Lucky Peterson
Marquise Knox
Sugaray Rayford

Lucky Peterson was back in force in 2009 (in Vienne, in particular) with a striking triple album: “Organ Soul Sessions”. For the recording with a group of red-hot musicians (including Cornell Dupree on guitar!), the multi-instrumentalist singer had put aside his guitar and gone back to his favourite instrument: the Hammond organ. “I’m an organist, first and foremost. I started out on drums, then switched to the B3. I was five years old! I only started playing guitar when I was about 20.” The son of musical parents, Lucky Peterson made his debuts in Buffalo, where he would look up at the guests at his father’s blues club. Such legend as Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters played there on tour. The young Lucky was particularly fascinated by the organist Bill Doggett. Now in his fifties, Lucky is taking a fresh look at a soulful - or more precisely, jazz’n’soul - repertoire with his smoky voice and double keyboard. “I love the music of Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder” he says, “but my main man is still Jimmy Smith!” So, here he is with the recently released “Tribute to Jimmy Smith” - no less than his 30^th album!

Line-up : Lucky Peterson (voc, Hammond B3, g), Tamara Tramell (voc), Shawn Kellerman (g), Rachid Guissous (kbd), Timothy Waites (b), Raul Valdes (dms)

Photo : © J-M. Lubrano

“Can a Young Man Play the Blues?” asks Marquise Knox in one of the highlights on his third album, “Black and Blue”, recorded live. This young native of St Louis, Missouri, born in 1991, definitely knows that the answer is yes. Early on 26 August, on the way back from a gig, the singer and guitarist aged 23 was attacked and stabbed in the neck. Knox was rushed to hospital but was fit enough to tour again in France in November 2017, as part of the “New Blues Generation”. “On Black and Blue (Live)”, the menacing “Commit a Crime” (“I’m gonna leave before I commit a crime…”) confirms Knox’s authentic, deep and intense blues style with the low-down tone. Since the age of 16 (he was just 12 when he first played in public!), this protégé of Louisiana Red and disciple of Muddy Waters and BB King seems to have had the experience of Methuselah. With his deep voice, sharp guitar and exuberant choruses, this hard-hitting contemporary blues can take on a feminine form(“Marquise”) and features plenty of male assurance: Knox down!

Line-up : Marquise Knox (voc, g), Michael Battle (dms), Matthew Lawder (g), Augustus Thornton (b)

Photo : © dr

At the crossroads of Delta blues, gospel, rhythm‘n’blues and soul, the impressive Sugaray Rayford sings with a soulful, vehement and sensual voice expressing his native Texas and recalling the XXL vocals of Solomon Burke. A giant with a powerful, cyclonic voice, but also the rough-hewed sensibility of a southern preacher. Caron “Sugaray” Rayford grew up at the Baptist church of his district, of course, to the east of Pecos, where he learned to play the drums and to sing at the age of 7. He released his first album (“Blind Alley”) in 2010 with two songs written by Al Kooper (Dylan, Blood, Sweat and Tears). On tour in France in 2014, Sugaray introduced us to an incredible guitarist: Gino Matteo. After just three albums, Sugaray was nominated in four categories in the famous Blues Music Awards 2016 and has made his name as one of the great contemporary “shouters”. “The World That We Live In”, his fourth album, produced Stax-style in Rome by Luc Sapio (who was behind the comeback of Martha High), has just been released.

Photo : © Suzan Jones