Troubled All The Time

At thirty-two years of age, George Radcliffe “Racky” Thomas has already been involved with classic blues for quite some time now. Originally from Hanover, New Hampshire, Racky attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music and has committed himself to singing, playing the harmonica, the National Steel Guitar and composing ever since. In 1997, Racky Thomas, with his band, won the Boston Battle of the Blues Band, and has been a focal point in the city’s blues scene since.

On “Last Of The Big Spender” Racky and his band portray a typical club-sound, with lots of jump, boogie piano and some aspects of Chicago. In the fifties-ballad “Just A Fool”, Gordon “Sax” Beadle plays along with the band. Racky’s harmonica play is efficient and fits well in the atmosphere, his vocals are good but provide a basis for further development and refinement. Almost all songs in the repertoire are written by Racky Thomas himself and reveal a personal style.

On “Troubled All The Time” all earlier descriptions / designations are met. The sound has become more versatile and condensed. Moreover, Racky Thomas himself has developed, especially as a singer. The roughened voice seems to be ahead of his physical age, and brings back memories of veterans in this genre. Jump and barrelhouse piano, good Chicago blues, brass and reed supported ballads, folk blues with mandolin or solo country blues with national steel guitar are all equally honored. Moreover, the fact that Racky Thomas can really sing is evidenced in an a-cappella version of “John The Revelator”. Slowly but surely, Racky Thomas’ name should grow beyond Boston’s metropolitan blues scene. We should look forward to that prospect.

translated from German from: www.concerto.at  11/2001

Translated by Reinier van der Vecht

 

 

6/2002 – page 81

The Racky Thomas Band – Live at the Yardrock

It is immediately ……, this CD contains solid Bluescraftswork, recorded on the 1 and 2nd of February 2001 in Massachusetts. The Band is very well respected in Boston and surroundings, has accompanied the great ones like Luther ‘Guitar’ Junior Johnson or Ronnie Earl, and was nominated, not unjustly, for several prices. The band is supported by Racky Thomas’ singing and Harmonica, like on ‘Sweet dough Baker’ and by the guitar from Nick Adams and the keyboardplay from Jeremy Berlin, to be heard on ‘ Standing on a Corner’. George Radcliffe ‘Racky’ Thomas belongs with his thirtythree ‘springs (?) among the determining, young Great of the Boston Bluesscene. After his studiorecorded CD’s ‘Last of the Big Spenders’ and ‘Troubled all the time’ he now also proves this playing live. A recommendable traditional Blues album.

Rootstown Music Free-zine
Marc Nolis – Editor / Owner
Deurne – Belgium

 Quote(s)

“I’d rather suggest to take a listen to the The Racky Thomas Band. Enthusiasts of good West coast blues, swing, 50’s Chicago blues, boogie, Kansas City swing, jive and some shuffles, are at the right address here… and it all swings like hell.”

 Full article:

Sleepy Eddie James & The California Kings / Frisky From The Whisky / Ruebli RBR 0817 (www.sleepyeddie.com)

Eric Jerardi Band / Virtual Virtue / Niche LLC (www.ericjerardy.com)
The Racky Thomas Band / Last Of The Big Spenders / RT-3257
The Racky Thomas Band / Troubled All The Time / RT-3258
The Racky Thomas Band / Live At The Yardrock / RT-1008 (www.therackythomasband.com)

I’ve spent a whole week now going through a new series of blues cd’s. The ‘Big Chief’ really keeps me hard at it. So I’ll give an anthology. Sleepy Eddie and his California Kings are, as their name suggests, from California, more specificly from San Diego. For the most part “Frisky from the Whisky” deals with drinking and women. An example: “I’ll take a shot of Jimmy Beam, she takes six-course meals at the Che le Fond. Five empty bottles of Dom Perignon. When her cash is niearly gone, it’s a champagne brunch, Filet Mignon”. Instrumental “Bitte ein Bit” (what’s in a name), where the run shamelessly has been taken from Dave Brubecks “Take Five”, after a minute flows into the Steve Ray tainted “Mind of a woman”. But what we get in this CD is mainly West Coast Blues. He is surrounden by some excellent musicians, from which saxophone player Johnny Viau is the most well known (see Kid Ramos, Candye Kane, Rod Piazza…). Towards the end it gets more heavy.

Which can be safely said from the whole CD of Eric Jerardi, from Dayton, Ohio. Bluesrock of the first water, but, fairly said, he delivers a solid piece of work. Good production and a well got-up CD cover. In the titlesong the piano and the organs are the striking parts, which are not coincidently by our Chuch Leavell. Erics voice is more than OK, he doesn’t have to scream to get above the substantial (solid ?) instrumentation. Sometimes he sound, like in “So long”, like a black singer with a drive. “Lay Away” is a clever, funky song and turns out to be the only cover, originally by the Isley Brothers. “My World waits for you” is mandatory slow blues and “Still Hungry” is has been copied all the way. The intro is pure “Crosstown Traffic” from Hendrix, the following part is from one of those seveties hardrock hits – I haven’t made up my mind which one – and the rest is pure Jerardi, as far as that exists in this song. It also contains an organ-sound I have heard before. Nice song for a music-quiz. Closing number “Make it over on your own” is a more than excellent acoustic blues-song. Recommended for the bluesrockers among our readers.

The others I would recommend to listen to the Racky Thomas Band. They sent us their complete catalog: two stuidorecoerd and one live CD, recorded in their favorite club, the Yardrock in Boston. Enthusiasts of good West coast blues, swing, 50’s Chicago blues, boogie, Kansas City swing, jive and some shuffles, are at the right address here. Lost of songs of their own of which some would suit very well in the programm of our own Dr Boogie, but they can also work more subtile. On a binch of songs on “Troubled all the time” they vary from ‘old style’ boogie piano, over acoustic blues, to pure swing… and it all swings like hell. On the live CD this of course comes out even more. It proves they can make it come true on stage as well, with support of pianist Jeremy Berlin and saxophone player Gordon ‘Sax’ Beadle. On “Troubled all the time” we also find Bruce Katz, Troy Gonyea and Doug James. Personnally I like these guys best and those among you who are partial to lets say the Thunderbirds, Rod Piazza or Little Charlie will most certainly like this Racky Thomas Band. (Ben Vanhoegaerden)