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Quick! Which one of the following names is that of a real blues band?
A) Phil Fender and the Amps
B) The Diddley Squat Blues Band
C) Bobby Burnes and the Slide Burns
D) Big Bad Bertha & the Bohemian Blues Babes
E) Sundown Slim and the After Dark Blues Band
If you said A, C, D or E, thanks for liking my ingenuity but you're wrong.
If you said B, you must either know the band, be very lucky or have a sense of humor similar to, and as warped, as theirs.
Indeed, the DIDDLEY SQUAT BLUES BAND is as real as it gets, as the following review will testify.
Diddley Squat
"Milk of Amnesia"
BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO, © JANUARY, 2006
Make no mistakes about it, despite their off beat name, their extremely humorous style of writing, and their whole aloof attitude the DIDDLEY SQUAT BLUES BAND is a serious bunch of very talented musicians. "MILK OF AMNESIA" is a collection of 11 very funny, uniquely interesting and slightly bizarre originals that are perfectly performed.
The Diddley's, or the Squatters if you will, consist of: JIM COBB on Guitar, Resonator, Harmonica and Vocals; RODNEY BEAL on Bass Guitar; MORRIS ELDRIDGE on Drums; RICK SIMS on Alto, Tenor and Baritone Sax and Kazoo & Jug.
The title track "MILK OF AMNESIA" is a riot. It's about drinking a little, or in this case a lot too much tequila - which by the way is what the drinker refers to as the 'milk of amnesia'. Watch your woofers on this one - there's some serious baritone being blown out by RICK.
"MAN OF COLOR" is a wonderfully clever song. It's about a man who claims he is a person of color, but it's not his race that has anything to do with it - it's due to the fact that he turns red when he's hot, green when he's sick and blue when he's cold. There is a lot of great guitar pickin' from JIM on this one.
It's no secret who he's singin' to on "REASON FOR THE BLUES". This one is a real soft and sultry and features lots of good alto sax by Rick and nice brush/cymbal work from Morris.
Another very clever song, with lyrics that are unfortunately becoming way to true, is "$30 A MAN BLUES BAND". It's about a band who quits their day job to travel from bar to bar playing in front of drunks making requests - all for $30 a man.
"YOU DON'T KNOW DIDDLEY SQUAT" is one of the hottest tracks, musically. Everyone's in the pocket on this hot jam. RODNEY and MORRIS are profound on the bass and the bass drum with RICK tearing up the tenor sax.
"OCD BLUES" is by far the bluesiest track of the lot. Jim gets in some serious blues licks on Guitar and Harmonica and really belts out some good old blues on vocals. Rick also supplies an abundance of sultry sounding blues on the Tenor Sax. This may very well be the best track on the disc.
So the next time some one says to you "you don't know diddley squat", you can beg to differ with them. Just tell them that indeed you do and that DIDDLEY SQUAT happens to be an excellent blues band from Texas that is, although different is style, very reminiscent to Little Charlie and the Nightcats.
- Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
Diddley Squat Blues Band
Milk of Amnesia
Almost Famous Productions
Jim Cobb, guitar, resonator, harmonica, and vocals; Rodney Beal, bass guitar; Morris Eldridge, drums; Rick Sims, saxophones, jug, and kazoo.
This band hails from Texas and after winning first place in the Sonny Boy Society Battle of the Bands, opened the King Biscuit Blues Festival in 2004 to rave reviews. This is the second CD for the group, and all the cuts are Jim Cobb originals (one cowritten with Sylvia Carrell) except two penned by Rodney Beal.
Cobb handles all the vocals on this CD with a zesty tale-telling style. The opening cut, "A Hard Man Is Good to Find," is a jaunty jump-blues number. Throbbing rhythm is the background for the clever lyrics about the ill effects of drinking too much tequila on "Milk of Amnesia" with a staggering accompaniment by Sims on baritone saxophone.
