Hokum Hotshots

Hokum Hotshots

Hokum Hotshots are a North East blues band from South Shields, Tyne and Wear. The group forms in 1969 and remains active until 2021. It centres on Pete Mason, who plays vocals, guitar and percussion, and Jim Murray, who plays vocals and guitar. Mason’s younger brother, harmonica player Rob Mason, often performs with the band and appears on Guitar Swing.

Repertoire and recordings

The band plays its own arrangements and also reworks older delta blues material, including songs associated with Lightnin’ Hopkins and Big Bill Broonzy. In 1985, it records Maybe it’s the Blues, which is released on vinyl. Two further CDs follow in the late 1990s: Still in the Game and Guitar Swing.

Related acts

Mason and Murray both perform, in different forms, in other local bands including Pigmeat and The Shinola Boys. The Hokum Hotshots build a reputation on the local folk scene alongside this wider network of blues and roots activity.