SHARRIE WILLIAMS & THE WISEGUYS - BIOGRAPHY

      Mrs. Sharrie Williams Is the Voice! A galactic vocal force to be reckoned

      with, a ragging flame of fire that has been sprayed with gasoline, she has

      a message burning within her soul. Sharrie has a powerful voice, with a

      range that can reach and rattle the castle tower one minute, while

      soothing the soul of a crying child the next, she possess an unaffected

      nature, which gives her grace and a sensibility that pays homage to the

      great female artist of rock and blues without ever being imitative, in

      short, Sharrie Williams is the real deal, a true original. She brings you

      in, by singing her insides out, hearing her is a pure delight, but seeing

      her perform will make you a believer. Williams has a warm and radiant

      stage presence, that takes hold of you and capture your imagination and

      captivate your senses, the sound of her voice is compelling, it promises

      redemption. With every note She makes you cry, laugh and dance, she can

      even wake up the dead, I guess one would call her the voice of an

      emotional cocktail.

      Raised in the projects but deeply rooted in gospel , Sharrie began singing

      at the age of twelve with the Greater Williams Temple church choir,

      recording and touring, under the direction of Hubert J. Williams, she

      performed with Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, Shirley Caesar, The Winans, and

      James Cleveland. Marion McKinnie challenged this young artist with

      extensive vocal training in jazz, gospel, concert music and drama, she was

      able to combined her singing with acting. Touring with Snap productions in

      a hit play, I Need A Man.

      Sharrie sings the blues because she lived the blues, mental, physical and

      drug abuse, poverty stricken, most would say what’s the use. Homeless,

      battered, and even beat death, as a Motherless child, the blues is what

      Sharrie knows best. By Gods grace she made it out alive and on the rise.

      Tina Turner, Etta James, KoKo Taylor and Billie Holiday help form her

      unique style, she has an awesome energetic band in tow, The Wiseguys, they

      hit you hard and they won’t let you go!

      Williams has given great and unforgettable performances in blues

      festivals, and clubs, such as Poconos Festival, Blues Bash of SC, Buddy

      Guys Legends, Utrecht, Peer and several festivals in Europe. She has

      appeared with Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Guy, Larry McCray, KoKo Taylor, Bobby

      Blue Bland, Joanna Conner, Delbert McClinton, Debra Coleman, Shemika

      Copland, Charlie Musselwhite, Taj Mahal, Honeyboy Edward’s, Solomon Burke,

      and Lazy Lester.

      Two CD’s released, Real Woman, and Live at Wiseguys. New CD pending with

      Crosscut Records soon to be released April 2004. Sharrie’s talent and

      passion for he music has placed her in great demands in America as well as

      Europe, touring Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Sweden,

      Luxembourg, Africa, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Major publications in the US,

      Chevrolet featured her as artist of the month in Jet, Ebony, Black

      Enterprise, Essence and Emerge with an open face spread, famous photo by

      Grammy award winning photographer, Tom Bert, also advertisement in Big

      City Blues and Living Blues . European magazines, France magazine Blues

      Feeling featured Sharrie on the front cover Juke Blues, Soul Bag, Block,

      IL Blues, German Blues News, Rollin & Tumballin, major European

      television. Ms. Williams emerges with a fresh sting, a queen bee, that

      humbles herself in the spotlight shadows as the Princess of The Rockin

      Gospel Blues.

PAUL LAMB  - BIOGRAPHY

Hailed by aficionados and music press around the world as Europe’s foremost blues harmonica exponent, Paul Lamb has forged himself a place in the history books as one of the greatest players of our time. He has won countless awards, sold record-breaking quantities of albums, and performed the world over with his long-standing musical compatriots, The Kingsnakes. Recently inducted into the British Blues Awards Hall Of Fame (alongside the likes of Peter Green, John Mayall & Alexis Korner), Lamb still continues to bring his infectious brand of soulful blues to a plethora of fans around the globe…

Born in 1955, & originally hailing from the urban & industrial backdrop of Newcastle, Paul Lamb began his illustrious career at the tender age of 15. Struggling against the tide of local un-employment and economic depression, he took to the road working the club scene around the UK, paying his dues in the time-honoured tradition of the blues. Within a short time he was representing Great Britain in the World Harmonica Championships, leading to a spell of working with his mentor, Sonny Terry. The following years ensued, seeing Lamb performing with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Brownie McGhee, and countless other blues greats that had originally inspired him. However, the need to write and express his own music soon gave birth to the Blues Burglars, the first incarnation of the Kingsnakes (and the beginning of the longstanding collaboration between Paul Lamb and guitar genius Johnny Whitehill). The Burglars released an album on the legendary Red Lightnin’ label (“Whoopin’”) and Lamb swiftly became known in his own right due to the huge critical acclaim that accompanied the release. As the young harmonica virtuoso became more focused and confident of his abilities, a new band line-up became an inevitability, and Paul Lamb & The Kingsnakes were thus born. Signing to Ace Records in 1991, Paul & his band went on to take the blues world by storm with a gruelling tour schedule in support of their Ace debut (aptly entitled “Paul Lamb & The Kingsnakes” CDBLUH 011). After a follow up release on Euro label “Tight & Juicy” (“Shifting Into Gear” T&J CD 656834), the band have since enjoyed a further 5 releases with Indigo Records as part of a 6 album deal. These five albums went on to secure Paul Lamb’s reputation internationally as a one-of-a-kind bluesman, as did the heavy tour schedules that the Kingsnakes to this day, still happily endure (approx 290 dates a year!)… In addition, one would be hard pushed to think of a prestigious international festival that Paul Lamb & The Kingsnakes have not graced by headlining at some point, let alone merely appeared at! To date, the band can regularly be seen far a-field; from Spain to Scandinavia, Belgium to Bahrain, Hungary to Hong-Kong…

Despite his dedication to his touring band, Paul Lamb has also enjoyed considerable success in other musical fields. His unique harmonica skills are constantly in demand by others, and he has amongst other experiences had a chart hit with “Harmonica Man”(under the pseudonym of “Bravado”) with Pete Waterman, and worked with Mark Knopfler, The Who, Rod Stewart, and Jimmy Nail amongst others. The BBC have contracted him on many occasions to score and perform various TV soundtracks, and his harmonica playing can be heard on many a television advertisement.  In addition to TV, he has also had his music featured in 3 motion pictures.

Wherever his career may lead, Lamb has been instrumental in keeping the blues alive, and he can always be relied upon to further this vocation. As the worlds’ music press can happily testify, his name is synonymous with serious quality and his leadership skills have kept the Kingsnakes at the top of the British blues scene for almost 2 decades. Paul Lamb stands beside a small number of American counterparts (close friends such as Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza, Jerry Portnoy, & Charlie Musselwhite) as an equal in every sense, and as a testimony to the standards that most young harmonica players can only allude to. He bears this talent with both humility and grace as one of the last of the old-school, a true gentleman of the blues.I