Blues 'N' Trouble

Blues 'N' Trouble is a five-piece Scottish blues rock band formed in the early 1980s by Tim Elliott and John Bruce. After a period of personnel changes, the group settles into a stable line-up, turns professional and releases its debut album in 1985.

Career and recordings

During its first decade, the band tours and performs with a number of major blues artists, including B.B. King, Robert Cray, Pinetop Perkins, Charlie Musselwhite, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. It also supports B.B. King and Robert Cray at London shows. The group develops a live reputation for a tight, energetic sound and gains a cult following.

Blues 'N' Trouble records with Ian Stewart, the former Rolling Stones pianist, and also with Lazy Lester, which leads to a W.C. Handy award. It releases 10 albums, not including reissues and compilations. Among the better-known recordings are “Honey Pot”, “Sloppy Drunk”, “Beautiful City”, “Tearstains On My Pillow”, “Double Trouble”, “Madison Blues”, “Cadillac” and “Let it Rock”.

Albums and personnel

The third album, Hat Trick, is recorded with producer Mike Vernon and helps relaunch the Blue Horizon label. No Minor Keys and Hat Trick achieve chart success, and Down To The Shuffle receives a British Blues Connection award. The band often plays around 250 shows a year across the UK, Scandinavia and Europe, and appears at festivals worldwide, including the Memphis Blues Festival.

By 2000, the line-up is Timmy Boy Elliot on vocals and harp, Mike Park on guitars, Scotty Scott on bass and Lucky Lox Lovell on drums, with John Bruce returning to the group. That year also brings Blues Graffiti, a studio album of new material that reflects the band’s live sound and includes remastered tracks from Hat Trick and a live German recording from 1987. The band’s 10th album, Devil’s Tricks, continues its blues-based sound.

Musical style

The group’s repertoire mixes hard-driving blues and boogie with ragtime, harmonica-led pieces, guitar workouts and upbeat rock and roll numbers. The recordings feature honky-tonk piano on some No Minor Keys tracks, played by Ian Stewart before his death in 1986.