Backtrack Blues Band

A Day By The Bay

Gulf Coast Records

Charles W. Ross a.k.a. Sonny Charles, founded the Backtrack Blues Band in 1980, while attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  Among the first to join was his classmate guitarist “Little” Johnny Walter. The band is a Chicago styled blues band inspired and named after the  Little Walter instrumental “Backtrack”. Their debut album 1983’s “Dress It Up” was followed by 1989’s “Killin’ Time” and 1995’s “Boogie Shack”  before taking a hiatus from recording.

The Backtrack Blues Band resumed recording in 2012 with “Captured Alive”. Their last two studio album’s 2016’s “Way Back Home” recorded in Sarasota and 2017’s “Make My Home in Florida” recorded in St. Petersburg; resulted in them winning multiple Tampa Bay Music Awards as “Best Blues Band”.  They have performed with Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and many other notable bluesmen. Festival appearances include the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, Norway’s Notodden International Blues Festival, and Canada’s Mont-Tremblant Blues Festival. The Backtrack Blues Band is one of Florida’s longest running blues bands having performed continuously for forty-two years.

The current band lineup includes Sonny Charles, harmonica and vocals; Kid Royal, guitar and vocals; “Little” Johnny Walter, rhythm guitar and vocals;  Wayne Sharp, Hammond B-3 organ; Stick Davis, bass; Joe Bencomo,  drums; and backing vocalists Latonya Oliver and Dana Merriwether.

This new live album was recorded at The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, April 10th, 2022; and is produced by Charles W. Ross. Because it is a live album, serving as a retrospective, all of the songs have been previously recorded.  The album opens with “Best Friends Grave” as lead vocalist Sonny Charles sings “A mighty long time ago, it was a February morning the sun was shining high…it’s an honor singing, joy, joy, joy, on my best friend’s grave… we dug that grave and I believe we dug it well…it’s an honor singing on my my best friends grave”, with some great guitar from Kid Royal.

“Make My Home In Florida” with a vocal and harmonica from Sonny Charles, “I make my home in Florida, way down south off the coast of F-l-a. It’s just a little cabin a short jump from Mexico, way down in Florida, oh that’s where I want to be, in my cabin, on the ocean, just my little girl and me”.

“Help Me Just This Time”, “on a good day, I play the blues at night…to pay my bills, baby I play all night…help me baby, help me just this once, I’ll get myself together to play the blues tonight”. “Dixie Grill”, “I came by a place called the Dixie Grill…come on down to the Dixie Grill, Carolina cookin’ you can get your fill…they serve biskets nice and hot, with gravy you can get  your fill, come on down to the Dixie Grill”. On the albums only cover,  originally recorded and sung by Jimmy Reed, Charles chimes “I’m a natural born lover, tell me baby, which one of us would you ‘ruther”, with more great Hammond B-3 from Sharp.

“Rich Man Blues”, “the rich man has a habit, let me tell you people, it’s not as real as can be, the rich man takes it all, there’s nothing left for you and  me”. “She Might Get Mad”, “I got a woman she’s sweet as she can be… well I said don’t do things you might deny…I got a woman she’s as mean as she can be…the finest woman I ever had, don’t do that she might get mad”.

“Times Is Hard” is the second song written by Kid Royal, “I say the times is hard, I got my woman by my side, if she don’t want to love me, I might  break down and cry…when she holds me she sets my soul on fire, she  wraps her lovin’ arms around me, and I’m fine. On the closer, a walkin  blues with some more Hammond organ Charles chants “if you want to be  my girl, you’ll come back someday…look for her next time I step outside, she’ll come back someday”.

“A Day By The Bay” features the band’s creative songwriting with Sonny Charles composing six songs, two from Kid Royal, and one cover. The Backtrack Blues Band’s crisp Chicago styled originals and Texas styled guitar tones is guaranteed to make you smile”.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

BUY NOW

Buy Us a Cup of Coffee!

Join the movement in supporting Making a Scene, the premier independent resource for both emerging musicians and the dedicated fans who champion them.

We showcase this vibrant community that celebrates the raw talent and creative spirit driving the music industry forward. From insightful articles and in-depth interviews to exclusive content and insider tips, Making a Scene empowers artists to thrive and fans to discover their next favorite sound.

Together, let’s amplify the voices of independent musicians and forge unforgettable connections through the power of music

You can donate directly through Paypal!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter