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David
Honeyboy Edwards
David
“Honeyboy” Edwards is one of the last of the
original Delta Bluesmen who traveled the South as hobos in the 1930s
and who shaped early folk music into what later generations turned into
rock ‘n’ roll. Still touring internationally, he is
in demand today both for his sharp memory as a purveyor of the oral
history of the blues and for his music, performing at festivals, arts
centers, colleges, clubs and special events.
Honeyboy Edwards was born in the Mississippi Delta in 1915, the son of
a sharecropper. After meeting Delta blues guitarist Big Joe Williams,
he left home at age 17, and traveled the South by hopping freight
trains. Honeyboy worked with Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf,
Sonny Boy Williamson, and countless others while honing his musical
skills on the streets and in juke joints across 13 states.
Not long after recording with Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in
1942, Honeyboy met teenage blues harmonica player Little Walter Jacobs,
and took Walter to Chicago, where they frequented the city’s
famous Maxwell Street Market. After a short stint there, Honeyboy
recorded for the Artist Recording Company in Texas, and for Sun Records
in Memphis. Returning to Chicago, he recorded for Chess Records. After
deciding to make Chicago his home, he quickly became known as one of
the city’s finest slide guitarists.
In the 1960s he recorded for Milestone, Adelphi and Blue Horizon
labels. In the late 60s, the original Fleetwood Mac asked Honeyboy to
play on their Blues Jam in Chicago sessions. Since then, he has
recorded albums for the Trix, Earwig, Roots, Folkways, Blue Suit and
Acoustic Sounds labels.
His many awards and honors include the Blues Foundation’s
W.C. Handy Award, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Endowment for the Arts
Heritage Fellowship award. He also received a Grammy for best
traditional blues album for his work on "Last of the Great Mississippi
Delta Bluesmen," which also featured Pinetop Perkins, Henry Townsend
& Robert Lockwood Jr.
Honeyboy performs in solo, duo with harmonica or guitar, and band formats.
Quotes
“On songs like ‘Big Fat
Mama’ he shows that you don’t always need a band to
move people’s feet.” –Rolling Stone
“…he evokes the smoldering intensity and elusive
spiritual brilliance of the fabled Delta tradition as well as anyone
alive, and better than most.” –Living Blues
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Audio Files: Catfish Blues
(Full Song MP3) |
| Video Files: Excerpt
from Honeyboy documentary (honeyboyfilm.com) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Honeyboy Press Kit |
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Johnny
Drummer
Johnny
Drummer was born Thessex Johns on March 1, 1938 in Alligator,
Mississippi, a small town twelve miles south of Clarksdale in the heart
of the Delta. There he saw musicians like Little Milton and Ike Turner
every weekend, and listened to his three brothers play hollow-box
guitars on long summer nights, learning all the blues, r&b, and
soul songs of the time. Soon he began singing, and at age seven joined
the Kelly Brothers Band in Alligator.
His career as a musician
expanded when he joined the Army and learned to play drums. In his
three-year army career, he sat in on drums with bands that came around,
honing his skills as a musician. Upon leaving the military in 1959, he
moved to Chicago, where he began sitting in with Lovie Lee, Big Walter
Horton, and Carey Bell at a bar on the corner near his house. He soon
began playing drums in Lovie’s band, and later moved on to
play with guitarist Eddie King.
In 1962 he cut a record for
Wonderful Records, which featured Eddie King, Willie Black, Roy
Johnson, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Otis Spann. In
1965 he got the chance to play with BB King at a club when
BB’s drummer failed to show up for the gig. In 1966 he went
to see Muddy Waters, and was asked to sit in on bass. He was later
asked to tour with Muddy, but declined his offer, uneasy at the
prospect of life on the road. He started his band and gained local
notoriety in the late 1960s as the leader of a band hired by touring
soul blues acts passing through Chicago. In the 1960s he taught himself
to play the electronic keyboard and now makes this his primary
instrument.
In recent years Johnny has
released three albums for the Earwig Music label. He performs
regularly at Chicago venues, in addition to performing internationally
at festivals and blues clubs, including acclaimed performances at the
Chicago Blues Festival, Pocono Blues Festival, University of Illinois
Blues Festival, and several others in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Quotes
“Drummer has managed a distinctive
sound in a sound-alike idiom…” –Living Blues
“Drummer’s suave vocals, front and center, are rich
and full of character…” -Blues Revue
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Audio
Files: Rockin' In The Juke Joint / Blind Man |
| Video
Files: Interview
with Johnny Drummer |
| PDF Press Kit:
Johnny Drummer Press Kit |
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Louisiana
Red
It’s
long been said that you have to live the blues in order to play them.
