John Lee Hooker Jr. was born in Detroit "Motor" City with Delta blues-filled blood running through his Motown veins. The son of the great John Lee Hooker, he was exposed the life of the blues from a young age. At only eight years old Jr. performed on Detroit's WJBK radio and knew from that moment that he wanted to follow the path of his father and become a world-class musician. Touring alongside Hooker, Sr. throughout his teens, Jr. had already performed in prestigious venues such as Detroit's Fox Theatre with acclaimed musicians like Jimmy Reed by the time he was 16. In 1972, an eighteen year-old John Jr. was singing vocals alongside his father for the recording of Hooker, Sr.'s album Live at Soledad Prison (ABC Records).
Unfortunately, while living the "life of a bluesman" he succumbed to the demons that surround it, derailing his musical career for many, many years. Drugs, alcohol, divorce, incarceration, and death nearly brought his once promising career to a screeching halt, but it was living the blues and his faith in the Almighty that resurrected Jr. Hooker. With the support of his family and friends, and a crew of talented musicians who never ceased to believe in him, Jr. Hooker finally found his own inner muse, making music that expresses the depth of emotion he has experienced in his personal life.
His first album, Blues with a Vengeance (Kent Records), is what he called his "celebratory redemption." After struggling through years of extreme hardship and nearly losing himself to the streets, the remarkable John Lee Hooker Jr. overcame the adversity to begin a rapid emergence into the blues spotlight. Released in April 2004, Blues with a Vengeance certainly lived up to its name by wrapping up 2004 with a Grammy nomination in the Traditional Blues Album category and a nomination for a distinguished W.C. Handy Award as Best New Artist Debut. The California Music Awards (formerly the BAMMYS) named Blues with a Vengeance 2004's Outstanding Blues Album of the Year, and the Bay Area Blues Society presented John Lee Hooker Jr. with the 2004 Comeback Artist of the Year award, as he performed alongside world-class musicians Jimmy Reed, BB King, Bo Diddley, Lenny Kravitz, Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor, Charlie Musslewhite, Etta James, and John Lee Hooker.
Cold As Ice, Jr. Hooker's second album, was released by Telarc Records in June of 2006 and showed his progression as a contemporary blues artist. Blending his roots with a modern sound, his style is indicative of his Motown base. Music enthusiasts describe his style as R&B, Jazz, Funk, and "down home blues". While the record did not gather as much attention as his debut, it received positive reviews across the board and solidified Jr. Hooker as one of blues' rising stars. Epitomizing the synthesis between traditional blues and the new age funk, the record at times pays homage to his father while at others it blazes a trail of its own.
John Lee Hooker Jr. releases his third CD: ALL ODDS AGAINST ME only to discover the impact it has made worldwide in its infancy... it has generated a 2008 Grammy nomination. Jr. Hooker continues to carry the blues into the 21st. century. The 12-song album was released domestically on Junior's own 'Steppin' Stone Records..and in Europe on Jazzhaus Records, is his first effort to include only new original tracks, a contrast to either of his previous solo projects.
Additionally, Jr. continues to stretch the envelope, becoming blues' first animated superhero in a cartoon included on the enhanced disc. The first episode of "Bluesman" introduces Jr. Hooker. as a crime-fighting musician, singing in clubs by night and cleaning up the streets by day. Conceived by Frenchman Laurent Mercier at the Callicore Animation Studios in Paris, the video series has also inspired work to begin on a comic book. Mercier, son of a French jazzman contemporary of Hooker Sr., dreamt up the idea as a way for the two sons to pay tribute to their fathers' legacies and Jr. immediately embraced the vision. Set to "Blues Ain't Nothing but a Pimp" from Blues with a Vengeance, the video is the first of three to be released in 2008.
From the gravely blues of the Detroit streets to a new era of sound; from the shadow of his father's accomplishments to standing apart from his namesake; from criminal to crime-fighter; from San Quentin to the Red Carpet, its no wonder the album is called All Odds Against Me. John Lee Hooker Jr. has built upon his colorful past as he continues to distinguish himself as a contemporary "Bluesman."
Music has been Robin Rogers' consuming passion ever since her days as a teenaged street singer. Possessing a deeply expressive and soulful voice and an infectious enthusiasm for the blues, Robin and her band have developed a devoted and growing following. Her Blind Pig debut, "Treat Me Right", fulfills the promise of her previous two releases, revealing an accomplished artist of rare polish and originality.
