Paul Oliver - writer and historian
  World authority on the Blues

Paul Oliver is one of the world's leading authorities and writer on the history of the blues. From an early age he collected blues records and books on the blues, publishing his first article in 1951. Since that time he has published 13 books on the history of the blues and blues music including The Story of the Blues, Blues Fell This Morning, Conversation with the Blues, and Blues Off The Record.  His work also includes interviews, field work and research in recording and printed sources tracing the origin and development of African American music and culture from the time of slavery through to the Twentieth Century. This work, known as "The Paul Oliver Collection of African American Music & Related Traditions" is held on a custodial basis at The University of Gloucestershire, England, by agreement with the European Blues Association and Paul Oliver. It represents an enormously valuable resource in teaching and research and is of international significance.
 

The Hitman Blues Band

"For twenty years, The Hitman Blues Band has been rocking the New York area with their searing brand of blues/rock, drawing favourable comparisons to Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, and Kenny Wayne Sheppard along the way. Led by founding member, guitarist/singer Russell “Hitman” Alexander, the band has made various personnel changes along the way, but Alexander remains the constant with his gravelly vocals and gritty blues fretwork".
- Blues Bytes Magazine

"Between the two of them they create a wall of pure Chicago blues. 1950's Maxwell Street is where they begin to create their blend of the music they love".
  - The Blues Duo website

Jon Amor - Guitarist and vocals

The Jon Amor Band and The Hoax

"The Ragtime Jug Orchestra is the authentic string-band sound of the early 20th century, playing a rootsy good-time mix of ragtime, country blues, hokum, skiffle and jug band music".

"authentic...absorbing."  
Blues Matters

"The RJO added a lovely old-time feel ... and the audience joined in enthusiastically."
Blues In Britain

"SLIDE guitarist & songwriter Dave Arcari’s alt.blues sounds owe as much to trash country, punk and rockabilly as they do pre-war Delta blues and have been showcased via six internationally-acclaimed solo CD releases". 
- www.reverbnation.com

"Dave plays like he got his skin turned inside out and pretty soon my skin was inside out too listening and it was all good. That boy bleeds for you – he's a real down deep player and a soul man ..."
- Seasick Steve

Gwyn Ashton's Two-Man Blues Army

"South Australia's greatest contribution to blues-rock" - billboard.com

"Gwyn is no stranger to the world stage as he has spent more than 15 years touring the globe, opening for artists as diverse as BB King, Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Robin Trower, Vanilla Fudge, Wishbone Ash, Van Morrison, Jeff Healey, Tony Joe White, Johnny Winter, Ray Charles, Pat Travers and John Hammond. He has also been invited onstage with Mick Fleetwood, Hubert Sumlin, Marc Ford, Jon Paris, Canned Heat, Robbie Blunt and Mark Stanway. Gwyn has been praised by such luminaries as Robert Plant, Johnny Winter and Eric Johnson and regularly conducts blues guitar workshops in schools".

BabaJack 
 - Becky Tate: singer/songwriter/percussion drummer
 - Trevor Steger: guitarist/singer/songwriter

"Rhythm, power and sheer groove makes their brand of blues, roots or folk - whatever you call it - addictive!"
- Blues in Britain May 2011 

"They groove like demons! [...] BabaJack's blues is no musty old thing [...]. They play something more akin to rock blues, but acoustic. It seems that whatever they do and whatever you call it, it's an instant party"
- Listomania Live review March 2011 

"When they are on stage everyone sits up and takes notice, they have great presence and energy and it is hard to contain the fire and passion emanating from them"
- Live Review Blues Matters Magazine

"Lee is a fine guitarist and singer, playing Delta and ragtime blues as well as being a formidable slide player; hammering out Son House and Bukka White songs on an old National or playing dirty electric-style riffs.  Together with Billy Newton (see below) they are a classic guitar/harmonica duo, in the tradition of the great Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and  have a wealth of experience behind them. They deliver a hugely entertaining set of tunes taken from the Delta, Chicago, Ragtime, Jug-Band, Hokum as well as their own compositions and all delivered with the dose of irreverent humour that makes them crowd pleasers wherever they perform. They are guaranteed to get you up dancing and having a good time!"

Guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer, Norman has been involved in the British blues scene since the early 1970s, leading a five piece band reckoned to be one of Britain's best and most original blues bands; their legendary live performances played with a lot of emotion, a lot of excitement but also with a lot of humour.

Jack Blackman - guitar/vocals

"Marcus Bonfanti deserves to become the next British blues-guitar hero. He's a wildly versatile guitarist who can handle almost anything in the electric-, country- or folk-blues field, ranging from stomping blues that echo Jimmy Page through to delicate acoustic finger-picking, with some sturdy vocal work and impressive harmonica playing".

The Deborah Bonham Band

The younger sister of the late John Bonham (drummer with Led Zeppelin) and Michael Bonham (disc jockey, author and photographer), Deborah was encouraged by Led Zeppelin's vocalist Robert Plant to record her first demos at the age of 17. Her first record deal saw the release of the critically acclaimed 'For you and the Moon' reaching the top 5 in the UK NME charts. With her established band, she has toured the UK and Europe over the years, and has had successful trips to the US. More recently she has released several CDs with notable guest musicians and performed at major UK blues festivals. I had the pleasure of meeting Deborah and her band at the Colne Great British R&B Festival.
 

The Oli Brown Band

Hailed as "one of the best and brightest guitar heroes performing in the world today" (Classic Rock magazine).

Kyla Brox, singer/songwriter/flautist
and husband Danny Blomeley, guitarist/songwriter

The Kyla Brox Band

"The finest female blues singer of her generation" 
Manchester Evening News

"Kyla Brox is without question the finest, young female blues singer in the UK today. Her voice is magnificent, combining effortless power with exquisite control." 
Lionel Ross, Blues in Britain Magazine

"Kyla Brox Rocks!"
Northern Territory News, Australia.

Victor Brox,  singer/songwriter/actor/multi-instrumentalist

"Manchester born blues legend Victor Brox is probably one of the most underrated champions of the British Blues scene and its unsung hero.."

JoJo Burgess
Singer/songwriter, Hokie Joint

"Colchester five-piece Hokie Joint are exciting audiences everywhere with their own brand of raw blues-based music. The difficult task of writing blues with a catchy chorus is something that they revel in. Harking back to the club scene of the sixties but with a distinctively original modern approach, their sound is fresh, vibrant and appealing. On the one hand we’re talking part Waits, part Wolf vocals, fuzzing slide guitar, dirty harmonica, driving bass and train-like drumming. On the other hand it’s gut-wrenchingly emotional vocals, melancholic guitar playing, sweeping harmonica, well-constructed, melodic bass and intricate, mesmerising drumming".
- Maryport Blues Festival 2010

Michael Burks
   Guitarist/singer/songwriter

“Michael Burks is a flamethrower guitarist. He is the complete bluesman: songwriter, singer, riff-master, bandleader, and showman...Savage fury and heartfelt tenderness”
– Chicago Sun-Times

“Michael Burks is a guitar slinger with a brawny tone, deeply emotional singing and rompin’, stompin’ blues power.”
– GuitarOne

Randy Chortkoff 
 CEO of Delta Groove & Eclecto Groove
 Records and founding member of
 The Mannish Boys

Paul Cowley
   - guitarist/singer/songwriter

A singer/songwriter, acoustic fingerstyle and slide guitarist, Paul was originally inspired by the country blues of Lightnin Hopkins, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and others.

"One of our best and most imaginative bluesmen"
 - Bob Jones

Steve Cropper 
  - guitarist/singer/songwriter

"Long regarded as one of the finest studio guitarists in the music industry, and probably the best-known soul guitarist in the world, Steve Cropper has been most closely associated with the Stax Records label in Memphis, Tennessee, and was one of the pioneers in what has come to be regarded as "The Memphis Sound".

Simon Crowe - Drummer
The Rats

Tom Doughty, singer/songwriter/guitarist

"Tom is one of the most original new artists I have heard in a long time. The music just flows."
 - Woody Mann.

 "What a powerhouse of soul and inspiration mixed with desire and passion, Grainne Duffy takes you to the most inner depths of your soul that others artists wish they could do with their music..... Grainne Duffy sets the standards for modern blues and country female vocals. An artist that is true to her music and not afraid of the hard work and commitment it all involves. Grainne Duffy is the real deal".
 - All Access Magazine  www.allaccessmagazine.com

When Austin, Texas, based blues mainstays Omar & The Howlers hit the stage, they astonish audiences with the band's bone-rattling display of swinging, rocking blues and swampy R&B. Highlighting the smouldering guitar attack and gravelly, gutbucket vocals of leader Omar Dykes, The Howlers' play their infectious brand of Texas-by-way-of-Mississippi blues and roots rock for a devoted legion of fans all around the world.

