:: Red Hot Blues Sisters
:: The JW Jones Blues Band
:: Blues Mobile Band
:: The Twisters
:: Arsen Shomakhov
:: The Cal Batchelor Band
:: Wolf Mail
:: Little Freddie King
:: Zakiya Hooker

Meet the 2008 BB Awards recipient for Best Band and Entertainer of the year. In the short time since the Red Hot Blues Sisters performed their first live show In 2004 at the Highway 99 in Seattle, they have taken the local Blues community by surprise with the power and depth of their musicianship.
The band’s innovative original songwriting brings a fresh feel to the Blues. Selective covers of traditional standards shine like polished stones through the lens of the band’s strong musicology and Blues show varieties.
Fronted by the hot and soulful vocals of Suze Sims and the searing rock / blues styles of Teri Anne Wilson on guitar, this group also features some of the finest North West musicians. Their current 2008 release “ Red On Blue “ has garnered raving reviews throughout the International Blues scene and has been submitted for both, GRAMMY as well as Blues Foundation awards.
The Red Hot Blues Sisters have become a staple on major club and Festival stages throughout the US and Canada and have been amazing overseas audiences during 2 European tours ( 2007 and 2009 ), which took the band through Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Switzerland. 2009 also saw the band competing at the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, finishing within the Top 20 range.
The Red Hot Blues Sisters feature a guaranteed crowd-pleasing show, which is quickly gaining momentum, well-crafted songs with brilliant performances, that are rapidly being picked up for airplay world-wide and a steadily growing fan base.

JW Jones Blues Band

"One of this country's top blues guitar stars" writes the Globe and Mail about 27-year old JW-Jones. JW-Jones has played throughout the world (CANADA, USA, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL) and has been invited to share the stage with some of the biggest names in blues today (to play with, not open for), The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Junior Watson, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Rusty Zinn, Rick Holmstrom, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, The Mannish Boys, the legendary Hubert Sumlin, and many more.
Whether recording/touring with Jeff Asselin, and Martin Régimbald, or adding the heavy grooves of Jesse Whiteley on organ, the musicians with Jones always add a powerful energy to the stage. During a special appearance with the band, Hollywood celebrity and fan, Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues) said "this is an amazing blues band, and I've played with the best!"
Their third album, My Kind Of Evil (2004), was produced by multi-Grammy nominee Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds), and features Canadian guest star Colin James on two smokin' tracks. Adding a fourth CD to their collection, Kissing in 29 Days (2006), featured the legendary Ray Charles sax player, David "Fathead" Newman.
Their discs have garnered radio-play worldwide, including heavy rotation on some commercial radio stations, and features on shows such as the internationally syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour. The buzz this band has created over the last few years earned them a national award for Electric Act of the Year at Toronto's Maple Blues Awards and rave reviews throughout the globe. With their heavy schedule, this ranks the band as one of the hardest touring blues acts in the country.

2008 will welcome the bands fifth release with NorthernBlues Music, Bluelisted, featuring the two most influential blues guitarists on the west coast; Little Charlie Baty, and Junior Watson, playing together on the same tracks for the first time in a combined 70 year career. This first time collaboration has been called "a recording of historic importance". It also features arguably the best rhythm section in blues, Richard Innes on drums and Larry Taylor on bass.
JW-Jones and his blues band are ready to take on any challenge, and with their unique sound, they are going to set the world on fire one country at a time!

This LA based Blues Rock Powerhouse presents their new project “MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS” , reinventing themselves in the blues-rock genre, while basing their work on the principles of musical expression without any political, military, racial or religious limitations.
In doing so, the band reflects deep respect towards musicians, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher,
Alvin Lee, John Mayall and Johnny Winter, while their sound remains truly original and represents each member's unique wealth of technical talents:
 
Tim Bogert - Legendary and world famous bassist Tim Bogert had his debut in 1967 with the release of the Vanilla Fudge LP featuring a remake of the Supremes' “You Keep Me Hanging On”, which topped the charts for an amazing 200 weeks and remains a classic. Following the break up of Vanilla Fudge, Tim formed the high-energy rock/blues band Cactus. From there, Bogert went on to become part of the super-group Beck, Bogert & Appice featuring Jeff Beck on guitar. Their rendition of Stevie Wonder's “Superstition” was an instant hit. In January 1999, Tim Bogert was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame and October 2006 saw his induction with Vanilla Fudge into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Vova Mogeladze -  Russian born blues-rock Guitar phenomenon Vova Mogeladze, lead vocalist and leader of the “Blues Mobile Band”, has been performing on major world class Festival stages, starting in 1986 until his re-location to LA in 2008. During these years Vova has been sharing the spotlights with such industry greats as Alvin Lee, Luther Allison, John Mayall, Jimmy Smith, Walter Trout, Canned Heat, Nazareth, Imagination and The Animals. Vova's albums “A New Day Yesterday” and “Out in the Blue” were recorded and released in 1995 on the Provogue Records label, with "Out in   the Blue" eventually being chosen for the worldwide catalog of “The Best of Blues-Rock” by JPC in 1997.

