Bleu Lane

'Bleu Lane' was formed originally in Austin, Texas in 2000. During September of 2000 Bleu went to Atlanta where an attorney who represented him in several worker's compensation cases (Howard Osofsky)helped him get into a studio with Steve Walsh of Kansas who helped to co-produce the demo: "Back In Bleu" with session musicians that included Bill Stewart on percussion who was part of the famed, Capricorn Rhythm Section. After finally finishing the Demo CD Lane began to work Music Row in Nashville with the help of Country Rock Icon, Mark Collie.Mark took Bleu around to various agents, labels, and places helping to get a buzz going in Nashville. After going back and forth to Nashville for several years with the help of his friend, Don Scott, Lane decided instead to hook with legendary publishers, The Lowery Music Group. Butch Lowery signed Lane to a publishing deal, worked out details with Lane's attorney who helped to get the first demo done for Lane, then gave Bleu the funds to go record in Nashville in September of 2002. After returning from Nashville Lowery signed Bleu to Southern Tracks Records the indie in house label of the Lowery Music Group. Lowery released the album after getting legendary recording engineer and producer, Rodney Mills, to master the CD. The album was released on August 5th, 2003.Lane suffered a major heart attack on the following Friday. Lane worked himself back from the heart attack to get in to shape to tour but in late July he suffered a stroke and moved back to Austin to be close to his family. Having just lost his father to Prostate Cancer in March, 2003, Lane was hurting. His degenerative spinal bone & disc disease began to worsen and he lost his ability to walk without a wheel chair or canes to support him. In November of 2006 doctors performed major spinal surgery on his lumbar region of his spine to remove loose pieces of bones that were working there way in to his spinal cord, cysts on his bones that were causing signal loss from his spinal cord that were keeping him from being able to walk, and 5 discs & vertebrae. In June of 2007 he suffered another heart attack and had three more Stents implanted in his heart muscle on the right side at the Audie Murphy Medical Center by surgeons from the Unversity Of Texas Medical Center in San Antonio, which is right across the street from the Audie Murphy Medical Center in late August of 2007. Now healthy again he began to put the band together.Before the 'Bleu Lane' band name came together as a brain child of Steve Walsh of Kansas which led to the recording of "Just Livin' My Rock & Roll Life" and the recording contract from Southern Tracks Records (Lowery Music Group), Bill 'Bleu' Lane had been kicking around as a sideman, producer, recording engineer, session sideman, and a number of lessor known bands. Well known for his tone, feel, and taste Bill has made a career of "sitting in" with most of the "Southern Rockers" either in the studio, in clubs, or on tour. Well known for his taste & tone Eric Johnson told Lane he had great tone & feel when he saw Lane play his vintage Les Pauls in the early 1980's while performing in Memphis on a double bill with Lane at, "The Madison House". Over the years of his career Johnson certainly would be considered an authority on tone. Clifford Antone, founder of the legendary Antone's Night Club in Austin, told Lane what a "Nice Job" he had done as he came off the stage for the first time after jammin' in the new "Antone's" with Chris Duarte back on October 1st, 1999, during Duarte's second set that night. Clifford Antone was a man of few words so saying what he did to Lane was his highest praise. Although the Purple Dragon session was a nightmare for Steve Walsh he did believe that Bleu was a great Blues and Rock guitarist.As the session came together in 2002 'Bleu' wanted to have his songs reach out to people and give them an album you could listen to without jumping around on the album to find one song or another. He accomplished just that. The current line up, young and old alike, is put together as the band's current version filled with some great musicians 'Bleu' put together in his tour members that are just as strong as the Nashville sidemen who made the album and would have done major tours with 'Bleu'. This i s more so after losing drummer, Ian Wallace, to Cancer