Martin Hutchinson - guitar, vocals
Tim King - harmonica, vocals, saxophones, bottleneck guitar
Rick Jones - bass
Dave Hatfield - drums
Influences
Blues Positive play a mainly up-tempo Chicago Blues style with some jazz influences. You can expect to hear a selection from the following songs at one of our gigs:
Baby, What You Want Me To Do; Born Under A Bad Sign; Bright Lights, Big City; Checkin' Up On My Baby; Crossroads; Diving Duck Blues; Don’t Start Me Talking; Dust My Broom; Help Me; I Got My Mojo Working; I Put A Spell On You; If Love Was A Train; I Wish I knew How It Would Feel To Be Free; Key To The Highway; Leaving Trunk; Messin’ With The Kid; My Babe; Politician; Red House; Rock Me Baby; Rock My Baby Right; Rolling And Tumbling; Seventh Son; Shake Your Moneymaker; Sunshine Of Your Love;
The Score; Walking By Myself; When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You; White Room; Your Funeral And My Trial; Your Mind Is On Vacation.
Blues Positive are a four piece band based in Leeds/Bradford, UK
Their blues style is mainly high-energy and up-tempo. Their repertoire ranges from the 50’s and 60’s Chicago blues of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter right up to the present day, with influences from Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal, Cream, Mose Allison, Nina Simone
Robert Cray, and many more.
Blues positive have been playing together for over five years now delighting audiences on their home turf and further afield. They are regulars at Dundee’s annual Blues Bonanza and many other prestigious blues events including appearances at the Burnley blues festival and blues clubs and festivals in Arbroath, Cockermouth, Colne, Dewsbury, Harrogate, Leicester, Maryport, Wakefield, .... the list goes on. They are also partial to real ale and have entertained the CAMRA beer festivals at Bradford, Leeds, Keighley, Otley and Oldham.
What’s their appeal? The versatility of multiple instrumentalist Professor Tim King, master of blues-harp, sax and slide-guitar who between solos delivers powerful vocals. Alongside Tim, guitar virtuoso Martin Hutchinson is a master of lead and rhythm capable of intricate riffs, blistering solos and some mean vocals too. Dave Hatfield is the percussion engine, keeping the band in line. Dr. Rick Jones completes the team driving the bass lines with smooth walking and funky twists.
So how did they get where they are? Tim served his apprenticeship in the London Jazz scene in the 70's playing Ronnie Scott's and the ICA with Art Themen and Harry Beckett in Lionel Grigson's Ujaama and leading his own band Angst, who supported Status Quo and Wishbone Ash as well as doing studio sessions for film soundtrack. Martin is a youngster by comparison cutting his style with numerous rock bands round Bradford from the mid 80's onwards, but probably inheriting some of his talent from his music teaching dad. Dave is a veteran of the 60’s music scene who has never lost the flame, with talent honed in hundreds of live gigs. Rick gave up a promising future as a pianist at the age of 11 and rediscovered his love of the bass in the 90's. Despite the late start he's played in a succession of quality bands and appeared on many big stages including London's 100 club.