Carmine Appice - One of the world's most explosive and technically brilliant drummers. From his early days with Vannila Fudge, considered by many to be the first heavy rock band, it was clear that Carmine was creating new standards for rock drumming. Truly, a different drummer, his career had him move on to record, tour and perform as a member of Beck, Bogert & Appice, Cactus, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart. He was immortalized by his 1991 induction into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame, his handprints and signature side by side with his idols Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. This year, the Hollywood Rock Walk is issuing a commemorative book, with a full page on Carmine, next to a page on superstar James Brown.
 
Blues Mobile Band – Blues Rock doesn’t get any better than that !!!

Canadian Independent Music Award winners for “best Blues Album of the Year”  for their second release “Long Hard Road” and multiple JUNO Award nominees The Twisters, are one Canada’s premier Swing and Jump Blues bands and one of the hardest hitting acts on the Blues scene today.
Paying dues to the Blues tradition, The Twisters swing hard with three inspiring vocalists, tightly woven harp and guitar lines and a relentless driving rhythm section forging a groove, that refuses to be denied.
Each of the members has brought their musical talent and influences to the table, resulting in a potpourri of “Blues Cuisine”, guaranteed to satisfy the most discerning Blues palette. From deep in the Mississippi Delta to early Chicago shuffles, from infectious Texas grinders to West Coast jump and funky swamp-soaked Louisiana rhythms, The Twisters serve up the goods.

Top it all off with strong original compositions and a live show renowned for rockin’ the house, there’s only one thing left: Do yourself the favor and see what the storm is all about, when The Twisters blow through your town.
The band is proud to announce the release of their 5th CD “Come Out Swinging” and you will be seeing plenty of them, when they head out on the road in support of the album.

Russian-born guitar player, singer and songwriter Arsen Shomakhov formed the blues band Ragtime (after the E.L. Doctorow novel) in 1991, and after relentless rehearsals in the non-blues town of Nalchik, they subsequently became one of the leading acts on the Russian blues scene. In 2001, their participation in the St. Petersburg Neva Delta Blues Festival led to a series of gigs at the best blues venues of Moscow.
April of 2002 saw the release of their debut album, "Heavy Steppin'", which led to gigs at venues such as the legendary B.B. King Club in Moscow. The album received good press and enjoyed international airplay.
A performance at the All-Russia Spring 2003 Blues Festival in Moscow prompted an invitation to the first International Moscow Blues Festival in September of 2003. That same month they released their second album, "Troublemaker", which they presented at the renowned Forte Blues Club in Moscow in December of that same year.
"Troublemaker" is now considered to be one of the best Russian blues records, and was included in the Top 25 albums of the Australian "Blues Beat" program in 2003 and 2004.
In February of 2005, the band traveled to Memphis to participate in the International Blues Challenge semi-finals under the auspices of "blues.ru", the Russian blues community. Listeners at the Blues City Cafe were stunned as Arsen tore the place up with his original songs. To use the American vernacular – he killed.   Arsen's third album, "Dangerous", was released on the Blues Leaf label (USA) in February of 2006, documenting this young player's ever-expanding prowess on both the guitar and in crafting original songs. Featured on blues radio playlists worldwide, Arsen continues to impress the West as a talent to watch. 

In early October of 2007 Shomakhov returned to the US to play at the 22nd Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival as an "emerging artist" contender. He wowed the audience and judges with his version of the Delta Blues that he took home to Russia the coveted bragging rights of being the 2007 Emerging Artist Top Performer.
In May of 2008, after a year spent in Moscow on the front burner of the white-hot blues scene there, Arsen moved to Canada and settled with his family in Vancouver.

Victoria, Canada native Cal Batchelor, earned his legendary musical reputation during his years in London, England, during the 70’s and early 80’s. As a founding member of Quiver, he wrote and co-wrote a lot of their song material, recorded 2 albums for the WEA label and gigged extensively throughout Europe. Their tours and concerts were opened by bands the likes of Slade, Nazareth, America and Thin Lizzy, just to name a few. Quiver themselves served as opening acts for such greats as Jeff Beck, Deep Purple, Frank Zappa and Rory Gallagher and supported major tours for The Who, Pink Floyd and Marc Bolan.
During these years, Cal freelanced on a lot of London gigs and smaller UK tours with and for Long John Baldry, Kevin Ayres ( Soft Machine ) as well as Ronnie Lane ( Small Faces ) and earned himself numerous recording credits alongside Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Al Stewart,
Henry McCulloch, Cochise, Ian Matthew’s Southern Comfort and many more.
The mid-80’s saw Cal move back to his home country, where after a creative break he formed his very own The Cal Batchelor Band. He became a main staple on North American festival and club stages and recorded two highly praised, hard driving and powerful Blues Rock albums, “Now Playing” and “Roadworthy”.

