Lil Jimmy Reed

LIL' JIMMY REED BAND PRESS RELEASE

Leon Atkins, better known as Lil' Jimmy Reed, is the real deal, as will be attested to by anyone who has been privileged to hear his stinging guitar work, gritty vocals and haunting harmonica.

A tall charismatic figure, Lil' Jimmy is one of the last remaining performers from blues' golden generation. His music embodies a raw Louisiana blues tradition that goes right back to its roots in the poverty-stricken Deep South.

Born in the late nineteen-thirties in Hardwood, LA, a small town outside of Baton Rouge, Leon grew up near a nightclub where Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim were frequent visitors. Every night Leon absorbed the sounds of the blues wafting across the street. At six he had his own guitar, made from a cigar box, and by the time he was a teenager he was proficient on both guitar and harmonica, playing local clubs around Baton Rouge. His big break came when blues legend Jimmy Reed failed to make a date at an upscale blues club in Little Rock, Arkansas and Leon got to take his place in the band. He gave a show stopping performance, the crowd loved him, and when, soon after, Jimmy passed away, Leon became Lil' Jimmy Reed.

Lil' Jimmy took a break from music to serve his country in the military, but he's now back playing better than ever. Since his return Lil' Jimmy has shared the stage with B.B, King and Bobby Blue Bland, and in 1995 was awarded the Alabama Blues Treasure Award. He has also been�named Blues Harmonica Player of the Year by the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.

Bob Hall is an award-winning pianist widely regarded as the UK's finest blues and boogie woogie exponent, having founded several famous British blues bands and played with many world-class bluesmen - John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry and Little Walter, to name just a few. His partner Hilary Blythe is an outstanding blues and gospel singer and rock steady bassist.

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