Sam Cockrell - Trying to Make a Living Playing My Guitar (2015)

Tracklist

01. I'm from Chicago
02. You Can Have It All If You Play the Game
03. Last Night
04. I've Got to Make Some Changes
05. Trying to Make a Living Playing My Guitar
06. Life Can Be Complicated
07. You're a Sellout
08. Blindsided By Love
09. This Ain't Another Baby I Love You Song
10. Playin' With My Friends
11. She's Hot

Bass player and band leader Sam Cockrell has been playing music almost his entire life. He said he first played at a club called the Burning Spear when he was 9 years old. 31 years later this dynamic bass player and gifted singer has just finished recording his first CD and made his debut performance in Minneapolis.

Born in 1959, Cockrell grew up listening to the music of his time and cites diverse influences like Grand Funk Railroad, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Yes, The Doobie Brothers and the Motown sound. As a child he saw the Jackson 5 and decided he wanted to play the bass, which has been his instrument ever since.

Sam's band, The Groove, consists of guitar player Chris Forte, Saxophone player Howard Shaw and long time friend and drummer Rob Davis. These guys are full of energy and fun to watch. They play music that is geared to getting the crowd up and dancing. They cover a variety of genres and are just as comfortable playing R&B, pop, motown, rock and dance music as they are straight ahead blues - and they can do them all with style and aplomb. Variety is the bands specialty, and they play what the audience wants to hear. Sam's trained voice also lends itself easily to just about any style of music, not being limited to just the blues. He has a clear, strong, confident voice, and when you combine that with his exciting bass playing and crowd pleasing good nature you get one great performer.

Sam is often out in the audience getting things moving and several times he was even joined by saxophone player Howard Shaw. During the second set they even wound up together playing inside the bar on the other side of the room. The band went back to the 70's with some Jackson Five songs and easily switched gears as they roared through "Texas Flood" and dished out a scorching version of "Pride and Joy." They played a number of original songs from Sam's new CD I'm In The Business, including one called, "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom" where he started out with some rapid fire slapping bass, then the band kicked in with a frantic paced beat. Several other quality songs from the CD included "Caught In The Act," and "I'm In the Business." Speaking of his new CD I'm In The Business, it features a stellar cast of great Chicago blues players including Billy Branch, Jimmy Johnson, Maurice John Vaughn, Carl Weathersby, Michael Coleman, Will Crosby and Johnny V.

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