In the late sixties when America's youth was "rediscovering the Blues," Robin Rogers was "living the Blues." As a runaway teen trying to escape a troubled home, she made her way to cities like Richmond, Virginia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; and Coconut Grove, Florida. Robin lived the hippie lifestyle of the times, even sharing residence in a commune in Love Valley, North Carolina for one summer, sometimes sleeping in parks, under picnic tables and in abandoned cars. After serving time as a juvenile in reform school for truancy and being out of parental control, she was released at age 15 to begin life on her own. It was a hard life for a young girl, and it wasn't long until Robin was addicted to drugs and alcohol and, thank goodness, to singing!
She eventually learned to play guitar and began accompanying herself. Robin performed on the streets, at parties and coffee houses for food and tips, setting the stage for the emergence of an independent, strong-willed spirit and charismatic singer. After hearing the applause of strangers, she knew she was hooked! Her goal was to make a living performing music, and this she has done for over 30 years.
As fate would have it, Robin became drug and alcohol free in 1989 and began to turn her life around. She moved to North Carolina in 1990, performing in the Southeast area for the next ten years, recording, writing and enjoying music clean and sober for the first time in many years.
Singer, guitarist and songwriter Mike Zito grew up in St. Louis, immersed in the gritty and soulful sounds of the city’s south side that would provide the groundwork for his future in music. He began singing and performing at the age of five, received his first guitar not long afterward, and music has been his guiding force ever since. Working at a local guitar shop after high school, he encountered many of the legends of the local music scene. “Everyone from Chuck Berry to [bluesman] Bennie Smith came in that store,” Zito says of his experience. “I soaked up the sounds of that store, and began building my own style.”
Zito’s journey took off in earnest at the age of 19, when he began making a name for himself as a unique new voice on the highly competitive St. Louis music scene. His first independent CD release, “Blue Room”, which included his raw and funky original crowd-pleasers “Hollywood” and “Pull the Trigger”, appeared in 1996. Zito’s songwriting and performing experience continued to develop with his sophomore release, “America’s Most Wanted”, in 1999. This album showcased his wide-ranging pop sensibilities and fiery guitar work; the songs "Crazy People", "Deal Me In" and his own interpretation of Elton John’s classic "Rocket Man" helped pave the way towards bringing Zito to a national audience.
His incessant touring schedule found him crisscrossing the country playing everywhere from funky roadhouses to major festival stages to an international tour for the USO, and performing in front of enthusiastic crowds six nights a week around St. Louis when not on the road. During this period of intense music making Zito began to hone and polish his art, developing a breathtaking level of virtuosity and a unique expressive voice with both his singing and guitar playing, while at the same time stripping away the non-essential elements and cutting to the core of what moved a live audience. But throwing himself headfirst into the pursuit of his art had a toll, and Zito paid it. The non-stop lifestyle led to a dark and dangerous period during which Zito came close to drinking and drugging away all that he’d worked so hard to establish. It took time, but thankfully, with the help and intervention of friends and supporters in the music business, loved ones, and the woman who would become his wife, Zito regained his faith in himself and his music, cleaned up his act, and settled down in Southeast Texas to begin anew.
With a clean slate, a fresh outlook, and a new dedication to his music, Zito now also had a message of positivity and redemption that has informed his new music with a deeper meaning and taken it to an entirely new level. His CD “Slow It Down” was released in 2004, and included the moving autobiographical originals “Long Dark Road,” “Change My Ways,” and the title track, as Zito examined and shared the experiences he’d learned from. He formed a solid new band and began performing full-time again, playing over 250 shows in 2005, and approaching his life and his music with a new vigor. “Music can change everything…how you feel, how you see, and what you believe,” Zito explains.
Zito’s new sound further coalesced with the release of his fourth independent CD, “Superman” in 2006. His varied influences such as Prince, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and B.B. King, as well as more recent ones like John Mayer, blend with Zito’s completely original voice to create an appealing, broad-based hybrid of soulful roots and contemporary pop that is as profound as it is catchy.
In 2007, fate intervened and Zito crossed paths with a kindred spirit who also had turned his life around and made the most of it, Delta Groove Music chief Randy Chortkoff. Zito and Chortkoff immediately hit it off, and before long had inked a recording deal with Chortkoff’s Eclecto Groove Records label, as well as with Rick Booth of Intrepid Artists for representation. “There is something in Zito’s music that went straight to my heart that goes way beyond his incredible talent as a musician…it’s that his music has such a message of positivity and hope. That’s universal, and when you pair that up with music that appeals on so many levels simply as great contemporary music, it makes Mike Zito a guy who truly deserves to be heard. I’m very proud to have him on board,” says Chortkoff.
