Album Notes

Review from Andy Grigg - Real Blues Magazine

This disc finds him (Bill Lupkin) fronting a very esteemed group of blues vets in front of an appreciative audience. Pretty close to perfection for a live CD, Lupkin and his band prove to be one of the best “live” bands on the contemporary scene, and his harp skills put him in the top 5 or 10, depending on who you ask.

Review by Barry Gober from Blues Onstage

Bill Lupkin is a veteran vocalist/harmonica player who recorded with Jimmy Rogers in 1972 before giving up music as his full time career and returning to his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana to run a stained glass business. However, Lupkin has kept his chops sharps and has now released a live album that was recorded live at the Hot Spot in Fort Waqyne, Indiana. The backing band on the disc is made up of Mark Fornek on Drums, Steve Lupkin on bass, Barrelhouse Chuck on piano and Billy Flynn on guitar. All the players have long been associated with the Chicago blues scene and the experience shows as the band plays as an enseble with no one member dominating the proceedings.

The disc starts off with a version of Muddy Water’s “Blow Wind Blow” which quickly serves to show that this is a traditional Chicago blues band and not a group of recycled rock and rollers trying to play the blues. The next song “Man or Mousel” features a great groove sparked by some monster harp work from Lupkin. Throughout the disc, Lupkin proves that the years he spend running his business have not diminished his ability to play the harp, as demonstrated by his prowess on the slow blues of “Where You Goin.” As well as contributing solid harp playing to the disc, Lupkin is also a capable vocalist with a voice well suited for the material he covers. The final two tracks on the disc find guitarist Billy Flynn taking over the vocals and proving that he is also a very good vocalist as well as a world class guitarist.

Like the great Chicago blues masters who have come before them, they understand that true Chicago blues comes from a group effort rather than relying on flashy soloing.
Highly recommended.