Bob Stroger & Billy Flynn CHICAGO BLUES SUPER SESSION @ Reggies, Chicago
12th Annual Bluesfest AfterParty with Chicago Blues SuperSession.
CHICAGO BLUES SUPERSESSION
Every performance showcases Chicago’s finest and seasoned Blues Singers and Musicians. Each one is an established Chicago Blues Artist, and could easily carry a whole show on their own. However, by having them all together on the same stage it becomes a very special musical event.
Inspired by the Classic Blues Reviews of the 1950s & 1960s, The Chicago Blues SuperSession utilizes the same rhythm section (guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums) and then rotates the front singers. By changing styles and different rhythms the audience can enjoy an exciting and diverse performance. It’s like a complete Blues Festival all in one show.
The SuperSession has performed at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival, Milwaukee’s Big Barbeque, the Big Bear Blues Festival, The Chicago History Museum and many other venues all over the Midwest.https://www.youtube.com/embed/pIGpnxaC4Co?si=S6udYnJNRv9iRtJe?rel=0
BOB STROGER
Have Bass Will Travel…. I was born in South East Missouri in a small town Haiti, where I lived on a farm. I moved to Chicago in 1955. I lived in the back of a night club on the West Side, where Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters played. It looked like they were having a lot of fun and I made up my mind that what I wanted to do was play music. I got married at an early age and I used to watch my brother-in-law play music. His name was Johnny Ferguson and he and JB Hutto had a band they called the Twisters. They were working on 39’th and State Street in Chicago and I would carry them to work every night and watch them. Then at home I would try to teach myself to play. My cousin Ralph Ramey said that we should start a band and we did just that. We got my brother (John Stroger), who played the drums, to learn the songs we knew and in four months we were making some noise. We went to a club and played two songs and the man said we had a job. It was one of the better clubs, where musicians like… [read more]https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3KRgh30THE?rel=0
BILLY FLYNN
Billy Flynn is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.https://www.youtube.com/embed/c8Gog-APBT8?rel=0
BROTHER JOHN KATTKE
Brother John has played with Eric Clapton, Steve Miller, the Black Crowes, and acquired ringing endorsements from many other musicians of renown. For example: Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant had seen John play with Otis Rush at the Jazz Café in London. When Plant and Kattke met in person at the United Center in Chicago, Plant told Kattke: “You play a mean guitar!” George Benson came to the jam session that Kattke hosts at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. After hearing the opening set that John played with his band, Benson told him: “You’re fearless! I thought I was fearless! You’re fearless!https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUe9v0DCAPc?rel=0
MELVIN “POOKY STYX” CARLISLE
Mr. Melvin “Pooky Styx” Carlisle. Carlisle has an impeccable drumming reputation with over 25 years of professional experience in the music industry. Carlisle was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. He has toured the world with musical legends ranging from KoKo Taylor, Toronzo Cannon, Sugar Blue, Carlos Johnson, Jimi Johnson, Chico Banks, Muddy Waters, Demetrius Taylor, and a host of others. In addition to being an internationally recognized drummer, he has endorsements with musical companies such as Ear Piece Technology, Slug, Sabian Cynbals, Vic Fifth Stick, and many more.https://www.youtube.com/embed/KwGjlGP-wY8?rel=0
DAVE KATZMAN
Dave Katzman has been working in the Chicago Blues scene for over 4 decades. He has traveled the world as an Engineer, Guitarist, Producer and Road Manager. Working with artists like Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Otis Rush and many others.
MELVIN SMITH
Melvin has been playing bass guitar for over 25 years in venues from small clubs to large international festivals. His career has had him performing in bands with such luminaries as Koko Taylor, Lurie Bell and Billy Branch. He has also performed with Carl Weathersby, Big James and the Chicago Playboys, Jimmy Johnson, Phil Guy, Lefty Dizz, Melvin Taylor, Charlie Love, Jimmy Burns and many others. Melvin is one of the most sought out bass men in the Chicago blues scene today.
OSCAR WILSON (of Cash Box Kings)
The Cash Box Kings are bona fide blues royalty. Co-led by real-deal Chicago blues vocalist and songwriter Oscar Wilson and Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter, harmonica giant and singer Joe Nosek, the band plays masterfully raw and unvarnished houserocking blues. Wilson’s huge, gritty vocals and Nosek’s powerhouse harmonica fuel their razor-sharp original songs. With their top shelf musicianship and trademark good humor, The Cash Box Kings are a one-of-a-kind blues band. In the words of MOJO magazine, the band is “flawless.”
AMY LOWE
The crystalline voice that carries through Amy Lowe’s music compels attention. This is true whether Amy is performing at a club, concert venue, or major festival, or providing an educational program for students, school assembly, library program, or a private party, or performing for senior citizens virtually, or at an independent living facility.
Amy is a singer-songwriter with more than 30 years of experience in the music business. She wears a number of musical hats that include multi-award-winning singer – songwriter, storyteller, and teaching artist. Amy’s songs inspire diverse audiences of all ages. Whether performing original compositions, Americana Blues, World Roots, Adult Contemporary, or Children’s music, her timeless style will remind listeners of songs from the Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Etta James, and Lucinda Williams. She is a prolific songwriter with an extensive recording career and a vast catalog of original songs that fill the Musi
Billy Flynn and Bob Stroger
A fixture on the Chicago blues scene since his teens, Grammy winning guitarist Billy Flynn is one of the most talented and understated guitarists in the Windy City. But despite his modesty, he’s unquestionably an international star of the brightest magnitude and the go-to guy for anyone wanting to round out an all-star band or add polish to a recording session.
He frequently pops up in various top-notch musical collectives. A former fixture in both The Legendary Blues Band and Chicago-based Mississippi Heat, he’s been touring recently as a member of The Kim Wilson Band, Mark Hummel’s All-Star Band and The Cash Box Kings. ___________
Blues legend Bob Stroger is considered one of Chicago’s top blues bassists. This Blues Music Award winner is respected and internationally well-known. A blues artist of this caliber is truly a rarity, and at almost the age of a century, he’s still performing over 200 performances a year. Bob was presented a proclamation award and the key to the city of Chicago, as a cherished, living legend. Bob has toured and performed with many prominent blues musicians in his lifetime, such as Sunnyland Slim, known for being one of the pioneers of Chicago blues, and Honey Boy Edwards, who performed with the legendary Robert Johnson. Bob has also had the honor of playing with Otis Rush, Eddie King, Koko Taylor, Pinetop Perkins, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, to name a few. With all the achievements that Bob has received throughout his life, he still feels that his fans are his biggest reward and his love for music is what keeps him going each day. As he famously says, “I’m Bob Stroger and I am the Blues!”
Robert Stroger -Bass & Vocals Billy Flynn – Guitar & vocals “One – Take” Willie – Keys & vocals Kenneth Smith – Drums & vocals
BOB STROGER, vocals, bass with guitar star Billy Flynn and piano ace Johnny Iguana!
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