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Author: Big Daddy GDetails: About the Artist If a blues band bursts onto the scene seemingly "out of nowhere," one tends to suspect any success that comes too easily. Surely blues requires a life-long dedication? And what about that whole "paying your dues" thing? So when Big Daddy G released his debut, "4 Blues," in the summer of '98, could the instantaneous and virtually universal wave of critical acclaim be misguided? Were these guys the real thing or not? I'm very happy to be able to say that yes, the Big Daddy G band is just that - a real, honest-to-goodness blues band. In it for the long run. In it not because they think they'll get rich or famous. No, they're playing blues because, as it happens sometimes, they've got "the bug." Maybe you've heard of "the bug." Maybe you've even caught it. It's indefinable, really, except to say (borrowing from the blues itself here), "it's a feeling way down deep in your soul." If you've got it, you know it - you're a blues fan. If you've got it real bad - like Big Daddy G blues becomes something of a need. Sort of like breathing itself. Through his mother's love of jazz, Dave Glover - a.k.a. Big Daddy G - was exposed to cats like Nat King Cole, Louis Prima & Tony Bennett at an early age. (To this day they remain perennial favourites). When he took up the guitar in his teens, a restless musical curiosity soon led 'way beyond the rock charts of the day. He quickly discovered - and fell under the spell of - the three Kings; B. B., Freddie, and Albert. It pays to have impeccable influences, and Dave's exploration of the foundations of blues guitar have paid off handsomely in his current sound. So while he's as capable of rocking out as anyone around (formative years on the club circuit with the "Glover Brothers Rockin' Blues" band saw to that), his playing is more about finesse than power. And he knows that what you don't play is just as important as what you do play. There's no clutter in his music; he leaves enough room for each note he plays to mean something. Don't underestimate his technical ability, though. When the time's right he can cut loose with a blistering barrage that'll leave your head spinning! But the Big Daddy G band is much more than just a guitar hero doing his stuff. There'd be no band were it not for Dave's friend and musical partner, Tortoise Blue. A self-taught wildman on the Hammond B3, and a fine singer to boot, it's when he steps up front and cuts loose on harmonica that Tortoise truly shines. Listing luminaries such as James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, and Charlie Musselwhite as early influences, Tortoise has developed that full, fat tone that all harp players dream of. Like Butter at his best, he can make that tiny little "Mississippi saxophone" sound like a big ol' honkin' tenor, with the sheer sonic force of a freight train. Put that together with lightning fast runs and a jazzy sense of swing, and he may well be Canada's great unsung hero of the harp! The aforementioned "4 Blues" provided an auspicious beginning for the band. It marked the first recorded collaboration between Dave and Tortoise, and it provided a fitting farewell to the late, legendary Hock Walsh, who contributed his last three recorded vocals to the project. The tunes - all covers - were chosen wisely and well, avoiding the overworked and the obvious, and the band managed to put their own stamp on every song. Now, though, they've made that all-important leap forward. Their second outing, "Topless," is a seamless blend of good-time jumpin' blues, from Texas shuffles to left-coast swing, with stops in a Chicago alley and a steamy trip to the gospel tent along the way. And all but two are originals from the songwriting team of Big Daddy G and Tortoise Blue. Keeping things firmly within the tradition - indeed, their tunes all sound like classics that for some inexplicable reason you've never heard before they manage to make it all fresh. There's craft at work, to be sure . . .they've worked hard, and everything's put togeUPC: 629256008426EAN: 0629256008426Binding: Audio CDItem Condition: UsedVeryGood Show more