Live
Video of 2011 Blues Fest.....
Supplied by Doug Rose
SMOKIN
JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING, for almost 20
years, the red-hot Texas rockin' blues of Smokin'
Joe Kubek and Bnois King has been thrilling music
fans all around the world. Kubek's raucous roadhouse
fretwork is expertly complimented by the equally
fiery guitar and soulful vocals of Bnois King.
With literally thousands of
live performances under their collective belt, the
two create a one-two punch of raw, tough, blues-rock
filled with intensity and purpose. Gigging with
legendary musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert
King, Freddie King and B.B. King (among so many
others), Kubek learned first-hand how to live and
play the blues and how to lead a band. Harp
declared, "Kubek and King pump out rocking, kicking
blues for those times when the feet just want to
start stomping."
The band's Alligator Records debut, Blood Brothers,
produced by Kubek and Alligator president Bruce
Iglauer, is a blues lover's delight. The CD features
14 rocking blues songs (13 originals) filled with
Kubek's larger-than-life fretwork and King's smoky
vocals and economical, tasty guitar playing.
Recorded with Kubek and King's road-honed touring
unit, the album captures all of the band's legendary
live energy and highlights the seemingly telepathic
interplay between the musicians.
According to Iglauer, "Joe and Bnois are a real
powerhouse blues combination. Joe is an amazing
guitarist who can play anything in blues, from the
most traditional Texas style to totally blowout
blues-rock. Bnois is a gorgeous singer with deep
Texas soul, and his guitar playing is subtle and
melodic. Together they make an unbeatable two-man
front line backed by a solid, versatile rhythm
section."
Kubek was born in Grove City, PA in 1956 but grew up
in Irving, TX. He was leading his own bands and
gigging in clubs all around Dallas when he was only
14. Bowled over by the blues a short time after
first hearing Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, Kubek soon
discovered the music of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf
and other early blues masters. By the time he was
19, he was backing many famous blues players in the
area, including legend Freddie King. In 1976, Kubek
was about to head out on tour with King when King
died suddenly of a heart attack. "I was in awe any
time I was around him," Kubek recalls. "I learned a
lot about feeling and execution. He always came onto
the stage hot. You have to entertain people from the
second you start."
Kubek next worked with R&B singer Al "TNT" Braggs
and made a host of new friends, including Albert
King, Stevie Ray Vaughan (with whom Kubek became
close), B.B. King and many other blues icons. He
often found himself jamming with these
larger-than-life blues stars, while playing
constantly around the Dallas area. He not only
learned tips and techniques, but also soaked up
stories and lessons of being a professional touring
musician. One night, he even had the chance to play
B.B.'s guitar, Lucille. "King admired my enthusiasm
and he encouraged me, which really meant a lot. When
times got hard, I always remembered how B.B. King
had given me some encouragement."
In 1989, Kubek met guitarist/vocalist Bnois King at
a Monday night Dallas jam session. The two became
fast friends, and melded their seemingly divergent
styles—Kubek a rocking and fierce picker and slider,
King a jazz-inflected chorder (who could also solo
with flaming electricity)—into one of the most
potent guitar combinations the Southwest had ever
produced. Kubek explains the relationship
succinctly: "I pull the blues out of him, and he
pulls the jazz out of me. Bnois knows so much about
jazz it's amazing."
King was born in Delhi, LA in 1943. He was inspired
to play guitar by his high school music teacher.
Before long, Bnois was playing blues cover songs
with a local band. On his own, he traveled through
Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, finding local bands to
gig with and also performing with carnival tent show
combos. King made his way to Dallas in 1979, gigging
with jazz bands until he hooked up with Kubek 10
years later.
Calling themselves The Smokin' Joe Kubek Band
Featuring Bnois King, they were signed to Bullseye
Blues and released their debut CD, Stepping Out
Texas Style, in 1991. The band immediately grew out
of Texas and began touring nationally. After a
successful series of Bullseye releases, they signed
to Blind Pig Records in 2003. As their popularity
continued to build on the strength of their music
and the energy of their live shows, Kubek and King
began playing over 150 dates per year all across the
United States, Canada and Europe.
