Rod Piazza

Rod Piazza

Rod Piazza with Honey at the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, 2007
Background information
Born (1947-12-18) December 18, 1947
Riverside, California, United States
Genres Blues
Instruments Harmonica, vocals
Years active 1967–present
Labels ABC-Bluesway, Murray Brothers, Black Top, Tone-Cool, Delta Groove
Website The Mighty Flyers' website

Rod Piazza (born December 18, 1947,[1] Riverside, California) is an American blues harmonica player and singer. He has been playing with his band The Mighty Flyers since 1980 which he formed with his pianist wife Honey Piazza.[2] Their boogie sound combines the styles of jump blues, West Coast blues and Chicago blues.

Rod Piazza.
Photo Hreinn Gudlaugsson
Rod and Honey Piazza.
Photo Hreinn Gudlaugsson

Biography

Piazza grew up in Southern California, where he studied blues records and perfected his harmonica work. He originally started on guitar, an instrument he began playing at the age of six or seven.[3]

In the mid 1960s, Piazza formed his first band The House of DBS, which later changed its name to the Dirty Blues Band. The band signed with ABC-Bluesway and released two albums in 1967 and 1968.[1] The band broke up in 1968, and Piazza formed Bacon Fat that year.[4] Piazza's idol and mentor, George "Harmonica" Smith joined the band and they had a "dual harp" sound. Bacon Fat released two albums the following two years. Piazza left and worked in other bands before going solo in 1974.

He formed the Chicago Flying Saucer Band the following year, which later evolved into the Mighty Flyers. The band recorded their first album in 1980. Piazza started touring and recording as Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet, after the departure of long-time bassist Bill Stuve in the early 2000s. Piazza has recorded twenty-four studio albums between 1967 and 2009, including the live concert DVD Big Blues Party in 2005 (recorded at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California). In addition, he has appeared as a guest performer on over twenty-one releases since 1968.[5] Between 1995 and 2001, Rick Holmstrom played in the Mighty Flyers.[6]

Piazza has toured blues clubs, concert venues and festivals in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Spain, among other countries. He and his wife currently live in Riverside, California.

Discography

Pre-Mighty Flyers Era

The Mighty Flyers

Selected collections

References

  1. 1 2 "Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers - official website". Themightyflyers.com. 1947-12-18. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  2. ↑ Cub Koda (1947-12-18). "Rod Piazza | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  3. ↑ "Blues On Stage - Rod Piazza Interview". Mnblues.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  4. ↑ "Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers - official website". Themightyflyers.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  5. ↑ "Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers - official website". Themightyflyers.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  6. ↑ Char Ham (1965-05-30). "Rick Holmstrom | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  7. ↑ Roger Gatchet (December 2014). "Review of Emergency Situation Blind Pig - BPCD 5160". Living Blues. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.