Monster Mike Welch & Mike Ledbetter
"Right
Place, Right Time"
With Special Guest: Laura Chavez
With over 25 years under his belt, Boston-based blues guitarist Monster Mike Welch
is handily considered a seasoned veteran of the international
blues scene at just a mere 37 years old. Adorned with the
nickname “Monster Mike” by actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd
at the tender age of 13, Welch has since carved out a successful
living as a highly accomplished and in-demand guitarist. To date,
Welch has released six albums under his own name and in 2001, he
joined the ranks of one of New England’s most beloved blues
institutions, Sugar
Ray and the Bluetones. In addition, Welch has
performed and recorded with Duke
Robillard, Nick
Moss, Johnny
Winter, Darrell
Nulisch and more recently, the Knickerbocker All-Stars,
which has featured among others, Jimmie Vaughan and the
aforementioned Robillard. No stranger to the Delta Groove
family, Welch also appears on recordings by the Mannish Boys, Sugaray Rayford and
the Igor
Prado Band, as well as playing a central role in the
critically acclaimed album, Fifty Shades of Blue,
by Anthony
Geraci and the Boston Blues All Stars. Welch has
received two consecutive Blues Music Award nominations by the Blues
Foundation for Instrumentalist-Guitar beginning in 2016.
Chicago's own Mike
Ledbetter has had nothing short of a rich and
multi-dimensional musical journey thus far. Before making a home in
West Side Chicago and Memphis style blues, Ledbetter set his feet in
various genres ranging from soul, gospel, pop, jazz, and even spent
the better part of a decade performing on Chicago opera stages.
Spending eight years under the tutelage of his mentor, Nick Moss,
Ledbetter recorded and toured the world with Moss as his lead
vocalist and rhythm guitarist. In this short time, he has made more
than a lasting impression and developed a legion of fans. He's
also worked with and earned the respect of many of his heroes and
influences (Anson
Funderburgh, Barrelhouse
Chuck, Billy
Flynn, Curtis
Salgado, Jimmy
Johnson, Lazy
Lester, Ronnie
Earl) as a member of the new school of blues/soul
musician whose style is cemented in its Golden Era.
On Sunday, June 12, 2016, Welch and Ledbetter took part in a special
tribute to the legendary Otis Rush at the 33rd Annual Chicago Blues
Festival. The chemistry between these two was so instantaneous and
such a natural fit, that it became readily apparent that an album
together must soon follow. Right
Place, Right Time is the result of this inspired
collaboration, born out of a mutual love and respect for the classic
blues era of the ‘50s and ‘60s and artists such as Otis Rush, Magic
Sam, Elmore James and B.B. King. Accompanying Welch and Ledbetter is
an all-star cast featuring pianist/organist Anthony Geraci,
bassist Ronnie
James Weber and drummer Marty Richards,
along with special guests Laura
Chavez on guitar and saxophonists Doug James
and Sax
Gordon. For Monster
Mike Welch and Mike
Ledbetter this album is not just about being in the
right place at the right time, but knowing what to do with it when
you find yourselves there.
“Welch is becoming an all-around guitar master…” – Living Blues Magazine
“An
ass-kicking, axe-picking bluesman with a wide range of mood and
colour.” – Mojo (UK)
“…Michael
Ledbetter is an inventive and charismatic singer. One vocal note
uttered by him and he has got the audience in the palm of his hands.”
– Chicago Blues Guide
“(Michael
Ledbetter’s) operatic training has given his voice a tone and
timber that is unmatched.” – Blues Blast
Magazine
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