DELTA GROOVE Infos

MUSICIANS
Smokin’ Joe Kubek: guitar [right], lap steel (10)
Bnois King: vocals, guitar [left]
Kid Andersen: guitar [center] (6)
Randy Chortkoff: harmonica (3, 11), vocals (3)
Kim Wilson: harmonica (3, 5, 9), vocals (3, 9)
Willie J. Campbell: electric bass (all tracks except 8 & 11)
Patrick Recob: electric bass (8, 11)
Jimi Bott: drums

Produced by Randy Chortkoff
Engineered and mixed by David Z.

Since first pairing up back in 1989 for a weekly Monday night gig at a neighborhood pub in Dallas, Texas, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King have become an inseparable musical force. Indeed, the scientific notion that opposites attract has found no better basis in fact than the shining examples of King’s understated, jazz-inflected guitar, in stark contrast to Kubek’s incendiary, fret-burnin’ sorcery. For over twenty-years this fearsome twosome has been sweeping through towns and plundering festival and nightclub stages across the globe with the notorious ferocity of a deadly Texas twister. In as much time this enduring partnership has also produced thirteen critically-acclaimed recordings before embarking on their latest chapter with the Los Angeles-based blues label, Delta Groove Music.

In 2012, Kubek and King signed on with Delta Groove to record what was to become the pair’s fourteenth album. Close to the Bone marked a bold shift in direction for these two as they proceeded to forgo the comfort and luxury of electricity and literally unplug their instruments for the duration of the recording session. The results were astonishing and a welcome change of pace, allowing listeners a deeper glimpse into the inner workings of their musical bond and chemistry. Of course they didn’t have to go it totally alone, as they were assisted with a little help from some new and old friends including fellow label mates Big Pete, Lynwood Slim, Bob Corritore, Randy Chortkoff, Shawn Pittman, Kirk Fletcher, Fred Kaplan, Willie J. Campbell and Jimi Bott, as well as former Red Devils’ guitarist, Paul Size. The album was greeted with reverential praise and even placed #14 on Guitar World’s Top 15 Blues and Roots Rock Albums of 2012!

Now, following on the heels of the Texas duo’s daring unplugged release, Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King return to form with a stripped-down set of tough, electrified roadhouse blues. Road Dog’s Life features an arsenal of mostly new and original material, emphasizing King’s own wry, insightful lyrics, along with Kubek’s searingly incisive, signature guitar, with the exception of only two covers – the Rolling Stones’ Play with Fire and the Beatles’ Don’t Bother Me. Special guests this time out includes the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ frontman Kim Wilson, Nightcats’ guitarist Kid Andersen, Delta Groove label head Randy Chortkoff, Kansas City bassist Patrick Recob, along with the Mannish Boys’ rhythm section, consisting of bassist Willie J. Campbell and drummer Jimi Bott. For Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King the journey to this point has certainly been a long road to travel, but in the words of these hardened road dogs, « we wouldn’t have it any other way. »

MUSICIANS
Sugaray Rayford: vocals
Sugar Ray Norcia: harmonica (1, 3), vocals (4)
Kim Wilson: harmonica (8, 11)
Big Pete: harmonica (13)
Randy Chortkoff: harmonica (6, 10, 12)
Kid Andersen: lead guitar (7, 9, 10), rhythm guitar (12)
Franck Goldwasser: lead guitar (5, 6, 11, 13), slide guitar (8, 14), National Steel guitar (12), rhythm guitar (2, 9, 10)
Gino Matteo: lead guitar (2)
Monster Mike Welch: lead guitar (4), tremolo guitar (6), rhythm guitar (1, 3, 8)
Anthony Geraci : piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11)
Fred Kaplan: piano (5, 7, 10), organ (2, 13)
AND MORE!

Produced by Randy Chortkoff and Jeff Scott Fleenor
Engineered and mixed by David Z.

Texas-born Sugaray Rayford may be a new name to blues and music fans outside of his current Southern California base, but he’s got the blues as deep and wide as his commanding, gospel-drenched voice. Starting out, as so many great singers do, performing in the church as a child, he packs a lifetime of hard-won experience and soul into every performance. As he says, « I grew up in gospel and soul. » And with every inch of his imposing 6 foot 5 frame, he puts his music across in a physical way that leaves you no choice but to believe every word.

After performing in bands that leaned more towards modern sounds for a few years, Sugaray found himself drawn more towards the power of the blues, and led San Diego band Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz to a second place finish at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2006. This turned into a big win for Sugaray though, as it brought him to the attention of Delta Groove Productions head Randy Chortkoff. A few years later when Delta Groove’s Mannish Boys were in need of a featured front man to add to the rotating cast of talent, Sugaray was brought in for a few shows. The chemistry was solid and immediate – his powerful and dynamic performances pushed the band to new heights, and the bond was sealed. His work as a featured vocalist under the Mannish Boys umbrella, both live and on their « Double Dynamite » release, made it abundantly clear that he was not only deserving of his own Delta Groove release, but that it was inevitable. So the wheels were put in motion to surround him with the best and most musically compatible blues talent available.

« Dangerous » represents a cross section of classic and contemporary, originals and seldom-heard covers, all representing the truth at the core of Sugaray’s blues soul. From the Son House classic « Preaching Blues » and post-war gems from Junior Parker, Gatemouth Brown and Pee Wee Crayton, to well-honed originals like Sugaray’s own « Stuck for a Buck », « Need a Little More Time » and « I Might Do Somethin’ Crazy », it’s all killer, no filler. Supporting Sugaray is an all-star cast that includes Franck Goldwasser, Willie J. Campbell, Randy Chortkoff and Jimi Bott from the Mannish Boys, plus special guests Kim Wilson, Monster Mike Welch, Big Pete, Kid Andersen, bass man Bill Stuve, veteran pianists Anthony Geraci and Fred Kaplan, and the only other Sugar Ray available (outside of the boxing ring, anyway), powerhouse vocalist and harp master Sugar Ray Norcia. Of special note is the duet Norcia wrote especially for the occasion, appropriately enough, « Two Times Sugar ». So although Sugaray Rayford may be a new name to some, he’s definitely no overnight sensation, or this season’s ‘next big thing’ – he’s here to stay, right where he belongs.