1942 Linsey Alexander*
1943 Tony Joe White*
1946 Percy Strother*
1957 Dennis Greaves*
1993 Otis Smokey Smothers+
2012 Robert Cage+
George Bostick*
Happy Birthday
Linsey Alexander *23.07.1942
Linsey Alexander (born July 23, 1942) is a blues songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. Alexander has been a fixture in Chicago North Side clubs for nearly two decades and has played with blues notables including Buddy Guy, A.C. Reed, Magic Slim, and B.B. King. His 2012 CD, Been There Done That, was rated the best blues CD of the year.
Life and career
Alexander was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, an area that is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail.[2] His family, was "poor but honest and hardworking"[3] sharecroppers.[4] He moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his mother and a sister when he was 12 years old.[2]
Alexander's interest in music started when a family friend he knew as "Otis" taught him enough so that when Otis left his guitar as a gift at Alexander's home, he was able pick it up and start playing. As a teenager, Alexander concentrated on singing and later developed his guitar playing. His early influences were blues, country, and rock and roll, including blue keyboardist Rosco Gordon and rockers Chuck Berry, and Elvis.[5]
While still in Mississippi, Alexander worked as a porter in a hotel laundry room and later as a bicycle technician.[4] In 1959, Alexander pawned his first guitar to help pay his way to Chicago[3] by Greyhound bus to follow a girl he met in Memphis. In Chicago, Alexander had a series of jobs that included working for a car dealer, at a gas station, and as a cook and bus boy. Alexander received a pension after he was wounded while working for the Chicago Police Department.[4]
Alexander was pulled into the Chicago South Side music scene where he heard soul artists like McKinley Mitchell and Bobby Day and bluesman Howlin' Wolf. While his first guitar was never recovered from the pawn shop,[3] he bought another guitar and formed a band called the Hot Tomatoes that was "good enough to enter a talent show at the well-known nightclub on 63rd Street called The Place." [5] Alexander went on to form another band called the Equitable Band that played at the Launching Pad at 75th Street and Stony Island for about 8 years.[2] When Alexander was playing at Red's, a Chicago club on 35th street and Archer, he was approached by an agent who introduced him to the B.L.U.E.S and the Kingston Mines, popular North Side clubs. His entry into "Blue Chicago" (downtown) exposed him to tourists to whom he started selling a series of independently recorded CDs that are still selling well.[5] Alexander has been a fixture in Chicago North Side clubs for nearly two decades and has played with blues notables including Buddy Guy, A.C. Reed, Magic Slim, and B.B. King.[6] His audiences have ranged from New York, Canada, Europe,[7] and the Mississippi Blues Festival.[8]
Chicago blues historian Hanson reported in 2007:
Veteran guitarist Linsey Alexander, the "Hoochie Man", plays classic Chicago blues spiced up with the occasional joke or double entendre. Watch him take his guitar for a crowd walk-through, where he'll stop often to flirt with the pretty women ... These days Alexander is one of the hardest-working bluesmen in the city, appearing as many as six nights a week at Chicago clubs.[9]
Although one critic described Alexander's music and live show as "loud, raw, rocked out and raucous",[10] another critic called Alexander a "character" and wrote that his live show is "not to be missed."[11]
Music
Music critic Jim White calls Alexander a "still-present, real-deal bluesman" with "deep, rich, gritty vocals" and "guitar work as strong as his vocals."[12] Alexander plays his own style of electric blues influenced by soul, R&B, and funk.[5][13] The original material he writes contributes to the survival of the blues genre. His sense of humor shown in his music and his act sets him apart from most other blues players.[13] He is known for playing his guitar "with the energy of a 20 year old." [14] Reviewer Greg Szalony critiqued that "at times [Alexander's] vocal approach is more akin to talking than singing" and compared his "distorted guitar tones" and vocals as "uncannily close to the late Son Seals."[15]
Music critic David Whiteis praised Alexander's guitar style for his "lively improvisational imagination" and "good taste" and said Alexander was especially gifted as a songwriter "in command of a lyric vividness." Whiteis described Alexander's song "Saving Robert Johnson" as "a full-scale theatrical vignette set to music ... [that] take[s] on the Crossroads myth."[16] Reviewer Greg Szalony reported that Alexander brings the myth into the future with the lyrics "I want you to e-mail the devil, I want you to poke him on Facebook."[15] Alexander's song "Saving Robert Johnson" was included in the Mississippi Blues Project, an extensive review of Mississippi blues produced by WXPN in Philadelphia.[17]
The Linsey Alexander Blues Band includes Alexander as vocalist and guitarist, Breezy Rodio on guitar,[13] and Ronald Simmons on bass.[14]
Awards
A1 Blues Podcast called Alexander's first international release, Been There Done That, "pure blues of the finest quality" and named it "Blues CD of the Year".[18]
Big City Blues awarded Alexander with a "Best Fan Interaction" honor in 2012.[19]
On June 8, 2014, Alexander was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame at Buddy Guy's Legends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linsey_Alexander
http://www.linseyalexander.com/#!biography/c161y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYS7a5QUfYw
http://www.linseyalexander.com/#!biography/c161y
Linsey Alexander x Bruna Goés - Hoochie Coochie Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYS7a5QUfYw
Tony Joe White *23.07.1943
Tony Joe White (* 23. Juli 1943 in Oak Grove, Louisiana) ist ein US-amerikanischer Gitarrist und Sänger und gilt als typischer Vertreter des Swamp Rock.Whites erste Bands hießen Tony & The Mojos bzw. Tony & The Twilights. Als sich kein dauerhafter Erfolg einstellte, startete er eine Solokarriere. Angeregt durch das auf einem tragischen Vorfall beruhende Ode to Billie Joe von Bobbie Gentry, einem Nr.-1-Hit von 1967, beschloss er, ebenfalls etwas Authentisches aus seiner Heimat zu schreiben. So entstanden noch im selben Jahr Polk Salad Annie und Rainy Night in Georgia.
