Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band and the Muffler Guitar

by Michael Shea.

While the relationship between guitars and cars has been well documented over the years, in numerous songs, music videos, and even in the form of a guitar trophy for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR race, we have a new addition to guitar lore – a functional guitar and bass built out of car parts. At the 2008 Monterey Blues Festival, brothers Ryan and Kyle Perry of the Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band played instruments made from car mufflers. The instruments were designed by their father, Renaud Perry, and were built by Renaud and his sons at their home.

The Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band is a family affair, featuring 16-year old Ryan on guitar and vocals, 14-year old Kyle on bass, and their 9-year old sister Taya on drums. Although father Renaud plays harmonica with the band, he keeps to the background to encourage the younger Perrys to stand on their own as a band.

Ryan’s guitar, Lightning, is a unique blend of automotive and instrumental parts – a regular guitar neck, pickups, electronics, and a Bigsby vibrato, but with a muffler for the body and lug nuts for the volume and tone controls, a license plate to cover the cutaway for the electronics, and a seat belt out of an old truck as a guitar strap! Dual chrome tailpipes attached to the guitar’s body provide an added touch of realism. Like a car driven after dark, the guitar lights up for night shows. Lightning was constructed by welding and bolting on its various components.

Kyle’s 6-string bass, Thunder, is a newer, more refined model, and was created without any welding. Kyle wanted it painted black, which also helps keep the finish from tarnishing. Kyle favors a 6-string bass for its extended range over a traditional 4-string instrument. The guitar and bass both use an AKG GuitarBug wireless system, that lets the boys move around the stage and allows Ryan to play the guitar behind his head.

A double-neck muffler guitar, Twin Turbo, should be completed by the time this article is published. The double neck will permit Kyle to add slide to his repertoire on an alerted tuned bottom neck. Hoopty, the first muffler guitar the Perry’s made is scheduled to be displayed at the new B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which opens this September in Indianola, Mississippi.

Their unusual guitars certainly catch one’s eye, but make no mistake, these kids can play regardless of their instruments' novel good looks. In 2006, they won third place at the 3rd Annual MS Delta Blues Society of Indianola’s Blues Challenge, took second place at the 2007 International Blues Challenge (this out of a field of 157 competitors), and recently were voted Best New Artist of the year at the 2008 West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. They already have a comfortable stage presence and a sense of humor about their youth. Ryan, while introducing a song told the crowd, “I wrote this song when I was 11 and my voice was higher. Now I’m 16 and things are starting to happen. So if you hear a pig squeal, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

I wondered how the band juggled school and the demands of a music career. Ryan, Kyle, and Taya are home schooled and, according to their parents, practice after dinner each evening. All that practice no doubt helped polish the chops you hear on their CD, Pay Me No Mind, released on the NorthernBlues Music label.

When Debbie Davies took the stage after Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band’s set, she called the group “the future of the blues” and, judging from the band's impressive list of “friends” on their MySpace page, a lot of other blues artists feel the same way.

Related Links
Homemade Jamz' Blues Band
2008 Monterey Bay Blues Festival Photo Gallery
2007 Monterey Blues Festival Photo Gallery
Piedmont Talent
Northernblues Music
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
Crosscut Saw Photography

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