Biography

The legendary LIGHTNING RED has toured the world performing songs from his many recordings. In 2010 he played to an audience of nearly 10,000 in Switzerland, and his latest release is attracting rave reviews, airplay and international touring. Recorded in Croatia and Germany, BLUES FAMILY features vocalist extraordinaire LZ Love, and is attracting favorable attention and performances throughout Europe.

Lightning Red began his R&B musical training early…at age three. Every Saturday night in 1952, while his parents danced, he’d sit directly in front of the saxophone sections of Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and many of the big bands touring the military base circuit. Marveling at him, iconic musicians would bring Red on stage between shows to noodle on their drums or bang on the piano. Then at age five he studied the piano, had an electric guitar by thirteen, and his band was winning talent contests within a few years time.

Toward the end of his teens, Red became a protégé of Luther Allison in Chicago, where he soaked up the sounds of Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Mike Bloomfield, B.B. King, Johnny Winter and the local blues legends. Touring throughout North America followed, and in 1976 Austin, Texas became his home and touring base. While performing at the Armadillo World Headquarters during the latter 70s, Omar and the Howlers, W.C. Clark and "little" Charlie Sexton were brought onstage and introduced their music to the community. Red also soaked up the music of The Fabulous T-Birds (Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson) at Antone's Club and met a struggling "Little" Stevie Ray Vaughan.

His performances include the Whangarei Blues Festival in New Zealand, the Perth Blues Club in Australia, two years at the Great British R&B Festival, The Monterey Blues Festival, the Bayfront Blues Festival, many House of Blues dates in Cambridge, repeat performances at Chicago B.L.U.E.S. in New York, the Rapperswil Blues’n’Jazz Festival near Zurich, and Blues Alive! Cuijk in Holland. He has toured the US & UK repeatedly, as well as Scandinavia, Ireland, Australia, Canada, France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Croatia and Denmark.


Discography

International BLUES FAMILY [LZ LLove & Lightning Red] (2011) LRP-107
LIGHTNING RED the groovemaster (2008) LRP-106
GUT BUCKET BLUES - stumpdown acoustic (2007) LZ Love & Lightning Red, (LZ Love/Lightning Red Productions) GR-105
a long way home (2006) LIGHTNING RED,
Groovemaster Records GR-104
Singing Gospel In Austin - LZPHOENIX, featuring LZ Love (lz-love.com) (LZ Phoenix) 2005
Tortured Mind LIGHTNING RED & Thunder Blues, Angelwing Records AW-2102
Texas Thunder Blues LIGHTNING RED, Heroic Records HR-103
Red's Blues LIGHTNING RED, Heroic Records HR-102
East St. Louis LIGHTNING RED, dbRecords - d45-1002A
Walkin' Thru The Park LIGHTNING RED
dbRecords - d45-1002B (song © M.Morganfield)
Melting Your Mind ICE (w/ LIGHTNING RED on guitar and vocals),
Bonny Records 1211-L