Buddy Blue Biography

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Like many teenagers who take a stab at guitar playing, Buddy Blue started out in a garage band. At the time, he was attending high school in San Diego, CA, and learning how to play the songs made popular by such heavy metal bands as Black Sabbath. He moved on to the blues upon graduating from high school, when he started working with Tomcat Courtney. Blue led a band called the Rockin' Roulettes for several years starting in 1980, and the group performed in nightspots in the San Diego area. In 1983, he helped establish the Beat Farmers. Over the next three years, Blue recorded three full-length releases with the band before moving on to the Jacks, an R&B band comprised of New York-born musicians. Rounder issued one recording by the Jacks in 1988.

Blue stepped back from the music scene for several years to get over a case of burn out. When he came back to the public eye in 1991, he had a solo project ready for release. Guttersnipes 'n' Zealots, an album that represented his first foray into the field of jump and jazz, featured guest performances by Mojo Nixon, Merrill Moore, Dave Alvin, and Richard Berry. Three years later, Blue hooked up with Herb Cohen and his Bizarre/Planet Records, a label that released his next project, Dive Bar Casanovas. With this album, Blue jumped fully into the field of jump blues. Before leaving in 1997 to establish Clarence Records, he worked for Bizarre as a session musician, producer, and songwriter. His session work included recordings with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Earl Thomas, Joy Eden Harrison, and the Rugburns.

In addition to recording for Clarence, Blue, aka Buddy Seigal, pens music columns for a variety of publications, among them the San Jose Mercury News, the San Diego Union Tribune, and OC Weekly. His current band includes bass player Jerry Rig, keyboardist and saxophonist Bruce Gilbert, and drummer Tom Panella. ~ Linda Seida, All Music Guide