MP3 Willie Phoenix - Blues Reaction
The alternative bluesman for your generation. Guitar based rockin'' blues from a dynamic and versatile talent described by Graffiti, a regional arts newspaper in West Virginia, as "... a raging guitarist with a ton of attitude and stage presence.&quo
14 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Electric Blues, BLUES: Rockin'' Blues
Details:
This artist represents the new breed of blues musicians that has the current music scene buzzing over their cutting edge blues sound. A fusion of blues, rock and soul influences, Phoenix is a dynamic and versatile talent, who is a seasoned and accomplished singer, guitarist, songwriter and performer. For traditional blues fans, he represents the real thing - a modern day bluesman who, as a teenager, jammed with Muddy Waters and was inspired by his godfather Sonny Boy Williamson 2. For the college crowd, Phoenix is a high energy, intense performer who, quite frankly, wears this rowdy audience out!
Born in the Deep South in Camden, Alabama, Phoenix was raised on blues music. He was taught to play guitar by his father the Reverend Willie J. Creagh, who played with such legends as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson 2. While growing up, he refined his blues skills by not only learning from his father, but also listening to music from the great bluesmen like Muddy, Elmore James, Howlin'' Wolf and many others. Phoenix was also a big fan of the pop music created in the 60''s by the British blues bands like the Rolling Stones, Cream, the Yardbirds and the Animals. The music from this important period in American music history still influences Willie to this day and is most apparent in his bluesy, soulful vocals and raw, edgy guitar playing. In Graffiti, a regional arts newspaper in West Virginia, Willie was described as "... a raging guitarist with a ton of attitude and stage presence." He is without a doubt the real thing.
His talent was recognized by the great Muddy Waters when he invited Phoenix to play in his band during his 1976 tour. It was at Bogarts in Cincinnati, Ohio where Willie jammed on stage with Muddy''s band. The young Phoenix received a standing ovation and an invitation after the show to continue on the remainder of their tour through the northeast. The privilege of sharing the stage that night with one of the most influential artists in American music was an experience Willie has always treasured.
Perhaps Willie''s strongest talent is as a live performer. A great showman and entertainer, he is known for his legendary performances throughout the Midwest. Whether he performs his show solo acoustic or with his band, you can always count on an energetic and moving performance.
Willie''s versatile style extends far from the traditional blues music that he learned from his father. It exhibits the creativity of a new alternative bluesman who draws from a variety of rock, blues and soul influences to create his cutting edge electric blues sound. Perhaps Muddy Waters would appreciate Phoenix''s style of blues music. It was Muddy who once told Willie that "the blues is always looking for a different voice." Like a Mick Jagger or Eric Clapton, Willie Phoenix is one of those different voices that is keeping the blues alive and doing so in his own way.
Here are just a few quotes from reviews of Willie''s live show:
... Phoenix still manages to demonstrate that he is clearly one of the most singular performers to surface in many moons.
-- NY Daily News
Phoenix is dynamic, intelligent and interesting. He has a certain quiet attitude that contrasts the explosive performer he really is......on stage he is a patriot missile ready to strike.
-- The Ohio State Lantern
At the center of it all is Willie himself, with more nervous energy than his wiry frame can contain...as he throws himself to the floor, crawls across the stage, vaults over tables...it''s anarchy of course, but of a very professional and entertaining sort, and Willie is a frenetic voodoo doll of a performer, riveting and irresistible.
-- Columbus Citizen-Journal