FOEK ROOTS( FOLK ROOTS 87(

PETE OAKLEYGhost In The City Fellside FECD 103

A few hard facts: playing and singing the blueswell is not easy; being young, white andcoming from the Midlands of England makes itmore difficult; and writing blues-based songsthat don't sound either embarrassing or likeretreads of better things is plain ridiculous.And Pete Oakley comes along and throws allthese undeniable truths out of the window.

This album is excellent; the man cancertainly play fiery blues, sometimes on slide,some desperately tricksy, fingerbreakinginstrumentals, and delicate fingerpicking aswell (his guitar/banjo work on Walking In ADead Man's Shoes is a particular delight). GaryDavis, Tampa Red and Casey Bill Weldon allcame to mind while listening, but theimportant point is that Oakley has madesomething his own from his influences.

Lyrically, too, the darkness and cockinessof the blues drives the songs, with titles suchas If It Ain't Bust Don't Fix It, Southern Bound,80/90 Blues and Long Gone Down The RoadBlues. Oakley's themes are the traditionalones, and his treatment of them is sensitiveand attuned.

On the opening and closing tracks, a full-blown boogie band - with outrageousbarrelhouse Formula One piano from Big BillRoberts - contrasts with the almost entirelysolo performances between them; a boldmove, and one which shows confidencebordering on swagger. You've got to be goodto get away with it, and this album certainly is.

Ian Kearey

PETE OAKLEY"GHOST IN THE CITY"Fellside Records FECD 103

Stone Me! A country blues artist....from Derby!Writing all his own songs...from Derby! A askyou...Dear me...Gdod though. Pete Oakiey picks likea demon..he even gives us blues banjo, a first as faras I'm concerned. He has energy and enthusiasm,and, praise be, a sense of humour in his lyrics;You tell me in the morning, when we're in betweenthe sheets, you want to go to France, you got a badcaseoftheGites...His one weakness is that his voice is sometimes notquite strong enough to carry the higher pitchedpassages, but his panache carries him through.Blues melodies are mostly the same and a copyrightcase would drive any jury berserk. Pete reworksmany of them with a tongue in cheek insight thatbrings them back fresh.He is driven along by a Barrelhouse pianist called BigBill Roberts, and adds occasional bass, flute anddrums, but mostly it's all his own work.I would suspect he gives a fine live show and alsovalue for money...and from Derby too...Stone Me!P.S. Phil Hare offers thanks "To Paul and Linda"(could it be...no...surely not) and Pete Oakley thanks"Linda for just about everything." Who is this Linda? Ithink we should be told. On American CD's this thankyou business is getting completely out of hand withwhole pages of the booklet being taken up withnames that mean nothing to the buyer. On my nexloffering I mean to thank only Adam and Eve, so noone feels left out..but who is Unda...who is she?...

Harvey Andrews

No. fi^ .S'wyyc<//>«< - JVin'Kwiujt /9»->

Pete OakleyGhost in the CityFECD 103Available from Pel/side Recordings, WorkmgtonCumbria CAi 4 SEWThis CO comprises 14 tracks, all composed and

1 performed by Pete Oakley. Pete is primarily a bluesrnan,I and this album is predominantly blues, in fact I could; swear that when I opened the case, a wisp of cigarette! smoke rose from the beer stained sleeve notes?j I won't pretend to be knowledgeable about the- technicalities of blues, but I really do enjoy a good foot

stomping wai I number amongst my favourite albums,IP's by Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Terry and BrownieMcGhee. I enjoyed this one too. Pete does a first classjob, and the tracks reflect a range of blues styles andinfluences. The guitar playing is fast and clean whereappropriate, and the bottleneck Dobro is properly meanand moody. The backing musicians are effective butdiscrete, and with names like Big Bill Roberts and D CSmith in the line up, the blues pedigree seems assured.Three tracks stray from the hard twelve bar road, and theyare No.5 Down in fte Wires, No.6 Reeling which as thetitle suggests is a tune with Celtic connections, playedrather in the style of Martin Simpson, and No. 11 Angels mthe Basement.

