Shinetop & Hudspeth Page 3 - Kansas City Blues Society

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE KANSAS CITY BLUES SOCIETY: TWICE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE 

Band Winners of the 2012 KCBS Blues Challenge: Jason Vivone & 

The Billy Bats 

Shinetop & 

Hudspeth 

Page 3 

Solo/Duo Winners 

of the 2012 

KCBS Blues Challenge

K C B l u e s N e w s 

A Word... 

Keeping On With the Grand Tradition 

A great big thank you to all of you that came out and supported the 

KCBS final challenge, held at Knuckleheads September 8 th . We 

are very proud to send our band, Jason Vivone and The Billy Bats 

and our duo act, Shinetop & Hudspeth to Memphis! There are 

some wonderful pictures posted on face book of the finals, thanks to Rob Smith. 

Dates for the 2013 International Blues Challenge (IBC) will be January 29 - February 2, 

2013. The competition held in Memphis, TN will be in the Beale Street Historic District. 

Hotel information is on the website NOW. Tickets will be available on October 1. Hope to 

see you all there. 

Congratulations to Trampled Under Foot for winning the Blues Blast Award, Band of the 

Year! We are all so proud of you guys. 

If you are not going to King Biscuit this year, consider attending the Phoenix Festival October 

6 th . Last year was a great turnout with good music, eats, drinks and merchandise from several vendors. KCBS will have a merchandise 

booth there and we hope you will stop by and say hello. 

Come celebrate Levee Town’s 10 th Anniversary at BB’s Lawnside BBQ!! Date: October 20 th at 9pm. 

According to the bylaws, the KCBS elections will be held on the 2nd Thursday in January. 

Augusts' Character 

Quality 

ALERTNESS 

Finally, don't forget to support the KC Blues Fest at Kaw Point and our finest talents! We've been working hard to get sponsorship 

to help put this event on and we could not do this without our volunteering musicians and staff! 

Take care and good bluzin to you, Your President, Lil Joe Sherrick 

vs. 

carelessness 

Being aware of what is 

taking place around me 

so I can have the right 

responses. 

JOIN THE KANSAS CITY BLUES SOCIETY 

NAME(s):_________________________________________________ 

ADDRESS:________________________________________________ 

CITY:__________________________STATE_______ZIP___________ 

PHONE:______________EMAIL:______________________________ 

THIS COPY OF BLUES NEWS IS FROM:__________________________ 

Check here if you want to volunteer 

ANNUAL DUES (check box) 

NEW MEMBERRENEWAL 

Starving Artist $25 Business Partner w/2 Card Listings in Blues News $255 

Single 

$30 Julia Lee Commemorative w/T-Shirt and passes to any 

Family $45 KCBS Event Kansas City Blues $105 Society 

Blues Fan w/T-Shirt $65 

Send Check or Money Order to: 

P O Box 32396 

Want to maximize the 

benefits of your membership 

in the Kansas City 

Blues 

Society?..Volunteer! 

You can attend some of the 

best parties in KC and hear 

famous national and local 

groups playing the blues… 

FREE. 

PLUS you’ll meet exciting new 

friends who share your taste in 

music. Your volunteerism is 

what helps us earn money for 

our charities that are 

“Keeping on with the Grand 

Tradition...Kansas City 

Blues!” 

2 E-mail us at KCBLUESSOCIETY@GMX.COM KCBLUESSOCIETY.ORG

Photos taken by Doug & Betty Harper 


The Winner of the 

KCBS Blues 

Challenge for 

bands goes to: 

Jason Vivone 

and The Billy 

Bats 

Photos taken by Doug & Betty Harper 

The Winner of the 

KCBS Blues 

Challenge for Solo/ 

Duo Acts goes to: 

Shinetop and 

Hudspeth 

2 0 1 2 K a n s a s C i t y B l u e s C h a l l e n g e a t K n u c k l e h e a d s 

Photos taken by Betty & Doug Harper 

These winning artists 

will represent us in 

Memphis, Tennessee at 

the 29th International 

Blues Challenge beginning 

January 29 and 

concluding February 2. 

Tickets go 

on sale 

October 1, 

2012 



No Body’s Bidness 

KCBS Challenge 

Connie & The Blues Wreckers 

The Judges 

Stovepipe & Jazzy Jazz 

Jeremy & The Bail Jumpers 

Justin Andrew Murray 

The Drawing 



“Bigger and 

Better”: 

The 2nd Annual 

Kansas City Cigar Box 

Festival 

By Kevin M. Kraft, Founder 

A t the end of the first 

annual Kansas City Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) Festival in 2011, 

which was an unbelievable success, I made a promise to all 

that we would “do it again bigger and better” this year, and I 

must say that the 2nd Annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival proved 

me a prophet instead of a liar. With no budget, we were able to 

do it easier and better, even bigger in some ways. No, we didn’t 

have the colorful posters and buttons we had last year. We 

didn’t approach the Kansas City Blues Society to lend weight 

to bolster our efforts. All we had was the enthusiasm of those 

who flocked to the event in 2011 and their word of mouth. That 

and any free online promotion I and others could muster. The 

results were decidedly phenomenal. 

