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"Rosa's Lounge"
NEW
HOWARD AND THE WHITE BOYS ALBUM OUT THIS MONTH!
Rosa's
Lounge, the new album from Chicago blues veterans Howard & The White
Boys, is named after the legendary Chicago club where the band's new CD was
recorded. Captured live on one of those magical nights where the crowd and band
feed off of each other's exuberance and energy, the recording reveals a group at
the top of its game and offers insight into why many consider Howard & The
White Boys one of the best live contemporary blues acts of the past two
decades.
Chicago, a
city steeped in blues history, is where the band have honed their chops since
their inception in 1988. Howard & the White Boys have established a
reputation as one of the city’s favorite attractions and regular appearances at
Buddy Guy’s Legends have afforded them an opportunity to display their wares
before locals and out-of-towners who come to Legends to hear the best the city
has to offer in blues entertainment. Indeed, Buddy Guy has been their unofficial
mentor and his support for the band has been instrumental in exposing them to a
wider audience. He has taken them on several major Midwestern tours as his
opening act, and has often jumped onstage to jam with them when they appear at
Legends. He also gave them the ultimate endorsement by making a rare guest
appearance on their third release The Big $core. He
plays some scorching
guitar and sings a duet with Howard on a remake of the Sam & Dave classic “I
Thank You." Guy told the L.A. Times, "These guys deserve whatever they get and
more. And I tell these guys, 'If you ain't gonna do it, you know I will, so
don't let me down now.' And they haven't!"
Howard
& the White Boys formed in 1988 and began jamming together just for fun, but
their fast-growing popularity soon convinced them they could make a career of
it. After only a few months, they got their first big break by opening for B.B.
King. Their reputation grew in Chicago and they began performing with the
biggest names in blues: Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Albert King, Junior Wells,
Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. Between 1994 and
1997, the group made two highly acclaimed recordings, Strung Out On The Blues
and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?, for Los Angeles-based Mighty Tiger Records.
They began traveling extensively across the United States and their growing
popularity captured the attention of Philadelphia-based Evidence Records. The
Big $core was the first of three successful discs released by Evidence, and
the band wasted no time in promoting it via the first of many trips to European
countries such as Belgium, France, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Norway, Germany,
Luxembourg, Lithuania, and England. Riding the ever-growing wave of popularity
both at home and abroad, the group then released a well-received live CD for
Evidence entitled Live At Chord On Blues. In 2007, Evidence released the
critically-acclaimed Made in Chicago which showcased the group's
versatility and encompassed the funk, R & B, and rock styles that have
become Howard & the White Boys trademarks.
Rosa's
Lounge bears witness to the power of the group when they perform live, and
also lends credence to the Chicago Sun-Times' recent statement, "You can't see
this high-energy, good time band at a club without leaving with a smile on your
face." The band is now focusing on touring to support the new CD and working on
material for their next one.
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