It would be difficult to argue that anyone performing on the blues
scene today has felt the blues more than Louisiana Red. Born Iverson
Minter in Bessemer, Alabama on June 23, 1932, Red has overcome
adversity at every step of his life. His songs are powerful, passionate
reflections on both his tragic childhood and life struggles.
Red’s mother died from pneumonia when he was only seven days
old. When he was five, the KKK murdered his father. From then on, he
was shuffled between family members who abused him and an orphanage,
where he suffered further abuse. Throughout these difficult times, he
found solace in music. Making his first instrument at age nine out of
an old cigar box and rubber bands, he was encouraged by his
grandfather, a self-taught bottleneck guitarist who gave Red his first
real guitar – an old Kay acoustic that he still has. While
living in Pittsburgh, he became a protégé of
local guitarist Crit Walters, and received encouragement from John Lee
“Sonny Boy” Williamson,” who gave Red a
Hohner Old Standby harmonica.
At the age of sixteen, he lied about his age and joined the army,
serving in Korea. After his honorable discharge, he recorded a few
tracks for the Chicago’s Checker label, a subsidiary of Chess
Records (featuring Little Walter on harmonica and Muddy Waters
assisting on guitar). This experience allowed Red to hit the thriving
Southside blues joints, where he played with Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann,
and Baby Face Leroy, learning from them, and helping to develop their
styles. Perhaps his greatest inspiration, however, came when he moved
to Detroit and played with John Lee Hooker, the final piece of the
puzzle that would make up Red’s style.
Since moving to Germany in 1982, he has toured worldwide. He now has
more than a dozen albums under his belt, and continues to record and
write new material. A master of slide guitar, he plays both traditional
acoustic and urban electric styles, with, lyrics both honest and often
remarkably personal. He continues to connect with audiences throughout
the world, and as he puts it, “Plays the blues…
hard.”
Quotes
“…the blues
don’t get any better than this.” –Jazz & Blues
Report
“From stone Delta blues to Funk, this guitarist can play it
all.” –Living
Blues
“…few can match his fusion of musical precision
and uncompromising honesty.” –Chicago Reader
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Audio
Files: Back Door Friend
(Full Song MP3) |
| Video
Files: At
American Folk Blues Festival 1983 w/Jimmy Rogers, Carey Bell |
| PDF Press Kit:
Louisiana Red Press
Kit |
| Print Quality Photos
(Hi-Res, 300dpi): Louisiana
Red Photo 1, Louisiana
Red Photo 2 |
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Dennis
Binder
Dennis
Binder was born in Rosedale, Mississippi, on November 18,
1928. He took an interest in music very early in life,
singing with his mother and two aunts in their Baptist Church. After
church, the children and their parents attended prayer meetings or
revivals, and often went to a juke joint or social gathering where
music was central. Although he is a self-taught musician, he
had an early introduction to both the piano and the blues by a female
impersonator named “Toots,” who sat Dennis on his
knee while he played blues piano in the St. Louis style.
As a teenager, Dennis refined his technique and knowledge of music in
Chicago. Determined to become a professional musician, he hung around
Chess Records, and eventually recorded four songs for the label. In
1951 and 1953, Dennis recorded for Sun Records. In 1954 in Clarksdale,
he played on recordings that Ike Turner set up for Modern Records and
which were released under Ike’s name as leader, although
Dennis was the featured vocalist and arranger. Other recording credits
include tracks on United Records in Chicago, released in the 1990s
compilation on Delmark Records, titled Long Man Blues. He
also recorded at the Norman Petty Studios in Texas, featuring
Buddy Holly and Tommy Allup, and in later years at Benson Studio in
Oklahoma City.
While touring in 1956 with Earl Hooker, Junior Wells and A.C. Reed,
Dennis stopped in Lawton, Oklahoma, which had an all-night
entertainment scene due to the military presence at Fort Sill. He
decided to make Lawton his home, and has resided there for fifty years.
He worked as a bail bondsman and musician, recording and releasing
numerous cds on his own label. In recent years, Dennis has played
important festivals, concerts and clubs in the United States, Canada,
Europe and Thailand. A friend introduced him in 2004 to Earwig Music
Company President Michael Frank, which led to increased bookings and to
Dennis signing a recording deal with Earwig, and the Fall 2006 cd
release, Everybody Needs A Miracle. The album features
Dennis’s unique piano stylings and his hybrid mix of blues,
rock ‘n roll, country and western, and inspirational music,
with a stellar Chicago quintet of backing musicians.
