Dennis Herrera Blues Band featuring Julie Long
Blues Well Done!
© 2007 JulDen Productions (635961108924)
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Delicious mix of Chicago / Texas style blues served with a side of West Coast flavor, Blues Well Done.
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Dennis Herrera
It all began in a little European village outside of the Vatican City, which by the way, is the smallest country in the world, now dig this, I was born with a very tiny guitar in my hands straight out the womb! It was amazing......just kidding,.... born and raised in San Jose, love that bay area, I suppose the music thing hit me pretty hard, I remember being home with mom one day, my usual way over-hyperactive mischievous self gettin' on her last nerve when she flicks the kitchen transistor radio on, I guess to keep from stringing me up, this was around 1961-62 she dials in her favorite top 40 AM station ,KLIV, I think that was it, they played top 40 hits like Elvis, Bobby Darin, the Four Seasons, Coasters, Ronnie & the Ronettes etc., well that did it, I soon begged & pleaded and got a tube radio for the "boys" room,(4 boys and 3 sisters, your typical no-nonsense, no safe-sex family, but that's another story), I systematically got real deep into music, the hits as well as the misses, music was now my favorite pastime, I'm talking the Animals, Rolling Stones, Temptations, Wilson Picket, Jr. Walker, Ray Charles, Otis Redding on & on. My first live show, I was around 15, David the "older" neighbor-hood kid, the very hip, low-riding crazy cool friend & mentor took me to see James Brown! Needless to say I was blown away and entranced from that point on. I suspect I’ve attended count-less out-door, in-door, in the club, at the fairgrounds in the parks, blues influenced rock & roll, r&b, blues, soul live show/concerts worth going to see, places like the San Francisco Fillmore venue, Winterland, Avalon Ballroom, Berkley Community Theater, college student unions were pure inspiration, to say the least. My Grandfather, on my mothers side played guitar, the family would sit around drinkin’ and singing Mexican folklore, always very festive and lively Sunday’s, he'd see me eyeballin' his axe and eventually got me one, I was maybe 12 or so and it was a nylon string beauty with cowboys on it, I think Roy Rodgers, anyway gramps taught me to play Cielito Lindo and some mariachi rhythms, my father eventually caught on and sent me to this music store for guitar lessons, which, given my inherent defiant nature worked against me, I wanted to rock n roll and they wanted me to learn to read charts and play Oh Susanna, pops was bent on teaching me and hired a finger-picking old dude to come to the house since the music store didn't pan out and teach me finger picking, that was cool but there was still a kind of difference in material preference, a creative dispute if you will, meaning this "teacher" insisted on having me play the way lame standards, I soon became a rather rebellious student, which at the time was more or less the "in" thing to do......hard pressed to rock I bought this Ventures “Learn how to play Walk Don't Run and Pipe-Line” record, the instructions were easy and together with a few school chums who liked to play and be rock stars I put my first band together, loads of fun and the girls dug it.....first performance was at high school, I was literally flunking my first period music class? probably because I seemingly had better things to do , like run up to haight ashbury and golden gate park in S.F., the hippie scene, music, free love-sex and rock & roll was jumping at that time, anyway....to pass my much needed music class for the credits to graduate, my teacher suggested I play for the big student talent show, kinda scary, I recall being very nervous and smoked a huge joint then my buddy & I went on stage and covered the Richie Havens tune, Freedom from Woodstock, I’ll never forget what a major rush that was and we killed em, well I passed with an A, the first A grade I ever got in high school.............I kept playing rock n roll till one time looking into a Savoy Brown song or Rolling Stone cover I really can't recall but I noticed all the selections I dug and wanted to learn & play were songs written by Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, B.B. King, Freddie King, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Didley, John Lee Hooker or one of the many other blues legends I’ve come to realize, it's been blues ever since......For the past,we won’t say, many years I’ve struggled in so far as being consistent to my calling and love for playing blues,..... my brother Hook, on the other hand did a tremendous job with being true to his career. As a teen he'd come around hang out watch and listen to the endless jams I'd have going on here and there, picked up a harmonica at one point and learned to play it along with the guitar, bro Hook has been in these many years no less than an awesome and fearless inspiration . I found myself re-directed a number of times for different reasons on my path but always came back to playing blues, I play nothing else I'm afraid, being the self-absorbed egotistical narcissist pin-head that I am I did not join any other established blues or rock bands to my chagrin, though I've had opportunity, I've instead always chose to spearhead and lead the various blues projects to date.....over the years I tried a few band names but the ones we’d come up with thinking they were original would be taken, so I settled with... Dennis Herrera
Julie Long
It all started in the English village of Wingate, a charming coal-mining town in northern England. For Julie, It was always music and more music, from Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Cannonball Adderly and Nancy Wilson to the Beatles, the Stones and everything in between.
