Artists

Anthony Gomes website –>

With his latest album, …Before The Beginning, Anthony Gomes offers a powerful collection of unplugged compositions, promising to be the artist’s most compelling work to date. “On this CD I wanted to show that there is more to our music than loud, ripping guitars. By stripping everything down, we could feature the voice and songs. I wanted to capture the spirit of the old field hollers and get back to where the music came from,” says Gomes, “We only used acoustic instruments – drums, piano, acoustic guitars and acoustic bass. The most powerful of all the acoustic instruments is the human voice. When you put the harmonies in there, it’s just soul shaking.”

Born in Toronto, Canada to a Portuguese father and a French-Canadian mother, Gomes began playing guitar in his early teens and was drawn to the blues sounds of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. While he honed his skills in the blues bars at night, Gomes earned a master’s degree from the University of Toronto focusing on the racial evolution of blues music. He relocated to Chicago in the late ’90s to learn from the blues masters. During his brief stint as a sideman for Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Gomes put together his own group and won the first annual Buddy Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band” competition in 1998. Later that year, Gomes released his debut CD, Blues in Technicolor, which introduced him as a guitar-slinger loaded with impressive firepower.

On 2002′s Unity, he accomplished the album’s title with a heavy mix of styles leading Bandit Blues Radio to name it one of the Top 30 Essential Blues CDs of all time. Gomes was elevated to the top of the blues field just one year later when BluesWax Magazine named him “Artist of the Year,” an award he would claim for several years in a row due to his endless commitment and touring. Music Is the Medicine (2006) peaked at number four on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart, only to be outdone by LIVE (2008) debuting at number one. Last year, Gomes received critical acclaim for his release of Up 2 Zero. The album claimed “Best Blues CD of 2012” (A1 Blues.com) and “Best Blues Rock CD of 2012” (Blues Underground Network). Art Tipaldi, Editor of Blues Revue, declared Gomes “at the forefront of modern blues.” Anthony recently climbed to the number one position on Reverbnation’s Global Blues Chart.

Instead of following up with more of the same, Gomes boldly steps back to deliver an acoustic recording showcasing his vocals, songwriting, and acoustic guitar work. “I feel like this is my most soulful release to date. The album has a lot of weight to it. The theme is the cycle and circle of life.” The disc opens with the title track, “…Before The Beginning,” a stirring field holler equally rooted in the gospel tradition as it is the blues. Gomes follows with the upbeat “Blues Is Good” and the powerful first single “Lady Soul”. “The song was written about Aretha Franklin and how her music helped me get through some tough times. She really has been a light when the world can sometimes get dark,” says Gomes. The album includes the haunting slow blues of “Rescue Me,” the inspiring “Love Is Everything,” and the ominous “Sinner’s Song.”

​The CD features another first for the singer-songwriter – his first recorded duet. “I wrote this song called ‘Let’s Fall in Love’ and I thought it would work best as a duet. My favorite singer is Minnie Murphy from Nashville, and I thought she’d be perfect for the song. I am delighted she agreed to sing on the CD.” With the exception of three co-writes, Gomes penned the album in its entirety; a gesture he feels gives his listeners a direct line to himself as an artist. The most personal tracks on the CD are “Golden Wings” and “Beautiful Goodbye.” The former was inspired by Gomes’ survival of a massive vehicle fire while on tour this past fall, and the latter chronicles the last conversation between the bluesman and his grandmother. “My grandmother took sick when we were on the road in the middle of Montana. There was no way I could get to an airport quick enough to fly and see her. We talked on the phone and when we said good-bye we both knew it would be last time we’d speak. The world stood still for a moment.” Releasing an acoustic album is a gutsy move for Gomes who is seen in the music community as a high energy blues rocker. The artist, however, believes that the source of the blues comes from the same place, regardless of presentation. “Musically, most people try to look ahead for inspiration, seeking out the latest cutting edge soundscape. I seem to go in the opposite direction. In awakening the sounds of Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson, I hear the future of the blues tradition. This time, we went way back. This album is so yesterday, that it’s today.”

