Our guides, or our conductors on this Blues train are experienced professional Blues players as well as music educators. Each has their own unique expertise but all share the same love of the Blues. We will play the Blues for you.
Ralph Carter
Ralph is a consummate bass player, guitarist, producer and complete musician. His first "big" tour was playing with Danny "Kootch" Korchmar opening for Linda Ronstadt on the "Mad Love" tour Spring of 1980. On the heels of that tour he hooked up with Eddie Money writing and recording some of Eddie’s greatest hits ("Shakin," "No Control," "Where's The Party"). He worked closely with Tom Dowd, possibly the most influential R&B/rock engineer/ producer of all time, on Eddie Money's albums. Recently he has been musical director for the Sugaray Rayford band, touring the US and Europe, Sugaray’s right hand man in Songwriting. They have three albums together to their credit, "Blind Alley,” “Dangerous” and “Southside.” See/hear Ralph live with Sugaray at the 2016 Megéve Blues Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSGA4BPHO6Q
Hash Brown
Hash Brown(Brian Calway) has been playing the blues (guitar, harmonica, and vocals) since 1973. He moved to Dallas 1983 and cut his eye teeth playing with an assortment of Dallas Blues royalty including ZuZu Bollin, Henry Qualls, Sam Myers, Big Al Dupree, Robert Ealey, Willie Willis, Ray Sharpe,U.P. Wilson, Little Joe Blue, Ernie Johnson, and many, many more. He has 3 CDs under his own name, a number of compilations and also appears as a side man on no less than 30 recordings; including ZuZu Bollin, Henry Qualls, Barbara Lynn, Robert Ealey, Hosea Hargrove, and many, many others
https://www.facebook.com/brian.calway?ref=tn_tnmn
Check out this interview on Texas Blues.
Eric Deaton (Mississippi)
Currently on tour with The Black Keys, originally from North Carolina, Eric moved to Mississippi straight out of high school. From the mid to late '90's, Eric immersed himself in the moonshine-fueled culture of Mississippi Hill Country blues. At Junior Kimbrough's world renowned Juke Joint Eric apprenticed under such masters as Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. Eric has played and toured with T. Model Ford, Paul 'Wine' Jones and Big Bad Smitty, among others. His sound is firmly routed in the electric Juke Joint style, but he is well versed in all traditional Mississippi blues guitar styles. Check Eric out on Facebook here… https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Deaton-Music/114997181879909?fref=ts
Cody Pappas (Mississippi)
Lifelong musician Cody Pappas grew up in the rich Texas music culture alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and Roscoe Beck. Performed and toured extensively with dozens of bands, great and small. As a session player, recorded in a wide variety of projects with such artists as William Dees (co-writer of "Pretty Woman", "Only the Lonely"). Recently toured the lower 48 with the " Beatles vs. Stones" production, playing the characters of Ron Wood, Mick Taylor, and Brian Jones.
Jeff Maxwell
Jeff Maxwell earned a degree in Industrial Arts and ended up teaching at a continuation school for kids that were just out of jail or were awaiting trial. When the administration discovered his musical talents they put him to work directing a guitar class. The classes were a huge success. Jeff understands that teaching is very different from playing. He developed new methods of his own to bring beginners up to speed using using what he calls "Survival Guitar methodology." Jeff is a life long pro player, playing gigs, recording, and teaching. He has been involved with the workshops in Clarksdale Mississippi and Ventura California for several years and looks forward to many more! His areas of special interest on the guitar are: Fingerstyle, Slide, Alternate Tunings, Lead Playing and Soloing.
Franck Goldwasser (Ventura)
Born and raised in Paris, France, Franck Goldwasser moved to the US in 1983 to pursue his aspirations to become a blues artist. Having settled in Oakland, California, he immerses himself in the area's still vibrant blues scene, backing some of the most iconic artists of the genre including Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Charlie Musselwhite and Pee Wee Crayton. A first solo album is released in 1989 which receives a nomination for a WC Handy Award. Appearances at several of the most prestigious music festivals in the country and abroad help solidify his reputation as a blues artist to be reckoned with.
Having relocated to his native Paris in August 2021, Franck makes regular trips back to the US to perform and record. A new album recorded in Ventura, California and produced by Ralph Carter is due out in September 2022 on the prestigious German label Crosscut.
Brad Rabuchin (Ventura)
Brad Rabuchin is an LA based guitarist who now splits time be-
tween leading his own band and a successful career as a side-
man. He is also an experienced teacher, A longtime onstaff teacher
at the Musicians Institute(MI) and The Los Angeles College of Music
(LACM). He's also led guitar clinics in the US, Canada, Taiwan and
Japan. Some of the Brads’ credits include: Bonnie Rait, Roy
Hardgrove, Louie Bellson, Pat Martino, Steve Turre, Al
Kooper, Steve Wonder, Buddy Miles, Lean-to, Diane Shurr,
David “Fathead” Newman, Willie Nelson and even Mr. Tom
Jones. He also spent 5 years and toured 6 continents as the last
guitarist with Ray Charles . All the while, though, Rabuchin has
also been honing his own unique musical voice, just left of cen-
ter.
Monty Pollack
Montgomery Pollack grew up in the San Fernando Valley and started playing guitar in the mid-70s. After just 6 months of lessons, Monty joined his guitar teacher’s band and has been off and running ever since –playing in multiple bands, writing music, and honing his blues/rock skills with the likes of Ralph Carter and Franck Goldwasser. In the 80’s and early 90’s, Monty gigged in LA-area clubs such as The Ice House, The Natural Fudge, and Madam Wong’s West. More recently, Monty has played on the Miss Bix track “You’ve Got The Nerve” –which made it to No.1 on the Roots and Blues music chart.