People began showing up for the festivities at BB’s Lawnside 

Blues and BBQ as much as an hour and a half early, with several 

deciding to have lunch there and make an afternoon out of 

it. I found myself celebrating being reunited with friends whom I 

hadn’t seen since last year and chatting with my two eldest 

children, Tamara and Tyler and assisting my friend and guitarist 

extraordinaire, Terrance Moulder, who managed the sound 

system. Fifteen minutes before, I met Janet Stephens the 

Blues Society secretary, having only become acquainted with 

her online. My adrenaline was pumping as the two o’clock hour 

was upon us, and I took the stage to start things off with my 

trusty Cohiba cigar box guitar, nervous, but confident that a 

great festival would ensue. 

Folks travelled from as far away as Minnesota this year! We 

had a great lineup of performers, which included Shae Lee, 

Stovepipe Perkins, Uncle John, Jason Vivone, Coyote Bill, 

Pharaoh Tarot, and me. 

One of the greatest things about the festival was the sheer 

variety of cigar box music to which we were treated. From the 

down-home gospel blues of Uncle John and wife Linda, to the 

hard-edged rock-blues of the Pharaoh, there was truly something 

for everyone. The audience was accommodating and 

very appreciative, as the cigar box guitar community reliably is. 

The open mike segments were great. Linda Morrison, who 

shied away from performing last year, stepped before the mike 

two separate times, playing her own well-crafted guitars and 

singing as well, we wondered what took her so long to step up. 

I was overjoyed to welcome Scotty Shipps to perform a few 

songs. His innovative blues sound was a delight and he may 

have to have a featured performer’s slot next year. 

There were raffle drawings between the acts, the proceeds of 

which again benefited the Kansas City Blues Society’s “Blues 

in the Schools” program, now directed by Arthur Seabury. The 

sales brought in even more money than last year and the 

prizes were well worth coveting. I only wish I could have 

bought a ticket. 

I found a certain pride and satisfaction at the fact that when I 

started cultivating the cigar box guitar revolution two years ago, 

I felt very much alone here in Kansas City, a novelty whose 

closest associates were states away. But my efforts have both 

uncovered hidden cigar box guitar builders and performers and 

created others. The revolution continues with young people 

arising like the lovely and talented Shae Lee taking up the 

CBG as an instrument of choice, and a fifteen-year-old young 

man named Chris Leman, who got up to play and sing during 

one of the final open mike segments. It was only upon meeting 

Chris, that I learned that he had built his guitar—his first, and 

had only just heard about the festival one day previously. Talk 

about timing. The next generation of cigar box guitar stars may 

well spring from events like this one. 

My very special thanks to all of the performers who made this 

musical event one of the best in the city, and their willingness 

to do so free of cost. To Lindsay Shannon and the staff at 

BB’s Lawnside Blues and BBQ, for giving us a home these 

past two years. Can we top ourselves and do it bigger and 

better next year? We’re sure going to try. I learn more every 

year and already have some cool ideas to make the next festival 

even better. Readers, you have an advance invitation. You 

can follow festival plans at my profile page at 

www.cigarboxnation.com., now, and an official website will 

soon be available for the Kansas City Cigar Box Guitar Festival 

itself. Follow me at the Nation to keep informed about things to 

come. 

CD Review 

 

Rick Gibson & The Peacemakers 

Plain and Simple 

Rick Gibson shared his 

latest CD with me recently, 

so I popped it in the car to 

listen to it while I’m making 

my many stops for The 

KCBS, featured on the CD 

is KC’s Tom Hall on vocals, 

Rick Huyett bass, 

Bree Plaster drums, 

Randy Bonifield keys, 

Dave Patmore harp, and 

Rick Gibson guitar, 

thought for sure Rick 

would be play a Gibson 

guitar, no it’s a Fender 

(LOL), anyway took the CD for a spin. Wow it has some great 

music on it, first of all such strong vocals from Tom Hall which 

is what we have come to expect from Tom, the rhythm section 

from Bree and Rick give a solid foundation for the music. 

Dave’s harp adds the right touch at the right time. Ricks touch 

on the guitar is that of a real pro, Rick lays down some serious 

licks and chords on this CD, and does a great job on acoustic 

as well, overall this CD offers a good variety of blues based 

music with some well thought out lyrics, professional mixing on 

this CD makes all the parts clear and clean. A very enjoyable 

CD indeed and should be a must for all you Tom Hall and Rick 

Gibson fans, I definitely recommend this for your collection. 

