Biography
Peter Struijk
Peter was born on March 28th in Gouda, the Netherlands. He grew up in and around The Hague.
As a child, he visited the local Jazz clubs with his parents, which he hated at first, but learned to appreciate over the years. At a young age he started out on the piano but after a while when his older brother gave him his first real guitar a new love was born!
Peter works under his own name as musician, teacher and producer. For his debut solo album “Human Ways” he recorded with Dutch blues greats Robbert Fossen, Little Boogie boy, Hammie van Hall, Peter van Zon, Dihl Bennink and the legendary Chicago blues singer Tail Dragger, with whom he also shared many times the stage at blues clubs in the “windy city” Chicago USA!
In 2010 he launched his own blues and roots record & production label "Blueshine Records" where you can find albums of Ted Gerrits, Little Boogie Boy, Robbert Fossen, Big Wil & the Bluesmen, John Frick, Riverside jr. etc Check it out at www.blueshinerecords.com
Now a days Peter combined forces with allround bluesman Robbert Fossen.
Together they formed the Fossen & Struijk band with Eduard Nijenhuis on drums and Jan Markus on bass. Their first album “Clubbing” is released worldwide in 2013 and brought them to a lot of great venues. As duo Robbert and Peter were the winners of the Dutch Blues Challenge 2012, and finalists at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Peter was also nominated for “Best Dutch Blues Guitarist” 2013!
On his upcoming solo release “STRAIGHT BLUES” he got some very special friends like the one and only Liz Mandeville, Rockin' Johnny and Riverside jr. Of course his partners in crime Robbert Fossen (Fossen & Struijk band) and Peter van Zon (Sweetback Petes) joined the project with some great takes aswell!
Official Website: Peter Struijk
Tail Dragger
Veteran singer James Yancey Jones, aka Tail Dragger, has been making his presence felt on the Chicago blues scene since the '60s. But like so many other bluesmen who specialize in electric Chicago blues and made their mark in the Windy City, Tail Dragger actually grew up in the Deep South. Tail Dragger was born on September 30, 1940 in Altheimer, AK, where he was raised by his grandparents and began listening to the blues as a kid. Although he appreciated a variety of blues when he was growing up (including acoustic Southern country blues), electric Chicago blues became his greatest interest. Tail Dragger's most obvious influence has been Howlin' Wolf, although his rugged, gritty approach was also affected by Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Willie Dixon. Tail Dragger left Arkansas for good in 1966, when he moved to the city that did the most to shape him stylistically: Chicago. Moving to the city's West Side, Tail Dragger didn't start earning his living from music right after his arrival; at first, he had a "day gig" as an auto mechanic. But Tail Dragger got a lucky break when he met his idol, Howlin' Wolf, who let him sit in during live performances. Howlin' Wolf, in fact, started calling him Tail Dragger because Jones often showed up late for gigs (before he became known as Tail Dragger, Jones was known as Crawlin' James in Chicago blues circles because he would sometimes crawl around on the floor when he performed).
Tail Dragger's association with Howlin' Wolf (who died in 1976) did a lot to increase his profile in the blues world, but in the early '70s, he became a full-time solo artist – and Willie Kent, Hubert Sumlin, Carey Bell, Mack Simmons, Big Leon Brooks, and Eddie Shaw were among the Chicago-based bluesmen who performed in his various bands. Tail Dragger received some negative publicity in 1993, when he shot and killed fellow blues artist Bennie Joe Houston, aka Boston Blackie (b. 1943, Panola, AL). The two had just performed together at a gig, and allegedly, they got into a heated argument over payment. Tail Dragger said he acted in self-defense; nonetheless, he was convicted of manslaughter and spent 17 months in an Illinois prison. But after his release, he wasted no time resuming his musical career. Although Tail Dragger was a fixture in Chicago blues clubs throughout the '70s and '80s, and recorded some singles along the way, it wasn't until the mid-'90s that he finally had an album available. Crawlin' Kingsnake, Tail Dragger's first album, was released on the St. George label in 1996 (the year he turned 56). That disc was followed by a second album, American People, which was recorded in 1998 and released by Delmark the following year. Delmark put out his DVD, My Head Is Bald: Live at Vern's Friendly Lounge, in 2005 and released his Live at Rooster's Lounge as both a DVD an audio CD in 2009.
Allmusic Biography: Tail Dragger
Peter Struijk feat. Tail Dragger 'Human Ways'
If you love raw, stripped down, traditional Chicago blues then you’ll love Human Ways, a new CD produced by Dutch slide player Peter Struijk. Tales of love, betrayal and redemption in 4/4 time, set to the wail of slide guitar and the moan of blues harp, populate this 14-track CD.
It features both studio and live tracks. Hauntingly spare acoustic arrangements sit comfortably with whiskey soaked 12- bar, full band tracks. The live cuts evoke the steamy, intimacy of a tiny West Side dive complete with audience banter and the clinking of glasses. You can almost feel the body heat!
Peter wrote four tracks including the title cut, “Human Ways”. His muse is the wrong-doin’ woman that drives him down the highway with a guitar on his back. The others are chestnuts from the books of Rice Miller, James Yancy Jones (a.k.a. Tail Dragger), Fred McDowell and McKinley Morganfield among others.
Peter’s voice is as compelling as his slide playing. A surprisingly deep baritone, rich with emotion, the singing is untainted by the accent that spoils some European bluesmen’s attempt at sounding authentic. The vocal chair is filled on four other tracks by Delmark recording artist Tail Dragger who performs his signature “My Head Is Bald” with freshness and urgency. Tail Dragger’s casual banter with the audience adds an endearing quality, enhancing the intimate live feel of the disc. (Review by Liz Mandeville)
Source: Peter Struijk Feat. Tail Dragger - Human Ways (2009)
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
