Blues/Roots Guitarist & Vocalist Tommy Castro to Perform in Sellersville

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
July 24, 2011
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"Tommy Castro can do no wrong...soulful, heartfelt vocals, and exquisite, stellar guitar work. A seamless blend of blues, gospel-flavored R&B, soul and roadhouse rock." —Blues Revue

Blues/roots guitarist and vocalist Tommy Castro will perform at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville on Wednesday, August 24, 2011. Castro will be performing songs from his Alligator Records debut, Hard Believer. Castro won four 2010 Blues Music Awards—more than any other artist—including, for the second time in his career, the coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive) as well as the award for Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year (for Hard Believer) and Band of the Year.

Castro's brand new Alligator release is the red-hot, multi-artist CD, Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue—Live!, featuring Castro and many of his internationally famous friends. Concert information is as follows:

Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 Sellersville Theater: 24 West Temple Avenue Sellersville, PA Phone: 215-257-5808; Showtime: 8:00pm Ticket price: $25.00 regular / $39.50 cabaret Website: www.st94.com

Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He came under the spell of

Eric Clapton

guitar and vocals
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Clapton,

Elvin Bishop

guitar, electric
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield and other blues rock players early on. As he got older, Castro moved forward by investigating the past, falling in love with the blues guitar work of

Muddy Waters

guitar
1915 - 1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Muddy Waters,

B.B. King

guitar, electric
1925 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">B.B. King,

Freddie King

vocals
1934 - 1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie King,

Buddy Guy

guitar, electric
b.1936

" data-original-title="" title="">Buddy Guy,

Elmore James

guitar, slide
1918 - 1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Elmore James and singers like

Ray Charles

piano and vocals
1930 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Charles,

Wilson Pickett

" data-original-title="" title="">Wilson Pickett and

James Brown

vocals
1933 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">James Brown. By his late 20s he was playing in a variety of San Francisco-area blues and soul bands.

Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s. The much-loved rocking soul band had a huge fan base and toured the US constantly. He honed his chops with the band on the road for two years, performing live all across the country and backing major artists like

Carla Thomas

" data-original-title="" title="">Carla Thomas and

Albert King

guitar, electric
1923 - 1992

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert King. He formed The Tommy Castro Band in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in both 1993 and 1994. With his local fan base quickly expanding, he released his debut album, Exception To The Rule, in 1996 on Blind Pig. He began touring nationally with his band, picking up new fans everywhere he went. The album won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album, and Castro also took the award for Outstanding Blues Musician that same year.

In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television's Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label. In 2001 and 2002 the legendary B.B. King asked Castro to open his summer concert tours. Castro received an open invitation to join the King Of The Blues on stage for the nightly finale.

Publications across the country, from The Washington Post to The San Francisco Examiner, have sung Castro's praises. Guitar Player called Castro “the hardest working bluesman on the scene today." The Philadelphia Inquirer declared, “Castro plays infectious, roaring roadhouse romps with incendiary licks and a touch of New Orleans soul." Carlos Santana, with whom Castro has performed, said, “Tommy Castro has the voice and the sound to touch everybody's heart."

Castro's Alligator debut, Hard Believer, was produced by John Porter (B.B. King,

Elvis Costello

vocals
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy,

Keb' Mo'

guitar
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Keb' Mo', The Smiths,

Otis Rush

guitar, electric
b.1934

" data-original-title="" title="">Otis Rush, Billy Bragg, Roxy Music) and recorded in Castro's hometown of San Rafael, CA. The album is anchored by Castro's soul-baring songs, filled with profound emotion and fueled by Castro's soulful vocals, powerful guitar, and propulsive rhythms. But what really drives the songs home is Castro's telepathic interaction with his band. The group operates as a single engine, firing on all cylinders, sometimes pushing the pedal to the floor, other times slowing things down for a simmering ballad.

In addition to his work with his own band, Castro has become the honorary Captain of The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises, where nationally recognized blues stars come together to perform and mingle with fans on the open seas of the Pacific and the Caribbean. Inspired by the famous jam sessions on the ship, Castro decided to bring the excitement and musical spontaneity of these gigs on the road, with special guests joining him and his band throughout the show. Leading the Revue, he brings the spirit of the onboard jamming to audiences all across the country.

Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue—Live! is a fiery collection of the highest highlights from the Revue's recent live performances. In addition to Castro's stellar fretwork and blue-eyed soul vocals, the album features Alligator Records label-mates Rick Estrin,

Janiva Magness

vocals
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Janiva Magness and Michael “Iron Man" Burks, along with

Debbie Davies

" data-original-title="" title="">Debbie Davies,

Theodis Ealey

" data-original-title="" title="">Theodis Ealey,

Sista Monica

" data-original-title="" title="">Sista Monica,

Joe Louis Walker

guitar, electric
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Louis Walker and the 2008 International Blues Challenge Award winners Trampled Under Foot.

With plenty of high-profile tour dates ahead, Tommy Castro will bring his blistering music all around the world. As always, he leaves an open invitation to music lovers everywhere to climb on board and embark on the never-ending blues and R&B party.

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