 


...Kansas City Blues 


Drum Beat 

A conversation with the Drum Counselor 

by Danny Powell 

Recently, I had the good fortune of sharing a pizza and having 

a conversation with one of Kansas City’s finest drummers, Go- 

Go Ray. His story of hard work, dedication and opportunity has 

resulted in a great fortune for KC Blues Fans. Born in Oak 

Cliff, Texas, (a suburb of Dallas and the birthplace of Stevie 

Ray Vaughan) Go-Go started on his music journey in September, 

1977, when he joined the elementary school band. He 

was the last kid selected to play drums. Even then he knew he 

would have to practice 

more and listen to his 

teachers to prove he belonged, 

and in December of 

1977, his dedication paid 

off when he was chosen to 

play with the “big kids” (6 th 

graders) in the Christmas 

program. 

That experience drove Go- 

Go to take the drums seriously 

and he played 

throughout his school days 

in all the bands from symphonic 

to jazz, while 

spending his summers going 

to music programs and 

competitions. He gives a lot 

of credit to his teachers, “I 

have been blessed with a 

lot of cool teachers and 

was taught to read music. Because of my teachers, I started 

out as a jazz and Latin drummer and finally got to play what I 

wanted which included pop, funk and rock music.” After high 

school, Go-Go continued on his path by attending a local junior 

college, Cedar Valley. This experience made him realize that 

things were much quicker and he had to “speed” up his game. 

From there he attended the University of North Texas, which 

he describes as a lesson in survival and it made him play virtually 

all the time. During this period he was also playing in 

bands around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He remembers at 17 

his first “paying” pro gig, “that was fun getting paid for what you 

love to do. Playing in bands and going to school allowed me to 

see how the two worked together and I made the decision to 

play more, play more and play more.” That hard work and 

dedication began to pay dividends when in October, 1992, he 

won the Guitar Center Drum-Off in Arlington Texas. 

are his vocation. “I play drums, I teach drums, and talk about 

drums.” Over the last several years, Go-Go has worked for 

several different soul/funk bands like Simplexity, Karma and on 

many projects doing session work and collaborations. Most of 

his work was in soul, funk and rock genres and in November, 

2010, he once again competed and won the first ever Roland 

V-Drums National Contest in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

In September of 2011 he debuted with Samantha Fish and his 

playing has now expanded into the world of Kansas City Blues. 

He recently traveled with Samantha (“Miss Fish”) to Romania 

and played to crowds that really embraced them. “When they 

realized we were from Kansas City, they really wanted to know 

about “Kansas City Blues and BBQ”, Go-Go explained. “They 

knew Kansas City’s heritage and they were very appreciative 

of what Miss Fish brought 

to them. It was amazing 

and they loved it.” Go-Go 

told me that as a musician 

you never know of what 

you will be a part. Take his 

current job with Miss Fish. 

He started hearing about 

her several years ago 

when he would go to 

Denny’s with other musicians 

and the waitress 

was Samantha’s sister 

(Amanda). She would always 

tell them what was 

going on with her. Now 

she is his boss. He was 

teaching at a local music 

store and they texted him 

one day and told him 

Samantha Fish wanted to 

talk to him. He played as a 

substitute drummer for her twice and she offered him the job. It 

is a move that he doesn’t regret. “I am thankful for the opportunity,” 

he said. “That young lady keeps me busy. I have always 

said I never wanted to be a rock star I just wanted to play for 

one. Samantha’s my rock star.” 

The future is wide open for the Drum Counselor and it shows 

in his work ethic, the way he plays and the way he embraces 

his fans and his craft. He loves what he does, whether it is 

teaching drums, doing session work or playing drums. When 

you get the opportunity to see him perform you will always get 

the very best from a professional who is grounded and humble. 

He is always quick to give credit to those who have helped 

him along the way. Kansas City is rich in Blues heritage and 

that heritage will continue with musicians like Go-Go Ray as 

one of its ambassadors. 

In April of 1994, Go-Go was playing in a band that brought him 

to Kansas City. “My first thought was Kansas City? Isn’t that 

Limited space in this magazine may mean some 

flat? When I got here I realized there was a whole new thing 


going on. First of all, the whole city smelled like BBQ. And the 

band omissions. We ask for your patience as we 

club scene, lots of clubs, lots of music. That’s when I knew 

there was something special in KC and I’ve been here ever 

try to keep our formatting legible for you. 

since.” In 1997, Go-Go started teaching drums. The drums 

Limited space in this magazine will mean some 

6 E-mail us at KCBLUESSOCIETY@GMX.COM KCBLUESSOCIETY.ORG 

 

