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Awards |
2005 Riverfront Times Award for the "Best Blues Artist"........
"There have been some serious changes
in the St. Louis
blues scene over the past year. Perennial local favorites Oliver Sain
and Johnnie Johnson have passed on, leaving us richer for having known
them and their music, yet indisputably poorer in their absence. The
departure of Sain and Johnson also prompts once again a nagging
question: With so many of the music's elder statesmen no longer with
us, who's going to carry the torch? For RFT readers the answer is
clear, and it hasn't changed in more than a decade. The Soulard Blues
Band has been the favorite local blues ensemble in our music poll
more
than a dozen times now, even when Sain, Johnson, Tommy Bankhead and
many other departed giants were still working regularly on St. Louis
stages."
Dean C. Minderman
2004 Riverfront Times Award for the "Best Blues Artist"
2003 Riverfront Times Award for the"Best Blues Artist"
2002 RFT award for Best Blues Artist
"If
there's one thing proven by the Soulard Blues Band's string of consecutive
wins as Best Blues act in the RFT Music Poll, it's this: Never underestimate
the power of a brand name. For their ninth straight win in the category,
the SBB has triumphed over a field that includes legend such as Johnny
Johnson, Oliver Sain, Henry Townsend and Bennie Smith, all musicians
whose reputations extend beyond St.Louis to the nation and the world.
That the SBB reigns again as RFT poll winners in 2002 is a testament
not only to the group's musicianship but to its tenacity, longevity,
work ethic and, well, to having established a name that's familiar
to even the casual blues listener.
Anchored by bassist/raconteur/bon vivant Art Dwyer, the SBB has
preserved on the local scene for close to a quarter-century now, weathering
good times and bad and enduring many personnel changes along the way.
(Among the band's more famous alumni are singer and character actor
Jim Byrnes, a regular on the TV series Wiseguy and Highlander, and
Larry Thurston, who's done several tours as vocalist for the Blues
Brothers Band.) They've established a solid following for their gigs
at Broadway Oyster Bar, the Great Grizzly Bear and the other clubs
around town and have taken their act on the road throughout Missouri,
Illinois and the wider world, even recording one of their albums live
in Stuttgart, Germany.
As the SBB's style has evolved over the years beyond straight-up blues
to include R&B and soul, as well as touches of jazz, zydeco and
funk, they've remained a constant presence on the local scene. It
may be true that in some circumstances familiarity breeds contempt,
but for SBB and St.Louis blues fans, familiarity would seem to breed
contentment."
Dean C. Minderman, Riverfront Times
May 15-21, 2002 2001
Slammies award for Best Blues Artist
"What's
just as impressive as the eight straight wins is the fact that the
Soulard Blues Band has been together for almost a quarter-century.
Formed in 1978 by Art Dwyer who was soon joined by Jim "Ribtips"
McClaren, SBB evolved naturally from late-night/early-morning jam
sessions that mixed these young musicians with veteran talents such
as Henry Townsend, Doc Terry, Tommy Bankhead and harmonica player
Big Al. That connection to the essence of the St. Louis Blues tradition
has been a vital element in SBB's longevity. Despite a number of personnel
changes along the way (at one point, the group even expanded to include
a horn section and backing vocalists), SBB has remained true to its
roots.
Blues may be in its name, but the Soulard Blues Band brings a
distinctive touch to just about any musical style around. As Duke
Ellington used to say, there are really only two kinds of music -
good and bad. Evidently, SBB has found the secret to producing the
good kind - year after year after year."
Terry Perkins 2000
Slammies award for Best Blues Artist
"Maybe
the real reason the Soulard Blues Band continues to win this category
year after year, though, is the group's refusal to let a strict definition
of the blues limit their musical horizons. Like jazz, blues seems
to have infinite shadings and variations. And SBB has always been
able to mingle musical genres with the best of 'em."
Terry Perkins 2000
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
1999
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
1998
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
1997
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
"What
we might call the St. Louis Blues has a thick history and a peculiar
character. It often employs ensemble playing on ragtime and early
jazz, a sound where horns and ribald vocals are central. The Soulard
Blues Band has it's own place in this barrelhouse style. Their music
is a tribute to longevity. They know how to appeal to and work all
kinds of rooms, and they can jump in the nastiest of liquored up conditions."
1996
Spotlight Magazine Issue #143
Tops in Town Poll - Best Blues Band
1996
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
"The
Soulard Blues Band just ran away - far and fast - with this category,
as they did last year."
1995
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
"The
Soulard Blues Band takes home the Slammy Award for the 2nd year in
a row, underscoring the group's status as one of the linchpins of
the St. Louis Blues Scene. They seem to have been around forever and
like their home neighborhood, Soulard Blues Band has a down home feel
that has stood the test of time. "Mister Donut Blues," an
original regional hit by Brian Casserly and The Soulard Blues Band,
has been selected for the first ever compilation of the Best of St.
Louis Blues released by Blueberry Hill Records."
1994
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Blues Artist in St. Louis
1985
Riverfront Times Music Poll
Best Rhythm and Blues Band in St. Louis |
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