Suze Sims and Teri Ann Wilson of The Red Hot Blues Sisters

SSBA Newsletter, August 2007
Volume 9, Issue 2
The South Sound Blues Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the
blues as an American art form on behalf of its
performers and fans through education,
community and performance.
events. Her family’s home was full of music, and Suze
learned early on how to operate a turntable and spin the
vinyl, listening to (and even collecting) jazz and
classical music while most kids were still watching
cartoons. She credits a group called Lambert,
Hendricks, and Ross (precursors to the Manhattan
Transfer) with introducing her to scat music, as well as
teaching her the ABC’s through their recordings.
Suze enjoyed her family’s bohemian lifestyle, but
later found herself feeling somewhat isolated from her
classmates at the private school she attended, whose
parents had more conventional careers. She found a
place to fit in however, when she became involved in
theater arts, earning respect for her skills in production,
especially sound and lights, and as a power forward on
the basketball team. By that time she had abandoned
jazz as “old people music,” and was listening to
Led Zeppelin, the Police, and AC/DC. Using fake ID,
she honed her stage craft skills stringing lights from
catwalks in clubs like The Spit, DV8 and the Paradise
Club.
When her parents divorced, Suze moved to San
Francisco with her mother, finished high school and was
offered athletic scholarships to San Francisco State. A
blown knee terminated her
college sports career, and she
ended up attending San
Francisco City College for two
years, then heading back to the
east coast, eventually landing
in Boston. There she worked
for Alton Music with bands
like Electric Toys, Ball & Pivot
and Judy’s Tiny Head. Suze
came to understand the
elements of a good show beyond musicianship - the
importance of timing, stage presence, and how to read
an audience to keep the electricity going. She also reinjured herself, requiring knee surgery and a return to
California where she settled in Sacramento, studying
sports medicine in college there. Her most satisfying
academic success however, was the class she took in
audio engineering.
Suze Sims and Teri Ann Wilson
of The Red Hot Blues Sisters
by J. Henderson
As most of our members know, the Red Hot Blues
Sisters won the South Sound Blues Association’s Back
to Beale Street competition last month and will be
representing us at the 2008 International Blues
Challenge in Memphis. The Sisters send their personal
thanks for this honor and for the opportunity to perform
for their fans and supporters at their upcoming
fundraisers. For our part, we fans are thrilled to have
this tight, energetic, highly entertaining band as one of
our own.
The Red Hot Blues sisters, a.k.a. The Red Hotz,
are Suze Sims and Teri Ann Wilson, backed by the
incredible Patrick McDanel on bass, Eric Roberts on
keyboard, and Scott Ronjay on drums. Over the next
couple of newsletters, we plan to introduce each of the
band members, starting with The Sisters, Suze Sims and
Teri Ann Wilson.
Born and raised in New York City, Suze Sims
comes from a family with a rich musical and theatrical
tradition. Her uncle Ken owned the Lafayette Theater noted as the first NY theater to desegregate during the
Harlem Renaissance. Her mother was a professional
ballerina and performer. (If you attended the BB’s this
year, you might have spotted Suze with her mom, a
classic beauty - stylish, well-spoken, and graceful.) Her
father is Pete La Roca (Sims), the well-known jazz
percussionist who played gigs like the New York
Symphony and the Palladium, with greats like Freddie
Hubbard, Art Farmer, and Tito Fuentes, before retiring
as a performer to become an entertainment lawyer.
Suze describes a childhood that included seeing
pretty much every Broadway musical staged in New
York City, as well as many concerts and other theatrical
see Page 4
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The Prez says ...
Hey, Blues Fans! Wondering why you
should join the SSBA? For a $20 yearly individual
membership fee, you will receive:
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O
ur association is having a
great summer, and it's not
over yet. Thanks to the
producers of The Old
Town Blues Festival we were able to
have a booth at this year's event. We
met lots of new fans, signed up a few
new members, sold T-shirts and our
member bands’ CDs. Special thanks go to Mike Brooks for
managing the booth with the volunteer help of Marlene
Lovstrom. We will have a booth again this year at Louiefest
being held at Sprinker Recreation in Spanaway August 18th
and 19th. Several of our member bands will be performing
during the two-day event.