...Kansas City Blues

Musician Members 

51% Blues Band 913-530-8149 

Allen Monroe 816-921-5854 

Austin Murray Band 219-928-1877 

Back Porch Blues Band 785-341-3677 

Becky Majors kix66@sbcglobal.net 

Bill Thompson 785-224-1023 

Blue 88 913-403-0819 

Blue Orleans 785-842-0978 

Blue Rock Band 913-238-3977 

Blues Trip 816-204-8941 

BluzBenderz 816-820-4534 

Bobby Gardner 417-350-9100 

Bobby Smith Blues Band 816-765-1621 

Brandon Miller Band 913-530-7395 

Brandon Vogt 417-619-3362 

Briar 913-982-6446 

Brother Bagman 818-898-3775 

C Leonard 785-418-8220 

Cadillac Flambe’ 816-645-4654 

Colby Kilgore & John Powell 816-808-4540 

Connie & The Blues Wreckers 913-221-1282 

Coyote Bill 913-575-7660 

Christopher Ryan 563-528-5044 

Chuck Lancaster 913-780-2452 

CrossEyed Cat 913-449-2701 

Dan Bliss & Bluetonium 913-432-6958 

Dan Rice 816-787-5180 

Dave Hays Band 816-787-5180 

Dog House Daddies 816-217-7866 

Ernest James Zydeco 816-507-8698 

Eugene Smiley Band 816-765-6489 

Frank Plas & the Silvertones 913-780-2452 

Garett Hinz 913-254-0124 

Gary Gardner & In Full Swing 

816-875-2095 

GoGo Ray drumcounselor@gmail.com 

Guitar Gene & the V Twin Blues Rockers 

816-739-0728 

James Flack 913-238-3977 

Jammin’ Jan Lamb 816-836-8282 

Jan Faircloth 913-709-2219 

Jason Vivone & The Billy Bats 

816-769-5687 

Jeff Reeder 816-805-9063 

Jeremy Butcher & Bail Jumpers 

785-331-8540 

Jerry Riccardi 913-387-4004 

Jim Funderburke 816-517-5571 

Jimmy Lewin & Kingtones 785-825-7802 

Jimmy Steffan-Megan Boyer Band 573-999-5218 

Jimmy “Sweet Lips” Wilson 785-690-7026 

Jimmy “Taz” Tasoulas 816-868-8318 

John Zimmerman and the Rhythm Rockets 913-558-6161 

June Bug & The Porch Lights 816-361-6156 

Justin Andrew Murray 219-928-1877 

Klear Ambition 816-516-8649 

Knock Kneed Sally 913-999-1349 

Kyle Elliott & Voodoo Soul 816-682-0944 


L A Smith 573-424-2590 

Larry Brady 913-488-4783 

Levee Town 913-709-2219 

Lightning Mike Kovacs 816-429-6150 

Lil' Joe Sherrick 913-768-7973 

Linda Shell & The Blues Thang 816-878-5766 

Listen Mister 913-908-7236 

Lonesome Hank & the Heartaches 816-872-6115 

Lonnie Ray Blues Band 785-597-5057 

Mama Ray’s Band 816-836-3706 

Mark Montgomery 913-909-3078 

Mary Bridget Davies 440-454-2494 

Mike Goldman 913-642-8610 

Michael Vande 913-221-4123 

Millage Gilbert's Down Home Blues 913-523-3633 

Nobody’s Bidnis 816-822-1994 

Old No. 5’s-620-757-1107 

Out of The Blue 816-830-3717 or 219-928-1877, 

Delta & Country Blues 785-393-9207 

Paul Matthews 785-842-0978 

Rain Dogs 816-765-4678 

Randy Oxford Band 253-973-9024 

Rich Hill Band 205-253-4961 

Rick Gibson & The Peacemakers 913-484-2663 

Rock N Rick Patterson 816-255-7381 

Ron “Old School” Birmingham 816-965-8494 

Scott Moyer 816-373-1232 

Shelter Band 816-769-3967 

Shinetop Jr. & Hudspeth 816-807-2866 

Sorta Blue 785-331-6765 

Stone Cutter’s Union 913-732-0690 

The Bluefin Review 913-940-3020 

The House Jumpers, feat. Marvin & Cathy Hunt 785-331-5749 

The Magnificent Bang Bangs 816-853-2897 

The Michael Elrod Blues Band 816-942-6654 

The Unlimited Blues Band 816-699-7322 

Tiffany Miller 816-225-0707 

Tom Tipton 816-787-3131 

If you would like to add or revise your name or number on 

this list, please email: kcbluessociety@gmx.com 

Donations to the KC Blues Society are tax deductible and help with a variety of cultural 

and educational programs like: 

Kansas City Blues Challenge 

Blues In Schools 

International Blues Challenge 

Our city is blessed to have so many fine talented musicians. Please support the community 

and each others efforts to 

Keep The Blues Alive! 


