“Hugely entertaining, intelligently conceived and executed roots rock with a wickedly cool and otherworldly twist on tradition. Estrin’s harp work is masterful.” –Living Blues
Singer, songwriter, and virtuoso blues harpist Rick Estrin was born in San Francisco, California and even as a boy he frequented the tough Market Street area, falling under the spell of music by Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, Nina Simone, Champion Jack Dupree, and others.
When he picked up the harmonica at age 15, he was already immersed in the urban Black culture around him. By 18, he was proficient enough on the harp to jam with the likes of Lowell Fulson and Travis Phillips. After a move to Chicago, Estrin worked with Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay, Johnny Young, and Johnny Littlejohn, and even jammed with Muddy Waters. Moving back to the Bay Area, Estrin met guitarist Little Charlie Baty, and they joined forces to form Little Charlie & the Nightcats in 1976, a high-powered electric urban blues band, and the group stayed together for some 30 years, touring and recording, issuing their first album, All the Way Crazy, in 1987
Estrin developed into a brilliant blues harp soloist, and he had become an equally good blues songwriter, drawing comparisons to Willie Dixon and Cab Calloway, and with his flamboyant stage personality, sharp sense of humor, and a singing voice that drew the best from the material.
Featuring: Rick Estrin (harmonica), Christoffer “Kid” Andersen (guitar, background vocals), Lorenzo Farrell (piano, organ), Derrick “D’Mar” Martin (drums)