The remaining tracks are 1 House on Fire, 2 Walkingin a Dead Man's Shoes, 3 Ghost in the City, 4 Rainmaker,7 Southern Bound, 8 Wave lor Me, 9 80/90 Blues, 10 Onthe Bottle, 12 Fear ot the Dark, 13 ( my personalfavourite, as much lor the sentiment of the title as the tuneand lyric) It Ain't Bust Don't Fix It and 14 Long Gone Downthe Road Blues. Ron Dav

PETE OAKLEY-LONG SHADOWS (GASLIGHT RECORDS)Long-time UK blues stalwart, and Derbyshire area musical guru and pioneer, Pete Oakley has beentrading his wares and treading the boards for several years now. 'Long Shadows' his latest album ispossibly his finest to date, with the man himself sounding relaxed and seemingly thoroughly enjoyinghimself on an album made up of ten originals. With a scratch supporting cast thai features a veritablewho's who of The Derbyshire roots/folk scene including John Squire on fiddle, Dave Blant on piano,bass and organ and Freddy Hopwood on drums and whistle it looks likely on paper that the listener isin for a treat. From the off Oakley's own quietly persuasive vocal stylings lead the way, with hints ofAlan Price, and interestingly enough Richard Ashcroft appearing in his delivery. Although primarilyrooted in the blues Oakley lias more tricks up his sleeve than you might imagine, combining sixtiespop, classy singer-songwriting, folk-rock flavours and lots of nods to various branches of Americana.The main focus though is the albums acoustic ambience, with the quirky opener 'Sundown BluesAgain', fashioned from ragtime, left field pop and a swath of atmospheric strings setting the scene for averitable acoustic feast. A cut like the gorgeous 'My Lady Is Smiling Tonight' possesses the grace andtimeless beauty of the best from the pen of Ralph McTell or Steve Tilston. The strength of Oakley'spresence and delivery is further evidenced on-tlie live reading of title cut 'Long Shadows', whilst thepoignancy and contemporary attack of The Day They Closed The Folk Club Down' possesses the kindof rugged magic of the best of Australia's Mick Thomas. It's a similar story for 'Daddy Played A SteelGuitar' where Oakley's imagination takes a flight of fancy to superb effect to create a cut that like somuch here seems likely to enter the repertoire of more famous songwriters. Throughout Oakley laysdown the guitar lines, or picks his way round the fretboard with authority and no little class leading theway on an album that, although including sterling support, is definitely his grand vision and creation.(Pete Oakley Music, 46 Station Street, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1AXwww.peteoaklev.com)Sean McGhce

or

LONG SHADOWSPete Oakley Gaslight Records gascd003

1 had not heard of Pete Oakley before receivingthis CD for review. The lilies of the songs givethe first clue - 'Sundown Blues Again', 'My Lady isSmiling Tonight'. 'Daddy Played a Sue! Guitar','You Can Take the Last Train', 'Stone Cold DeltaBlue'. This is mid Atlantic soft edged acousticfolk, with country blues overtones. 1 know someof you will stop reading now, which is a shame,for Pete's songs and performance have a depth andsubtlety belied by their accessible tunes andformat' There are some great lines foil of insightand ironic humour - "she's smarter than you'llknow by far, she'll take the kids and you'll get thecar!" from 'My Lady is Leaving Tonight'.

1 understand Pete runs a guitar shop and there issome tine playing on this CD, but always under-stated with well-worked arrangements to enhancethe songs. Five other musicians bring variety byadding mandolin, fiddle, piano, whistle and har-monica. The singing is excellent and Pete has agood voice, easy to listen to with power whenneeded. The delivery of the songs is firmly withinthis genre and nowhere more apparent than on'long shadows' which is_ajive recording.

Pete OakleyLong ShadowsGaslight Recordsgascd003

Pete Oakley blends folk with acoustic bluet.Personally,' I prefer the folky material to the blues.Musl've Rained All Night is a good solid protestsong with some cool lyrics like The Green Man isslowly turning brown around the edges. The Daythey Closed the Folk Club Down is a sort of Englishfolk version of Don McLean's American Pie the daythe music died, etc. The title track was recorded liveat the New Pokey Hole in Netherseal and reveals astrong resemblance_to Clive Grcgson in both playingand singing style. _ By Tim Readman

Will you like it? From 'the day they closed thefolk club down1 there's the line "1 can still hear allthat oldtime rock 'n1 roll". If that's what you likeat a folk club then it doesn't come much betterthan this - give it a listen (and get past track 2).

