Bobby Brooks Wilson
Plateau Music Artist, Bobby Brooks Wilson, is the son of Legendary R&B/Soul Singer, Jackie Wilson. Bobby has the same amazing traits and talents of his father, that many say Jackie Wilson’s legacy lives on through him.
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Blues Time with Bill Wax
Bill Wax on the Blues
For those who are unfamiliar with me, I was the Program Director and Host of Bluesville on XM Satellite Radio. The channel was renamed B.B. King’s Bluesville in 2008. I managed the channel from its inception until 2013, when I retired. I also have over 35 years of experience in non-commercial radio, both as a host on various Blues and Rhythm and Blues shows and as Program Director at two stations: KOPN in Columbia, MO, and KBOO in Portland, OR.
I never thought much about writing until they reached out to me about working on Roaming The Arts. They were quite convincing, and I loved the concept for the website. So here I am. I hope to promote contemporary blues musicians, as well as recognize those who have already left the stage.
Watch Bill tell his story on Time Signatures with Jim Ervin ( from Capital Area Blues Society – Lansing, Michigan)
There are two men in the music I want to highlight in our first post.
The first is David Earl, founder and owner of Severn Records, a label located near Annapolis, MD. David passed on September 7, 2025, at the age of 57. I first met David in the early to mid-1990s, when he started showing up at open mics with his guitar and eventually played in a couple of DC/Baltimore Blues bands. In 1997, David began Echo Records and changed its name to Severn Records in 1998. The catch phrase for the label was ‘Roots Music for the 21st Century, and that is just what his label became. His first three releases were Darrell Nulisch’s “The Whole Truth”, Big Joe Maher’s “I’m Still Swinging”, and Benjie Porecki’s “Servin’ It Up”. His label has since issued over 60 discs. Some of the artist who have recorded for Severn, an incredible roster, include: Steve Guyger, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, Lou Pride, Mike Morgan and the Crawl, Tad Robinson, Jimmy Earl, Kim Clark Organ Trio, Ola Dixon, Roy Gaines, Louisiana Red, J Street Jumpers, Nora Jean Burso, Roy Carrier, Bruce Katz, Alex Schultz, Buck Hill, Clarence Spady, Charles Wilson, Johnny Moeller, Mud Morganfield, The Nighthawks, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bryan Lee, and Ursula Ricks. Below is a starter list of some of my favorite tunes from Severn’s catalogue:
Roy Gaines – Hind Ends and Elbows
Darrell Nulisch -Leaving On the Morning Train
Clarence Spady – Just Between Us
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones – The Last Words of a Fool
Tad Robinson – Broken Hearted Man
Mud Morganfield/Kim Wilson – I Love the Life I Live
Ursula Ricks – My Street
The Nighthawks – Damn Good Time
Big Joe and the Dynaflows – How Come People Act Like That?
Steve Guyger – I’m Shakin’
Happy 100th Birthday B.B. King – September 16, 2025 (click link for a welcome rememberence)
The second musician I want to highlight is Sherman Holmes, the last man standing from the Holmes Brothers Band. They were a roots blues music group that was active between 1975 and 2015. They recorded 11 discs and won two Blues Music Awards. Sherman turned 86 on September 29, 2025. One of the most rewarding benefits of doing a radio show is that you never know who is listening. Sherman’s cousin is a fan of my radio show on WPFW. He heard me announce that I was going to play several tunes featuring Sherman and contacted Sherman so he could listen. I, of course, was both honored and touched that Sherman might be listening. I was also a bit intimidated that he might be listening. After the show, I got a note to call Pinky Sherman, who lives with Sherman. They called to thank me for playing the tunes and remembering Sherman and the Holmes Brothers. It made my week, and when Pinky told me Sherman was smiling, well, that makes it all worthwhile. Below is a starter list of some of the songs that Sherman sings lead on with the Holmes Brothers or from his solo disc called “The Richmond Sessions”:
Sherman Holmes/Joan Osborne – Dark End of the Street
Holmes Brothers – There’s A Train
Holmes Brothers – Promised Land
Holmes Brothers – If I Needed You
Holmes Brothers – If I Had a Boat
Holmes Brothers – Something Is Missing
Thanks for reading and listening.