Quotes
"Dennis Binder was one of the many highlights
of the Toledo Rock Rhythm and Blues Festival! Spellbinding vocals and
killer keyboards!" -John
Rockwood (Blue Suit Productions)
"Do not hesitate to present Dennis Binder at your next event or
festival. The history this man knows, and can tell with delight, is
worth the price of admission alone. His musical talent is even
better.” -Dawayne
Gilley (Kansas City, Kansas Street Blues Festival)
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Audio Files: I
Don't
Want Nobody Messin' Around With Me (Full Song MP3) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Dennis Binder
Press Kit |
| Print Quality Photos
(Hi-Res, 300dpi): Dennis Binder Photo |
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Aaron
Moore
Aaron
Moore is one of the survivors of the classic boogie-woogie piano style
that permeated the 1950s Chicago blues scene. At age 87, he is just
beginning to gain the notoriety that eluded him throughout most of his
career. Known primarily as a backing musician, Moore provided
accompaniment for such greats as Little Walter, Muddy Waters, B.B.
King, Hound Dog Taylor, Howlin’ Wolf, Honeyboy Edwards and
Lonnie Brooks in a career that spans more than forty years.
Born and raised in Greenwood, Mississippi, Moore was encouraged in his
piano playing by his mother, who was a music teacher and church piano
player. Early influences included Curtis Jones and Memphis Slim, but
much of his distinct sound comes from boogie-woogie legend Roosevelt
Sykes, whom he learned from and frequently performed with upon moving
to Chicago. Moore focused on his career and family, working for many
years and retiring from a job with the City of Chicago, playing many
local club dates on weekends from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Upon retiring, Aaron has made playing his full-time interest. After
backing up local bluesman Brewer Phillips on his Delmark debut, Moore
gained the attention of producer Pete Nathan, who requested Aaron
finally release his first solo album. His critically acclaimed debut,
Hello World, and the subsequent Boot ‘Em Up (both on
Chicago’s Delmark Records) solidified Moore’s place
among the hierarchy of blues piano masters.
Nowadays, Aaron can be found touring the United States and abroad,
playing both as a solo artist and backing other musicians like his good
friend David “Honeyboy” Edwards. He continues to
support other musicians in the studio as well, and can be heard on
Cleveland Fats’ forthcoming release on Honeybee Records.
While remaining a local hero, Aaron Moore is finally beginning to gain
the recognition he so richly deserves.
Quotes
“… an excellent
presentation of classic piano blues [that] clearly reveals that the
classic style is still alive and well in the hands of Moore.”
–Dave
“Doc” Piltz (Blues on Stage)
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Audio Files: I Can't Stand To Be Alone (Full Song MP3) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Aaron Moore Press
Kit |
| Print Quality Photos
(Hi-Res, 300dpi): Aaron
Moore Photo 1, Aaron
Moore Photo 2 |
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Liz
Mandeville
Liz
Mandeville spent the late 1980s running up and down the road in
the United States and Canada with her r&b band, the
Supernaturals. She played thousands of gigs, from smoky biker bars to
swanky theatres, from casinos to yacht clubs, honing her musical chops
and crowd-pleasing skills. In 1994, a chance meeting with bassist Aron
Burton led to Liz’ subsequent performance with him at the
1994 Chicago Blues Festival, recording two tracks on his 1996 Earwig
release, Aron Burton Live, and a long-standing performing relationship.
Her work on that album marked Liz’s label recording debut and
the beginning of her professional association with Earwig Music Company.
Liz holds the distinction of being the only white vocalist to perform
regularly at the internationally known Blue Chicago nightclubs, where
she held court from 1994 to 1999. Backed by former Junior Wells
bandleader George Baze, Liz contributed two tracks to the 1998 Blue
Chicago release, The Red Hot Mamas. While at Blue Chicago, Liz had the
opportunity to work with a veritable Who’s Who of
contemporary blues men: Willie Kent, Michael Coleman and Maurice John
Vaughn, among others. Albert Collins’ alumni, Aron Burton
(bass), Allen Batts (keys), and Dave Jefferson (longtime Albert King
drummer), made up Liz’ rhythm section for the latter part of
the 1990s, and played on her first two cds released by Earwig Music
Company.
On stage she’s magic! Hip-shakin' Liz gets the crowd dancing
with the first blast of her powerful, four-octave, soul-drenched voice.
She is a high voltage performer and a red hot mama. She is also solid
as an acoustic and electric guitar player and her rub board playing
adds a spicy back-porch feel. Equally at home in an intimate club
setting or on a festival stage, she is a total professional, on time
and in control! She continues to tour internationally to critical
acclaim, gaining many devoted new fans at each show. She also
has a large amount of recorded material and is planning to release one
or two more albums in the near future.
