MICK SIMPSON
In the early 1980's Mick worked as a session guitarist and was spotted by Elkie Brooks who asked him to tour in her band. BBC Radio One's Tommy Vance spoke to Mick backstage after a gig and as a result he played some of Mick's Instrumental tracks on his ‘Friday Night Rock Show’.
In the mid 1990's Mick worked with John Parr of 'St Elmo's Fire' fame, featuring on his album 'Man With A Vision'. A number of tracks from the album have featured on smash hit films, such as 'Running Man' with Arnold Schwarzenegger and 'Three Men And A Baby' with Tom Selleck. Mick then toured with ex Rolling Stone Bill Wyman's 'Rhythm Kings' and in 2004 his original track 'A Father's Son' won the International Songwriters Award sponsored by the Brits Trust. The track received major TV and radio airplay along with Mick's song 'Looking Through My Eyes' which was released to raise money and awareness of Autism, which is a cause close to his heart.
In June 2005 Mick guested at the 80th birthday of blues legend BB King at his blues bar in New York. He has also played alongside other guitar heroes such as Gary Moore and Snowy White.
In 2010, Mick released his long awaited debut solo album ‘Hard Road’ on the Mad Ears Productions label. The album received support from Paul Jones (BBC Radio 2), and was play listed on the U.S. Blues Radio Network. One of the tracks from the album, ‘Sometimes I Get So Lonely’, was nominated for best original song at the 2011 British Blues Awards (The Kevin Thorpe Memorial Award).
Mick teamed up once again with producer and co-writer, Andy Littlewood, to record his second studio album, ‘Cruel World’. This 11-track blues-rock album was released in March 2012, and features a guest vocal appearance by female artist Malaya, on the track ‘Find Another You’. The Instrumental track, ‘Road To Memphis’, was licensed for the soundtrack of the short film, ‘Road To Hell’, and was also used in the award winning indie documentary, ‘A Message To Myself’’.
In 2014, Mick released his third album, ‘Unfinished Business’, 14 tracks of soaring blues guitar, driving rock anthems and melodic country blues. Album highlights include the southern rock epic, ‘Playing the Losing Hand’, the ‘in your face’ rocker, ‘Trouble Brewing’, and the laid back jazzy blues title track, ‘Unfinished Business’. There’s also a Gary Moore tribute in the shape of a 9-minute guitar fuelled extravaganza titled, ‘Drowning in my Tears’. The album received airplay on BBC Radio 2 with tracks played by both Paul Jones and Alex Lester, and the single 'Playing the Losing Hand' reached the number one spot in the Dutch 'Hit Tracks 100 Music Chart'.
Over the past couple of years Mick has worked as a session guitarist for artists such as Starship, Mockingbird Hill, Malaya Blue, Dave Hunt, and Last Chance Saloon.
Mick's new solo album 'Black Rain' is due for release on 27th March 2017. The album features a diverse range of blues and rock guitar styles influenced by the likes of BB King, Gary Moore, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, Django Reinhardt, and Robert Johnson. Production duties are once again carried out by Andy Littlewood, and guest musicians include Dave Hunt, Michael John McElligott, Pete Nelson, B Veiga Sanchez, and top Italian singer Eva Carboni who performs lead vocals on the track 'River of Life'.
Mick is currently performing at various dates up and down the country. Plans for 2017 also include a series of live dates featuring the members of the original Gary Moore Band.
KEITH THOMPSON BAND
British Blues Rock musician Keith Thompson, solo and with his band have been consistently performing in mainland Europe now for 25+ years, where he is well known to the large blues following as an exciting live performer. This year Keith completed his 8th Blues/Rock album, “Catch the Fire” which features as guests, Buddy Whittington (John Mayall etc.) and rising star, Laurence Jones. Keith and the band have subsequently toured again in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, USA & UK. They also appeared at several major festivals in Croatia including Baska International Guitar Festival, Umag and Kastav Blues Festivals. Also at Slovenia at the prestigious “Postonja Blues Festival” with “Ten Years After” and “Paul Lamb and the Kingsnakes”, Suwalki and Krosno Festivals in Poland alongside, Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac), Clarksdale Blues Festival, USA, Colne R&B festival in Lancashire, Swanage, Banbury Upton and Gloucester Blues Festivals in the UK. Keith has added his skills on stage or in recordings to projects by Spooky Tooth, Mike D’Abo, Steve Winwood, Ruby Turner, Larry Burton, Dave Markee and Henry Spinetti (Eric Clapton Band and Tina Turner) Greg Ridley of Humble Pie, The Groundhogs, Robbie Blunt, (Robert Plant) Luther Grosvenor of Mott The Hoople, Gino Washington, and many others.
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BILLY J KRAMER
In March of 1963, Billy was the first person to have a hit record with a Lennon-McCartney song, “Do You Want To Know A Secret” which was written especially for him by John and Paul and recorded with George Martin at Abbey Road Studios even before The Beatles recorded it themselves. Billy toured extensively throughout the UK as the opening act for The Beatles both before and during Beatlemania. Billy also headlined tours with such greats as Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, and The Everly Brothers.
The Lennon-McCartney compositions, “Bad To Me” along with “I’ll Keep You Satisfied”, “From A Window”, and “I Call Your Name” all became international million sellers for Billy. Then, Billy received a demo of a song by top American songwriters Mort Shuman and John Leslie McFarland called Little Children. Billy immediately felt that it was a hit song. His insight proved correct as Little Children became a worldwide smash hit. Bad To Me and Little Children were released as a double sided single. They have the unique distinction of being the highest entry into the Billboard charts at #8. That accomplishment has never been equalled.
