JAZZ & BLUES

Byther Smith is a true ‘Living Legend' of the Chicago blues scene and during his long lasting career he worked with the greatest of the Chicago blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush. 

Born in Monticello, Mississippi on April 17, 1933 young Byther Smith got his first musical experiences with gospel music, a music that he returned to at various stages of his career. 

During the years Byther Smith has toured all over the world. In Europe several times, among others as a member of the Chicago Blues Festival. Byther Smith did several very successful European tours between Nov '94 and Sept '99. During these tours he performed in Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Like a freight train rolling through the night, guitarist/vocalist Michael Burks plows through the blues with relentless power and a full head of steam.  Combining his remarkable talent with an intense dedication to his craft, Michael has earned well-deserved national recognition and become one of the blues world"s fastest rising blues stars.  Although he was a W.C. Handy Award nominee for Best New Artist 2000, Michael is a seasoned veteran in every sense.  His first gig came at the age of six, when, during a family trip to southern Arkansas, the fledgling Burks took the stage with his cousin"s band and thrilled an unsuspecting audience.  Today, each live performance is a testament to Michael"s thirty-plus years of playing the blues.  His hard-driving fretwork and captivating showmanship have ignited a legion of fans, as audiences from coast to coast can"t help but jump on the Michael Burks train. 

Diana’s career as a solo singer-songwriter emerged as a teenager, but it was her opening show for John Lee Hooker at the Brunswick House in Toronto with the Chaser Blues Band, that acclaimed her talent as a blues singer. Later on that same year, Albert Collins invited Braithwaite on the road to open the show for his band. Described as the real thing, Diana Braithwaite’s performances are memorable. A gifted performer, she captivates and ‘floors the audience’ singing well known lively Delta blues standards and deep, spiritual blues with equal finesse. Diana Braithwaite’s shows are both stimulating and uplifting and have led her into the company of some of the finest electric and acoustic blues guitarists including Mel Brown Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, and Jeff Healey. With her powerful voice, and unique uplifting stage show, her performance shouldn’t be missed. She sings from the heart and soul.

Marcus from Detroit, Michigan USA was first signed by Al Teller of United Artist Records - now EMI Capitol.

Marcus has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Burnley and Colne Festivals in the UK; Harlebeke Blues Festival in Belgium; the Bospop Festival in Holland; Valdagno (Vicenza) Blues Festival in Italy; and various UK Art Centres and Blues Clubs.

Marcus is presently working the European blues circuit, festivals and concert halls including tours of Belgium and Holland. During 2004 Marcus appeared at most of the major festivals in the UK – Colne, Maryport, Stanley, Warrington, Warners, and Darlington Festivals.

Deborah Coleman is, as USA Today notes, “one of blues music’s most exciting young talents.” Along with a discography that now spans a decade, she also gives knockout live performances that have made her one of the hottest commodities on the contemporary blues scene.

Meticulous and focused in the studio and highly charismatic onstage, Coleman has developed a guitar style that reflects the influences of Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Albert Collins and Larry Carlton. Her vocal inspirations are as often found in the singing of Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith as in the recordings of Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, Memphis Minnie and Alberta Hunter.

The Cadillac Kings have just been awarded three top honours in the The Running Horse/Wychwood Brewery Blues Award Winners For 2005. They were voted Best Blues Band, Best Harmonica - Gary Potts and Best Keyboards - Henri Herbert (solo & occasional Cadillac King!)

With Otis Taylor, it’s best to expect the unexpected. While his music, an amalgamation of roots styles in their rawest form, discusses heavyweight issues like murder, homelessness, tyranny, and injustice, his personal style is lighthearted. “I’m good at dark, but I’m not a particularly unhappy person,” he says. “I’d just like to make enough money to buy a Porsche.”

Ronald Earl Horvath was born in New York City in 1953. Ronnie was inspired to play the blues guitar after seeing Muddy Waters at a club in Boston, Massachusetts.

Earl recalls adopting the name “Earl” because “when I used to sit in with Muddy and all those old guys, they couldn’t pronounce my last name.” He has listed his influences as Robert Lockwood, B.B. King, Magic Sam and T-Bone Walker, among others.

Eric Bibb, already enjoying success in Europe, is becoming a familiar face—and voice—in the U.S. acoustic folk-blues scene. His unique talent continues to draw critical acclaim around the world. Twice nominated for the W.C. Handy Awards and winner of the “Best Newcomer” title in the British Blues Awards, Bibb has been appropriately described as “discreetly awesome” and “a total original.” As his popularity escalates, earlier comparisons to legendary greats Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal are being replaced by quotes that speak to Bibb’s ability to “use standard blues ingredients to cook up something all his own.

Ana Popovic is an incredible guitarist/vocalist who was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and now resides in The Netherlands. Her career has been meteoric, and shows no signs of slowing down. Ana is the first European ever nominated for ‘Best New Blues Artist’ at the W.C. Handy Award Show in Memphis, Tennessee (2003). She was also nominated for 'Best Blues Album' at the Jammie Awards in New York City, a three way nominee for 'Best Vocalist', 'Best Guitarist' and 'Best Album' at the French Blues Awards (2002), and she and her band won the prestigious jazz award 'Jazz A Juan revelation In Juan Le Pins' (France 2004).