The year 2004 marked Cal’s return to Europe, where he performed an incredible show at the National Blues Festival in Burnley ( UK ), which was followed by a couple of successful overseas tours, allowing The Cal Batchelor Band the pleasure to perform at a number of major festivals, including the Beersel Blues Festival ( B ), the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival ( UK ), the Copenhagen Blues Festival ( DK ), as well as the Hamar Music Fest ( NOR ), where he opened up a sold-out show for Joe Cocker.
And the touring continues for the Cal Batchelor Band……

Montreal, Canada born “Heavy Weight Champion of the Electric Blues Guitar” WOLF MAIL started playing the guitar at the age of 10, listening to Elmore James and Ray Charles records. He did his first gig at the age of 14 and ran away from home at age 17, to tour with his band. WOLF moved to LA and in no-time made himself a name in the local music scene. In 1987 WOLF MAIL found himself on his first US tour, opening for Ted Nugent’s “ Penetrator “ tour. The year 1992 saw WOLF MAIL’S first major record release “ Little Mr. Me “, followed by “ D.I.G. “ in 1995. He embarked on his first European tour in 1998, supporting dates with Robben Ford. In 2000 WOLF signed an endorsement deal with European Guitar makers “ LAG “, which design the “ Wolfmaster “ model. By that time WOLF MAIL averages about 200 shows per year, touring the US, Canada, all of Europe, Australia, Tasmania and Japan. His third release “ Solid Ground “ became the best selling Blues CD at Tower Records stores in the US in Dec. 2003. Mark Knopfler meets with WOLF and gets his own copy of “ Solid Ground “. In 2003 – only his second time in Australia and Tasmania – WOLF MAIL performs over 80 shows and headlines the “ Narooma Blues Festival “ with an attendance of 16.000 people, as well as the “ Gympie Munster Festival “ in front of a crowd of an estimated 40.000 music fans. He shares the stage with the likes of Kenny Neal, Johnny Johnson and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

In 2004 he recorded his fourth album “ Came Too Far To Run “ with the legendary Steve Miller Band Rhythm Section, who hold five # 1 hits in the US in the Blues Rock genre. His 2005 release “Blue Fix” was followed by the Live DVD “Restless” in 2006 and his “Live Blues in Red Square” DVD in 2008. A new CD is in the works and WOLF’S list of releases is definite to grow longer……… Currently WOLF MAIL’S CDs and DVDs are sold in over 20 countries and enjoy radio airplay in more than 1000 stations worldwide.

"One of the last great country blues players, Little Freddie King…..lives the blues. He stays in a run-down apartment, in a deteriorating neighborhood, with a domineering wife. He rides a rickety bicycle several miles to and from a downtown garage, where he rebuilds alternators. He is tormented by ulcers and headaches, but playing his cheap pawn shop guitars always makes him FEEL better at the end of the day. "  - Jeff Hannusch, Offbeat Magazine.
Fread E. Martin was born in McComb, Mississippi, July 19, 1940 down the road from Bo Diddley’s place. His father was a blues guitar player that worked the weekend black southern circuit in the Delta and quite often brought Freddie along, when he was playing. Eventually Freddie taught himself how to play the guitar and developed his country style blues or as he calls it “Gut Bucket Blues”.

 

At the age of 14 he “hopped” a train from the sharecropper farm to New Orleans to stay with his sister. There he met such up-coming musicians as Buddy Guy and a close friend, Slim Harpo. Sounding like Freddie King, knowing all his songs and having performed with Freddie King, it was in the early 1960’s, that he was hung with the “Little Freddie King” appellation.
Generally the 60’s were busy years for Freddie: "I pretty much stayed lit up all the time back then". He became a charter member, an annual attraction at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and toured Europe with Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker in 1976 in support of his first album. His 1970 recording titled “Harmonica Williams and Little Freddie King” is believed to be the first electric blues album in New Orleans.

You could say, Zakiya Hooker had a front row seat to view the very best, the Blues genre had to offer, right in her own living room. To be the daughter of the legendary Blues giant John Lee Hooker could be seen as a major challenge and her decision to follow in his footsteps as a very brave undertaking.

But, a strong and versatile vocalist herself, Zakiya has managed to overcome skepticism, doubt, criticism and personal tragedy and pursued life and music on her own terms, rather than to simply rely on her father. These are the stories, she tells in her songs, while the Jazzy Blues sounds of her music take the listener through all the emotional ups and downs if this, her extraordinary and unique journey.

From her debut performance together with her father in 1991, Zakiya Hooker has gone on to perform on major stages throughout the US and world wide and her career to date had her share the spotlights with industry greats, such as Etta James, Charles Brown, John Hammond and Taj Mahal, just to name a few. Some of her festival highlights include amazing performances at the San Francisco Blues Festival and the Monterey Jazz & Blues Festival. Her 2009 CD and fourth album “ Keeping It Real “ was released on her own Boogie-With-The-Hook label and marks a defining contribution to her legacy as a woman singing the Blues.

Zakiya’s beautiful ,silky-rich voice and her fine combination of sass and soul stage presence  has mesmerized audiences the world over. Her performances are a sheer treat of witty, funny and emotional entertainment. As soon as she steps on the stage she becomes one with the audience and love affair begins……………

Zakiya Hooker, the singer-songwriter daughter of an American icon is carrying her father’s seminal Blues torch confidently into the genre’s future. Zakiya Hooker truly is John Lee Hooker’s living legacy !!!