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A new album by the Backtrack Blues Band, "A Day By The Bay" on Gulf Coast Records.
On "A Day By The Bay", the Backtrack Blues Band delivers an energetic and amazing live set of blues music. Featuring stellar harmonica, guitar and B3 organ, with exceptional vocals and solid rhythms, this is a blues album that every music lover will treasure! Please order today and bring a world class blues party into your world!!
The Tracklist
- Best Friend’s Grave (Sonny Charles)
- Make My Home in Florida (Sonny Charles)
- Help Me Just This Time ( Sonny Charles)
- Dixie Grill ( Sonny Charles)
- Natural Born Lover (Jimmy Reed)
- Rich Man Blues (Sonny Charles)
- She Might Get Mad (Kid Royal)
- Times Is Hard (Kid Royal)
- You’ll Come Back Someday (Sonny Charles)
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Buy your CD now and it will be signed by Sonny Charles - the band's founder, vocalist and blues harp master!
$25 for CD and mailing within USA
$35 for CD and mailing outside USA
Gulf Coast Records announces the signing of acclaimed St. Petersburg-based Backtrack Blues Band and will release their label debut, A Day by the Bay, on April 14th.
Recorded live at the Tampa Bay Blues Festival on April 10, 2022, the new live album showcases the band that consists of Sonny Charles on harmonica and vocals, Kid Royal on lead guitar and vocals, Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on drums and Stick Davis on bass. On this show , the band is joined by Wayne Sharp on B3 organ and the Backtrack Angels on backing vocals. These seasoned musicians combined have garnered a Grammy Award, two Blues Music Awards, a Keeping the Blues Alive Award, and three Tampa Bay Music Awards for "Best Blues Band."
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THE SONGS
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WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
"BACKTRACK BLUES BAND / Your Baby Has Left : They come from Tampa, overdub in Muscle Shoals, capture the spirit of Chicago and Texas and know how to play real blues. They have rubbed elbows with some of the major august blues personages , letting the lessons rub off on them . Right in the pocket throughout as they spread the word!"
- MIDWEST RECORDS, 2/28/20
"BACKTRACK BLUES BAND - a leader with a cheerful style of vocals and harmonica , doubled on his right by a guitar- slinger worthy of the most ruthless assassinations . To sum it up : the leader Sonny Charles proves to be a first -rate blower ( between Sonny Boy, Kim Wilson, and William Clark , do you need to detail it further ? ) the Kid Royal who officiates as lead- guitar never makes the slightest quarter ( where Stevie Ray would be today ) and the rhythm section has the necessary shock absorbers to support such a crew in all circumstances . It would wake up a paralytic in outdated calalepsy ! "
- Patrick Dollongeville, PARIS-MOVE, 2/28/20
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VIDEO SAMPLE
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A two disc release with a fabulous live blues CD album and a first class DVD show filmed at the historic Palladium Theater.
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On its new release, “Way Back Home,” the Backtrack Blues Band has delivered an exciting harp and guitar-infused album that really hits the mark! The group has been one of Florida’s leading original blues acts for decades, and those years of performing have paid big dividends on this record. The solid grooves, stellar guitar, electrifying harmonica, and vocals make this CD one of the best blues releases of 2016. Reminiscent of the sounds of Paul Butterfield and the early Fabulous Thunderbirds, the songs on this record are true electric blues with lots of soul and energy.
Backtrack has won three consecutive Tampa Bay Music Awards for “Best Blues Band” and has performed at festivals and concerts around the world with blues music legends like Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Gregg Allman, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, and others. “Way Back Home” marks the band’s fifth album, and the critics have proclaimed it the band’s best work.
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"On "Way Back Home" Kid Royal's beautifully constructed guitar solos add layers of complexity to the band's sound , serving as a counterpoint to the vibrant harp tones from Sonny Charles. On "Tell your Daddy" Charles boasts a harty vocal and a killer guitar solo from Kid Royal. Charles delivers one of his strongest vocal performances on "Your Funeral, My Trial" utilizing his full tone on harp to great effect ....while Kid Royal's efforts leave an indelible impression." click here to read entire review
—Mark Thompson, Blues Music Magazine, October 2016
"Hurtling into opener "Goin' To Eleuthera", Backtrack Blues Band rarely let up on the energy or passion. And they have the tunes to carry with them: "Tell Your Daddy" is prone to pristine blues rock wailing, "Rich Man Blues" is all about passion racked retro bliss and the cover of "Checkin' On My Baby' gathers a veritable blues harmonica storm. Terrifyingly good!" click here to read entire review
—Daniel Pavlica, Sept. 2016
"Way Back Home is their latest, and I suggest you insulate the walls and hoist cement blocks around the speakers 'cause the quintet comes barreling at you right out the gate. Frontman Sonny Charles possesses a classically tart blues voice, charged up with grit and sass tinged with a dram of vinegar, and wields a mean harmonica in the Little Walter school. The band in fact was dubbed after Walter’s "Backtrack" and kicks a rompin' stompin' combo of Chicago and Texas blues." click here to read entire review
—Mark Tucker, Sept. 15, 2016
"The new release from the Backtrack Blues Band is a highly entertaining collection of mostly original tracks of traditional blues. The songs they deliver are individual gems, with a welcome balance of stellar musicianship, story, and style ! All together, they form a solid album that will only benefit from repeat listenings. The blues have never sounded so fun!" click here to read entire review
—Greg Victor, parcbench.live, Sept. 13, 2016
"This is an album well - deserving of a Blues Music Award. The musicianship is flawless, the arrangements are superb, the vocals are first- rate, and the tunes are all played professionally , with no showboating and no egos getting in the way" click here to read entire review
—Bill Wilson, Reflections In Blue, Sept. 2016
"Overall, a superior album with fine musicianship, solid songwriting, good traditional blues rhythms and a lot of spirit. Strong guitar with a wide vocabulary of blues. Big-toned harp played with lots of confidence. There's plenty to be proud of!"
—Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records, on the "Your Baby Has Left" album