Career Highlights

• “LIVE” (Ruf Records) debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Blues Album Chart. The CD is the first number one Billboard Blues Album for both Gomes and Ruf.
• Nominated by BluesWax for Blues Artist of the Year four times, winning it once in 2003.
• Performed in 11 countries and throughout the United States including; France, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Finland, Canada, Jamaica and Mexico.
• Complete Woman/Cosmopolitan Magazine named Gomes one of music’s most ‘Eligible Bachelors’ in their ‘Men of Music’ feature.
• Performed with BB King, Robert Plant, Doobie Brothers, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Robert Cray, Chuck Berry, George Thorogood, Arc Angels, .38 Special, Eric Johnson, Gretchen Wilson, James Otto, Big and Rich, Cowboy Troy, Jim Peterik, John Goodman and Tim Robbins.
• Earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Toronto and wrote his Master’s Thesis on “The Racial Evolution of Blues Music”. Gomes graduated with high distinction and earned several academic scholarships and honors including the C.P. Stacey award.
• Has collaborated with songwriters Mark Selby (Dixie Chicks, Kenny Wayne Sheppard), Jim Peterik (.38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar, Survivor), Bruce McCabe (Jonny Lang, Bonnie Raitt), Tom Hambridge (Susan Tedeschi, Buddy Guy) and Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger).
• Appeared in various national publications, including Blues Revue, Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, Downbeat and Big City Blues.
• Currently endorses Gigliotti Guitars, Chicago Blues Box Amplifiers, Hammond/Leslie Amplifiers, TC Electronics, Dean Markley Stings, Seymour Duncan, RMC Effects, Xotic Effects, George L’s cables, and Wornstar Clothing.
• ​Won the first annual Buddy Guy’s Legends “Best Unsigned Blues Band” competition.

Johnny Rawls website –>

Johnny Rawls was born in Columbia, Mississippi in 1951 and raised in Purvis and Gulfport, Mississippi.

He acquired an early interest in music when hearing his grandfather play the blues guitar one Christmas morning.

He began playing professionally while still in high school with such stars as ZZ Hill, Little Johnny Taylor, Joe Tex and the Sweet Inspirations. In the mid-70′s, Johnny went to work for OV Wright as Wright’s band director. After Wright’s death in 1980, Johnny led Little Johnny Taylor’s band until 1985, when he began touring as a solo artist and made his first solo recording under the Rainbow label.

Recording under Touch Records, Rooster Blues, Rock House, Reach and JSP Records, Johnny has done it all from producing, songwriting, horn arranging, Rhythm, Lead and Bass guitar, keyboard, vocals and background vocals. Johnny started his own record company, Deep South Soul, in 2002 and has released his CD’s Lucky Man, Live in Montana, and The Best of Johnny Rawls. His newest CD entitled Heart and Soul was released in October 2006 and has been nominated for “Best Soul Blues Album of the Year (2007)” by the Blues Foundation . No Boundaries was released under the TopCat, Catfood and Deep South Soul labels in 2005.

Johnny has appeared on the cover of the April 2002 Living Blues Magazine and has been nominated four times for the W.C. Handy Award. His most recent award came from the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame for RB Male Vocalist of the Year 2006.

Johnny has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival twice, The Russian River Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, Poconos, as well as festivals in Sweden and Poland. He tours constantly, playing well over 200 dates a year. He can also be heard on XM radio’s Bluesville. Whether he is playing in a small club or a large blues festival, Johnny gives it his all and the crowds love him!

In 2008, Johnny released Red Cadillac which charted at #1 on the Living Blues radio chart. He was nominated for Best Male Soul Blues Artist and Best Soul Blues Album by the Blues Foundation. He won the Critics Award for Best Album of the Year by Living Blues Magazine.

Ace of Spades was released in 2009 and charted at #4 and remained in the top 20 for three months. Johnny won Best Soul Blues Album of the Year and was nominated for Best Male Soul Blues Artist of the Year by the Blues Foundation. In addition, Johnny was honored with a Blues Trail Marker located at the original site of the Hi Hat Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He shares the plaque with soul blues legends Tyrone Davis and Little Milton.

