45 Live

Roomful of Blues are in superb form on this live date recorded over three days' worth of shows at the Ocean Mist in Rhode Island. The purpose of these dates was to commemorate and celebrate the band's 45th anniversary; they started back in 1967 with guitarist Duke Robillard and keyboardist Al Copley. Since those early days, Roomful of Blues has seen numerous musicians pass through its ranks: Ronnie Earl, Lou Ann Barton, Ron Levy, Curtis Salgado, Greg Piccolo, Sugar Ray Norcia, Fran Christina, and Preston Hubbard. The 14 tracks for these live shows were chosen by guitarist, bandleader, and producer of this set, Chris Vachon, and include some the band's best-known originals: "Dressed Up to Get Messed Up," "Turn It On, Turn It Up," and "That's Right!" The other half of this live mix features songs that Roomful have previously recorded with blues giants such as Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and Earl King. On this 2012 Roomful of Blues performance, the band is propelled by Vachon, with vocalist Phil Pemberton, saxophonists Rich Lataille and Mark Earley, trumpeter Doug Woolverton, keyboardist Rusty Scott, bassist John Turner, and drummer Chris Rivelli, who continue the band's timeless, jump blues swing tradition. ~ Al Campbell