Bob Margolin
Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin is a Blues guitar player and vocalist, a recording artist who tours worldwide both leading his own band and The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam. He has won many awards including a W.C. Handy Award in 2005 for Guitar. Bob played guitar in Muddy Waters’ Band from 1973-’80. He can be seen with Muddy Waters and The Band in The Last Waltz, the classic music documentary.
Bob started to play guitar in 1964 following the path of Chuck Berry’s inspiration back to the Blues. He was especially taken by the music of Muddy Waters and listened to as much of it as he could find. In 1973, Bob went to see Muddy at Paul’s Mall in Boston. Muddy had seen Bob opening for other bands and had encouraged Bob because he was trying to play his style of “Old School” (Muddy’s term) Chicago Blues. Having just lost long-time guitarist Sammy Lawhorn he hired Bob to play in his band. While most musicians in modern times learn from listening to recordings, Muddy put Bob on his right side on the bandstand so he could watch him play guitar. The opportunity of a lifetime. Steady Rollin’ Bob played with Muddy until 1980. In the years since he has played with and backed more top Blues musicians than almost anyone else. He’s opened for among others Stevie Vaughan, George Thorogood, Johnny Winter, and The T-Birds. He’s played with the Nighthawks, Joe Louis Walker, Shemekia Copeland, Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson, Reba Russell, Kim Wilson, Snooky Pryor, Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Layton, Pinetop Perkins, Rod Piazza, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, John Hiatt, G.E. Smith, Peter Wolf, Nick Gravenites, Keb’ Mo’, Big Bill Morganfield, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Dr. John, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Willie Kent, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, and bass players Mookie Bril and Tad Walters – the list goes on and on. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the best guitarists today and one of the few that were taught by Muddy Waters himself.
Chuck Cotton will be accompanying Bob Margolin on drums. Chuck started out as a Saxophonist, but the rumor is that one night his horn got smashed so he took up the drums. Since then he has become pretty much “The Drummer” extraordinaire. His vocal abilities are equally as cool. His touch with “Old School” Blues is one of the things that set him apart. Chuck was a favorite of Electric Blues pioneer Jimmy Rogers when they toured together. Chuck has played with: John Brim, Nappy Brown, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Cotton and Albert King among others. Chuck is a recipient of the 2005 Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society.
Bobs bass player, Tom “Mookie” Brill was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award for Bass in 2005 and he won the re-named Blues Music Award for it in 2006. Mookie has worked worked with Carey Bell, Hubert Sumlin, and Louisiana Red and with the Extraordinaires and the Rockabilly band, The Belmont Playboys, in North Carolina.
Posted by bluesy on 08/15 at 07:20 PM
Blues Fest 2007 •
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