Im Sommer 1968 wurde er zunächst in Frankreich mit seinem Titel Soul Francisco populär. Das zeitgleich aufgenommene Polk Salad Annie wurde nach und nach 1969 ein weltweiter Hit, der von Elvis Presley gecovert wurde. Ray Charles und Brook Benton nahmen Rainy Night in Georgia auf. Die ersten drei Alben sind durch große atmosphärische Dichte gekennzeichnet. Sie haben sowohl stilistische Nähe zum klassischen Soul der 1960er Jahre als auch zu Rockgruppen wie Creedence Clearwater Revival und galten damals als Swamp Rock, der den Weg bereitete für den Südstaaten-Rock der 1970er Jahre. Die drei LPs auf Monument Records gelten seit langem als Sammlerstücke.
In den 1970er und 1980er Jahren konnte er keine Erfolge verbuchen. Sein Fernsehauftritt in der Sendung Ohne Filter Anfang 1992 machte ihn in Deutschland schlagartig einem neuen Publikum bekannt. Tina Turner coverte auf ihrem 1989er Album Foreign Affairs gleich vier Titel aus seiner Feder: Undercover Agent Of The Blues, You know who, Steamy Windows und das Titelstück Foreign Affair.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Joe_White
Tony Joe White (born July 23, 1943, Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie" and for "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970. He also wrote "Steamy Windows" and "Undercover Agent for the Blues", both hits for Tina Turner in 1989; those two songs came by way of Turner's producer at the time, Mark Knopfler, who is a friend of White. "Polk Salad Annie" was also recorded by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones.
Biography
Tony Joe White was the youngest of seven children who grew up on a cotton farm near Oak Grove, Louisiana. He first began performing music at school dances, and after graduating from high school he performed in night clubs in Texas and Louisiana.[1]
1960s–1970s
In 1967, White signed with Monument Records, which operated from a recording studio in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and produced a variety of sounds, including rock and roll, country and western, and rhythm and blues. Billy Swan was his producer.
Over the next three years, White released four singles with no commercial success in the U.S., although "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France. "Polk Salad Annie" had been released for nine months and written off as a failure by his record label, when it finally entered the U.S. charts in July 1969. It climbed to the Top Ten by early August, and eventually reached No. 8, becoming White's biggest hit.
White's first album, 1969's Black and White,[2] was recorded with Muscle Shoals/Nashville musicians David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, and Jerry Carrigan, and featured "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" and "Polk Salad Annie", along with covers of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman". "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" was covered by Dusty Springfield on her album Dusty in Memphis also recorded in 1969.
Three more singles quickly followed, all minor hits, and White toured with Steppenwolf, Sly & the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival and other major rock acts of the 1970s, playing in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and England.
In 1973, White appeared in the film Catch My Soul, a rock-opera adaption of Shakespeare's Othello. White played and sang four and composed seven songs for the musical.
In late September 1973, White was recruited by record producer Huey Meaux to sit in on the legendary Memphis sessions that became Jerry Lee Lewis's landmark Southern Roots album.[citation needed] By all accounts,[citation needed] these sessions were a three-day, around-the-clock party, which not only reunited the original MGs (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr. of Booker T. and the MGs fame) for the first time in three years, but also featured Carl Perkins, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), and Wayne Jackson plus The Memphis Horns.
1980s
From 1976 to 1983, White released three more albums, each on a different label. Trying to combine his own swamp-rock sound with the popular disco music at the time, the results were not met with success and White gave up his career as a singer and concentrated on writing songs.
1990s comeback
In 1989, White produced one non-single track on Tina Turner's Foreign Affair album, the rest of the album was produced by Dan Hartman. Playing a variety of instruments on the album, he also wrote four songs,[2] including the title song and the hit single "Steamy Windows". As a result of this he became managed by Roger Davies, who was Turner's manager at the time, and he obtained a new contract with Polydor.
The resulting album, 1991's Closer to the Truth, was a commercial success[citation needed] and put White back in the spotlight. He released two more albums for Polydor; The Path of a Decent Groove and Lake Placid Blues which was co-produced by Roger Davies.
In the 1990s, White toured Germany and France with Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, and in 1992 he played the Montreux Festival.
In 1996, Tina Turner released the song "On Silent Wings" written by White.
2000s
In 2000, Hip-O Records released One Hot July in the U.S., giving White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. The critically acclaimed The Beginning appeared on Swamp Records in 2001, followed by Heroines, featuring several duets with female vocalists including Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Michelle White, on Sanctuary in 2004, and a live Austin City Limits concert, Live from Austin, TX, on New West Records in 2006. In 2004, White was the featured guest artist in an episode of the Legends Rock TV Show and Concert Series, produced by Megabien Entertainment.
In 2007, White released another live recording, Take Home the Swamp, as well as the compilation Introduction to Tony Joe White. Singer Elkie Brooks recorded one of Whites songs "Out of The Rain" on her 2005 album Electric Lady. One of his more recent performances was on July 14, 2006 in Magny-Cours, France, as a warm-up act for Roger Waters' The Dark Side of the Moon concert. White's album entitled Uncovered was released in September 2006 and featured collaborations with Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Eric Clapton, and J.J. Cale.
The song "Elements and Things" from the 1969 album ...Continued features prominently during the horse-racing scenes in the 2012 HBO television series "Luck".
In 2013, Tony Joe White signed to Yep Roc Records and released Hoodoo.[3] Mother Jones called the album “Steamy, Irresistible” [4] and No Depression noted Tony Joe White is “the real king of the swamp.” [5] He also made his Live...With Jools Holland debut in London, playing songs from Hoodoo.[6]
On October 15, 2014, White appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman alongside The Foo Fighters to perform "Polk Salad Annie." Pointing to White, Letterman told his TV audience, "If I was this guy, you could all kiss my a*s."
