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Issue 248: August 2022

It’s been quite a year for Troy Redfern. In the past nine months, this King Of Slide has completed four full U.K. tours (Robert Jon & The Wreck, The Quireboys, The Sweet and When Rivers Meet) and now he’s flying on The Wings of Salvation, a new album that highlights Redfern’s powerful, edgy vocals, his trademark “firebrand” slide guitar playing and, building on the heavy band arrangements he delivered on The Fire Cosmic, another scorching set of blues rock gems. Clearly, he’s not a man to sit and watch the grass grow under his feet. Oh, and he’s gotten married. Congratulations all round!

At the heart of Supersonic Blues Machine lies bassist and producer, Fabrizio Grossi, a fast-talking, outspoken character, who drives this hard-rocking band from the front and is not afraid of ruffling a few blues feathers. The band has operated as a collective of kindred spirits, with a revolving line-up of star-studded guests, including Z.Z. Top’s Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Eric Gales and Robben Ford and now has British blues guitarist and singer Kris Barras leading the line. Simon Green lights Fabrizio’s fuse and stands well back.

Talking of Robben Ford…Trevor Hodgett is all ears as the man who’s worked with Dylan, Harrison, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and, er, just about everyone, talks about the never-before-released Live At Yoshi’s which he recorded with The Blue Line in Oakland, California in 1996. Chuffin’ good stuff!

If anyone’s in doubt, let us just assure you now that Deborah Bonham is one of the nicest, most considerate people on the planet…she loves Blues In Britain’s office dogs Rusko and Poppy for starters. And Pete Bullick is one fine bluesman and a lovely fella to boot. Just ask Paul Rodgers.

So it was a pleasure to talk to Deborah about the new Bonham-Bullick album, stuffed full of brilliant interpretations of some deepcut blues that B’n’B have given their full-throttle treatment to. With the Bonham name and legacy, there’s a lot to live up to, but Deborah is dignity and grace in equal measure.  

Kirk Fletcher is definitely a blues journeyman, a soulful, erudite performer, who’s gone back to his blues and gospel roots on his wonderful new record Heartache By The Pound. “I really wanted to do a blues record, so I sat down and allowed the songs to take over. I’m a bluesman and I write about life. That’s the concept.” Nuff said.

To anyone of a certain age, Mickey Jupp will be highly regarded as a singer-songwriter, producing a series of critically acclaimed (yet commercially overlooked) albums between the late ‘60s to the early ‘90s. He also provided songs for artists as diverse as Dr. Feelgood, Dave Edmunds, Rick Nelson, The Hamsters, Rockpile and The Judds. His friend, fellow Essex lad, guitarist and Blues In Britain writer, Russ Cottee, talks to the reclusive Jupp…and if you want some stories, four time Grammy Award winner, Delbert McClinton can provide in bucketfuls, as David Robinson discovers. The Texas Treasure, a country and blues legend, is into his eighth decade but his new album Outdated Emotion is “music that people need to hear.” We heartily agree.

Plus: Backtrackin’ with Marcus Malone, Stevie Watts and Chris Corcoran, U.S. entrepreneur and television star Bob ‘Sully’ Sullivan, album, book and gig reviews, Pete Feenstra, ‘On Your Radio’ with Clive R,Trevor Hodgett’s ‘Reconsider Baby’,  Blues News and much more. Jam-packed? You bet!