Kenny Wayne Shepherd

With a career that began at age 16, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has a storied decade in music’s big-leagues. His first three albums mixed blues and blues-rock; his 1995 debut Ledbetter Heights has sold over a million copies, making it a platinum record. Trouble Is…was released in 1998 selling over a million copies and Grammy-nominated. Live On followed a year later, and also got the Grammy nod. (The latter two were produced by Jerry Harrison, who returned to produce TEN DAYS OUT.) On his most recent record, 2004’s The Place You’re In, Shepherd took most of the album’s lead vocals for the first time. “I cut my teeth as a blues artist,” says Kenny Wayne Shepherd. “My first three records mixed my styles, and the last one, The Place You’re In, was a pretty heavy dose of rock and roll. So this became a perfect time to present a solid dose of the blues.”

www.kennywayneshepherd.net

Anthony Gomes

Rock 'n' Roll for your Cowboy Soul

Saddle up with Anthony Gomes and the New Soul Cowboys, as the award winning, acclaimed tough-rockin' soulful singer-guitarist and his rough 'n' tumble Nashville-based outfit, are ready to take on the world.

Drawing on the musical core that links blues, rock, soul and country, he's joined by the New Soul Cowboys, featuring bassist David Karns, drummer Peter Lang and keyboardist Dylan St. John.

The blazing songs say it all: "Rebel Highway," "Purple Whiskey Sack," and that musical mission statement, "New Soul Cowboy." The crunchy "What It's All About" is a prime slice of catchy-riffing Southern Rock while "Born To Ride" is roadhouse blues, southern fried with a recipe that goes back to classic Allman Brothers.

www.anthonygomes.com

Delta Guitar Slingers featuring
Michael Burks, Sherman Robertson
and Carl Weathersby

Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Michael “Iron Man” Burks stands tall as a major contemporary blues figure. With a nickname earned by his hours-long, intensely physical performances, fearsome guitar attack, tough, smoky vocals and the thousands of miles logged behind the wheel of his touring van, Burks is a modern blues hero. Nobody in today’s blues world successfully bridges searing electric guitar blues with unbridled rock and roll energy like Burks. The Chicago Sun-Times recently said Burks is “poised on the brink of major stardom.”

www.michaelburks.com

Sherman Robertson is already considered a young master of zydeco, hard-swinging Texas electric blues, R&B and swampy Louisiana blues. Robertson often surprises audiences with his ability to play R&B, zydeco and blues with a rock edge. “I use that driving, road-cooking type zydeco groove, and put blues on top of it,” says Robertson. It's basically rhythm and feel." In June 2000, Robertson played at the Pioneer Valley Blues Festival in Massachusetts. Alligator president, Bruce Iglauer, was in the crowd. “He was always good,” he says, “but when I saw him in June he was on fire. He ruled the stage, had the audience in the palm of his hand, and his just plain physical showmanship reminded me of Albert Collins. As Soon as he walked of the stage I started talking about signing him. He's got that Texas energy, great guitar chops, and is a wonderful, soulful singer.”

www.movinmusic.co.uk/sherman_robertson.htm

Carl Weathersby was born in 1953, in Jackson, Mississippi and moved to East Chicago, Indiana with his family when he was eight. When he started playing guitar as a teen he said his father always had musician friends stopping by the house. One that used to come by often was this big guy that Carl only knew as Albert, the mechanic. Albert happened to be watching the young Weathersby practicing some Albert King songs on guitar one day. Carl said he had been practicing this one song called 'Cross Cut Saw,' playing it over and over until he said, 'I think I got it. So I started playing it and this guy said, 'man, that ain't the way that song goes, that ain't the way I played it.' It turned out to be Albert King who proceeded to show an amazed Weathersby just how it was supposed to be played. King offered some welcome encouragement to Carl and took a liking to the young lad.

Mixing Southern charm, soulful vocals, and fierce guitar-playing, Carl plays the blues, from down-and-dirty to scintillating Albert King influenced chops. This is one powerful blues performer that will leave you amazed and thoroughly entertained.

carlweathersby.org

Janiva Magness

Los Angeles based Janiva Magness is one of today’s most talented and recognized blues and roots vocalists. A three-decade darling of the blues genre, Janiva currently resides at the top of the genre. In May 2007, Janiva won her second consecutive Blues Music Award for Contemporary Female Artist of the Year beating out contemporaries Susan Tedeschi, Shemekia Copeland and Marcia Ball.

Janiva is nominated for the 2008 Blues Music Award for the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award.

Although her vocals are at times beautiful, this 51 year-old grandmother is best known for her sauciness and the bold, brazen beauty of her recordings and performances. Janiva is known for paying homage to controversial and rule breaking women before her like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith for fearlessly embracing their age, their sexuality, and truth.

www.janivamagness.com

Jason Ricci

At a young age Jason Ricci has compiled a musical resume that most musicians don't achieve in a lifetime. Jason has won the Sonny Boy Blues Society Contest, The Mars Music National Harmonica Contest, The Muddy Waters Award and many other accolades.

Jason Ricci is that rare individual that only comes along once in a generation — an artist with the unique ability to help shape and redefine the sound of his chosen instrument and forever change the course of music history. The depth of his music criscrosses the audible landscape leaving no stone unturned as he fully explores blues, jazz, funk, rock, punk, and even drawing inspiration from the current crop of jam bands, all while still retaining the stamp of his own inimitable style.

www.jasonricci.com