"Man of Color" has a country-western melody, while swinging jump-blues is the theme for "You Are the Reason (for the Blues)" with Sims wailing on alto saxophone throughout the tune.
"Harley Fever" opens with the sound of a motorcycle starting up and leads into a shuffling guitar strumming session with Sims lending a hand on kazoo and jug. The drummer does a tasteful cymbal introduction to "$30 a Man's Blues Band," and the lyrics are colorfully descriptive about "another hit song by the $30 man," which is probably a personal statement!
With a spicy guitar solo, definitive drum support, and an awesome tenor saxophone interpretation "You Know Diddley Squat" relates to being overextended in life with your paycheck late and everything else falling apart.
My favorite tune runs for ten minutes and is clearly a standout. On "OCD Blues" Cobb growls out the vocals, the guitar sizzles, the saxophone honks, and a little harp is thrown in for good measure. A showpiece of slow, deep-grinding blues!
This eleven-tune CD is notable for the originality of the lyrics and the appealing saxophone styling which lends an excitable diversity to this effort. The level of musicianship is high, and these guys are tight in their orchestration on every tune. This is one well worth seeking out.
By Dorothy L. Hill
- Dorothy Hill
I thoroughly enjoyed the entertaining set by Diddley Squat, a band that earned a spot by winning the talent competition held by the Sonny Boy Blues Society. Their long and lanky sax player, Rick Sims, had leopard spots and tiger stripes on his two instruments, something very cool that I hadn't seen before.
- T-Bone
Can be viewed online @
http://www.bluesart.at/NeueSeiten/2009-BLUESArtJournal+Vol.3.html
DIDDLEY SQUAT
LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO
by Dorothy L. Hill
I was so pleased when I learned that the band Diddley Squat was booked to play Biscuits & Blues on July 19, 2009. I first got a taste of this band in 2004 when they played the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas. This East Texas band has been wowing audiences at festivals and small clubs all over the country and competed in the prestigious International Blues Challenge on several occasions. Since I last saw them they added vocalist Sylvia Carrell to the band and drummer Val Nail joined them in 2006. The core group remains -- Jim Cobb in the guitarist and lead vocalist roles, Rick Sims on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones and Rodney Beal on bass.
This group is distinctive for the colorfully descriptive original compositions of Jim Cobb and Rodney Beal. The tunes were salty antidotes sprinkled into the set along with some cover tunes which validated their grasp of the blues.
With the announcement, “we ain’t in a hurry tonight,” the band launched into a jump blues excursion on “Ain’t In A Hurry.” “Caught You With Your Pants Down” written by Beal was filled with growling vocals by Cobb with a slow-grinding R&B groove. They resurrected a ‘50s rockabilly "Don't Roll Your Bloodshot Eyes At Me" with enthusiasm. The humorous jump blues of “Hard Man” (a take-off written by Cobb of “A Good Man is Hard To Find”) was punctuated by the tasteful saxophone interjections by Sims. Carrell who also played an assortment of percussions throughout the evening was outstanding on the Albert King tune “Born Under A Bad Sign” with classic blues sensibility. A showcase was the slow blues tune “Milk of Magnesia” which was the title of one of their CDs and relates to tequila and the sins thereof Sims was just absolutely spellbinding on baritone saxophone. Carrell precisely channeled Memphis Minnie on a delightful vocal excursion of “Chauffeur Blues.” Their rendition of “T-Bone Shuffle” gave Cobb an opportunity to explore his inventive guitar styling and Sims sizzled on saxophone as he worked his way through the audience serenading them up close and personal.
The energy of the band was matched by the enthusiasm of the sparse audience.
Sims constantly jumped off the stage to work the room and Cobb’s ad libs and story-telling gave a personal touch to the occasion. I am very fond of drummers who use brushes and Nail’s brush work on one tune was impeccable.
Bassist Beal was tastefully solid. Their choice of material made for an interesting evening encompassing an eclectic mix of styles.
