1999 Soundstage Audiophile CD of the Year Award Winner! Roy Gaines is the greatest living blues guitarist that you probably donÂ’t know anything about. Not only is Mr. Gaines a sizzling blues guitarist, he also possesses one of the most magnificent blues voices around. The real tragedy is that until very recently this supremely talented musician was almost forgotten by blues fans in the U.S.
Born in Houston in 1937, Roy started playing the guitar as a teenager and soon developed a reputation as an instrumental prodigy. By fourteen, he was actually being invited on stage to play with the legendary T-Bone Walker during the latterÂ’s live gigs in Houston and became known as T-Bone Jr. By his early 20s, Roy was playing and recording with Roy MiltonÂ’s band in LA but returned to Houston to join the Duke / Peacock blues label as a full time session guitarist on such seminal blues recordings as Bobby BlandÂ’s ItÂ’s My Life Baby and Junior ParkerÂ’s Driving Me Mad. He was also the featured guitarist on a whole bunch of singles recorded by Big Mama Thorton for the same label.
After going on the road with Joe Turner, Roy joined forces with the blues great, Chuck Willis. Roy stayed with Willis until the later passed away in the late 50Â’s. He then moved to NYC and recorded with Jimmy Rushing, as well as doing a jazz album with Coleman Hawkins on Prestige. Roy returned to LA and during the 60s became one of the cityÂ’s leading session guitarists, playing with the Crusaders, Earl Grant, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder as well as continuing his pure blues work with the likes of Bobby Bland, Albert King and Lightning Hopkins for the Jewel label.
In the last few years, Roy has been recording and playing live gigs in the Southland area but his career in 1998 is now taking off in a fresh direction. He has most recently recorded an album for the British blues label JSP in London which will be released in August 1998 and we all have high hopes for RoyÂ’s first outing with GrooveNote.
The focus of this album is on the music and spirit of the late and very great T-bone Walker, RoyÂ’s earliest mentor and inspiration as a guitar player. T-BoneÂ’s body of work includes such timeless blues standards as Stormy Monday, Dreamgirl, West Side Baby, T-Bone Blues and IÂ’m in An Awful Mood and many others. This album focuses on the classic tunes and styles from the period of the 40s and 50s.
Bonus acoustic version of Stormy Monday. Plated and pressed by Nimbus Manufacturing, VA.
Features:
• 24K Gold CD
Musicians:
Roy Gaines, guitar, vocals
Will Miller, trumpet
Clifford Solomon, tenor sax
Andy Kaulkin, piano
Bill Stuve, acoustic bass
Steve Magulian, drums
Brently Kearns, violin
Al Velasco, pedal steel guitar
Selections:
1. Stormy Monday
2. T-Bone Shuffle
3. Dreamgirl
4. I Got A Break Baby
5. That Old Feeling Is Gone
6. I'm In An Awful Mood
7. The Hustle Is On
8. T-Bone Blues
9. Honky Tonk Blues
10. Westside Baby
Bonus Tracks:
11. Stormy Monday - acoustic version
Product Reviews:
Winner of the 1998 "Blues Comeback Artist of the Year" award by the monthly blues magazine Living Blues. The award is based on a poll of blues critics conducted by Living Blues, which is one of the main blues magazines in the USA. The Comeback Artist of the Year honor is awarded to the most significant bluesman to rebound onto the scene in 1998.
"A modern blues masterpiece!" - Andy Griggs, Real Blues
"Highly recommended" - Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times