With all the pieces in place, the time is right for Mike Zito to break through as a major voice on the contemporary music scene. His debut release on Eclecto Groove, “Today”, is currently being readied for release. Produced by the ‘dream team’ of David Z (Prince, Big Head Todd, Etta James), Tony Braunagel (Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burden), and Randy Chortkoff, “Today” showcases Zito’s music in a distinctly contemporary setting, without any gimmicks or artifice. The producers perfectly captured the earthy essence and intimacy of Zito’s voice, and the driving intensity of his music, creating a recording that sounds simultaneously comfortable and familiar, and brand new and original. Zito’s original material has never been stronger; songs like “Today”, “Holding Out For Love” and “Superman” would mesh perfectly with the playlists at any Hot AC or Triple A format radio station, while the strutting “No Big City” and “Hollywood” won’t disappoint long-time fans from his hard-rocking days. And Zito’s sensitive, acoustic cover of the Prince classic “Little Red Corvette” will have listeners who are familiar with the song hearing it in a whole new light.
Zito is that rare new artist who completely in synch with the contemporary music scene, while at the same time having a lifetime’s worth of experience to draw from that informs his music with soul, depth, and lasting appeal that grows with repeated listening. And thanks to his alliance with Eclecto Groove, it looks like “Today” is the day for Mike Zito.
Eugene is a nomadic musician living his life on the road. His home is wherever the next performance takes him, and every year this is from America through Europe, to Australia with many other stops in between.
Born in 1963, the son of the blues guitarist Hideaway Slim, Eugene is the fourth child of five. His mother was from the Bullock family (the same as Anna Mae Bullock better known as Tina Turner) and Eugene claims he got his guitar skills from the Bridges side and his voice from the Bullocks. At five he was already playing with his father around Louisiana. With his brothers as The Bridges Brothers he sang gospel and was the musician of his church touring with the Pastor, Elder A. A Edwards. At thirteen Eugene was entering R&B talent shows and had formed his first R&B band The Five Stars.
Eugene moved to Texas to join the Air Force at sixteen, playing in the Air Force band for the next three years. On leaving he joined The New Chosen on guitar and vocals and went on to play with The Mighty Clouds of Joy.
Following a move to Houston, Eugene released Blues, Gospel and R&B recordings by the three bands he was running at the time. These included the first line-up of the Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges Band. They toured the USA from coast to coast.
Eugene then travelled alone to Europe, where B B King Bassist Big Joe Turner spotted him in Paris offering him the position of Guitarist / Vocalist with Big Joe Turners Memphis Blues Caravan.
A year later he left to work under his own name again and formed The Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges Band. Signed to the Blueside label, Eugene recorded Born to be Blue, produced by Mike Vernon. His live performances received rave reviews and Eugene was awarded vocalist of the year by the UK's Blueprint magazine and won the Trophees France Blues 99 Chanteur De L'Annee.
In 2000 Eugene signed to Armadillo and released his next CD Man Without A Home which was played worldwide. He appeared, often headlining, at major festivals in the USA, all over Europe, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia; whipping up a storm wherever he went with his distinctive southern sound.
The 2003 release Jump the Joint reached Number 4 in the US Living Blues Charts, remaining in the charts for three months. Eugene’s songs also appear regularly in The National Association of Rhythm & Blues DeeJays charts. He was nominated for three 2003 US Cammy Music Awards.
In September 2004 Eugene recorded his next CD Coming Home at The Zone Studio in Dripping Springs, Texas; using a full horn section led by Seth Kibel, on several tracks. He also has Texan guitarist and friend Rocky Athas joining him on two cuts.
After four CDs recorded with his full band, his next self titled release Eugene ‘Hideaway ‘ Bridges he went into the studio with friends and fellow musicians met on the road. Lucky Oceans, co-founder of the Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel, plays some fine Pedal Steel on three tracks and Texan legend Ray Wylie Hubbard lays down some fine Slide Guitar on I Can’t Wait. This CD was nominate for two 2008 US Blues Music Awards.
March 2009 saw Eugene in San Antonio to fulfil his fans wishes for a Live CD. With the line up of Bobby Baranowski - Drums, Eric King - Bass, David Webb - Keys, Seth Kibel Sax and Justine Miller - Trumpet you have the real deal.
The Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges is the real deal!
