1918 Professor Longhair*
1921 Cecil Barfield aka 'William Robertson'*
1929 Blind Lemon Jefferson+
1943 Wendell Holmes*
1944 Alvin Lee*
1951 Gerry McAvoy*
1989 Floyd Jones+
1997 Jimmy Rogers+
2000 Pops Staples+
2013 Eric “Guitar” Davis+
Kari Kempas*
1921 Cecil Barfield aka 'William Robertson'*
1929 Blind Lemon Jefferson+
1943 Wendell Holmes*
1944 Alvin Lee*
1951 Gerry McAvoy*
1989 Floyd Jones+
1997 Jimmy Rogers+
2000 Pops Staples+
2013 Eric “Guitar” Davis+
Kari Kempas*
Happy Birthday
Gerry McAvoy *19.12.1951
Gerry
McAvoy (eigentlich John Gerrard McAvoy; * 19. Dezember 1951 in Belfast)
ist ein nordirischer Bassgitarrist. Er war von 1971 bis 1991
musikalischer Wegbegleiter des irischen Gitarrenvirtuosen Rory
Gallagher. Nach der durch Gallaghers Alkohol- und Medikamentenmissbrauch
bedingten Trennung der beiden legendären Blues- und Rockmusiker schloss
sich McAvoy der Blues-Formation Nine Below Zero an.Zusammenarbeit mit Rory Gallagher
Gerry McAvoy begann seine musikalische Karriere als Mitglied der regional sehr bekannten Belfaster Band Deep Joy. Die Gruppe spielte mehrmals im Vorprogramm so bekannter Gruppen und Künstler wie Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, Taste oder John Mayall.
1971 lud Gallagher den jungen Bassisten nach der Auflösung seiner Band „Taste“ zur Zusammenarbeit ein. Zusammen mit dem Schlagzeuger Wilgar Campbell wurde das Debütalbum „Rory Gallagher“ eingespielt. McAvoy begleitete Gallagher in den nächsten 20 Jahren auf seinen Live-Auftritten und wirkte an allen 14 Alben mit, die bis zum tragischen Tod des vereinsamten Gitarristen produziert wurden. Der kommerziell sehr erfolgreiche Bandleader behandelte seinen Bassisten und die anderen Bandmitglieder aber offenbar eher als Angestellte und beteiligte sie nur sehr eingeschränkt am wirtschaftlichen Ertrag der Rory Gallagher Band.
McAvoy wurde von vielen Fans wegen seiner soliden, handwerklich ausgereiften Spielweise und unaufdringlichen Art als idealer Begleiter Gallaghers angesehen. 1990 erschien „Fresh Evidence“ als letzte gemeinsame Veröffentlichung. Insgesamt wurden die Alben der „Rory Gallagher Band“ weltweit über 30 Millionen Mal verkauft.
Im folgenden Jahr trennten sich die Wege der beiden Musiker. Gallagher war damals bereits schwer von seiner Krankheit gezeichnet, der er vier Jahre später nach einer Lebertransplantation und anschließender Infektion mit MRSA erlag.
Nine Below Zero
McAvoy und Gallaghers Schlagzeuger Brendan O'Neill wechselten wegen der zunehmenden Spannungen zu Nine Below Zero, einer ursprünglich bereits 1977 begründeten britischen Blues-Formation. Dort trafen beide auf den Harp-Spieler Marc Feltham, der von 1987 bis 1995 zur festen Besetzung von Rory Gallaghers Band gehörte. Somit spielen in diesem Quartett heute drei Musiker aus der Backline von Gallagher.
In den Jahren nach Gallaghers Tod formierte sich auf Initiative von McAvoy die Gruppierung 'Band of friends', in der immer wieder ehemalige Mitglieder von Gallagher zu dessen Gedenken zusammenkommen. Mehrfach spielten Gerry McAvoy und Brendan O'Neill mit dem niederländischen Blues-Gitarristen Julian Sas, der stark von Gallaghers Musik beeinflusst wurde, auf Festivals zum Gedenken an Rory Gallagher.