But as Cobb said, tongue-in-cheek, when asked to do “Happy Birthday” for a patron, "we’re a blues band we don’t do anything that starts with happy,” Diddley Squat knows blues and now I hope you know a little about Diddley Squat!
----- Dorothy L. Hill
Can be viewed online @
http://www.bluesart.at/NeueSeiten/2009-BLUESArtJournal+Vol.3.html
- Blues Art Journal (Aug.Sept.Oct.2009 )
The official opening act was a group named Diddley Squat who won the spot in the 2004 annual Sonny Boy Blues Society Blues Challenge. These guys made a major impression on the audience with their original tunes and showman performance. - Dorthy Hill : Jazznow
As the hot Texas Indian summer of 2003 is coming to a close, what can one say but Diddley Squat! That's right Diddley Squat out of Ark Latex ,What!don't you know Diddley Squat? Because these guys do the Blues . Up one side and down the other, this band is a mix of B.B. King and P.T. Barnum all rolled into one , with a little Bo Diddley tossed in for good measure. Down and dirty blues, that is Diddley Squat. On bass Rod, and on guitar Jimmy. On the drums Moe and the sax, the manhim self ,the Saxman Rick blowing one mean and clean sax, No slop chop's here .On this evening a special guest Frank King .On guitar King kind of had a Buddy Holly style of pic'n, which fit well with the B.B.King /Bo Diddley style of Jim when he has ax in hand .The Diddley Squat was already on stage when I arrived .The band soon took a short break ,which I took advantage of and spent some time with the guys . Turns out that these guys have played for every where .From biker rally's to political affairs Diddley Squat, transcends age , race, and musical bias. Now you know "Diddley Squat." - Darin Wakeley: DallasMusic.com
The official opening act was a group named Diddley Squat who won the spot in the 2004 annual Sonny Boy Blues Society Blues Challenge. These guys made a major impression on the audience with their original tunes and showman performance. - Dorthy Hill : Jazznow
Diddley Squat is four extremely talented musicians with modesty and a great sense of humor. The recent CD Caught Ya’ With Your Pants Down is alternately tender (on tracks like The Way You Do) and just plain corny (Cheat’n Recipe). Their songwriting is a mix of blues and rock, and they use subtle instrumentation with a clean sound. But what really makes Diddley Squat unique, besides their humor, is Rick Sims’ saxophone and their willingness to experiment.
Listen to the track Down Hearted Blues and you’ll probably be an instant fan. See www.dsquat.com for show dates or to buy CD’s.
- SB Magazine
Diddley Squat is four extremely talented musicians with modesty and a great sense of humor. The recent CD Caught Ya’ With Your Pants Down is alternately tender (on tracks like The Way You Do) and just plain corny (Cheat’n Recipe). Their songwriting is a mix of blues and rock, and they use subtle instrumentation with a clean sound. But what really makes Diddley Squat unique, besides their humor, is Rick Sims’ saxophone and their willingness to experiment.
Listen to the track Down Hearted Blues and you’ll probably be an instant fan. See www.dsquat.com for show dates or to buy CD’s.
- SB Magazine
Discography
DIDDLEY SQUAT's debut CD, "Caught Ya With Your Pants Down," has been played on public radio, as well as regionally, including 98 Rocks in the Shreveport, LA area. Their second CD, "Milk of Amnesia," was even more impressive, and has been played internationally (Italy, Poland, Argentina, etc.) and on radio stations all across the USA. In 2008, the band released "Diddley Squat Live", capturing a fun evening with a wonderful crowd in a small Texas town. This event was also recorded to DVD.
This "Live" cd was also chosen one year by the Sonny Boy Blues Society as their entry in the "Best Self-Produced CD" portion of the International Blues Challenge.
Diddley Squat CDs are available at CD MoJo or www.diddleysquatblues.com.
