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blues-pics
Here is Rick Estrin and The Nightcats with
Kid Anderson playing the hell out of that guitar.
Kid Anderson playing the hell out of that guitar.
One day back in 1970, a 20-year old Rick Estrin had
the opportunity to play harmonica with Muddy
Waters and his band at the Sutherland Hotel on 47th
and Drexel on Chicago's South Side. During the
break, Muddy called Estrin over, shook his finger in
his face, and shouted, "You outta sight, boy! You got
that sound, boy! You play like a man, boy!"
Rick Estrin ranks among the very best harp players,
singers and songwriters in the blues world today. His
work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of
harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and
Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing
that tradition forward. The Associated Press called
his harp playing, "endlessly impressive." The great
guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. (who was schooled by
Robert Johnson and who played on most of Little
Walter's Chess recordings) told Estrin, "Little Walter
would be very proud of you." His award-winning
original songs have been favorably compared with
those of Willie Dixon and the team of Leiber and
Stoller. And his hipster, street-smart vocals are the
perfect vehicle for driving his songs home.
For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick
fronted the jumping, swinging Little Charlie & The
Nightcats, featuring guitarist Little Charlie Baty. With
Baty's recent retirement from touring, Estrin -- along
with the Nightcats longtime rhythm section of J.
Hansen and Lorenzo Farrell and a new member, fiery
guitarist Kid Andersen -- takes the lead on his own.
The band's debut album, Twisted, while still swinging
the blues, is a harmonica-driven, rocking,
guitar-fueled rave-up. Featuring 14 songs (including
10 Estrin originals, two by Kid Andersen, one by
Hansen, and a superb band-created instrumental),
Twisted showcases Rick's seemingly effortless
command of the harmonica, his streetwise vocals
and his remarkable original songs.
In addition to his harmonica and vocal skills, Rick
Estrin is a songwriter of unparalleled talent. Critics
have compared him to Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan
and Willie Dixon. Blues Revue declared, "Estrin has
created some of the finest blues songs of any artist
on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate
human weakness with the precision of a boxer,
though more often than not, he chooses to leave you
laughing after the blow's been struck."
Estrin won the 1993 Blues Music Award for his
composition My Next Ex-Wife and has written songs
for a growing legion of famous fans. Three of his
songs found their way onto Grammy-nominated
albums: Don't Put Your Hands On Me (on Koko
Taylor's Force Of Nature), I'm Just Lucky That Way
(on Robert Cray's Shame + A Sin), and Homely Girl (on
John Hammond's Trouble No More). Other artists who
have covered Estrin songs include Saffire-The Uppity
Blues Women, Little Milton, Rusty Zinn, Kid Ramos
and Mark Hummel. "I like songs that tell stories,"
Rick says, "songs that are well-crafted and
meaningful." Besides Dixon and Leiber and Stoller,
Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield
and Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting
influences. Billboard noted that Rick writes
"fabulous, remarkable original material."
Besides Estrin's songwriting and musical skills, he is
among the most entertaining and colorful showmen
around. His quick wit and his signature look -- coifed
hair, pencil-thin mustache and sharp attire - add even
more color to his performances. "People don't go out
to see people who look like themselves," says Rick.
"They want to see something special. I was schooled
in this business to be a showman, and that's what
you get when you come to see me perform."
Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949,
and grew up following his own path. He discovered
an entirely new lifestyle when, as a 10-year-old boy,
he made his way to the tough Market Street area and
befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He
discovered another new world when his older sister
gave him a copy of Ray Charles' The Genius Sings
The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy
Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina
Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was
a teenager, Estrin completely identified with the
urban, African American culture surrounding him.
Estrin got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age
18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black
clubs around the city. He first jammed with blues
master Lowell Fulson and almost immediately was
hired to open five shows for Z.Z. Hill. He worked five
nights a week for almost a year with guitar legend
Travis Phillips in a band fronted by famed
pimp/bluesman Fillmore Slim (who was the
centerpiece of the acclaimed Hughes Brothers
documentary American Pimp). Phillips introduced
Estrin to Rodger Collins, the man who would become
Rick's first real musical mentor, and who schooled
Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show
business. He moved to Chicago and worked with
Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny
Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy
Waters. In fact, Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the
road with him, but due to nothing more than a missed
phone call, it never happened.
Because of that missed connection, Rick eventually
moved back to the Bay Area, met Little Charlie Baty
and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. For the
next 30 years, the band barnstormed around the
globe, honing their skills and entertaining countless
people. Now, as Rick Estrin & The Nightcats release
Twisted and tour the country, they'll bring their
raucous, rocking blues to fans both old and new.