More than anything else, Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois
King exist to perform live.
Potent,
undiluted 100-proof Texas blues honed to a razor’s
edge” –GuitarOne
"Powerful, hard-nosed, authentic roadhouse
blues…Punchy Texas shuffles, fierce boogies, tough
slow blues and mighty fine roots rock” –Living Blues
"Kubek is one of the fiercest electric guitarists
currently plugged-in. Hard-hitting original Texas
blues-rock” –Billboard
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SAMANTHA
FISH,
Just
a few months ago, very few people outside Kansas
City, Missouri knew there was a young, dynamic
musician named Samantha Fish getting ready to
take the world by storm.
In fact, it's not all that long ago that the
22-year-old singer/guitarist first discovered the
blues and started paying her dues on that city's
local scene.
Her deceptively mature voice is sultry, yet innocent
at the same time, while she intensely wails away on
guitar. This deceptivley mature young woman has set
out to show the world that although she may be
young, she can certainly wail the Blues.
With Runaway, her solo debut, she now breaks
out big time, announcing herself as a newcomer to be
reckoned with. Throughout, Fish demonstrates
astonishing range and depth as a songwriter. Her
vocals are cool, confident and nothing less than
beguiling.
Backing her on this eclectic collection of modern
electric blues is the same crack team that first
convened for the making of Girls With Guitars.
That collaboration with fellow female artists Cassie
Taylor and Dani Wilde, released earlier this year,
already showed that Fish refuses to be intimidated,
even when working with musicians more experienced
than herself. "They are incredibly talented and
creative, so it made for fun sessions," she says of
the well-oiled studio band heard on Runaway.
Jamie Little, one of the UK's most in-demand
drummers, reunites with bassist Cassie Taylor to
give the record plenty of rhythmic thump. Producer
Mike Zito, a St. Louis native and 2010 Blues Music
Award winner, adds thick, meaty electric guitar on
most cuts. "Mike and I have known each other for a
few years now, so he knew the sound and style I was
after. He did a great job of taking ideas and giving
them direction in the studio setting."
In between making these first two albums, Fish spent
a month on the road with Cassie Taylor and Dani
Wilde for the first leg of the year-long Blues
Caravan Tour. It gave her valuable opportunity to
road-test the material heard on Runaway to a
discriminating audience. With an exciting new debut
album now in her back pocket, the tour continues
throughout the summer and into the fall of 2011,
touching down at many European and North American
festivals and even taking to the seas on the
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in October.
Samantha Fish is already a much sought after artist
on the music scene, recently performing and making
believers of the audience at the 2010 Chicago Blues
Festival... John Vermilyea (Blues Underground
Network).
"She's a hell of an entertainer, and she's
street-savvy. She's got the pipes and is quite
capable of tearing the shit out of her guitar," ...
Brad Mallen, owner of the Blue Springs blues venue
Trouser Mouse.
"Samantha Fish takes the KC blues scene by the
b-lls" ... Berry Anderson / The Pitch
In 2010 the Top festival in Winter Park, Colorado,
put Fish alongside Walter Trout, Curtis Salgado,
Mike Zito, Ana Popovic and Trampled Under Foot.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TOMMY
LEE COOK and THE BOYS OF BUCKINGHAM with CANDACE
ZONA.
If you
don’t get out east very often you may not
know about one of our local Blues artist
who’s getting some recognition on blues
charts around the world, his name is Tommy
Lee Cook. Tommy also owns one of the
premiere blues clubs in Lee County, the
World Famous Buckingham Blues Bar.