Biography
Tony Joe White was the youngest of seven children who grew up on a cotton farm near Oak Grove, Louisiana. He first began performing music at school dances, and after graduating from high school he performed in night clubs in Texas and Louisiana.[1]
1960s–1970s
In 1967, White signed with Monument Records, which operated from a recording studio in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and produced a variety of sounds, including rock and roll, country and western, and rhythm and blues. Billy Swan was his producer.
Over the next three years, White released four singles with no commercial success in the U.S., although "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France. "Polk Salad Annie" had been released for nine months and written off as a failure by his record label, when it finally entered the U.S. charts in July 1969. It climbed to the Top Ten by early August, and eventually reached No. 8, becoming White's biggest hit.
White's first album, 1969's Black and White,[2] was recorded with Muscle Shoals/Nashville musicians David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, and Jerry Carrigan, and featured "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" and "Polk Salad Annie", along with covers of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman". "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" was covered by Dusty Springfield on her album Dusty in Memphis also recorded in 1969.
Three more singles quickly followed, all minor hits, and White toured with Steppenwolf, Sly & the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival and other major rock acts of the 1970s, playing in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and England.
In 1973, White appeared in the film Catch My Soul, a rock-opera adaption of Shakespeare's Othello. White played and sang four and composed seven songs for the musical.
In late September 1973, White was recruited by record producer Huey Meaux to sit in on the legendary Memphis sessions that became Jerry Lee Lewis's landmark Southern Roots album.[citation needed] By all accounts,[citation needed] these sessions were a three-day, around-the-clock party, which not only reunited the original MGs (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr. of Booker T. and the MGs fame) for the first time in three years, but also featured Carl Perkins, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), and Wayne Jackson plus The Memphis Horns.
1980s
From 1976 to 1983, White released three more albums, each on a different label. Trying to combine his own swamp-rock sound with the popular disco music at the time, the results were not met with success and White gave up his career as a singer and concentrated on writing songs.
1990s comeback
In 1989, White produced one non-single track on Tina Turner's Foreign Affair album, the rest of the album was produced by Dan Hartman. Playing a variety of instruments on the album, he also wrote four songs,[2] including the title song and the hit single "Steamy Windows". As a result of this he became managed by Roger Davies, who was Turner's manager at the time, and he obtained a new contract with Polydor.
The resulting album, 1991's Closer to the Truth, was a commercial success[citation needed] and put White back in the spotlight. He released two more albums for Polydor; The Path of a Decent Groove and Lake Placid Blues which was co-produced by Roger Davies.
In the 1990s, White toured Germany and France with Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, and in 1992 he played the Montreux Festival.
In 1996, Tina Turner released the song "On Silent Wings" written by White.
2000s
In 2000, Hip-O Records released One Hot July in the U.S., giving White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. The critically acclaimed The Beginning appeared on Swamp Records in 2001, followed by Heroines, featuring several duets with female vocalists including Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Michelle White, on Sanctuary in 2004, and a live Austin City Limits concert, Live from Austin, TX, on New West Records in 2006. In 2004, White was the featured guest artist in an episode of the Legends Rock TV Show and Concert Series, produced by Megabien Entertainment.
In 2007, White released another live recording, Take Home the Swamp, as well as the compilation Introduction to Tony Joe White. Singer Elkie Brooks recorded one of Whites songs "Out of The Rain" on her 2005 album Electric Lady. One of his more recent performances was on July 14, 2006 in Magny-Cours, France, as a warm-up act for Roger Waters' The Dark Side of the Moon concert. White's album entitled Uncovered was released in September 2006 and featured collaborations with Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Eric Clapton, and J.J. Cale.
The song "Elements and Things" from the 1969 album ...Continued features prominently during the horse-racing scenes in the 2012 HBO television series "Luck".
In 2013, Tony Joe White signed to Yep Roc Records and released Hoodoo.[3] Mother Jones called the album “Steamy, Irresistible” [4] and No Depression noted Tony Joe White is “the real king of the swamp.” [5] He also made his Live...With Jools Holland debut in London, playing songs from Hoodoo.[6]
On October 15, 2014, White appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman alongside The Foo Fighters to perform "Polk Salad Annie." Pointing to White, Letterman told his TV audience, "If I was this guy, you could all kiss my a*s."
Tony Joe White - Montreux Jazz Festival 2013
- Undercover Agent For The Blues
- Do You Have A Garter Belt?
- Roosevelt And Ira Lee
- Tell Me Why?
- Holed Up
- Rainy Night In Georgia
- The Gift
- Gypsy Epilogue
- Polk Salad Annie
● Personnel:
Tony Joe White - vocals, guitar, harmonica
Bryan Owings - drums
● Tony Joe White: Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2013
▶ Montreux Jazz Festival - Full Length Concerts - http://bit.ly/1FkdSdv
- Do You Have A Garter Belt?
- Roosevelt And Ira Lee
- Tell Me Why?
- Holed Up
- Rainy Night In Georgia
- The Gift
- Gypsy Epilogue
- Polk Salad Annie
● Personnel:
Tony Joe White - vocals, guitar, harmonica
Bryan Owings - drums
● Tony Joe White: Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2013
▶ Montreux Jazz Festival - Full Length Concerts - http://bit.ly/1FkdSdv
Percy Strother *23.07.1946
For a sense of the blues at its most tangible, one needs to look no further than singer/guitarist Percy Strother, who triumphed over incredible tragedy to create music of genuine pain and sorrow. Born July 23, 1946 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, he was still a child when his father died violently; his mother passed away shortly afterward, and rather than submitting to life in an orphanage, Strother simply took to the road. He drifted from job to job for a number of years, all the while fighting a battle with alcoholism; discovering the blues turned his life around, however, and after sobering up he began teaching himself guitar, honing his chops in virtual anonymity before recording his debut LP A Good Woman Is Hard to Find in 1992. The Highway Is My Home followed in 1995, and in 1997 Strother returned with It's My Time. He toured Europe several times and recorded Home at Last there, which saw release in 2001. A legend in his adopted home of Minneapolis, Percy Strother was diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away May 29, 2005.
