2008 Past Events

The clip you hear, Whippin the Devil, is from Lonnie Shields new CD!
X'mas Blues return to Wilmington for our

HOLIDAY
BLUES JAM '08

with
Lonnie Shields
Opening with a new CD Release Party

              and
Willie
"Big Eyes"
Smith!!

   Saturday,
   December 6th
   2 to 7p.m.

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith was born in Helena, AR in 1936. At the age of 17 he ventured to Chicago where he heard Muddy Waters for the first time. Willie was hooked on the blues and the attraction to the music persuaded him to stay in Chicago.

In 1954 Willie, playing harmonica, formed a trio with drummer Clifton James. The trio built a following in Chicago and gigged around the area for a few years. During this same time, Willie played harp with several other artists including Bo Diddley, Arthur "Big Boy" Spires and Johnny Shines. In 1957 Willie joined Little Hudson's Red Devil Trio and switched to playing drums. After gigs or between sets, Willie started sitting in on drums with Muddy Waters' band. Muddy liked what he heard, and invited Willie to play drums on a 1959 recording session.

Bob Stroger--Bass

Little Frank Krakowski--Guitar

Kenny Smith--Drums

Willie began to fill in for Muddy's drummer Francis Clay, and continued to play recording sessions with Muddy. In 1961, Willie replaced Clay in Muddy's band and played with Muddy till mid-1964. During this period, as he solidified his Chicago sound, Willie recorded with James Cotton, Jo Jo Williams and Muddy Waters on a tribute to blues vocalist Big Bill Broonzy.

The '60s were lean times for the blues and for a few years (mid-'64-'68) Willie packed up his drum kit and found himself doing odd jobs including working in a restaurant and driving a cab around Chicago. One night in 1968 Willie decided to go out and listen to Muddy. Rediscovering his desire to play, he asked to sit in with the band. The next day Muddy asked Willie to rejoin his band. Willie played in Muddy's band till 1980 and appears on all of Muddy's Grammy-winning albums.

After performing with Muddy Waters, Smith established his own niche within the tradition of the Delta Blues Sound by co-founding the Legendary Blues Band with Pinetop Perkins, Louis Myers, Calvin Jones, and Jerry Portnoy. The group was nominated for several Grammy Awards, recorded four critically acclaimed albums on the Ichiban label, backed up Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf and Junior Wells, toured with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. They played behind Muddy for the soundtrack of the movie The Last Waltz and appeared in the movie The Blues Brothers where they played street musicians backing John Lee Hooker.

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith traditional shuffle style has been regarded as the heart and soul of the Chicago blues sound, with Willie laying the beat behind many of the blues classics. But these days fans are just as likely to find Willie "Big Eyes" Smith holding on to a harmonica, his first instrument, as a drum stick. Turns out, this award-winning blues drummer is also an accomplished harmonica master and dynamic vocalist.


**Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's latest thirteen track release, Born In Arkansas" is now available for purchase online at CDMojo and CDBaby.**

"Willie Smith reaches deep and delivers a virtual lesson on what the blues really are all about...there's something extraordinary here."
~ John Taylor / Blues on Stage

Opening the show
at 2pm is
Lonnie Shields
for a CD RELEASE PARTY
Celebrating his new release

"Keeper
of the
Blues"
Available on
CD Baby
--click here--

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Lonnie Shields' CD Portrait (Rooster Blues) was praised by critics as one of the best debut albums of the year when it was released in 1992. Since then, the high praise from all corners of the world has continued for Shields' simple yet complex style of soulful, rhythmic blues.

Shields was brought up in a family where the church played a central role in daily life, and his gospel roots show through in everything he sings. He began playing soul and funk before discovering the Delta blues through his friend Sam Carr. Shields worked with Carr in the Unforgettable Blues Band and took as his other mentors local musicians like Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson. Later, he discovered B.B. King, whom he considers his primary influence.

Shields formed his first group when he was 15. Called the Checkmates, they took their musical cues from the sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire and the Isley Brothers. After the band broke up, Shields gave up playing guitar for some time until he met drummer Sam Carr in Lula, Mississippi. Carr was insistent that Shields learn to play authentic blues, and a short time later, he was out on the road with Carr, Frank Frost and Big Jack Johnson.

