Bawl 'n' Chain

Husband and wife duo, Mike and Kathy Williams, have been engaging audiences with their soulful rendition of American Roots music since the mid-90's, performing sometimes as a duo but more often as a band, in venues ranging from coffee houses, corporate functions, fairs & festivals, to home concerts and nightclubs. The band has also opened for many headliner acts, including Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Louis Walker, Joanna Conner, Tommy Castro, Coco Montoya, Sista Monica, Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo.

Mike and Kathy play guitar and bass respectively and both sing lead vocals. Based in Chico, Ca, Bawl 'n' Chain has developed an eclectic and well-chosen repertoire that audiences of all ages enjoy. In addition to playing the blues the way the blues is meant to be played, the couple is committed to bringing their fans great music from many styles, including jump blues, soul, rockabilly, jazz, swing, country, rock & roll, oldies and novelties.

Mike's lifelong love affair with the guitar is evident in the taste, tone, and touch of his powerful and inventive guitar playing. He's been playing & singing blues & gospel all his life and it shows, in the power of his heartfelt and impassioned vocals. As a child, Mike's mom taught him to play piano and sing. When he was 17 he picked up his first guitar. However, for many years, he was a closet musician, occupied raising his family and establishing his career as a building inspector, only playing for family and friends. His early influences were Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, all the early British invasion bands, i.e. the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Yardbirds, The Who, etc, and later, T-Bone Walker, Brian Setzer, John Hammond, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Roy Buchanan, Elvin Bishop, and Dr. John.

In the early 90's he attended a local blues jam in Chico, Ca. and realized he had more to share and could have more fun strumming in public. From an early age, Kathy (a.k.a. Sassy) also had a love of music, singing in the choir for many years and playing her grandmother's piano. Inspired by the bass players at the jam , Kathy decided to take up the instrument. She picked up a Fender P bass that Mike had taken in trade for a guitar and started teaching herself the bass. She had also taken accordion lessons for five years as a child, and found the bass an easy transition. Kathy holds down the bottom end, mesmerizing the audience with the relentless pulse of her bass. Her influences were Tommy Shannon, (bass player for Stevie Ray Vaughn) and Buddy Guy's bass player, Greg Rzab. Her singing style is reminiscent of a delta blues singer.

Rebekah Snow is the newest member of the band. Rebekah’s fiddle playing adds an ear catching authenticity to Bawl 'n' Chain's sound. Classically trained as a violinist , and the possessor of a sweet harmony voice, Rebekah also wails on a mean mandolin. While maintaining her roots in classical sensibilities, Rebekah’s journey as a fiddler has traversed Celtic, swing, bluegrass, and country, and culminated in her discovery of the blues as an incomparable vehicle for expression of the deepest soul as well as,the hottest licks possible. The result of her evolution is a delightful blend touching many musical genres, driven by Rebekah’s unmitigated love for blues music that blazes at the core of her fiddling. When Rebekah solos, people listen. Since the beginning when the blues was co-created by slave fiddlers and singers during the days of slavery in America, this richly expressive music became the foundation upon which all other American styles developed: jazz, rock, pop, and more. The violin has been re-introduced as an essential instrument in the blues genre. It was of major importance in the founding history of blues and jazz, but was almost drowned out in recent years in the sea of over-distorted guitars . Rebekah's contribution (on her magic fiddle named "Rueben") to Bawl 'n' Chain's sound is a force to be reckoned with.

Glenn “Badaboom” Burns on drums is the heart and pulse of Bawl 'n' Chain. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Glenn's musical inspiration came from his father who was a jazz guitarist and music enthusiast. Glenn began playing drums for various bands at age 15. The R&B/Funk roots of Glenn’s musical influences include James Brown, Grand Funk and Tower of Power.