BROTHER E   & the BLUE RHYTHM KINGS
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THE

 

 

 

GUYS!
                GATOR              BROTHER  E            BIG  DAN

  

    Jeff (the Bassman)            Jumpin' Jim Williams    Chargin' Chuck Tabbert        Rockin' Bobby                 

                                     BUY THE KING'S BEST-SELLING CD   

     

                                            $12 (includes shipping) --send check to                                                 

RGS Productions -- 2800 Aloysia Lane NW, Albuquerque, NM  87104

 

BROTHER E & THE BLUE RHYTHM KINGS NAMED ONE OF  STATE'StTOP BANDS BY THE NEW MEXICO MUSIC COMMISSION. (Sept.10)

 

    Cookin' at the historic El Rey stage.                       Backstage with Louisiana Red            WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW               National Bluesman of the year.                                      

                                          

                    Big Dan Jammin' the Blues                                                                                      Gator, cutting it loose.

   

                            

                 JeJeff Scott --THE Bassman                    Dave Barclay, the Zydeco pro, sits in with the Kings

                                                                                       (     (Barclay appears courtesy of Felix y los Gatos) 

      

          The Kings a t the Angel Fire Blues Festival 

             

       Jammin' in Angel Fire.     

                                            

                                                                                                             The New Mexico State Police support the Blue Rhythm Kings.

      

              The Kings cookin'  on Central Avenue.                                    The MoonGlows join the Kings on stage.  

            

 Dancing at the historic Golden West Saloon.            Brother E puttin' down the soul.              Dancin' at the Blues Fest.

                                          

                                          

"I dig the Kings, but I gotta have more cowbell." 

              

                       Sitzmarker's Ski Club celebrates their 40th anniversary with the Kings.

            

      

     National Bluesman of the Year, Louisiana Red, playing Gator's "Black Beauty" '68 Les

          Paul Custom &  4-time Grammy winner Bob Corritore on harp with the Kings.

                                     

                                                    Bro. E & the Kings opening for Chris Duarte

                           

 Bobby and Jeff -- THE Rhythm Section               Keep on Dancin'!

                       

                Louisiana Red rocks out with the Blue Rhythm Kings

      

                                             And the bride sang "Ride, Sally, Ride."

              WEDDING PARTIES WITH E & THE KINGS. YEAH!!!

       "You guys rocked!! Thanks for making our wedding day perfect. Everyone from Houston loved your
        music. We have gotten so many compliments on you all - thanks for doing a great job!
        You made the reception really fun---thanks!!"      Erin and Daniel C. (Houston)
 

                        

                                                                                          

                                          

                        
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                    THE DOUBLE EE HORNS   

 

 
             GATOR'S GUITARS & AMPS (In case you're interested)

                                                        

                               (I have others, but these are my very favorites)

                  

  

         

The Black Beauty.  1968 Les Paul Custom -- my favorite guitar. Old Texas Bluesman T-Bone Turner owned it when I first started playing with him in Austin years ago. When he passed away (some 15 years back) I was already living in New Mexico. I flew back to Austin for  his funeral. His widow said that he had wanted me to have his guitar. This guitar is all original except for the brass nut on the neck which T-Bone installed. It has tremendous sustain. When I was playing with Louisiana Red last year, he borrowed it "for a couple of songs" and played the entire rest of his set with it. He told me later that he fell in love with it. Besides T-Bone and Red, I don’t know what other old South Texas blues and rock guitarists might played it, but this 40 year-old guitar is so full  of mojo that there are times I feel like I’ve got some magic hoodoo strapped to my body. The tone is so varied and complete that it's hard to describe. I play it almost exclusively through my  Dr. Z , '59 Bassman or my 1937 Gibson EH-150 amps.

                  "Tone---what else matters?"

 

                     1937 Gibson EH-150                                                                   Jimmie Vaughan & Kim Wilson (1972)

 The '37 EH-150 was the first ever class A tube amp with an overdrive channel. It still sounds better than just about anything out there.  It has one knob---volume.       

                  

                    Dr. Z  Mazarati Jr. 2 X 12                                    1959 Fender Bassman

                 There's not much to say about these two great amps except, they're great.

 

                                  FAVORITE ACOUSTIC GUITARS

 

                                                                  

                                   '51 Gibson LG-1                      '56 Martin D-28                        

1951 Gibson LG-1. This acoustic was known as "the old Bluesmen's" guitar in the 1930s-50s. They liked the smaller body and, back then, Gibson sold them for less. The famous picture of Robert Johnson in a suit---he's playing one just like this. The Gibson acoustics made in the 40's and early 50's were really special. I don't know their secret for those guitars from that period, but it's so sweet it just drips with tone and is very playable and responsive. This one is a bit beat up, but the spruce and mahogany have aged beautifully the last 56 years for a sweet, full tone that is hard (and some say impossible) to find in a newer guitar.

1956 Martin D-28.  This acoustic is also a real classic. The D-28s have been the guitar of choice for literally hundreds of musicians since the 1930s. From Clapton to George Jones...from Johnny Cash to Neil Young, from Hank Williams to Elvis--and just about every blue-grass guitarist of note. The D-28s from the 40's and 50's used Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides which is considered the ultimate for acoustics. This is probably the most recorded acoustic guitar in history---full, rich and very deep with tone. Fifty-one years old and it plays like silk.

 1985 G&L Broadcaster (by Leo Fender) 

    

This 1985 Broadcaster was one of the few made by Leo Fender and George Fullerton (who both signed it). Fender had sold Fender Musical Instruments to CBS a few years before.  Later,  Fender and his old partner (George Fullerton)  formed G&L Guitars (named after their initials). 

In some ways, it is more of  a pure telecaster than a Fender Telecaster*. It was carefully hand-made and soon after, Gretsch Guitars forced them to quit using the Broadcaster name. Leo changed the name thereafter to the ASAT. However, the Broadcaster is different from it's successors in some ways.

Its body and hardware are all black, it has a beautiful maple neck with an ebony fingerboard, and black tuner buttons.

The bridge pickup has a very piercing sound like Albert Collins' old Fender. The neck pickup has a very deep and full sound--more so than most Fenders I hear today.  The guitar was purchased new and has been played by many others besides me in it's early years in South Texas including T-Bone Turner and Randy "Maypole" May.

The past 17 years in New Mexico, it has shared a stage with Daniel Pienado, "Dangerous" Gary Lucero,  Chris Duarte, and young guitar sensation Ryan McGarvey (the "next SRV?").  It has a lot of memories for me and sounds great played through my Dr.Z amp, my '59 Bassman or my '37 Gibson amp.

--Gary "Gator" Millhollon
 

* Noted guitar technician, Bill Richardson told me "This is the Telecaster that Leo Fender always wanted to build. When he finished this one, he told many of us that this was Leo's ultimate Tele. Billy should know. He has been the guitar tech and worked with such historic guitarists as Scotty Moore (Elvis' own), Chris Isaac, Seymour Duncan, Mick Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Tracy Chapman.

Other guitars I own include an old Burns (British) 335, which I use for slide, a Brian Moore Custom Shop Strat, a 1933 Gibson lL-75 acoustic, a 1914 Washburn acoustic, an '88 Washburn acoustic ("camping guitar') and 2 basses.
 

                                                  I welcome any comments, questions, etc. -- gm.naig@comcast.net

 

                                         

                                                                Great tube amps make great tube sound.