Buddy Ross on the far right with The Sliders. 

Who Is Buddy Ross? 

by Michael Weaver 

When twelve year old Charles ‘Bud’ Ross stepped off the Greyhound 

bus from West Virginia at the Bible School at 74th & Metcalf in Overland 

Park, Kansas on July 4th, 1952, he had no idea what the future 

may bring. His family moved to the Bible School campus after his 

mother found a job there. He grew up with a musical background 

singing at church and with his favorite songs on the radio. 

Some years later, after graduating from the Bible School in 1958, and 

while hanging out at the Soda Shop in downtown Overland Park, now 

the site of The Peanut on Santa Fe, he hooked up with Hal Nichols, a 

Shawnee Mission North student who had formed a four piece band 

which played at school and often at the Soda Shop, but not for money. 

Bud, already a young entrepreneur, knew there was money to be 

made. He had heard about Berry’s Barn out in Olathe, located on an 

old farm at about 119th Street, and what is now I-35. This was one of 

the very earliest Rock ‘N’ Roll venues in the area, though kids danced 

to their favorite records on a Juke Box. So in July of 1958, Bud went 

out and introduced himself to Mr. Berry, who, after some discussion, 

agreed to pay fifty dollars per night for Hal Nichols’ band to come out 

and play on Friday & Saturday nights. Fifty Dollars – that was ten 

bucks a piece for the band members and another ten for Bud, who 

helped the band move their equipment in and out of the barn’s loft. 

The live music was well received and all was well for the first month or 

so. Then the band decided to split the take four ways instead of five, 

cutting Bud out of his due. Bud went back to Mr. Berry and convinced 

him he needed a different band to play on Friday nights. So Bud put a 

band together comprised of guys he’d never met before. Bud could 

sing, and sing well, but he didn’t yet play an instrument. He found 

three guys, one a hillbilly guitar player out of Sedalia, a drummer 

named Tommy Ruskin and a saxophone player Tommy knew. They 

called themselves ‘The Rebelrousers’ and began playing at Berry’s 

Barn on Friday nights, with Bud singing. 


job working six nights a week at fifteen bucks a night. This was just 

too good of an opportunity to pass up, so Bud took Jim Hickman’s 

place in The Sliders and disbanded The Rebelrousers, and The Sliders 

took over Friday nights at Berry’s Barn. Sometime in the spring of 

1959, in an effort to improve the sound in the old barn, Bud bought 

four 12 inch speakers from McGee Radio in KC, and built his first 

speaker cabinet. The Sliders played at Berry’s Barn through the 

spring of 1960 after which Bud and John (The Barber) Roeder opened 

The Promenade Ballroom at 31at & Main in Kansas City. John ran the 

door and Bud, who by now had learned to play guitar, formed a new 

group called The Bygones, featuring Garry MacComas on lead guitar, 

Ray Bagsby on drums, Dave Gates on bass, and Richard Gordon on 

sax. Bud played second guitar and sang. The Bygones played at The 

Promenade Ballroom through its short lifetime, and at The Coke Bar, 

Berry’s Barn and other local venues, including The Soc Hop near 95th 

& Metcalf in Overland Park. They were playing there when Dave 

Gates asked Bud, who had previously done some custom auto upholstery 

work, if he could tuck and roll his amplifier. Bud no longer had a 

sewing machine, but knew someone who could do the job. Bud made 

another speaker cabinet and had both upholstered to match. Once the 

cabinets were done, they took them to The Soc Hop and that was the 

first night a tuck and roll amp was ever played. That very same night, 

another musician named Roger Calkins (of The Fabulous Silver 

Tones, the house band at The Soc Hop) walked in and asked, 

“Where’d ya get that amp?” Bud told him and Roger was very impressed. 

That gave Bud an idea. So, after The Bygones broke up 

later that year, Bud started making speaker cabinets and doing the 

tuck and roll upholstery on them. This was the beginning of Bud’s 

future business Kustom Amplifiers, located in Chanute, Kansas. Kustom 

was a brand and trademark of Ross, Inc., a company founded in 

1966 by Bud, owner through the mid 1970’s. The main selling point of 

Kustom amplifiers hugely relied on their appearance. Ross, Inc.was 

the first to mass-produce amplifiers covered in "Tuck-And-Roll" glitter 

enhanced naugahyde. The amplifiers featured solid-state circuitry 

instead of vacuum tube based designs so common in the 1960s. 

Ross, Inc. produced several models of guitar amplifiers, bass amplifiers, 

organ amplifiers, and P.A. systems. The original Kustom Amps 

came in a variety of colors, including Red Sparkle, Blue Sparkle, Gold 

Sparkle, Teal, Grey, White, and Flat Black (which contained no glitter). 

