Rick Estrin & the Nightcats at the Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill -- August 30.
Sunday, August 30, 3:30 p.m.
Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 West Locust Street, Davenport IA
After Charlie Baty retired from touring in 2008, longtime frontman Rick Estrin brought in guitar virtuoso Kid Andersen and formed Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, an ensemble built around the bandleader's unmistakable harmonica work, vocals, and songwriting, and one performing a special Mississippi Valley Blues Society at Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill on August 30.
The band features Rick Estrin on harmonica and vocals, Kid Andersen on guitar and background vocals, Lorenzo Farrell on piano and organ, and Derrick “D’Mar” Martin on drums. Farrell, a Nightcat since 2003, is a highly skilled multi-instrumentalist, while D’Mar brings world-class energy from his 17 years as drummer for Little Richard. The result is one of modern blues’ most entertaining live acts: soulful, sly, and hard-grooving.
At RickEstrin.com, we learn that the artist "was born in San Francisco, California in 1949, and grew up fiercely independent. As a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. When he was 12, his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues, and he became infatuated with the music. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager, Estrin had immersed himself in the urban, African-American culture surrounding him. He got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city.
"He first jammed with blues master Lowell Fulson and immediately was hired to open five shows for R&B giant Z.Z. Hill. He worked five nights a week for almost a year with guitar legend Travis Phillips in a band fronted by famed pimp/bluesman Fillmore Slim (who was the centerpiece of the acclaimed Hughes Brothers documentary American Pimp). Slim introduced Estrin to singer Rodger Collins, the man who would become Rick’s first real musical mentor. Collins schooled Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show business. At 19, Estrin relocated to Chicago and worked with some of the city’s best bluesmen. He met and jammed with the legendary Muddy Waters, who told Rick, 'You outta sight, boy! You got that sound! You play like a man!' Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but Estrin missed Muddy’s phone call and it never happened. Estrin eventually moved back to the Bay Area, met guitarist Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats.
"Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield and Detroit bluesman Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting influences. His work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing that tradition forward with his innovative songs. And his sly and soulful vocals are the perfect vehicle for driving those songs home."
Rick Estrin & the Nightcats play their Gypsy Highwar Bar & Grill engagement on August 30, with admission $15 for MVBS members and $20 for non-members. For more information on the 3:30 p.m. concert, call (563)232-8890 and visit TheGypsyHighway.com, and for more on the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, call (563)322-5837 and visit MVBS.org.
