THE THOMAS BROTHERS

Angels on the Backroads

Theres's something unique at The Bullfrog on Thursday 10th March 2005, when two American brothers, Eddie and Frank Thomas, will be presenting the story of their epic "Angels on the Backroads" recording project, when they conducting a musical history lesson on the blues and jazz born along U.S. Highway 61 from Memphis, Tennessee, to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Frank & Eddie toured Highway 61, connecting all the historical landmarks along the route. They spent hours listening to and sampling song after song inside the depths of the Mississippi Blues Archive at the University of Mississippi in preparation for their musical journey.  They then mapped out the cities, towns and landmarks they would visit and set out armed with cameras and recording equipment.

The result is a fascinating evening's journey through the blues. At The Bullfrog, Eddie and his guitar will perform some of the more than 60 songs recorded, and also play rare live digital recordings Edie and Frank engineered at locations where blues and jazz history was made will be played.

From the Memphis rooftop where W.C. Handy - considered the father of the blues  - performed his "Saint Louis Blues" for the first time to the site of the 1927 flood and levee break at Mounds Landing in the Mississippi Delta that inspired Charlie Patton's "High Water Everywhere," The Thomas Brothers have made their recordings unique by documenting where they are and why the area is relevant to the song in either audio or written form. "We have some commentary along with the music, and we include our reasons for recording each song in the liner notes," explained Eddie.

The journey down U.S. Highway 61 clearly defines how the sound changes from region to region, as Memphis urban blues is rooted in ragtime influences, the Delta is the geographical womb from which the rawest of blues music was conceived and New Orleans is all about the jazz.

Whether on stage at the Orpheum Theatre, knee deep in a cotton field down in the heart of Delta country or at a club along Bourbon Street, it is safe to say this comprehensive show and subsequent recording is one of a kind.

Eddie' Thomas' first brush with future musical greatness after he and his six-piece band won a competition at the Mid-South Fair.  Part of their prize was the opportunity to record a song at the American Studio in Memphis, where a young, unknown Isaac Hayes was granted permission to accompany Eddie's group on Howlin' Wolf's "Spoonful."

More than just musical enthusiasts, The Thomas Brothers now operate their own production company in the U.S.A, Thomasfilms Inc., and won a a Gold Award from the Houston Film Festival.