Tommy will
undoubtedly bring his “A” game along with an
onslaught of musical talent referred to as, the Boys
of Buckingham with special guest Candace Zona. With
four CD’s under Tommy’s belt, "Outside Looking In",
his newest CD debuted recently at No. 35 on the
Roots-Blues Top 50 Chart.
"Unlike
his prior releases, which featured at least a dozen
of his usual suspects as band mates, Tommy Lee Cook
seems to have shown a bit of a versatile approach to
his music on "Outside Looking In." On this
project it's just Tommy on electric and acoustic
guitars, Dobro, lead and background vocals and
midi-programming; Danny Shepard on electric guitar,
background vocals and midi-programming; and Pat 'Cleanhead"
Hayes on harmonica. The eleven tracks are all
originals and contain a lot more ballads, a lot more
sensitive lyrics and a lot more soulful and
heartfelt vocals than a familiar listener may expect
from Tommy", said Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro Blues
Editor at Mary4Music.com.
“Your
music reminds me of a hybrid of Leon Russell, Johnny
Guitar Watson, and Delbert McClinton, yet you're
unmistakably you. Continued success...” Bryan Locke
Program Director WDNS.
"Southern Hospitality"... could be
your perfect Florida storm...
A uniquely perfect mix of entertainment,
blues and professional musicianship; Damon
Fowler, Victor Wainwright and J.P. Soars,
are Southern Hospitality.
The phrase "highly anticipated" can carry
some dangerous baggage with it; there's a
huge potential for a letdown, and on the
overall, precious few bands live up to the
moniker. Thankfully, Southern Hospitality
not only meets those expectations, but
exceeds them.
A dramatic leap for three of the blues
world's most dynamic performers, Southern
Hospitality is a confident yet unforced
triumph of family and friends, offering a
cohesive vision: an idyllic, musical world
in which the echoes of so many great
traditions reside; Delta blues, Memphis
soul, Boogie-Woogie and Funky grooves
organically flowing together, blending with
an entirely original, modern sensibility.
Damon, Victor and J.P. are friends, all
working towards the same goal; To leave no
corner of the blues unexplored and no fan of
the blues unhappy. Show these gentlemen to
your stage, and take advantage of this truly
unique and rare phenomenon. Damon
Fowler, (Blind Pig Recording Artist)
With his hybrid of roots rock, blues, and
sacred steel, Brandon, Florida native Damon
Fowler started wowing audiences with his
guitar exploits as a teenager, building a
reputation as one of the hottest young
players on the scene. Adding songwriting and
vocal skills to his repertoire over the
years has brought him many accolades, with
critics extolling his musical prowess and
maturity as well as his technical expertise.
Fowler's guitar work has been compared to
Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, while his slide
guitar has a hint of the late Duane Allman.
He can play fiery guitar with the best of
them, but it's his lyrical work on lap steel
and Dobro that makes him stand out among the
legions of guitar heroes. Damon's Blind Pig
debut showcases his soulful blend of
Southern rock, swamp blues and lightning
slide runs.
"After three
self-released albums, Florida native Damon
Fowler makes his Blind Pig debut with this
notable project. Fowler oscillates between
country, electric blues and Americana. He's
a formidable slide guitar player, as heard
on the up-tempo piece "Lonely Blues." He has
also mastered lap steel and dobro as well as
electric guitar, and his playing throughout
the album is deft. Indeed, Fowler may be so
skillful that he prefers pickin' tasty to
larger-than-life guitar heroics. Fowler
wrote nine of the 12 tunes on the album, and
his original material is solid. Check his
slow burner "I Hope It's Gonna Rain,"
highlighted by another judicious guitar
solo." – Billboard
Victor
Wainwright, the twenty something singer,
pianist, “hepcat” from Memphis by way of the
Savannah, Georgia; creates powerhouse blues
and roots rock by playing his own unique
style of boogie piana’. He effortlessly pays
frequent homage to past music greats, while
simultaneously adding his own youthful
excitement. He’s a raucous high-octane
dynamic performer and crowd pleaser with
soul to spare. After earning what he calls a
“double major in Boogie, a Ph.D. in Swing
and a master’s in Rhythm,” the “Piana’ from
Savannah” is undoubtedly making a name for
himself in a big way.
