Most recently, from 1991 until 2008, I was a member of The Robert Cray Band and toured extensively in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Besides headlining many concerts and festivals, we appeared as support act on big-deal rock tours of people like Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

During my years with the Cray Band I recorded nine albums. One of them, “Take Your Shoes Off”, won a Grammy award; several of the others were nominated for that award.

discography

I first became infected with music in Los Angeles at the age of 18. I played venues ranging from central L.A. cocktail lounges to Pasadena’s Ice House folk music club…surf bands, back-up bands for R&B vocal groups (like Motown artist-to-be Willie Hutch), in bluegrass bands (playing string bass) and jug bands (playing washtub bass and jug).

I came to the San Francisco Bay area in the mid-1960’s and began a touring and recording association with blues musician Charlie Musselwhite which would continue until 1975. My recording credits from this period also include work with classic blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon, Michael Bloomfield and folk-rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Alice Stuart.

Alice Stuart’s band (which recorded for Fantasy Records) was unusual for its time (1973). An electric guitar trio fronted by a woman, it played major rock venues (e.g. Winterland), appeared on the “Tonight” show and toured Europe twice, once as support act for Van Morrison’s triumphant return to the U.K in 1974.

For much of the 1980’s through 1991, I performed and recorded with blues/Southern Rock favorite Elvin Bishop, touring extensively in North America and abroad.

Longtime Bay Area residents (and/or major music buffs) might recall other fine performers I have associated with: East Bay proto-funk-rockers Grayson Street, Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s, Oakland’s Gospel Hummingbirds (Grammy nominees!), quintessential bluesman Ron Thompson…

I’m also proud of my tenures in the house bands of Bay Area clubs like Larry Blake's in Berkeley and Slim’s Nightclub in San Francisco. At these and other local venues I got to back up a virtual cavalcade of notables… Albert Collins, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mike Bloomfield, Otis Rush, Dr. John, Allan Toussaint, Earl King, Boz Scaggs, Carla Thomas, Ann Peebles, Tracy Nelson, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt…

Currently I am playing the 2009-2010 season with the Prometheus Symphony, an East Bay community orchestra.