Johnny Mastro & Mamas Boys

THE STORY

A Line in the Sand

If you have enough guts and vision, you can draw a line in the sand & declare your path! Mama's Boys are Johnny Mastro's vision of how music should be played; honest, original, raw, get-down music void of today's common cliché’s & posing. This is pure “Sledge Hammer Blues” that you can only achieve with one foot firmly planted in the past while moving the other boldly into the future.

Mama’s Boy

What an unlikely match up…a small town boy from Geneva, NY collides with a straight shooting black female club owner, tough as nails with a shining gold tooth. “Mama” (Laura Mae Gross) was born in Vicksburg, MS in 1920, moved to LA in ’43, and opened Babe’s & Ricky’s blues club in ’56. Mama saw the passion and talent and took Johnny under her wing; providing invaluable wisdom and the space to grow. The powerful & beautiful Mickey Champion started calling Johnny & his friends “Mama's Boys” in ’93 & it stuck. Fast forward to the present, Johnny has become in the words of many “the new blues for the future”. This original sound is a gumbo of slashing Chicago slide guitar, traditional harmonica, a “roux” provided by Babe’s & Ricky’s and its all spiced with Johnny’s raw irreverent style.

Three Cords & the Truth

Take Hot Rod engines, Broken Glass, some serious pocket & mangle them all together; then you have the Mamas Boys. Every night the band plays with their hearts on their sleeves and never hides behind complex arrangements or theatrical gimmicks. Instead, staying grounded in their three chord roots, they pay homage to their fans by playing with spontaneity, grit, and the intensity of a rabid Junk Yard Dog. The band’s signature sound will hit you right in chest with its heavy bottom & the members will steal your breath with their passionate play. Make no mistake, this isn’t no bar band, this is one of the hottest bands in the land playing nothing but the TRUTH!

The Glory

“I have no idea where they went” says Johnny of the ten plus years that he & the Mamas Boys have been around. Doing 250 gigs a year doesn’t leave you much time to think. Over that time Johnny & Mama’s Boys became one of the most popular acts in Southern California throwing it down & converting fans everywhere. They continued laying down their honest hard Sledge Hammer blues on records & tours throughout Europe. They received rave reviews at the 2006 Moulin Blues & Burnley Blues Festival. Their commanding European presence led to the signing of Johnny Mastro & the Mamas Boys with Nugene Records in the UK. In 2007 The Mamas Boys released “Take Me To Your Maker,” which catapulted them into the European Charts & became the No. 4 release of the year. They went on to sell the most Cd’s of any band at the 2007 Peer Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Festival, as well as recording for the BBC radio Network, before they came home.

In August of 2008, after returning from a long, successful campaign in Europe, the band was greeted by 10,000 fans at the 29th annual Long Beach Blues Festival. On that hot, summer night in Long Beach the Mamas Boys were privileged to open for the legendary Chuck Berry. Before Chuck took the stage, Johnny & the Boys rocked all in attendance and were wildly demanded two encores. It was a grand homecoming for the Mamas Boys and ever since the Mamas Boys have become a staple on local radio. Recently the band has been in the studio with internationally acclaimed producer Jim Diamond & produced blazing 11 new tracks. Constantly increasing their air play & sales across the globe, the Mamas Boys have the momentum of a run away freight train with a sound that is unique in comparison of today’s contemporaries. At the same time the Mamas Boys music is reminiscent of a simpler time in music. As the time goes on so does the band, evolving, but still staying true to the honesty, passion, & intensity that has breed their success. Forever taking the music past where they found it…