Singer Johnny Rawls Boards the Soul-Blues Express on New CD, "Waiting for the Train," Coming September 15 from Catfood Records

Singer Johnny Rawls Boards the Soul-Blues Express on New CD, Waiting for the Train, Coming

September 15 from Catfood Records

EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces a September 15 release date for Waiting for the Train, the new CD from Blues Music Award-winning singer Johnny Rawls. Produced by multi-Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines, Waiting for the Train was recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, with additional recording at Bessie Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee. On the new disc, Rawls is backed by his long-standing recording unit, The Rays: Johnny McGhee – guitar; Bob Trenchard – bass; Richy Puga – drums; Dan Ferguson – keyboards; Andy Roman – alto/tenor sax; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Nick Flood – baritone/tenor sax; Joel Chavarria – trombone; with Jon Olazabal – percussion; and backing vocals by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston. 

Waiting for the Train features six originals (five co-written by Rawls and one by labelmate James Armstrong and Bob Trenchard), with Johnny adding his own distinctive vocal stamp on songs previously recorded by Wilson Pickett (“I’m in Love”), Bob Dylan (“I Shall Be Released”), Tyrone Davis (“Turning Point”) and Syl Johnson (“We Did It”).

Some background on the players on Waiting for the Train: Jon Olazabal, the percussionist, is a member of popular Southern California band The Dirty Heads, who’ve hit it big headlining festivals and touring coast-to-coast. Background singers Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston are members of the Neo Soul group S4TG. Johnny McGhee was an L.A. - Motown session player before joining LTD.  Richy Puga, Dan Ferguson, Andy Roman and Bob Trenchard have been together since the group Kay Kay and Rays started 20 years ago. Johnny Rawls is traveling to Europe three times in 2017 and still playing 150 dates a year. His last CD, Tiger in a Cage, reached #1 on the Living Blues Radio Chart and remained at #1 for 14 weeks on the Roots Music Soul Blues Chart. It also made the Downbeat Magazine Critic's Best of the Year Poll list, just as his two previous albums did. 

About Johnny Rawls

Born in the southern Mississippi town of Columbia, and raised in Purvis and Gulfport, Johnny Rawls - while still in high school - was already backing such stars as Z.Z. Hill, Little Johnny Taylor, Joe Tex and The Sweet Inspirations when they toured in his area. In his early 20s, Rawls was hired by the legendary deep soul singer, O.V. Wright, as his band director. After Wright died in 1979, Rawls kept the band together and toured for several years with Little Johnny Taylor and others.

By 1985, Johnny Rawls was touring as a solo artist and had made his first solo recording. In 1994, he recorded the widely acclaimed album, Down to Earth, with L.C. Luckett on the Rooster Blues label. After a second Rooster Blues album with Luckett, Rawls recorded a number of albums for JSP before starting his own label. Rawls first met Catfood Records president Bob Trenchard in 1997 and the two have worked on a number of projects together since then, culminating when he released his first album for the label, No Boundaries, in 2005    

Rawls garnered previous Blues Music Award nominations for his albums Heart and Soul in 2007, and Red Cadillac in 2009. Both Red Cadillac and Ace of Spades were nominated for Album of the Year by Living Blues and his last six albums have all charted top ten on blues charts with Red Cadillac reaching #1 on the Living Blues Radio Play Chart. Ace of Spades hit the #4 spot, remaining in the top 20 for three months. 

Johnny’s 2012 CD, Soul Survivor, garnered him two more Blues Music Award nominations and followed Memphis Still Got Soul (2011), which received three. He’s been nominated numerous times in both the Soul Blues Male Artist and Soul Blues Album categories by The Blues Foundation, and his Ace of Spades CD won the BMA in 2010 as “Soul Blues Album of the Year. In 2014, he was voted Living Blues magazine’s “Male Blues Artist of the Year” and three of his albums have won the Living Blues “Critics' Choice Southern Soul Album of the Year.”  

Catfood Records artist: Johnny Rawls - Tiger In A Cage - New release review

I just received the newest release, Tiger In A Cage, from Johnny Rawls and I really like it. Opening with title track, Tiger In A Cage which has a lot of the characteristics of Curtis Mayfield, smooth with a super groove via Bob Trenchard on bass and an added treat, Mike Middleton playing a loose jazzy trumpet lead. Excellent! Born To The Blues has a more bluesy rolling sound courtesy of the Rays featuring Andy Roman on sax, Middleton on trumpet, Robert Claiborne on trombone and Nick Flood on bari sax. A nice bass groove by Trenchard, slick guitar riffs by Johnny McGhee and tight drums from Richy Puga give this track strong radio appeal. Rawls' vocals throughout this release are very solid and Red Cadillac is no exception. With a cool R&B feel, and Trenchard driving the train, this track is just flat out cool! Every Woman Needs A Working Man has a chugging train feel and McGhee's guitar riffs punctuate the phrasing nicely. Reckless Heart is an easy soul ballad and really nicely features the warmth of Rawls' vocal strength. On Keep It Loose, Rawls cranks the Rays with a cool R&B track. Backing vocals by Arlen, Jessica and Jillian Ivey as wekk as the punchy sound of the Rays horn section charges this track and a tight solo by McGhee ices the cake. Sam Cooke's, Having a Party, has a real nice swing and Rawls sets a super groove. His natural feel, dressed by Ferguson on piano and with warm backing by the Iveys leave a great opportunity for a sweet bone solo by Claiborne. Excellent! Classic soul track, Your Love Is Lifting Me, is high energy and punchy horn work and a nice bass line really set it off. Very nice! Southern Honey finds Eden Brent sharing the lead spot with Rawls and addition of accordion by Ferguson, violin by Tommy Sheen, cello by Norma Martinez and street style percussion by Jon Olazabal gives this track a cajun feel. Lucy has a trademark R&B radio sound with Rawls out front, horns behind and a funky beat. Next up is Mick and Keith's Beast of Burdon. With only the smallest of changes to the arrangement but with a punched up horn backing, this track has a cool feel. Wrapping the release is another Mayfield like track, I Would Be Nothing. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Rawls is smooth as silk with warm backing by the Iveys and keys from Ferguson. Excellent conclusion to a strong soulful release.