Victor is a blues star on
the rise... "Rod Piazza and the Mighty
Flyers"
Great songwriting,
stellar performances and great sonic
range... will take you on a "Blues" ride
from
the pumping soul beats of Memphis to the
down home Blues of the deep south... "Bryan
Bassett, FOGHAT Guitarist/Mix Engineer"
J.P. Soars, History
was made on February 7, 2009 at the Orpheum
Theater in Memphis, Tennessee, as J.P. SOARS
& THE RED HOTS took the Blues world by storm
by winning the coveted 25th annual
International Blues Challenge (IBC).
With the mission to find the best unsigned
blues band, the annual IBC competition is
held worldwide on a regional level by The
Blues Foundation's 150 affiliated
organizations around the world. A record
number of 164 bands and solo/duo acts from
blues societies around the world took the
stages of Memphis’ legendary Beale Street on
Thursday and Friday of the 2009
International Blues Challenge to compete for
over $20,000 in cash and prizes. Acts from
all over the world performed before notable
blues industry judges in hopes of making the
finals on Saturday, drawing an audience of
many thousands to Beale Street in downtown
Memphis.
When the dust cleared, J.P. Soars & the Red
Hots sponsored by and representing the South
Florida Blues Society, took first place and
the title, becoming THE BEST UNSIGNED BLUES
ACT IN THE WORLD!
J.P. Soars also individually won the Albert
King Award, which establishes him as the
best guitar player in the 2009 competition.
He
can play it all, rock, metal, jazz, swing
and the blues. Catch this guy as soon as you
can before he decides to venture off into
another genre of music! - "Bob Keiser, Blues
Blast Magazine".
J. P. Soars is one of those rare young
guitar slingers that can play anything,
anywhere, at any time. The blues world is
fortunate to have him." "Don Crow - Music
City Nashville".
Tossing off hot licks like you’d toss off
old socks, but with passion and fire, Soars
is a first class shredder no matter what the
discipline. There’s a good reason why he’s
been racking up the blues awards and
roadhouse rollers might do well to step up
and find out what others already know. Hot
stuff. "MIDWEST RECORDS, CHRIS SPECTOR,
Editor and Publisher ".
DEB
AND THE DYNAMICS with some SPECIAL GUESTS,
Featuring DEBORAH COLEMAN,
Deb Salyer (Bass,
Vocals), Originally from Connecticut Deb has
played in several hi-profile bands. It was
in Virginia that she joined an all woman -
all original band, "MOXXIE", in this band
Deb would be the lead singer and play bass
guitar for several years.
Collaborating on their original compositions
Moxxie put a lot of time into those songs
and it paid off. On their second gig, they
opened for rock legends, "Emmerson Lake &
Palmer" at the Hampton Coliseum.
Her next project combined her and guitarist
Deborah Coleman from "MOXXIE" in a power
trio named, "Mis' Behaven" a group that set
the audience's on fire, winning showcases
for major labels and opening for acts like
Delbert McClinton and KoKo Taylor. They had
a ball for about three years and eventually
went their separate ways.
Deb then formed her own nine piece band,
"The R&B All-stars", playing the old music
from Stax Records as well as the Temptations
and Otis Redding, perfecting her "in the
pocket" bass technique along the way. This
band would find itself sharing the bill with
the Beach Boys, the Spinners, Huey Lewis and
The News, and Percy Sledge. Four years later
and after playing with what she calls some
of the soulfulist people she ever met, the
band split up. Some six years later, they
still get together on special occasions to
play.
After moving to Florida Deb got a call from
her friend Deborah Coleman asking her to go
on tour, Coleman had gotten a contract with
Blind Pig Records and now eight years later
she was playing bass again with Coleman.
