Let’s go back to the beginning:
In the Delta of the Mississippi folklore has it, that if an aspiring bluesman waited by the side of a deserted crossroad in the dark of a moonless night, Satan himself might come and tune his guitar, sealing a pact for his soul and in turn giving a life of fame.
In the late 1930’s Robert Johnson, king of the delta blues players embodied the idea of the blues as the devil’s music. His raw guitar style and unique song writing would become the inspiration for rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll and finally lead to rock music.
Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, and Lightnin' Hopkins popularized the “Devil’s Music” in the 50’s.
Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, along with Eddie Cochran, turned black R&B into rock ‘n’ roll and popularized it with a new generation of suburban white teenagers.
However, in February of 1964 The Beatles launched a new age in music with their performance on the Ed Sullivan show. The British Invasion was here! The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks, The Yardbirds and The Who would bring a new kind of music: rock, heavily influenced by the blues.
And then, Jimi Hendrix, an American in British exile played blues based, guitar rock at its best; playing with fire he ignited the souls of millions.
The tale goes on: In England, Mott The Hoople, David Bowie, T. Rex and The Faces took it to yet another level with glam rock in the early 70’s. Meanwhile in the United States, Aerosmith, Kiss, Alice Cooper and The New York Dolls put a different twist on rock, along with the roots rock of Creedence Clearwater, Steppenwolf and Johnny Winter. Finally The New York Dolls, who toured with southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, bridged the gap from blues to punk rock.
At the same time, Led Zeppelin, in a second wave of the British Invasion, influenced everyone who came after them in rock music. Who could forget the legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, who may or may not have sold his soul to the devil, just as Robert Johnson supposedly did 40 years earlier? Zeppelin embodied the new blues influenced rock music at the height of their fame. To this day, they are the most heavily played band on rock radio, even over new artists.
Where do The Blues Vultures come in? The Blues Vultures chose their name, in a roots based tradition: like vultures picking at the blues, they are picking through decades of rock history. They define themselves as a classic rock band, a decidedly modern term for any band that plays no frills rock ‘n’ roll.
The Blues Vultures, led by guitarist Ronnie Younkins, known from the Hagerstown/ Baltimore rock band KIX, play rock ‘n’ roll originals and draw from roots based rock music of the classic rock era, carrying the torch into the next millennium.
Bio & Members
Formed in 2001 by guitarist Ronnie Younkins (of KIX/Atlantic Records), who also sings and creates his own songs, The Blues Vultures deliver their brand of roots rock ‘n’ roll courtesy of accompanying members Aaron Isaacs, drums and vocals, Zak Mabie, bass and vocals, and Rich Moxley on guitar and vocals.
Occasional alternating drummers are Ragan Potts (Center Alley), Pete Dimmick (No Tell Motel) and Tomi Stotler (Baby Jayne). Rick Linares will occasionally fill in on the bass guiatr and vocals.
Sam Stilwell (The Jokers, Funny Money), and Jimmy Chalfant (KIX, Funny Money), drummers 2002-06, can still be heard on the band’s CD Cheap Guitars & Honky Tonk Bars.
Performance
Hailing an audience of devoted rock enthusiasts, The Blues Vultures deliver the goods in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They have also toured in New York and Los Angeles. Bringing with them not only their original roots rock ‘n’ roll, but also the best songs offered by a variety of artists, ranging from Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The New York Dolls, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, T. Rex, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Bad Company, Lenny Kravitz and Johnny Winter to Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steppenwolf. (Please request a master songlist for full repertoire.)
Headlining or opening, The Blues Vultures play a 60-90 minute concert set consisting of all original material, or they will pound out three sets (originals and covers) that will cover the spectrum of rock ‘n’ roll, giving audiences something they will remember.
The Blues Vultures finished their first studio album in September 2005, Cheap Guitars & Honky Tonk Bars. It can be purchased directly from this website or at any local show. They are currently writing songs and recording for their next CD. Expect a release in 2010.
Long live Rock ‘n’ Roll!
Reviews
Thank you for the CD, I can’t say enough good things about it, however, what I can say, is that if someone asked me what rock ‘n’ roll was, Cheap Guitars & Honky Tonk Bars would be the album I would give them.
Thank you,
Rob Tessier, Fuquay Varina, NC
Ronnie, Saw you guys at Ram's Head w/Kix Friday nite. All I can say is.......AWESOME!!!! Live Rock and Roll, at its best!! Can't wait to hear you again soon. Thanks for a wonderful show and making my ears ring for 2 days!! Take care. Andy Kemp 09/22/07
The Blues Vultures rocked the Ram's Head! Ed Minnick 09/22/07
The Blues Vultures rockin’ Chambersburg
on Xanga.com ©2006 Brad Unger
Chambersburg, PA, 1/28/2006: In an age in which theatrics and image are used to compensate for mediocre (or even downright poor) music, it’s rare that one can see a stripped down, no frills classic rock ‘n’ roll show. However, that was precisely what The Blues Vultures treated their fans to at the Relax Lounge.
[...] While Ronnie handled a majority of the lead vocals, the BVs showed versatility and true musicianship - each member sang a handful of tunes. Three sets of original and classic rock ‘n’ roll music were performed. The originals were drawn from the Slimmer Twins’ CD Lack Of Luxury as well as the relatively new Blues Vultures’ disc Cheap Guitars & Honky Tonk Bars. Both of these albums are must-own, the latter containing soon to be classics such as “Subway To Success,” “Wrap Yourself In Glamour,” and “My Baby Up And Left Me.” The covers were from The Rolling Stones (“Brown Sugar,” “Sympathy For The Devil”), Aerosmith (“Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way”), as well as The Georgia Satellites, Led Zeppelin, and the like. What separates The Blues Vultures from other bands that cover songs like these, was the tightness and raw talent that the band displayed. [...]
As if the show wasn’t enjoyable enough, the band ended their third set with a couple of punk covers - with the house lights on. “Chatterbox” by The New York Dolls and “I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones ended a truly enjoyable performance.
If you reside in the tri-state area, check out The Blues Vultures. It won’t be soon enough until I see them again.
