In this edition of my Blog, I will be talking about two amazing musicians and some of the nicest people you ever want to meet. Of course, I am talking about Joe and Vicki Price. I met Joe & Vicki a few years back at The Blue City Deli in St. Louis, MO. The first time I saw them I could not get over the way Joe played guitar and him stomping his feet for rhythm. Then you get Vicki up on stage, you get a whole new feel with Vicki’s singing and amazing guitar playing… It is a show to see. They are just two very talented people up on stage just having a good time and there just happens to be an audience there. To put these to in a genre is hard to do, some would say Blues, American, maybe even a little Country. I think that says a lot about an artist when you can’t pigeonhole them.
Joe reputation was cemented in the 1970's, when he spent the latter half of the decade as part of Mother Blues, one of the greatest and most heavily influential Iowa blues bands of all time. It was a time when Price was playing nearly non-stop and developed the style that has made him such a memorable performer. And make no mistake, Joe certainly is memorable. Head down while he plays, big ball cap covering his eyes from the crowd while he plies his trade, feet tapping out the time as his hands work those six strings like they’re on autopilot. Joe isn't the kind of artist you “think” you've seen play; once you've been taken to church by that slide, it stays with you. Joe & Vicki got married in 1987, but Vicki had been holding her own in the wilds of small-town Iowa before then. Her guitar playing has more structure to it than Joe's, while her voice provides a good deal of their songs fire. Speaking of their song writing, when you hear their songs you can feel what they are trying to relay to the audience. Just down to earth messages, nothing fancy. Real American songs. Joe's deep love and admiration for his wife is obvious from the moment she joins him on stage—something that can happen at any point during a set; he beckons her with “You Are My Sunshine”—and the amount of fun they clearly have performing with one another elevates their performances, transforming them from something that blues purists and guitar fans can appreciate, into something that everyone with ears and a love of life can understand and tap along to. Joe and Vicki are both members of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame. Their 2009 album "Rain or Shine" won the Independent Music Award for best Blues CD of the year. Joe is also a member of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was a finalist in the International Blues Challenge. In closing I would like to say that now days it is hard to find people like Joe and Vicki Price. With such talent and passion of what they do. They bring us a show that will be remembered for a long time. I highly recommend you check out Joe & Vicki price, if you ever get a chance to see them live do so. You can find them at https://www.joepriceblues.com/ And here is the info for booking: Vicki Price - Blues Acres Productions - 563-419-8793 - [email protected] - PO Box 32 - Decorah, IA 52101 Recently I was able to ask both Joe & Vicki some questions here are their answers: 1.How long have you been playing music? Joe and I both started playing when we were 12. Joe’s older brother left him a guitar when he went into the military. My Mom got my first guitar with Green Stamps. 2.How many bands have you been in? I have never been in a band, always have done solo or duo work. Joe was in 4 or 5 with Mother Blues being the most famous. They used to play BB’s Jazz, Soups and Blues in St. Louis, Mo. In the 70’s. 3.Where were you born? I was born in Waukon, IA. Small town USA. We didn’t have a stop light until I was in high school. Joe was born in Des Moines but his Mom moved back to her hometown of Waterloo when she left the hospital. 4.Are you self-taught? We both are both self taught because we have had no or in my case very few lessons. But we have most definitely learned from other players that were kind enough to show us or just by watching them. Joe learns a lot off records. I learn more by watching someone. 5.Who are your biggest influences? We both like finger style music. For Joe it was Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters all the Delta players. For me it was Doc Watson, Merl Travis, Leon Redbone, Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotton. 6.What style of music do you consider yours? Country blues. The thumb drives the beat, the fingers play the lead notes. 7.What was your first gig? How old were you? Singing duets with my sister Connie in church and nursing homes. My Mom was the church pianist and started us young. Joe’s first gig was a small dive bar in Waterloo. 8.What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? Chart the path you want to take, set goals and how to get there. Remember the business end is as important as the music end if you are wanting to make a living at this. Nothing replaces being good at what you are doing. Practice never stop learning 9.Do you write your own songs? Yes. We don’t do a lot of covers. What you see is what you get. Our show is our songs. 10.What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal song collection? ACDC we love them.
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AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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