"His guitar slices like a freight train pulling a load of Texas tone ...and his voice has the kind of delivery that could shatter a beer stein. Omar & The Howlers pack a potent mojo that's dang near irresistible."
- Guitar Player
 

Lisa Eismen leads an Australian film team working on promoting an upcoming documentary film called Women in Blues, directed by Lisa Eismen and shot by award-winning cinematographer Pieter De Vries, ACS. The film celebrates women who sing or play the blues and explores the struggles that these artists have experienced as women in the world of blues music.

Gary Fletcher
  Guitarist, vocals and Songwriter

The Blues Band, The Gary Fletcher Band, The Dave Kelly Band and Solo (Acoustic)

Rick Fowler Band

"... Whilst Rick lives in Athens, Georgia, USA, his musical basis is mainly built from British Blues and rock influences" ...  "What do you hear with Rick, is that it's all about the music, not popularity" ...  "Rick is a strong songwriter and above all a storyteller. His texts are as important as the excellent music he plays"
Rootstime, Belgium

Bluesman Mike Francis © Copyright 2013 Mike Francis.
All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
 

"If Woodie Guthrie and Robert Johnson were still around today they'd probably sound like this guy"
 - Martin Elliott, author, Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions

"Earwig Music Company, Inc. was founded in October 1978 in Chicago by Michael Frank as a record label and artist management company. The label grew out of a musical and personal friendship between the label founder and Honeyboy Edwards, .... The label's mission was and is to make and release new and reissue recordings by African American blues and jazz musicians and artists working in the African American oral tradition... "

"Michael Frank has also been responsible for managing the career of David Honeyboy Edwards for twenty-seven years, including getting Honeyboy's oral history / autobiography published. The book won both a Handy Award and a Keeping the Blues Alive award, and is widely recognized as one of the most important books on blues ever written".

Clare Free © Copyright 2011 Rob Stanley. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
 

Clare Free Band & Solo

"Clare is one of a number of exciting female Blues performers on the British Blues circuit today. Her confident guitar style and imaginative self-penned lyrics, together with her tight and dynamic band ensured a varied and lively set".
- Sue Hickling and Tony Winfield, Blues in Britain

The Larry Garner Band

"The Baton Rouge guitarist brings his swamp blues tradition with current subjects and problems of everyday life to the people all over the world. For a man who came to the blues relatively late in life from a day job and family life in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Larry Garner wasted no time earning a worldwide reputation as one terrific bluesman. Maybe his roundabout, diverse route is a part of why he brings such freshness of vision along with a solid all-around grounding as a musician, poet and storyteller....".
Ruf Records
 

The Mal Gibson Project and Solo

Ramon Goose
singer/songwriter/guitarist/record producer

The Ramon Goose Trio
and the Coconut Revolution band

"Ramon Goose is one of the most versatile and unique Blues artist of his generation, grounded in an education of the blues he has travelled to many distant lands & explored many distant musical genres and still continues to do so".

Animals and Friends and
Danny Handley Blues Project

"Known as a 'musician's musician', Alvin Youngblood Hart's praises have been sung by everyone from Bob Dylan to British guitar gods Eric Clapton & Mick Taylor".

Robin Hoare - Vocals / Guitar

The Robin Hoare Band
 

Vocal/instrumental trio from New York serving up a gumbo of gospel, blues, country, funk, reggae, funk, soul and r ‘n’ b for over 30 years.

"Their voices are rough enough for a juke joint and smooth enough for church".