Performing sold out shows not only in the
USA but Europe and Japan, Deb toured with
Coleman for four years and appeared on her
last two albums "Living on Love" and "Live
in California Soul Be It".
Deborah Coleman is
unquestionably, as USA Today notes, "one of
blues music's most exciting young talents."
Though she has released four studio albums
on the Blind Pig label that have firmly
established her as one of the leading lights
in the blues field, it has been her knockout
live performances that have made her one of
the hottest commodities on the contemporary
scene.
Coleman has earned a well-deserved
reputation for raw energy and crowd-pleasing
shows. A highly charismatic stage performer,
Coleman is able to stretch out in the live
setting and demonstrate her considerable
guitar skills. USA Today called her a "fiery
guitarist who makes the spine tingle with
her unbridled raw energy."
Among people seeing Coleman perform live for
the first time, a common reaction is: "Wow,
I like her records, and I knew she was good,
but I didn't know she was this good."
Coleman's first live recording, Soul Be It!,
finally captures what Living Blues called
her "fire on the fretboard flamboyance."
Today
Coleman's accomplished guitar style reflects
the influences of Buddy Guy, Freddie King,
Albert Collins, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton and
Jimi Hendrix. Her vocal inspirations
are as often found in the singing of
Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith as in the
recordings of Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin,
Memphis Minnie, and Alberta Hunter.
Coleman won the Orville Gibson Award for
"Best Blues Guitarist, Female" in 2001, and
was nominated for a W.C. Handy Blues Music
Award nine times.
Rounding out the
Dynamics are: DAN KEADY (Lead, Rhythm
Guitars & Vocals), Don Hulgas
(Baritone, Tenor Saxophone, Percussion &
Vocals),
Newt Cole
(Tenor, Alto Sax, Baritone Sax, Vocals &
Percussion), Michael Vear (Keyboards
and Vocals) and Nick Longobardi
(Drums).
If you’re
from anywhere near Southwest Florida you
clearly understand Deb and The dynamics are
infectious, they are a group of seasoned musicians
who will undoubtedly pack the house
everywhere they go.
As always
the namesake of the band Deb Salyer leads
the band with the skill and passion
accumulated from a life time in the music
business. People know they are seeing and
hearing the “real thing” when she gets a
hold of a song.
Dynamic
fans should get there early because this
show is scheduled to be one you will rarely
get to see if ever again, with special guest
"Deborah Coleman". Inside
sources indicate Deb may have some
additional surprises ”with other guest musicians”
slated for
this show, so get there early and stake out
a good spot. ..
ELLIE
LEE AND BLUES FURY...
is an exciting rockin’
blues band with a powerful on stage
performance. Ellie is a blues
guitarist/singer/songwriter that fronts the
band with her unique vocals and ripping
guitar solos.
Ellie Lee & Blues Fury formed to satisfy the
need to play the music they love and have
great fun doing it. “Our excitement and
enthusiasm on stage are infectious to the
crowds we play to. Time and time again
people have told us how much fun we seem to
be having during our performances. For us,
it's an itch we must scratch.” People enjoy
the fact that Ellie plays and sings like
there's no tomorrow. She gives it her all
every time.
Ellie Lee grew
up playing in rock, blues, funk and show
bands. She traveled extensively in the
southern states honing her skills as a blues
musician. After a 25 year hiatus to raise
a family, Ellie is now back with a deep and
ernest desire to play the music she loves...
the blues... the musical soul of our
nation. Ellie, “ I want to present an
eclectic collection of old, new, and
original tunes with a focus on variety,
energy and dynamics”.
Worth Including in Ellie's bio details is, a
portion of an interview she did with, Lauren
Hutchison and published in the, Columbus Blues Alliance "Bluespaper,"
March/April issue, 2011.
This will do more to tell you about the
artist and her music than anything else we
could publish.
