Advertisement
Flashback to 1980 — During his maiden session for Don and David Was, Randy Jacobs meets Sweetpea Atkinson on a cold night in the Motor City at Sound Suite Studio (the recording home of the fledgling band Was (Not Was). The connection was immediate and a bond was forged between the two artists. Their combined talents would help Was (Not Was) become a successful act during the 80’s and into the early 90’s cumulating with the worldwide hit “Walk The Dinosaur” co-written by Jacobs.After their European tour with Dire Straits in 1992, the Was Band went on hiatus and Randy started playing and recording with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Seal, Paula Abdul, Kris Kristofferson, Ofra Haza, Tears For Fears, Warren Hill and others. Sweetpea was in Los Angeles adding background vocals to artists like Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, and Bob Segar.
Randy had been working with various singers looking for the right voice for his new band when Atkinson called to say that he wanted to be part of Randy’s brand new thing-- and so the journey began.
It was Bonnie Raitt who inadvertently gave them their name “Boneshakers” while they were working on her “Longing In Our Hearts” CD. In 1996, the two were signed to Pointblank/Virgin Records and produced two CDs for the label: “Book Of Spells” (1997) which included Randy’s rockin' swing arrangement of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” and the powerful “Shake The Planet” (1998).
When Sweetpea stepped away to tour with Lyle Lovett, The Boneshakers released "Pouring Gasoline" (2001) on Bad Monkey Recordings label featuring Austin, Texas singer Malford Milligan (Storyville, Double Trouble) and the live in concert “Put Some Booty On It, Vol 1” (2002).
While working together on a session for former band mate producer Don Was, fate stepped in to reunite and bring Sweetpea back to the Boneshakers. They released “Put Some Booty On It , Vol 2″(2006) featuring their first live performance in San Francisco from 1997.
In 2017, Sweetpea released his solo CD produced by Keb Mo. Additionally, the band joined forces with sax queen Mindi Abair and released Live in Seattle on Concord Records. In 2018, Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers won 8 Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, and an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song Fan Award for “Pretty Good For A Girl” featuring Joe Bonamassa. They won the 2019 LA Critics Award for Best Holiday Album for All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues.
In 2020, the band suffered an unimaginable loss with news of the passing of Sweetpea.
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
In 2022, as The Boneshakers celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first release, a new energy and excitement emerged.
Producer John Wooler, who originally signed The Boneshakers in 1997, connected Randy and incredible vocalist Jenny Langer- a powerhouse singer who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (NYC and VA) at the age of 28 and won the 2020 Int’l Blues Challenge for Best Self-Produced Album. What started as a few tracks for her project quickly morphed in a new album with The Boneshakers featuring no-holds-barred funk, blues, and rock that marries the sounds and spirits of Detroit Rock City, Memphis, and Mussel Shoals.
Produced by Wooler, it is back to the original vision of The Boneshakers fiery sound, with the vocal dynamo Jenny Langer behind the mic and original musicians from “The Book Of Spells” Sergio Gonzales (Drums), Nathan Brown (Bass), Jon Gilutin (Keys), The Texacali Horns (Joe Sublett, Mark Pender, and Randy’s former band mate from Was (Not Was) Sir Harry Bowens on vocals.
The new album One Foot In the Groove was released on Take It To The Bridge Records in Fall 2022 and immediately hit #1 on UK Blues Charts and #1 on US Soul Blues Charts. According to Blues Matters Magazine, "This is an album that every blues, funk, and soul music lover needs in their collection."
After 11 months on Soul Blues radio charts, the band reissued a Deluxe Edition reissue of the award-winning album with 5 bonus tracks. Most recently the band released two holiday singles and "Evil No More'- ft. Charlie Musselwhite and the first single from their upcoming 2025 album.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1627 Smallman St, Pittsburgh, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 15222
Tickets
