Biography
COLLARD GREENS AND GRAVY
Acclaimed for their gritty, driving, down home-home sound, Collard Greens and Gravy play a mostly original repertoire of foot stomping country blues that would sound right at home in a Mississippi Juke Joint. Ian Collard (Vocals ,Harmonica and Guitar) James Bridges ( Guitar and Fiddle), Anthony Shortte (Drums) have been together since 1995.
The trio have received many awards including second place at 2001ʼs International Blues challenge in Memphis, the same year the bands second C.D “More Gravy”, won the Aria award for “Best Blues and Roots Album”.
Their third C.D “Silver Bird” won the “Best Self-Produced CD”
award at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in February 2005.
Their latest C.D “Devil In The Woodpile” has won numerous awards including best C.D and best band at both the Australian and Vic/Tas blues awards in 2008/ 2009.
They have won the Melbourne blues appreciation society "Blues Performer of the Year" award twice, once in 2000 and again last year in 2008.
“Eerie, haunting blues...it reminded me of a dark night on the Delta.”
- Alligator Records President Bruce Iglauer describes Silver Bird
“Collard has dug deep into some wellspring of blues... and dug out a sound similar in trance-like rhythms to north Mississippi hill country blues.” - Jeremy Loome, The Edmonton Sun (Canada)
“They do what the Brits did in the 1960ʼs; absorb the work of Delta Blues masters and synthesize those influences into their own sound, while still upholding the tradition” Eric Thom- Blues Revue (U.S.A) Feb 2008.
Instrumentation
Ian Collard, Vocals, guitar, Harmonica
James Bridges Guitar, Fiddle
Anthony Shortte, Drums
Discography
Collard Greens and Gravy
More Gravy
Silver Bird
Devil in the woodpile