Al Hughes - Lead Vocals / Guitar

Lights Out By Nine and Solo Acoustic

"Perceptive lyrics combine with skillful guitar and bass to produce songs which are both thoughtful, and thought provoking, with a healthy dose of 'twang' thrown in"

"Up there with the best of them"
 - Blues in Britain

James Hunter
 - singer/guitarist/songwriter

The indeed very extraordinary and very British James Hunter, ... possesses a "tight, slithery soul groove" and a "sweet growl"
 - New York Times

"Anyone who’s seen or heard James Hunter perform is already hip to his remarkable talents as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. This includes Van Morrison who asserts, “James is one of the best voices, and best kept secrets, in British R’n’B and Soul....
 - www.movinmusic.co.uk

The John Idan Group, ex The Yardbirds
 

"Co-founding member of The Big Town Playboys who works as a freelance double bassist/ bass guitarist with loads of different bands ....."

Booker T & The MG's

In conversation with Michael Ford,  Editor, Blues in Britain magazine.

Karac and Solo

John Jorgenson - Guitar and vocals

The John Jorgenson Quintet

"Extraordinarily gifted, guitarist John Jorgenson's pedigree is second to none. In the mid-80s along with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman he co-founded The Desert Rose Band. While they clocked up five US number one singles Jorgenson won the Academy of Country Music's ‘Guitarist Of The Year' three consecutive times before forming the mightily acclaimed, much garlanded Hellecasters after which he was invited to play guitar for Elton John. Initially contracted for an eighteen month world tour the engagement lasted for six years. He has also recorded or toured with The Byrds, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison to mention but a few. More recently he has championed the re-emergence of Gypsy jazz".

The Blues Band and The Dave Kelly Band

"If there is such a thing as a British 'blues pedigree', then Dave Kelly's sets the standard.  Dave is a blues craftsman - a journeyman who has served his time with the best. In New York he jammed with Muddy Waters.  He became a friend to Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker.  It was Dave's big sister, the late Jo-Ann Kelly, who first opened his ears to the blues, although his passion for rock and roll - and especially the work of Buddy Holly - remains intact.  In 1967 he joined The John Dummer Blues Band  and he has continued to polish his style and technique throughout an adventurous career with some of Britain's finest players.  When The Blues Band was formed in 1979, the post of slide guitarist and joint vocalist was a foregone conclusion - and bringing his friend, the bassist Gary Fletcher, along to that first rehearsal, was a bonus.  Dave Kelly's guitar and vocals form the very backbone of The Blues Band's distinctive sound".
 

Mitch Laddie - guitar/vocals

The Mitch Laddie Trio

Photo shows Mitch as Walter Trout's guest at Colne Great British R&B Festival 2008.

Paul Lamb - Harmonica & vocals

Paul Lamb & The King Snakes

"Hailed by aficionados and music press around the world as Europe’s foremost blues harmonica exponent, Paul Lamb has forged himself a place in the history books as one of the greatest players of our time. He has won countless awards, sold record-breaking quantities of albums, and performed the world over with his long-standing musical compatriots, The King Snakes. Recently inducted into the British Blues Awards Hall Of Fame (alongside the likes of Peter Green, John Mayall & Alexis Korner), Paul still continues to bring his infectious brand of soulful blues to a plethora of fans around the globe"

"There is no doubt that Lister is one of those naturally exciting talents that come along once in a blues moon. But more than the God-given talent, it’s the balance that he strikes between stunning guitar pyrotechnics, a soulful voice that has just enough of an edge and a collection of original songs that mark him out as a musician with a glittering future".  
- Net Rhythms

"Hamilton Loomis oozes class and is a superlative and charismatic performer"

Connie Lush - Singer/Songwriter

Connie Lush and Blues Shouter

"Recognised as one of the finest blues singers that the United Kingdom has ever produced, Connie was voted Best UK Female Vocalist by readers of Blues In Britain for 5 separate years, earning a richly deserved place in the Gallery of the Greats. She is also increasingly recognised on the continent, particularly in France, where she was honoured in the French Blues Trophies awards as European Singer of the Year in 2002. There are no separate awards for male & female singers in the European category, so Connie defeated all challengers.  It is less appreciated that Connie’s musical talents go beyond singing. She is a highly accomplished songwriter, confirmed by many excellent self-penned songs that form the content of her live & recorded repertoire. She has also written TV themes and featured as a DJ on Jazz FM".

"Erja Lyytinen is part of an exciting young generation of European blues artists who are carrying this traditional form of American music into the future".

