ALLIGATOR RECORDS KICKS OFF 35th ANNIVERSARY WITH DOUBLE RELEASE
Alligator Records kicks off its 35th anniversary year by setting a January 31 release date for RACIN' THE DEVIL, the new CD from Stray Cat bassist Lee Rocker, and DELUXE EDITION, the "best of" CD from acoustic blues trio Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women.
With musical muscle from his road-tested band (guitarists Brophy Dale and Buzz Campbell and drummer Jimmy Sage) RACIN' THE DEVIL is Rocker's most diverse album yet, and an Americana music fan's dream come true. The CD features twelve rootsy songs of scorching rockabilly, roadhouse romps and straight-ahead, old-school rock 'n' roll, highlighted by nine originals that are by far the strongest of his career. And his reinventions of The Stray Cats mega-hit Rock This Town and his first post-Cats band Phantom, Rocker & Slick's Runnin' From The Hounds are foot-stomping and ecstatic statements of pure joy.
The Chicago Tribune describes Rocker's playing as "muscular and passionate." The Washington Post says his music consists of "impressive, catchy, driving original songs, frantic romps, finger-snapping swing and brooding slow blues." Rolling Stone declares, "Lee Rocker's singing naturally captures the spirit of rock 'n' roll. His catchy, well-written songs are very difficult to get out of your head."
Born Leon Drucker in Massapequa, Long Island in 1961 to world-renowned classical musician parents, Rocker grew up with music all around him. He began taking classical cello lessons at age eight and initially hated them, but ultimately grew to enjoy playing. As his ears widened into rock 'n' roll, he picked up the electric bass, and quickly mastered the instrument. During grade school, his close friends included Jimmy McDonnell (later to become Slim Jim Phantom) and Brian Setzer. The three jammed together often, playing a wide variety of rock 'n' roll, before discovering classic blues musicians like Muddy Waters and rockabilly giants like Carl Perkins. Rocker picked up the acoustic bass to emulate the sounds he heard on those records, and the band began playing more and more roots music. By 1979, this trio, now known as The Stray Cats, began to single-handedly revive rockabilly music in the U.S. and eventually around the world.
Adding a contemporary punk attitude to traditional slap-bass, twangy guitar and drums, The Stray Cats headlined famous New York haunts like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, drawing overflow crowds every time they played. They moved to London in 1980 and became an even bigger success, even attracting The Rolling Stones to their shows. The group's first American album, 1982's Built For Speed, became a huge hit, and held the #2 spot on the Billboard chart for 26 weeks, right behind Michael Jackson's Thriller.
By 1984 the group was exhausted and decided to temporarily call it quits. But the furious touring of the early 1980s turned Rocker into one of the best showmen working in any genre. In 1985 Rocker and Phantom hooked up with ex-David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick to form Phantom, Rocker & Slick, scoring a minor hit with the song Men Without Shame. The Stray Cats reformed in 1986, performing together briefly. Rocker never stopped rocking, as he befriended and collaborated with his hero Carl Perkins as well as with Dave Edmunds, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck and Willie Nelson.
Rocker's solo career took off in 1994 with the release of Big Blue and in 1995 with Atomic Boogie Hour, both on Black Top Records. Four more releases followed, and Rocker toured relentlessly, becoming one of the premiere Americana/ rockabilly/ roots artists in the U.S. and Europe. In 2002, Rocker toured the U.S. with ex-Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore. His 2003 CD Bulletproof found a large and appreciative audience, as he continued to perform all around the country. That same year, The Stray Cats reunited for an 18-city tour of Europe, culminating in a filmed show at London's Brixton Academy. The show was released on DVD as Rumble In Brixton in 2004.
With RACIN' THE DEVIL, Rocker has made the best solo album of his career. From garage rockers and deeply textured roots anthems to the rockabilly sounds he helped reinvent, the album is a rich piece of Americana, as timeless and unique as the music Rocker fell in love with as a youngster. The originals bite with a powerful snap, the covers become his personal statements, and the playing is first-rate, raucous, rocking and fun. A full tour calendar will bring Rocker's high-energy live shows to fans across the country.
