Fall 1997
Though
the temperature is cooling down, Roosevelt Dean & The Spellbinders are still
feeling the warmth they received on their "Down Home" tour this
September. Starting the trip at Kingsbury's
in Elmira, NY and on to Big Momma's
in Lancaster, PA, they made their first truly southern performance at the
Holiday Inn in Raleigh, North Carolina where they played blues and even a little
golf
before hitting the Deep South where they created new fans at Blind Willy's
in Atlanta, Georgia; The Estate in Columbus, Georgia; and finally at the Cafe
Amsterdam in Auburn, Alabama. Traveling
with Rosie were guitarist Jose Alvarez,
bassist Bill Bronwlee, sax player Rodney Zajac, and drummer Hymie Witthoft.
Rosie was pleased to get a chance to see and to perform for family members and
friends who still live in the south. It was a goal that he'd had in mind for a
long time.
This first tour was such a success that Rosie and Ellen are
already working on plans for the band to hit the out-of-state roads next spring
and summer. One club already booked is Warmdaddy's, a
hot spot in the heart of
Philadelphia.
area.
Fine reviews of the CD appeared in the prestigious blues magazine published by
the University of Mississippi, Living Blues and in Hog Town News
of Belgium. Radio stations as far away as
Wales, Belgium and even Australia have
requested copies to share with their audiences. Locally the CD was nominated for
a SAMMY award for Best Recording of the Year. Spellbinder's guitarist
Jose
Alvarez similarly was honored by being nominated for the Best Blues
Instrumentalist. We'll learn the winners November 21st at the Landmark Theater.
The band has been entertaining at more private parties
lately. From weddings and anniversaries to a convention of international
engineers, Rosie and The Spellbinders have kept the partiers
hopping. This is
apt to be even more the case on Halloween when they play for the Syracuse Swing
Dance Society's gathering of hoofers.
One exciting project and related benefit to keep an eye out
for is the Blues Archives. The plan is to collect and display memorabilia of the
Syracuse blues scene including recordings of local
musicians. Some of the live
recordings to be included in the collection will be made at benefits for the
project on Wednesday nights this fall at Styleen's Rhythm Palace. Rosie and the
Band will
be playing there on November 5th.
As always, Rosie and the Band look forward to seeing you at
their regular spots.
Call 315.476.6631 or e-mail Rosie