Doug MacLeod
  'The Storytelling Bluesman':
   guitarist, singer, and songwriter

"Doug MacLeod is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. He is a travelling artist that writes and sings original songs that are based on his own life and experiences. He learned from the old masters, lived the music, survived the life and carries forward a valuable tradition. Doug is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of this is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters, from the faceless to the legendary, to strikingly real life. Like the old masters who taught him, Doug's music expresses life and times via an intangible, elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. There is a philosophic and healing side to his music and his stories that has helped others overcome the hardships of their lives.

~

The Larry McCray Band

"Larry McCray is one of a handful of talented young blues performers leading the genre across boundaries and into the new century. McCray’s savage blues-rock guitar and warm, soulful vocals have drawn attention worldwide".
 - LM biography / website 

"If contemporary blues has a long-term future in the 21st century, it's very likely that guitarist Larry McCray will continue to play a recurring role in its ongoing development".
 - Biography by Bill Dahl

Tony T.S. McPhee - Vocals / Guitar

The Groundhogs

"The Groundhogs are an iconic blues and progressive rock band characterised by improvised screaming guitar solos, which achieved several top chart albums (Thank Christ For The Bomb, Split, Who Will Save The World & Hogwash) through the 1970’s.

Tony ‘TS’ McPhee is the talent behind ‘The Groundhogs’, and his outstanding writing and phenomenal guitar skills have formed and pushed at the outskirts of British blues and rock for the last forty odd years. Despite the album success, The Groundhogs retain a cult status, you are either absolutely passionate about them or have never heard of them".

 - The Marcus Malone Band

“Marcus Malone has been delighting British audiences for many years with his magnificent velvet-toned vocals and his magnetic stage presence. Furthermore, he is a highly talented songwriter, who consistently surrounds himself with top class musicians ....”
 - Lionell Ross

"Whether he is playing as a one-man band, in a trio or big band, Eddie Martin excels..."
 - Blues in Britain

"One of the UK's most dynamic performers, he is a live act not to be missed"
 - Blues Review USA

"The late Memphis producer Jim Dickinson once called Jimbo Mathus “the singing voice of Huck Finn.” Outside the South, Mathus is likely known as the ringleader of the hyper-ragtime outfit Squirrel Nut Zippers. In his native Mississippi and throughout the South, however, Mathus is the prolific songwriter of born-in-the-bone Southern music, the torchbearer for Deep South mythology and culture. Think Delta highways, bowling-pin Budweisers and “innerplanetary honky-tonk” for the masses".
 - Source: Jimbo's Facebook

Michael Messer
  Slide guitarist, singer and songwriter

"Michael Messer is a virtuoso slide guitarist who has one of the best bands performing some of the greatest blues tunes produced this century. His playing encompasses the entire history of the blues but is totally individual and contemporary. His use of turntables in the band adds a new element to the music and Messer’s haunting vocals ooze authenticity and integrity. The American magazine, ‘Spirit’ listed Michael as one of the greatest slide guitarists ever alongside Duane Allman and Ry Cooder". Dave Tracey

"Cherry could well be Britain's answer to Bonnie Raitt, no mistake!"
Blues Matters

coming soon  ....

“Lisa’s guitar playing is reassuringly functional, sometimes, surprisingly lyrical, always true to its roots in Southern Soul, blues and gospel. It’s the voice you come to hear, though - moving from a whisper of vulnerability to a harshly defiant rasp, coupled to masterful on-off-mike technique, and with a scary range… add to that real writing skills, and Lisa’s a force to be reckoned with.”
- Celf Cambria Arts

“…the best blues piano player in Europe … imagine a Liszt meets Professor Longhair”
– Blues Access (USA)

"Nuno Mindelis is considered by the media and fans of his native Brazil as the best blues guitarist. His records are well played on radio stations as well as Brazilian MTV. Fans of British guitar legend Eric Clapton identify with graffiti once spray-painted on a London wall; "Clapton is God". In Brazil the graffiti says "Mindelis - Brazil's Guitar God!" ".

“Big voice, big body, .... he writes strong, original blues material mixed with carefully selected covers: there’s no middle ground, every song goes straight for the throat”
- Blues in Britain

Coco Montoya - Guitar and Vocals

Guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya's 30-year career began in the mid-70s with a chance meeting with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who asked him to join his band as drummer. Albert took him under his wing, becoming his mentor and teaching him the Collins "icy hot" style of blues guitar. In the early 80s, John Mayall asked Coco to join the Bluesbreakers. This led to Coco touring the world for ten years with the legendary Bluesbreakers before moving on to go out on his own in 1993. Coco has released five albums and another is now in the pipeline. Coco averages over 200 tour dates a year and in August 2009 I caught up with him at The Great British R&B Festival, Colne, England.