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With the release of their self-titled Alligator debut album back in 1990, Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women burst on the blues scene at a time when male-dominated, electric guitar-fueled bands ruled the roost. With their infectious acoustic blues Saffire reestablished and updated the long tradition of uppity women blues singers like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace and Memphis Minnie. Mixing first-rate musicianship with equal parts of sass, soul and humor, Saffire unleashed unforgettable originals-composed with humor and poignancy-alongside definitive versions of classic blues songs. Living Blues raved, "Saffire effectively bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary blues with grit, unpredictability and authority."
The group as a whole and all three women individually have received numerous Blues Music Award nominations from The Blues Foundation, and won the Blues Song of the Year Award in 1991 for Adegbalola's The Middle Aged Blues Boogie. In 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999 Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women were nominated for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year. Rabson received two nominations in 1998 (Acoustic Blues Album of the Year and Traditional Blues Album of the Year) for MUSIC MAKIN' MAMA. She received the nomination for Traditional Blues--Female Artist of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and is nominated again for the 2006 Award. Faye received nominations in 2004 and 2005 for Blues Instrumentalis of the Year--Other (mandolin/violin).
Thanks to the undeniable talents, sassy attitudes and constant touring of pianist/guitarist/vocalist Ann Rabson, guitarist/harmonicist/vocalist Gaye Adegbalola and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Andra Faye, Saffire have continued to spread their message wide and far. Over the course of six outstanding studio albums and one foot-stomping live release, Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women have earned legions of fans of all ages and genders all across the country and around the world. DELUXE EDITION captures some of the best songs and performances from these releases, featuring over 75 minutes of material selected by the band.
It's been over 20 years since Ann Rabson joined forces with her guitar student, Gaye Adegbalola (a former award-winning 8th grade science teacher) and they set course for a full-time music career. After gigging around their hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia, they quickly developed a substantial regional following. Ann and Gaye, along with the band's original bassist, Earlene Lewis, pooled their money and recorded an album that they forwarded to Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer. The original songs and the musicianship, but most of all the feisty personality that shone through, impressed Iglauer. Although he had never signed or recorded an all-acoustic act before, he couldn't get them out of his mind.
Their debut album, 1990's SAFFIRE-THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN, became one of Alligator's biggest selling releases ever. Gaye won a Blues Music Award for "Song Of The Year" for her raucous Middle-Aged Blues Boogie. The group quickly went from being local favorites to internationally recognized blues stars, sharing stages with Koko Taylor, B.B. King, Ray Charles and Willie Dixon, who said of the band, "They knock me out." National media outlets like Entertainment Tonight, CNN's Showbiz Today, and National Public Radio's Weekend Edition ran feature stories on the band. Saffire had definitely arrived. Their follow-up albums, 1991's HOT FLASH and 1992's BROADCASTING, took Saffire to even greater heights. Constant touring and increased radio play earned the group new fans everywhere they went. "Even people who don't like the blues can't resist them," declared The Washington Post. With the departure of original bassist Lewis after the release of HOT FLASH, BROADCASTING featured multi-instrumentalist Andra Faye rounding out the sound. Andra's mastery of all things stringed and her country-tinged vocals added a new dimension to Saffire's music.
The band's subsequent tour and album, 1994's OLD, NEW, BORROWED & BLUE, brought Andra into the band full-time, and their fan base continued to swell. Features in MS. and an interview on National Public Radio's Fresh Air spread the word all across the country. Their subsequent albums, 1996's CLEANING HOUSE, 1998's LIVE & UPPITY and 2001's AIN'T GONNA HUSH! earned the band hordes of new fans and mountains of critical acclaim. Throughout all of their albums and live performances, Rabson, Adegbalola and Faye combine their voices and instruments to create a rollicking mix of soulful energy and infectious spirit.
DELUXE EDITION will delight old fans and invite a host of new fans into the world of Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women. "These three middle-aged women look more like fugitives from a Tupperware party than a typical blues band," The Chicago Tribune reported after a characteristically buoyant Saffire gig. "But appearances can be deceiving, as these musicians demonstrated by tearing up the stage with their high-powered, take-no-prisoners approach." With DELUXE EDITION, Saffire's soulful, uplifting music will make certain their message continues to be heard loud and clear.
