Monday, October 13, 2014

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones bio

    Sugar Ray and the Bluetones begin their 35th year of bringing you the best in Blues Music with their release Living Tear To Tear (Severn Records) which debuted at #1 on the Living Blues Album Chart. 
    Singer and harmonica player Sugar Ray Norcia has been fronted this exciting band since its inception-but also spent seven years in Roomful Of Blues, and was also in the original line-up of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters.  You can hear him on recordings with these two great Artists as well as recordings with Michelle Wilson, Pinetop Perkins, “Big” Walter Horton, and over fifty other Artists.  Sugar Ray also earned a Grammy Nomination (2014) for his work on Remembering Little Walter (Blind Pig Records) and won two Blues Music Awards (Memphis, TN) for that recording.
    “Monster” Mike Welch-aptly named by Dan Aykroyd at the Original House of Blues (Cambridge, MA) at the ripe old age of 13, and has been wowing audiences the world over to this day.  He has been the guitarist with the Bluetones for over thirteen years and continues to do solo projects on his own and with with other artists.  You can hear Mike on recent releases by the Mannish Boys, Duke Robillard, Sugaray Rayford, and has also been featured on a recording with the late great Johnny Winter.
    If  you were to think of any modern Blues Legend chances are that Anthony Geraci has backed them up-B.B. King, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thorton, Chuck Berry, Big Walter Horton and countless others have had Anthony’s fiery piano accompanying them. Anthony was  nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for his work on Super Harps I (Telarc Records) that also features James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Branch, and Sugar Ray Norcia. You can also hear Anthony on Ronnie Earl’s first two releases on the Black Top record label; They Call Me Mr. Earl, and Smokin’.
    Bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward has been featured on more recordings then we can count! Among them are recordings with Jimmy Rodgers, “Big” Walter Horton, Hubert Sumlin (that also includes Eric Clapton and Keith Richards), Otis Grand, Sleepy LaBeef, J. Geils and many more.
    Drummer Neil Gouvin has been with Sugar Ray since they were both in high school together.  Neil has been on every Bluetone recording and has also been featured on the John Hammond Jr. Grammy nominated Found True Love. Neil has also been featured on recordings by Otis Grand, Ike Turner and others.

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