Blue Skunk Music - Bill Abel - Raw Delta Blues / Cigar Box Guitars

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Bill Abel Bill & Big George Brock Bill Abel
One-Man Band

If you’ve ever been to one of the many blues festivals in the Mississippi Delta, you’re likely to have come across Bill Abel. If not booked as a solo performer on the festival or backing one of the great Delta blues musicians, he’s sure to be found playing in a nearby club or performing in a downtown street or park. This Belzoni, Mississippi native has been a fixture in the Delta and Hill Country for the past couple of decades. Growing up in Belzoni, he befriended a neighborhood welder and blues guitarist, Paul “Wine” Jones, who became his mentor. He’s frequently backed Big George Brock, Cadillac John Nolden, T-Model Ford and the late Paul ‘Wine’ Jones in performance and recorded with Big George Brock, Hubert Sumlin, Odell Harris, Sam Carr and Cadillac John Nolden, among many others.

In his latest release “One-Man Band,” Bill brings you into the world of the Delta blues as a solo act, playing as many instruments as possible in a “live” setting. He accomplishes this by playing both lead and rhythm on a multitude of guitar setups, switching between electric guitar, dobro, and his own homemade cigar-box guitars while playing hi-hat and snare with one foot and bass drum with another, all the while accompanying himself vocally with his signature coarse growl. The end result is a raw, undiluted adaptation of largely electric blues rooted deep in the Mississippi delta tradition.

Quotes

"a gritty, rocking album...One-Man Band is about as downhome Mississippi as you can get without having to leave your house." -Mark Coltrain, Living Blues

"Abel's rough-hewn voice is right on, his drum rig primitive and powerful, and his guitar gnarly and noisy...just what the doctor ordered." -Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue

"Delta blues fans should definitely get their hands on this one." -Graham Clarke, Blues Bytes

"a high-octane combination of elemental blues music driven by Abel's raw-edged vocals...the kind of blues music that would keep the dance floor filled all night long in any juke joint in the Mississippi Delta." -Mark Thompson, Illinois Blues Blast

"An unbelievably full sound for a one-man band." -M.D. Spenser (Blues Matters)

"Once you get your ears around this hypnotic sound of the Blues you will not be able to tear away...Abel plays like a man possessed." -Gary W. Miller (BluesSource.com)

Testimonials:

"Bill Abel is part of the next generation of great Mississippi bluesmen. Born in Belzoni, Mississippi, Bill started playing blues the hard way -- jamming late night juke joints and house parties. As he honed his own, instantly recognizable style and built a name for himself, Bill's innate talents lead to gigs, tours and, in some cases, recording sessions with a veritable "who's who" of the blues -- including Hubert Sumlin, Honeyboy Edwards, Henry Townsend, Big George Brock, Dennis Binder, Cadillac John, Paul "Wine" Jones and more. Along the way, he came into his own. Whether he's playing a North Mississippi Hill Country romp or a deep-in-the-Delta heart-wrencher, blues festival crowds worldwide leave the stage knowing they saw something real. I've booked Bill on festivals from Clarksdale and Chicago to Italy and the UK, and every time the fans asked for more. Why not deliver it? Book Bill Abel for your next event, and deliver a true Mississippi bluesman."
- Roger Stolle (Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Clarksdale, Mississippi)

Video:
Bill speaks on origins of the Blues and plays 'Can't Be Satisfied' by Muddy Waters Live in Belgium Live at the Howlin Wolf Festival Performing 'Back Door Man' with T-Model Ford

Bill Abel - One-Man Band
Style: Blues

In his latest release “One-Man Band,” Bill brings you into the world of the Delta blues as a solo act, playing as many instruments as possible in a “live” setting. He accomplishes this by playing both lead and rhythm on a multitude of guitar setups, switching between electric guitar, dobro, and his own homemade cigar-box guitars while playing hi-hat and snare with one foot and bass drum with another, all the while accompanying himself vocally with his signature coarse growl. The end result is a raw, undiluted adaptation of largely electric blues rooted deep in the Mississippi delta tradition.

Catalog #4504 (Released Jul 22, 2008)

NO LONGER AVAILABLE HERE