"The blues is the musical soul of our
nation," Ellie declared. "It’s true,
because jazz came from blues, zydeco came
from blues and so did rock and roll. The
precursor to rock and roll was jump blues.”
Within blues, there are dozens of
sub-genres: the more traditional but
electrified Chicago blues of Muddy Waters
and Howlin' Wolf, the improvisational and
swing-infused Texas blues of Blind Lemon
Jefferson and Stevie Ray Vaughn and the
highly danceable jump blues of Big Joe
Turner. Jump blues grew into rhythm and
blues, the genre of rock pioneer Chuck
Berry.
Blues Fury's music doesn't rest on one style
or mood; their repertoire covers a wide
variety of blues genres and styles. For
Ellie, the band's primary songwriter, the
foundation for every song is rhythm.
"I like different grooves, beats, rhythms,
whatever you want to call them, so I’ll find
a really good groove that I like -- like a
shuffle or a good straight blues beat -- and
I’ll go from there," she explained. "Every
writer has their own little way to do it,
and for me, it’s the rhythm, and I think
that kind of goes back to my roots with the
drums."
Ellie Lee got her start in music in her
early teens with a used set of drums her
father bought for her ("Joe Vitale's drums!
He played for the Eagles," she beamed).
When she had the urge to be more melodic
with her music, she picked up an acoustic
guitar and drew on Eric Clapton and Jeff
Beck for inspiration. Through young
adulthood, Ellie played with different blues
bands, touring from West Virginia to Alabama
while listening to cassettes of blues greats
like Albert King and Muddy Waters.
Winner
of Dayton’s 2010 Road To Memphis Blues
Challenge
Winner of Pomeroy’s 2011 Big Bend Blues
Bash Road To Memphis Challenge
Please Visit And Support our Preferred Business
Partners !!
They Truly Help Make this Event a Success
If You Live In The Area or Your Just Visiting
Please Support these Establishments. Providing Quality Lodging, Transportation,
Food, Entertainment and excellent Services !
Gates Open at 11:30 AM
Stage Times for Scheduled Acts
Acts
Opening to Close
Pre Show
Festivities
11:45 - 12:15
Ellie Lee and Blues Fury
12:30 - 1:30
Deb & The Dynamics with Special Guest
Deborah Coleman
1:45 - 3:00
Southern Hospitality
3:15 - 4:30
Tommy Lee Cook & The Boys of Buckingham
4:45 - 6:00
Samantha Fish
6:15 - 7:30
Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King
7:45 - 9:00
NOTE: Artists
or stage times are subject to change without further notice.
Please Visit and Support This Year's Sponsors When you do
please Thank Them for being a Blues Festival
Sponsor
Great Sponsorships Opportunity's
Are Still Available !!
SMOKIN
JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING,
for almost 20
years, the red-hot Texas rockin' blues of Smokin'
Joe Kubek and Bnois King has been thrilling music
fans all around the world. Kubek's raucous roadhouse
fretwork is expertly complimented by the equally
fiery guitar and soulful vocals of Bnois King.
SAMANTHA
FISH,
TOMMY
LEE COOK and THE BOYS OF BUCKINGHAM with CANDACE
ZONA. 
-web.png)
DEB
AND THE DYNAMICS with some SPECIAL GUESTS,
After moving to Florida Deb got a call from
her friend Deborah Coleman asking her to go
on tour, Coleman had gotten a contract with
Blind Pig Records and now eight years later
she was playing bass again with Coleman.
Performing sold out shows not only in the
USA but Europe and Japan, Deb toured with
Coleman for four years and appeared on her
last two albums "Living on Love" and "Live
in California Soul Be It".
ELLIE
LEE AND BLUES FURY...
is an exciting rockin’
blues band with a powerful on stage
performance. Ellie is a blues
guitarist/singer/songwriter that fronts the
band with her unique vocals and ripping
guitar solos.
Winner
of Dayton’s 2010 Road To Memphis Blues
Challenge
