CSPS debut | When harmonica ace Annie Raines sat in with country
blues guitarist Paul Rishell in a Boston bar in 1992, few suspected they
were witnessing the beginning of a musical partnership that would span the
next 17 years.
As a working team, Paul and Annie have racked up hundreds of thousands of
miles on the road, collaborated on original songs and released I Want you
to Know (Tone-Cool/Artemis 1996), Moving to the Country (2000), the W.C.
Handy Award winner for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year, and Goin’ Home
(2004), which was nominated for two Handy Awards.
The duo’s most recent release, A Night in Woodstock, is just that,
capturing the magic conjured one night on stage. The CD features guests John Sebastian, Bruce Katz, and a full backing band pitching for an
eclectic, high energy set of originals and classic
blues songs.
Despite their difference in age, Paul and Annie are equally passionate and
devoted to the study and performance of a wide range of blues styles, from
the syncopated acoustic guitar wizardry of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son
House to Chicagoan “Little” Walter Jacob’s swinging amplified harmonica.
Paul has reached what Boston Phoenix writer Ted Drozdowski called “a place
deep and resonant as Robert Johnson’s crossroads, where authenticity, soul
and a sense of purpose and commitment ring out in every note he sings and
plays.” Annie has added vocals, mandolin, piano and other instruments to
her musical arsenal, while being recognized by top professionals and fans
worldwide as the “queen of the blues harmonica.” Says blues legend Pinetop
Perkins, “She plays so good it hurts!”
The two have performed together on radio and TV shows including A Prairie
Home Companion, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and PBS’s Arthur.
Annie Raines picked up the blues harp at 17 and made her stage debut at a
Cambridge club a few months before her high school graduation. Enthralled
by the recordings of Muddy Waters, Little Walter Jacobs, Big Walter Horton
and Sonny Boy Williamson, she became a fixture at Boston area blues jams.
One of the few female blues harmonica players in the country, Annie
enjoyed yearlong stints with the Tarbox Ramblers and the Susan Tedeschi
Band, going on to perform on Susan’s first three albums.
Paul Rishell descended from a long line of Methodist preachers and
Norwegian painters. As a teenager, he started a band, playing surf music
and rock ‘n roll until a friend turned him on to country blues records. He
immediately took up the guitar and moved to Cambridge, Mass., where he had
the chance to play with many of the first and second generation of blues
masters, including Son House, Johnny Shines, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee
and Howlin’ Wolf. Paul’s debut recording, Blues on a Holiday
(Tone-Cool) was released in 1990 and established the artist as both a versatile blues player
and a deeply soulful singer.
He followed up with Swear to Tell the Truth in 1993, which featured
heart-stopping solo performances as well as guest turns by Ronnie Earl and “Little” Annie Raines.
Sat Oct 17
| 8 pm CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids $15 + fee in advance | $18
at the door
