Tag Archives: Harmonica Blowout

Special Guest – RW Grigsby



Bassist, singer and songwriter Richard “RW” Grigsby, has logged several lifetimes on the road, and his early rock and roll roots (Rome, GA near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains) burst out like another famous Richard from Georgia on “Road Scholar,” his story of a musician who has spent too much time on the road, working for too little pay. It’s sung by Red’s Blues drummer Tim Wilbur, a pro’s pro (2017 Sacramento Music Awards and Sacramento Blues Society Hall of Fame member), who brought creative percussion ideas — maracas AND the entire group thigh-slapping percussion. “We sat in chairs in a circle and slapped our thighs at certain points in the song to add accent,” laughs Beth.

“Jackknifed” (co-authored with fellow road warrior Mark Hummel) continues the road theme with bio notes from their Golden State-Lone Star Blues Revue adventures.

RW played with Carlene Carter, Gary Primich, Mike Morgan & The Crawl, Finger Taylor, Mark Hummel’s Golden State Lone Star Revue w/Anson Funderburgh & Little Charlie, JamesCotton & all the Harmonica Blowouts since 2008-2019( Magic, Lee Oskar, Kim Wilson, Billy Boy, Jason Ricci, Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Estrin, John Primer, Duke, Billy Flynn, Elvin, Gravenities, Ron Thompson, Harman, Rod Piazza & many others)

2014 Grammy-nominated and Blues Music Award (BMA) winner bassist RW Grigsby has been playing since he was 14 years old and began his professional career when still a teenager.  He’s toured the U.S., Canada and Europe since the ’80s, and currently juggles playing with Red’s Blues, Mark Hummel & the Blues Survivors and The Golden State/Lone Star Blues Revue. He played and recorded with Texas blues stars Gary Primich and Black Top Records’ Mike Morgan and the Crawl in the 1990s.  RW is the bassist on the 2014 Grammy-nominated and BMA-winning CD, Remembering Little Walter. He was nominated for a BMA “Best Bassist” Award in 2017 and was inducted into the Sacramento Blues Society Hall of Fame in 2018.


True Believer CD Release – Stories from the Studio



Mark opens up on recording his new record and touring with legends.

Anson Funderburgh

Wes Starr

Kedar Roy

Randy Bermudes

Oscar Wilson

Joe Beard

Billy Flynn

https/www.markhummel.com


Special Guest Dick Shurman – Blues Hall of Fame Producer



#johnnywinter #chicagoblues  #grammywinners  #aligator 

Richard L. Shurman He has produced numerous recordings by notable musicians including Johnny Winter, Lurrie Bell, Eddie C. Campbell, Albert Collins, Little Smokey Smothers, Jody Williams, Roy Buchanan, Big Bill Morganfield, Larry Garner, Robert Cray, Hip Linkchain, Magic Slim, Charlie Musselwhite, Otis Rush, Johnny Heartsman, and Fenton Robinson. Shurman has also written many liner notes, and is the publisher of Chicago Blues News. In 2005, he was the recipient of the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award.[6] He co-produced Showdown!, an album which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1987.

Shurman was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014 for his multitudinous contributions as a ‘non-performer’.

https://www.markhummel.com


Kenny Neal



Kenny Neal  is an American blues guitar player, singer and band member. Neal was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Raful Neal, and he comes from a musical family. He has often performed with his brothers in his band. Neal preserves the blues sound of his native south Louisiana, as befits someone who learned from Slim Harpo, Buddy Guy, and his father, harmonica player Raful Neal.In 1987, Neal cut his debut album for the Florida record producer Bob Greenlee — an updated swamp feast initially marketed on King Snake Records as Bio on the Bayou. Alligator Records picked it up the following year, retitling it Big News from Baton Rouge!!In 1991, he proved to be a talented actor in the Broadway production of the folk musical Mule Bone (by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston), singing numbers written by Taj Mahal.