“It’s hard to say exactly what we are and what we do,” says Arbuckle. “Blues is definitely at the core, but we’re huge fans of all sorts of American music, and all of that comes through as well. Obviously, there are elements of traditional country in what we do, elements of vintage rock and roll, soul and all that sort of stuff. We always try to stay grounded in that traditional blues center, and at the same time branch out and do as many different things as we can while still keeping it consistent with the sound we’ve developed.”

"Mud Morganfield eldest son of the undisputed king of the blues Muddy Waters has been delivering his charismatic Chicago blues of the highest order to audiences around the world .... He looks and sounds strikingly like his old man, so much so that one of his dad's former sidemen said "Mud looks and sounds like his old man in a way no one else can.  It’s like watching a ghost in the flesh”.
Movinmusic Agency

Billy Newton - Harp and dancing

"Billy Newton is one of the hottest harp players around, equally at home with the down-home wail of Sonny Terry and Noah Lewis or the big city sounds of Little Walter and Snooky Pryor. Together with Lee Bates (see above) they are a classic guitar/harmonica duo, in the tradition of the great Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and  have a wealth of experience behind them. They deliver a hugely entertaining set of tunes taken from the Delta, Chicago, Ragtime, Jug-Band, Hokum as well as their own compositions and all delivered with the dose of irreverent humour that makes them crowd pleasers wherever they perform. They are guaranteed to get you up dancing and having a good time!"

"Alan Nimmo, a frontman famed almost as much for his contagious energy as his dazzling guitar work. Widely known across the UK and Europe for his pivotal role with the award-winning Nimmo Brothers, Alan’s full-blooded style, technical brilliance and impassioned vocals combine to hit all the right buttons and reach spots that many others can only aspire to".  
 

Sugar Ray Norcia and the Bluetones

“Sugar Ray has a fine lyrical sense, avoiding typical blues clichés with songs that exhibit both wit and wisdom”
  - John Taylor, Blindedbysound

“ . . . there are very few that can match Norcia's potent, booming voice and gripping harmonica work, a style that cuts through the smoke without any fanfare or overdone solo spots...."
  - Craig Ruskey for Big Road Blues

Stephen Dale Petit - Guitar & Vocals

"Over the years, Stephen's fascination with a near century's worth of guitar luminaries - ranging from Clapton, Page and Beck to Patton, House and Johnson via King, King and King has led him across the States, into Europe, through addiction and alcoholism, down, busking, into the London Underground and up again to London recording studios. When he talks about the Blues, Stephen is a deadly serious, earnest man driven by a love indeed, a passion bordering on obsession, for this most vital genre of music from which most modern guitar music is directly descended. As Stephen puts it himself "The reason I'm on the planet is to play Blues Guitar. I'm on a mission to spread the word about The Blues and about the guitar especially to young music lovers."  

Ana Popović
  Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist

Ana Popović is an incredible guitarist/vocalist born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and now residing in The Netherlands. Her career has been meteoric, and shows no signs of slowing down. Ana is the first European ever nominated for ‘Best New Blues Artist’ at the W.C. Handy Award Show in Memphis, Tennessee (2003). She was also nominated for 'Best Blues Album' at the Jammie Awards in New York City, a three way nominee for 'Best Vocalist', 'Best Guitarist' and 'Best Album' at the French Blues Awards (2002), and she and her band won the prestigious jazz award 'Jazz A Juan revelation In Juan Le Pins' (France 2004). Ana has recently been touring Europe and I was lucky enough to catch up with her, back at base in The Netherlands.

