Biography
As I watched his show, I began to wonder if I thought Jeff was better as a guitar player, a singer, or a keyboard player. On a number of the live tunes Jeff handles all three duties, often alternating jamming on his strat with playing the keys. Don’t apply for the position of keyboard player in his band; he’ll handle that as well as guitar thank you. One of the best live tunes was a solo piano ode to his manager/girlfriend Lois Lane (really) entitled, appropriately enough, “Superman,” which can be found on Jeff’s excellent 2006 release Red Dirt Blues. If Jeff comes anywhere near you, do yourself a favor and check him out. Not only is he a great performer, but he’s a hell of a nice guy.
If you aren’t familiar with Jeff, he is a native of Lamesa, Texas, near Lubbock where he grew up on a diet of edgy country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. He started a band at age 12, and he eventually moved in the 80’s to Austin and played a variety of genres in a variety of bands. The 80’s decade was certainly not the music industry’s shining moment, so Jeff pursued a “real job” with the hope of returning to music. He was actually a successful trial lawyer in Texas for 10 years before deciding to return to music in 2000. (We lose one lawyer and gain back a great musician all at once- that’s a good day!!) He moved to Durango, Colorado to get away from the craziness he had been living in and gain musical inspiration. This must have worked as Jeff delivers a killer live performance with much of the material from his live show coming from his recently released CD Amen To The Blues, one of my favorites of the year! The CD, and live show, consists mostly of high-energy music Jeff calls “Texas Red Dirt Blues”. The title track is a great song that tips the hat to many of the heroes of the blues and a magical encounter in Heaven. Apparently Jesus is a blues fan! I’m not surprised.
Instrumentation
Jeff Strahan on Stratocaster, Piano, B-3, and Vocals
Brent Johnson on Drums
Randy Chaffin on Bass
Discography
Jeff Strahan, "Double Live at Billy's Ice" (2009) Squaw Peaks Records
Jeff Strahan, "Amen to the Blues" (2008) Squaw Peaks Records
Jeff Strahan, "Red Dirt Blues" (2006) Squaw Peaks Records
Jeff Strahan "Along for the Ride" (2005) Squaw Peaks Records
Jeff Strahan, "A Little North of the Border" (2002) Squaw Peaks Records
Buck Naked, "No Butts About It" (1996) Tortilla Records
All tracks are available for digital download at major distributors like Itunes, Rhapsody, Lime Wire, Amazon, etc.
Links
| http://www.jeffstrahan.com |