Appearances on TV shows such as Ed Sullivan, Shindig and Hullaballoo secured Billy a place in rock and roll history. In 1964, Billy performed as part of the legendary TAMI show along with such artists as James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones and many others. To commemorate his 50th anniversary in the music business, Billy recorded and released new material titled “I Won The Fight”. The song Liverpool With Love was instrumental in finally getting Brian Epstein inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. He has also recently released his autobiography titled “Do You Want To Know A Secret”.
Billy’s international momentum has lasted through the years, and he continues to record, perform and promote his Storytellers show.
Motel Sundown are an Americana band based in Liverpool consisting of three songwriters, Karen Turley, Naomi Campbell and Robert Johnson. Formed in 2018, together they combine the sounds they grew up with such as The Beatles, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, with three-part harmonies inspired by the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In 2022 the band released their debut album If You Were Listening, produced by Mercury Prize nominee Andy Ross and featuring Pedal Steel legend Gerry Hogan.
Since releasing the album, Motel Sundown have been playing shows across the UK both as a full band accompanied by piano, drums and bass, and as an acoustic trio. In this format, the band have played support slots for both local and international Americana artists such as The Hanging Stars, Ashley Campbell, The Chapin Sisters and more recently, US Grammy nominated artist Courtney Marie Andrews.
Motel Sundown have also made various festival appearances including the British Country Music Festival, Cosmic Cape and Sound City.
In June 2023 the band performed at Black Deer Festival alongside Bonnie Raitt, The Pretenders and Allison Russell after winning a slot via public vote through the Black Deer Emerging Competition. The band returned again in 2024 to play the Caffe Nero stage.
Radio stations BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Ulster and Liverpool Live have remained a great support to Motel Sundown since their first single release, Chicago in 2019 and the band were recently titled ‘artist of the week’ on The Late Show on BBC Radio Ulster (Belfast) with Eve Blair. The band were also given a two-page interview in Maverick, one of the UK’s most prestigious Americana and Country magazines.
If You Were Listening, the title track from the debut album was added to Apple Music’s Today’s Country playlist following its release, since gaining over 30,000 streams. The album has also gained over 20,000 streams on Spotify.
WOLF MOON
Wolf Moon is the band that grew out of singer-songwriter duo Lethbridge
Owen and is fast becoming known as one of the UK’s most respected up-and-
coming original artists.
In a world dominated by formulaic harmonies, predictable riffs and copy-and-
paste lyrics, Wolf Moons Singer/Songwriter Jimmy Owen and Kelly
Lethbridge draw from the creative spirit of great artists from Lindsey
Buckingham to Ryan Adams, John Mayer, to Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks,
producing songs of beauty, sincerity and emotional weight across a range of
styles that defies pigeon-holing. The band brings together some of the UK's
finest musicians, with Jimmy's formidable lead guitar combined with Kelly
Lethbridge's gorgeous sultry vocals backed by the inimitable rhythm section of
Erik Stams (drums), Noah Nelson (bass) and Emily Francis (keys) plus
guests. The on-stage chemistry that results is truly captivating.
The band have just released their second studio Album, ‘How Do You See
Yourself’ which has received some great attention from reviewers to radio
producers, with Eddie Nestor at BBC London (on their latest summer single,
‘Love in the Sun’) stating…
“Free flowing, melodic and perfect harmonies, this new song from Wolf Moon
conjures up summer sounds and images of days of youth. Great
instrumentation and eager need for the rest of the album’’
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Wolf Moon, although no newcomers to the music scene have really started to
take flight this year with their second release, playing shows at the 100 Club
and booking many more shows for 2023 along with some festival slots.
They will also be Café Nero’s Artist of the Month in March/April and will be
doing a mini tour of the cafés up and down the UK in Spring.
Founded by Kelly Lethbridge & Jimmy Owen, the gifted duo has toured the UK
and have already caught the eye of some the industry’s most prestigious folk
with Guitarist Magazine saying, “Jimmy Owen is an incredible guitarist,
absolutely fabulous playing!” and the likes of renowned music agent and
journalist Pete Feenstra citing “Wolf Moon are what the Rumours line up of
Fleetwood Mac could have been had they not imploded.”
Wolf Moon invoke the untamed panoramas of the West Coast, shifting
seamlessly from classic rock beats to sultry blues to acoustic ethereal folk and
back again.
The songs were rewarded with glowing critical acclaim for its ambitious pan-
genre patchwork of styles and sounds and striking ecelcticism, with frequent
parallels drawn to Buckingham-Nicks.
The band leads us through luminous sonic landscapes, through light and
shade, with Jimmy's wild and expansive soloing style balanced perfectly by
Kelly's silky expressive tone and impressive range. Wolf Moon invoke the
untamed panoramas of the West Coast, shifting seamlessly from classic rock
beats to sultry blues to acoustic ethereal folk and back again. There is always
something new to find in Jimmy and Kelly’s restless harmonies and haunting,
poetic lyrics, which will also take centre stage in their forthcoming second
album, set for release in 2022. Guitar lovers will also be drawn to Jimmy’s
obsession with tone, working with often rare vintage gear such as ‘70s echo
plex and ‘60s Marshall plexi which together with the band’s rich vocal
harmonies gives Wolf Moon its distinctive big panoramic sound. Beautifully
summed up by John Dryland of Cargo Records, “Wolf Moon’s always
immaculate vocals, subtle and mature songwriting combined with stellar
performances all round and with Jimmy Owen’s fantastic tone and incredible
guitar playing make this band must-see. Wolf Moon really is one to watch out
for.Ӊ۬
Wolf Moon's favourite artists and biggest influences include Fleetwood Mac,
Sting, John Mayer, Heart, Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Bonnie Raitt, Led
Zeppelin, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Ryan Adams,
Big Wreck – and many more.