This is a good question. Delta blues is a style of music driven by bass guitar oriented "rhythm and blues" adapted by white people from whore house (the original source of the name of honkey tonk). After WW2, it moved north with black guitar players and became urbanized electric delta blues rhythms.
Another name for this style is "roadhouse" Blues. Most of the dance halls that We have played at were either biker bars or country bars.
I was born a poor white child. both parents were jazz players in Georgia. My mom and my aunt were great fans of going to the "other side of the tracks" to hear blues. Musicians were always in our house. It was a constant jam session.
My dad gave a tiny drum kit for my 4th birthday. By 9 years old, I was gigging with the family band and never stopped.
the summer of 67, I got a job with the Red Dogs out of Little Rock. In 70, I became a studio cat in Chicago. Eventually drifted to Toledo in the late 80's to teach college.
My side players have changed over the 30 years of jumpin around, but, the music remains firmly grounded in the honkey tonk blues of my childhood.The Old Catfish's Bio
back to the Diving Board
is the singer and lead guitar of this medicine show. Through most of his career, he has been known as a song writer. He was won numerous awards from Song writing associations (SWA's) overthe years.
He has been playing drums for 40 years and guitar and singing for more than 30 years. His favorites are Albert, Eddie, and BB King, Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton.
He has published a "how to play" guitar (in the fifth edition called "Easiest Guitar System Ever!.) It was originally published in 1976 by Black Hawk Press, Chicago).Cliuck the link to see the first four chapters on this web site.
He plays many styles of music, but, prefers to play a type of dancing music called road house blues (ZZTOPP, et al).
Matt "Muff Diver" Gring. Is the current bass player. He plays in a bunch of bands.
Her main interests are in music and healing. She has a gifted connection to the River of Life flowing from the Throne of God and the Holy Spirit that is awesome to the people around her. Good looking and a great singet to boot.
The drummer is Jeremy "Animal" Harness. He has played drums in various bands with RR since the middle 90's. He has a tasty, funky style that fit immediately with all of the styles that we play together.
The LP called "& Frenz" was recorded while I was a studio cat at ABC Dunhill in Chicago. At night, we would get free recording time from the studio. I would play on other people's projects and they would play on mine. Dog Ear Records picked me up because I already had tapes in hand. These are the songs on the first album (recorded the winter of 71-2):
& Frenz
Come Be my Lady for Helen Wecome A Lonely Man for Betsy Girl With Tomorrow Eyes for Jan in Pittsburg What If I Chose Wrong for me What 're We Doin Right? for Helen,Janet (original set) Wings of Gossamer for Jan KC Canyon Lady for Cookie Trick to Growin' Old Easy for Helen Jambalaya (Hank Williams) Meri Lee you figger it out
same deal...
These are the songs on the next album:(actually recorded the same winter)
& The Words
Hat In My Hand for Janet And the Words can't remember but she was somethin' Wilamine & Freddy for Janet Old Boys Boogie on the mp3 site Big Thunder, Greased Lightning Children Of the Word early spiritual piece Take Me With You When You Go for my children I Might Love You Badly Some Times for Beth Bayer Dandelion Dance theme for a movie
Gypsy Rider
The Lady is a Tiger some chick at the bar Emerald Eyes some dream girl Gypsy Rider Sweet Talker Pokin Lettin' Go Sweet Lady May for Audrey Honey Child for Helen Kahn
Our first gospel recording, Good and Faithful Servant, was released in April, 1997. These are the songs on the first album:
Good and Faithful Servant
Cleave To Me 1982- Best Wedding Song-Chicago SWA
Hang Onto Jesus 1993
For the Least of These 1996
Good and Faithful Servant 1994
First Day In Heaven 1971-Chicago SWA, KC SWA
Not My Will, Lord, but Thine 1990-Ohio Gospel Assoc
Need You More and More 1995
Sweet Talker 1983
What’re we Doin’ Right 1971-KC SWA AWard, Milwaukee Folk Mag,
Boston Folk Festival,
Long Glory Ride 1980For this album, all of the songs were written or co-written by Ben Miller. There are 7 different songwriting awards given to the songs in this collection.
2B Continued
This CD album project, 2B Continued..., was a live set of recordings with the Gospel band. It was recorded at YES-FM's Solid rock Cafe. We were practically the house band. We played there at least once a month over a period 97~99. It is the last recordings of One Heart at it's best, featuring all three of the songwriters. It was released in in 1998 and then , again, with newer tunes, in 2000.
Most of these songs are available on mp3.com for your listening pleasure.
Our second gospel studio recording was completed in late 2002.
It features a variey of players as the band kept shifting personnel after the Great Bear left us. We also brought in as many great players from other bands to make ourselves look good.
Rhythm...
This project is in "post-production." That means that all the tunes are recorded. We are now awaiting artwork and then sending it off to the factory to make boxes of CD's for us to sell.
Since I have my own studio now, I have begun re-recording or remastering as many of the oldest songs that I wrote in case they begin to fade from my memory. There are songs from the 60's and 70's that I have performed but never recorded due to the slightly off-color nature of the material (Pokin...)
There are some new tunes also from the unrecorded "I Like Girls" collection. (Lookin Fer Trouble 98, Bad Love 03, etc.) I have 8 or 9 done, so I am pre-releasing the stuff on mp3.com.
Blues, in all its forms, lends itself well to the Spirit Feast concept that we share in our concerts.