⬇️ The KINSEY REPORT ⬇️
(7CD)
BIOGRAPHY
It's been nearly 15 years since Gary, Indiana's Kinsey Report first burst upon the national blues scene with their blistering brand of streetsmart, up-to-the-minute, funky blues-rock. Over the course of four critically acclaimed albums (two for Alligator and two for Pointblank) and endless national touring, the Kinsey brothers' guitarist/vocalist Donald, drummer Ralph and bassist Kenneth have blazed a modern trail of powerful, original radio-friendly music that grabs both die-hard blues fans and rockers who love supercharged guitar and boneshaking vocals.
With their new release, Smoke And Steel (AL 4860), The Kinsey Report return to Alligator Records and lay out their modern blues vision for music lovers everywhere to enjoy. Led by Donald's soulful vocals and explosive guitar playing and powered by the airtight rhythm section of Ralph and Kenneth, Smoke And Steel features seven of 12 Kinsey originals, along with powerful versions of Bob Seger's Fire Down Below and John Fogerty's Rattlesnake Highway.
From the streetwise lyrics of This Old City and Code Of The Streets to the soulful and moving Loved Ones to the foot-pounding urgency of Time Is Running Out, The Kinsey Report fire on all cylinders, the band a precision engine running at full speed. Recorded in Chicago and produced by The Kinseys along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, Smoke And Steel will no doubt go down not only as a defining moment for The Kinsey Report, but as a gateway into the next century of blues.
The Kinsey Report developed its singular sound from a lifetime of working and sweating together on stage and in the studio. Their father and musical mentor, the late Mississippi-born Lester 'Big Daddy' Kinsey, a bluesman known for his Delta slide guitar and harmonica playing, introduced his sons to gospel and blues early on. Big Daddy's daddy, firebrand preacher Lester Kinsey, Sr., pastored Gary's Chase Street Church of God in Christ for close to 50 years.
As youngsters, Donald, Ralph and later Kenneth, saw first-hand the emotional power of music in their grandfather's church. Ralph received his first snare drum when he was five, the same age younger brother Donald was when he got his first guitar. By the time Donald was thirteen, he was an accomplished guitarist who performed with Big Daddy around Gary as Big Daddy Kinsey and B.B. King, Jr. During the late 1960s, Big Daddy began taking the family act on the road as Big Daddy Kinsey & His Fabulous Sons. The act disbanded in 1972 when oldest brother Ralph enlisted in the Air Force.
That same year legendary guitarist Albert King recruited Donald as his rhythm guitarist. Donald appeared on two of King's Stax albums, I Wanna Get Funky and Montreux Festival . After Ralph left the service in 1975, Donald left King's band to form the heavy metal group White Lightning, along with his brother Ralph and former King bassist Busta 'Cherry' Jones. With ex-Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi producing, the group cut a self-titled debut for Island Records. They toured nationally, performing with artists like Aerosmith, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Edgar Winter.....