Deborah
Bonham, over the course of an impressive career, has established
herself as one of the finest Blues, Rock and Soul singers that
the UK has produced. A string of critically acclaimed original
albums, collaborations and captivating standing ovation concert
performances, from the Royal Albert Hall and London Palladium to
the Amphitheatres of the USA 'Stars Align Tour' with Paul
Rodgers, Jeff Beck and Ann Wilson of Heart, have consistently
garnered glowing reviews.
“She's quite possibly the most vocally impressive, entertaining
and awe-inspiring performer I've seen. The band's visual
presence is phenomenal, all of who are visibly taking enjoyment
from their time on stage” METAL TALK
Her most recent album ‘Bonham-Bullick, released on USA label
Quarto Valley Records, is an inspiring blend of Blues, Rock and
Soul interpretations of some classic and contemporary
compositions spanning 7 decades. The album peaked at #9 on the
Amazon Chart, with the lead single See You Again reaching #1 and
album of the week in the European Hit Tracks Top 100 Blues and
Rock chart. Hailed by ‘Blues Matters!’ Magazine as contender for
‘Album of the Year’, the album received multiple 5* reviews.
"Soulful and moving performances. The album sounds great"
ROLLING STONE
December
2023 saw the release of ‘Heavenly Cream’ an acoustic tribute to
Cream also on Quarto Valley Records, with Deborah taking the
lead on 2 tracks together with Ginger Baker, Bernie Marsden, Joe
Bonamassa, Maggie Bell, Bobby Rush, Pete Brown, Pete Bullick and
Paul Rodgers.
“I have no hesitation in nominating Maggie Bell and Deborah
Bonham
as the Stars of the Show” VELVET THUNDER (Heavenly Cream)
The Band features Belfast born Guitarist Peter Bullick, lauded
by the Music Press for his passionate playing, exuding his
influences from the world's finest Guitarists in every note of
his performance. Free and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers
chose Bullick to fill the shoes of the late Paul Kossoff in his
Free Spirit Band. Rodgers and Bullick, along with the other
members of Bonham’s band - Gerard Louis (Keys), Richard Newman
(Drums) and Ian Rowley (Bass), extensively toured the UK and
USA, culminating in the Billboard Chart #2 album and DVD, 'Paul
Rodgers’ Free Spirit Live at The Royal Albert Hall London'.
Will
Wilde has taken the harmonica way beyond its blues roots since
he first emerged on the music scene in 2010. Always pushing
forward, evolving and redefining his sound, Wilde is now ready
to take the rock world by storm.
On his latest album,
Bring it on Home, Wilde’s hard-edged harmonica steals the
spotlight from the traditional rock guitar, with a sound that
owes as much to Jimmy Page or Ritchie Blackmore as it does to
Sonny Boy Williamson or Little Walter.
Wilde says he's inspired
by artists like Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
“I’m interested in the creative, unconventional way that Morello
approaches his instrument. I’m always looking to make new
interesting sounds with the harmonica too, pushing its
boundaries, trying to change people’s perception of it.”
Bison
Hip were formed by long - time friends during a lockdown Zoom
call in 2020. "I don't know who suggested it first" explains
vocalist Paul, "but right away it seemed like a great idea.
Maybe it was the mid-life crisis at play!" The band are all over
50, with the exception of keyboard player and spring chicken,
Stephen, clocking in at a youthful 41. By the time they finally
got together in early 2021, the blueprint was clear. "We wanted
to take our love of blues and rock, then mix it up with our
experiences in life" adds Paul. "Between us, we've been through
so many things in life, big ups and huge downs, some successes
and a whole load of failures, we wanted all of that in the
music. Lastly, we needed to wrap it all up in the DNA of our
hometown, Glasgow, and hopefully that's what we've achieved".
With 2 EP's already released, the ethos is clear: real
musicians, real instruments, no click tracks, culminating in a
unique blues rock sound that tells real life stories. With a
debut album on the way in April 2023, Bison Hip have hit the
ground running. "We've arrived at the party fashionably late, so
we're making up for it now!"
Like
most kids, Mick grew up listening to pop music and playing
football. Then having eventually followed his father's wish to
finish college, he became a professional guitar player at the
age of 22. In the early days his introduction to live gigs was
with much older musicians playing on the blues circuit in and
around Leeds, eventually joining a rock band and touring round
Europe continually for almost seven years.
In the late
eighties Mick joined a rock band in Germany and lived there for
over 2 years, and it was here that he met Smokie for the first
time, and this started a long lasting friendship which still
continues today.
Not one to take things for granted he
considers himself a very lucky person to be playing music for a
living, and practices his instruments on a regular basis to
maintain his standard. He still has the odd guitar lesson on
occasion.
While Smokie continue to enjoy regular tours,
Mick spends a lot of his spare time recording, and writing new
material.
"Take A Minute" . . . The last Smokie release
featured 4 songs written by Mick; It was around that time, that
Mick signed a worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell.
In July 2011, Mick released is first solo album, "My Kinda
Heaven" One review, in the Landblatt stated . . . "We knew he
could play guitar, but this album shows that he is a also a very
accomplished songwriter and Producer"
"My Kinda Heaven"
has also been well recieved by fans, and Mick stated "It's an
album that represents Me, as a Musician, Songwriter and Human
Being"
Outside his work with Smokie, Mick often works and
collaborates with other musicians, He is currently producing,
the debut album for Freedom Of The City, a band certainly
destined for bigger things.
Greig
Taylor is one of Scotland's hardest working musicians. Struck
from the mould of singers such as Joe Cocker, Paul Rodgers, Otis
Redding and Mick Hucknall, Taylor has fronted many an act from
The GT’s Boos Band to the Blind Lemon Gators.
He was also part of Earl
Thomas’ A Capella quartet on the twice Grammy nominated American
singer’s
'The Gospel According...'
touring shows.
Now, with the Greig
Taylor Band, featuring former Marainne Faithful and Big Dish
guitarist Brian McFie, Kenneth Clark (keys), Nelson
McFarlane (bass) and
Taylor’s right-hand band man over the years, former John Martyn
and Big Dish drummer Dave Cantwell, the group have established
themselves as one of the UK's finest blues acts, as evidenced by
their 2023 album 'The Light' which was nominated as 'album of
the year' and followed up by more recent acclaimed EP
release 'Big Dawg Blues'.
The band are currently
recording their second album, Greig Taylor's SIXTH studio
record, to be released in 2026.
KELOWNA
came together early 2024 in central Scotland - five strangers
Davy, Paul, Ian, Simon & Rory, as well as the power of the
internet, and a love of rocknroll - a perfect storm uniting the
guys.
The band had their
five-track debut EP “Better Day” out within months and live
shows quickly followed. Before they were even twelve months old,
the band had recorded and released two anthemic singles "Raven
Lady" & “Monster” , all receiving fantastic responses and
significant airplay. The band also released full length YouTube
films for selected EP tracks and the singles, capturing visually
the story telling lyrics of Kelowna.
What you hear in
the music are hooks and melodies, born from the souls of five
guys with very different musical journeys and backgrounds.
Coupled with stories and lyrics from the soul of frontman Davy.
The guys have
enjoyed an array of gigs and festivals over the past 12 months,
receiving rave reviews of their live performances and attracting
the ears of UK wide promotors. The bands social media platforms
currently boasts over 1.1k followers across the UK and overseas.
With a busy
schedule of live appearances and plans for an album later in
2025/,early 2026, the future promises more anthemic rock, fusing
genres and appealing across the ages. “
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