2005 veröffentlichte Gerry McAvoy seine Autobiografie unter dem Originaltitel Riding Shotgun. 2007 erschien eine deutsche Übersetzung des Werkes unter dem Titel On the road – Mein Leben mit Rory Gallagher und Nine Below Zero. McAvoy setzt sich in einigen Passagen durchaus kritisch mit der Rock- und Blueslegende Rory Gallagher und anderen Künstlern (John Mayall, Ian Anderson) auseinander, bringt aber stets seine tiefe Loyalität und freundschaftliche Verbundenheit zu Gallagher zum Ausdruck. Gallaghers Bruder, ehemaliger Manager und Nachlassverwalter Donal versuchte dennoch, letztlich erfolglos, die Herausgabe des über 300 Seiten starken Bandes zu verhindern.
Gerry
McAvoy (born John Gerrard McAvoy, 19 December 1951, Belfast, Antrim,
Northern Ireland) is an Irish blues rock bass guitarist, who is best
known for his 25-year-long friendship and professional association
performing with Rory Gallagher between 1970 and 1991. A melodic bassist,
McAvoy provided what Gallagher has maintained a "musical ESP",[1] in
performances and songwriting composition, often playing solos within
Gallagher's quartets, and most notably, power trios. After playing with
Gallagher for 21 years, in 1991, McAvoy moved on, and joined Nine Below
Zero.
Biography
McAvoy first began his musical career in the Belfast band Deep Joy. During his tenure with Deep Joy he first played with drummer Brendan O'Neill, who was later to tour with Rory Gallagher and appear on Gallagher's last three albums Jinx, Defender and Fresh Evidence.
McAvoy began listening to blues records at an early age. As well as rock and roll, his main influences include Muddy Waters, Paul McCartney and Jet Harris. In his autobiography he cites his brother-in-law (of the same name) as an influence on much of his musical taste. He mostly plays Fender bass guitars, particularly Precisions, owning a 1955 butterscotch blonde Precision and a 1975 cream Precision. However his main stage bass guitar is the black Music Man StingRay. He also owns a black Silvertone bass. For amplification, he uses a Trace Elliot V6 amplifier and a 4 X 10 speaker cabinet, a Peavey T1-15 and a Marshall bass 30W.
On 18 December 2011 McAvoy performed his last gig (to date) with Nine Below Zero in Leicester, at a venue called 'The Musician'.
He subsequently formed "Gerry McAvoy’s Band of Friends". On 15 May 2014, Gerry McAvoy’s Band of Friends performed at the Flowerpot[2] in Derby for a celebration of the music of Rory Gallagher and were supported by British acoustic blues singer songwriter, Matt Woosey.
Riding Shotgun
2005 saw the publication of his biography, Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero.
Biography
McAvoy first began his musical career in the Belfast band Deep Joy. During his tenure with Deep Joy he first played with drummer Brendan O'Neill, who was later to tour with Rory Gallagher and appear on Gallagher's last three albums Jinx, Defender and Fresh Evidence.
McAvoy began listening to blues records at an early age. As well as rock and roll, his main influences include Muddy Waters, Paul McCartney and Jet Harris. In his autobiography he cites his brother-in-law (of the same name) as an influence on much of his musical taste. He mostly plays Fender bass guitars, particularly Precisions, owning a 1955 butterscotch blonde Precision and a 1975 cream Precision. However his main stage bass guitar is the black Music Man StingRay. He also owns a black Silvertone bass. For amplification, he uses a Trace Elliot V6 amplifier and a 4 X 10 speaker cabinet, a Peavey T1-15 and a Marshall bass 30W.
On 18 December 2011 McAvoy performed his last gig (to date) with Nine Below Zero in Leicester, at a venue called 'The Musician'.
He subsequently formed "Gerry McAvoy’s Band of Friends". On 15 May 2014, Gerry McAvoy’s Band of Friends performed at the Flowerpot[2] in Derby for a celebration of the music of Rory Gallagher and were supported by British acoustic blues singer songwriter, Matt Woosey.
Riding Shotgun
2005 saw the publication of his biography, Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero.
Gerry McAvoy's Band Of Friends@Rock & Blues Festival 2012
Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play 1979 Live Video
Rory Gallagher - Shadow Play (Album Photo Finish 1978)
"Live at Montreux" Music Festival in Switzerland 1979
Rory Gallagher - Guitar, Vocals
Gerry McAvoy - Bass Guitar
Ted McKenna - Drums
"Live at Montreux" Music Festival in Switzerland 1979
Rory Gallagher - Guitar, Vocals
Gerry McAvoy - Bass Guitar
Ted McKenna - Drums
Gerry McAvoy's Band of Friends - Shadow Play/ Germany Rheinberg
Wendell Holmes *19.12.1943
By KASEY JONES - Associated Press - Friday, June 19, 2015BALTIMORE (AP) - Wendell Holmes, the guitarist, pianist and singer and songwriter of the soul and blues band The Holmes Brothers, has died.
