a group with Junior Cook. He also recorded as a leader: Saying Something on the Savoy label received outstanding critical acclaim in jazz circles, although little known to the general public. A most underrated musician — boasting three separate tours of duty in as many decades with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers — Hardman's bad luck was to not be with the Messengers at the time of their popular Blue Note recordings. A crackling hard bop player with blazing te...

The Swamp Bees! Originally formed as Eddie King's backup band for his Ohio gigs, we decided to keep a good thing going and play our own gigs, too. Our individual resumes are a mile long, but here's a brief rundown: Fred Gillespie - Gregg Clark Band, Beaumonts, Low Rent Blues Band. Randy Smith - Bosstones, Cleavers, Vettes. Steve Barton - Gregg Clark Band, Beaumonts, Jumbo Junior, Raised By Possums. Doug Daniels- Third Stone Oracle. Ladies and Gentlemen, This is a talented band. We have shifted our focus a little bit, we've decided to incorporate soul and classic rock into our reportoire. What that means, is, We can slam you down some Muddy, jiggle your innards with some Rolling Stones, or lay down some Steely Dan on your inner jazz fool. All that said - a note to honor former members and their efforts - Jimmy Rogers, keyboards, vocals; James Higgins, bass; Greg Hamilton, keyboards, vocals, Tim Barton, drums. You will see more of these fellows if you already haven't (I w...

Ike Isaacs (March 28, 1923 - February 27, 1981) was an American jazz bassist from Ohio. Isaacs played trumpet and tuba as a child before settling on bass. He served in the Army during World War II, where he took lessons from Wendell Marshall. Following this he played with Tiny Grimes (1948-50), Earl Bostic (1951-53), Paul Quinichette (1953), and Bennie Green (1956). He led a band locally in Ohio in 1956, then played for two years in the trio of Carmen McRae, whom he married late in the decade. He worked with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, then with Count Basie (1962), Gloria Lynne (1962-64), and Erroll Garner (1966-70), as well as with his own small groups. He recorded only once as a leader, in 1967 for RGB Records. On this recording he plays in a trio with Jack Wilson on piano and Jimmie Smith on drums.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’...

Maurice Rocco, who was known for his boogie- woogie performances. He was named Maurice Rockhold when he was born in Oxford, Ohio, in 1915, but he later adopted the stage name Maurice Rocco. Because he was too short to reach the pedals from a bench or stool when he learned to play the piano at age four, he played while standing up and continued to do so as an adult—as part of his stage performance. He was a composer, arranger, pianist and singer, who played in many of the best-known nightclubs and theatres. Rocco had roles in several Hollywood movies before pursuing a career that took him to Europe and Asia. He was murdered in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1976 and is buried in Oxford's Woodside Cemetery.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!