Garrett "Big G" Jacobson is a dynamic blues singer/guitarist as well as a jazz organist. His Blues/Soul band can be heard throughout the Oklahoma club, casino and festival circuit on a regular basis while his Organ Trio plays various jazz rooms across the OKC metro area. A staple of the Oklahoma music scene, Garrett has three locally released albums to his credit. He released his first CD, "Rhythm Attack", in 1998...."this Okie's dramatic guitar playing creates hard-hitting songs" (Living Blues). With "That Funky Thang", released in 2001, G's brand of blues combined with elements of soul, funk and jazz was established...."Garrett 'Big G' Jacobson leads his tight, swinging band through a set of originals...making this disc a dancefloor threat" (Blues Revue). His most current CD, "Soul Buffet" explores both the blues/soul band and Garrett's jazz organ trio. The Garrett "Big G" Jacobson band is sure to deliver a dynamic and soulful show not to be missed!
Big Red and the Soul Benders is a great little blues band from Mountain Home Arkansas. Winners of the 2006 Texarkana blues society battle of blues bands and Winners of the Sonny boy blues society's battle of the bands 2007 .With this win They have won the main stage spot for the Arkansas Blues and heritgage fest & will be contestants in the IBC 2008 .Having played the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly known as the King Biscuit) on the emerging artist stage, and winning the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Award is the up and coming blues to see!! With a sultry, low down, reach inside you voice Big Red fronts this band with a style all her own. She has been called the next Janis Joplin, also told she sounds like Koko Taylor & Big Mama Thornton. Along with The Soulbenders consisting of Mike Taylor on bass guitar, and Charles Gage on drums have successfully written many songs on their debut cd "The Devil Made Me Do It". In addition, with a new CD just being released By Big Red! "Under The Delta Moon" recorded and mastered at Raney Recording Studio This CD is pure Big Red and The Soul Benders at their best! Down and dirty Blues the way Big Red likes it. CD's are available through www.bigredandthesoulbenders.com or through Big Red And The Soul Benders Take a listen to some of BigRed's music, you will not be disappointed.
Red River Mudcats
David Berntson, Tulsa musician and educator was awarded the 2006 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) in Education Award by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee on January 28, 2006. Each year, the Blues Foundation recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. Berntson was honored for his continued work in blues education, both in Tulsa and throughout the country. A gifted harmonica player, Berntson has shared his passion for the blues with countless youth over the years.
In 1987, Berntson founded the Tulsa Blues Club, Tulsa's original blues appreciation organization, and created his blues education program. As a Prevention Educator and Drug/Alcohol Counselor, Berntson found many opportunities to share his enthusiasm and knowledge of the blues with young people. Using his contacts in Tulsa area schools, he developed his unique "Blues in the Schools" program. His on-going partnerships with the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, the Blues Society of Tulsa, and private funding has allowed him to reach thousands of students. Blending blues music with character education, Berntson presents his curriculum at alternative schools for at-risk youth, after-school programs, and in traditional classroom settings. Participants range in age from Kindergarten-12th grade. Most recently, Berntson has been using the harmonica to reach teenagers who are incarcerated at L.E. Rader Center, Oklahoma’s maximum security juvenile detention facility.
Berntson has presented programs at the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly the King Biscuit Blues Festival) in Helena, Arkansas, the Bishopstock Blues Festival in Exeter, England, the Nothin’ But the Blues Festival in Bloomington, Illinois and at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. In April, 2005, Berntson was the Artist-in-Residence for the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, funded, in part, by the Iowa Arts Council and corporate contributions. He has also been the keynote speaker for the Oklahoma Teen Conference and a presenter at the National Prevention Symposium, always using the harmonica as a means of connecting with the participants.
The Duo Sonics bring a unique blend of blues and roots music to the stage. Featuring Bob Parker playing reso-phonic guitar, baritone guitar, six-string bass and mandolin, with David Berntson on Hohner diatonic and chromatic harmonicas and concertina, the Duo Sonics interpret classic blues in an exciting, high-energy show. Whether playing a slow blues, dripping with amplified harp and slide guitar, or a full-blown boogie-woogie or jump blues number, this duo can really sing and swing.
Bob Parker has played blues professionally for over 25 years, most recently with the Oscillators and with Junior Markham. A native of Tulsa, his heartfelt and steady guitar technique reflects Oklahoma and Texas blues traditions and creates an incredibly full sound. Both harmonizing and singing lead vocals, Bob’s voice resonates with emotion when he sings about the true facts of life.
David Berntson has also played blues for over 25 years, both in his home state of Illinois, and in Oklahoma. He is a master of Chicago blues, Mississippi Delta style blues and jump blues. His ability to connect with an audience, coupled with his passion for the Blues, makes for a dynamic and entertaining musical performance. In addition to playing with many Tulsa area bands, David is an endorsee for Hohner harmonicas and has taught harmonica classes for over 15 years. He is the founder of the Tulsa Blues Club and was awarded the “Keeping the Blues Alive in Education” award from the National Blues Foundation in 2006.
