On Saturday, November 12th...
at J.B. McGinnis Pub & Grill
It's was the Annual
2011 Blues
Harvest from 3 to 9pm
Members $20 - Non-Members $25
                
Appearing...opening at 3pm was:

The
Ray Schinnery
Blues Band

"..Just when you think his vocal is a standard, rough-hewn blues shouter, he turns around and lays down some of the shivery - sweetest, three part harmonies this side of the bible belt... there aren't many who can pull together as many strains of American roots music on stage as Ray Schinnery can..." - Blues Magazine

"Best received of the afternoon's performance was by Ray Schinnery...an entertaining rhythm blues - gospel based routine that is instrumentally and vocally superb as well as remarkably professional." - San Francisco Examiner

Born in St. Thomas, Ray started playing guitar in 1944. His uncle made his first guitar out of a sardine can and a ruler. In 1961 his big break was in the Bronx at the Comet. Ray shared the stage with blues legends, such as Lionel Hampton, Bobby Blue Bland, Junior Walker, Jimmy Whitherspoon and many, many more.  Ray's vocal and guitar playing stems from the Chicago blues scene. Playing for forty years all over the planet Ray is one o a kind, whose music stay's with you long after the show is over.  He's a frequent sit-in with the Holmes Brothers when he's not touring with his own band, and this is one show that you should NOT miss!

And, believe it or not, he lives right here in lower Delaware. 
A gem right in our midst, and long past time he performed for a DSBS audience!
Well, we finally got that chance, and EVERYONE who was there was glad that they DIDN'T MISS IT!!

Here's a link to Ray's Website:
http://www.rayschinnery.net/

Check Video of Ray out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzp2Tjtj_
Q&feature=player_detailpage

  

 

 

     

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

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And headlining at 6pm, & performing two sets,
was the incomparable . . .

