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JW Gilmore is a master storyteller, a demon on the harp, a
well-versed musician and, above all, a showman extraordinaire. From
slow dirty blues to frenetic swing, JW keeps audiences laughing, smiling and
dancing into the night. He has been playing harmonica for over 20
years, from Baton Rouge to Ft. Lauderdale, playing with greats like Tabby
Thomas, Chris Thomas King, Louisiana Red and Joey Gilmore. He can be
heard on the Blue Beat CD Blues
From the Swamp by Tabby Thomas. JW was also a regular on
the South Florida blues circuit, playing both coasts from Ft. Lauderdale to
Naples, bringing his burning harp playing and his soulful song stylings to
thousands of fans. Seeing JW live is a true treat. Part Muddy
Waters, part James Brown, JW puts on an energetic entertaining show while
keeping true to the roots of the music. Just close your eyes and you
can see him on a front porch spinning a yarn or in a small juke joint belting
out the blues on a sweltering Mississippi summer night. JW is a blues
performer that takes to heart the legacy of the legendary bluesmen that have
come before him. He's much more Muddy than Stevie Ray, more
Little Walter than Eric Clapton, he plays a pure blues rather than rock
versions of blues classics. Just like the great bluesmen, JW can
surprise you with new tunes and old classics with new interpretations; with
JW you just never know what to expect and that's half the fun. Equipment:
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Since JW started playing in St. Augustine, he's been backed by a variety of musicians. In the early months, when he was struggling to get a band together and members would come and go, he joked that his marquee should read "JW Gilmore and (to be announced)", or as commonly abbreviated, "TBA". Well, as the band formed, the name stuck. To give a little substance to the joke and to answer the questions from fans, the meaning of the abbreviation was changed to "The Blues Authority". We still answer to both, of course. So, here's the current lineup for TBA... |
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Coop is a North Florida native who's been playing the blues since he plugged in his first bass and learned licks along with the first ZZ Top album (on 8-track!). Since those days, he's performed many diverse styles including jazz, rock, soul, world music and traditional American roots music and he borrows from that experience to bring life and soul to his blues. Back in the days when he had hair, he was the original bassist for Jacksonville’s seminal 80’s experimental/new wave bands The Reacterz and The Great Invisibles and has performed with various bands and songwriters in Florida, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. In addition to holding down the bottom end, Coop manages the back office stuff and he keeps the technical side of the show in order. Despite those distractions, Coop's a player that gets in the pocket and creates a solid groove that keeps people moving on the dance floor.. Equipment:
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Keith is a wildman on the guitar, burning up blues licks
and adding tremendous versatility to the band. He has toured with many
rock and blues bands across the country and brings his tasty leads and
soulful slide to the First Coast blues scene. He has played all styles
of music from Reggae to Punk and brings those influences to the blues.
His manic energy, eclectic lead style and enthusiam are exciting to watch and
get swept up by. He is also an expert on guitar history and
has a collection that will make any enthusiast cry. He not only
collects them, but he plays them out as well, bringing amazing sounds of
classic guitars out from history to the stage. Equipment:
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Tapping out beats and rhythms in the high chair as a
youngster, (and this has been confirmed by family members) Bret began his
trip down drum road at an early age.
He started lessons In the fourth grade with a great teacher, moved to
private lessons in Jazz, Rock, and Big Band in junior high school and filled
in for his teacher from time to time.
At 19, he was in a band that was signed to Atlantic Records, and then
he worked the eastern seaboard metropolitan circuit throughout as a hired
artist for all styles of music.
He has also worked with Grammy Award-winning guitarist Cesar Diaz, who
is renowned as a custom guitar amp manufacturer, and guitar sound expert for
artists such as, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan,
and other recording artists. Equipment: ·
Premier drums ·
Paiste cymbals |
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Joseph "Joey duh Eye" Iannelli has been
mesmerizing audiences since the age of three when he would perform flawless
renditions of "Lady of Spain" on the accordion. A an
award-winning veteran child performer, Joseph was well on his way to a future
with the Lawrence Whelk Orchestra when he discovered that girls preferred
rock organists to easy listening accordionists. He quickly made the
switch from his stradella to a B-3 and the rest is history. Since then,
he has performed with many bands over the years in blues, jazz and rock,
including the Flailing Wombats, the TuneTanglers and Will and the Wild
Machines. His soulful organ playing raises the rafters and when he
kicks the rotating horn in, the crowd goes wild. Equipment:
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Drummer Phil Reed brings his own brand of West Coast blues
/funk to the Blues Authority. Phil spent 20 years in the San Francisco Bay
Area as a first call session drummer and has shared the stage with artists
from every genre of popular music. His solid funk grooves, up tempo swings
and and driving shuffles have been heard behind Tower of Power's former lead
vocalist Lenny Williams, jazz Divas Linda Cole & Jan Crawford, and a
variety of local rock and top 40 bands. Equipment:
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