PERCY STROTHER the highway is my home
George Bostick *23.07.
George Bostick grew up in NYC and began playing the guitar at age 14. He practiced daily, imitating his idols as well as honing his own sense of style. He was influenced by Muddy Waters, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Rush, and several other blues legends. George played on LI with the Belairs until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1966. While serving in the Navy he played with various bands and at different venues. Upon his honorable discharge in 1972, he moved to Chicago, IL. While living there he played with Tyrone Century’s Band, Lafayette Leake (Muddy Water’s keyboard player), Willie Dixon’s sons and several other groups.
In 1984, he moved back to Long Island, NY and played with Doug McLean for 11 years as well as several other bands. He’s been featured at BNL’s Blue’s Summer Fest. He has also played at The Riverhead Blues Festival. George enjoys jam sessions with some of his musician friends. He currently plays with The Unity Band when time permits. He also has a band of his own called Blues House. Upon retiring George will be playing with his band full time.
Look over Yonder Wall-Don TinPan and Guitar George Bostick
Dennis Greaves *23.07.1957
Nine Below Zero wurde 1977 in Südlondon vom Gitarristen Dennis Greaves unter dem Namen Stan’s Blues Band gegründet und baute sich eine treue Anhängerschaft in der Londoner Klubszene auf.[1] 1979 nahmen sie das Angebot des ehemaligen Musikers Mickey Modern an, sie zu managen. Dieser schlug ihnen auch vor, ihren Namen zu ändern, und sie einigten sich auf Nine Below Zero nach dem gleichnamigen Song des Blues-Gitarristen Sonny Boy Williamson II. 1980 veröffentlichten sie die EP Pack Fair and Square und ihr erstes Album Live at the Marquee („[…] ein beeindruckendes Blues-Rock Set, das die Energie der frühen Rolling-Stones-Auftritte wieder in Erinnerung ruft.“[2]). 1981 traten Nine Below Zero, nachdem sie ihr erstes Studioalbum aufgenommen hatten, als Vorgruppe für The Who und The Kinks auf. 1983 löste sich die Band auf, nachdem Dennis Greaves eine Band namens The Truth gegründet hatte; vorher nahmen sie noch ihr drittes Album auf. Mark Feltham begann eine Karriere als Sessionmusiker unter anderen für Rory Gallagher, Oasis und Roger Chapman.
Im Jahr 1990 vereinigten sich Nine Below Zero wieder zu einem Jubiläumskonzert, das sehr erfolgreich war, und sie beschlossen, zusammenzubleiben. Brendan O’Neill und Gerry McAvoy ergänzten die beiden Gründungsmitglieder. 1992 verließ Feltham wegen musikalischer Differenzen die Band und wurde durch Alan Glen ersetzt. 1997 gründeten sie ihre eigene Plattenfirma Zed Records. 2001 kehrte Feltham wieder zurück. Seitdem touren sie regelmäßig und treten in ganz Europa auf.[3]
2004 trat die Band beim Pistoia Blues Festival in Italien auf, womit für sie ein großer Wunsch in Erfüllung ging. Das Jahr 2009 verbrachten sie unter anderem mit Vorbereitungen für ein spezielles Jubiläumskonzert im Jahr 2010.
Nine Below Zero are an English blues band, who have a cult following throughout Europe, and were most popular during the period 1980–1982.
Career
The band was originally formed in South London in 1977, by guitarist and lead vocalist Dennis Greaves.[1] Taking bassist Peter Clark with him, they recruited Kenny Bradley on drums, and vocalist and harmonica player Mark Feltham.[1] They originally called themselves 'Stan's Blues Band', and for two years built up a local following in London clubs.[1]
In 1979, while playing at The Thomas A'Beckett pub in the Old Kent Road they accepted an offer from former musician Mickey Modern to manage them, and it was he who persuaded them to change the band's name to something sharper. Greaves chose Nine Below Zero after the Sonny Boy Williamson II penned song.[1] At that time Modern was a musician signed to A&M Records, after producing the band's demos he persuaded A&M to give him a record label with which to launch this band's career. Modern named the label M&L Records.
Under Modern's creative direction and production, the band went full-time, and in 1980 released their first album, Live At The Marquee, which was recorded on 16 June 1980.[1] Bradley on drums was replaced by Stix Burkey.[1] By the end of that year they were one of the most popular club attractions in London, pulling in audiences from other genres, particularly the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, attracted by their high-energy fast tempo sound. They headlined at the Hammersmith Odeon and featured respected bluesman Alexis Korner, a long-time champion of new electric blues talent.
In 1981, they released second album, Don't Point Your Finger, produced by Glyn Johns.[1] Johns complained the bass was too basic for the new songs, so taking his advice the band subsequently replaced bass player Clark with Brian Bethell.[1] There was a period when Nine Below Zero were on TV almost weekly. They appeared on The Chris Tarrant Show, South Bank Show, O.T.T., the Old Grey Whistle Test, and the BBC Television comedy seriesThe Young Ones performing "11+11" on the first episode ("Demolition"). The band supported The Kinks and The Who on a tour.Don't Point Your Finger climbed to number 56 on the UK Albums Chart.[1][2] Their third album, Third Degree, contained "11+11" written by Greaves and Modern. The album was their highest placing appearance on the UK Albums Chart, spending six weeks in the chart and reaching number 38.[2] Nevertheless, the band decided to split, although Bethell later had some success with The Blow Monkeys whilst Feltham went into session work, most notably for Rory Gallagher. Modern often put the idea to reform Nine Below Zero to Arnold but the latter was managing The Truth and considered Nine Below Zero as a move backward. However, with IRS Records interest in The Truth wavering in 1990 Modern persuaded Feltham and Greaves to reunite for a tenth anniversary gig.
