Robert Lowery (born April 8, 1931, Shula, Arkansas, United States) shown here with Virgil Thrasher (harp), and T-Bone Flippin (2nd harp) is an American blues singer, and guitarist.
As a teenager, he picked up blues tunes from records by Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Blind Boy Fuller, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and others, eventually developing his own distinctive style. After moving to Santa Cruz, California in 1957, he backed up Big Mama Thornton.
Lowery made his first major concert appearance in 1974, at the San Francisco Blues Festival, and appeared there again in 1976 and 1984. Since then, he has traveled worldwide, and performed at many blues festivals and concerts, including a special appearance of fellow Arkansas native President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. Lowery has released many recordings on diverse record labels, some of which are currently available.
More recently, Lowery's reputation as an authentic Delta blues musician has taken him far beyond California. He played the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2006, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2007, Philadelphia Blues Festival, Eureka Springs Festival in Arkansas, the San Remo Blues Festival in Italy and the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. He recorded a television commercial for MCI Inc., singing about how his telephone bill was too high
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Gerome has paid his dues working Delta cotton, Carolina tobacco and factory work in Jackson and Milwaukee. In 1965, Gerome moved to Milwaukee. He later met Johnny Rawls who took him under his wing and launched his music career.
Siblings Danielle, Kris and Nick Schnebelen grew up with the Blues. Their parents, Bob and Lisa, were active in the thriving Kansas City Blues scene, playing in local bands and competing in the Kansas City Blues Challenge. Bob and Lisa’s band didn’t make it to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis — but their kids did. When TUF arrived in Memphis for the 2008 IBC they were followed by huge, wildly enthusiastic throngs of hometown supporters, eager to cheer for their favorite musical family. And when TUF took First Place in the competition and Nick won the Albert King guitarist award, it was a sweet victory for the Schnebelen family and for Kansas City itself. TUF has been on a roll ever since, becoming one of the most sought after blues bands at clubs, festivals and cruises around the world. Trampled Under Foot’s brand new CD, Wrong Side of the Blues was produced by Tony Braunagel, and features guest appearances by Mike Finnigan and Kim Wilson.
Mato Naji, the guitarist, singer, and songwriter of Indigenous. formed the band with his two brothers and sister back in the late ‘90s. They released their much-talked about debut, Things We Do, in 1998. While the band’s growing electric blues was totally legit and truly exciting, the little family band from the Nakota Tribe of South Dakota never expected the incredible, widespread reception they got from the blues and rock communities. “It was really surprising,” says Mato, of the siblings’ success. “We never anticipated the band going national so soon.” But so it did, and over the course of five years, Indigenous rode a wave of promise and acceptance they never dreamed of.
For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick Estrin fronted the jumping, swinging Little Charlie & The Nightcats, featuring guitarist Little Charlie Baty. With Baty’s recent retirement from touring, Estrin – along with the Nightcats’ longtime rhythm section of J. Hansen and Lorenzo Farrell and a new member, fiery guitarist Kid Andersen – takes the lead on his own.
Matthew Curry & The Fury deliver energized blues along with great show. Matthew, at 16 and already a veteran performer, is astonishing audiences with his lead guitar playing, original songs, and soulful voice. Matthew Curry is backed by The Fury, pro players including Greg Neville, (drums) and Jeff Paxton (bass). Horns and back-up singers add to their solid sound. Their debut CD, “If I Don’t Got You”, was released to rave reviews in October, 2011. Quickly receiving wide acclaim, Matthew Curry & The Fury were recently featured as an Emerging Artist on the House of Blues Radio Hour.
Alex picked up the guitar at five years old and never put it down and is running with one of the toughest bands on the scene today. A versatile musician, Alex effortlessly switches between genres. He plays everything from sweet Beale Street blues to West coast swing. From hard Texas grinders to stone cold Chicago grooves with a feeling that's said to be timeless. Alex's style and tasty originals matched with his undeniable stage presence and unmistakable guitar style will drive you to the dance floor. To say that Alex Wilson is one to look out for down the road is an understatement. Taking the Midwest by storm, this young musician is a force to be reckoned with.
English born, but raised in Perth, Australia, Harper is a fiery singer-songwriter who blurs the lines between blues, soul, rock and world music. By combining traditional and modern influences and borrowing from Western and Aboriginal music, Harper has created a highly original, take-on-the-roots genre which many have labeled “World Blues”. His innovative use of electronic enhancement and feedback, breaks the traditional boundaries of the harmonica, giving his music its distinctive harmonies and effects. The powerful guitar sounds and the unique drone of the didgeridoo create raw yet eerie sonic textures, somehow sounding primal and contemporary at the same time.
Formed in late 2010, Tweed Funk has quickly gained recognition nationally with the release of their debut CD, “Bringin’ It”, which spent 18 weeks on the RMR Blues Internet Charts. The band brings an edge to the music of their forefathers by wrapping together blues, funk, and soul in show-band style. The band also represented Wisconsin’s Grafton Blues Association in the 2012 International Blues Challenge.
At a young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues. Born in Harlem, New York in 1979 and still in her 20s, she's opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival and numerous festivals around the world, scored critics’ choice awards on both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London) and shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and John Mayer.
Although The Steepwater Band got their start as devotees of delta blues, they have since been expanding on their influences taking on everything from psychedelia to Americana, and of course, rock and roll music. Formed in Chicago in 1998, the band’s signature sound is at once a nod to earlier rock n’ blues combined with a raw and gutsy musical approach. Band members Jeff Massey (vocals & guitar), Tod Bowers (bass) and Joe Winters (drums) have a synergy that comes from years of playing together.
Growing up in the swamplands of northern Florida, down home roots, rock and soul artist JJ Grey became a realist early on. “You fall in love with a pig,” he says, “and then one day your granddad knocks it in the head and bleeds it for butchering. You tend to grow up with a certain amount of realism in your life.”
“…one of the hottest power-trio outfits on the scene today. They successfully mix the blues of the Delta with the psychedelia of the Sixties…”
