Joe was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on January the 26th 1951 into an Italian, Irish, American family. His father, Joe Sr., got him interested in the music of jazz genius Django Reinhardt at an early age. He started playing drums at 14 and joined first band, the "Vee Jays", a year later.

Joe left home at age 16 and hitchhiked to California to "make it big". He spent his first year in California hungry and homeless. With nowhere to turn, he formed his own band, and for a while made a living playing topless clubs in Los Angeles.

The turning point in his career came in 1974, when he joined "The Juke Rhythm Band", an L.A. based blues band of the Chicago style. It was at a time when national blues artists could not afford to carry their own bands. So, when they came to LA, the "J.R.B." was kept busy backing artists such as Albert Collins, Lowell Fulson, Big Joe Turner, George "'Harmonica" Smith, Big Mama Thornton, and many more. Joe says of those days: "It was like a semester at the College of Blues Knowledge!"

He toured the United States with Dobie "Drift-A-Way" Gray in 1976. But it wasn't until 1985 that, thanks to the recommendation of Coco Montoya, he hooked up with John Mayall and began touring the world over. For the last 15 years, Joe has been the driving beat behind nine of John Mayall's albums: - ARCHIVES TO EIGHTIES-BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN-BLUESBREAKERS LIVE- CHICAGO LINE-A SENSE OF PLACE-WAKEUP CALL-SPINNING COIN-BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS-PADLOCK ON THE BLUES.

Joe co-wrote 'Always a Brand New Road' with Buddy Whittington on The Bluesbreakers' latest CD. PADLOCK ON THE BLUES.

BUDDY WHITTINGTON-guitar

Born in Fort Worth, Texas on the 28th December 1956, Buddy Whittington began playing guitar at the age of eight after being inspired by his sister's records of The Beatles, Rolling Stones and, in particular, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. By the age of 14 he was already a part of the Dallas/Fort Worth music scene and playing regularly in the clubs along Jacksboro Highway. Although he became versatile enough to be able to play anything from the country music of Bob Wills to the rhythm and blues classics of Bill Doggett to rock 'n roll, his main love was, and is to this day, the blues. During the early 80's, he formed and sang with his own group "The Sidemen" who became well known to a large audience who loved their down home grooves. In 1991, "The Sidemen" were booked at a club called Dallas Alley to open up for none other than John Mayall. Apparently John was impressed enough to keep in touch and, when Coco Montoya left the Bluesbreakers in 1993, there was no doubt in John's mind who to call. Ever since that out-of-the blue phone call, Buddy has brought a powerful new dimension to the Bluesbreakers' sound. To date, his searing guitar and unique talents have ignited the albums SPINNING COIN, BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS and PADLOCK ON THE BLUES.

It's been a Mayall tradition for the Bluesbreakers’ guitarist to cover a Freddie King instrumental, starting with "Hideaway" by Eric on the "Beano", "The Stumble" by Peter on "A Hard Road", and "Driving Sideways" featuring Mick Taylor on "Crusade". Buddy continues this tradition in style with "Sen-Say-Shun" on the BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS album, Mayall's 1997 Silvertone release. The Texas influence rears its head on "Dead City" from the same album and on "Ain't No Brakeman" from 1994's SPINNING COIN. "It's that Les Paul-through-a-Marshall-tone that Eric refined in '66--it can't be topped! And although I play a Stratocaster through a Dr. Z amp onstage these days, it's that perfect Gibson/Marshall 'thang' that we're all striving for!", muses Whittington.

Unlike countless rock 'n rollers who carry racks of guitars around for every show, Buddy likes to keep it simple and plays only one - his 1963 Stratocaster plugged into a Dr. Z amplifier. He is also an accomplished blues songwriter and, in addition to the the songs he sings with the Bluesbreakers on live shows, he and longtime Mayall drummer Joe Yuele CO-wrote the song 'Always a Brand New Road' for John on PADLOCK ON THE BLUES as a tribute to their bandleader. The song continues to get critical acclaim and attention and has been quoted in many of the album's reviews.

Although John Mayall makes Los Angeles his home base, Buddy is proud to live in Hurst, Texas with his family where he was raised and born to play the blues. He is currently working on material for a future album of his own.

HANK VAN SICKLE-bass

Hank was born into a musical family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 31, 1961. His father, Denny, played in dance bands in Canada as a youngster, went on to graduate from the prestigious Curtis Institute Of Music, and played bass in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for nearly forty years. The music of the Van Sickle household was jazz, and Hank remembers as a child being entertained by the music of Theolonius Monk, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Cal Tjader, and other jazz giants.

He got his professional start as a teenager playing blues with his sister, Lucy, who is an excellent harp player and blues singer. He immersed himself in the classic 50's Chess recordings of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Jimmy Rogers. He quickly got turned on to the more contemporary sounds of Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, and Magic Sam. And of course there was the influence of the British blues and rock music: John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, and Cream.

Hank graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, and worked for nearly ten years as a mechanical engineer in the oil and aerospace industries, while continuing to play jazz and blues. Becoming a full-time professional musician was inevitable.Working as a freelance bass player, he started stretching beyond blues and jazz, playing all kinds of music, from Western Swing, to R & B, to Dixieland, Country, and Musicals.

Hank has worked with Guitar Shorty, Smokey Wilson, Candye Kane, Denny Freeman, Rosie Flores, James Intveld, Wanda Jackson, Yma Sumac, Judy Tenuta, and The Drifters, among others. He has contributed to several albums, movie soundtracks (including David Lynch's "The Straight Story"), and television commercials.

Joining John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers in September 2000 was a tremendous thrill, an opportunity to get back to the roots, and play the blues every night with a great band!home.earthlink.net/-hendrickvansickle

TOM CANNING-keyboards

Born in Rochester, New York on 24 January 1948, the light bulb went on for Tom Canning at the age of five, when he heard live recordings of African Pygmies drumming and chanting. Thus began a lifelong love and appreciation for the depth and mysterious power of the music of the Black culture. Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis were early roots-rock influences for Tom, as well as such legendary pianists as Erroll Garner, James Booker, and Oscar Peterson.

Tom moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970's, and worked on a wide variety of albums with such artists as T-Bone Burnett, Delbert McClinton, and the late Freddie King. He also began his highly productive relationship with Al Jarreau, co-writing and co-producing on Al's first seven albums, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination for his arranging skills.

Over the years, Tom has worked with such diverse artists as Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, Glenn Frey, and Joe Walsh, Elvis Costello, Albert Lee, Juke Logan, Freddie King, and Johnny Shines. He has also produced critically acclaimed albums for Stephen Bruton, Scott Cossu, and new Age artist Ray Lynch.

Over the past three years, Tom has been busy performing and recording with the French artist Johnny Hallyday. Tom has done three albums with Johnny, including a live album last summer 2000 in Paris at the Eiffel Tower, in front of 750,000 people!

Tom was thrilled to have been called to play keyboards on John Mayall's WAKE UP CALL album, and was equally delighted to go back into the studio with Mayall for the current album, ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

© 2001 Magnolia Blue