Ross Pead

Ross Pead a/k/a Peadboy hails from Fairburn, Georgia. A Georgia native, Peadboy was born in lazy, swampy Waycross, Georgia.

“I heard John R. from WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee in the middle/late 50s on into the early 60s. This exposed me to artists such as Lowell Fulson, Otis Redding, and Jimmy Reed. I developed a real taste for the blues through this introduction, along with the British Invasion. But until I came to Atlanta in the late 70s, I was a little deflected from the blues because of the rural appetite for country music in the local bars and honky tonks. Since I’ve been in and around Atlanta, I have found many outlets for the blues musician, and many opportunities to hear and also share the music called “Blues”.

Peadboy performs acoustically more and more often as years go by, for many reasons. The best reason might be versatility. With just the guitar I don’t worry about tempos or capos or amps, I think of Charlie Patton, Gus Cannon, or of “Sippi” John Hurt, and I realized that the music is between us, and no electricity or paint job is gonna overcome real music between real people. I look forward to a session with Little Brother, or Mudcat, or Uncle Sugar Band, like a visit….and it usually is a visit. And I see in my mind how it might have been when maybe, in the winter, some folks like Willie McTell, Curley Weaver, Peg Leg Howell ended up in a room with Riley Puckett or Gid Tanner, and I realize that there is more music out there to make, hear and share.

Atlanta is a great place for blues music, with quite a few clubs hosting blues, and a real network of musicians, old and young. Plus we have the Atlanta Blues Society. We also have four hours of blues on each weekday morning on WRFG 89.3 FM. This is one great nurturing home of the blues. As Furry Lewis said “you can have a million dollars but they don’t nothing beat a friend.”

For a repertoire that reflects a deep and wide association with the roots musics of the southern “peoples” of the United States, Peadboy says “come on in my kitchen.” Meanwhile, Peadboy is carrying the songs of Willie McTell, Tampa Red, Howlin’ Wolf and many of the other masters of American Roots Music. Peadboy has been a regular performer in tributes to artists as divergent as Howlin’ Wolf, Gram Parsons, and “Mr.” Frank Edwards.

Some of the songs of Willie McTell, Tampa Red and others including rocking originals such as “Trouble When It Starts” can be heard on Peadboy’s 2003 self-released CD.

Peadboy has been recently working on projects with Little Brother, Mudcat, Stephie Rae, whittling on solo blues act , working on high cotton blues/ole timey/string band Americana everybody included and “God bless Jackie Wilson and Otis‘ll never die.” A recent activity by the Peadboy that may generate a little traction is a recording session and forthcoming CD from "Chicago Bob and Peadboy", featuring Ross' old friend "Chicago" Bob Nelson. This was a session with Tim Duffy of Musicmaker Relief Foundation, recorded "old Old School Style in Tim's hotel room on a recent visit to Atlanta. Much more later.

"Ross, what do you call that guitar style? I'd call it a little Muddy Waters, a little Dire Straits, a little RC Cola, Moon Pie, watermelon guitar style." - Lloyd Maines