Immediately following Louiefest, we will host our
first of two Back to Beale Street Blues 2008 fundraisers. The
first is being held at The Swiss Pub in downtown Tacoma on
Sunday, August 19th starting at 5:00 PM. Beth McBride will
be opening the show with a solo performance, and our
Memphis winner, The Red Hot Blues Sisters, will headline
the show starting at 10:00 PM. There will be a total of five
great blues bands performing. This show is a must to attend!
Our association has been negotiating with The
Harmon Brewery in downtown Tacoma to bring live blues
into their Restaurant & Bar on a regular basis. If you recall,
we held the Blues portion of The Tacoma Jazz and Blues
Festival at The Harmon these past two years. Starting on
Thursday, September 27th, we will be hosting “Live Blues”
every other Thursday night through November. Little Bill
and The Bluenotes will be kicking off the first Thursday. We
need everyone to support our efforts to make this a regular
blues venue, so come on out!
We changed our general membership meeting
location at the request of several of our members. We will
now be meeting upstairs at Jazzbones every third Wednesday
of the month. Our meetings start at 6:30 PM and are usually
over by 7:30 PM. Please plan on attending and supporting
your organization.
I would again like to encourage all of our member
bands to submit an article to our newsletter editor, Aaron
Bakalar ([email protected]) each month about their band’s
activities for our Bandspeak page. If you have a favorite
picture we will include that too. This is a great opportunity
to network with your fans and to promote yourselves to our
readers. Our newsletter is emailed to all of our members,
appears on our website and is also distributed to all the blues
venues in our area. If you have any questions please contact
me or Aaron.
A regularly produced copy of this newsletter
Monthly calendar of South Sound blues events
The opportunity to submit articles & music reviews
Special event email blasts
Event and merchandise discounts
A vote on important association matters
The satisfaction of knowing you're a part of the
South Sound Blues community AND MORE!
South Sound Blues Association Membership Application
Name(s) __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________
City, State ____________________________ Zip _________
Phone: Home/Work/Cell _____________________________
Email ____________________________________________
NOTE: If you want to receive your newsletter and special
events information by email, the SSBA does not give out email
or membership information.
_____ Student/Senior Membership $10/year
_____ Individual Membership $20/year (Email News)
_____ Individual Membership $30/year (Snail Mail News)**
_____ Family Membership $30/year
_____ Band Membership $50/year
_____ Lifetime Individual Membership $200 (one-time fee)
_____ Lifetime Family Membership $300 (one-time fee)
_____ Corporate Membership $TBD/year
_____ Venue Membership $TBD/year
_____ Additional Donation
Occupation _______________________________________
Volunteer Skills ____________________________________
Musicians — Instrument(s) ___________________________
Interested in a Committee Position? ____________________
Please make checks payable to:
South Sound Blues Association
P.O. Box 26303, Federal Way, WA 98093-3303
Have questions?
Call or email Gary (253) 230-6851, [email protected]
and visit our Website: www.southsoundblues.com
** The additional $10 charge for Individual Snail Mail
Memberships is required to cover the costs of providing
hard-copy printing and delivery of the Association
Newsletter and the monthly Calendar of Events.
General Membership Meeting
Play safe and have a great summer!
Wednesday, August 15th
6:30 PM
at Jazzbones
Gary W. Grape
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss,
you'll land among the stars."
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Maia Santell and House Blend;
August and Beyond!
We packed the Tacoma Elks Club in July!
The new manager was ecstatic and hired us back!
A dance group of fifty came from Portland to jump
to our mix of blues and swing, and we had over a
hundred of our regular fans, including many Elks
members.
August is a month for dances, outdoor
concerts, wedding receptions and high school
reunion gigs for the band. Saturday, the 4th we're
at my favorite Seattle dance hall, Sonny Newman’s
in the Greenwood District (my old stomping
ground), and on Saturday, the 25th we're at the
Lakewood Elks for a dance that's open to the public
and non-members.
