Willie J Laws Jr. - Too Much Blues (2023) [CD Rip]

US Navy veteran Willie J. Laws Jr, raised in the Gulf Coast of Texas near Corpus Christi, has over 35 years of performing experience and has traveled all over the world making music. Willie J. developed his "funky blues" guitar and vocal sound, influenced by Texas Blues and R&B/Soul, Tex-Mex Tejano/Conjunto, Louisiana Zydeco, and Country. His vocals and guitar work are stunning.

His body of concert work includes performing as the house band for The House of Blues in both Las Vegas (5 years) and New Orleans (2 years), and as well as regularly performing at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in New Orleans. Willie J. toured both nationally and internationally with the Smithsonian Folkways/Grammy award-winning band, "Los Texmaniacs". During the course of his career his band regularly opened for BB King, Etta James, as well as Bobby Blue Bland, Hall and Oates, Warren Zevon, Johnny Winter, and The Ohio Players. Willie was mentored by, and toured with, the late Blues great and Texan, Phillip Walker, which you will hear in Willie's Texas "chicken pickin' " playing style. He has toured multiple times to enthusiastic audiences in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Poland. As well as USO tours in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm, and Japan. He really is beloved wherever in the world he's gone

Willie now lives in Massachusetts and garnered a 2011 Massachusetts Blues Challenge Award, was a semi-finalist in the 2012 International Blues Challenge and prestigious Beale St King Award 2012 in Memphis TN, two New England Music Award nominations (2015 and 2016), and a 2015 Boston Music Award Nomination. He and his Boston based band toured and performed twice in Russia at the behest of the United States Consul General of St. Petersburg Russia as part of an artistic ambassadorship. In the seven years of playing in New England Willie is known as one of the foremost Blues acts of the region with a modern funky style uniquely his own. His performances are always warm, funny and entertaining, while also musically inspiring.

Willie is set to release a new CD "Too Much Blues" at the end of 2022. His previous recording, "Black Maria" is a collection of all but one original songs, written and produced by himself, and keyboardist, Bruce Mattson. Willie is a vocalist on three of the Knickerbocker Allstars recordings, as well as New England's piano man, Anthony Geraci's album entitled "Why Did You Have To Go".

The Willie J Laws Band sound is seated deeply in Texas Roots Music, add some Funk, and Jazz influenced bass patterns, and the influence of various Afro-Caribbean drum beats, all tempered with a groove from Motown, Memphis or Muscle Shoals, New Orleans or Houston, Cincinnati or Los Angeles. The sound is traditional American roots music with a unique twist, skillfully played and performed. Come see why they are calling him the "Real Deal". Come see "The Last Prophet of The Funky Texas Blues".