Man, I just love it when a plan comes together! Midnight Movers drummer Kirk (KT) Tuttle (left) assembled the KT's Kicks band in June 2004 to play at the Salmon Bay Eagles during a visit by one of his sisters to Seattle. He picked some of his favorite players for the band, including yours truly on harp and vocals, Ron "Sweet Talkin' Jones on tenor sax and vocals, Mark "Tall Cool One" Dalton (Chris Stevens Band) on electric bass, and Tom "T-Boy" Boyle on guitar. The band has continued to play occasionally since that first date, every time at the Eagles club.Now, this is a great collection of players, but, in my opinion, this lineup never really jelled until our gig at the Eagles last Thursday. I dunno what it was, but the band was swingin' hard all night and we finally were able to do justice to a couple of Ron Ussery's tunes. Of course it helped that there was a good crowd at the Eagles that was ready to rock, as usual.
Ron (right) is a long-time veteran of the Northwest rock and R & B scene, and if you're not familiar with him, you've got to check him out! He's a great tenor player, with a mellow tone and laid-back phrasing that is great for the blues. Plus, he's a terrific blue-eyed soul singer. I mean, this cat can sing! Two of the songs I dug the most this night were his versions of Junior Parker's "Next Time You See me" and Big Jay McNeely's "(There Is) Something On Your Mind." Ron also helped me out on some background vocals on Z.Z. Hill's "Down Home Blues" and Lee Dorsey's "Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky."Another highlight of the night was when Becki-Sue (Becki-Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies) sat in with the band during the third set. Tom Boyle and Becki-Sue are both in the Big Rockin' Daddies, and they are quite a team. I dig Becki-Sue's style - she's a strong singer that doesn't do the typical over-the-top Janis Joplin impersonation that we've all heard too many times.
Anyway, come out to see KT's kicks at one of our Eagles' gigs. Mark and KT are one of Seattle's best blues rhythm sections and T-Boy is a hella guitar player. See you at the nightclub!
KT's Kicks at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club - Seattle, October 2005
KT's Kicks next gig at the Salmon Bay Eagles will occur on January 19, 2006. All photos in this article were created by Phil Chestnut.
2 comments:
Blues Boss - Nope, those are photographs by Phil. The ones that you took are still on my camera, for some reason. Too much data!
I was blown away by the music that night too! Tom Boyle was just burning up the fretboard, and it is a great pleasure to hear Becki Sue finding herself as an artist - digging ever deeper into the core of the true Blues. Ron Ussery is a masterful singer and performer, with a sense of style we can all appreciate - and learn from. And the Playboy of course - when he gets down into the middle of "Serves You Right To Suffer," the very air in the room begins to curl around him, turning a deeper blue! Thank you to K.T. for giving me the chance to play with this amazing crew!
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