Visit wmv.gTtilarsuperslore.com500365 for further information.

lurryor rink 01283

BUUEPRNTBLUEPRINT OCTOBER »993

Burton-on-Trent guilarmanPete Oakley began with a really fastragtime 'Stackalee' and then gave thepub audience a "popular" set whichincluded 'Can't Be Satisfied,' 'Mojo/'Bringing The Blues Back-Home,' fromhis latest tape, 'Wine, Wine, Wine'AND 'Diggin' My Potatoes'—fast andfurious stuff! .

Pete Oakleyand Perry forming a new duo to finishme evening off (with entttuslasrtcaudience participation) by playing'Alberta' and 'Crow Jane' as if theyhad been playing together for years

He was joined by Richard Everitt ofthe Sensational King Bizkit BluesBand on harp, but the pairing was notso successful as was the Foster-Oakley

PETE OAKLEY"Sack Porch Blues"

This is the first release by Pete Oakley, although his second cassette

was reviewed in a previous FO T, (don't blame us, that's just the order

in which we received them!)This is a collection of reworkings of old classics such as 'Stackolee','Alberta, Alberta', 'Make MeA Pallet OnTIVe Floor' and a medley basedaround 'Freight Train' and 'Bed Slats And All' (beautifully picked bythe way). His guitar and dobro playing are obviously the work of aman who loves pre-war East Coast guitar pickers: in fact one track,Wmsboro Cotton Mill Blues' had me searching my "Goodrich & Dixon"under Blind Boy Fuller'? name until I realised that it was one of two

self-penned items on the cassette.This will sit happily on the shelf next to the Blind Boy Fuller's and theRev. Gary Davis'. Need I say more except that perhaps a guest ap-

pearance on Paul Jones' R & B show is overdue.PA

Broadstairs Folk WeekPETE OAKLEY is a bluesmusician making a welcomereturn to Broadstairs after his1992 visit. His guitarworkshops were extremelypopular last year, so'do getthere early this year; or you

. may prefer to catch his superbplaying at the Blues Concert.

ACOUSTIC'BLUES FESTIVAL.COLNS, 199 3-.

antastic set by rockin1 gui-tar man , Pete Oakley,and chicken-scratching harp player,Robin Wal-ton ,from Derby. Pete played hisspecialty "Sliding Delta"(an ins-trumental) at a speed which had tobe seen to be believed-I saw ,itAND I DOSMT BELIEVE IT1 *. The fast-est man With a bottleneck since

^Kokomo Arnold in the 193O's. Thejoint was really jumpin' tool

Issue 54 IstJanuary to 31st March 1993PETeOAKtEY

"OLD GUITARS NEVER LIE"

Gaslght Records

fete Oakley Pete Oakley

Midlands based country blues man. Pete Oakley has

produced a fine album of originals accompanied by

his own picked guitar and the occasional support from

bass and/or harmonica. He plays national steel on

some Sacks and the comparisons with Michael

Chapman's (remember him?) and John Farley's

playing are inescapable but then that's no bad thing is

it? The opener is an up tempo anthem to greasy

southern soul food. "Salt Fish. Black Beans And Dry

Bread" and it certainly kicks the album off to a greatsiart. "fiiis track remains witn you tor a long Brne.

Other tracks to note are "Renthouse Slide" (great

pun!) about dodging the rent man, played with flair on

bottleneck national steel, and stow numbers such as

"This Guitar's For Singing" and "Lincoln's Inn

Fields". Good autobiographical stuff here. Very good

sound and not a duff track thoroughly recommended

to all lovers of acoustic blues. Apparently he's

looking for gigs in the south, so all you promoters take

note. You won't be disappointed if this is anything to

goby.

..J!A_

THE TOP BELLPETE OAKLEYOne of the County's leading exponents of Country Blues.

ESSEX FOLK NEWSGUITftRS NEVER LIE Pete Oakley1'

Pete Oakley is a superb blues guitarist as this album amplydemonstrates. He is an effective if .slightly inhibited singeralthough this could be due to the mix which could feature atouch more vocals on some of the tracks. All songs were writtenby Pete Oakley who has a creative approach to blues music andobviously enjoys the sounds and the meanings of the words hewrites.