Modern also persuaded Arnold who now worked at Harvey Goldsmith Ents to promote the band at the Town and Country Club, which they did to a sell-out success.[1] Suitably encouraged, they decided to stay together, with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill (ex-Rory Gallagher's band) added on bass and drums. In 1992, Feltham left due to musical differences and was replaced by the session harp-player, Alan Glen. Feltham subsequently returned in 2001 and the band have continued to tour and record, still popular in part, due to having developed a cult following.[1] In 1995 Billy Boy Miskimmin was recruited on Harmonica.
In 2005, their track, "Go Girl" was included in the Of Hands and Hearts: Music for the Tsunami Disaster Fund compilation album.
In 2007, Nine Below Zero performed two acoustic concerts, producing the DVD Bring It On Home, including a live CD. Legendary blues guitarist Gary Moore joined the band on stage to promote the DVD.
In August 2008, Nine Below Zero appeared at the Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire and later opened for Chuck Berry at The 100 Club.
In 2009, the band started working towards a show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their debut album, Live at the Marquee.
McAvoy and Feltham on stage in 2009
A chance meeting with Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze resulted in an offer to record a new album that Greaves and Feltham had been writing all year. The offer was gladly accepted and the band went into 45 RPM studios in London to record the highly acclaimed and self-penned It's Never Too Late - their first collection of new songs since Refrigerator. European tours followed and Jools Holland and Paul Jones asked the band to guest on their shows.
With the critical acclaim of It's Never Too Late, they were approached by Glenn Tillbrook again in 2011, this time to make a new record together under the name of The Co-operative. All was finished in July of 2011 and one track, the Lennon & McCartney song "You Never Gave Me Your Money" was used on a Mojo magazine special celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the release of the Beatles album Abbey Road. The band played a few dates with Tilbrook as a rehearsal for a mini tour in 2012.
The end of 2011 saw Gerry McAvoy play his last show for Nine Below Zero and pursue a new solo career.
Recent work
2012 saw the return of Brian Bethell who played on Third Degree. The new lineup started performing in January with shows in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as the band enter their 35th year.
Following on from 2013's remastered re-release of Nine Below Zero’s live debut Live at the Marquee came a double installment; remastered editions of the first two studio albums Don't Point Your Finger and Third Degree, each with a separate disc of bonus material, was released on 24 February 2014 through Universal Music.
With links to Squeeze and the Rolling Stones, Nine Below Zero have recently been name-checked as influences by popular rock ‘n’ roll upstarts The Strypes. A nationwide month-long 22-date tour in support of The Stranglers kicked off on 27 February 2014.[citation needed]
The band then undertook a 35th Anniversary tour in Autumn 2014.
Career
The band was originally formed in South London in 1977, by guitarist and lead vocalist Dennis Greaves.[1] Taking bassist Peter Clark with him, they recruited Kenny Bradley on drums, and vocalist and harmonica player Mark Feltham.[1] They originally called themselves 'Stan's Blues Band', and for two years built up a local following in London clubs.[1]
In 1979, while playing at The Thomas A'Beckett pub in the Old Kent Road they accepted an offer from former musician Mickey Modern to manage them, and it was he who persuaded them to change the band's name to something sharper. Greaves chose Nine Below Zero after the Sonny Boy Williamson II penned song.[1] At that time Modern was a musician signed to A&M Records, after producing the band's demos he persuaded A&M to give him a record label with which to launch this band's career. Modern named the label M&L Records.
Under Modern's creative direction and production, the band went full-time, and in 1980 released their first album, Live At The Marquee, which was recorded on 16 June 1980.[1] Bradley on drums was replaced by Stix Burkey.[1] By the end of that year they were one of the most popular club attractions in London, pulling in audiences from other genres, particularly the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, attracted by their high-energy fast tempo sound. They headlined at the Hammersmith Odeon and featured respected bluesman Alexis Korner, a long-time champion of new electric blues talent.
In 1981, they released second album, Don't Point Your Finger, produced by Glyn Johns.[1] Johns complained the bass was too basic for the new songs, so taking his advice the band subsequently replaced bass player Clark with Brian Bethell.[1] There was a period when Nine Below Zero were on TV almost weekly. They appeared on The Chris Tarrant Show, South Bank Show, O.T.T., the Old Grey Whistle Test, and the BBC Television comedy seriesThe Young Ones performing "11+11" on the first episode ("Demolition"). The band supported The Kinks and The Who on a tour.Don't Point Your Finger climbed to number 56 on the UK Albums Chart.[1][2] Their third album, Third Degree, contained "11+11" written by Greaves and Modern. The album was their highest placing appearance on the UK Albums Chart, spending six weeks in the chart and reaching number 38.[2] Nevertheless, the band decided to split, although Bethell later had some success with The Blow Monkeys whilst Feltham went into session work, most notably for Rory Gallagher. Modern often put the idea to reform Nine Below Zero to Arnold but the latter was managing The Truth and considered Nine Below Zero as a move backward. However, with IRS Records interest in The Truth wavering in 1990 Modern persuaded Feltham and Greaves to reunite for a tenth anniversary gig.
