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Little Joe McLerran wins the OBS regional Blues Challenge
 The
Galileo Bar and Grill was packed with Oklahoma
Blues Society members and
other blues lovers to witness the competition which would determine
who would represent OBS at the 22nd Annual International Blues Challenge
in Memphis on January 26-28, 2006. The competition will lead to the
unveiling of the worlds best undiscovered Blues band (3 members or more)
and the worlds best undiscovered Blues solo / duo - presenting the winners
with the coveted Handy Award.
The stage was set with amps, drums and a PA system. Seven regional Blues
acts gathered in a corner of Galileo's where the order of performance
was determined by the "scientific method" of names out of
a hat. The IBC rules of competition are well outlined and were strictly
followed. Each act had 20 minutes to state their case and would lose
points if they went over the limit. The judges were in their places
leafing through their scorecards when the first act took the stage.
'Who is that dude?" That was the question floating through Galileo's
as Little Joe McLerran strolled through wearing a long black coat and
dapper homburg. Some thought he was an undertaker or some throw back
to the days of the speakeasy and the secret password. But after the
last note was played and the dust had settled it was Little Joe with
his bass player Rob Mack, who would  represent
OBS in Memphis. It is the first time OBS has chosen a solo / duo act.
Little Joe, a transplant from Boulder, Colorado, is now based in Tulsa.
He performs regularly around North Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas with
occasional trips to Colorado and New Orleans.
His style of Roots Blues is drawn from inspirations by Big Bill Braonzey,
Blind Blake, Lonnie Johnson, Tampa Red, Rev. Gary Davis and many more.
His sets are peppered with originals written in these styles.
Picking up the guitar at age eight Joey
made his first public appearance in a multi-cultural program with his
4th grade class performing a Leadbelly song and a guitar rag by Rev.
Gary Davis. Along with his late brother Jesse on drums he played the
Pearl Street Mall in Boulder with his band "Buddy Hollywood"
singing Bob Marley songs, Beatle tunes and these old style blues songs.
Joey was 9 and Jesse was 7. They were the rage of the Mall making good
money for a couple of young blues men. The tips they made became the
envy of all the other street players.
Moving with the family to Tulsa in 1998, Joe turned his focus to the
blues. Brother Jesse switched from drums to the washboard and they began
performing at the Rivers Edge Bistro and other restaurants around Tulsa.
They had just completed recording their first CD, "Son Piedmont
and the Blues Krewe" on the HBR label when Jesse tragically
died in an accident. It took months to mix the recordings and release
the CD which Joey dedicated to Jesse. It was difficult to pick up the
pieces and move on with the music they so intimately shared. Little
Joe started over and soon had the attention of a production company
in Fayetteville, AR. His second CD "Little Joe - the Hard Way"
was released in 2005 on the Hit Records label.
Rob Mack, Joe's bassist / driver, is also Joe's father. He refers to
Little Joe as his kid brother and has been part of Joey's band since
the first gig. Rob, a traveling musician who decided to settle down
and have a family, had abandoned a career that included recording contracts
with Capitol Records and MCA Records. He has toured nationally and internationally
with a number of bands.
**Little
Joe and Rob Mack would like to thank the OBS for this opportunity.
"We
will carry your torch to Memphis and give it everything we've got."
Source:
Oklahoma Blues Society http://www.okblues.org
NEWS
- 2007 Tulsa Blues Challenge Rigional Winner!
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