The Mannish Boys!

A Blast From the Recording Sessions of

Double Dynamite

Photography by Joshua Temkin

Few blues acts have perfected the tricky maneuver of honoring the storied history of the Blues, while at the same time keeping the music up-to-date as well as Delta Groove’s The Mannish Boys. It’s a balancing act that they’ve honed over the course of six highly-acclaimed CD releases and countless nights gigging on concert stages around the world. Conceived as an all-star showcase for the cream of the West Coast blues crop, The Mannish Boys have stayed true to that vision. They’ve continually evolved through the years, seeking out and spotlighting the talents of true Blues legends in a setting that stays true to the deep roots of genre, providing them with the support required to excite today’s blues audiences.

Their newest release on Delta Groove marks a number of firsts for The Mannish Boys. Double Dynamite, as the title suggests, serves up a double dose of The Mannish Boys on a two-CD set, allowing them to really stretch out and feature more special guests and sounds than on any of their previous releases. Especially notable is new featured vocalist Sugaray Rayford, a soulful, gospel-inflected singer, originally from Texas who has been little known outside of his current home base in Southern California. Also along for the ride this time and adding variety and depth in the vocal department are veterans James Harman, Mike Finnigan, and Jackie Payne, plus long-time Mannish Boys frontman Finis Tasby. The band’s regular guitarists, Kirk Fletcher and Frank Goldwasser, also take turns on vocals, as does The Mannish Boys harp-playing honcho Randy Chortkoff. And as a special treat this time out, Mud Morganfield also contributes as a guest vocalist. Other special guests on Double Dynamite harmonica aces Rod Piazza, Jason Ricci, and Bob Corritore, and guitarists Elvin Bishop, Junior Watson, Nathan James, and Kid Ramos, all backed by the rhythm section of Jimi Bott and Willie J. Campbell, plus an array of other musicians.

A virtual blues festival in a single band, all of this variety adds up to what is probably the best release so far by The Mannish Boys. Delta Groove VP and Art Director Joshua Temkin was the “official” photographer during the Double Dynamite recording sessions and he  has provided us with an exclusive gallery of photographs. On this week’s Photo Page we are proud to share the largest photo gallery we have ever featured with over ninety photographs. We suggest that start the slide show and be a fly on the wall in the recording studio. Oh yeah, you can guess what the perfect CD would be to listen to while you watch!

Enjoy!