We've got two outdoor concerts this month;
West Seattle’s “Concert on the Patio” at Providence
Mt. Saint Vincent’s and “Night Out Against Crime”
in Normandy Park. These are both free events and
all ages are welcome.
In September (my favorite month) we’re
back at The New Orleans in Pioneer Square (the
scene of our crimes!), where “Maia Santell and
House Blend” was inaugurated in 1986. Last year
we celebrated our twenty-year anniversary at the
club. We did a four-year stint there in the late 80’s,
supported by Robin Kutz on guitar and Ron
Weinstein on piano and Hammond B-3. Ron and I
stayed on board throughout the years with Fred
Taylor on drums and Phil Demaree alternating with
Brian Kennedy and Phil Sparks on upright bass.
We played for the monthly New Orlean’s “Wee
Hat” fashion shows as well as occasional Sundays.
On Sunday, Sept. 23rd, with Jeff Ziontz on
guitar, Bryce Van Parys
on bass, Ted Dortch on
tenor sax and Bruce
Simpson on drums, we
look forward to Marlee
Walker recording us live
at the New Orleans for
her popular television
production on SCAN
TV.
For a detailed schedule, check out our web
site at www.MaiaSantell.com
The Randy Oxford Band
I would again like to personally
invite you to come along with me for this
amazing musical, life changing experience,
October 13th - 20th, 2007. If you have ever
considered taking a cruise, now’s the time. It
would be great to a have a strong Northwest
presence on the voyage with me.
By using my name as a referral you’d
help me with “passenger incentives and
credits,” while also lending credibility to our
great and growing NW blues scene. I also
hope to feature
as many NW
musicians as
possible at my
international jam
sessions, which
will be held at various
venues throughout the
ship. I want to create
an awareness of the NW Blues scene on an
international level and ultimately help get more and
more NW musicians on the cruise as invited
performers.
Please check out www.bluescruise.com for
all the details about the October 2007 Cruise and
tell ‘em Randy Oxford sent you.
Sincerely, Randy O
[email protected]
Becki Sue & her Big Rockin’ Daddies!
Who was that blonde, curly-headed guy
playing the sax with the Texas Horns at The
Portland Waterfront Blues Festival? It was none
other than our own multi-talented Jim King. Jim
was invited by David Vest, of the Paul deLay Band,
to join the world-famous Austin horn section for his
set as Jim was already going to be in Portland for
gigs with both his former band Junkyard Jane
and his current award-winning band (BS&HBRD).
You can see the honorary Texas Horner with Becki
Sue and the rest of the Big Rockin’ Daddies in Key
Center on the 3rd and Olympia on the 17th. Please
check the SSBA calendar for details.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Jeff “drummerboy” Hayes
206-909-6366
http://bigrockindaddies.com/jeff_hayes_blues.htm
Maia and The Boys!
[email protected]
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Orange County. She found it. Teri continued to grow as
a guitarist, working as a studio musician and playing
with musicians like Bonnie Hayes, widely known for
having written Bonnie Raitt’s hit songs, “Love Letter”
and “Have A Heart” and Viki Randell of the Tonight
Show. In retrospect the Sisters believe they worked the
same shows at the same time, in some capacity performer, sound, or promotion - but never met. It was
at this time too, that Teri Ann began a career in Natural
Foods, eventually owning her own stores.
Like Suze, Teri Ann came to Puget Sound on a
visit with a friend. The 1989 earthquake had persuaded
her to abandon the Bay area, so when she chanced upon
a Natural Foods store on Vashon Island, walked in and
asked if the store was for sale, she bought it and moved
to the island. From there, she placed those ads in The
Rocket that brought Teri Ann Wilson and Suze Sims
together. For three months they answered each other’s
ads, freelancing on each others gigs and finally making
the commitment to put together a band. Because they
each had been writing, arranging and performing music,
teaming up instantly gave them two healthy sets of
music, and they had a series of what Suze recalls as
“good, but feeble gigs,” where they recognized that the
chemistry on stage was great but the venue was lame.
