Barbeque Bob And The Rhythm Aces

The highlight...came when the man himself, Barbeque Bob took the stage to perform...Kicking off with a William Clarke-like instrumental, Bob left the crowd awestruck as he squeezed gargantuan harmonica tones from his amplifier. Jis entire performance was extremely impressive and heartfelt by all in attendance. - State of the Blues

I got to witness some of the finest blues harmonica playing I've seen in the past few years. Barbeque Bob is one of Boston's best kept secrets and is certainly in the same league as area locals Magic Dick, Annie Raines, James Montgomery, Jim Fitting, Sugar Ray Norcia, and Jerry Portnoy. In fact, comparisons to Kim Wilson and Rod Piazza would be more accurate.

Barbeque Bob and his band, The Rhythm Aces seem to specialize in swing and jump style blues with a few traditional Chicago numbers. Bob handles all the vocals...his voice has that rich, sassy presence (similar to Kim Wilson's) that works real well in this blues genre. The Rhythm Aces consists of guitar, upright bass and drums...providing a real solid rhythm section and an authentic swing backbeat that really kept house rockin', but the real standout was Bob's HUGE harp tone and incredibly smooth technique...Be sure to catch him when you can! - Fast Freddy

Barbeque Bob...jumps on a groove amd rides it for all he's worth, pouring out chorus after chorus without exhausting his fountain of pungent blues ideas. Barbeque Bob grabbed hold of one of those deep Chicago medium tempo grooves on the Eddie Taylor classic, "Bad Boy," and didn't let go...he walked 50 feet into the crowd, stretching his micropohone cable as far as it would go...soon he was lying on his back, still hammering out the blues. This showy stuff wouldn't amount to anything IF Barbeque Bob wasn't one of THE best blues harmonica players around! - Walter Crockett

Barbeque Bob, clad in a button-down shirt and a gold, glittery turban, basted the crowd with ripples of blues harmonica - Kris Fell

Barbeque Bob...with his bold interpretation of the great Elmore James standard, "I Can't Hold Out," confidently wielded his harmonic...he scores points for his solid stage presence - Sean Monnsarrat

The ceiling fan whirls slowly, flickering a lazy shadow as Barbeque Bob stands at the micrphone, hair swept back in a pompadour, his round cheeks glistening with sweat, wearing a white shirt, dark blue trousers, and a purple tie with a silver clasp that's straight out of the 50's...he's blowing some mean harp. His intense tone, amplified by an old Fender 4-10" Bassman, is as big and as round as any saxophone'. Barbeque puts his Marine Band harp to his bullet mic and pulls up giant, rich chords from his diaphragm, and from his soul. He plays the verse once, twice, three times, four...each time coloring a phrase in a different way, wide and full at the bottom, with pulsating, sweet octaves on top. Barbeque Bob is testifying. Barbeque Bob is baring his soul. He's got that tone, can make a 10-hole diatonic sound like a trombone, and can make a 12 or 16 hole chromatic harp sound like an entire horn section. Barbeque's playing is about as intense as it gets! - Paul Della Valle

Singer of '50's blues does not accurately describe ol' Barbeque Bob, who basically lives '50's blues. His lineup covered all the masters of the past: Little Walter Jacobs, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Parker, Big Walter Horton, Howlin' Wolf, and emulated performers like James Cotton and Junior Wells. Bob makes the harmonica sound a symphony of blues, a horn section here, and a trombone bolt there. The occasional 20 minute solo gets hotter and hotter as Barbeque Bob gets more and more intense, as his band keeps swinging that groove around, pounding it and pounding it. Finally the wave breakes, and the whole thing washes over you, cleansing you, relieving you of your tensions as you lose your day-to-day cares to the wholesome honesty of the true roots styling og the blues. - The Boston Rock & Roll Museum

Barbeque Bob and his band were the winners of the Boston Blues Challenge back in 1992...It's easy to see why after seeing Bob's performance...I have seen many harmonica shows and have interviewed many harp players, but Bob stands out in a crowd. He has a style really all his own, and his music is not just a rehash of blues we have all heard before. Bob's tone, control, clean sound, speed, and dynamics all blend together in a sort of West Coast, jump blues, jazz, William Clarke type style...Bob has been playing since 1973 and on stages for over 25 years...This man really enjoys what he does and it really shows, as he goes into the crowd, dancing along with the folks, will sit at your table and play long improvisations, putting his arm around the ladies, and really makes the people smile. He is a lot of fun to see perform. If you have to travel a bit to see Barbeque Bob, do so, as you will be glad you did and he will leave you smiling for quite sometime. - Scott Warriner

"BARBEQUE BOB COOKS ON BLUES HARMONICA"

...During the finale Saturday night..blues harmonica player blew a 20 minute solo and most of it was delivered lying flat on his back on the dance floor...A primer in both classic style Chicago blues, and a continually surprising mix of offbeat entertainment. I've never before heard a blues harmonica player segue "Tequila" into "Jingle Bells"...When Barbeque Bob sang the Junior Parker tune, "Mother In Law Blues," he proved he's a blues shouter with plenty of power...his version of the old standard "Honest I Do" was a juicy treat for blues fans, but also a beguiling waltz for the dancers. Bob's long, slow harp solo was de;ivered while he wandered thru the small club, exchanging a high five with one fan without missing a note...parading around through the crowd like some mini-New Orleans revival...The most noteable thing about this was how Bob's harp seemed to be simultaneously playing chords and melody, satisfying both the slow dancers and serious listeners...In the rowdy blues - which "just happened one night" according to Bob - he stretched out on the floor between the dancers and began a segue of different songs, including a heartfelt From Mayberry (The Andy Griffith Show)," among other things...All this culminated in a torrid blues stomper that certainly had everyone's attention...a man with four pair o' lungs! - Jay Miller

"Barbeque Bob Licks Blues Competition"

...blues harpist Barbeque Bob...was crowned winner of the 6th annual Boston Blues Challenge...at Harper's Ferry. He wowed the sweaty crowd with a stinging harmonica medley, hopping from "Rockin' Robin" to "The Andy Griffith Show" theme to "Tequila."...Bob's...stagepresence seperated him from his competitors. - Greg Riebman