The Three Faces of Chris Duarte

Robben Ford

California native Robben Ford has carved his niche in contemporary blues today, playing and preforming with everyone from former Beatle George Harrison to Greg Allman. Four Grammy nominations means he is at the top of his game when it come to playing guitar.  Ford possesses a unique style that fuses jazz with the blues. His notes are precise and technically he excels. He comes from a musical family and grew up influenced by his father and formed a band with his brothers: Mark (harp) and Patrick (drums). Listening to him for years on various recordings,  I was thrilled when he played Orlando at BB Kings a few years ago. The three piece ensemble delivered two sets that covered a wide range of his recorded material. The musicianship was phenomenal and the show was very memorable.  Of course I had my trusty Nikon in tow. Enjoy the shots and the video, also check out his downloads via Itunes or other downloadable music sites.

Omar and The Howlers

In the late sixties and early seventies I was listening to what they called progressive rock on an FM station in Ohio. Their music program was  anti -top 40 radio and I was introduced to non -main stream rock groups at the time which included; The Doors, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater Rivival.  CCR fronted by John Fogarty who had a unique swamp rock, bluesy sound that was very intriguing and the song Susie -Q (an old blues song by the way) locked me in. Unknown to me, shortly after that time, Omar Kent Dykes singer and blues guitarist formed a blues rock band in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1973 called : Omar and The Howlers. They later moved to Austin, Texas and was based there, making a good living playing Frat parties and local gigs. It was not until 1987 that Omar signed a deal with Columbia records releasing his first album with them: Hard Times In the Land Of Plenty. After listening to it, no wonder it was a success selling half million copies. The sound was a more bluesy, CCR and music to my ears and that is why I have followed Omar since that time and enjoy his entire catalog. Dykes has not slowed down through the years and recently released an Essential Collection containing most of the early songs remastered. Current releases include: I'm Gone and this months tribute to Jimmy Reed; Too Much Is Not Enough, Featuring the harp of the late great Gary Primich. I encourage you to check out the fine music of Omar Kent Dykes.

Blues Art