More About Bill
Search for Bill’s on air shows at: “Roots and Fruits” on WPFW
Click here for posts of Roaming the Arts’ collection of Blues artists.
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Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single “Mr. Bojangles,” a folksy Top 10 pop hit that remains a staple of their live show. During a tour stop in Nashville around that time, Earl Scruggs and his family came backstage to say hello. That introduction led to a friendship and some of the connections the band needed to record Will the Circle Be Unbroken. That three-disc album brought Nitty Gritty Dirt Band together with a number of country, folk, and bluegrass legends. Heroes like Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Merle Travis, and Doc Watson joined the scruffy, young band to record country music standards such as “I Saw the Light” and “Keep on the Sunnyside.” The acclaimed project is considered a landmark recording in American music.
Following an extended 50th anniversary tour, the ensemble grew to a six-piece in 2018 for the first time since their early jug band days. The group now includes Jeff Hanna (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica), Bob Carpenter (keyboards), Jim Photoglo (bass, acoustic guitar), Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin), and Jaime Hanna (electric and acoustic guitar). All six members also sing, and when their voices merge, the harmonies add a powerful new component for the legendary band. And with the father-son pairing of Jeff and Jaime Hanna, the band carries on a country music tradition of blood harmony.
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The Record Company
The Record Company
The Record Company is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The members are Chris Vos, Alex Stiff, and Marc Cazorla. Their music is influenced by blues musicians like John Lee Hooker, early punk bands like The Stooges, and rock bands like The Rolling Stones. Wikipedia
These rising stars have been riding up the charts with their latest release Play Loud.
Below is an excerpt from an excellent article featured in RELIX…where Music meets Journalism
From Play Loud’s first notes, it’s quite evident that something has changed. The raw, bluesy feel that lined The Record Company’s first two albums is no longer there; instead, there’s a rock[1]and-roll swagger that shines through. It’s energetic in ways that feel more apt for arenas instead of the home-studio recordings that often looked inward. On the album’s opener “Never Leave You,” Vos laments being a bit lost, searching for answers, finding solace in the sun. It’s a simple song about relationship confusion, but it sets the tone for Play Loud: The music here is catchy as hell. The single “How High” is an anthemic number, driven by Stiff and Cazorla’s thumping rhythms. At times, it feels like a pure adrenaline rush, especially when the chorus asks listeners to consider “how high do you want to fly”—in an aspirational way.
That’s not to say that their past is completely devoid on Play Loud. “Today Forever” is a slow, bluesy number that finds Vos passionately declaring to a lover that a great move would be to run away for “a day that will last forever.” It’s grand gesture thinking, but that’s the running thread throughout Play Loud—be yourself, take a chance, do it with some gusto.
Most of the songs were written pre-pandemic, but the Play Loud recording sessions took place in the spring of 2020. Unexpectedly, the lyrics seem to take on a new life once they started laying down the tracks, particularly “How High,” which seems to touch on themes relating to recovery.
“We were in a new, challenging time,” Vos says. “But at my core, as a human, I was back to being a 14-year-old kid sitting on the edge of my bed, playing guitar because I had nothing else to do today. The only thing on my mind was music. It was the only thing that would make me feel better, making the record. It became the absolute focal point of our lives. That was unexpectedly positive in a field of a lot of negativity. That was one area where we did benefit from being isolated. These songs for me were very emotionally profound. We’d written a lot before [the pandemic] but, all of a sudden, you’re taking it into the studio, and you’re singing this song—and this life, it means something different. We all have a relatable struggle. We all didn’t see our moms and dads for a long time. We all didn’t see our friends for a long time. That’s something we all share.”