Ihe album has a powerful start with Salt Fish. Black Beans andDry Bread V The high harmonies work particularly well and thesolos: acoustic guitar, harmonica and slide guitar are excitingand brilliantly performed. There is no questioning of stereo-typed roles in this song as it is a "Gal named Mississippi t-ou'who cooks the rice and beans and 'Momma1 'who keeps the chilliburning and the enchiladas turning'. In 'Bill Bailey won't youplease come home', at least the man offers to do the cooking!One of my favourite tracks is I Never Did . He has created anauthentic sounding blues 'ballad. I particularly like the way thetitle line comes in at the end of each verse.

Pete shows that a blues is not necessarily about following anorthodox sequence in Bluesraan . Penthouse Slide features somemanic slide guitar playing, a suggestion of social comment andsome driving percussion which I suspect may be Pete's veryresonant feet. Bringing The Blues Back Home is a vehicle forsome very hard driving guitar picking which is the mostdistinctive feature of this performance. This song has theimmortal line "Mississippi John sure will turn you on;'Side A ends with one of the most successful songs Thi s Gultar'sFor Singing which could easily have been an alternate title forthe album. The song has more of a contemporary folk feel but astrong blues content and gives rise to my favourite line '.. I sing about Stagger Lee. The old folks say he was a bad man.He ain't never been bad to me.'

Side B. Double meanings have been part o£ the humour of bluessongs for many years although I Just Don't Want It No More isto me more reminiscent of English music hall style. Anyone whodoubts the potential of the Ukulele as a valid instrument shouldby a copy of this album just for this track. As delightfullymanic as most of the other tracks- Travelling Blues is akitchen sink drama with a wonderfully flexible number of bars inthe guitar solo. Arrangements are always a matter of taste and Idon't think the keyboards work on Waiting For The DealGambling Man Blues is superbly rhythmical with a recurringpassage which has a sense of the tempo being cut in half. Thebass guitar is most effective in this piece. The last track isLincoln Inn Fields , not typical of the style of the rest of.the songs, it makes a powerful ending with an Appalachian feelto it. The pitch of Pete's voice is higher and consequentlystronger and delivers the song in a less tongue-in-cheek manner.

Well I take my jackFrom an old plastic bagThat I found by the T.V. storeIf I drink ay fill .And I probably willYou won't read about me any more.

Peter Dunhill

7APLASPETE OAKLEY

Old Guitars Never LieGaslight GASC 002 (cassette/vinyl ) JMtttHVHMBBSHOTM HBL-

PETE Oakley has beengood reviews in blues circlesfor some time and this cassettecertainly doesn't disappoint.

As a country blues guitarist hehas obviously done his homework.<\11 the titles are self-pennedbut he retains a good feel forand appreciation of the music,his playing ranging from light,almost MississjjysjL John HurJL

style of playing to hard Deltaslide guitar. Both are playedvery well. On some tracks he'sjoined by equa-'lly enthusiasticbass and harmonica players, mak-ing for a good all round set.

Like a lot of these guys, Pete.is also a guitar nut, usingamong other things, vintage nat-ionals and wooden guitars.

J shall be looking out for himand his first album, Back PorchRlues.

Graham Wilkins

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We have known Pete for a good many years and eagerly awaited this CD.

He is a very fine bluesman who writes all his own material with some

great choruses. This is very muc.h modern day blues, there is even

environmental issues mentioned. (Must've rained all night). Pete is a.n

experienced almost charismatic entertainer. The enthusiasm he feels fDr

the music is very soon carried to the listener. We really loved "Long

Shadows", "The day they closed the folk club down" and "Daddy played

a steel guitar ". Great refrain- on "I got the blues " (I got the blaes

and the blues have i ; i'm too old to live and too young to die). Well

pruduced inlay with lyrics. Enjoying Pete Oakley's music is really

living.

KATHY & BOB DRAGE

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BURTON MAIL, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31,1990 15

Pete'sporchbluesalbum

Findern's very ownfoifc-blucs guitar virtuosohas released an album oftraditional tunes on hisown label.

Rack Porch Blues is animpressive collection ofmaterial recorded atBurton's Track Stationstudio by the man himself.Pete Oakley.

"I have tried tomaintain the sound of thesongs while not doggedlycopying other versions,"he told Beatbox.

