Blues legends reunite for one night

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (FOX Providence) - It's never too early to start thinking about the weekend. And this weekend Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel has a great show. It's a one-night only Blues Legends reunion concert.

Duke Robillard and Doug James, who are started the band Roomful of Blues, joined The Rhode Show to talk about their upcoming show.

When: Friday December 11, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Where: 79 Washington St. Providence RI 02903
Tickets on Line: www.lupos.com
Box Office Phone:Box Office 401-331-lupo
Hours:Tuesday - Friday: Noon - 7 pm and Saturdays: 3 pm - 7 pm

About the band:

This one time only show will feature RI Blues Legends together on one stage! Guitarist Duke Robillard, keyboardist Al Copley, horn players Greg Piccolo and Doug James, bassist Preston Hubbard, Trombonist Carl Querfurth and percussionist Mark Teixeira .

Since 1980, Duke has recorded 20 acclaimed solo albums and toured the world both with his own band and also as Jimmie Vaughan's replacement in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Most recently Duke played guitar and toured with music legend Tom Waits.

Inspired by blues legends like T-Bone Walker, Charlie Patton and Big Joe Turner, and called "one of the great players" by the legendary B.B. King, Duke Robillard's guitar work has seamlessly spanned the worlds of jazz, blues, and swing since he founded Roomful of Blues with pianist Al Copley in 1967.

After 16 years and seven albums, Blues pianist and Roomful co-founder Al Copley relocated to Europe where he travels and performs extensively. Strongly influenced by the music of Big Joe Turner, Copley's solo style spans several genres including swing, boogie-woogie and barrelhouse.

Live performances are characterized by their energy and Copley's acrobatic approach to piano performance, in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis. Copley has performed and recorded with Lou Rawls, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, and many others. He has opened for Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan in 1998, and the Blues Summit with Etta James and B. B. King in 1993. Copley also performed at the first Montreux Jazz Festival in Japan with George Duke and McCoy Tyner in 1998. His "Glass Boogie" is one of the most inventive boogie-woogie piano solos ever recorded.

Greg Piccolo joined Roomful in 1970 and served as band leader, lead singer, and tenor sax man from 1978 until his departure in 1994. His impressive recording history includes over 50 albums including sessions with Pat Benetar, Colin James, Big Joe Turner, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan to mention a few.

An initial solo album, Greg Piccolo, Heavy Juice on Blacktop Records, (1990), received universal acclaim. His first Fantasy recording Acid Blue (1995) was selected by "CD Review" magazine as one of their top 10 recordings in 1995. Piccolo has been honored with multiple Blues Music Awards nominations.

Baritone sax specialist Doug James moved to Rhode Island in1970 just as guitarist Duke Robillard was adding horns to the original Roomful and held down the bari sax chair until 1998. James was featured soloing on at least a half-dozen albums with Roomful as well as recordings backing such legends as Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and Lou Rawls, and modern music industry heavyweights Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Benetar, Colin James, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Since rejoining Duke Robillard in 1998, he has toured numerous times with the "W.C. Handy All-Stars", recorded his debut CD "Blow Mr. Low" in and is also does both private instruction and clinics.

Trombonist Carl Querfurth began playing trombone in Junior and High School bands. He moved to Providence in 1977 and joined the Back Slap Blues Band. In 1978 he joined Roomful of Blues for one year before Porkey Cohen.

From 1979-1988 he played around New England and Canada with Blue Lights and Loaded Dice. In 1988 he rejoined Roomful when Porkey retired and stayed through 1998. From 1998 until 2004 he produced and played trombone on three album’s for blues legend Jimmy T99 Nelson and as a freelance musician around the region with Sugar Ray Big Band, The Mystic Horns, Roger Ceresi’s Allstarz and Laded Dice.

Event producers Rich Lupo, Caswell Cooke and Jack Gauthier are proud to present these legends of Blues back together again on one stage for one night.

In addition to his own recordings, Duke has played on and/or produced albums by Bob Dylan (1997's Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind), Ruth Brown, Johnny Adams, Kim Wilson, Jay McShann, Pinetop Perkins, John Hammond, Jimmy Witherspoon, and many more.