in February of 2007 and bassist, Lee Coate, suffered a heart attack in the same month.This in no way overshadows 'Bleu's' exceptional guitar lines and the dual solos with any guitar player 'Bleu' plays with which over the years has been some of those great lessor knows like: Barry Richmond, who used Eric Jonhson's sidemen on one his last albums (Atlanta); Kenny Gross , cousin of Henry Gross, (Cleveland); Steve Wheeler of the Danny Joe Brown, (Jacksonville); Barry Lee Harrwood who played Dobro back with Skynyrd when Ronnie Van Zant asked: "Barry Lee, play me a little Dobro", was a member of Rossington Collins (Jacksonville), and the Allen Collins Band (Jacksonville); Dave Hlubek, of Molly Hatchet (Jacksonville); Van Wilks (Austin); Tommy Knight (Atlanta); Will Knaak (Austin); Chris Duarte (Austin, who is currently living in Atlanta); and at the historic Antone's Night Club, with the Blue Monday Band on Monday nights featuring Mike Cross (Austin) or Chris Duarte; and the late Kenny Neal (Macon). There are plenty more over the years but you get the point.The truth of it is 'Bleu' has his own style honed from years of road experience and jamming with everybody he could over the years that distinguishes him from the rest of the pack. So if you have not yet seen 'Bleu' play you might want to follow a fan from Memphis advice (Check CD Baby for the full review) in wanting to hear from 'Bleu' again live, "because Memphis misses Bleu Lane and wants to see him come play in Memphis again real soon."Lane and Fredrick wrote it in the final chorus from the first song on the CD: "I'm still pushin' I'll never quit, I'll still be smokin' till there's nothin' left, So Rock Me Drop Me, I won't put up a fight, Rock'n'Roll is just the way of my life, Yeah I'm tellin' you baby, Rock is just the way of my life"!Watch for the band on tour in venues near you. If you love the music buy the album or download it @ I Tunes, Rhapsody, and other sites all over the world wide web. An I-40 Tour is currently in the works with another great band, Judge Parker. Stops on the tour include Amarillo, Lubbock, Dallas/Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Memphis, Knoxville, Raleigh Durham, Greenville (NC), Asheville, Charlotte, Chattanooga, & Nashville. Following recording of their new album the band will return to Texas to start an I-10 tour beginning in San Antonio & ending in Jacksonville, Florida & an I-35 tour before heading out to do the Atlantic Coastline from Florida through to Maine. They also plan to hit Canada over the next year then finish the rest of the USA. This latest line up is Smokin' so you need to get up off the couch and head out to the venues to see this great band.There are too many people to name who have been Bleu's friends and who have done what they could to help him get his music out to all of you. However some of them deserve special mention for their contributions. Among them are: Howard Osofsky; Antone's Night Club; Jack Holder; Ardent Studios; Reel To Real Studio (Atlanta); Songbird Studio (Atlanta); Steve Walsh & Alfreda Gerald; Mark Collie; Tommy Spurlock; Strings & Things (Memphis); Mike & Debbie Estes; Brad First; Jim & Jo Lane; Don Scott; Lee Coate; Stephen Fredrick; Eddie Grey & David Hood; Winston Pingrey (RCSO in California); Guitar Center in Atlanta, LA, & South Austin; Heart Of Texas Music in Austin; MusicMakers in Austin; Butch Lowery & the folks at The Lowery Music Group; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Dickey Betts; Dan Toler; Derek O'Brien; Tommy Crain; Billy Crain, Steve Wheeler, Traci Sterling, the Van Zant family, and Duane Allman.Bleu does respond to comments from his friends. So if you are not signed in as one of his fans you can do so here or at the fan site listed in his friends below. Bleu sends his gratitude & love to all of you.(Written by Catherine Ann Wray/Bastrop, Texas)Thanks to all who have stopped by and been added as friends here at My Space. You may want to check out other sites such as: www.Unsigned.com/BleuLanewww.showcaseyourmusic.com/BLEULANEB ANDand www.Noisehead.com/mypage/bleulane (be sure to check out Cap'n Barney there too) or at the fan page:www.myspace.com/bleulanefansThis is just to give you more opportunities to check out more from Bleu Lane. Bleu says, "See you soon at a venue near you! Y'all take care now ya hear!"