New York, NY (Top40 Charts) �One of the best blues bands in Britain�, cult Rhythm and Blues band Nine Below Zero release their brand new album �13 Shades of Blue�.
On all of the tracks on the album the sound of the 4-piece band is augmented by the addition of a horn section, keyboards, violin and backing vocalists to create an exciting new NBZ BIG BAND sound.
Since their formation in 1977 NINE BELOW ZERO have developed a reputation as one of the best blues bands in Britain. Their high energy live act was already well established by the time they signed to A&M RECORDS in 1980 and was forever captured on their classic live album 1980�s �Live At The Marquee�.
New album 13 Shades of Blue features the original members of the band:
Dennis Greaves (guitar and vocals) Mark Feltham (harmonica and vocals) Mickey Burkey (drums & percussion) and Brian Bethell on bass (as well as touring bassist Ben Willis) who handpicked the best of a cross section of styles that come under the heading of Blues and R�n�B for the album. The album opens with the grooves of �Don�t Lay Your Funky Trip on Me� made famous by Se�or Soul. Such is the diversity of Blues,
Dennis Greaves only found out who wrote the song after he...
�Walked into a bar and heard the track playing in the background and thought, this is great who is it? So I got my phone out which has the app SHAZAM and found out it was Se�or Soul a band that would soon become War. War were famous for a track called Low Rider and featured the Harmonica player Lee Oscar. I thought this is a perfect start to a new project: Best of the Blues by Nine Below Zero taking in all the shades the Blues offers. The next move was to start a playlist on Spotify and to share it with the band, so began 13 Shades of Blue.� -
Dennis Greaves
It�s obvious Nine Below Zero have done their research on the wide variety of Blues sub-genres that exist. Album closer Paper in My Shoe by Boozoo Chavis exemplifies this with its Zydeco and Cajun influences.
Singer/guitarist
Dennis Greaves formed Stan�s Blues Band in 1977 with school friends, then recruited harmonica maestro Mark Feltham who lived on the same Peabody Estate in Tulse Hill, South London. �I thought we were the only people playing blues, but when we got on the circuit I discovered there were other bands out there�, Greaves remembers. �There was Red Beans And Rice, The Blues Band, The
Little Roosters, The Inmates, Dr Feel good � it was quite a big thing.� Changing their name to Nine Below Zero in 1979 and signing to A&M Records, they released their classic live set Live At The Marquee. The Glyn Johns-produced Don�t Point Your Finger followed in 1981 as well as an appearance on BBC TV�s The Old Grey Whistle Test. Their last album before splitting, Third Degree followed in 1982,the band promoting single Eleven Plus Eleven on the first episode of hit comedy The Young Ones. Greaves reformed Nine Below Zero in 1990 with Feltham, who left in 1992 but rejoined in 2001. They are still an incendiary live act as those who witnessed their 2014 show at the �100 Club for The Blues� second birthday can attest, and all that listen to 13 Shades of Blue can attest it is a fitting and accurate tribute to the Blues.
After a live debut on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury 2016, the Nine Below Zero Big Band will be embarking on a 30 date tour to support the album.
www.ninebelowzero.com
