An eight-piece powerhouse from Rhode Island, Roomful of Blues has long set the standard for top notch blues music. Since its inception in 1968, several of the best blues musicians around have been a part of the legendary combo. Over the years they have established a deep and ever-changing repertoire, while maintaining their trademark mastery of many blues styles.

Blues Revue says that Roomful of Blues is "a sheer joy...contagious, finger-popping, head-bopping grooves...the horns blast loud & proud...explosive & electrifying.” and The great Count Basie called them, “the hottest blues band I've ever heard.” DownBeat said the band is “in a class by itself.” Without a doubt, Roomful of Blues is all this and more. Roomful of Blues won the 2005 Blues Music Award for Blues Instrumentalist: Horns, and in 2004 they picked up both the coveted 2004 Blues Music Award for Band of the Year and the Blues Instrumentalist: Horns award.

It all began in Westerly, when guitarist Duke Robillard and keyboardist Al Copley started a band that played tough, no-holds-barred Chicago blues. They soon began exploring the swinging, jumping blues, R&B and jazz of the 1940s and 1950s, and added a horn section in 1970. In 1974, they performed with Count Basie, and a few years later, legendary songwriter Doc Pomus helped them land their first record deal. In 1977, Roomful of Blues' self-titled debut album on Island Records (recently reissued on Hyena Records) brought them to the attention of fans and critics from coast to coast.

Roomful played live gigs nearly every week as they moved from blues and rock into a horn-driven jump and blues band. Roomful quickly gained loyal listeners as they toured with many blues/R&B greats throughout the ’70s and ’80s including Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Big Joe Turner, Red Prysock, Helen Humes, and Roy Brown. The band gained even more exposure by backing Stevie Ray Vaughan during his Live at Carnegie Hall appearance and when featured on Pat Benatar’s gold album True Love.

Roomful’s varied experiences have allowed them to keep their sound fresh for almost 40 years. If the longevity of the band isn’t enough to prove their immense talent, their numerous awards and nominations will: five Grammy nominations including one for 2003’s That’s Right!, several WC Handy Awards, two Best Blues Awards from Downbeat’s Annual Critics Poll, and a nomination from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers for Blues Band of the Year. They have also ranked on the Billboard Blues Chart for as long as six months at a time.

Roomful recorded the critically acclaimed Hot Little Mama for their own Blue Flame label and two successful albums for the Varrick label during the 1980s. In 1994 they released Dance All Night, their first featuring guitarist Chris Vachon (who joined the band in 1990) and harpist / vocalist Sugar Ray Norcia. Radio play was increasing, as was the band's stature. Their 1995 album, the Grammy-nominated Turn It On! Turn It Up!, was a remarkable mix of big band swing and rock 'n' roll, bringing the band its greatest radio and sales success to date, and giving them credibility with the rock radio audience.

In addition to their band recordings, Roomful of Blues have often backed legendary musicians like Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Earl King~stars of the 1940s and 1950s blues scene, and the very people who created the music that Roomful still keeps vital and alive. Roomful recorded albums with Turner, Vinson and King during the 1980s, and all three recordings received Grammy nominations. The Roomful Horns backed many other artists as well, including Canadian star Colin James on his double platinum album (in Canada), Colin James and the Little Big Band, and Stevie Ray Vaughan on his 1984 Live At Carnegie Hall album on Epic.

In 2002, singer/harpist Mark DuFresne took over the vocal duties, and the band began a return to their jazzy, jump-blues musical roots. Their winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul remains their calling card, as does their ability to fill the dance floor. Since the release of That's Right!, the band has toured - as they always have - virtually non-stop, hitting cities from coast to coast, and traveling abroad to Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.

In 2005, Roomful of Blues once again hit the road hard, bringing their horn and guitar-fueled music to fans around the world. With their non-stop touring schedule, long-time fans and new converts alike can see for themselves why The San Francisco Examiner called them, “the hottest, most solid and wonderfully entertaining band around.”

Remaining together for so long is not simply a matter of survival, but rather a testament to Roomful of Blues' commitment to its originality and its ability to evolve. An eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. With vocalist / harpist Mark DuFresne, bassist Brad Hallen, drummer Jason Corbiere, keyboardist (and newest member of the group) Travis Colby, baritone and tenor saxophonist Mark Earley along with long-time members tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille (the longest-standing member of the group) and trumpeter Bob Enos, the group's present lineup is complete.

The lineup has seen more than 40 members over the years.

The founder of "Roomful of Blues" guitar icon Duke Robillard has achieved legendary status among guitar players in his career he later replaced guitarist Jimmy Vaughn in the "Fabulous Thunderbirds". After two Columbia recordings he left to again pursue his solo career. He has appeared on over seventy-five recordings in his career. Two recordings Duke played on were nominated for Grammy Awards in 1998. They were Bob Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" and Ruth Brown's "R+B = Ruth Brown". Duke was nominated for a 1998 W.C. Handy Award as Best Blues Guitarist. During his many recordings as a leader, Duke has mixed blues and jazz idioms. His two jazz recordings are among his best. "Swing" with the Scott Hamilton Quintet and "After Hours Swing" with members of the original "Roomful of Blues" are two classic jazz records that won industry awards and showed the jazz side of Duke's playing. Both these recordings were re-released as a package on the Rounder label. Duke has a very successful Hot Licks video on his jazz and blues styles and recently released two new videos on the guitar styles of blues legends Freddy King and T-Bone Walker. Duke has produced and played on recordings with jazz legend Jay McShann.

Other band alumni include, Ronnie Earl, LouAnn Barton, Sugar Ray Norcia, Porky Cohen, Al Copley, Ron Levy, Preston Hubbard, and Fran Christina. Despite these and other amazing musicians that have contributed to their powerful sound, Roomful of Blues has never been a star-driven band. The focus remains on the music and the band as a whole.

In the current lineup, longtime Roomful members Rich Lataille (tenor and alto saxes), Bob Enos (trumpet), and Chris Vachon (guitar) easily meld with newer musicians Brad Hallen (bass guitar), Mark DuFresne (vocals/harmonica), Mark Earley (baritone and tenor saxophone), and Jason Corbeire (drums), and the latest addition Travis Colby (keyboards). Their most recent album, from January 2005, Standing Room Only, is a mix of covers and Roomful originals that prove that they are still, as the Boston Herald declares, “the baddest big blues band in the land!” Additionally, in December 2005, Roomful of Blues re-released Let’s Have a Party, which was originally recorded in 1978 and has never been released on CD.

The horn-fueled, jumping, swinging, award-winning band has had an almost non-stop performance schedule for the last 36 years, earning critical, popular and radio success and a legion of fans around the globe. Twice, the prestigious DownBeat International Critics Poll selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band. Roomful’s Live at Wolf Trap recording from their performance at The Barns in 2001 reveals how audiences are turned on to their high energy music wherever they play. People magazine warned, “If you are afflicted with podomotophobia—the fear of tapping your feet—stay clear of this band,” commenting on their danceable rhythms. They joined the Alligator Records family with That's Right! in 2003. The CD received massive amounts of praise and received yet another Grammy nomination.

Their present album, Standing Room Only, swings with ferocity and rocks with urgency and purpose. Moving effortlessly from eight originals to six carefully chosen covers, the expertly executed songs sizzle from start to finish.

Look for Roomful of Blues when they tour throughout the US, returning to Rhode Island to play venues like Chan's and Blues on the Beach.

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