Maurice John Vaughn Few themes are more dominant in the folklore and lyric imagery of the blues than that of the road. To early southern blues artists the road represented a highway to freedom, a way out of oppression and bondage, a possible path to a mythic promised land. But the road was also a dangerous pathway fraught with peril. A man might take to the road to follow his dream only to end up wandering, desperate and alone, with no place to call home. He might find himself stranded at a demon-haunted crossroads at midnight; he might run afoul of savage Dixie justice and wind up on a prison road gang with iron shackles around his legs, breaking rocks and shoveling gravel under the relentless southern sun; he might die in a ditch beside some forsaken backwoods dirt road, desolate and alone. Through the years, as the blues have become more urban, the "road" has transmogrified into the "street," but it's no less alluring and no less dangerous. Street life is the life of the player, the mack, the hipster; the street is where the women are fine, the music is hot and sexy, and the sweet times are to be had. But the street is also where death lurks in alleys and crack houses; it's where young men fight and die, where young women are ravaged and ruined. It's where the blues life --soulful, passionate, laden with dues and danger-- is lived to its fullest and most uncompromising intensity. Maurice John Vaughn, who was born and raised on Chicago's south side and now lives across the state line in Indiana, is a mild-mannered family man; he's not a veteran of the street, and he's never toiled or trod alongside a dusty southern road. But as a blues poet he understands and feels deeply the images and passions these symbols represent. The roads Maurice has traveled have been thoroughfares of artistic and personal growth, and they've had their share of twists, curves, and unexpected new directions along the way. A multi-instrumentalist since high school, Maurice kicked off his professional career playing saxophone in R&B and disco aggregations; he worked venues in and around Chicago, ranging from local dance clubs to suburban country clubs and restaurants. By the mid-70s he'd expanded into the blues, and he began to concentrate on developing his fretboard chops. He played in bands led by local blues celebrities like guitarists Smilin' Bobby and Johnny Dollar, as well as the late keyboardist Professor Eddie Lusk. Eventually he went on the road with guitarist Phil Guy, brother of the legendary Buddy. It wasn't long before the record companies came calling, but for a while they were mainly interested in Maurice as a sideman. He appeared on disks by the likes of saxophonist A.C. Reed (on Alligator) and vocalist Zora Young (on Parsifal, out of Belgium). Unwilling to continue to let others call the shots, Maurice produced a record on himself which he called Generic Blues Album, an intentionally ironic title, since he's always been an aggressive innovator who mixes and melds the diverse influences of his musical background. He issued the disk on his own Reecy label; in 1988, after giving him a slot on their New Bluebloods compilation, the Alligator label picked up Generic Blues Album and added it to their catalogue. Maurice followed up with In The Shadow Of The City, also on Alligator, in 1993; the road to international blues recognition was rapidly opening. But Maurice has never been satisfied with cruising easily along one highway. Since the early '90s he's worked as A&R (Artist and Repertoire) man for Appaloosa Records, producing critically-acclaimed albums for artists like Shirley Johnson, Maxine Carr and B.J Emery. He's also continually in demand as a sideman and in-studio musical director; especially notable were his contributions to a pair of Blue Suit recordings featuring the Chicago-based keyboard legend, Detroit Junior. These activities have meant steady work for Maurice, and they've helped him hone his reputation for versatility, professionalism, and class.   Biography Maurice John Vaughn is a true blues original. A triple threat on guitar, saxophone and vocals, Vaughn writes powerful, innovative and often humorous songs that spring directly from his vast musical experience. His soulful and passionate vocals are convincing because they are earned -- Vaughn means what he sings. Coming out of the streets of Chicago, Vaughn was raised on Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, black Top 40 and James Brown. Like the greats who have come before him, he has incorporated his various influences into a blues and R&B style that is completely his own. Vaughn's Alligator recording, In The Shadow Of The City (AL 4813), is a collection of mostly original songs covering all the emotional bases. From the good-time fun of Can't Nobody to the soul searching of Suicide Is Not The Way, Maurice displays his singular musical vision. He moves effortlessly from the full funk of (Everything I Do) Got to Be Funky to solo acoustic blues on Treat Me So Bad. According to Vaughn, it's important to mix things up musically and stylistically. "I don't want to be known as a 'heavy,'" Vaughn says, "but rather as someone who understands pain, can deal with it, and can also have a good time." His goal is to inspire his audience to do the same. In The Shadow Of The City showcases everything Maurice does best: sharp, original songs; soulful vocals; cutting-edge lead guitar and swinging saxophone. Vaughn began his musical career while attending Juliet Low grade school on Chicago's South Side, playing drums, guitar and clarinet in the school band. He moved on to playing in various Top 40 cover bands. In 1968, he concentrated on the saxophone in order to join a local jazz trio. "They wanted a sax player, and I wanted to be in the band," Vaughn recalls. He made his very first recording with an R&B group called the Chosen Few for Chi-Sound records in 1976. But soon after that the saxophone jobs were drying up, so Vaughn turned his attention to his guitar. Echoes of Albert King, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker and B.B. King can be heard in Vaughn's unique guitar style. In 1979, Vaughn entered the blues world after Phil Guy -- brother of legendary guitarist Buddy Guy and a guitarist and bandleader in his own right -- sat in with Vaughn's soul band which was playing behind Professor Eddie Lusk. After the gig, Guy invited Vaughn and band to join him for an upcoming Canadian tour. Soon Vaughn was playing with the top Chicago blues talents: Luther Allison, Son Seals (with whom he toured Europe) and A.C. Reed (whose Alligator recording, I'm In The Wrong Business!, features Vaughn on guitar). Maurice's musical vision and self-guided career helped land him with Alligator Records. In 1986, Maurice played, produced, recorded and financed his own solo album. He was, as he says, "tired of waiting in line for producers to call," so he formed his own Reecy label, and released Generic Blues Album. On the strength of this recording, Alligator president Bruce Iglauer invited Vaughn into the studio to cut a track for The New Bluebloods compilation album. Alligator then worked out a distribution deal for Generic Blues Album with Maurice, reissuing the album with an additional track. Guitar World declared, "Blues album of the year!" As well as writing up-to-the-minute urban blues songs, Vaughn loves to perform. A typical Vaughn show involves a close rapport with the audience. His style is comfortable and inclusive. He'll talk to the audience as if they were all sitting in his living room. "You won't just see me stand there with my guitar," Vaughn says. One way he has learned to keep his live show fast paced and always fun is by playing for kids. Vaughn often plays in schools for children who have never heard blues music. He'll update Sonny Boy Williamson's Help Me to include lyrics about homework. "Kids have short attention spans, so I need to keep things fun and exciting or I'll lose them. I always keep this in mind when I'm performing in clubs." Vaughn loves to travel and is constantly updating his sound and style. His abundant talent and experience place him at the forefront of the contemporary blues world. His innovative songs, passionate singing, blistering guitar playing and romping saxophone mark his music as visionary work from a true blues original.