ORGY OF THE DAMNED

Saul Hudson, the GRAMMY® Award-winning guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee knopwn professionally as SLASH, has released his sixth solo album, Orgy of the Damned, which takes the former Guns & Roses band member back to the genre that has always been at the heart of his playing: the Blues. Orgy of the Damned revitalize blues classics with the album’s handpicked diverse guest vocalists, which include Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Chris Stapleton, Iggy Pop, Gary Clark Jr., Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes), Dorothy, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Tash Neal, and Beth Hart. The album is available through Amazon.com on CD, MP3 and Vinyl formats.

SLASH selected standard blues songs made famous by Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, and tracks from blues rock bands like Peter Green‘s Fleetwood Mac and Steppenwolf. He even strays from the blues for the Motown tracks from the Temptations and Stevie Wonder, highlighting the inherent blues influence underlying all great music from the 60s and 70s. SLASH reunites with two of his bandmates from his Blues Ball Band outfit in the 90s, Johnny Griparic (bass), and Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis (keys), and brought on drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal who round out his Blues band that peforms in this album. Orgy of the Damned debuted as the #1 Blues Album in the U.S and the U.K., #2 on the U.S. Rock Albums Chart, as well as achieving Top 10 Chart positions in 7 countries around the world.

“There was definitely a lot going on with this idea of creating a Blues record," SLASH remarked to ageekdaddy.com. "Back in the 90’s, I had a drunken Blues band that had some great songs, we played a lot of shows with some great players, a couple of which are on this record. I always thought back then it would be great to record an album of these songs, but it was such an impromptu thing, and we never took it to that level. Fast forward all these years and I am still going out to Blues clubs and jamming with bar bands and at some point, I decided I really wanted to make this record."

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WENDY AND DB BACK HOME

GRAMMY nominated in 2023 for their Chicago homestyle tribute to the blues, Into the Little Blue House, the multicultural, Chicago-based duo Wendy and DB revisits the blues genre with a deep dive into traditional acoustic styles on their newly released sixth family album, Back Home. The children's music album which captures the essence of traditional blues styles in a way to entice the ears of young listeners is available at major online music outlets and streaming platforms as well as at wendyanddb.com.

To ensure authenticity, the duo traveled to the original home of the blues, Memphis, Tennessee, to collaborate with Blues Music Award-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Doug MacLeod, traditional Delta blues vocalist Libby Rae Watson, and multiple GRAMMY nominee Shardé Thomas and her Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, which is devoted to preserving the vanishing Mississippi Hill Country fife and drum blues tradition and presenting it in combination with other blues, jazz, hip hop, and R&B stylings. Shardé Thomas ​​is the ​granddaughter of Otha Turner, one of the best-known exponents of the African American fife and drum tradition.

In Austin, Texas, Wendy and DB recorded with three-time GRAMMY nominee Ruthie Foster, whose work travels through a variety of genres: Texas blues, gospel, folk, soul, and jazz. When Wendy and DB returned to Chicago, many blues musicians from Into The Little Blue House contributed their talents to Back Home, including harmonica wizard Billy Branch, GRAMMY-winning drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, and iconic guitarist Mike Wheeler.

Noteworthy tracks include “Back Home,” on which Ruthie Foster sings out the verses in her pure, honest voice, helping create a musical landscape that’s sure to make listeners think, “If this is what ‘home’ sounds like, I want to go there!” “Be You/Walk To Your Own Beat” highlights the African rhythms and and sounds of fife and drum of the Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, with Wendy Morgan’s heartfelt vocals encouraging kids to celebrate the uniquely beautiful people they are. The exhilarating “Moving Mountains” and wistful “Reflection” are replete with stunning blues harp work from Billy Branch, while Memphis legend Doug MacLeod takes center stage on “Come To Your Senses” and “Move Them Bones.” 

“Watching the River Flow” and “Hum Away” are graced by gorgeous down-home vocals from Mississippi’s Libby Rae Watson. Darryl “DB” Boggs brings loads of personality to “Hemingway,” with his friendly, joyful style really lighting up this number about Wendy’s “Wonderdog.” Throughout Back Home, Wendy and DB celebrate traditional blues music through a rich variety of originally crafted songs for young souls and longtime blues enthusiasts alike.

In addition to being GRAMMY nominated, Wendy and DB are winners of the Parents’ Choice Gold, NAPPA, and Creative Child Awards. Previous albums include Into the Little Blue House (2022 release; 2023 GRAMMY nomination), Hey Big World (2020; NAPPA Award, Mom’s Choice Award, Creative Child Album of the Year), HomeEarth (2017; NAPPA Award), It’s A Doo Da Day (2015; Parents’ Choice Gold Award, NAPPA Award), and Pockets Seasons Rhymes & Reasons (2013).