 

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Blues Music Award-Winner Johnny Rawls Is Like a "Tiger In a Cage" on New Catfood Records CD Coming February 19

Blues Music Award-Winner Johnny Rawls Is Like a Tiger In a Cage on New Catfood Records CD Coming February 19

EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces a February 19 release date for Tiger In a Cage, the new CD from Blues Music Award-winning singer/guitarist Johnny Rawls. Produced by multi-Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines, Tiger In a Cage was recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. It features backing by The Rays: Johnny McGhee – guitar; Bob Trenchard – bass; Richy Puga – drums; Dan Ferguson – keyboards and accordion; Andy Roman – alto/tenor sax; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Robert Claiborne – trombone; Nick Flood – baritone sax; Jon Olazabal – percussion; with vocal backing by The Iveys. Joining as special guest is Eden Brent, who duets with Rawls on the sexy, soulful tune, “Southern Honey.” 

Johnny Rawls was recently nominated once again by the Blues Foundation in the “Soul Blues Male Artist” category for the upcoming Blues Music Awards to be held in Memphis in May. 

The even-dozen tracks on Tiger In a Cage include nine original songs, plus Johnny’s scintillating takes on Sam Cooke’s “Having a Party,” Jackie Wilson’s “Your Love Is Lifting Me (Higher and Higher),” and The Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden.” Rawls also does a funky re-working of “Red Cadillac,” a Rawls composition that first appeared as the title track on the album of the same name released in 2009 and has since become a fan-favorite at Johnny’s live shows. While known for his irresistible “old school” soul party tunes, which are well-represented on his new CD, the album’s title song is a serious track about a 19 year-old black man being sent to prison; a life thrown away, being over before it has begun. (Note: there are three times as many people in prison in the U.S. today as there were when the failed “War on Drugs” was begun.)  

Johnny Rawls’ last album for Catfood Records, Soul Brothers, released in 2014, teamed him up with Blues Hall of Fame singer Otis Clay for what became one of the musical highlights of the year and generated both critical acclaim and strong radio airplay. Soul Brothers was also one of the two highest-rated blues albums on the Downbeat magazine “Best of the Year” list. His 2013 release, Remembering O.V., showcased Rawls in a moving tribute to his late friend and mentor, O.V. Wright, which also featured singer Otis Clay as a special guest on three tracks of the album, and included nine songs associated with Wright and an original cut, “Blaze of Glory,” that closed the album in rousing fashion.

Johnny’s 2012 CD, Soul Survivor, garnered him two more Blues Music Award nominations and followed Memphis Still Got Soul (2011), which received three. He’s been nominated numerous times in both the Soul Blues Male Artist and Soul Blues Album categories by The Blues Foundation, and his Ace of Spades CD won the BMA in 2010 as “Soul Blues Album of the Year. In 2014, he was voted Living Blues magazine’s “Male Blues Artist of the Year” and three of his albums have won the Living Blues “Critics' Choice Southern Soul Album of the Year.”  

Born in the southern Mississippi town of Columbia, and raised in Purvis and Gulfport, Johnny Rawls - while still in high school - was already backing such stars as Z.Z. Hill, Little Johnny Taylor, Joe Tex and The Sweet Inspirations when they toured in his area. In his early 20s, Rawls was hired by the legendary deep soul singer, O.V. Wright, as his band director. After Wright died in 1979, Rawls kept the band together and toured for several years with Little Johnny Taylor and others.

By 1985, Johnny Rawls was touring as a solo artist and had made his first solo recording. In 1994, he recorded the widely acclaimed album, Down to Earth, with L.C. Luckett on the Rooster Blues label. After a second Rooster Blues album with Luckett, Rawls recorded a number of albums for JSP before starting his own label. Rawls first met Catfood Records president Bob Trenchard in 1997 and the two have worked on a number of projects together since then, culminating when he released his first album for the label, No Boundaries, in 2005    

He’s also garnered previous nominations for his albums Heart and Soul in 2007; and Red Cadillac in 2009. Both Red Cadillac and Ace of Spades were nominated for Album of the Year by Living Blues and his last five albums have all charted top ten on blues charts with Red Cadillac reaching #1 on the Living Blues Radio Play Chart. Ace of Spades hit the #4 spot, remaining in the top 20 for three months. Rawls continues to tour consistently, performing 150 dates a year, both in the U.S. and overseas.

For more information, visit www.catfoodrecords.com and www.johnnyrawlsblues.com.