Quotes
“Brassy, sassy singer with a knack for writing spicy,
blues-flavored songs that can rock and rollick." -Blues Revue
"She delivers...with unimpeachable enthusiasm and lusty gusto. Look at
her indeed." -Living
Blues
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Audio Files: Life
Sentence of the Blues (Full Song MP3) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Liz Mandville
Greeson Press Kit |
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Aron
Burton
Aron
Burton has been hard at work for the past fifty years, securing his
place in musical history as a master of the blues, and becoming one of
the most sought-after bass players in the business. Born in Senatobia,
Mississippi on June 15th 1938, Aron took interest in music at a very
young age, when his gospel voice was sought after by many local
churches. Among his early accomplishments was the formation of the
Victory Travelers with his cousin Ruben Burton, a group that still
tours.
Upon moving north to Chicago in the mid-1950s, Aron quickly gained a
reputation as one of the most solid and “in the
pocket” bass players in town. Aron was exposed to a variety
of different styles of music, including r&b, soul, jazz, and
rock, in addition to his blues and gospel foundation. It was only a
short time before Aron began to be called upon by the masters of the
industry, starting in 1956 with Freddie King. Eventually Aron was hired
to support such legends as Jimmy Witherspoon, Junior Wells, Big Jack
Johnson, Eddy Clearwater, and Billy Boy Arnold.
Perhaps Aron Burton’s biggest claim to fame is as a founding
member of Albert Collins’ Ice Breakers, along with his
brother Larry Burton and keyboardist Allen Batts. Aron shared several
Grammy nominations with the band, and soon became a regular session
artist at Alligator Records. He can be heard singing and playing on
recordings of such legends as James Cotton and Fenton Robinson.
After his success as a backing musician. Aron finally decided to strike
out on his own. He can be heard on solo albums recorded with both
Earwig Music and Delmark Records in Chicago. These critically acclaimed
albums have secured him four W.C. Handy Awards Nominations, as well as
numerous other awards. To date, Aron has appeared on more than
thirty-four recordings, has toured internationally, and has performed
at nearly every Chicago Blues Festival since the festival began more
than twenty-five years ago.
Quotes
“..An experienced group, solid and
competent..” –Blues
Access
“Burton is one of Chicago's most underrated singers and
songwriters -- a situation that this release should do much to
correct.” –Living
Blues
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Audio Files: Two Way Street (Full Song MP3) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Aron Burton
Press Kit |
| Print Quality Photos
(Hi-Res, 300dpi): Aron
Burton Photo |
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 Rob
Stone & the C-Notes
A live performance by The C-Notes can transport
the listener back to the heyday of Chicago blues. Fronted by
harmonica-playing vocalist Rob Stone, the group comprises four seasoned
professionals with well over a half century of combined blues playing
experience. They've paid their dues in the smoky Chicago blues joints
and toured coast to coast across North America and Europe, as well as
the Hawaiian islands and Japan, playing countless blues festivals, club
dates and television appearances.
Separately, the members of the group have recorded for the Alligator,
Evidence, Hightone, Ice House, Marquis, Appaloosa and Magnum blues
labels, and received national recognition in countless blues
publications. These musicians have performed with, and learned from,
many of the greats, and toured extensively with the renowned drummer
Sam Lay, “The Shuffle-master,” and with Jody
Williams, renowned Chicago guitarist. Their mastery
shows from the first note. They are all authentic showmen with pure
ability to tear up a stage, as evidenced by their prominent role in the
recent Martin Scorsese-produced "Godfathers and Sons" episode of The
Blues series that aired recently on PBS stations nationwide.
As a vocalist Rob Stone is powerful, yet relaxed and natural; as a
harmonica player he evokes the sounds of greats like Little Walter,
Sonny Boy Williamson and Walter Horton. The band members navigate their
way effortlessly through one lean arrangement after another, from a
soulful slow blues to a ferocious, driving slide guitar workout
recalling past greats like Elmore James, Earl Hooker, and Muddy Waters,
as well as all the blues harp legends from the heyday of Chicago Blues.
Whether playing before an audience of seasoned blues fans, or a group
of folks who've never been to a blues club, the energy and swing of
their music pulls in the audience from the very first note.
The C-Notes play blues with love and respect for the tradition that
lies at the heart of the music. The result is a genuine blues show
unsurpassed in energy, feeling, and authenticity, presented with true
professionalism and a touch of class.
Quotes
“Rather than just
…recycling old standards, [this band] demonstrates that
there is still a lot of mileage left in the Chicago style.” –Blues on Stage
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Audio Files: Too Late Honey (Full Song MP3) |
| PDF Press Kit:
Rob Stone
& the C-Notes Press Kit |
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