As a young, teenage schoolgirl, Julie was singing in a classroom when people took notice. This girl could sing!!!!! Within a few years she was on her way…
She joined her first band at the ripe old age of 15, singing folk and pop tunes, at 16 joined a big band singing standards and kept on going appearing regularly delivering jazz and pop with her band mates Tony Hicks, Reg Powell, Laurie Baker and Frank Morgan at the Riviera night club and The Fiesta.
At 17, Julie joined the Maori Castaways and in no time, the band headed to Surfer’s Paradise, Australia where Julie performed with them for 6 months before embarking upon her next adventure. Deciding to head to Sydney on her own, within 3 days of her arrival, Julie was performing on national Aussie television. She performed with the Sydney 26 piece orchestra on their weekly radio show, appeared on Bandstand, the Don Lane tonight show and the Grahame Kennedy Tonight Show.
Following Bob Hope’s U.S.O. tour, Julie took her voice to Vietnam for the Christmas holidays. She performed with the Sydney orchestra in Saigon, Long Bin and Fang Rang for the troops and entertained them amidst the sounds of bombshells exploding. Returning to the outback, Julie then went on to delve into some jazz with the George Golla quintet. The next few years kept the young singer quite busy appearing on various television shows and opening for Oliver & Jerry Van Dyke, Billy Preston and Sammy Davis Jr.
Julie then headed for the U.S.A. She worked with producer Kim Fowley, who among numerous others, contributed to the careers of Cat Stevens, Leon Russell, john Cale and Kris Kristofferson. Doing television and movie voice-overs and performing in local southern California clubs, including a stint at the famous Ambassador hotel, Julie still craved something more.
She wanted to sing the music she loved, from way back when----THE BLUES. As fate would have it, she got her chance. Meeting Dennis Herrera, a true blues aficionado and performer gave Julie the opportunity to finally, “sing the blues!”
Influenced by some of the greatest blues artists including Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, Lou Ann Barton, William Clarke and Elmore James, Julie’s vocals lend a rich, soulful vibe to the vibrant blues guitar talents of Dennis Herrera and the band.
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Blues Well Done!
author: Jim SantellaDENNIS HERRERA BLUES BAND Blues Well Done! (self-produced) Featuring singer Julie Long, this Southland band rocks with a true blues tradition. Their core focus goes way back to the origin of the blues with an added emphasis on ‘50s and ‘60s revivals. The album’s final track, “Sumlin Groove,” recalls the mighty force of Hubert Sumlin’s guitar and what a great influence it had on British electric guitarists who followed. Leader Dennis Herrera, who was born and raised in San Jose, absorbed the Sumlin guitar groove along with a wide range of experiences available through the blues of radio, LPs and live performances. Singer Julie Long, who’s originally from England, followed the music from a different direction, but arrived at the same conclusion: The impact of blues on the soul is universal. Long sings nine of the album’s 11 songs, reaching into boogie-woogie with the help of pianist Rick Wenzel and beyond with the aid of guitarist Herrera and his band, who enjoy giving life to this eclectic program of original music. With them on this train ride through history are guitarist Alan Maggini, bassist Hank van Sickle and drummer Ron Felton. Dennis Depoitre sits in on harmonica for “I Got Lovin’ on My Mind” and “Run for Cover.” With Long’s hearty interpretations and Herrera’s throwback grooves, Blues Well Done! does justice for blues history and proves that the New Year holds a promise for good times to be had. -- Jim Santella/Southland Blues Magazine
Blues Well Done!
author: Jack GarrisonThis Dude Kicks ASS !! Tight band, smok'in vocals,wide range.DPH with crowd energy attached @ a live show will be a sight to behold !