Album Notes

Delta Moon -- the winner of the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, February 1, 2003 -- formed in the late 1990s when Mark Johnson and Tom Gray lived within a few blocks of each other in Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood. They got together regularly in Mark's livingroom to work up arrangements of classic blues and original songs for two slide guitars and voices. Soon, joined by a rotating cast of percussionists, drummers, and bassists, the band was playing in rib joints, nightclubs, and festivals around Atlanta and neighboring cities. Following the March 2002 release of their debut CD, imaginatively entitled "Delta Moon," the band started ranging farther from home, taking their energetic stage show across the US, Canada and Europe. As one audience member said, "Thanks for inviting us to your party!"

"Howlin'" was recorded in July 2005. The line-up on this CD is Scott Callison on drums, Tom Gray on vocals, lap steel, and keyboards, Mark Johnson on bottleneck guitar, Kristin Markiton on vocals and hand percussion, and Phil Skipper on bass.

"Their exposive mix of Delta blues, R&B, boogie-woogie, gospel, and blues-rock is innovative and daring. But most striking is the way their slide guitars interlock in each song, resulting in a swampy, loose-limbed sound that buzzes with passion."
- Blues Revue

"The far-reaching influences, the personal experiences, and the unflinching willingness - not to mention uncanny ability - to completely stretch the blues, make Delta Moon's records at once exciting and sincere."
- Hittin' the Note

"A forehead-slappingly fantastic combo that wipes the floor with most of the competition."
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Delta Moon strikes gold with raw intensity."
- Southeast Performer

"A perfect example of contemporary Southen roots music at its most affecting."
- All Music Guide