Glenn Povey
Tour Manager, Classic Legends of Rock

"Hey, this guy's a star man - he's keeping the STAX flag flying - letting people hear these good old STAX tunes".
   -  Steve Cropper

"A Muddy-Waters-meets-back-water stew  of Mississippi Country Blues and Florida Swamp Blues"
 

Louisiana Red 
  Guitarist, singer, songwriter and
  harmonica player

Louisiana Red has lived the Blues. He not only plays the Blues, he lives it through his guitar and his singing. Strongly influenced by Muddy Waters, Lightnin‘ Hopkins and Arthur Crudup, he has long ago found his own voice, his own style, his own form of expression. In a career spanning over half a century, Red has played with just about every major bluesman you can name, some of the most memorable encounters being his jams with B.B.King and Muddy Waters. His albums have been called masterpieces by critics, and in 1983 he won a W.C. Handy Award as best traditional blues artist. Red recently toured the UK with Michael Messer and I had the privilege of interviewing Red at Southport Arts Centre in conjunction with Spencer Leigh, BBC Radio Merseyside.

Photograph  © copyright Rockypix, used with permission

"You will not hear a better debut album in 2014 than this absolute corker from a group of youngsters from Sussex. This really is a band with the potential, talent and tunes to smash through the glass ceiling that holds so many blues rock bands back. In 'Freedom Road' Red Butler have delivered an album that is immediately accessible but true to the roots of the blues".
  - Nigel Foster, Susses Express

"These Sussex based blues-rockers confirm their status as rising young stars of the scene with some wonderfully deft fretwork that gives us all hope"
  - Guitar and Bass magazine.
 

Roadhouse - Gary, Bill, Roger, Danny, Mandie, Suzie, Kelly and Rachel

Garry Roberts - Guitar

The Rats

Giles Robson & The Dirty Aces

'When harmonica players Sugar Blue and Paul Jones describe Giles Robson as one of the great living blues harmonica players you know he's bound to be a bit special. This is the real deal'
 - Maverick Magazine

'Giles is no mere imitator, this guy is an original with classy influences. He blazes a trail on harmonica: tons of Chicago wizardry and blow bends the equal of top end maestro Sugar Blue'
 - Blues in Britain

'Giles Robson's blues harp can only be described as exquisite. This man could well be the best harmonica player on the blues scene today'
 - The Daily Express

"Steve Rodgers has been compared to artistes such as Scott Matthews, Ray Lamontagne,
Jeff Buckley, and of course his father,
Paul Rodgers".

Roy Rogers 
  Slide guitar, singer, songwriter and
  producer

The Delta Rhythm Kings

"Named after the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers is one of the US's premier slide guitarists performing today. He is also an internationally acclaimed producer, having produced recordings for John Lee Hooker (4 Grammy Nominations and 2 Grammy Awards) and Ramblin' Jack Elliott (2 Grammy Nominations). He has received numerous accolades for his songwriting (Grammy Nomination for ‘Song for Jessica’ ), as well as his work on movie soundtracks and television." 

Steve Roux
singer/guitarist/songwriter

The Brass Knuckle Blues Band

The White Knuckle Blues Band

"Steve Roux with a pleasantly gruff voice and a blistering fret technique which betrayed “influence of 1960s vintage Eric Clapton.”
 - The Times

The Matt Schofield Trio

"In Schofield, the UK has produced the best blues guitarist from any country in decades".
- LA Daily News, USA
"The best of his generation's European players. His feel for the music is incredible".
- Vintage Guitar, USA
"Top ten British Blues guitarists of all time".
- Guitar and Bass
The UK's most exciting blues guitar player."
- Guitarist

"Whether fronting his superb band or solo, sitting on a stool with his old resonator, his performances are captivating – the hottest property on the European blues scene. In the shadow of the British Blues Scene stalks the lovechild of Howlin' Wolf and Big Mama Thornton"  
Mojo Magazine

"You should be very proud to have this young man in your own country. You have someone right here who can really sing the Deep Blues. He got church in his voice. If my Daddy were alive today he'd say “That's my boy!”
Big Bill Morganfield

Mark Singleton
 MC/Drummer/Drum Technician

Formed in 2008 the duo Sisters in Grease were launched at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival. The duo, comprising Mike and Andy, are named after a song title, play an original brand of acoustic bottleneck blues.

"If Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson were still around today they'd probably sound like these guys"
  -  Martin Elliott (author of Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions).

Recently reformed after an 8 year absence - The Producers, fronted by Harry Skinner on guitar & vocals & Big Dave Saunders on bass won the top UK Blues Band over 4 consecutive years before going their separate ways in 2002. Now they're back. Harry & Dave still front the band ably assisted by Ray Drury on Hammond & Biff Smith on drums.
 