After Shields played the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas in 1986, he was asked to record a single for the Rooster Blues label. This in turn led to his first album for Rooster Blues, released in 1993. The album got him noticed in the blues world and let to a broader touring base that included festival stops around the Northeast. Shields recorded and released Tired of Waiting (1996) and Blues Is On Fire (1997) for the London-based JSP Record label. A second Rooster Blues album, Midnight Delight, was released in 2000. He continues to perform around the U.S., Europe and Canada.

Lonnie now lives in nearby Pennsylvania, just off of the Delaware line and now records on the Greater Planet label. This will be a CD RELEASE PARTY in support of his newest effort, Keeper of the Blues. Lonnie, a long-time member of the Diamond State Blues Society has always given great support, attending all of our events that don't conflict with his busy touring schedule. He pours 110% into every show, so be here at 2pm when Lonnie hits the stage!

The one-time guitarist for the Nighthawks mixes gut-bucket blues with
rock and throws in a trio of instrumentals - 'Kickin' Chicken,' 'A Shot
in the Dark' and 'Fender Bender,' the last a tribute to Dick Dale, the
Ventures and other early '60s guitar heroes." ICE

"This album also includes some of Thackery's best vocal performances.
even when the guitars are in the background, piled up to build
tremolo-laden textures or twanging out shuffle rhythms, they have a
persistent intensity that keeps this disc lively and kickin'." Amazon.com

"The result is simply killer and clearly one of the year's best!" BluesWax.com

"The man hasn't met a style of American roots music that he doesn't like or can't play the shit out of." Cleveland Scene

"He's an odd duck who somehow manages to work both sides of the aisle; flashing meltdown licks to please the meathead contingent while
remaining tasteful enough for those who prefer their blues on the less gauche, Shepherd-ized side." OC Weekly

"One of America's best blues-rock guitarists, Jimmy Thackery plays hard-driving music that is best suited for the stage, but this album
does him justice.He's just a hell of a player and singer." All Music Guide

"Production, song selection and pacing are all first rate, adding up to one of Thackery's finest recorded moments to date. PlayBluesGuitar.com

Whether Jimmy Thackery headlines a festival in South Dakota or jams for hours in one of numerous blues bars that dot the musical landscape, he'll always unleash an intense volley of rockin' blues guitar guaranteed to leave crowds emotionally spent. His double edged guitar dynamics allow him to fire off tracer missiles, bend a note so it will fit under a limbo bar, run off dive bomber riffs, and find space within the trembling of one stinging note. "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside. There's an electricity from your mind to your heart to your fingers. You just try and remember to breathe."

He's one of the few blues guitarists who learned first hand from the masters of the blues, not off a blues record or DVD. Though most associate Jimmy with his 15 years as the co-founder of the Nighthawks, he ended his time with them in 1987. Since then, Jimmy has been on the road as a solo musician for 15 years doing nearly 300 shows a year proving each night that he is still the guitar powerhouse in the blues.

Thackery has lived the life of a true road warrior; he's absorbed the artistic lessons of life and filtered them into his guitar playing and song writing. To get where he is today, Jimmy has journeyed a highway of life filled with a series of twists and turns. He met all the right people and they have had a permanent influence on him.

It was Thackery's time on stage with Muddy Waters that is branded deep within his musical soul. "Muddy was one of those guys who was constantly encouraging. He never told you what to do, but he always told you what you were doing wrong. He never minced words about that.
"The first time on stage with Muddy, I was in such awe of him that I just kept my eyes and ears open and just picked up on everything he did. It was the dynamics they had that became so ingrained in us. We heard it on the records and then stood on stage and saw how it worked."

Thackery left the Nighthawks in 1987 because he wanted the opportunity to

write and put newer material into the sets. First he formed a six piece R&B band, the Assassins, an all-star R&B, funk band from the DC area, and recorded three albums with them. Then, in 1992, Thackery put together his three piece band called the Drivers to highlight his explosive guitar and hit the blues highway.

"The 1990's were a fabulous time. We were working our butts off doing" close to 300 shows a year. The irony is that was one of the reasons I'd left the Nighthawks, I was tired of working so much and not having a life outside the music. When you're out on your own, you'd better rise to the occasion. So I found myself back in the 300 night niche. What made that satisfying is that it was my ship and I was the captain of it. We were doing material that I was writing. We were doing arrangements that I came up with." Whenever Thackery plays live, a guitar stand props up four guitars and Thackery will announce to the audience, I'm gonna use all of them tonight!"

His recordings are no different. In that time, he's recorded eight discs for Blind Pig.

