Alligator recording artist Gaye Adegbalola has been writing original songs, singing and playing guitar and harmonica for decades. She co-founded Saffire–The Uppity Blues Women in 1984 and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Adegbalola is a Blues Music Award (BMA) winner for her song "Middle Aged Blues Boogie." (The BMA, formerly the W. C. Handy Award, is the "Grammy" of the blues community.) As of 2006, she has recorded 11 CDs -- 8 with Saffire, 2 solos, and her newest relase, a collaboration with her son: Blue Mama Black Son/"Blues Gone Black."
Gaye Adegbalola embraces and redefines the classic style of the great blues divas of the 1920s and 30s those often fiercely independent "wild women" who were unashamed to lay their souls bare and unafraid to give advice. Adegbalola invokes the spirit and addresses the lyrics & improvisational techniques of these classic blues women and brings history to life.
Adegbalola's partner on this project, accompanist Roddy Barnes, is classically trained and can play any genre, but excels in the old-timey sound that works best with this music. Experience the dynamic and compelling performance of Adegbalola & Barnes as they conjure up another era and put on one heck of a show.
Blue Mama Black Son Gaye Adegbalola with her son, Juno Pitchford
Gaye and Juno take blues into the 21st century. Her traditional acoustic blues has been re-worked and re-defined by Juno with programmed industrial instrumentation. The duo has collaborated to create a new sound by merging genres, intersecting cultures, and breaking conventions to provoke listeners to experience a new sound and a new message in their INDUSTRIAL BLUES.
Gaye moves, howls, and cries to heavy, layered rhythms -- often with topical lyrics. Juno mans the synthesizer, contributes solos and interjects provocative commentary. While neo-classic blues represents one end of the blues spectrum, industrial blues represents the other. You have never seen or heard a mother-son duo like this!
To view Blue Mama Black Son performing "Big Ovaries, Baby!" click below.
Solo
Gaye performs songs from her original repertoire as she plays acoustic guitar, slide guitar & harmonica.
Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women
Over the course of 9 albums and hundreds of gigs, this group has gone from virtual obscurity to one of the most popular, witty, and just plain satisfying acoustic blues groups on the scene today. These women tear into their material with passion, dedication, and originality. Every song they cover becomes theirs, and their originals blend seamlessly with their interpretations. They are indeed the torchbearers for the original classic uppity blues women like Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace and Victoria Spivey. Visit the Saffire web site.