The album seems toowe a little to the likes ofJohn Renbourn. althoughPete — who originatesfrom Winshiil and is a

\ luo — says ne has drawnmuch of his inspirationfrom the I>. tes ofsuch luminaries as RobertJohnson.

Back !*orch Blues isavailable at Oasis Recordsin Derby for £ft. or directfrom Pete at 34. Hillside,Findcrn DH6 6AZ. for£6.50 including postage.

Pete has lined up aseries of live dates duringNovember.

You can see him at:Top Bell. Barton —November 7; MidlandsGuitar Show, DerbyAssembly Rooms —November 16; PcasmoldiaFolk Club. Derby -November 22.

PETE OAKLEY ANDROBIN WALTON -REVIEW ANDPREVIEW

• Pete Oakley . . . porch singer.

FOLK ROOTS

PETE OAKLEY

Back Porch Blues

Cassette:'Back Porch Blues'(Gas 001)

PETE OAKLEYBack Porch Blues Gaslight GAS001

Pete Oakley's Back Porch Blues is a nicelittle tape; Pete's subtly strutting guitar style iscomplemented by a good, crisp productionthroughout a bunch of songs from the tract ofmusical territory where the country bluesblends into ragtime. As you might expect withthe ole blues genre, the wares of the off-licenceare prominently featured in the subject matterof these songs, although with the inclusion offor example, Hot Tomatoes (And They're RedHot) and Diggin' My Potatoes Pete skilfullybroadens the appeal of his tape to includethose of a more greengrocerly persuasion aswell. It'll cost you £6.50, including U.K. p&p,from !

Blues Megastars Pete Oakley anilRobin Walton make a mostwelcome return ro Max's BluesClub next Friday, February 3rd.Pete and Robin, who reside inDerbyshire, haven't appeared inLancaster since the summer of'94, so there is a slim chance someyou unlucky punters have neverexperienced this raucous pairbefore. If you want ,10 hear"good-time blues" a gospel of thehighest order, then add this gig toyour "must see" list, I promise yonwill not be disappointed! As youread this, Pete Oakley's thirdcollection of sings entitled (//><»•/in the dry is being released onthe Fellside label and will beavailable on CD and tape in theshops. Local keyboards wizard"Big" Bill Roberts (of the Hustleand Betty's Blues fame) helps o\non a couple of numbers of thisrecording and hopefully will bejoining Pete and Robin live onstage on the 3rd. Fast and furious,foot srompin" and freneiic, guinir,mouth harp, glass and Pils boitle,they play them all!! They're big,they're beautiful and they're backin Lancaster on Friday 3rdFebruary, upstairs at the YorkshireHouse.B.J.Jeffrey

PETE OAKLEY

PETE OAKLEY: 'Back Porch Blues'I first became aware of Pete Oakley through his club appearances aboutfive years ago. It was immediately clear that although he is a highlyskilled technician of the guitar fingerboard, he never lost sight of whatmusic is about: passion, excitement, sensitivity.His performances had all the essential ingredients and were highlycharged on a similar level to the likes of Neil Cox.For those of you whose bag is 'pretty' music, this is probably not foryou. A lot of white kids got holdof this kind of music (ragtime &blues), made it 'pretty' andpromptly lost its essence. Not soPete Oakley. He's got his fingeron the pulse, tunes in his ownheart and plays with imaginationand gusto. This album is notsophisticated but is eager; thevocals have guts and gravel, theguitar playing has a raw edge ofimperfection.I'm glad that he didn't keepgoing back and re-doing it tillevery note was as clean as amortuary and just as dead.My criticisms are minimal. SideOne is samey in terms of paceflnd pirfrmg pattprnc. Kilt ?»A»

Two breaks out of this, espe-cially with (for me) the collec-tion's highlights: 'AlbertaAlberta", which has an almost country feel, and 'Wine Mop Mop', whichis out-and-out acoustic hard rock.On a scale of one to ten I'd give this album nine. For those who remem-ber the 'Kicking Mule' releases covering this area of music, I'd givethem about five.

Back Porch Blue;14 Country Blues Tracks

Available now from P J Oakley,31 Iltlleidc, Fmdcrn, Dtibja DCS CAK

Cassette: £6.50 inc. P & P .For bookings Tel: (0283) 7025II.

