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Episode 1 - Texas Boogie Blues
Host Sonny Rhodes welcomes the multi-talented Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and Roy Gaines to Blues Express®. The life of T-Bone Walker is also featured.
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As a "disciple of the blues," Sonny Rhodes is one of the most charming bluesmen one could ever meet. With an infectious smile, an optimistic spirit, and a sense of style all his own, Sonny Rhodes provides an eloquent approach to blues music that makes his shows so darned infectious. Growing up as the youngest child of Texan sharecroppers, Sonny Rhodes was exposed to a wide variety of country, gospel, and blues music. Inspired by the sounds of lap steel guitar in country music, Sonny Rhodes took an interest in this instrument, and incorporated it into his own brand of blues music. With a colorful career that's included work as a radio disc jockey, an advertising salesman for a metropolitan newspaper, a mailman for the U.S. Navy, a laborer for General Motors, and a bass player for both Freddie King and Albert Collins, Sonny Rhodes eventually found his niche as a solo artist. He's had enormous success in Europe, where he's released many different albums not available in America. He's a versatile singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist with plenty of great stories to share, and we're honored to bring him aboard Blues Express®.
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Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown is a musician whose influence and import outstrips his commercial success, which is itself substantial. No other player can (honestly) claim to be as proficient in as many styles or a virtuoso with as many instruments as can 'Gate.' His early recordings in the 1950's laid the foundation for generations of Texas guitarists to build upon. Over the years Brown adopted virtually every genre of roots music into his repertoire; Cajun, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass and semi-classical. His stunning country album with 'Hee-Haw's' Roy Clark in 1979 established him as someone who refused to be pigeonholed in any one style. Brown takes umbrage to being referred to as a 'bluesman', preferring to be called someone who plays 'American music, Texas style.' Regardless of whatever he's playing, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown continues to cast an enormous shadow over the world of music.
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While Roy Gaines isn't exactly a household name yet, he's had an incredible musical career that has placed him among some of the great giants in American music. Roy Gaines started his career at the age of 14, sharing the stage with T-Bone Walker with the moniker of "T-Bone Jr." At the age of 16, he was touring with Roy Milton, and by the age of 18, he was the band leader for Chuck Willis. He's worked with Albert King, Billie Holiday, Jr. Parker, Bobby Bland, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and Harry Belafonte, among others. As one of the original members of the Jazz Crusaders, he was one of the pioneers in the burgeoning fusion movement of the early 1960's. He's written songs for Ray Charles, and collaborated on various motion picture soundtracks with Quincy Jones, including the award-winning Stephen Spielberg production "The Color Purple." Roy Gaines was the first musician on Blues Express® to ever perform at Carnegie Hall, and we're very honored to have him appear on our show. He's an extremely versatile musician that's comfortable in jazz, soul, country, calypso and gospel, but he's returned to the most honest music that he knows - the blues!
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