Modern also persuaded Arnold who now worked at Harvey Goldsmith Ents to promote the band at the Town and Country Club, which they did to a sell-out success.[1] Suitably encouraged, they decided to stay together, with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill (ex-Rory Gallagher's band) added on bass and drums. In 1992, Feltham left due to musical differences and was replaced by the session harp-player, Alan Glen. Feltham subsequently returned in 2001 and the band have continued to tour and record, still popular in part, due to having developed a cult following.[1] In 1995 Billy Boy Miskimmin was recruited on Harmonica.
In 2005, their track, "Go Girl" was included in the Of Hands and Hearts: Music for the Tsunami Disaster Fund compilation album.
In 2007, Nine Below Zero performed two acoustic concerts, producing the DVD Bring It On Home, including a live CD. Legendary blues guitarist Gary Moore joined the band on stage to promote the DVD.
In August 2008, Nine Below Zero appeared at the Rhythm Festival in Bedfordshire and later opened for Chuck Berry at The 100 Club.
In 2009, the band started working towards a show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their debut album, Live at the Marquee.
McAvoy and Feltham on stage in 2009
A chance meeting with Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze resulted in an offer to record a new album that Greaves and Feltham had been writing all year. The offer was gladly accepted and the band went into 45 RPM studios in London to record the highly acclaimed and self-penned It's Never Too Late - their first collection of new songs since Refrigerator. European tours followed and Jools Holland and Paul Jones asked the band to guest on their shows.
With the critical acclaim of It's Never Too Late, they were approached by Glenn Tillbrook again in 2011, this time to make a new record together under the name of The Co-operative. All was finished in July of 2011 and one track, the Lennon & McCartney song "You Never Gave Me Your Money" was used on a Mojo magazine special celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the release of the Beatles album Abbey Road. The band played a few dates with Tilbrook as a rehearsal for a mini tour in 2012.
The end of 2011 saw Gerry McAvoy play his last show for Nine Below Zero and pursue a new solo career.
Recent work
2012 saw the return of Brian Bethell who played on Third Degree. The new lineup started performing in January with shows in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as the band enter their 35th year.
Following on from 2013's remastered re-release of Nine Below Zero’s live debut Live at the Marquee came a double installment; remastered editions of the first two studio albums Don't Point Your Finger and Third Degree, each with a separate disc of bonus material, was released on 24 February 2014 through Universal Music.
With links to Squeeze and the Rolling Stones, Nine Below Zero have recently been name-checked as influences by popular rock ‘n’ roll upstarts The Strypes. A nationwide month-long 22-date tour in support of The Stranglers kicked off on 27 February 2014.[citation needed]
The band then undertook a 35th Anniversary tour in Autumn 2014.
Musical influences and preferences
Chicago Blues, BB King, Freddy King, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, Hubert Sumlin, The Beatles, Billy Gibbons.
Personal preferences
Italian women, Italian food, Italian clothes, French wine, Guinness
Recreational activities
Playing guitar, swimming, football all at once!! Watching Tottenham Hotspur, reading - mostly music, biographies.
Instruments: -
Gibson ES 335cr Burgundy 1976
Dennis's first real guitar bought for him by his father in 1977. It's actually a 1976 model with a coil tap and trapeze tail piece. Used on "Live At The Marquee", "Don't Point Your Finger At The Guitar Man" and "On The Road Again".
Gibson 335 Red 1968
Dennis bought this one from Phil Harris in 1984 - great guitar! Originally with a trapeze tailpiece but has been changed to a stop tailpiece. The bridge pick-up is a Seymour Duncan - we are talking about going back to the original Gibson pickup. It is the main live guitar. Used on all the Truth's albums, "Playground", "Weapons of Love", "Jump" - as well as "Off the Hook", "Ice Station Zebro" and "Refrigerator".
Fender Strat Blue 1963
This is a great guitar. It shows what is so good about a good Strat. Dennis bought it from Dougie Chandler of Chandler Guitars in 1980 for £500. Dennis also loves the colour - he has a picture of John Lennon with one the same colour. It has been used on "3rd Degree", "On The Road Again", and "Refrigerator".
Fender Strat Pink 1962
Just as the blue strat is a great strat, this is a dirty strat and it can really sing. Originally bought by Mich Lister (Truth!) from Dougie Chandler in 1982, Dennis bought it from him in 1990. Used on "On The Road Again", "Ice Station Zebro", "Off The Hook", and "Refrigerator".
Marshall JCM800 50w non master vol Head (2)
These two heads were bought from "Mr Brown" at the Marshall factory by Dennis in 1987. The main amp for live use up to fairly recently.
Marshall Small Box 50 1969
Brought along as a spare when one of Dennis's was being repaired. He just had to try it and has used it for the last year and a half! It is more responsive to different styles of playing than his own heads.
Marshall 4X12 Cabinets
We have two of these cabs - they sound great and look cool. Dennis bought them off Alvin Lee after we did a tour of America with him. These are the cabs we use at every gig.
Marshall Combo
Used on "live at the Marquee", "Don't Point Your Finger At The Guitar Man" and "Third Degree" as well as hundreds of gigs. It had to be sent back to Marshall to be rebuilt as it was "ill" but it never sounded the same again and it was sold a few years ago.
Marshall Bluesbreaker Combo
This is the 1997 anniversary Bluesbreaker made in white, used on the Bryan Adams tour when he had his whole Marshall backline in white. Dennis used this on his Jools Holland session a couple of years ago and does not take it on the road because he wants to keep it white.
Effects Pedals
Dennis now uses custom made Fuzz Face treble boost and gain effects pedals, made by Jesse Hoff. Jesse copies the original pedal circuitry and produces some of the finest pedals you can find today.
Nine Below Zero - Once Twice Three Times Is Enough
R.I.P.
Otis „Big Smokey“ Smothers +23.07.1993
Otis „Big Smokey“ Smothers (* 21. März 1929 in Lexington, Mississippi; † 23. Juli 1993 in Chicago, Illinois) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist und -Sänger.
