Uncle Wigglys Hot Shoes Blues Band
With a career that began humbly at a University of Victoria Sub Pub, this band led the live music, independent recording and producing scene in Victoria BC in the 80’s. They became RCA recording Artists, received rave reviews of live performances along the way and shared stages with Paul Butterfield, Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the great Muddy Waters, leaving an indelible legacy of 21 recorded tracks that still stand the test of time.
From a purely historical perspective, the local Victoria music “indie” scene was just starting to happen. Uncle Wiggly’s Hot Shoes Blues Band was the first to independently release a single (45 rpm, vinyl) comprised of two original sides, Watermellon and Uncle Wiggly. It was recorded at Keye Recordings on Quadra Street in Victoria, mastered at Damon Studios in Edmonton, pressed in Montreal, and released on their own label Mister Deluxe Records. The band did not designate an official “A” side.
Over the next three years the group wrote dozens of songs, capturing a total of thirteen originals on tape in the studio. The half dozen covers on this collection provide a reference and a nod to the band’s influences from Howlin’ Wolf and J B Hutto to Chuck Berry and beyond. All of the songs from two previously released vinyl albums are contained on one double length CD.
To steal a quote, “Uncle Wiggly’s has chosen to choose a generous dose of good time, boogie blues, swing music. The term swing is used because rarer is the foot that can’t be set to stomping under the influence of a rollicking slide guitar, honking sax and a good walking bass line”.
