BRINGING THE BEST BLUES TO YOU FOR 35 YEARS

SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES FULL PERFORMANCE AT A' VACHE de BLUES  FESTIVAL


Sugar Ray and the Bluetones...

Have been playing their unique style of blues the world over for almost forty years.  Not limited to one style, but able to play Chicago Blues in the style of Muddy Waters; Little Walter and Billy Boy Arnold; Kansas City Swing in the style of "Big" Joe Turner; Texas Blues like "T" Bone Walker and Freddie King; and the swampy Louisiana sounds of "Lazy" Lester; All played with the distinctive originality of band leader Sugar Ray Norcia, vocals and harmonica, guitarist "Monster" Mike Welch, Anthony Geraci at the piano and Hammond Organ, Michael "Mudcat" Ward playing acoustic and electric bass, and drummer Neil Gouvin.  All of the members of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones have been featured on other Artists recordings which include Hubert Sumlin, John Hammond, Johnny Winter, Otis Grand, Pinetop Perkins, The Mannish Boys, Sugaray Rayford, Debbie Davies, Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl and many more.

In the ’90s Norcia spent seven high-profile years with the legendary Roomful of Blues. He cut five albums with the group including 1996’s Turn It On! Turn It Up!, which also received a “Best Traditional Blues” GRAMMY nod. Norcia followed that period of playing 250 dates a year fronting the revered jump blues institution with his solo recording Sweet and Swinging and the reformation of Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. Today he continues to tour the world with his flexible group (Guitarist Mike Welch, drummer Neil Gouvin, bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward and pianist Anthony Geraci) and make acclaimed albums like 2007’s My Life, My Friends, My Music — which drew Blues Music Award nominations for Album of the Year, Instrumentalist — Harmonica and Song of the Year (for “Last Words of a Fool”); Evening — which earned several BMA nominations and wins in the Blues Album of the Year and Traditional Blues Album of the Year categories; and his latest Living Tear To Tear — which has grabbed seven nominations includingBand of the Year and Traditional Male Blues Artist for Norcia.

 

"Sugar Ray has great tone and phrasing, singing ad playing the harp. One of my favorites." -Charlie Musslewhite
"Sugar Ray is the real deal. There is nobody better to represent this music." - Kim Wilson, The Fabulous Thunderbirds

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