Paul Kahn, Holmes’ manager, says the 71-year-old musician died Friday at his home in Rosedale, Maryland. Kahn says Holmes died of complications from pulmonary hypertension.
Holmes and his older brother, bassist Sherman Holmes, played churches in Virginia when they were growing up, and after high school, played professionally in New York. Drummer Willie “Popsy” Dixon started working with the brothers and they played the bar circuit. The three formed The Holmes Brothers in 1979.
Dixon died in January.
Kahn says Wendell Holmes was a natural musical talent, and said his most popular song was the soul ballad “We Meet, We Part, We Remember.”
Wendell Holmes, vocalist, guitarist, pianist and songwriter of the critically acclaimed soul/blues band The Holmes Brothers, died on Friday, June 19 at his home in Rosedale, Maryland of complications due to pulmonary hypertension. Earlier this week, Wendell addressed his fans and friends in an open letter as he moved into hospice care. He was 71.
Wendell retired from touring earlier this year when he was first diagnosed. Holmes Brothers drummer Willie "Popsy" Dixon died on January 9, 2015 of complications from cancer. Brother and bassist Sherman Holmes continues to carry on The Holmes Brothers legacy with The Sherman Holmes Project featuring Brooks Long and Eric Kennedy.
Wendell, the man Entertainment Weekly has called "a timeless original," was born in Christchurch, Virginia on December 19, 1943. He and his older brother Sherman were raised by their schoolteacher parents, who nurtured the boys’ early interest in music. As youngsters they listened to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker and B.B. King. According to Wendell, “It was a small town, and my brother and I were about the only ones who could play anything. So we played around in all the area churches on Sundays.” The night before, though, they would play blues, soul, country and rock at their cousin’s local club, Herman Wate’s Juke Joint. “When he couldn’t get any good groups to come from Norfolk or Richmond, he’d call us in,” Wendell recalls. “That’s how we honed our sound. We used to say we’d rock ‘em on Saturday and save ‘em on Sunday.”
Once Wendell finished high school he joined Sherman, who had already begun playing professionally in New York. The two brothers played in a few bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. The group lasted only three years, but they often backed up touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. Sherman and Wendell met drummer Popsy Dixon, a fellow Virginian, at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. “After that second song,” recalls Wendell, “Popsy was a brother.” They continued to play in a variety of Top 40 bar bands until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band.
The band toured the world, releasing 12 albums starting with 1990's In The Spirit on Rounder. Their most recent release is 2014's Brotherhood on Alligator. The New York Times calls The Holmes Brothers "deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless."
In September 2014, The Holmes Brothers were honored with a National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the United States bestows upon its folk and traditional artists. They won two Blues Music Awards including Blues Band Of The Year in 2005. The Holmes Brothers are featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine.
Wendell is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughters Felicia and Mia, brothers Sherman and Milton, and three grandsons.
Memorial service arrangements have not yet been announced.
Kari Kempas *19.12.
Kari "Good Rockin" Kempas is a journalist for Blues News Magazine, a Board member of Finnish Blues Society, an active member of European Blues Union and a long time blues harmonica player and singer in various bands such as Tortilla Flat, Bloodshot Eyes, Down Home Boys and Raw Gary and the Down Town Hooks, Highway, Aces, Helander co, South Coast Wolves, Good Rockin' Kempas & Square Deal, Good Rockin' Trio. He started making interviews with visiting bluesmen at first for local radio station in late 90’s and later for Blues News magazine. He has visited Chicago Blues festival eight times doing reviews and interviews and enjoying the local blues scene. He has played and jammed with several bluesmen: Tail Dragger, Willie Buck, Tommy Brown, Nappy Brown etc. He has recorded 2 vinyls, 10 cd’s, several 45’s & ep’s. He visited the first EBU conference in Parma, Italy 2008 and was 2010 in Memphis, USA when Finnish Blues Society received the Keeping the Blues Alive award.
Harp Attack 2009 / Kari "Good Rockin" Kempas
Harp Attack 2009 at Koha, Helsinki, March 28. Jam Band Members: Kari
"Good Rockin" Kempas voc and harp, Kari "Playboy" Johansson g, Maxwell
Street Mike g, Esko Mikkola b, Honey Aaltonen d
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