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OctoberPete Oakley and the OrganicBlues BandWelcome return of local favourites who, gave agreat show when they launched their latestalbum here in the Summer.

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ete Oakley and Robin Walton then! '-proceeded to tear the place apart. Robin's:harp weaving all around Pete's guitar asthey did a heavy "Gamblin1 Man Blues". ThenPete p roduced Ms masterpiece "Delta Slide"which starts oijCwith relaxed, way-down-in-the alley slide and builds and builds 'tilhis fingers look like one-a crazy instrum-- ental; he's a fool with that guitar, man!This was followed by the pair doing an . -,.. .equally frenetic "Diggin1 My Potatoes" withPete hitting the box all over the place-pureraaffic. ?uvs.

urnley ational lues estiva! l^yurnley 4th. Lfestival

• Pete Oakley -launches new album.

New blueson oldguitars I

South Derbyshirefolk-blues supremo PeteOakley launches his newLP with a special gig atBurton's Brewhouse onFriday.

Old Guitars Never Liefeatures a veritable gamutof original material, allrecorded with Pete'strademark attention todetail.

The launch partypromises to be astar-studded occasion, withbacking for the main mancoining from the OrganicBlues Band. In addition totracks from Old (Juitars.Pete and the chaps willdelve into their backcatalogue for theremainder of the set.

And those unable tomake the show canconsole themselves bylistening to BBC RadioDerby's Sound and Visionprogramme, which willbroadcast the show live.

Tickets are £2.5!) andthe gig acts underway at7.30pm T

NIGHTLIFEFlie essential guide to what's on and when

Oakley in newalbum launchFINDERN folk and bluesexponent Pete Oakleylaunches his new album,Old Guitars Never Lie, ata gig at the Brewhquse,Burton, next Friday(7.30pm, tickets £2.50,

GIG REVIEW - PETE OAKLEYAT THE PARK HOTEL, MAY 7THJUST WHEN I THOUGHT I was carving

, my way nicely through the artistsjajr-rently orTthe Country Blues circuit, uppops PETE OAKLEY all the way fromDerbyshire, to smack me round thehead.Influenced by the likes of MississipiJohn Hurt, Blind Boy Fuller, Tampa Redand Reverend Gary Davis, Pete doesn'treally need a pick-up or microphone toenhance his ferocious style - presum-ably you heard him if you had yourwindows open in Lancaster on May7th!Complemented intermittently by rau-cous ROBIN WALTON on harmonica,Pete and Robin had no time or inclina-tion to take prisoners - so if youwanted cooling down, you just ran outof luck - these boys were red hot!From the Gospel flavoured Heaven hasno Mercy - courtesy of Reverend GaryDavis and Pete's own foot stompingRed House Slide to Muddy Waters' Gotmy Mojo Working for me (completewith Pete's sliding beer glass), Pete andRobin's live performance isn't just loud,it's a place where broken guitar stringsare traded in for passion and the oddbum note for humour, (By the way,Pete practices 'safe blues' and wears analuminium appliance on his finger everytime he slides!)This larger-than-life pair were alsojoined by "Big Andy" at the end oftheir set for 'duelling harps' - whocares who won!I'm pleased to say a large audience(consisting of several local muskians)were at the Park Hotel to witness PeteOakley, and I sincerely hope that livemusic (courtesy of Geoff Beard) is hereto stay.Pete Oakley and Robin Walton - they'reBIG, they're BRASH and they're BACKin Lancaster at Max's Blues Club (JohnO'Gaunt, Market Street) on Wednesday24th June - Welcome back boys!»BJJEFFERY

• Pete Oakley,.. OldGuitars Never Lie.

ring 0283 516030).Pete will be playing

half the gig solo, andhalf backed by the Or-ganic Blues Band fromBurton.

Radio Derby's Soundand Vision show willbroadcast some of thenight's music live.

The album of originalmaterial follows Back-porch Blues, on Pete'sown Gaslight label, andwill be available at £7.50on vinyl and cassette atthe gig, and from OasisRecords in Derby.

But you can catchPete tomorrow in Derby,for he will be in action alThe Wherehouse, Friar-gate, at lunchtime (noqrto 2.30), and after his bicBurton date — at Tufbury Festival on June21.

