Mile High Blues

Ronnie Shellist

Ronnie Shellist has been working on his craft for 11 years now. Harmonica was his first true passion and anything you hear him play is coming straight from the heart. His sound is traditional Chicago blues mixed with a bit of west coast swing and some funk. Recently featured on the Today Show, he has gained national attention through www.youtube.com where he has connected with millions of people across the globe. In 2005, Ronnie had the distinct pleasure of opening up for BB King at the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs. In March of 2007, he cut a new CD with Nick Moss and The Fliptops of Chicago.

www.harmonica123.com

Gerry Hundt

Gerry Hundt is a musician who plays and sings Chicago Blues for a living. He has been playing taverns since before he was allowed to drink in them. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Illinois, Gerry has since lived in Vermont, New York City, Colorado, and Chicago. In Denver, he worked, toured, and recorded with the likes of John-Alex Mason, Ronnie Shellist, The ClamDaddys, and Easy Bill. From 2004 through 2009, Gerry toured the USA and EU relentlessly as a member of Chicago's Nick Moss & The Flip-Tops, filling the role of "utility man," playing bass, guitar, harmonica, and, of course, mandolin. On the strength of his critically-acclaimed Blue Bella Records CD, "Since Way Back," Gerry was nominated for Blues Music Awards in 2008 & 2009 for Best Instrumentalist, Other (Mandolin), and featured at the Montreal Jazz Festival and The Blues Station in Tournon d'Agenais, France. In addition to continuing worldwide radio and web airplay, tracks from "Since Way Back" have appeared numerous times on NPR's "Morning Edition." Gerry now resides in Northwest Indiana, where SteadyGroove - the One Man, Chicago Blues Band - consistently draws fans new and old to deep Chicago Blues.

www.myspace.com/gerryhundt

Erica Brown

In Erica’s words the blues are "my musical love". Erica was dubbed “Denver’s Queen of the Blues”, a moniker that was used by the Altitude Network in their concert showcase feature “OnStage”, which featured the Erica Brown Band, and was broadcast to their subscriber-base of five million households in ten western states in 2005. She has shared stages with a veritable who’s who of blues over the years, including B.B. King, Al Green, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, Tab Benoit, Kenny Neal, Delbert McClinton, Sonny Rhodes, Debbie Davies, John Mayall, Bernard Allison, Tommy Castro, Papa Mali, Henry Butler and Larry McCray. The blues-rock outfit The Erica Brown Band (1998-2008) was a staple on the Colorado music scene, winning virtually every award the region offered, including Best Blues Band from the Rocky Mountain News, Best “Underground” band several years running from the Denver Post, The Westword Music Award for Best Blues Band, and going to Memphis, Tennessee as the Colorado Band Category Representative to the International Blues Challenge for the Colorado Blues Society in 2008, winning over twenty other Colorado bands to vie for the honors in Memphis. The band recorded two studio CD's, Body Work (2000) and Rough Cut Stone (2003), along with a live recording of their Telluride Blues and Brews festival appearance in 2007.

www.myspace.com/ericabrownband

Solomon Douglas

Solomon Douglas is a beloved dance teacher, musician and bandleader, known and respected throughout the worldwide swing dancing community; his bands have played at dance events everywhere. From September to December of 2006, he toured the United States and Japan as a member of the world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. He is now based in Seattle, working as a freelance musician, bandleader, dance instructor, and DJ.

Solomon's bands (including the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Back Pocket, Corner Pocket, and the Solomon Douglas Trio) have played at countless lindy exchanges, dance camps, workshops, and other dance events in North America, Asia, and Australia since 2000. His influences as a pianist include Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk. His experience as a swing dancer and dance instructor gives him an understanding unique among musicians of the music that swing dancers and blues dancers like to dance to!

Piano Willie

Piano Willie Oshawny sparkles on piano and organ while he tips his hat to past giants like Otis Spann and Sunnyland Slim with flourishes from their notebooks. Oshawny's illustrious musical career has been highlighted by performing with many great blues artists over the years, including Jimmy Rogers, Johnny Shines, Snooky Pryor, William Clarke, The Legendary Blues Band, Brian Lee, Willie Cobb, and Nick Moss, among others. He's also featured on The Shuffletones' CD "Chicago Sessions" and is looking forward to reuniting with his Denver pals!

Sean Morse

Denver fringe person(ality)... musician... singer... do-it-all kind of guy. Oh yeah, and he dances too. He IS the Denver house-party live music, and generally enjoys moving the masses, huddled as they may be (ask him about Seattle and bunnies). He loves short walks and piers, mursing and DJing with Miss Chris under the moniker "Hot and Stuff" (he's Stuff).