-One day back in 1970, a 20-year old Rick Estrin had the opportunity to play harmonica with Muddy Waters and his band at the Sutherland Hotel on 47th and Drexel in Chicago's South Side. During the break, Muddy called Estrin over, shook his finger in his face, and shouted, "You outta sight boy! You play like a MAN boy! You got that sound boy, I KNOW that sound when I hear it, that's MY sound!"
Today, singer/harmonica player/songwriter Rick Estrin ranks among the very best harp players in the blues world. His work on the reeds is at once deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs while at the same time pushing that tradition forward. The Associated Press called his harp playing, "endlessly impressive." The great guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. (who was schooled by Robert Johnson and who played on most of Little Walter's Chess recordings) told Estrin, "Little Walter would be very proud of you.For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick fronted the jumping, swinging Little Charlie & The Nightcats, featuring guitarist Little Charlie Baty. But now, with Baty's recent retirement from touring, Estrin -- along with the Nightcats longtime rhythm section of J. Hansen and Lorenzo Ferrell and fiery guitarist Kid Andersen -- is ready to take the lead on his own. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats' sound, while still swinging the blues, is a harmonica-driven, rocking, guitar-fueled rave-up. The band performs the well-known, well-loved songs from Estrins massive catalog, and will introduce plenty of new material along the way.Ricks seemingly effortless command of the harmonica is matched only by his soulful vocals and remarkable original songs. Ever since he started performing his own material, it has become increasingly clear that Rick Estrin is a songwriter of unparalleled skill. His quick wit, coifed hair, pencil-thin mustache and sharp attire inform his songs in a way Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, Willie Dixon and Elvis Presley would all be proud of. Blues Revue declared, "Estrin sits on one of the finest blues catalogs of any band on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate human weakness with the precision of a boxer, though more often than not, he chooses to leave you laughing after the blow's been struck."His songs have been favorably compared with those of Willie Dixon and the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller. Estrin won the 1993 Blues Music Award for his composition, My Next Ex-Wife and has written songs for a growing legion of famous fans. Three of his songs found their way onto Grammy-nominated albums: Don't Put Your Hands On Me (from Koko Taylor's Force Of Nature), I'm Just Lucky That Way (from Robert Cray's Shame + A Sin), and Homely Girl (from John Hammond's Trouble No More). Other artists who have covered Estrin songs include Little Milton, Rusty Zinn, Kid Ramos and Mark Hummel. "I like songs that tell stories," Rick says, "songs that are well-crafted and meaningful." Besides Dixon and Leiber and Stoller, Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield and Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting influences. Billboard noted that Rick writes "fabulous, remarkable original material."Besides Estrin's songwriting and musical skills, he is among the greatest live showmen around. "People don't go out to see people who look like them," says Rick. "They want to see something special. I was schooled in this business to be a showman, and that's what you get when you come to see me perform." The Chicago Sun-Times noted, "It's tough to stay in your seat when Estrin and his musical cohorts get cooking."
Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949, and grew up following his own path. He discovered a whole new world when, as a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He discovered another whole new world when his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles' The Genius Sings The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager in a racially mixed school, Estrin completely identified with the urban, African American culture surrounding him.
Estrin got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city. He first jammed with blues master Lowell Fulsom and almost immediately was hired to open five shows for Z.Z. Hill. He toured with Travis Phillips and then Rodger Collins, the man who would become Rick's first real musical mentor, who schooled Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show business. He moved to Chicago and worked with Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy Waters. In fact, Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but due to nothing more than some minor communication problem, it never happened.Thanks to that missed meeting, Rick eventually met Little Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. For the next 30 years, the band barnstormed around the globe, honing their skills and entertaining countless people. Now, as Rick Estrin & The Nightcats wind their way around the country, introducing their fresh, well-loved sound to fans both old and new, clubs will be packed, dance floors will be filled and a guaranteed great time will be had by all.
THE NIGHTCATS
J. Hansen (drums)
J. Hansen was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1972. He began playing drums at a very early age and played his first gig at the age of 13. He began his musical career playing Dixieland and traditional jazz with classic jazz multi-instrumentalist Clint Baker. While studying music in college, J. began working in local Bay-Area blues bands and started writing songs for his own R&B/funk band-Verso. In 1998, J. toured California and recorded a CD with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's longtime tenor banjo player, Narvin Kimball. In 1999, J. began playing with the well-known swing band Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, with whom he recorded a CD and toured. Hansen joined The Nightcats in 2002.
Lorenzo Farrell (bass)
Lorenzo Farrell was born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1976. He grew up in the fertile music scene around Bloomington Indiana. He absorbed rock radio of the 1980s, and was a huge Beatles fan. Ferrell studied classical piano for 10 years and also picked up the guitar. During his high school years in Berkeley, California, Lorenzo discovered jazz and made the switch from piano to acoustic bass. He played jazz all through high school and college. After moving to California, Ferrell joined J. Hansen in the San Francisco group Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums. He re-joined Hansen in 2003 when he was recruited into The Nightcats.
Kid Andersen (guitar)
Chris "Kid" Andersen was born in Telemark, Norway in 1980. A blues fan since childhood, Andersen fell in love with the the music of Jimmy Rogers, Lightnin' Hopkins, Junior Watson, and the Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie). By the time he was 18, he was backing all the American blues stars who came through Norway, including Homesick James, Nappy Brown, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and others. He moved to California at age 21, and has released four solo albums and joined blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite's band in 2004, a gig that lasted until Kid joined Rick Estrin & The Nightcats.
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