Als Howlin' Wolf Smothers 1956/57 als Rhythmus-Gitarrist ins Studio holte, hatte Smothers bereits eine etwa zehnjährige Erfahrung als Bluesmusiker hinter sich. Mit Howlin' Wolf nahm er während dieser Zeit Songs wie Who's Been Talking und Tell Me. 1960 arbeitete Smothers mit Freddy King zusammen und bekam einen Plattenvertrag bei Federal Records, wo er auch einige Solo-Aufnahmen machte. So veröffentlichte er 1961 sein Debüt-Album Sings the Backporch Blues.
Außer einer Single (I Got My Eyes on You 1968) hörte man nun lange Zeit nichts mehr von Smothers, bis 1987 auf Red Beans Records die LP Got My Eyes on You erschien. Am 23. Juli 1993 verstarb Smokey Smothers in Chicago.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Smothers
Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers (March 21, 1929 – July 23, 1993)[1] was an African American, Chicago blues guitarist and singer. He was once a member of Howlin' Wolf's backing band, and worked variously with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Bo Diddley, Ike Turner, J. T. Brown, Freddie King, Little Johnny Jones, Little Walter, and Willie Dixon.[2][3] His younger brother, Abe (born Albert, January 2, 1939), became known as the bluesman Little Smokey Smothers, with whom he is sometimes confused.[2]
Biography
Smothers was born in Lexington, Mississippi, and was taught by his aunt to play both harmonica and guitar. Smothers relocated to Chicago in 1946, and his debut stage performance occurred with Johnny Williams and Johnny "Man" Young. In the early part of the 1950s, Smothers played alongside his own cousin Lester Davenport, plus Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, Earl Hooker, Henry Strong, and Bo Diddley.[2]
In 1956 and 1957, Howlin' Wolf invited Smothers to play as his rhythm guitarist on several Chess tracks, including "Who's Been Talking," "Tell Me," "Change My Way," "Goin' Back Home," "The Natchez Burning," and "I Asked For Water." Smothers secured a recording contract with Federal Records in August 1960. With Sonny Thompson as his record producer, and Freddie King on lead guitar, Smothers saw the resultant album, Smokey Smothers Sings the Backporch Blues released in 1962. Another four track session followed, including "Twist With Me Annie", a reworked version of "Work with Me, Annie." As a part-time member of Muddy Waters' backing band, Smothers also cut "I Got My Eyes on You," in 1968.[1][2]
Smothers help to form the Muddy Waters Junior Band in the late 1950s, as tribute to Muddy Waters. While Muddy Waters was on the road, Smothers and company would hold down Muddy's regular residency gigs in Chicago, performing Muddy's material and serving as a training ground for potential future members of Waters' own band, which both he and fellow 'Junior' band member George "Mojo" Buford eventually joined.
The 1970s were a lean time for Smothers, but he finally returned to recording in 1986, when Red Beans Records issued his album, Got My Eyes On You. His backing band were billed as The Ice Cream Men, a nod to Smothers working as an ice cream vendor back in the 1950s.[2]
Smothers wrote songs for Muddy Waters, and has a catalogue of songs to his credit including his, "I've Been Drinking Muddy Water",[4] "Ain't Gon Be No Monkey Man", and "Can't Judge Nobody."
Latterly suffering from heart disease, Smothers died in Chicago at the age of 64, in July 1993.[3][5]
A daughter is currently in process of bringing the brothers, Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers and younger brother Abe "Little Smokey" Smothers, life story to the big screen.[citation needed] Smothers is survived by wife, Earline Smothers, his sons, daughters, five brothers and sisters, and extended family.
Biography
Smothers was born in Lexington, Mississippi, and was taught by his aunt to play both harmonica and guitar. Smothers relocated to Chicago in 1946, and his debut stage performance occurred with Johnny Williams and Johnny "Man" Young. In the early part of the 1950s, Smothers played alongside his own cousin Lester Davenport, plus Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, Earl Hooker, Henry Strong, and Bo Diddley.[2]
In 1956 and 1957, Howlin' Wolf invited Smothers to play as his rhythm guitarist on several Chess tracks, including "Who's Been Talking," "Tell Me," "Change My Way," "Goin' Back Home," "The Natchez Burning," and "I Asked For Water." Smothers secured a recording contract with Federal Records in August 1960. With Sonny Thompson as his record producer, and Freddie King on lead guitar, Smothers saw the resultant album, Smokey Smothers Sings the Backporch Blues released in 1962. Another four track session followed, including "Twist With Me Annie", a reworked version of "Work with Me, Annie." As a part-time member of Muddy Waters' backing band, Smothers also cut "I Got My Eyes on You," in 1968.[1][2]
Smothers help to form the Muddy Waters Junior Band in the late 1950s, as tribute to Muddy Waters. While Muddy Waters was on the road, Smothers and company would hold down Muddy's regular residency gigs in Chicago, performing Muddy's material and serving as a training ground for potential future members of Waters' own band, which both he and fellow 'Junior' band member George "Mojo" Buford eventually joined.
The 1970s were a lean time for Smothers, but he finally returned to recording in 1986, when Red Beans Records issued his album, Got My Eyes On You. His backing band were billed as The Ice Cream Men, a nod to Smothers working as an ice cream vendor back in the 1950s.[2]
Smothers wrote songs for Muddy Waters, and has a catalogue of songs to his credit including his, "I've Been Drinking Muddy Water",[4] "Ain't Gon Be No Monkey Man", and "Can't Judge Nobody."
Latterly suffering from heart disease, Smothers died in Chicago at the age of 64, in July 1993.[3][5]
A daughter is currently in process of bringing the brothers, Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers and younger brother Abe "Little Smokey" Smothers, life story to the big screen.[citation needed] Smothers is survived by wife, Earline Smothers, his sons, daughters, five brothers and sisters, and extended family.
