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Bob Corritore
Bob
Corritore is one of the most active and highly regarded blues harmonica
players on the scene today. His style passionately carries forward the
old school of playing that Corritore learned as a young man directly
from many of original pioneers of Chicago Blues. His sympathetic, yet
fiery harmonica playing is featured on over 25 releases to date, on
labels such as HighTone, HMG, Blue Witch, Blind Pig, Earwig, Putumayo,
Random Chance, and the Vizztone Label Group. Many of these acclaimed
releases have been nominated for various Handy, Grammy, and Blues Music
Awards. Bob is also widely recognized for his many roles in the blues,
as band leader, club owner, record producer, radio show host, arts
foundation founder, and occasional writer. His amazing website
www.bobcorritore.com and his weekly e-newsletter reflect a life
thoroughly invested in the blues.
Born on September 27, 1956 in Chicago, Bob first heard Muddy Waters on
the radio at age 12, an event which changed his life forever. Within a
year, he was playing harmonica and collecting blues albums. He would
see blues shows in his early teens, including attending a Muddy Waters
performance at his high school gymnasium. He would cut his teeth
sitting in with John Henry Davis on Maxwell Street until he was old
enough to sneak into blues clubs. He hung around great harp players
such as Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers, Junior
Wells, Big John Wrencher, and Carey Bell, and received harmonica tips
and encouragement from many of them. He would regularly see the Aces,
Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Billy Boy Arnold, John Brim, Sunnyland
Slim, Smokey Smothers, Eddie Taylor, and in many cases became personal
friends with these blues veterans. Corritore worked with Tail Dragger,
Big Moose Walker, Willie Buck, Louis and Dave Myers, and Eddie Taylor
in the late 70s and early 80s. He also produced his first recordings
during that time, taking unheralded harmonica greats such as Little
Willie Anderson and Big Leon Brooks into the studio to produce their
now classic debut albums.
In 1981, Bob ventured southwest to live in Phoenix, Arizona. Within
months, his Chicagoland friend Louisiana Red joined Bob, and the two
played together around Phoenix for about a year until Red went to live
in Germany. Bob quickly joined up with Big Pete Pearson, who was and is
the reigning King of Arizona Blues in a musical relationship that
continues to this day. He also worked around the southwest with Buddy
Reed, Tommy Dukes, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, and an emerging Janiva
Magness in one of her earliest bands. In 1984, Bob supplemented his
performances with a blues radio show called Those Lowdown Blues on
KJZZ, which is still going strong. In 1986, former Howlin' Wolf drummer
Chico Chism moved to Phoenix at Bob's invitation to start a 20 year
partnership that lasted until Chico's passing in 2007. In 1991, Bob
opened the now famous Blues and Roots Concert Club, The Rhythm Room.
Having a club created yet another catalyst for Bob's musical projects.
Often he would invite great artists to come to Phoenix, and Bob's band,
the Rhythm Room All-Stars would back them on shows and in recording
sessions. Bob's archives of these sessions are now famous, and include
sessions with Bob Diddley, Little Milton, John Brim, Jimmy Rogers,
Henry Gray, Pinetop Perkins, Henry Townsend, Honeyboy Edwards, Big Jack
Johnson, Ike Turner, Smokey Wilson. Lil’ Ed, Willie "Big Eyes"
Smith, Nappy Brown, R.L. Burnside, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Sam Lay,
Barbara Lynn, and numerous others.
In 1999, Bob released his first CD as a national recording artist,
combining some of the highlights of his vaults. The CD was called
All-Star Blues Sessions, and was released on the HighTone record label
to great fanfare. This momentum created a long series of CDs on
HighTone with Bob in the harmonica player/producer role. Bob started
breaking into the national circuit in festival appearances with Henry
Gray and Louisiana Red. In 2005, Bob brought the Rhythm Room All-Stars
Featuring Big Pete Pearson to The Marco Fiume Blues Passions Festival
in Italy, which opened a whole new world of European interest in Bob's
harmonica artistry. This led to return visits to Europe for various
festivals and performances, as well as an ever-growing world-wide fan
base. In 2007, the Mayor of Phoenix officially proclaimed September 29,
2007 to be "Bob Corritore Day" in honor of Bob's musical contributions
to his community. Also that year, Bob received a "Keeping The Blues
Alive" award from the Blues Foundation. Bob's 2007 collaboration with
Dave Riley, Travelin' The Dirt Road, was nominated for a Blues Music
Award. Bob also contributed harmonica work on the 2008
Grammy®-nominated CD/DVD by Pinetop Perkins, On The 88s. Bob 's
prolific activity with the Blue Witch record label as label
producer/harmonica player has garnered him additional notoriety. Bob
performs regularly with The Rhythm Room All-Stars Featuring Big Pete
Pearson, and numerous side projects with Dave Riley, Louisiana Red,
Henry Gray, Sam Lay, Tomcat Courtney, Paris James, and others.
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