SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES MARK 35TH ANNIVERSARY WITH STELLAR NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’ (AUGUST 19 / SEVERN RECORDS)

LP FOLLOWS 2014 GRAMMY NOMINATION, TWO 2014 BLUES MUSIC AWARD WINS FOR FRONTMAN SUGAR RAY NORCIA

SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES MIDWEST TOUR KICKS OFF JULY 15

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones – the storied blues ensemble which has backed Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Joe Turner, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Walter Horton, Big Mama Thornton, and JB Hutto – marks its 35th anniversary and sixth album for Severn Records with the August 19 release ‘Living Tear To Tear.’ The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from those Chicago blues masters, making it one of New England’s most beloved blues institutions. The Boston Phoenix said of its frontman, "A fixture on the national blues scene[, Sugar Ray] Norcia's elegant, emotive voice is his calling card [alongside his] rich, melodic harmonica blowing."

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have an incredible history, from early tours with Big Walter Horton; collaborations with Ronnie Earl; backing legendary artists in Cambridge and on tour; being invited for a residency at Chicago’s legendary south side juke joint Theresa’s, musical home of Junior Wells (though they had to decline due to other commitments); and earning five Blues Music Awards nominations for their last album ‘Evening’ including Band of the Year and Album of the Year.

‘Living Tear To Tear’ promises to be even bigger, coming on the heels of an eventful year that saw the blues world take notice of Sugar Ray & The Bluetones. Norcia was nominated for a GRAMMY and won two Blues Music Awards for his singing and harmonica on the album ‘Remembering Little Walter,’ his third nomination.

Tightly-knit after decades of performances together, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones feature four strong songwriters who penned ten of the album’s twelve tracks: Norcia, guitarist Monster Mike Welch, bassist Mudcat Ward, and pianist Anthony Geraci. ‘Living Tear To Tear’ delivers a breath-of-fresh-air set including the hard-driving roadhouse music of “Rat Trap,” the gritty, South Side-style “Things Could Be Worse,” the taste of Memphis on “Short Ribs,” the stinging slow blues of “Misery,” Louisiana swamp pop on “Our Story,” the expertly done Sonny Boy Williamson II cover “99,” and the tongue-in-cheek, jazzy “Hungry But Happy.”

Kim Wilson said, “Sugar Ray is the real deal.” Norcia fronted Roomful of Blues for the better part of the ’90s. Along with Ward and Geraci, he earned a GRAMMY nomination for ‘Superharps,’ which put his musicianship alongside that of Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Branch, and James Cotton. ‘Living Tear To Tear’ marks his 17th album as a leader. All Music Guide raved, “Aside from his stellar harp work, Norcia is an excellent singer, and at his best, brings a touch of country and jazz to the blues.” For The Boston Globe, Steve Morse wrote, “Sugar Ray’s voice combines the roadhouse grit of Muddy Waters with a lonesome desperation all his own. Sugar Ray gets so down and out that he makes your skin crawl. He has an ability to convey pain as few bluesmen of his generation can.”

Mudcat Ward has been heard on over fifty albums, including Hubert Sumlin’s  GRAMMY-nominated ‘About Them Shoes,’ which also featured Keith Richards and Levon Helm. He's contributed both acoustic and Fender bass in live performance with Jr. Wells, Buddy Guy, Memphis Slim, James Cotton, Lowell Fulson, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thornton, and many more.

The band’s junior member, Monster Mike Welch began his recording career as a blues guitarist at thirteen years of age and has seen the depth of feeling in his playing grow exponentially over the ensuing two decades as he’s played with individual members of the Bluetones. He has joined the likes of Junior Wells, Johnny Copeland, Joe Walsh, Susan Tedeschi, James Cotton, and Johnny Winter on stage and is featured prominently on last year’s ‘Independently Blue’ with Duke Robillard.

Anthony Geraci is one of the finest blues pianists working today, having graced performances with B.B. King, Otis Rush, and Chuck Berry, and played at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Drummer Neil Gouvin’s many credits include albums by Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters, John Hammond, Jr., and Luther Allison.

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Summer Tour Dates:

July 12 – Ottawa, Canada – Ottawa Blues Festival
July 13 – Toronto, Canada – Waterfront Festival
July 15 - St Louis, MO - BB's Jazz Blues & Soups
July 16 - Okoboji, Iowa - Pearson Lakes Art Center
July 17 - Decatur, IL - Summer Blues in Central Park
July 18 - Chicago, IL - Buddy Guy’s Legends
July 19 – Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Cafe
July 26 - Boston, MA - Save The Harbor Boston Boat Cruise
July 30 - Westerly, RI - Blues On The Beach
August 9 – Gloucester, MA - Gloucester Blues Festival, Fort Stage Park
August 24 – Marshfield, MA – Marshfield Fair

CHARLES "SKIP" PITTS: APRIL 7, 1947 - MAY 1, 2012

Charles “Skip” Pitts, one of the architects of soul, R&B, and funk guitar and a member of the Bo-Keys, passed away this morning at the age of 65. Pitts is best known for creating two of the signature guitar riffs of all time: The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing” and the wah-wah on Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft.”

Getting tips from his neighbor Bo Diddley, Pitts learned to play guitar at age 11 on the street corners of his childhood home of Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Pitts’ uncle owned a hotel next to the prestigious Howard Theater, where he met a who’s who of soul and rhythm and blues legends, including James Brown and Otis Redding. He was soon on stage himself, performing with Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and performing and recording with the Isley Brothers and Rufus Thomas.

He first recorded at the age of 15 on Gene Chandler's "Rainbow 65." Following this time with the Isley Brothers' backing band The Midnight Movers, Pitts experienced the longest collaboration of his career with Isaac Hayes, staying with him from 1971 to 2008. After the success of “Shaft,” he appeared in the concert film “Wattstax” and started recorded with other Stax artists, holding his own with Albert King, among others. (He is associated so deeply with the wah-wah pedal that he is interviewed in a new documentary “Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World” alongside Slash, Buddy Guy, Eddie Van Halen, Kirk Hammett.)

When not on the road or in the studio with Hayes, Pitts was a session player at Stax, and played on many hit recordings by artists such as Albert King and Rufus Thomas. More recently, he has performed on the score for the Academy Award-winning film "Hustle and Flow" with The Bo-Keys and  performed on the Grammy-nominated Al Green record, "I Can't Stop," produced by Willie Mitchell.

Pitts’ accomplishments continue deep into the 21st century; alongside the Bo-Keys, he performed on Cyndi Lauper’s GRAMMY-nominated 2010 album ‘Memphis Blues’ and backed her on the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS). He has also given back to his Memphis community, teaching at-risk youth in Memphis at the Stax Music Academy. He is heavily featured on the Bo-Keys' 2011 release 'Got To Get Back!,' which earned year-end best status from the Associated Press and several Blues Music Award nominations. Guitar Player Magazine did a feature on Pitts. Click here to read it.

Pitts' classic guitar riffs have been sampled by hip hop royalty such as Dr. Dre with Snoop Dogg, Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, Eazy-E, and DJ Shadow with Cut Chemist.

In addition to music, Pitts also delved into acting in his latter years, appearing in the award-winning "Forty Shades of Blue," "Black Snake Moan" and appeared with the Bo-keys along with Samuel L Jackson and Bernie Mac in "Soul Men."

He passed away this morning at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, TN. A burial is planned in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife.