Tommy Castro
Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town [CD]
ALSO AVAILABLE ON GREEN TRANSLLUCENT VINYL LP
The raucous, multi-song tale of a young man bitten by the blues bug. A striking collection of songs tell the story in vivid lyrics brought to life by Castro's patented roadhouse rock, soulful ballads and deep, greasy grooves. "One of the brightest stars in the blues-soul genre. Voracious blues energy and ultimate soul power...impassioned vocals and pure inventiveness in his stellar guitar solos." —Blues Music Magazine
ALSO AVAILABLE ON GREEN TRANSLLUCENT VINYL LP
Tommy Castro: Guitar and Vocals
Tom Hambridge: Drums, Percussion and Background Vocals
Rob McNelley: Guitar
Tommy MacDonald: Bass
Kevin McKendree: Keyboards
Randy Mc Donald: Bass on “Somewhere (Reprise)”
Bowen Brown: Drums on “Somewhere (Reprise)”
Mike Emerson: Keyboards on “Child Don’t Go” and “Draw The Line”
Keith Crossan: Saxes and horn arrangement on “Hustle”
Deanna Bogart: Saxes and horn arrangement on “I Want To Go Back Home”
Terrie Odabi: Vocals on “Child Don’t Go”
Jimmy Hall: Harmonica on “Somewhere,” Background Vocals on “A Bluesman Came To Town”
Mixed and Mastered by Tom Hambridge and Michael Saint-Leon at The Switchyard Studio Nashville TN
Recorded at Backstage Studio Nashville, TN
Zach Allen: Engineer
Joel McKenney: Assistant engineer
Additional recording at The Switchyard Studio
Michael Saint-Leon: Engineer
Additional Recording at Greaseland Studio
Kid Andersen: Engineer
Ra Music Studio
Ron Alan Cohen: Engineer
Butterfly Studios
Gary Cambra: Engineer
Photos by Victoria Smith
Packaging design by Kevin Niemiec
Tom Hambridge would like to thank DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals and Regal Tip Drumsticks for their continued support. Contact: www.tomhambridge.com
Tommy would like to thank Delaney Guitars, GHS Strings, Dunlop, Eminence Speakers, Reunion Blues Guitar Cases, Strobel Guitars, Crossover Agency, On Stage Promotions, Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, Alligator Records, Sirius XM /B.B. King’s Bluesville, The Blues Foundation, The Painkillers, Skyeler Williams, Dani Barese, Deanna Bogart, Maureen Shaughnessy (for the Blues Odyssey idea) and, most of all, our fans and friends and family for all your support.
I’ve been fortunate enough to record for Alligator Records the last 12 years. This is the seventh album we’ve released together. I try to keep my music fresh by taking different approaches and writing and recording different types of songs. I want to stretch out musically, but I always want the songs to be my most authentic, to remain true to myself and my art. This time, I felt the need to do something I’ve never done before.
With A Bluesman Came To Town, what I have for you is a record of songs that tell a story. It’s the story of a young man from a small town. One day a guitar-playing bluesman comes to his town. From that point on, the young man’s life will never be the same. It’s based on a classic hero’s journey--the odyssey of a musician’s life.
I brought in the big guns this time and collaborated with legendary producer Tom Hambridge. I co-wrote most of the songs with him. In telling the story, I’ve tried to touch on the many different styles of music that I love. I’m excited for you to hear it!—Tommy Castro