Boneshakers
Los Angeles - California - United States
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About the Band
"Randy Jacobs is one of the funkiest and most original guitar players on Earth. His musical genius is on vivid display in this new album which, contrary to the title, finds him up to his knees with both feet deep in the groove. Jenny Langer’s powerful vocals provide the perfect counterpoint…this is the best Boneshakers record to date." - Don Was
"Undeniably evocative and irrepressibly energetic..." - LA Phil
"Forging a new blend spanning '60s-style soul to rock to gritty funk and back again without missing a beat." - Metroactive Music
“Jacobs has chops galore with a searing style that often recalls the fingerboard fireworks of Stevie Ray Vaughan." - Hollywood Reporter
The iconic band lead by world-renowned guitarist Randy Jacobs of Was (Not Was). The Boneshakers and members have toured and recorded with Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Seal, Keb Mo, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Mindi Abair, Bootsy Collins, Tears 4 Fears, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Iggy Pop...just to name a few. A stirring blend of Detroit soul with Muscle Shoals-style R&B on full display every show.
STORIED CAREER
Flashback to 1980 — During his maiden session for Don and David Was, Randy Jacobs meets Sweetpea Atkinson on a cold night in the Motor City at Sound Suite Studio (the recording home of the fledgling band Was (Not Was). The connection was immediate and a bond was forged between the two artists. Their combined talents would help Was (Not Was) become a successful act during the 80’s and into the early 90’s cumulating with the worldwide hit “Walk The Dinosaur” co-written by Jacobs.
After their European tour with Dire Straits in 1992, the Was Band went on hiatus and Randy started playing and recording with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Seal, Paula Abdul, Kris Kristofferson, Ofra Haza, Tears For Fears, Warren Hill and others. Sweetpea was in Los Angeles adding background vocals to artists like Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, and Bob Segar.
Randy had been working with various singers looking for the right voice for his new band when Atkinson called to say that he wanted to be part of Randy’s brand new thing-- and so the journey began.
It was Bonnie Raitt who inadvertently gave them their name “Boneshakers” while they were working on her “Longing In Our Hearts” CD. In 1996, the two were signed to Pointblank/Virgin Records and produced two CDs for the label: “Book Of Spells” (1997) which included Randy’s rockin' swing arrangement of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” and the powerful “Shake The Planet” (1998).
When Sweetpea stepped away to tour with Lyle Lovett, The Boneshakers released "Pouring Gasoline" (2001) on Bad Monkey Recordings label featuring Austin, Texas singer Malford Milligan (Storyville, Double Trouble) and the live in concert “Put Some Booty On It, Vol 1” (2002).
While working together on a session for former band mate producer Don Was, fate stepped in to reunite and bring Sweetpea back to the Boneshakers. They released “Put Some Booty On It , Vol 2″(2006) featuring their first live performance in San Francisco from 1997.
In 2017, Sweetpea released his solo CD produced by Keb Mo. Additionally, the band joined forces with sax queen Mindi Abair and released Live in Seattle on Concord Records. In 2018, Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers won 8 Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, and an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song Fan Award for “Pretty Good For A Girl” featuring Joe Bonamassa. They won the 2019 LA Critics Award for Best Holiday Album for All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues.
In 2020, the band suffered an unimaginable loss with news of the passing of Sweetpea.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
Now in 2022, as The Boneshakers celebrate the 25th anniversary of their first release, a new energy and excitement has emerged.
Producer John Wooler, who originally signed The Boneshakers in 1997, connected Randy and the incredible Jenny Langer- a powerhouse singer who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (NYC and VA) at the age of 28 and won the 2020 Int’l Blues Challenge for Best Self-Produced Album. What started as a few tracks for her project quickly morphed in a new album with The Boneshakers featuring no-holds-barred funk, blues, and rock that marries the sounds and spirits of Detroit Rock City, Memphis, and Mussel Shoals.
Produced by Wooler, it is back to the original vision of The Boneshakers fiery sound, with the vocal dynamo Jenny Langer (Moonshine Society) behind the mic and original musicians from “The Book Of Spells” Sergio Gonzales (Drums), Nathan Brown (Bass), Jon Gilutin (Keys), The Texacali Horns (Joe Sublett, Mark Pender, and Randy’s former band mate from Was (Not Was) Sir Harry Bowens on vocals.
Discography
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Evil No More (feat. Charlie Musselwhite) - SingleLabel: Take It To The Bridge Genres: Blues Styles: Blues Songs on the Album
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One Foot in the Groove
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| Track # | Song Title | Style | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 2 | Let's Spend the Night Together | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 3 | I Am the Blues | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 4 | Ain't Got the Fever No More | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 5 | Big Legged Man | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 6 | One Foot in the Groove | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 7 | I Forgot to Be Your Lover (feat. Bernard Fowler) | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 8 | Ice Cream and Cigarettes | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 9 | More, More, More | Soul Blues | Blues |
| 10 | Powerful Notions | Soul Blues | Blues |
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Book of Spells
Label: Point Blank
Genres: R&B
Styles: R&B, Soul
Songs on the Album
| Track # | Song Title | Style | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold Sweat | R&B | R&B |
| 2 | Break Down the Walls | R&B | R&B |
| 3 | I Blew Up the United States | Soul | R&B |
| 4 | Part Time Man | R&B | R&B |
| 5 | I'm Living All of My Days for You | R&B | R&B |
| 6 | Welcome to My Life | R&B | R&B |
| 7 | Why Don't You Want Me? | R&B | R&B |
| 8 | Queenie's Groove | R&B | R&B |
| 9 | Let's Straighten It out | R&B | R&B |
| 10 | The One You Run to | R&B | R&B |
| 11 | Don't Tear My Heart Apart | Soul | R&B |
| 12 | Long Way Down | R&B | R&B |
| 13 | Fudge Brownie | R&B | R&B |