Press Reviews/Interviews

 

BLUES HALL OF FAME TV & RADIO INTERVIEWS

Manchester ‘Thats TV’ broadcast with Norman and the band discussing his recent induction into the Blues Hall of fame and band performance February 21st 2017

VIDEO HERE

BBC Radio Manchester session with Mike Sweeney talking to Norman about the recent Blues Hall of Fame induction and performing two tracks with Nick Steed, February 24th 2017(below)

Salford City Radio one hour session with Howard Copitch talking to Norman about the recent Blues Hall of Fame induction and performing two tracks with Nick Steed, March 1st 2017

ALLFM ‘Nightmoves’ radio evening show ‘In session’ with Vicky Richardson interviewing Norman Beaker and Nick Steed about recent gigs and and performing live tracks of selected songs, some written by both Norman and Nick.

RADIO INTERVIEWS

CLICK HERE to listen to a radio interview with Norman from ‘The Blues-show with Bob Williams’, recorded February 2015

CLICK HERE to watch Norman talking about growing up and stories of the local blues scene from ‘Rock history’ TV documentary June 2016

CLICK HERE to listen to a radio interview with Norman from Saford City radio with Howard Copitch recorded January 2016

 

CLICK HERE to read Radio interview with Rory Gallagher recorded on Norman’s Blues radio show Stockport Kfm, December 1990.

PRESS REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS

“This was a tremendous night of live blues music from this popular, hard working band from the Manchester area. Norman Beaker has a reputation of performing to a very high standard in his music production and performance, both here and abroad. He has worked with the best of the best in the music business for the last forty years, and has just been inducted into the American Blues Hall of Fame. …Norman has surrounded himself with the best of musicians and his current line-up is no exception to that rule…They gave us a mix of covers and original material from their albums. This energetic band delighted the crowd, who appreciated each individual solo, time after time throughout this blistering performance of blues by this inspirational Northwest band. It was without doubt an experience the audience will remember for a long time to come at this well attended venue.”

“Congratulations to Norman Beaker – now in Blues Hall of Fame ®! A richly-deserved recognition of a lifetime of devotion to the music. All his friends and fans will be delighted.”

“Norman Beaker and his band have opened shows for the greatest blues artists on earth. They have also built a reputation as a formidable backing-band on stage and in the studio. These last years, however, have seen Norman Beaker carve out a niche of his own, both in the UK and on the Continent where he has headlined shows and festivals from Brussels to Belgrade. He’s had the ingredients ready for decades: showmanship, that blues voice, meticulous guitar-playing and a fine ear for harmony and balance….a small, but idiosyncratic collection of songs that do not necessarily restrict themselves to the blues idiom and show Beaker’s sense of humour, such as ‘Only I Got What the Other Guys Want’ or ‘When the Fat Lady Sings’. ”

This week, I conclude my revealing interview with Norman Beaker, one of Manchester’s unsung musical heroes.A Blues guitarist with such pedigree and reputation, he has performed alongside legends Victor Brox, Alexis Korner, Zoot Money while touring with BB King to name but a few.

One of the artists Norman recalls with great affection is the late great Jack Bruce. He says: “I had played with Jack since the 1970s, and he was a true genius, and probably the finest bass player of his generation. “He will be greatly missed, certainly by people like myself who had the privilege of playing along with him, but missed by every true musician who will remember his compositions such as Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room, and his wonderful heart-rending vocals on songs like We’re Going Wrong. “Of course, Jack had another affinity to Manchester as it was at the Twisted Wheel in 1966 that Cream with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker performed for the first time.

“Jack was a great friend, and he taught me such a lot, as did Alexis Korner, who was the godfather of my eldest son, Alex.” Reflecting on his early days in the sixties, Norman recalls: “The concerts by the Rolling Stones were really special. I saw them many times, at the Palace and the Odeon, wonderful shows. “Also, the John Mayall concerts with Eric Clapton my personal favourite concert of John’s was the line up with Mick Taylor just before he joined the Stones. Today, I occasionally meet John when we are on tour. He’s an incredible man, he even helped my bass player John Price to carry his amp. A real trouper.

“I have been incredibly lucky to play with some of the most wonderful people, which is really all I ever wanted to do play with people I like and admire.

Manchester Evening News

“[Norman Beaker’s] juicy-toned guitar is stinging on ‘When The Fat Lady Sings’ and ‘Break It Down’ – the blues should carry worry after all – but, shedding the years, the veteran launches into ‘Only I Got What The Other Guys Want’ with envious vigor. As Steve Gibson’s backbeat propels the infectious boogie towards delight for the wah-wah’s of ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ to stress the trio’s initial message, gleeful filigree also fills the funky ‘Talk To Me’ before Beaker’s vibrant acoustic arrangement of Peter Green’s ‘Love Her Like The Sky’ starts a heartfelt race. Brought to a halt by ‘Tale Of Blue City’, it’s a vivacious jaunt down the blue brick road. Time to celebrate the move.”

“Norman Beaker is one of the founders of the British Blues boom. With this album he puts himself between the greats….and is also a survivor.”-

“These twelve tracks are like a masterpiece sown with raw and electrified blues.”

“Live In Belgrade” comprises all styles from punchy-grooving, soft-ballad, boogie Rock’n’Roll, Traditional Blues and Blues Rock, which safely validates the players’ deserved rewards. –Joachim ‘Joe’ Brookes”

“Beaker is a fluent, expressive guitarist whose playing on a solo version of Peter Green’s Love Her Like The Sky is positively dazzling… Norman Beaker has been a great and perhaps sometimes undervalued stalwart of the European blues scene for decades; his expert band the preferred accompanists for the likes of Chris Farlowe, Larry Garner and Maggie Bell.The band also tour indefatigably in their own right and Live In Belgrade records an excellent performance in Serbia, in 2015, on which the trio play a repertoire that includes four Beaker originals and songs by Kevin Brown, Little Milton, Booker T, Muddy Waters and others. His own songs, like the storming opener Only I Got What The Other Guys Want, are often cleverly phrased (“I ain’t got nothing but I got everything I need,” he sings) Beaker is a fluent, expressive guitarist whose playing on a solo version of Peter Green’s Love Her Like The Sky is positively dazzling…”

“[Beaker] sets his stall out on the first two tracks–both Beaker originals–first with the testosterone fuelled “Only I Got What The Other Guys Want” which is followed by the poignant, long-time Beaker favourite, “When The Fat Lady Sings” complete with tasteful guitar solo…This fine album captures the excitement of a well-honed band playing to an uninhibited young audience for whom “the blues is alright”. –Martin Natt, “Blues in Britain”


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