Meet the New Members of the Nick Moss Band (shown with Jimmy Johnson)

Here's your chance to 'meet' the members of Nick Moss' versitile new band, as seen on the January 2012 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and fine venues across the country. (Look for them at festivals and many other dates in the U.S. and overseas this coming summer!) NICK MOSS / Guitar, vocals, harmonica Nick Moss has been in the business for well over 20 years now, first touring with Blues legends like Jimmy Dawkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Jimmy Rogers, among many others. He started out playing bass, but while in The Legendary Blues Band with Smith, switched over to guitar, opening him up to the spot in Rogers' band, where he stayed for almost four years. In 1998 he formed his own band and released his first 'solo' CD, First Offense. He's been on the road and recording ever since. After nine critically-acclaimed CDs, 15 Blues Music Award nominations, three Blues Blast Award wins, and a Second Place win in the Blues Category of the 2011 International Songwriting Competition (for "Georgia Redsnake," off of Privileged), Nick is still discovering where his music will take him. Nick Moss photo: McKinley Photography. Moss' latest release is bursting with personal growth and the kind of honesty fans have come to expect from him. Here I Am is the confident statement from Moss that the new path he forged on Privileged (2010, Nominated for 2011 Blues Music Award for "Best Rock Blues Album") was just the beginning. He gives guitar lovers plenty to sink their teeth into with extended songs and solos but there's more to Here I Am than just great lead playing. Moss and his band again use a foundation of blues, rock, and roots as starting points, but take new and unexpected turns on the all-original program. (Here I Am debuted at #2 on the Relix/Jamband Radio Chart! and #6 on the Living Blues Radio Chart! It also spent several weeks in the Top Ten on the Roots Music Report!) • • • • • • • T H E B A N D • • • • • • • MICHAEL LEDBETTER / Guitar, vocals, percussion A native of Chicago, IL, Michael Ledbetter came up with a rich selection of classic soul, R&B, and Blues on rotation in his home. Singers like Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, and Stevie Wonder set the foundation for his soulful vocal style at a very early age. At 15, he decided to take his voice to a new realm: Opera. He went on to enjoy a strong 8-year career in the Chicago Opera community. Following his exit from classical music, Michael realized that his heart truly lied in his roots, and he dove head-first into the Chicago Blues scene. It was the chance discovery of Ledbetter's voice by Kate Moss while sitting in with Blue Bella Records recording artists The Kilborn Alley Blues Band that lead to his tutelage under Nick and Joe Moss in what Ledbetter calls "REAL Chicago Blues 101." Michael was asked to join Nick Moss' cast of young up-and-comers in May 2011. In his short time with Nick, he has had the pleasure of singing for and backing some of the best in Blues music. Michael looks forward to a very bright future and gives many thanks to his family as well as the Moss family for their love and support. Michael Ledbetter photo: Kate Moss. TRAVIS REED / Piano, organ, vocals By the age of 15, Travis H.A. Reed was performing regularly in the children's choir in Syracuse, NY (where he moved to from Chicago when he was only 2). By 18, after being groomed into the advanced pace of the adult mass choir, Reed had come to be the main church organist. In 2010, Travis heard from his friend Byron Cage (now drummer for the Tommy Castro Band), who also was a regular on the Syracuse Gospel scene, that Nick Moss was looking for an organist to accompany the piano player in the band (who at that time was "Piano Willie" Owsianny). In February of that year, Reed traveled to Chicago, sat in with Nick and the band at a local gig, and the rest, as they say, is history. Travis has been with them ever since. He's toured the world, built a diverse vocabulary of chops, and is now an integral part of Moss' new, expanded sound of blues, blues-rock, and beyond. Reed now handles piano and organ duties, showcasing his versatility and incredible musicianship nightly. Travis Reed photo: McKinley Photography. MATTHEW WILSON / bass Born into a family of musicians, Matthew Wilson had learned to play his first drum beat by age 5. Five years later he received the family heirloom bass and started down the road of musical exploration. His father and uncle, both having backed up just about every blues musician passing through Chicago since the late '70s, placed the young musician in the situations that would demand his abilities from the very beginning. Learning from local luminaries like Stokes, Lee Gates, Madison Slim, Jim Liban and Billy Flynn, a strong foundation in the blues was laid. At 24, Matthew has played with and learned from the likes of Marc Ribot, John Medeski, Guitar Shorty, Curtis Salgado, Jimmy & Syl Johnson, Charlie Musselwhite, Clyde Stubblefield and Hubert Sumlin. Matthew joined with Nick Moss and his band in mid-2011 to round-out an already dynamic and powerful lineup of young musicians. Wilson photo: Chris Monaghan. PATRICK SEALS / Drums, percussion Chicago-area drummer Patrick Seals discovered his love of drums at an early age while still in middle school. By high school Patrick was playing in many local bands of varying styles. At 18 he was accepted into the prestigious Columbia College music program and recieved his degree in Jazz upon graduation. Shortly after leaving Columbia, Patrick found himself a place in the thriving Chicago blues community, playing regular gigs with local bands, and even securing a short stint with international blues recording & touring artist, Byther Smith. Based on his versatile skills, Patrick was recruited in 2010 to fill the drum chair in Nick Moss' new band. So far, in his short tenure in the band, Seals has gained the respect of many of his drumming colleagues in the blues community. Most notably, Tony Braunagle (Robert Cray Band, Phantom Blues Band), who asked Patrick to participate in his drum clinic on the 2012 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Patrick Seals photo: McKinley Photography.

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