His first record, Empty Arms Motel, was released in 1992. "That one still seems to be the favorite of a lot of people. I went into Kingsnake Records and rattled off some covers and originals. Halfway through, Bob Greenlee called Jerry Del Guidance at Blind Pig about the sessions." From that session, Thackery began his years with Blind Pig.

In 1993 he followed up with Sideways In Paradise, a down home, laid back acoustic duet with John Mooney. Then, in 1994 Jimmy recorded Trouble Man, with Memphis producer Jim Gaines. That began their five record association. Wild Night Out, a 1995 live recording, Drive To Survive in 1996, Switching Gears in 1998, and Sinner Street, which added a sax to Thackery's music in 2000. "I think that record, Trouble Man, turned the corner for me because I had a real producer and I was doing original songs. That gave me a direction. Jim and I did a lot of projects together. He did everything through Sinner Street. I was learning so much by watching him as a producer that by the end of Sinner Street, we both came to the realization that I was ready. I was telling him what was going on. He knew that I'd lost my training wheels."

After leaving Blind Pig, Thackery has released and produced two of his own records, We Got It and True Stories, on Telarc and two collaborations on Telarc with Tab Benoit, Whiskey Store and Whiskey Store Live. And there was the critically acclaimed reunion with his old friend David Raitt on Blue Rock It"

Records in 2000.

All this has led to a new Jimmy Thackery. Because every record is more about originals than covers, Jimmy traveled to Nashville to work out his songs

with some of the best. This is not a Jimmy Thackery goes country. This is Jimmy Thackery rocks the blues. "I think True Stories on Telarc is my best song writing to date. For the newest Telarc project I went to Nashville to work with Gary Nicholson. I wanted to go and see how the guys in Nashville go about writing songs. We wrote this from the ground up. I came in with hooks and ideas and lines. I didn't want to be overly prepared. I wanted to see how they build these songs lyrically. What you do with Gary Nicholson is throw out a hook or line and take off from there and you don't leave that garage until you're done with a song."

Jimmy describes what writing is like for him. "Inspiration can come at any time. It might be a lyric first or it might be a musical lick first. It might just be a form thing. In my world, a lyric tends to be a musical road map. It tends to set up the music I hear in my head. The cadence of a lyric tends to suggest the way to go on the guitar. There was one tune we labored over with a certain groove and feel and it wasn't rising to the occasion. At the very last second, Gary and I said, "Why not just rock this thing out. We completely switched gears and totally changed the patterns and chords and went for something completely different. We did it in one take. It's the first song on the record and it just kicks ass."

And there is Thackery's guitar. "There are three guitar instrumentals on this record because I wanted to make a guitar oriented record. The guitar is still very rootsy stuff that is very rooted in blues. But also rooted in surf and spy music. I'm a sucker for that straight eight beat, twangy, minor scale instrumental stuff. The first thing every body did when they got a guitar in the early 1960's was to play the music of the Ventures. I'm still staying true to those roots. Blues is well represented, but so is all that other music I heard. But so is all the other music I listened to."

To make the best record possible, Jimmy hired some of the best musicians Nashville had to offer. It's no coincidence that many of these names also work with fellow blues rocker, Delbert McClinton. Jimmy notes that even though it has a Delbert feel, it still has all of his integrity. "Maybe because of the way it's laid out and the common musicians, it will strike a chord with fans who don't normally buy my records."

To support his newest project, Thackery's ready to do the road time. "I started thinking that I missed the days when I was just a full blown, kick ass trio. I thought it would be fun to go back to that. I did keep Mark Stutso, my drummer of 15 years. He knows what direction I'm going in before I do."

Between constant road work with his own band, producing the latest record by his Arkansas friends, the Cate Brothers, recording Whiskey Store with Tab Benoit and touring in support and playing various Nighthawks reunions, Thackery's plate is overflowing, and that's exactly how Thackery likes
life ... Overflowing.

