Norman Beaker Band - Whos He Calling Me Him (2002)

British Bluesman Norman Beaker, born Norman Hume in Manchester, England in 1950, is one of the very few who can claim to playing a role in creating the signature sound of an era when the devastation and deprivation of post-war Britain, particularly its northern cities, which found it's expression in America's most gritty musical tradition, The Blues. From the time he was a teenager Norman was at the nerve centre of the budding British Blues scene in its genesis, honing his skills with Graham Bond, Alexis Korner and other great artists of their calibre.

This set the stage for his later work playing and recording with a "Who's Who of Blues" from both sides of the Atlantic, such as Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, Jack Bruce, Tony Ashton, Paul Jones, Eric Burdon, Van Morrison, Chris Farlowe, Robert Plant, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Jimmy Rogers, Peter Green, Lowell Fulson, Fenton Robinson, Carey Bell, Lurrie Bell, Jon Lord, James Booker, Mick Abrahams, Ruby Turner, Madeline Bell, Larry Garner ... and so many others. B.B. King said Norman was like "a white Freddie King", a compliment indeed. But though he's sometimes likened to Mr King and Peter Green, the source of his art is the wellspring of his own life and genius.

And yet, despite his distinguished history, Norman has always remained in the corner of the eye. The ultimate paradox of blues is that many of the most genuine blues musicians aren't widely known, simply because they personify the unpretentious and selfless spirit of the music itself. Though Mr Beaker never acquired a "big" name, he's the one that the most famous blues artists trusted, being as hardworking, humorous and good-natured as he is talented. His abilities as a superb frontman as well as his excellence as a backing musician is testimony to his integrity in serving the music rather than himself....