SPOTLIGHT ON Pat Ramsey & The Blues Disciples

Description

Pat Ramsey is an outstanding harmonica virtuoso and blues singer. Backed by a powerhouse trio, this CD is a must for blues fans.

Album Notes

Consultant: Duane Waider
Re-Mastered by W. Michael Lewis at Wombat Music, Calabasas, CA
Executiive Producers for SnailWorx: Ray Harris & W. Michael Lewis

Pat Ramsey, from Shreveport, LA started playing harp at age 17. Johnny Winter heard him, and hired Pat to play harp on his album "White Hot and Blue". This led to work with Butch Trucks' band "Trucks" and a local Tallahassee, FL band called "Crosscut Saw" featuring a 17 year old guitar prodigy, Julian Kasper. After touring with a few other bands, Pat with the help of Julian and some local Memphis musicians, produced the CD "It's About Time". The CD received very strong reviews and Pat began touring as Pat Ramsey and The Blues Disciples.
 Pat's stellar performances with The Blues Disciples were recorded live many times. This CD compilation is from their 2004 shows in Key West, FL.
 Pat Ramsey passed away on Nov. 17, 2008 after a long illness. His music lives on and he is remembered in the hearts of his family, friends and fans.
 Dave Renson started playing guitar at the age of 10. He has played with many of New Orleans' great musicians and has appeared several times at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He worked as a Blues Disciple from 1997 until Pat's untimely death.
 John Wentzien toured with Pat for several years. He hails from Niota, IL
and has his own blues band, "The Smokin' Mojo Kings".
 Duane Waider played with Pat for 1 1/2 years and left to start his own group "Mad Love". He lives in L.A. and is currently the drummer and lead vocalist for "ICONS The Band".

SPOTLIGHT ON Mary-Ann BRADON

Mary-Ann Brandon has recorded with Johnny Winter, Duke Robillard,
David Olney, Tommy Tutone, Earl Gaines, Roscoe Shelton, Sam Lay. The list goes on!
She is a three time Grammy nominee in the "Best Blues Release"
category, and her songs have been used on the Super Bowl broadcast and in commercials.
Mary-Ann has been a featured performer at the Amsterdam Blues Festival, Poretta Soul Festival, Belgium Blues Night Festival, Trieste Blues Festival, Belinzona Blues Festival, Lucerne Blues Festival, King Biscuit Festival, and the Blues Estafette in Utrecht, Holland. She was the opening act for Albert King on his final European tour.

Produced by Fred James & Mary-Ann Brandon
Lead Vocals - Mary-Ann Brandon
Background Vocals - Teree McCormick, Joann Neal, Fred James
Piano - Dwight Scott, Joe Turley
Organ - Fred James
Guitar - Fred James, Mary-Ann Brandon
Bass - Mike Doster, Steve Mackey, Fred James
Drums - Brian Barnett, Chuck Burke, Waldo LaTowsky
Sax - Jim Hoke
Engineer - Joe Funderburk
Re-mastered by W. Michael Lewis at Wombat Music, West Hollywood, CA
Executive Producers for SnailWorx - Ray Harris & W. Michael Lewis

Albert Castiglia - Keepin On

ALBERT CASTIGLIA Keepin On Blues Leaf Records
Former lead guitarist for the late Junior Wells presentshis latest project, KEEPIN ON, with a mix of originals andsome interesting covers that have been ignored by toomany folks in the reading audience for way too long.
In the latter subdivision, the boogie of John LeeHooker's "Goin' Upstairs" is fueled by Castiglia's slidework while Mack Rice's "Cadillac Assembly Line" burns throughout. Add a funky take on Bob Dylan's "Til I Fell In Love With You" and a resurrection of T-Bone Walker's "MyBaby Is Now On My Mind" to the list of orphaned songs finding a new home. Pick of the category, though, has to be Peter Green's "Could Not Ask For More," where both harpist Sandy Mack and piano man Bill "Mighty" Quinn duel for the spotlight, much to the delight of the listener.
On the original side of the ledger, the title cut channels Creedence Clearwater Revival with Castiglia cranking it outat the end, while the guitarist duels with bassist A.J. Kelly during the instrumental "Mojo 305." Although KEEPIN'ON has pretty high standard throughout, that can't besaid for "Do You Love Me?," a funky, and I mean that inevery sense of the word, dance number that I'm still trying to figure out how to razor blade off the disc.
With Toby Walker adding dobro to the shadings of "Sweet Southern Angel" and "Murderin'' Blues," KEEPIN'ON has a lot of fine string work throughout that can be appreciated even if you don't live in the Windy City.

CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL June 11 - 13, 2010

Bekka Bramlett Live - Extracts of shows

Courtesy of Lisa Martin!

