FitzGerald's (Berwyn)
Photo/ Peter Hurley
Bluesday Tuesday with Tom Maker
Starring: Mike Wheeler Band
When: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024
Time: 7 pm. (first hour broadcast live on WDCB 90.9 FM)
Where: FitzGerald's Patio stage, Berwyn
Tickets: FREE with Reservation
A FREE show with Nick Moss Band follows in the Side Bar at 8:30 pm
ABOUT
Guitarist Mike Wheeler has a vast knowledge of music and a voice that is reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke. He can play and sing so many styles of music, putting his own touch on it, that you may forget what the original records sounds like. From jazz to rock and pop, Wheeler slides in and out of musical genres with ease and sophistication.
He is a longtime staple in Chicago’s blues community and has recorded two albums of original songs on the Delmark label: Turn Up and Self-Made Man. He also penned songs for many Chicago artists including: Nellie Tiger Travis, Peaches Staten, Demetria Taylor, Big Ray & Cadillac Dave. Wheeler was a well-known member of Big James & The Chicago Playboys, one of Chicago’s top blues/R&B bands, and he recorded on five of their albums.
He has traveled the world as an ambassador of Chicago blues music, including Monaco, France, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium and many more. Wheeler has shared the stage with the world’s most elite musicians, including Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, George Benson, B.B. King, Jimmy Johnson, Willie Kent, and Shemekia Copeland.
The Mike Wheeler Band includes the longtime rhythm section of bassist Larry Williams and drummer Cleo Cole. Ronnie Hicks recently joined the band to play keyboards.
They are the hardest working band on the blues scene today with gigs lined up nearly every day of the week, and sometimes for two shows on the same day!
Website: https://mikewheelerband.com/home