Cash Box Kings

Cash Box Kings

Cash Box Kings are a Chicago blues group associated with the city’s post-war blues tradition and with Delta blues from the 1920s and 1930s. They focus on the raw, stripped-down ensemble sound linked to Chess Records and Sun Records, while also performing original material that draws on Memphis and Chicago blues from the 1940s and 1950s.

Style and repertoire

The band is known for carrying forward the sound of 1940s and 1950s Chicago blues, while adding energy and a contemporary approach. Their set lists combine classic-style interpretations with original songs rooted in the same traditions.

Recognition and performances

Cash Box Kings receive the 2010 Blues Blast Music Magazine Sean Costello Rising Star Award. They perform regularly at Chicago clubs including Buddy Guy’s, Rosa’s Lounge, Nick’s and the Smoke Daddy, and they appear several times at the Chicago Blues Festival. They also tour in Europe and headline festivals including the Lucerne Blues Festival and the Hondarribia Blues Festival.

Recordings and chart success

Their releases I-94 Blues and Cuttin' Heads Live each spend three consecutive months in the Top Ten of the Living Blues U.S. Radio Charts.

Collaborators and lineup

The band works with and performs alongside Chicago blues musicians including Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Billy Boy Arnold and Lurrie Bell. The group’s core line-up centres on Joe Nosek, Oscar Wilson and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, the son of Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, who drums for Muddy Waters from 1968 to 1981. The line-up also includes a rotating cast of musicians such as Billy Flynn, Joel Paterson, Jimmy Sutton, Beau Sample, Chris “CB” Boeger and Mark Haines, while Barrelhouse Chuck also performs regularly with the group.