The Lost Legends to Kickoff San Francisco Blues Fest with Free Concert

Press release
Source: M. Borbridge

On Friday, Septetmber 28, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., The Lost Legends will kickoff the 2007 San Francisco Blues Festival with a free concert at the Justin Herman Plaza located at Embarcadero Four (across from the Ferry Building). The Lost Legends is an appropriate name for a band of veteran musicians who have performed for decades in various San Francisco Bay Area settings and Chicago. In the past 12 months, they have joined forces to perform in clubs and other shows and they have since become a huge sensation, with a loyal following. They consist of Freddie Roulette, Harvey Mandel, Curtis Lawson, Lisa Kindred, Eugene Huggins, Michael Warren, Chris Planas, and Michael Borbridge. They are a perfect choice to kick off this year's Blues Festival on the Waterfront.

The Lost Legends:

Freddie Roulette
Steel guitar wizard Freddie Roulette was recently a headliner at the prestigious annual international Steel Guitar Convention, which recognizes the best of the best lap steel guitar players in the world. Roulette's prowess with the instrument is extraordinary. He can literally make the strings of his instrument sing out words as he often creates a call and response with his unique instrument. His mastery of the steel guitar is nothing less than amazing, and he's been doing it since grammar school, where his interest in the steel guitar developed. That was near Chicago, where he was born, and where he eventually came to sit in in some of southside Chicago's most famous blues clubs. Roulette eventually came to the attention of slide guitarist Earl Hooker and the two teamed together to create some of the most exciting and unusual sounds in the history of blues. Their collaboration resulted in two classic blues albums of the late '60s era of Chicago blues on Arhoolie Records. One of those albums, Two Bugs and a Roach, dealt with Hooker's tuberculosis, which eventually took his life, shortening a masterful guitar career. Joining up with Charlie Musselwhite and Fred Below to form the Chicago Blues Stars, Roulette was prominently featured on their Blue Thumb album debut. A tour led the group to the West Coast and Roulette settled in Berkeley, where he resides to this day, happily. In the late '60s and early '70s, he did stints with Linda Tillery and the Loading Zone, as well as with Harvey Mandel. Mandell produced Roulette's first solo album, Sweet Funky Steel, on Janus Records, and the lap steel guitarist flashed signs of steel string genius. He eventually drew the attention of guitar virtuoso Henry Kaiser and participated in many of his projects, including performances in Germany.

Roulette has toured Japan and Italy with the San Francisco Blues Festival, but it was his 1997 album, Back In Chicago, on Hi Horse Records, that has garnered him incredible attention. Recorded in Chicago with veteran blues musicians, the album has been acclaimed as one of the top blues albums of the year. It won the "Comeback Blues Album of the Year" at the National Blues Awards in Memphis. A second highly touted CD is due for release shortly, and Roulette is talked about everywhere as one of the most brilliant musicians in contemporary blues today.

Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel was Charlie Musselwhite's original guitarist, appearing on the harmonica player's landmark debut album, Stand Back, released on Vanguard Records in 1966. Mandel grew up in Chicago and his early guitar histrionics made him a legend on the Southside. Mandel, who would go on to work with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Albert King and Buddy Guy, quickly became known for his unique guitar technique of sustaining notes, feedback, slurring phrases and multi-string bends. Mandel's fame spread rapidly and he was especially renowned for his tasteful distortions, tone pedals and custom amplifiers that he brought to his performances. His 1968 solo album on Phillips Mercury entitled Cristo Redentor became an overnight sensation and huge underground FM hit! His instrumental version of "Wade In The Water," also on the same album, remains a classic to this day. The following year Mandel replaced Canned Heat guitarist Henry Vestine at a Fillmore Auditorium performance and he performed with the roots-blues group at the Woodstock Festival several weeks later. In 1970 he joined John Mayall's famed Bluesbreakers just as Mayall made the transition from England to Los Angeles, and appeared on several of the British blues guitarist's transitional albums, USA Union and Back to the Roots, which featured Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. In 1972, Mandel formed his own band, featuring Don Sugarcane Harris, and recorded three albums, Baby Batter, The Snake (the guitarist's nickname), and Shangrenade. It was at this time that he was asked to join the Rolling Stones and he appeared on the Stones' album Black and Blue. However, the Stones decided on hiring guitarist Ron Wood and Mandel decided to tour with guitarist Jeff Beck, to whom he has often been compared.

Harvey Mandel has continued to live up to his legacy as one of the most innovative guitarists to emerge out of Chicago. His two-handed, fretboard-tapping technique was directly influential on such performers as Eddie Van Halen and Stanley Jordan.

Curtis Lawson
Singer Curtis Lawson, who was born in Houston, Texas, has been a blues mainstay in the Bay Area since the 1960s. He has worked with many great performers throughout his years in San Francisco, including Big Joe Turner, Elvin Bishop, Boz Scaggs, Percy Mayfield, Albert Collins and Little Joe Blue and many, many others. He has recorded three CDs, hosted his own blues cable TV show, and has performed at many festivals. He is one of the most popular blues singers in San Francisco!

Eugene Huggins has been playing blues harmonica in bands for several decades. He has worked with many blues greats, including Buddy Guy. He appeared with Tom Waits on the Conan O'Brien Show earlier this year. Bassist Michael Warren has been a member of Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band for over 15 years. Drummer Michael Borbridge has worked with Elvin Bishop, Country Joe McDonald, Rowan Brothers, Luther Tucker, Pete Sears, Carlos Santana, Nick Gravenites and others. Singer Lisa Kindred is a veteran of the blues club scene dating back to the 1960s. Often compared to Janis Joplin, Kindred has maintained a loyal following and is often featured in North Beach clubs.

For more information about the free kickoff concert and the San Francisco Blues Festival, please visit www.sfblues.com.