The Leland Bluebird Sessions
Record Release Show
On February 19, 2017, top Chicago area musical artists gathered to perform the Leland Bluebird songs that are part of a new take on historic Blues recordings made in Aurora’s Leland Tower in the late 1930’s. The strong musical cast for this performance featured bandleader Scott Tipping and core band members Scott Stevenson, Matt Thompson, Chuck Lacy and Rick Sherry. Artists Robbie Fulks, Nora O’Connor, Mae Koen, Mick Ducker, Mary Lou O’Brien, Dave Nelson and Chicago Farmer were also featured throughout the evening’s performance.
This performance celebrated the record release of the Leland Bluebird Sessions, a unique, double vinyl album and CD that commemorates the 1930’s RCA Bluebird recordings that were made in the Leland Tower’s Sky Club. The original recordings featured legends Tampa Red, Washboard Sam, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Walter Davis, Merline Johnson, Yank Rachell, Monkey Joe, The State Street Swingers, Sweet Peas Spivey, John D. ‘Black Spider’ Twitty and Robert Lee McCoy, among others, in sessions recorded by renowned producer Lester Melrose.
The Leland Bluebird Sessions album was recorded in the spirit of the original recordings and captures the original feel by the cast of artists and analog recording approach. The ‘new’ renditions featured Robbie Fulks, Mae Koen, Mick Ducker, The Steepwater Band, Chicago Farmer, Mary Lou O’Brien, Nora O’Connor, Reverend Cinchy Pickins, Dave Nelson and Scott Tipping. There were many mighty fine musicians that contributed to the Sessions in support of the “lead” artists.
The list includes Scott Stevenson, Pete Galanis, Dave Herrero, Matt Thompson, Chuck Lacy, Gary Schepers, Alex Hall, Anna Jacobson, Gerald Dowd, Rick Sherry, John Abbey and Don Stiernberg, whose participation and impact cannot be understated and is appreciated beyond what words can adequately express.
Scott Tipping produced the recordings while Steve Warrenfeltz, Sky Club Records/Fox Valley Music Foundation, handled the Executive Producer duties. The recording sessions took place at Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago and were engineered and mixed by John Abbey, with assistance from Scott Tipping. Rex Bohn designed and created the album package.
The performance was sponsored by Waterloo Sunset Records/Sky Club Records, the Fox Valley Music Foundation, and the Leland Tower.