Eventually the company even branched out to produce organs, drums, 

microphones and guitars. 

Today, Kustom amplifiers are considered fairly collectible and preferred 

by vintage enthusiasts for their solid-state tone. Rockabilly and 

Motown musicians originally used these amps. Other artists known for 

using the Kustom brand for live applications are The Altamonts and 

Sheryl Crow. Some of the most famous Kustom P.A.users include 

Creedence Clearwater Revival, Leon Russell, Johnny Cash, Roy 

Clark, The Jackson 5, Carl Perkins, and The Carpenters. CCR toured 

from mid-1969 - 1972 using their own massive Kustom 400 PA system 

to maintain quality control of their live sound, due to lack of quality 

backline venue PA systems in those days. As a result, CCR concerts 

were superior in live sound to most acts of the day. 

Bud Ross is happy, healthy and still lives in Johnson County, Kansas. 

 

Another local group, composed of Larry Emmett, Larry’s father, Flash, 

along with Jim Wilson, Frank Hoffman, and Jim Hickman called themselves 

‘The Sliders’. The Sliders had played all around the area, 

mostly on weekends in beer joints for an older crowd, but the teen 

crowd at Berry’s Barn was growing, so The Slider’s began playing 

there on Thursday nights. Someone told Larry about a guy that sang 

there on Friday nights that was really good, so one Friday in October, 

1958, Larry showed up and after listening to Bud sing, offered him a 




Business 

Partners 

BB’s Lawnside BBQ 

816-822-7427 

1204 E 85th, Kansas City, 

MO 64131 

Babeeboy’s 

816-965-0008 

13824 U S 71, Grandview, 

MO 64030 

The Daily Limit 

816-942-0400 

423 Red Bridge Rd., 

Kansas City, MO 64131 

Danny’s Big Easy 

816-421-1200 

1601 E. 18th St. 


Double Nickel Bar & 

Grill 

913-782-4140 

189 S. Rogers Rd., 

Olathe, KS 66602 


Fat Fish Blue 

816-759-3474 

Zona Rosa 

7260 NW 87th St. Kansas 

City, MO 64153 

Freddy T’s 

913-780-3900 

2111 E. Crossroads Lane, 

Olathe, KS 66062 

Hickory Ridge Resort Marina 

417-282-6341 

Hwy 83, Rt. 2, Box 408, 

Flemington, MO 65650 

Knuckleheads 

816-483-1456 

2715 Rochester St., Kansas 


Lenexa Longbranch 

Steakhouse 913-894-5334 

8600 Marshall Drive 

Lenexa, KS 66214 

Ophelia’s 

816-461-4525 

201 N. Main St., Independence, 

MO 64050 

Quasimodo 

913-239-9666 

12056 W. 135th St., Overland 

Park, KS 66211 

Sherlock’s Underground 

816-429-5262 

858 S. Hwy 291, Liberty, 

MO 64068 

The Phoenix 

816-221-5299 

302 W. 8th St., Kansas 


Uncle Bo’s Tavern 

785-234-4317 

420 E. 6th. St., Topeka, KS 

66607 

KCBS Meeting October 

11th at 7pm 

The Phoenix 

Featuring Klear Ambition 

We would love to add you to this 

list of Business Partners. If you 

would like to become a partner, 

please contact us at: 

kcbluessociety@gmx.com 



Player Profile: A Sit-Down with Patrick Recob 

By A. Alexander Harrison 

Between a carefully concealed background in British rock, an 

early affinity for punk music, a 

childhood spent in the far away 

barren land of Topeka, and wild 

escapades – both past and present 

– with the likes of Lee McBee, 

Kate and Nick Moss, Badfinger, 

The Nighthawks, and countless 

other well-known acts, It’s fair to 

say that Patrick Recob is the closest 

thing the Kansas City blues 

community has to the Dos Equis 

guy. 

Prompted by a chance (sort of) 

meeting in Denver, Colorado, I 

took it upon myself to learn 

Mr. Recob’s story and make 

sure everyone else heard it, Photography by Samantha Whitehead 

too. On Sunday, August 

12 th , 2012, I sat down with 

Patrick at BB’s Lawnside BBQ and listened as he told his story. 

Like many musicians, Patrick began learning music, in part, to 

help deal with his undiagnosed, but suspected Attention Deficit 

Disorder. Though you’ll rarely see him pick up anything with 

more than four strings, Mr. Recob tried his hand at every instrument 

he could get his hands on, which leads to a very early, 

nearly comprehensive understanding of the way music works. 