They decided to put together an all-female blues band,
with Suze on drums, Teri on guitar, Polly O’Keary on
bass and Beth Wuff on keys, but were never quite able
to make a go of it, with some band members being
involved with other projects as well. The Sisters decided
to scrap the female band concept and just work to make
the best band they could. The result was The Red Hot
Blues Sisters, with Suze as lead vocalist and instigator
and Teri Ann on guitar. The mixture is HOT, just like
the image of flame that favors their logo.
Suze has an amazing, athletic voice and uncanny
ability to read and work an audience. She moves all over
the stage, leaning forward to make eye contact with the
fans and punctuating her vocals with percussion. Teri
Ann appears more thoughtful, her solos carefully and
soulfully constructed. She knows she’s not flashy or
fast, but as she says, she “likes the notes she plays.” She
especially loves to play rhythm guitar, in the pocket
with the bass and drums, but when it’s her turn to solo
her style is understated and elegant - the perfect
complement to Suze’s energy. And then ... there’s the
rest of the band.
Tune in for the next few months for the skinny on
keyboardist Eric Roberts, bassist Patrick McDanel and
drummer Scott Ronjay. Meanwhile, check out their new
CD, with some great originals, including “Southern
Comfort,” a gift from Bonnie Hayes - all done up in Red
Hot style.
Suze was introduced to Tacoma during a spring
break visit to Puget Sound and moved here after
graduation, attracted to the beautiful scenery and the
opportunity to work as a physical therapy assistant and
learn more about computers, an interest she had started
to develop in Sacramento. She worked part time doing
computer accounting piecework for a friend, eventually
becoming skilled enough to build and repair computers.
Still, her interest in the technical aspects of music would
not leave her alone, and she enrolled in Shoreline
Community College and earned a degree in Digital
Audio Engineering.
Suze became involved in the Tacoma music scene
in about 1992 or so, when she met Rich Melina (now of
the Brown & Blues Band) and Nicole Fournier at a jam
at Cheers east. She worked for both of them as a
promotions and production assistant until, on her way to
a gig in Olympia, her Datsun 410 was hit by a double
trailer truck. After six months of laying on the couch,
Suze was forced by her friends to get out of the house to
go hear music, play pool and darts, and most
significantly, try some karaoke. One night, at her
friends’ urging, she got up and sang Tina Turner’s
“Private Dancer” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lot of
Love” at a Tacoma club. She then proceeded to visit
every karaoke club in Pierce County. A guy who ran the
Tuesday night show at Cole’s asked her to sub for him
as MC one night, and she was a natural, resulting in
steady work at private parties and weddings. She bought
a keyboard and started composing music, advertising for
gigs and band mates in The Rocket and The Stranger. It
was through a Rocket ad that she came to know Teri
Ann Wilson, who was also looking to put together a
band.
Teri Ann’s roots are in Orange County, where she
grew up living the Southern California lifestyle with her
parents, a brother and sister. She started playing guitar
when her brother was given guitar lessons by their
grandparents and she piped up to say she wanted lessons
too. At her grandmother’s insistence, Teri was given
lessons as well, and it wasn’t long before she had
surpassed her brother’s interest and skills with the
instrument. Teri fondly remembers her father driving
her down to Tijuana to buy a guitar and the garage band
she formed with her friends. At that time, her musical
interests leaned toward the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix,
although her guitar teacher was more oriented toward
the Beach Boys - not a match, but she learned from
both and crafted her own style. Her first performance
was a rendition of “House of the Rising Sun,” played to
her Girl Scout troop and earning her a merit badge.
Teri finished high school early and immediately
moved to the Bay area, having long felt that there was a
far more interesting and diverse world out there beyond
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August 25, Spirit Lake Blues Festival
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Phone: 208.623.2211
Upcoming Festivals
August 10 – 11, Caldwell Blues In The Park
Memorial Park, Caldwell, ID.
Website: www.bestofcaldwell.com
August 31 – September 2, 2007
Rendezvous Rhythm & Blues Festival
Smith Point Orchard on Lake Osoyoos near
Oroville, Washington.
