The Mannish Boys

Fresh out of the recording studio after laying down 17 tracks for their third studio release, The Mannish Boys come to you with more polished grit than ever before. Returning to, in essence, the original core of the band, The Mannish Boys have added even more show stopping musicians to the already dynamic lineup which makes up the one band blues festival that is The Mannish Boys. Assembled from the cream of the crop of today??s blues veterans and young bloods, the flexible and rotating cast of vigorous musicians and entertainers keep things interesting and fresh.

Grinding their blues to an incandescent element through appearances before sold-out crowds and on festival stages in the U.S., Canada and in Europe, The Mannish Boys have become universally praised as one of the most exciting blues projects to hit the scene in years! The current lineup features Richard “Big Foot” Innes on drums, Ronnie James Weber or Tom Leavey on bass, Kid Ramos and Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser
on guitar, Randy Chortkoff blowing harp and lending vocals, front-man Finis Tasby handling the vocals and very special guests, Kirk “Eli” Fletcher, loaded with zeal and fluidity on guitar and resurrected soul and blues Chicago legend, Bobby Jones bringing down the house with his intensely rich B.B.-esque vocals.

The Mannish Boys are guaranteed to bring you a show that will forever be locked in your blues vault of experiences with live music. DO NOT miss out on your chance to see this world renowned SUPER GROUP perform on a stage near you!

FINIS TASBY - VOCALS
Born in the rural town of Levon on the outskirts of Dallas, Finis Tasby first encountered the blues when his family moved to Garland, Texas. As a young child, he was inspired to take up the harmonica by local bluesman L.B. Bailey. Finis later started playing drums and began hanging out in West Dallas night spots like the Empire, the Zanzibar, and Clark's where he befriended local sensations Frankie Lee Sims and singing drummer Mercy Baby. In the late '50s, Finis moved to Fort Worth and played drums with his first band, the Blues Blasters. He eventually returned to Dallas switching to bass and formed the Thunderbirds, a band whose name later inspired another famous group featuring a young guitarist by the name of Jimmie Vaughan. Throughout the '60s, the Thunderbirds backed up blues heavy weights, Freddie King, Lowell Fulson, Clarence Carter, Jimmy McCracklin and Z.Z. Hill on regional tours through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas before ultimately disbanding by the end of the decade. After the band split up, Finis gave up playing and worked exclusively as a driver for Freddie King. In 1973, Finis relocated to Los Angeles and found work as an auto mechanic taking gigs whenever they became available, even playing bass behind John Lee Hooker for a short time. Finis recorded sporadically over the years releasing several 45's including 1978's classic "Get Drunk and Be Somebody' and his first LP "Blues Mechanic." In 1997, Randy Chortkoff produced the fantastic CD "Jump Children!" on Evidence Records which featured Finis backed by a host of incredible talent that included Rick Holmstrom, Kid Ramos, Coco Montoya, Lester Butler, Larry Taylor and Richard Innes, a trend that continues to this day in both Chortkoff's and Tasby's involvement in the all-star super group, The Mannish Boys.

BOBBY JONES - VOCALS
Born in Farmerville, LA, Bobby Jones was initially raised on the Country music stylings of artists such as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff and Little Jimmy Dickens. At the age of 16, Jones forged his own documents in order to pass himself off as a 20 year old, so he could join the army in an attempt to get away from home. Jones caught his first taste of the blues on WLAC, a radio station in Nashville, TN, that featured late night blues programming and would spin music by Buddy Ace, Ivory Joe Hunter, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Parker and B.B. King, but it wasn't until after relocating to Chicago, IL, in 1959 that his real blues education truly began. Upon his arrival, Jones quickly immersed himself in the thriving blues scene amongst legendary artists Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Fenton Robinson, and soon found himself performing at the many popular establishments of the day including Pepper's Lounge, Teresa's and the Trocadara, all located on the South Side of Chicago. Jones was backed by many of the blues elite including Jody Williams, Lonnie Brooks and Syl Johnson, and even replaced Junior Wells in The Aces when Wells gave up his spot after landing a big hit with "Messin' With The Kid." Jones issued his first single "Sugar Baby" backed with "Lonely Bedroom," and later enjoyed relative success in the charts with "I Am So Lonely" peaking at #3 in Chicago, and also held the #1 spot for 6 weeks in Florida. The flip side of the single featured "Talkin' 'Bout Jones" recorded with Syl Johnson, who also instructed Jones on how