Tommy Castro Website –>

Ever since he first picked up a guitar, Tommy Castro believed. He believed he would not only be able to make a living playing music, but could develop his own signature sound, fusing blues with R&B and roots rock ‘n’ roll. And he has done just that. Castro began his career playing in local Bay Area cover bands prior to joining the nationally touring R&B party band, The Dynatones. Since forming his own band and relentlessly touring the world, he has become one of the blues’ top drawing artists and best-loved performers, known worldwide for his impassioned vocals, forceful guitar work, striking songwriting and galvanizing live show. Castro’s contagious, boyish energy and his uncanny ability to connect one-on-one with his fans – who often travel great distances to watch him play — have made him and his horn-fueled band among the blues world’s busiest, most popular acts.

“He can do no wrong…soulful, heartfelt vocals and exquisite, stellar guitar. An inspired blend of blues, R&B, soul and roadhouse rock.” ~ Blues Revue

Publications across the country, from The Washington Post to The San Francisco Examiner, have sung Castro’s praises. Guitar Player called Castro “the hardest working bluesman on the scene today.” The Philadelphia Inquirer declared, “Castro plays infectious, roaring roadhouse romps with incendiary licks and a touch of New Orleans soul.” According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock…his silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” Carlos Santana, with whom Castro has performed, said, “Tommy Castro has the voice and the sound to touch everybody’s heart.”

Castro, among the hardest working musicians in any genre, won the coveted 2008 and 2010 Blues Music Awards for Entertainer Of The Year. With his 2009 Alligator Records debut Hard Believer, he took another major step forward in a career of non-stop highlights. Radio and press fully embraced Hard Believer, as the CD earned the #1 spot on the Living Blues Radio Chart for two straight months. The CD was #1 on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart, and it even crossed over to rock radio where it was the # 2 Most Added Record at the Adult Album Alternative (AAA) format the week the album was released. Sirius/XM Bluesville launched Hard Believer nationwide with a very special 2-hour interview. Tommy was also featured nationally on The House Of Blues Radio Hour and Blues Deluxe.

Reviews and features ran in The Chicago Sun-Times, USA Today, The Boston Herald and many other national, international and regional publications. Blurt said, “Hard Believer showcases Castro’s soulful voice, searing guitar and excellent songwriting ability as it reaches new heights.” The album won the 2010 Blues Music Award (BMA) for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year. In addition to the Entertainer Of The Year Award, Castro won the BMA for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year and Band Of The Year. Hard Believer also won The Living Blues Readers Award for Best Blues Album Of The Year. All of this attention helped land Castro on the cover of the January 2011 issue of Blues Revue, who called Castro “the most dangerous man in the blues.”

Hard Believer, produced by John Porter (B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, The Smiths, Otis Rush, Billy Bragg, Roxy Music), was recorded in Castro’s hometown of San Rafael, California. The album is anchored by Castro’s soul-baring songs and feral guitar attack. It is filled with profound emotion and fueled by Castro’s soulful vocals and propulsive rhythms. But what really drives the songs home is Castro’s telepathic interaction with his band, sometimes inspiring them to push the pedal to the floor, and other times slowing things down for a simmering ballad. The album perfectly captures the magic of Castro’s power as a vocalist, guitarist and bandleader.

When not touring on his own, Tommy leads The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue, an all-star blues caravan conceived by Castro as a way to bring the all-night jams aboard The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises (where Castro has become the “honorary captain”) to concert stages and clubs around the country. The ever-changing line-up — featuring Tommy and his band with special guests from all over the blues map — is among the most crowd-pleasing concert experiences around. In 2011 Alligator released Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue – Live!, a white-hot collection of the highest highlights from the Revue’s recent live performances. In addition to Castro’s stellar fretwork and blue-eyed soul vocals, the album features Alligator Records label-mates Rick Estrin, Janiva Magness and Michael “Iron Man” Burks, along with Debbie Davies, Theodis Ealey, Sista Monica Parker, Joe Louis Walker and the 2008 International Blues Challenge Award winners Trampled Under Foot. The Washington Post called the CD “inspired and phenomenal, horn-fueled and funky.”