Website: www.rendezvousbluesfestival.com
August 10 – 11, Magic City Blues Festival
2 blocks of downtown Billings, Montana.
Website: www.magiccityblues.com
(These events are annual August events, but at
this time have no firm dates.)
August 10 – 12, Rockin’ The Rivers Festival
Three Forks, MT
Website: www.rockintherivers.net
Too Slim & the Taildraggers, Helena Blues
Project. Special Package: two tickets and your
favorite campsite spot, for $250. 866.285.0097
Office hours are 9 am to 1 pm on weekdays.
Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival
Yellow Pine, ID
Website: www.harmonicacontest.com
Phone: 208.633.3300
Burnaby Blues Festival
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Website: www.burnabybluesfestival.com
August 11, Airway Heights Music Festival
Airway Heights, WA.
Website: www.airwayheightsfestival.com
Phone: 509.244.6596
Seattle Hempfest
Myrtle Edwards Park Pier 70 in Seattle, WA
Website: www.hempfest.org 206.781.5734
August 11, The 12th Annual Bronze, Blues
& Brews
City Park, Joseph, Oregon
Website: www.bronzebluesbrews.com
Rishell & Raines, Sherman Robertson, Ana
Popovic, Bott and Paid For; Jackie Payne &
Steve Edmonson Band. Tickets $20.00 each.
On-line Visa, Mastercard or PayPal. Limited to
2,000 total tickets sold. No guaranteed tickets
will be available at the gate; kids 10 and under
are FREE.
September 6 - 9, Sunbanks Rhythm &
Blues Festival
Grand Coulee, Washington
Website: www.sunbanksfestival.com
Reservations: Sunbanks Resort, 57662 HWY
155 N, Electric City, WA 99123
888-822-7195
September 8, 4th Annual Blues In The Park
Hagerman, Idaho
www.hagermanidea.org/blues.html
August 17 – 19, Salmon Arm Roots & Blues
Festival
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
Website: www.rootsandblues.ca
August 18, A Case of the Blues and All
That Jazz
Sarg Hubbard Park, Yakima, Washington
Website: www.yakimagreenway.org
Ann Rabson; Saffire – The Uppity Blues
Women. [email protected]
August 16 – 18, Blues By the Sea
The Oregon Coast
Website: www.bluesbythesea.com
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SSBA Members:
SSBA Volunteers:
I am pleased to report that I enjoyed the recent
workshop presented by Mike Brooks.
Due to his efforts, as well as all those who have
worked towards making our SSBA booth organized
and efficient, it is now a well-oiled machine and is
ready to roll. Although attending the booth is no
doubt some work and commitment, there are perks
to taking on the responsibility, such as parking
advantages, free admission to the event, meeting
lots of new fellow blues fans and likely some great
blues music to boot. Keeping the job fun, is a
matter of participation; the more volunteers, the
less it feels like work.
Mike is a very gracious host, so grab a friend
and your favorite beverage and we will see you at
the next workshop opportunity, because as Mike
would say, “THE MORE THE MERRIER!”
A workshop is being hosted for those who
would like to volunteer to help work at the SSBA
booth and table at future festivals and events. The
purpose of the workshop is to familiarize our
volunteers with the set-up and take-down of the tent
(at festivals), the handling of membership forms,
merchandise, the cash box and other aspects of the
booth.
We hope that by attending the workshop you
will feel more comfortable volunteering by having
some basic knowledge of what is involved prior to
an event. If you have the smallest whim or desire to
help in this aspect, please plan to attend the next
workshop.
Date: Thursday, Aug. 9
Time: 7:00 pm (it should last about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs)
Place: 5424 So. Alder St., Tacoma (my house - parking
can be at a premium, so let me know if you can make it
and I will make sure everyone has a place to park)
Phone: 253-475-5727
Your friend in music,
Beth McBride-Andersen
The South Sound Blues Association
P.O. Box 26303
Federal Way, WA
98093-3303
www.southsoundblues.com
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