Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz

Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz will be representing San Diego in Memphis Tennessee January 26th-28th, 2006 at the International Blues Challenge (IBC). The BLUSD (Blues Lovers United of San Diego) organization sponsored the competition to choose the regional representative. The BLUSD is a non-profit organization whose main mission is to preserve and promote awareness and appreciation for the blues.
There were 3 preliminary rounds held at the great venues of Humphrey’s, Belly Up Tavern, and Chuey’s, where 16 bands competed. The final competition was held at the San Diego House of Blues on Saturday November 19th, and Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz came out on top. Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz plays over 125 dates a year all over the US. The band calls Fallbrook, CA home. They will be opening for Etta James January 13th, 2006 at Pechanga Casino. You can see them at many local venues, like Pala Casino. Check out their website www.auntkizzyzboyz.com for a complete listing of shows.
- AKB

Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz (AKB) has been selected as one of ten musical acts to perform during the upcoming film festival. AKB, a high energy blues based band, recently released their 1st CD “trunk full of bluez”. The CD is garnering rave reviews by music professionals and fans alike. The festivals participants encompass all genres of music. This year the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival (TVIFMF) slated for September 8-12, 2004 at the Movie Experience 10 at Tower Plaza has created a special opportunity for the winners of their Music Fest. They will have their music heard & distributed, regionally & globally thanks to Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival's 10th Anniversary Celebration Special Edition CD Featuring the Festival's Top 10 Music Artists.
Thanks to the distribution arm of eight Inland Empire locations of Blockbuster Video, the official information outlet and co-sponsor of the Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004 All-Day Music Fest (11 a.m. -6 p.m.), artists will get the chance to be HEARD LIVE at the event and be part of festival history. This is the 1st time for a compilation CD to be part of the event. It will be available for sale at the event, at Blockbuster and online at the festival website, www.tviff.com, with exposure for possible radio airplay from media sponsors. This not only gets them heard, but available to the music enthusiast buying public. Proceeds from the CD will go to the artists and Blockbuster will donate their proceeds to the festival (501C3 non-profit corporation) creating opportunities and scholarships for artists of the future.
The Music Fest component of TVIFMF is designed to showcase the music vision and artistic wizardry of talented individuals and groups from across America and the world. Emerging, up and coming unsigned performing artists and bands, vocal performers (solo, duo, trio, quartet or an ensemble) submitted original music for the judges, who then chose the top 10 acts.
- Local Newspapers

NORTH COUNTY N&D
'I grew up in Gospel and soul'

Sugaray Rayford's singing leads way for the hard-driving
Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz

By Marcia Manna
January 5, 2006

'Worry, Worry, Worry" was a song that busted out of Sugaray Rayford by its own power, like a sneeze or a sudden sob. No lyrics were written down, or clever rhymes conceived. Out it came, wrenching and powerful.

"I just closed my eyes and sang it straight from my heart," said Rayford, front man for the Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz blues band. "I've been through a lot in my life, and one thing I learned is there is no sense in worrying. It will just give you gray hair."

A little over a year ago, Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz released "trunk full of bluez," a juke joint-worthy album that includes such bracing originals as the foot-stomping "Jelly Roll," "Big Legged Woman" and the bump-and-grind groove of "Rub My Back."

Rayford's phrasing is intimate and conversational and the soulful gravel in his voice hints at his firsthand experience with hardship. He grew up in Texas, his childhood marked by poverty and loss. He remembered a sad game he played with his brothers, a competition that determined who was skinniest by counting the number of belt holes left unused. His mother struggled to raise three boys while battling cancer. When she died, it was a kind of relief.

"She suffered and we suffered," Rayford said. "Then, we moved in with my grandmother and our lives were a lot better. We ate every day and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew up in gospel and soul."

Wailing guitar work by Jimmy King complements Rayford's gravelly testifying style. Bill Kilpatrick on keyboards, Dwane Hathorn on drums, percussionist Bastos Moenho and bassist Joe Schiavone round out the band.

Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz has a distinctive sound and it has built a large fan base the old-school way, by performing at every opportunity. "We would play any gig, anywhere, anytime," said Rayford, a Fallbrook resident.

"We aren't 19 anymore and we wanted to make it to the next level. Our name saturated the market and we started getting phone calls from everywhere."

The "next level" translates to higher pay, larger venues and more exposure. Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz could get much closer to that goal when they travel to Memphis to participate in the International Blues Challenge Jan. 26-28, a privilege earned by winning the regional competition hosted last November by the Blues Lovers United San Diego. More than 100 bands will compete for first prize, which awards cash, equipment and bookings on a blues festival circuit.

Upcoming local gigs include an appearance Wednesday at Harrah's Rincon Casino in Valley Center and the opening spot for Etta James Jan. 13 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula.

"You need to experience the blues live," Rayford insists. "When there is a great band playing with a lot of energy and fire, it will get you hooked."

- San Diego Union Tribune