June 21: Fred Chapellier with the BP Band in Pittsburgh

I've written here before about my tours in France with Fred Chapellier in November 2007 and April of this year. We have mp3 files and a video from some of my shows with Fred on our website, under the description of Fred's latest CD, A Tribute to Roy Buchanan, on which I sing a version of "A Nickle and a Nail." There are photos here, here, and here.

Fred is coming to Pittsburgh to spend a week with us between June 15 and June 22. While he's here, we're going to record a new CD over at the Mojo Boneyard for Fred's European label, DixieFrog. On Saturday night, June 21, we'll complete a great week of international creativity and camaraderie with a triumphant gig at the Summer Music Festival at the Syria Shrine Center in Harmar Township, PA. Fred is an extraordinary guitar player, and this will be a great show--guaranteed!

The next day, Jimmy Britton, Fred, and I will fly to Paris for five gigs with Fred's great band at the Jazz Club Lionel Hampton in the Hotel Méridien Étoile June 24-28.

I hope you won't miss this opportunity to hear one of the world's great blues guitarists while he is in Pittsburgh at the Summer Music Festival. Also appearing will be Maddie and Guitar Zack and No Slack. For tickets ($10 in advance) call the Shrine Center (724-274-7000) or Moondog's (412-828-2040).

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

Now in MP3: The Rhythm Kings, 1975

I recently got hold of a CD that an old friend burned for me of my first big-time band, the Rhythm Kings (l to r: Lazy Henry, Chris "Bloomfield Slim" Patarini, John Hogue, Kurt "Junior Smoke" Steinle, me, Gene "Dr. Feelgood" Hudak), playing live in State College, PA in 1975, and it's so good, I decided to share it with you all for free in mp3. Go here and download the songs.

After listening to the voice I had in 1975, I've booked a plane ticket to Mississippi. There's a guy I have to meet at the crossroads to complete a deal we've been discussing to give me this voice back for the next ten years.

But all that aside, listen to the Kings! What a band that was.

Thanks to Duane Irate Jones for burning his tape to CD so we could make these recordings available to you.

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

Soul Extravaganza!!!

On March 14 at the Palisades Ballroom, 501 Water Street in McKeesport, PA, we're going to have the privilege of performing with my friend and mentor, the great Otis Clay. Otis, along with background vocalists Theresa Davis and Dianne Madison (who sing on my Soul Collection CD), is coming to Pittsburgh to perform at a private event on March 15. When we booked that date, Jeff over at Bonedog Records and I decided to promote a show at the Palisades on the 14th that would be open to the public.

The last time I performed with Otis was around the time of Hurricane Katrina, when Otis graciously agreed to come to Pittsburgh to perform with me at a benefit at Hartwood Acres, organized by my buddy Larry Kuzmanko, who works for Allegheny County.

You can buy tickets to the show, by credit card, PayPal, or mail order, here.

Jeff, who is a record dealer, has also donated copies of Otis's great recording of Turn Back the Hands of Time to the cause, and everyone who buys a ticket will get a 45-rpm record with a cool picture sleeve. Your picture sleeve will be your ticket to admission--when you get to the Palisades, we'll stamp your hand and give you the picture back to keep.

Here's what I wrote about Otis for an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a while back:

On the first Billy Price and the Keystone Rhythm Band LP, recorded in 1979, we covered a song called "Is It Over?" that was originally recorded by Otis Clay. That was the title song of that first LP.

My manager at the time got in touch with Otis and, after much coaxing, he got Otis to agree to come east from Chicago to do a couple of dates with our band backing him up. We worked hard to learn all of Otis's material, studying his "Live in Japan" album carefully. At the first rehearsal for our first show at Desperado's in Washington, D.C., it was instantly clear that the band and Otis were perfectly matched. At the show, toward the end of Otis's great set, he unexpectedly called me up to sing with him. I will never forget the chills that went down my spine when I stood next to him--this was the real Otis Clay and not a recording in my living room--and improvised with him on "Is It Over?".

We've performed together many times since, and Otis was kind enough to make a cameo appearance with me on my Soul Collection CD in 1998. For many years, I copied Otis blatantly and shamelessly. I'm probably a bit more subtle about copying him now, but when I sing, he is always in there somewhere. From Otis I learned focus--the ability to block out distractions and enter deeply into a song. I also learned to approach every gig, no matter how few people are in the audience, with the same commitment to practice the craft of singing. I've seen Otis sing in a wide variety of settings and circumstances, and have never seen anything less than a transcendent performance.

Otis and I hope you'll make plans soon to attend this show--it's going to be great!

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

Fred Chapellier's CD now available

You can now buy Fred Chapellier's CD, A Tribute to Roy Buchanan, on my web site.

It's a great CD--highly recommended.

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

More photos from France

Here.

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

Back From France

I'm back in Pittsburgh after a successful series of dates with Fred Chapellier and his great band--Abder Benechour on bass and Pat Machenaud on drums--in Ensisheim, Goussainville, Pagney-derriere Barine (near Toul), and Chaumont. The audiences in France listen with rapt attention, appreciate great music, and are a lot of fun to play for. The photo above is from our show in Goussainville, which is about 15 minutes outside of Paris.

I was troubled during the trip by a bad case of laryngitis, the scourge of singers, which caused me to be unable to sing on one of the nights in Ensisheim. But other than that, the trip could not have been more successful. The gigs were great, everyone we met was friendly and seemed to enjoy the shows, and Fred is truly an extraordinary guitar player with a great band. We had such a great time playing together that we are already planning return trips in April and in July, and I am looking to find some way to bring Fred here to the States to play with my band. I would love for some of our fans to hear him.

I sing "Nickel and a Nail" on Fred's new CD, A Tribute to Roy Buchanan. I'll be making these available through my web site and at my gigs sometime soon--as soon as Fred can send me some.



Here are a couple of links to photos from the gigs:

JennMarie's photo album

Jann & Isa's MySpace page

I'll be downloading the photos that Rebecca took on our camera and putting them out here soon.

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.

New Year's Eve: Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis

We just got confirmation that the Billy Price Band will be at the Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD on New Year's Eve. This is just about our favorite place to play in the world, so we are really excited about this.

They plan to add a dance floor for this gig--yes, dancing at the Ram's Head--and sell only 160 tickets, so if you want to be there, you'd better move quickly because it will certainly sell out quickly.

To add a comment, click the "Comments" link below.