Big Boy Bloater is a UK modern electric blues musician associated with blues, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, swing and jump blues. He works as a singer, guitarist and songwriter, and is known for a style rooted in rhythm and blues with a strong live reputation.

Career

He performs under the name Big Boy Bloater and is based in the United Kingdom. He tours widely in Europe, the Middle East, the USA and Canada, and appears at major festivals and well-known venues. His live work also includes television and radio appearances in the UK and abroad.

Bloater appears as a guest on the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music, and he records a session and interview with Jools Holland and his band for BBC Radio 2. He also records three sessions for Mark Lamarr’s late-night Radio 2 programme God’s Jukebox, and two sessions for the Paul Jones R&B show. He spends a week as the house band on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast.

Music and collaborations

He plays guitar with artists including Paloma Faith and Imelda May, and he continues to work as a session guitarist. He also plays guitar for a long list of rock and roll, R&B and rockabilly performers, including Lloyd Price, Dennis Binder, Wanda Jackson, Ray Sharpe, Earl “Speedo” Carroll, Harvey Fuqua, Eugene Pitt, Jimmy McCracklin, Rosco Gordon, Joe Houston, Big Jay McNeely, Hayden Thompson, Eddie Bo, Nappy Brown, Tommy Brown, Lazy Lester, Young Jessie, Big Al Downing, Billy Lee Riley, Frankie Ford, The Cleftones, The Teenagers, Jimmy Cavello, Hardrock Gunter, Roddy Jackson, Frankie Miller, Chuck Rio, Marvin & Johnny, The Eldorados, The Bobbettes, The Del Vikings, H-Bomb Ferguson, Hal Singer, The Medallions, Roy Gaines, Shirley Gunter, The Five Keys, Warren Storm, Barrence Whitfield, Eddy Clearwater, Bobby Brooks Hamilton and Sonny Burgess.

In 2011 he launches a new project called The Limits, building on his rhythm and blues background with material from his own songbook. The project includes guest appearances by Imelda May, Snowboy, Dean Beresford of the Richard Hawley Band and Al Gare of the Imelda May Band. A vinyl 7-inch single, “Whammy!” backed with “Double Whammy!”, is personally produced by Mark Lamarr in 2008 and becomes a collector’s item after being used in a BBC Radio 2 competition.

Recognition

Big Boy Bloater is listed in chapters on R&B guitar icons in Billboard Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Music, Rock & Pop – the Complete Story and Blues – the Complete Story. He is also described by Jools Holland, Mark Lamarr, Craig Charles and Blues in Britain magazine in terms that underline his reputation as a guitarist, frontman and exponent of early rhythm and blues.

He is once asked by Sir Paul McCartney to record at Abbey Road, and he sits on a judging panel with Paul Gambaccini, Shakin’ Stevens, Zoot Money and the performer playing Buddy Holly in the West End show.