TAD
ROBINSON 4PM

"When Tad Robinson dies, he's going to soul heaven…a place reserved for a very few people."
                           -- Otis Clay

"Did You Ever Wonder," at left, was nominated in 2004 for Soul/Blues album of the year at the W.C. Handy Awards (now the Blues Music Awards) in Memphis.
                                                                     April 2008 Living Blues Magazine:
                            A New Point of View #11 on top 50 list for 2007 blues releases!! Growing up in New York City, Tad was surrounded by music. His initial

inspiration came when as a boy he heard James Cotton perform in Central Park. Since then he has "always wanted to be a singer." He remembers being influenced by the sounds of Ray Charles, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Redding, and Little Richard through listening to AM radio in the 60's and 70's. As a young man Tad would hear street musicians like blues man/harpist Sugar Blue in free form jams that would take place in Central Park. In 1976 Tad began attendance at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where he met his wife, Amy, and started his first band, Hesitation Blues Band. Tad moved to Chicago in 1982 where he immersed himself in the rich club scene. His Chicago band with Steve Freund, Marty Binder, and Harlan Terson had a weekly gig as the house band at Rosa's for three years and also played at venues like Buddy Guy's Legends, The Chicago Blues Festival, B.L.U.E.S., The Wise Fools Pub, and many others. Variations of this band would play in and around Chicago for years until Tad moved back to Indiana in 1998. During this time he shared stages with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Sam Moore, and one of his biggest influences, Junior Wells. Tad also toured Europe several times, played dates in Canada and Israel, and contributed to two major motion pictures. One of them, Under Siege w/ Tommy Lee Jones, as a member of a fictitious blues band with David Letterman guitarist Hiram Bullock and the other film that featured Tad's music was A Perfect Murder starring Michael Douglas. Tad has been a guest musician on releases by Dave Specter, Al Miller, Ken Saydak, Barkin' Bill and House Of Blues tributes to Janis Joplin and Aerosmith all while releasing his own albums and CDs on the Delmark label between 1995 and 1998 and the Severn Records label now. "A New Point of View" is his recent release.

RICHARD RAY FARRELL 2PM

"Down Home Old School Country
Blues" went to number 18 on the Living Blues radio charts for the month of November '06; 19 in December, and 23 in January of 2007. Andy Grigg of Real Blues Magazine of Vancouver, Canada calls the disc, "Easily the best acoustic blues album to come out in years." The CD has been in the Roots Music Report charts for 19 weeks running.

Philadelphia is home to one of the finest blues harp players in the world, much to the surprise of people not "inside" the blues scene. Over the past thiry-plus years, Steve Guyger with his band, The Excellos, has been dishing out some of the finest blues to be heard anywhere. Steve has toured with the late Jimmy Rogers, among others, and has played with many of the great Chicago bluesmen and contemporary players, yet he remains one of the best kept secrets in blues. The late William Clarke called Steve "the best harp player I've ever seen." Mark Hummel called him "a monster player." If you have heard Steve play, you know what they're talking about. If you've never heard him, you're missing a major page in your blues portfolio.

Some people live to make money, and some people make money to live. Some people are music lovers, some people are hobby musicians, and then again some people live and breathe music. They are the "real deal," so to speak. Richard Ray Farrell is one of them. He has not only mastered the art of singing and playing the blues--he has literally "lived" the blues for years on end.

Born in Niagara Falls, New York in 1956, Richard Ray left his hometown only two weeks after graduating from high school and backpacked his way through Europe, not knowing at the time that music would be his destiny. More than twenty-five years on the road as a traveling blues musician was to give him substantial credentials as a top-notch talent in the world of the blues.

In October 2006 Richard, together with Steve, released Down Home Old School Country Blues. This CD immediately reached #18 on the Living Blues Charts and is getting world-wide air play. This CD has placed Farrell and Guyger amongst the top blues duos in the world today.

October 18th
The I

nternational Blues Challenge
"Goin' to Memphis"
BATTLE of the BANDS!!
AND THE WINNER IS

and his GREAT Band!!

    The Pork Roll Project / Rob Perna & the New Kings of Rhythm
                     Stacy Brooks / The Incinerators / The Delcats
                             Roger Girke & South Saturn Delta
               Doing 30 min sets--Any DSBS members who are current and are carrying their card can vote!

                        Headlining the Event was last year's winners

lower
case blues!

SPECIAL DSBS
SIZZLIN' SUMMER
CONCERT SERIES
--2 Big Nights Back-to-Back!!--
Thursday, July 17th, 6:00 to 10:30pm
(which also happened to be Sonny's birthday!!!)

x
Rod Piazza

“Even after more than 40 years,
Rod Piazza moves deeper
into the blues with
each record he makes.”
– Blues Revue

Then...THE VERY NEXT NIGHT...
Friday, July 18th, 6:00 to 11:00pm
X
THE INCREDIBLE

                          AND THE RADICALS
x

"THE OUTSIDER" WORLD TOUR
         CD RELEASE PARTY

Provogue Records proudly announces the release of
guitar master/singer/songwriter WALTER TROUT'S "THE OUTSIDER."
Produced by John Porter (B.B. King, Los Lonely Boys, Ryan Adams) and
recorded at Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, CA, "The Outsider"
features 13 Walter Trout originals (the title track co-written with
Trout's bass player Rick Knapp). Trout's backing band on "The Outsider" includes drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp),
bassist Hutch Hutchinson and pianist Jon Clearly (Bonnie Raitt), as well as Skip Edwards and Samuel Avila on the Hammond B3 and a special guest appearance by harmonica wiz Jason Ricci.