Oakley on home groundDERBYSHIREbluesman Pete Oakleywill be appearing in hishome town, Burton, onThursday for a BlueDoor gig at TheBrewhouse.

ft will be a welcomechange for Pete(pictured) who has had abusy year, appearing allover the country at clubsand festivals, includingheadlining at the MeanFiddler, London.

Pete, who actually lives atRndern, has also been busy onthe airvwaves with dates on theAndy Kershaw Show, theJohnnie Walker Show, the AMAlternative Radio 5, BBC Folk on

2 and the BBCWorld Service.

And you canhear him on BBCRadio Derby'sSound and Vis'raprogramme withAshley Franklintomorrowbetween 6pm an7pm as apreliminary to th<Brewhouse date

Pete has twoalbums to his credit, Back Pore!Blues and Old Guitars Never Li>and is currently working on athird.

Admission to the Brewhouseis £2.50 (box office 0283516030).

BEATBOX

THE WHEREHOUSEJune 14th.PETER OAKLEY

TUTBURYDAY 2 - 21st

PETE OAKLEY-Ploy ing since hiTearly teens, Pete has become theregions leading solo folk/bluesartist. He has been described bythe music press as a 'highly skilledtechnician uf the guitarfingerboard' who plays with'passion, excitement andsensitivity'.

"Pete knows these country and back porch blues in his heart and uses his subtle,fmgeron the pulse, strutting guitar style to play them with imagination and gusto."FOLKMAGAZINE.

Oakley on home groundDERBYSHIREbluesman Pete Oakleywill be appearing in his •home town, Burton, onThursday for a BlueDoor gig at TheBrewhouse.

It will be a welcomechange for Pete(pictured) who has had abusy year, appearing allover the country at clubsand festivals, includingheadlining at the MeanFiddler, London.

Pete, who actually lives atFindern, has also been busy onthe airvwaves with dales on theAndy Kershaw Show, theJohnnie Walker Show, the AMAlternative Radio 5, BBC Folk on

2 and the BBCWorld Service.

And you canhear him on BBCRadio Derby'sSound and Visionprogramme withAshley Franklintomorrowbetween 6pm and7pm as apreliminary to theBrewhouse date.

Pete has twoalbums to his credit, Back PorchBlues and Old Guitars Never Lie,and is currently working on athird.

Admission to the Brewhouseis £2.50 (box office 0283516030).

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ROCK 'N' REELROCK W REEL ISSUE TEN. WINTER 1990/91

-Back Porch BkiM(Gaslight Records

(CMW) GAS 001)I'm beginning to think there may be awhole new country blues scene outthere just waiting to explode in a welterof second generation Berts, Daveysand Wizzes. There's certainly been aglut of strong, home-made Delta-styledalbums just recently, most of them ofan extraordinarily high standard. Thelatest comes from Pete Oakley, who isa fine picker and also an arranger ofsome originality. This is no mean featon familiar fare like 'Stackolee' and•Diggin My Potatoes'.Oakley cast most of these pieces as•traditional', although most blues fanswould apportion an author - rightly orwrongly - I'm sure. They're Red Hot1,for instance will be familiar to many asthe 'sore thumb' amongst RobertJohnson's legacy, and the famous"Spo-Dee-O-Dee1 drinking number ishere presented in Sticks MoGhee'slesser know Drink of Wine, Mop, Mop'version. Also worth catching are two ofOakley's own instrumental, 'DeltaSlide'and tittle Toe Rag', which augerwell for a strong compositional future.Very listenabte stuff,

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THE LISTENING BLUES

Pete OakleyBack Porch Blues

GAS001

Side two is full of good material, thecountry pickin' on "Got The Blues And Can'tBe Satisfied" is outstanding. Due to the highquality of the guitarmanship throughout thealbum, I recommend trying to gel along to seethis man live. I know I'm going lo.Dancin' Sailor John Beeton

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BACK PORCH BLUES. Pete Oakley.Gaslight Records. GAS 001.

Yet another folk performer who isprepared to put his money where hismouth is. After a year at the ManchesterSchool of Recording and having hadnumerous requests from audiences for analbum of his work, Pete Oakley went intothe studio and recorded himself. Theresultant collection of 14 country bluestracks, including a couple of self-pennedinstrumentals is a mixture of goodsinging, good blues picking, Pete has a good blues voice and

Tsobviously a competent, if not brilliant,blues guitarist,