Last summer, shortly after returning from a tour of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, Diddley Squat Blues Band competed in the annual Sonny Boy Blues Society's Battle of the Bands in Helena, Arkansas on 6/25 and 6/26/2010, and came away with the top honor. Their first place win out of a total of six bands garnered Diddley Squat a place on the main stage of the world famous Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival in October 2010. This yearly gathering of top-notch acts and devoted blues fans, has now regained its old name, the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and the line-up in 2010 boasted the likes of B.B. King, Dr. John, and Taj Mahal, among many other bands and solo/duo acts. Needless to say, playing it is an honor not many blues bands have the chance to know.
The Sunday following the festival, October 10th, the annual Pinetop Perkins Homecoming party was held at the old commissary on Hopson Plantation, in nearby Clarksdale, Mississippi. Here, homage was paid to the then 97 year-old pianist by a jam-packed throng of musicians, fans, reporters and photographers who were thrilled to simply be a part of the celebration. Diddley Squat was among the bands enlivening this memorable event. We are sad to say that Pinetop is no longer with us, and the entire blues world misses him dearly.
As representatives of the Sonny Boy Blues Society (named after legendary harmonica player/vocalist Sonny Boy Williamson II, a.k.a. Rice Miller, who hailed from the Helena area), Diddley Squat was also entitled to compete in the annual International Blues Challenge, the largest gathering of unsigned blues bands in the world, held in Memphis, Tennessee in February each year. This was the fourth time the band had won a spot in that grueling contest by winning first place with a sanctioned blues society.
Photos
Bio
Rick Sims has been performing with Diddley Squat sense December 0f 1999. They became a nationally touring act in 2008 playing original blues songs and unique arrangements of blues cover tunes across the US.
Rick and and the band have been honored to compete four times at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis, chosen as representatives of three different blues societies (the Sonny Boy Blues Society-2005, 2010, Shagbark Blues Society, 2006, and the Texarkana Blues Society in 2008). The IBC is the annual competition sponsored by the Blues Foundation for the purpose of recognizing the finest of the world's unsigned blues musicians. Entry into the competition is exclusive and by sponsorship only.
Rick has had a rich history in music beginning with piano lessons in elementary school then to sax in Jr.& Sr High. Playing soprano, alto, tenor, & baritone sax, he has the ability to match the tone required for the song.
Specializing in Gospel, Soul, Rock, Jazz, and Blues.
Rick has a unique style and is quite a showman and has been compared to “Boots Randolph”. He can go from a soft purr to a nasty growl.
Rick has also entertained blues fans on the main stage of festivals such as:
Charlie West Blues Festival in Charleston, WV, 2012
Tall City Blues Fest Odessa, TX, 2011
Mudbug Festival Shreveport, LA ,2011
T-bone Walker Blues Festival, Linden, Tx., 2006, 2007, 2008, and again in 2010
"Hot August Blues Festival" Aurora KN. 2009 and 2010
King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, Ark., 2004, 2010, 2012
The First Michael Burks Tribute Jam 2012
Pinetop Perkins' Annual Homecoming, Hopson Plantation, Clarksdale, Ms., 2004, 2005, 2010, & 2012
Shedhead Blues Festival, Ocean Springs, Ms., 2008
Texarkana Blues and BBQ, Texarkana, Ark., 2006, 2007
Red River Revel, Shreveport, La., 2007
Leadbelly Blues Festival, Shreveport, La., 2006
Jefferson Music Festival, Jefferson, Tx., 2006
Alley Fest, Longview, Tx., 2005, 2006
Louisiana State Hog Rally, Shreveport, La., 2003, 2004
Rick has enjoyed the privilege of playing events in conjunction with such entertainers as Pinetop Perkins, Delbert McClinton, Hubert Sumlin, Bob Margolin, Bugs Henderson, Big Jack Johnson, Little Milton, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Koko Taylor, Coco Robicheaux, Bonnie Bramlett, and Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, to mention but a few.
He is currently performing with "Big Red & the Soul Benders" from Helena Ar.
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