Album Notes

About the Recording: Hittin' the Skids is the first studio recording from the Seattle based, rocking blues outfit, Bobby Holland and the Breadline. It features eleven original songs and Breadline's traditional reworkings of Jimmy Reed's "Aw Shucks" and Jimmie Rodgers "Blue Yodel #1" known by most folks as "T for Texas". About the Band: The music of Bobby Holland and the Breadline is an up-tempo mix of rockin' blues with a disitnctly southern flavor. Led by guitarist Bobby Holland and featuring former world harmonica champion Jim McLaughlin, the band features top notch musicianship, four part harmony and a catalog of excellent original material which they combine with their own unique intrepretations of blues standards. In many ways, Breadline defies categorization as they move seamlessly from a standard like Muddy Water’s “King Bee” to a rockin’ version of the Buck Owens classic “Hot Dog” and onto a bluesy take of Frank Zappa’s “Cosmik Debris”. Along the way they deliver first rate original material from the songwriting team of Bobby Holland and Rick Star. The band is led by singer, songwriter and guitarist, Bobby Holland. Originally from Virginia, Holland spent the early part of his career touring the U.S. with a series of groups. He arrived in the Seattle area with Hotel Texas and eventually settled here. Along the way, he has played with such legendary artists as fiddler Sugarcane Harris, blues man Harvey Mandel and Texas troubadour Joe Ely. Rick Star, Breadline’s eclectic bassist, plays both the electric fretless and stand-up bass. He complements the band with his fine harmony and lead vocals as well as his songwriting abilities. A Los Angeles transplant, Star has played everything from free-form acid jazz to rock and roll to blues. He has appeared with artists as diverse as Terry Bozzio of the Jeff Beck Group and Pat Smear of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. Gary Porter, with over thirty years of experience, is one of the area’s most sought-after session drummers. Originally from West Texas, Porter met longtime associate Bobby Holland as a member of The Walrus Brothers in the late seventies. Since then, Porter has toured with several groups including Sweet Talkin’ Jones, Rick Derringer and the McCoys and Sly and the Family Stone. Rounding out the quartet is 2 time World Harmonica Champion, Jim McLaughlin. Jim has toured North America, Australia, Japan and Europe, performing a wide variety of musical styles. As a studio musician, McLaughlin can be heard on numerous recordings. He has performed with such notables as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, WAR, Vassar Clements, Townes Van Zandt and Charlie Musselwhite to name a few. Bobby Holland and the Breadline have played many of the major venues throughout the Pacific Northwest and they continue to make new fans everywhere they go. Check them out, and we think you’ll agree: Bobby Holland and the Breadline are the real deal!