Magic Slim & The Teardrops

"Magic Slim is a national treasure, one of the few true "bluesmen" still around, and at seventy years young he is playing and singing with as much passion and strength as ever".

John Steel, drummer

Founding member of The Animals / Animals and Friends

"Scorching a trail across the live music venues of the land is this sizzlin' hot 1950's R&B combo...
...The Revolutionaires!"

'Dale is one of the best New Orleans players I've ever seen' - Richard Hawley

   .........'I've seen Mac's (Dr. John's) Shadow' - David Barard, Bass player for Dr. John

Mick Taylor - Guitar & Vocals

The Mick Taylor Band

"Guitarist Mick Taylor was neither an original member of the Rolling Stones nor still in the band when it began selling out sports stadiums in the late-'80s and '90s. But the sophisticated jazz- and blues-influenced guitar licks Mick added to such classic albums as Sticky Fingers gave the Stones an added dimension they lacked before and after him".

“Mick is one of the most stunning guitarists in the world. His tones are warm and rich, and are totally unique.”  Bob Dylan

Earl Thomas & The Kings of Rhythm

Mark Thornley, guitar and vocals

The Mark Thornley Band

The Guy Tortora Band
 

"Walter Trout's compelling music resides in a territory that unites the worlds of blues, rock and pure sonic adventurism, where inspiration and technique meet to create a unique soulful language".

- The Ruby Turner Band
- Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues
  Orchestra

"Soul, Gospel, and R&B : Ruby Turner is truly the genuine article. Blessed with a voice that can breathe life and meaning into any song, whether it be a passionate ballad or a fast groove"
   - The Guardian
 

"John always said that live work was his first love and that holds as true today as ever".

Khalif 'Wailin' Walter
  Guitarist, singer, bandleader and
  songwriter 

Khalif “Wailin ’” Walter’s stormy guitar work and brash New Orleans style vocals, generate a traditional down-home sound, reminiscent of greats like Freddie King, Albert King, and Albert Collins. Fused with contemporary style and innovative original arrangements, Khalif  delivers foot stomping finger snapping Blues that sets the roof on fire.

"... no praise can do justice to the superlative efforts of organiser Nick Westgarth and his tireless team of supporters, to whom a great vote of thanks and congratulations are owed by those of us who were lucky enough to be there".
  -  Lionel Ross

'"..one of Scotland's heroes, a bluesman of amazing ability...a totally brilliant one man band."  Mike Harding

Mike Whellans is the real thing, a keeper of the one-man blues band flame that burned so passionately in the work of this highly specialized form’s masters, including Doctor Isaiah Ross, Jesse Fuller and Mike’s great British forerunner, Tony ‘Duster’ Bennett. Like all true bluesmen and women, when Mike sings and plays, he means it. He can set a scene of darkness and foreboding as the Boogie Man lurks, play twelve-string guitar in the grand driving blues tradition to propel his Winding Track, and sing of hugging his baby’s deserted pillow so that you really feel his loss.

The son of legendary blues man Robert Wilkins, Reverend John Wilkins was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but he is a child of the North Mississippi Hill Country. His mother was born in Holly Springs, MS and his father was from Hernando, MS. When the young John Wilkins was learning to play guitar, he picked up his father's gospel and country blues styles and also absorbed the citified soulful sounds of local musicians recorded by legendary Memphis labels Sun and Stax. As he approached adulthood in the 60s, John could be found playing in church, at parties, and at clubs. Like his father before him, he walked a similar musical line between the sacred and secular. In the early 80's, he followed his father's call to ministry, becoming pastor of Hunter's Chapel Church, Como, MS and ever since he has led a congregation that includes generations of regional parishioners and North Mississippi musicians.  In earlier times, legendary Hill Country bluesman Fred McDowell and his wife Annie Mae, fife players Otha Turner and Napolian Strickland were all members of Hunter's Chapel congregation.
 

“His guitar-work throughout is exemplary with riffs that could easily grace any Pink Floyd or Fleetwood Mac album!”
 -  Amplified Magazine
 

"Gregg Wright brings down the house in no time!"
 - Blues Matters

"This man is not given to gentle introductions or formalities - he's straight down to business and his business is Rockin' Blues!
 - Diane Gillard