Hosted by: Mark Hummel


Rick Estrin of The Nightcats



Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949, and fell in love with blues after his sister presented him with Ray CharlesThe Genius Sings The Blues when he was 12. He began playing harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was beginning to work professionally. Early in his career he played with Lowell Fulson, Z.Z. Hill, Travis Phillips, and Fillmore Slim. Estrin names Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter Jacobs and Baby Boy Warren as key inspirations.  He played with and was mentored by Rodger Collins (whose 45rpm recordings include “She’s Looking Good” and “Foxy Girls” In Oakland). Estrin moved to Chicago when he was 19 and worked with bluesmen Sam Lay, Johnny Littlejohn, Eddie Taylor and Johnny Young.  He met and sat in with Muddy Waters at the Sutherland Hotel in Chicago. He told the Sacramento Bee, “Muddy started shaking his finger in my face and said, ‘You outta sight, boy! You play like a man! I know that sound. That’s my sound.’” Muddy tried to hire Estrin as a sideman but Estrin did not receive the phone call, and moved back to the Bay Area. He met guitarist Charlie Baty in 1973 and they created Little Charlie & the Nightcats based in Sacramento, California. Estrin fronted Little Charlie & the Nightcats for 30 years and performed around the world. They were nominated four times for the Blues Music Award for Band of the Year. In 2008, Baty retired from touring. Guitarist Kid Andersen joined Estrin with previous band members Hansen and Farrell and they formed Rick Estrin & The Nightcats that same year.  

wwwmarkhummel.com

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Special Guest – John Primer



John Primer  is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist who played behind Junior Wells in the house band at Theresa’s Lounge and as a member of the bands of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Magic Slim  He recorded with Muddy and the Rolling Stones at Buddy Guy’s Checkerboard Lounge in 1981, a concert that was eventually released as an award-winning DVD, before launching an award-winning career as a front man, carrying forward the traditional Windy City sound into the 21st century.

johnprimerblues.com


Special Guest: Jason Ricci



Jason Ricci has appeared as a guest harmonica player on albums with Johnny Winter, Terence Blanchard, Nick Curran, Ana Popovic, Walter Trout, Cedric Burnside, The Mannish Boys and Joe Louis Walker among others. Ricci was named “Best Harmonica Player” at the 2010 Blues Music Awards, and also performed on Grammy winning 2014 Johnny Winter album Step Back. In February 2015, Ricci played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Shaffer Band, Tom Morello and Zac Brown to induct The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.[1] Ricci also continues touring with his band Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind as well as with other bands such as: “Harmonicon” (Sugar Blue, Billy Branch, Ricci), “JJ Appleton and Jason Ricci” and “Mark Hummel‘s Harmonica Blowout Tour”. In 2017, Jason Ricci and The Bad Kind signed a record deal with the Eller Soul label and released their new album Approved By Snakes released on June 16, 2017.

Jason Ricci’s YouTube Channel

Jason Ricci’s Website

Mark Hummel’s Website


Special Guest: Mark Wenner



THE NIGHTHAWKS
Mark Wenner: Vocals, Harmonica
Mark Stutso: Drums, Vocals
Paul Pisciotta: Bass
Dan Hovey: Guitar, Vocals

The Nighthawks was an idea in Mark Wenner’s brain long before he was able to implement it. The musical product of pre-1958 radio in Washington, D.C., he did not know there were rules against mixing blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly into one delicious stew.

http://thenighthawks.com

http://www.markhummel.com


Special Guest: Steve Weston



#thewho #rogerdaltrey #bluesharmonica Steve grew up among the vibrant music scene in Essex, listening to Dr Feelgood among others.He started out playing in various bands on keyboard before finding his harmonica mojo as the front man in West Weston and the Bluesonics, and he hasn’t looked back since.He has become the harmonica player of choice for Mud Morganfield when he’s touring Europe, as well as playing with Trickbag in Scandinavia, and then playing on the number 1 album with Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey, no less.

cannedheatmusic.com 

www.markhummel.com

www.patreon.com/markhummel


Special Guest Terry Hanck



#elvinbishop #terryhanck #blues #funk

erry Hanck is an American electric blues saxophonist, singer, songwriter and record producer, who won a Blues Music Award in 2016 in the ‘Instrumentalist – Horn’ category. Previously Hanck earned both a Blues Music Award and a Living Blues Award for ‘Best Horn’ in 2012, and was nominated for the latter prize in the ‘Best Song’ category. In May 2015, he won the International Songwriting Competition for his soul ballad, “I Keep On Holding On.” Born in Chicago, Hanck was influenced by the blues, soul and jazz of the 1950s and early 1960s. After moving to California in 1965, Hanck later toured with Elvin Bishop for over a decade, before leaving to tour and record with his own band for now almost 30 years.

Living Blues writer Lee Hildebrand has written that “Hanck is one of the most formidable saxophonists in the blues and soul business. He has a virile tone and attack and an uncanny command of upper-register notes.”

www.terryhanck.net

Mark Hummel

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