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ART
DWYER
Born
in 1946 and raised in St. Louis, Art Dwyer grew up on the city's north
side. "Rufus, the Dells, T-Bone Walker, Otis Redding, and of
course, Albert and B.B. King were my music. It fit in with everything
my friends and me did. "Art
drifted around for quite some time, working as a union organizer,
a Maritime employee and a ditch digger, but he never lost the music.
"There was always a dance party or jam session going on somewhere.
That's how the Soulard Blues Band came together."Art
has performed with the great Henry Townsend, J.B. Hutto, Little Johnny
Taylor, Fernest Arceneaux and the Thunders, the Zydeco Farmers, Larry
Davis, the legendary Billy Gayles, Chuck Berry, Doc Terry, Tommy Bankhead,
Albert Collins and many others. In 1978, Art organized the Soulard
Blues Band. Since 1987 Art has been a disc jockey on St. Louis' number
one community radio station, KDHX 88.1 FM, hosting the weekly blues
program, "Blues in the Night". |
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MARTY ABDULLAH
Bio
coming soon |
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TOM MALONEY
Tom
Maloney has been playin’ the blues for a long time. During that
time he has entertained blues lovers all over these United States,
Europe, (Germany w/the Soulard Blues Band) and South America. Tom
is a musician’s musician. In his younger days he was known to
get out on the highway with his guitar and his amp and his thumb,
sometimes hitchhiking 150 miles just to get to the “gig”.
Being a session man in St. Louis may not garner great riches but it
brings a special honor to those who get the call to play with the
venerable world class musicians that have made St. Louis, Missouri
their home. Men like piano player Johnnie Johnson, who is in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame and Oliver Sain, and Benny Smith, who gave guitar
lessons to Ike Turner . These days you could count Tom Maloney among
that esteemed group.
Tom first joined the SBB for four years back in the early 80’s
and has always been there to help out over the years. He has done
stints in the Johnny Johnson Band and The Benny Smith Band and has
been the musical director for groups in Las Vegas and Arizona. Look
for a re-release of the 1982 SBB album “ Nothing to Lose”
with Tom on guitar.
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BRIAN CASSERLY
Bio
coming soon
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KIRK “Dr.
Drum” GRICE
Kirk
Grice, a native St. Louisan, played with Soulard Blues Band from’81
to ’95 and rejoined the band in the 21st century. During an eight
year hiatus Kirk pursued a career as a professional boxing referee
while performing with a number of local and national artists. Performances
with national touring acts include Fred Wesley, Chuck Berry, WyntonMarsalis,
Maceo Parker, Little Johnny Taylor and Jimmy Smith. Recordings with
local artists include Soulard Blues Band, C. Felton, The Unity ArtEnsemble,
and the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble. With
many early years under the tutelage of the great Sonny Hamp, Kirk
has never stopped growing as a drummer and percussionist. Thirty-five
years worth of playing has taken him to a variety of ensembles and
musically- related work, including twenty years as a percussion accompanist
for dance schools and professional dance organizations among which
are Washington University dance department, Dance St. Louis, COCA
and Parkway School District’s Dance Discovery Project.
The title “Dr.Drum” was affectionately given to Kirk by
devoted students and dancers.Recent
performances with Mojo Syndrome, Bob Case and the Wild Accusations,
Bennie Smith and Urban Blues Express, and hometown jazz groups like
the Bosman Twins, Ptah Williams, Mae Wheeler, and Bill Tucker keep
Kirk current and in demand on the St. Louis Blues and Jazz scene in
St. Louis.Kirk
continues to referee professional and amateur boxing in his spare
time while continuing his education. “I got a calling to return
toschool.”Kirk
is a dedicated musician and is always in pursuit of knowledge and
development as a person. “I believe in the healing power of music”
is a favorite quote of Dr. Drum’s. |
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