Jack Carlton Band
Among the many blues bands that endorsed the roots of the blues in Oklahoma City, the Roland Bowling Band formed in 1998. Members of the band belong to the Oklahoma Blues Society and are exclusively dedicated to the blues.
Roland Bowling was known to many as a sponsor of the radio program on KRXO, the Blues Cruise. In time, however, he became known as the musician. Roland Bowling even praised other local bands by name on his own radio spots.
On drums are Slammin’ Dan, bass guitar, Vegas, and Roland on guitar and vocals. This powerhouse trio is a must see for all blues fans. Don’t miss the Roland Bowling Band.
Jennifer Marriott
With a voice described as being as soft as a sultry summer breeze to a velvet gritty growl, Jennifer's music takes the genres of blues, alternative folk, jazz as well as rock and artfully blends them to create a truly unique sound. "Peep and the Sheep" as they are affectionately known, have been forging their own path in the blues across the South and Southwest, with their award winning independent CD "Baa Baa Blue Sheep". Two new CDs are in production with release slated for release late '09 early '10.
"Amazing guitar work and powerful vocals of Pete Marriott; and gritty but sultry vocals of Jennifer Marriott. (Jenny could curl your toes if she read you the phone book and make a jazz singer beg for mercy); and you will not find a more rock solid rhythm section." - Eddie Bagwell - Vice President, Blues Society of Tulsa
"Bands like this remind me that we’re lucky to have Blues in our soul and the opportunity to feel all the emotions a good Blues song will inspire." - Kyle Deibler - President, Phoenix Blues Society
Arterbery Band
The Arterbery band came together in the summer of 2009, sharing a mutual commitment to blues, jazz and soul music, they serve generous helpings of improvisation and musicianship, always structured by a backbone of blues music. Featuring Andy Arterbery on lead vocals, guitars, lap steel and dobro; Billy Wiginton on bass and vocals; Pat Bubert on drums, keyboards and vocals; and Ryan Hatcher on the trumpet, flugelhorn and banjo. They create a unique blend of American music by expressing themselves using tropes dug up from the past, re-inserting them in the context of modern song structure and recapturing some of what was so special about the music that came before.
RJ Mischo
Singer/Harmonica player R.J. Mischo began his music career over 20 years ago in Minneapolis. He worked with the area???s legends of the Blues scene like Muddy Waters alumni Mojo Buford and Sonny Rogers, as well as Percy Strothers & Milwaukee Slim. R.J. then led his own groups and gained a reputation as one of the region's top blues acts.
During his tenure in Minneapolis, R.J. was nominated in several categories by the Minnesota Music Academy and in 1996 won the award for Best Harmonica Player.
RJ Mischo scoops up everyday life and personal experiences and funnels them through his harp and vocals, and what pours out is the hot-blooded passion, the playful humor and high voltage energy of the blues.
R.J. was introduced to audiences worldwide when he and guitarist Teddy Morgan formed the RJ & Kid Morgan Blues Band featuring Percy Strother. In 1992 they released Ready To Go on the W. C. Handy award-winning Blue Loon Records.
1994 brought the critically acclaimed Gonna Rock Tonight also on Blue Loon Records. After several successful tours of Europe, RJ recorded Rough ???N" Tough "live in Europe "in 1996 and Cool Disposition in 1997 on the prestigious German label, Crosscut Records.
In 1998 R.J. Mischo and His Red Hot Blues Band moved to San Francisco, California and quickly established himself in the local music scene as each performance typically runs the gamut from mellow-down-easy acoustic to highly-charged full-on electric.
The CD "West Wind Blowin'" featured advances in R.J.'s writing style and guest performances by guitarist/vocalists Steve Freund and Rusty Zinn. RJ waxed three more Albums in California plus appeared on 2 volumes of Blues Harp Meltdown CD"s compilations featuriing live recording's of Mark Hummel's famous blues harmonica blow-outs with Kim Wilson, James Harman, Billy Branch, Rick Estrin, Gary Primich, Johnny Dyer, Annie Raines, Gary Smith, and Cephas & Wiggins.
His latest and 9th CD "King Of a Mighty Good Time" 2008 was recorded "live" in the studio to best capture the energy and interplay of sympathic musicians under optimal recording conditions.
RJ and his Wife now reside in Fayetteville, Arkansas. R.J. works in the area with Northwest Arkansas' finest including guitar-ace Jimmy Thackery, the Table Rockers, Zack Bramhall and Arkansas legend Earl Cate. As well as touring worldwide performong on Blues Festivals and clubs with his own Red Hot Blues bands!