Michael Burks (US)

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Michael Burks US 
Ikke mange kendte til Michael Burks, før han gæstede Frederikshavn og Odense Bluesdage festival sidste år. Men efter festivalerne kom kravet: "Se at få MICHAEL BURKS tilbage, så tager vi alle vores venner med...."Så ud fra devisen "Give The People What They Wan´t" er det med stolthed, at vi præsenterer dette gigantiske kraftværk endnu en gang. Direkte fra Little Rock, Arkansas, kommer den amerikanske super blues-guitarist og sanger Michael Burks. Michael "Iron Man" Burks er en fysisk robust bluesmusiker, der kan få alle guitar-elskende bluesfans op af stolene med sit medrivende og frygtløse guitarspil. I 1994 modtog Burks The Blues Foundations Albert King Award i kategorien "mest lovende guitarist", og en W.C. Handy Award som "bedste nye blueskunstner" blev det også til i 1999.

MISSY ANDERSEN:

Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Queens, New York, Missy’s first real memory of singing is at age six. Her mother entered Missy in a child talent contest and everyday she practiced with her after school. It was her favorite thing to do. For some reason the contest was cancelled and her afternoon practice sessions stopped, but Missy was hooked from then on. “Singing would always be my friend and I would turn to it whenever I needed to express something I couldn’t find the words to say,” says Missy.

Her parents had an extensive music collection that included lots of soul, R&B, blues, jazz, and gospel. Her favorite songs were always the ones that told a story. It wasn’t always the most popular song on the album, but she would play them over and over and over. She listened to Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Staple Singers, Teddy Pendergrass and a host of others. And like many before her, Missy mimicked other singers until she found her own voice. Later she would discover Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Billie Holiday and that eventually lead her to O.V. Wright, Bobby Bland, Little Milton, James Carr, Ray Charles, Ann Peebles, and Irma Thomas.

Although singing is her love, she had her first stab at the music business while in her teens with the rap single, "Be for Real" under the moniker, Denyce “Flip” Isaac. Although the record’s success was small, it still led to her being the opening act for Cissy Houston in a string of club dates. It wasn’t long before Missy turned back to singing, honing her skills fronting local bands as well as doing studio sessions as a background vocalist.

Moving to San Diego, California, she met local blues man, Earl Thomas in the late 90’s. It was then that she became one of the original Juke Joint Jezebelles, a gospel, blues, and soul quartet, who provided backup vocals for Earl’s stage show. She played and toured with Earl for several years hitting festivals and venues in the U.S. and Europe. Earl Thomas and the Jezebelles shared the stage with Ray Charles, B.B. King, Robert Cray, John Hammond, Keb’ Mo’, Kenny Neal, and The Meters.

After fronting San Diego-based band, Tell Mama, Missy felt it was time to strike out on her own. Her self-titled debut album,Missy Andersen, released on Main Squeeze Records, is an organic mix of soul and blues from another era with a healthy dose of today. She displays her talents on 8 tunes, including two originals - ‘New Feet’ (track 2) and ‘Stand Up and Dance’ (track 8). Missy Andersen (vocals) is joined by her husband and bandleader Heine Andersen (guitar), Asmus Jensen (drums), Jeppe Juul (organ) and Søren Bøjgaard (bass). Additional musicians include Nathan James playing Dobro slide guitar on track 8.

Missy Andersen is a former board member of Blues Lovers United of San Diego (BLUSD) and is a lead presenter in its sponsored Blues in the Schools (BITS) program.