SPOTLIGHT ON DALE LEROY PERRY

Biography: I was born and raised in  a Midwest steel town.  After a couple of weeks “working in the mill”, I met a harp player named Malcolm Gibson and that was that.  Right after I started college I met these old "beats" who filled my head with life "on the road". Off I went with my axe and 20 bucks, bound for everywhere.
    In Chicago, Brownie McGhee told me, "you got a right to sing the blues 'cause you ain't never goin’ home". That was in 1969. Man was he right. Claiming neither place nor stone, I have traveled and worked and played all across the U.S. of A. Back then a few of us decided that the country blues tradition should be preserved. I was enthralled with the cats being "rediscovered", like John Hurt and Lightning, and the renaissance of old country blues.
    While the "original" songs started coming and the guitar developed, I lived in the mountains and on the prairie and all along the gulf coast, always absorbing the music of the heartland. I  lived and performed in Chicago and Denver and Breckenridge and Detroit  and Cincinnati and Dayton and  Dallas and Houston and NYC. The only roots I had were in the blues. With time my style developed. I was taking those traditional country blues roots and writing my own tunes. I call it contemporary country blues. You got to sing about what you know, or it ain’t the blues.                       
    I first came to Austin in the back of a Winnebago with Kenneth Threadgill in the passenger seat. After opening for him at the Rubiat in Dallas he gave me a lift for my gig at Saxon Pub, the original one, opening for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in Austin.
    In the back room Sonny and I were pickin’ around  when Brownie walked in. Sonny said “ listen to this boy, that’s the way I want you to play this song”.  I could have crawled under the table. Those guys were always taking jabs at each other. Brownie was gracious though and had me come up to play the tune on stage with Sonny.  My most special memory.
    Later, after becoming a seismic observer for 12 years (the earth was my guitar and dynamite my pick), I came back to Austin on breaks and played at Chicago House. I met a lot of good folks like Jimmie Lafave, and Guy Forsythe. Jimmie called me "a legend in his spare time." Funny. He told me I should move here.   
    When the oilfield crashed, I landed in Austin to drive a cab and play music (just like Harry Chapin). I played the Saxon Pub (the current one) regularly, the Mance Lipscomb tribute at Antones’, every week at the Dam Café with Rex Whitton, and other local clubs. I played with Frumholz, Rusty Weir, Tim Henderson (he told me I should quit my day job), and Leann Atherton. Larry Nye produced my first album, “Good & Ready’.
    Four years and an album later it was off to Nashville, again to drive cab and pitch songs. I made all the songwriters nights, met a lot of songwriters, and learned about the “craft“ of songwriting.  After a couple of years and modicum of success, I succumbed to the perils of the street and became very ill.   
    Upon release from hospital, I went back to the oilfield for a couple of years, but then it crashed again as it is want to do. So I came back to Austin and got a job (not in a cab). Soon, I started playing Ego's once a week for a year and a half, with Larry Eisenberg on stand up bass and Jimi Lee on harp. During that time we opened mostly for Bobby Doyle.
    Time gets away as you age seems like, just trying to survive. I had to slow down some and just do my day job. It happens like that as we get older. I played open mics once in a while, rode out to Luckenbach  and picked sometimes. I finally recorded “Moan My Name”, a second album. I did 2 benefits for the Stroke Foundation in San Antonio. The second one with Vince Bell and  Steve Fromholz.  Talk about inspirational people. Steve and I first met forty years ago. It felt like a full circle.
    Now I am free at last to devote full time to writing, recording and performing. Always said I’d do it. Now is the time. In June, 2009, “ Live @ Hyde Park Bar and Grill” was recorded, with Jimi Lee. Now, new songs are coming and another CD is in the works. Gigs are happenning. That’s my story, so far.
  Instrumentation: dale leroy perry, vocals and acoustic guitar. Sometimes with harp player Jimi Lee, sometimes with bass player Larry Eisenberg, sometimes solo.

Discography Live @ Hyde Park Grill.....lp
Moan My Name...............lp
Good @ Ready...............lp
Links

YouTube

Kanal Blues Internet Radio

artist web site

SPOTLIGHT ON GLENN BRYANT

Biography:

Music has always been a passion in my life. over the years it has had it's ups and downs. I retired from music for a very long time until things in my life changed and the passion came again. All my guys in the band have been playing professionaly all of their lives and have a lot of passion for their music. we have a large group of friends and family that come and see us. we have a great party every time we play. We play rock-blues-funk-r&b a very different sound from anybody else. Only in Texas will you find a rock blues funk band. All our influences are all the rock, blues, funk bands and musicians of yesterday and today.
Instrumentation: Glenn Bryant - lead guitar and vocals
Richard Wilper- drums
Chuck Bell - bass guitar
Links

http://www.myspace.com/glennebryant

Myspace

Reverbnation