Otis'Big Smokey'Smothers ~ ''Sad Sad Day''&''Do The Thing''(Modern Electric Chicago Blues 1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=116&v=zvARAf_kfYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQV_cx5Jfg
Robert Cage +23.07.2012
Woodville bluesman Robert Cage was born in New Orleans on March 23, 1937, but his family, which has roots in southwestern Mississippi, soon moved to Natchez, where he spent his first six years. They then moved to the Percy Creek community, about ten miles west of Woodville near Lake Mary, where he lived for several decades. He recalls that the first time he heard blues was via records on the “autophone” at his mother Carrie’s juke joint, which was located next to their home. [“Autophone” was the brand name of an early coin-operated machine, though was used generically to refer to jukeboxes]. He recalls that there were other jukes in the area, including Nancy Green’s near Port Adams.
Cage particularly enjoyed the recordings of John Lee Hooker, and was also influenced by local performers who played at the juke, including guitarist Lee Baker and fiddler Nolan Cage, a relative. His most important influence, though, was the guitarist/vocalist Scott Dunbar [1904-1994], who worked as a fishing guide on Lake Mary and often performed solo at the juke. In the mid-‘50s folklorist Frederic Ramsey recorded Dunbar as well as several of his family members, and Folkways Records later issued the recordings; a photograph of Dunbar appears on the first edition of Ramsey’s 1960 book Been Here and Gone. Dunbar. Folklorist Bill Ferris later recorded Dunbar, and a 1970 LP of Dunbar’s music on the Ahura Mazda label, From Lake Mary, was later reissued on CD on Fat Possum.
Cage’s mother gave him a guitar when he was eleven, and he first encountered Dunbar when he was around thirteen by surreptitiously listening to him at the juke. He “studied the devil out of” Dunbar’s songs, and today still performs many of these in a style similar to that of Dunbar, including “Easy Rider,” “Who Been Fooling You,” and “Little Liza Jane.” By eighteen Cage formed his own band with his cousins Ray Trass and Little Miller, with a drummer beating on a beer box. Because of local alcohol prohibitions they performed mostly in clubs in nearby Louisiana including the State Line Club, where they were the house band, and the Black Cat.
He later led a band called the Blues Boys that featured saxophone and trumpet players, and recalls that they played a wide variety of music and that he often played just like Chuck Berry. From the late ‘80s until 2001 he often played at the Hilltop club just south of the border in Louisiana in a band that featured his son, Vincent “Buck” Cage, on bass, and C.L. Ward on drums.
In 1997 Fat Possum Records’ Bruce Watson and Matthew Johnson traveled to Woodville to try to locate Scott Dunbar, who had died several years earlier, and were referred to Cage. They recorded him and in 1998 issued the CD Can See What You’re Doing. Cage subsequently traveled to Japan and France to perform, and traveled on multiple national tours as part of the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan. In 2008 he appeared at the Deep Blues Festival in Minnesota together with Natchez drummer/harmonica player Hezekiah Early, and occasionally performed at events in the Miss-Lou area. For many decades Cage’s primary occupation was as a mechanic for large trucks, which he repaired at his home just west of downtown Woodville.
Cage passed away on July 23, 2012.
http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=cage_robertCage particularly enjoyed the recordings of John Lee Hooker, and was also influenced by local performers who played at the juke, including guitarist Lee Baker and fiddler Nolan Cage, a relative. His most important influence, though, was the guitarist/vocalist Scott Dunbar [1904-1994], who worked as a fishing guide on Lake Mary and often performed solo at the juke. In the mid-‘50s folklorist Frederic Ramsey recorded Dunbar as well as several of his family members, and Folkways Records later issued the recordings; a photograph of Dunbar appears on the first edition of Ramsey’s 1960 book Been Here and Gone. Dunbar. Folklorist Bill Ferris later recorded Dunbar, and a 1970 LP of Dunbar’s music on the Ahura Mazda label, From Lake Mary, was later reissued on CD on Fat Possum.
Cage’s mother gave him a guitar when he was eleven, and he first encountered Dunbar when he was around thirteen by surreptitiously listening to him at the juke. He “studied the devil out of” Dunbar’s songs, and today still performs many of these in a style similar to that of Dunbar, including “Easy Rider,” “Who Been Fooling You,” and “Little Liza Jane.” By eighteen Cage formed his own band with his cousins Ray Trass and Little Miller, with a drummer beating on a beer box. Because of local alcohol prohibitions they performed mostly in clubs in nearby Louisiana including the State Line Club, where they were the house band, and the Black Cat.
He later led a band called the Blues Boys that featured saxophone and trumpet players, and recalls that they played a wide variety of music and that he often played just like Chuck Berry. From the late ‘80s until 2001 he often played at the Hilltop club just south of the border in Louisiana in a band that featured his son, Vincent “Buck” Cage, on bass, and C.L. Ward on drums.
In 1997 Fat Possum Records’ Bruce Watson and Matthew Johnson traveled to Woodville to try to locate Scott Dunbar, who had died several years earlier, and were referred to Cage. They recorded him and in 1998 issued the CD Can See What You’re Doing. Cage subsequently traveled to Japan and France to perform, and traveled on multiple national tours as part of the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan. In 2008 he appeared at the Deep Blues Festival in Minnesota together with Natchez drummer/harmonica player Hezekiah Early, and occasionally performed at events in the Miss-Lou area. For many decades Cage’s primary occupation was as a mechanic for large trucks, which he repaired at his home just west of downtown Woodville.
Cage passed away on July 23, 2012.
Robert Cage and Hezekiah Early | Deep Blues Festival II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQV_cx5Jfg
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