Clubs will be packed, dance floors will be filled and a
guaranteed great time will be had by all.
the opportunity to play harmonica with Muddy
Waters and his band at the Sutherland Hotel on 47th
and Drexel on Chicago's South Side. During the
break, Muddy called Estrin over, shook his finger in
his face, and shouted, "You outta sight, boy! You got
that sound, boy! You play like a man, boy!"
Rick Estrin ranks among the very best harp players,
singers and songwriters in the blues world today. His
work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of
harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and
Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing
that tradition forward. The Associated Press called
his harp playing, "endlessly impressive." The great
guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. (who was schooled by
Robert Johnson and who played on most of Little
Walter's Chess recordings) told Estrin, "Little Walter
would be very proud of you." His award-winning
original songs have been favorably compared with
those of Willie Dixon and the team of Leiber and
Stoller. And his hipster, street-smart vocals are the
perfect vehicle for driving his songs home.
For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick
fronted the jumping, swinging Little Charlie & The
Nightcats, featuring guitarist Little Charlie Baty. With
Baty's recent retirement from touring, Estrin -- along
with the Nightcats longtime rhythm section of J.
Hansen and Lorenzo Farrell and a new member, fiery
guitarist Kid Andersen -- takes the lead on his own.
The band's debut album, Twisted, while still swinging
the blues, is a harmonica-driven, rocking,
guitar-fueled rave-up. Featuring 14 songs (including
10 Estrin originals, two by Kid Andersen, one by
Hansen, and a superb band-created instrumental),
Twisted showcases Rick's seemingly effortless
command of the harmonica, his streetwise vocals
and his remarkable original songs.
In addition to his harmonica and vocal skills, Rick
Estrin is a songwriter of unparalleled talent. Critics
have compared him to Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan
and Willie Dixon. Blues Revue declared, "Estrin has
created some of the finest blues songs of any artist
on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate
human weakness with the precision of a boxer,
though more often than not, he chooses to leave you
laughing after the blow's been struck."
Estrin won the 1993 Blues Music Award for his
composition My Next Ex-Wife and has written songs
for a growing legion of famous fans. Three of his
songs found their way onto Grammy-nominated
albums: Don't Put Your Hands On Me (on Koko
Taylor's Force Of Nature), I'm Just Lucky That Way
(on Robert Cray's Shame + A Sin), and Homely Girl (on
John Hammond's Trouble No More). Other artists who
have covered Estrin songs include Saffire-The Uppity
Blues Women, Little Milton, Rusty Zinn, Kid Ramos
and Mark Hummel. "I like songs that tell stories,"
Rick says, "songs that are well-crafted and
meaningful." Besides Dixon and Leiber and Stoller,
Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield
and Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting
influences. Billboard noted that Rick writes
"fabulous, remarkable original material."
Besides Estrin's songwriting and musical skills, he is
among the most entertaining and colorful showmen
around. His quick wit and his signature look -- coifed
hair, pencil-thin mustache and sharp attire - add even
more color to his performances. "People don't go out
to see people who look like themselves," says Rick.
"They want to see something special. I was schooled
in this business to be a showman, and that's what
you get when you come to see me perform."
Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949,
and grew up following his own path. He discovered
an entirely new lifestyle when, as a 10-year-old boy,
he made his way to the tough Market Street area and
befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He
discovered another new world when his older sister
gave him a copy of Ray Charles' The Genius Sings
The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy
Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina
Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was
a teenager, Estrin completely identified with the
urban, African American culture surrounding him.
Estrin got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age
18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black
clubs around the city. He first jammed with blues
master Lowell Fulson and almost immediately was
hired to open five shows for Z.Z. Hill. He worked five
nights a week for almost a year with guitar legend
Travis Phillips in a band fronted by famed
pimp/bluesman Fillmore Slim (who was the
centerpiece of the acclaimed Hughes Brothers
documentary American Pimp). Phillips introduced
Estrin to Rodger Collins, the man who would become
Rick's first real musical mentor, and who schooled
Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show
business. He moved to Chicago and worked with
Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny
Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy
Waters. In fact, Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the
road with him, but due to nothing more than a missed
phone call, it never happened.
Because of that missed connection, Rick eventually
moved back to the Bay Area, met Little Charlie Baty
and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. For the
next 30 years, the band barnstormed around the
globe, honing their skills and entertaining countless
people. Now, as Rick Estrin & The Nightcats release
Twisted and tour the country, they'll bring their
raucous, rocking blues to fans both old and new.
Clubs will be packed, dance floors will be filled and a
guaranteed great time will be had by all.