This, coupled with a ninety-degree learning curve, leads a gentleman 

by the name of Bud Dingman, a social worker turned 

record store owner, to take a liking to Recob. When Patrick entered 

World Records, Mr. Dingman’s establishment in Topeka, 

he was given free run of the place, selecting and listening to any 

record that struck his fancy. This, taken into consideration with 

the fact that the Recob household was filled with everything from 

old country, classical, opera, folk and early rock, makes it easy 

to see how Patrick developed into such a well-rounded musician 

with rock-solid timing and massive instrumental – as well as vocal 

– chops. 

Though the music of Willie Dixon, Little Walter and Muddy Waters 

was tattooed prison-style onto Patrick’s brain very early on, 

he experimented with every type of music he could, playing in 

punk, rock, blues and country bands, and even took a fantastic 

year-and-a-half stand with John McNally and his Motown outfit. 

Recob’s moment of truth came when he first heard a record 

called Soul Searchin’ by Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. This 

was all it took for Patrick to hear the “voice in his head” that so 

many musicians are familiar with, telling him that he was going to 

be a blues bass player. At the pleasure of every blues fan on the 

planet, Recob listened to that voice. 

Since before he was legally allowed to enter the venues where 

Lee McBee performed, Patrick Recob had the overwhelming 

desire to play bass for the man. The music of Mike Morgan and 

the Crawl featuring Lee McBee is, in Recob’s own words, “Just 

as important to me as the White Album or Abbey Road.” Since 

the early 90s, he’d wanted to play with Lee. In 2005, Patrick Recob 

finally got that opportunity. 

Since then, he’s been the bassist for Lee McBee and the Confessors. 

This band is one of the best no-nonsense blues outfits 

in the country, and it isn’t difficult to tell why. Their seven-year 

stand playing Sunday nights at BB’s is a hallmark of the Kansas 

City blues community. Incidentally, they were the first blues band 

I ever had the chance to see. If you haven’t seen Patrick and 

Lee do their thing, you’re going to put this magazine down, and 

you aren’t going to pick it back up until you have. 

Though Patrick considers himself to be living out his dream, and 

states rather firmly that he is – first and foremost – Lee McBee’s 

bassist, he isn’t afraid to branch out. His current side-project, the 

Magic Sam tribute he’s involved in with Kate Moss, is a point of 

professional pride for Recob. He’s also alluded to a new album 

by the Confessors, a year and a half in the making, which is very 

close to completion. 

Following Patrick’s thirty-seven minute monologue over the 

question of his musical heritage, I asked him to participate in 

some tech talk with a fellow gear head. Recob is a man of 

simple tastes, and he sticks to what he likes. He plays 

Fender Precision basses with flat wound strings through 

either Ampeg or Fender amps, most currently a Fender TV 

special. Though he speculates that admission of the following 

would likely get him shot in certain circles, he is an avid fan of 

Rickenbacker Basses. The gentleman also plays a 1948 Kay 

upright bass with a Fishman preamp. Good standup bassists are 

few and far between, but Recob fits the bill perfectly. There’s no 

fitting closure for 

Mr. Recob’s 

story, since he’s 

still quite alive. It 

should suffice to 

say that if you 

haven’t seen him 

play, get out and 

see him. If you 

have seen him 

play, go out and 

see him again 

because he and 

the Confessors 

put on a great 

show and the tip 

jar isn’t going to fill itself. 

Patrick Recob’s Suggested Listening: 

SONGS 

Let It Be – The Beatles 

Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig Van Beethoven 

SONGWRITERS 

Willie Dixon 

John Lennon Paul McCartney 

Magic Sam 

 

Photography 

by Samantha 

Whithead 



Linda Morrison with Lindsay Shannon of 

BB’s Lawnside BBQ. Linda is a Cigar Box Guitarist 

who actually built the cigar box 

Lindsay is holding. 