Doing a MASSIVE two and a half hour set!!
x
    --It was TWO OUTSTANDING NATIONAL BLUES
                    ARTISTS ON BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS!!--

"Walter Trout isn't just a great guitar player...he works from the heart with a flawless and fiery edge. When Walter Trout plays, he owns you."
David Wilson
The ToneQuest Report

Stylistically hard to pigeonhole - - Is Trout's music too blues for rock - or too rock for blues? -- to label Walter Trout’s music is to limit it. With more than 35 years of touring and recording under his belt, this New Jersey native has been "loved and hated, accused and vindicated, packaged and presented for everyone to see," as his brand new, autobiographical song ‘Welcome To The Human Race’ details.

Being in the studio with Trout approaches temporary insanity - the excitement, the unknown, the experimentation. Truly tantalizing sounds on par with those infamous Eric Clapton licks and Stevie Ray Vaughan riffs, are testament to Trout’s talent. His music speaks to your soul, warms your heart and has your foot tapping. Trout brings the blues to life and invigorates rock in a manner all too rare these days.

Whether an improvisational jam or a carefully arranged song, Walter Trout’s thirst for musical satisfaction is seemingly unquenchable. Equally capable of spontaneous serendipity as well as pre-planned perfection, this guitarist is truly in the midst of an all-encompassing love affair with the music he creates.

FROM THE FAMILY OF HAMMOND ORGAN
JAZZ GIANTS, JOHNNY D. CONTINUES THE
LEGACY ON GUITAR WITH A FIRST RATE
RELEASE OF A GREAT NIGHT AT
'VINCENT'S UP & DOWN BAR' IN WEST CHESTER, PA.

JOINED WITH THE JAZZ GREAT RHYTHM
SECTION OF DRUMMER
GLEN FERRACONE
AND BASSIST PAUL KLINEFELTER, THE TRIO CUTS A BRAWNY SYNCOPATION OF
THE BLUES.

Saturday, March 8th--2 'till 9pm
$20 members, $25 non-members

Headlining the show, and doing two 75 min. sets
beginning at 6pm was Arkansas'

Venue:
J.B. McGinnis Pub & Grill
(formally Gators Sports Bar)
519 Basin Rd.
New Castle, DE
(302)322-4766

On Saturday, January 26th--2 'till 8pm
The I

nternational Blues Challenge
"Goin' to Memphis"
SEND OFF PARTY!!
at the Newly Renovated J.B. McGinnis Pub & Grill
(formally Gator's Sports Bar) 519 Basin Rd., NewCastle, Delaware

Seven Bands Battled it Out last September in front of a full house for the Right to Represent DSBS at the Blues Foundations' International Blues Challenge in February, 2008. The winner was the lower case blues band, and this event is to help fund their upcoming trip to Memphis!!

at 2 till 2:45 pm:
Nothin' But Trouble
Hit the stage
and by the time
they finished
SMOKE was Rising
from the Stage!!

They're Baltimore's
Finest and They
Came to PLAY!!

at 4 till 4:45 pm the "Old School" of Delaware Blues
took the stage and raised the bar once again
with a blistering set that got the crowd to their feet!!
Kenny Jones
& the Jaded Angels

at 6 till 8:00 pm:
This Year's Winners...

lower
case
blues

Jake and the boys, in their second DSBS Battle,
shined like the Sun, evidencing their polished
musicianship born from the play every day rigors
this band has been blessed with of late. They've
been honing their mighty skills in clubs all over
the region, and put on a set for DSBS attendees
worthy of the Blues Challenge win. So DSBS
is going to get them to Memphis, and stick a couple
of bucks in their pockets so they can represent
all of US, and maybe bring home the gold
in the Blues Foundation's International
Blues Challenge in February.
Go get 'em, guys!!

LOWER CASE BLUES: Days To Come

The long awaited first CD
from this BURNIN' Blues Band
from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
is here!!