Men’s Logo T-ShirtT 

Shirt—$20 

Color: Black, Blue, Maroon & White 

Logo Caps—$15 

Color: Maroon/Blue 

Small Polo Shirt—$20 

Color: Yellow 

Women’s V Neck Logo T-ShirtT 

Shirt—$20 

Color: Black, Violet, Pink, Green, Red & 

More merchandise can be found 

on our website at 

www.kcbluessociety.org 



W o r d S e a r c h 

W U L P C Z O S W E I V E R 

M N L O X B L S K B F N K S 

S R E B E L R O U S E R V E 

P I S N N A E M S L V Y P S 

A R S E T S K E T R P H D S 

T H E O R Y R T O B H R X A 

R O R K E P A A M K O L P B 

I G N I P R P K A C E Z T R 

C P O V R W L E M C N R K E 

K L E W E B L U P I I Q Y K 

R S L R N Y E X L M X P O C 

E K Y H E S R E I L F E X A 

C H O R U S R S F T E S R B 

O O T N R M A G I C S A M N 

B S H U P J D W E P T A N E 

E M W I U M S F R O J E D K 

T A I R B U H P S G I T P C 

A T P Y A A T O X Y M L A I 

C I G A R B O X G U I T A R 

ENTREPRENEUR 

PHOENIX FEST 

REBEL ROUSER 

PATRICK RECOB 

KUSTOM AMPLIFIERS 

LEON RUSSELL 

RICKENBACKER BASSE 

DARRELL PARKER 

KATE MOSS 

MAGIC SAM 

CIGAR BOX GUITAR 

COHIBA 

FLIERS 

STIX 

PRESS 

CORDS 

JAM 

MIXER 

SETS 

CHORUS 

THEORY 

REVIEWS 


13 E-mail us at KCBLUESSOCIETY@GMX.COM KCBLUESSOCIETY.ORG 


Advertising 

Dimensions & Rates 

KCBS OFFICERS 

Lil’ Joe Sherrick, President joegene77@yahoo.com - 913-768-7973 

Anthony Arnold, VP/Events twinct@kc.rr.com 

J Allen, Treasurer 

jalleninkc@yahoo.com 

Premium Full Page (Inside front left or right) 

W 7.25” x H 9.75” - $370 

Premium Page Back Cover-W 7.25” x H 6.25”-$370 

Full Page-W 7.2”5 x H 9.75” - $247 

Half Page Horizontal-W 7.25” x H 4.75” - $110 

Half Page Vertical-W 3.75” x H 10” - $110 

Third Page Vertical-W 2.5” x H 10” - $91 

Quarter Page-W 3.5” x H 4” - $78 

Business Card-W 3.5” x 2” - $39 

*10% discount for band ads, and for payment with order, or for three 

insertions or more (only one discount per order). Ads need to be created in 

grayscale mode, and at least 300dpi. 

We can create an attractive, revenue generating 

ad for you! Email us for a price quote at 

kcbluessociety@gmx.com 

The BLUES NEWS reserves the right to refuse any advertising copy at 

its sole discretion. The BLUES NEWS assumes no responsibility for the 

accuracy and truthfulness of the advertising content as submitted. 

Advertisers shall indemnify and hold harmless the BLUES NEWS, its 

heirs and assigns for any claims concerning their submissions. 

Koni Bowers, Events/PR 

kb0803@aol.com 

Judy Abraham, Membership/Web judyk2949@yahoo.com 

Sheila Wikas, Merchandise 

Roger Shields, Volunteers 

glamgram2110@yahoo.com 

rogshields@gmail.com 

Danny Powel, PR/Fundraiser powdan54@gmail.com-816-215-7148 

Arthur Seabury, Blues in the Schools seaburyucla05@hotmail.com 

Connie Taylor, Editor Blues News/Advertising connietsblues-kcbs@yahoo.com 

Blues News is published monthly by the Kansas City 

Blues Society, Inc., a Missouri not-for-profit 

corporation formed solely for the purpose of 

promotion and preservation of various forms of Blues 

music. 



Kansas City Blues Society 

P O Box 32396 

Kansas City, MO 64171

New and Renewing Members 


Kansas City Blues Society Welcomes the 5 New, 37 Renewed members and 1 Renewed Business Partner 

listed below. We thank you for helping us support live music which brings wonderful entertainment for all. 

Please make it a point to get out to the clubs that support us so we can keep the live music going on. 

MEM N/R MEM N/R MEM N/R 

Patti Bartlett S R Cindy Long S R Laura & Bill Snow F R 

Danny’s Big Easy BP R Skip Marsh S N Dennis & Cathy Spears F R 

Jim Bradshaw S R Paul Matthews SA R Ralph & Janet Stephens F R 

Gerry Bukowski S N Rick McCray FBF R Clint & Heather Studebaker F R 

Tom Duncan S R Charlie Monck S R Taz & Tina Tasoulas F R 

Bill Eckinger S R Karen R. Moore S R Lyttleton Tough S R 

Michael & Sara Elrod F R Trish Morin S R Brian Tresnak S R 

Rick Gibson SA R Linda Morrison S R Kathi & Dirk Vandever F R 

Chuck Gowans S R Bruce Newland S R John Wassbert S R 

Peter & Jackie Hermann F R Steve Peters BF R 

Dennis Hitt S R Peter Michael Joseph Saiger, 

III 

S 

N 

Jan Lamb SA R Chris Shanklin S N 

Richard LeValley S N Gary Skorupsky S R 

Kcbluessociety.org for more info. Keeping the blues alive since 1980 

Kansas City Blues Society BLUES NEWS 

P O Box 32396 


Time Sensitive Materials 

PLEASE RUSH 

PRESORTED 

FIRST-CLASS MAIL 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

SHAWNEE 

MISSION KS 

PERMIT NO 915 

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Shinetop & Hudspeth Page 3 - Kansas City Blues Society

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?