The band members of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis are: Kitty, Daisy, Lewis, Graeme and Ingrid. It started out as just Kitty, Daisy and Lewis performing with various guitar players providing a rhythm. After a while, we felt that it most worked playing with our dad (Graeme) on acoustic guitar and then later our mum (Ingrid) on double bass. We were then introduced to Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton later on, who plays trumpet with us sometimes.
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We feature in a brilliant documentary film called 'We Dreamed America' directed by Alex Walker of Brickwall Films.
This is our bit:
The full film premiered at the South by South West Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March 2008 and is now on general release ... go seek it out!
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In March 2009 BBC Three created this documentary about us for a series called Real Britain:
While on tour in the USA supporting Coldplay we performed 'Going Up The Country' live on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show, broadcast nationally on NBC on 12th August 2009. Here it is...
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Rankin photographed us recently for Youth Music's Destroy Rankin project. That's the picture below on the left...
On the right is the destroyed version... a Daguerreotype created by Mat Collishaw. Click on either of these image to make sense of all this and to see photos, and destroyed photos, of other artists. You can bid on them at an auction too...
And here's a behind the scenes 'making of' clip...
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We played live instore at the Pure Groove record shop in Clerkenwell, London on Tuesday 29th July 2008 in support of our album which was their album of the week. Lewis and Kitty also showed the Pure Groove guys around our home studio and 78 collection. Check it out below...
And here's something we did with ChannelBeeTV a little while ago...
Influences
Our main influences and people we listen to are : Louis Jordan, Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong (who we call the three Louis's). Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Bill Broonzy, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Made Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, Clarence Pinetop Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Booker T & the MG..s, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Mississippi John Hurt, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, Rufus Thomas, Little Brother Montgomery, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, T-Bone Walker.... and many more.
If you'd like to book us for a gig or interview us for an article, please email the appropriate contact below.
UK Bookings - kdlbookings@gmail.com (please leave details)
UK & European Record Label - Sarah Bolshi: sarah@sundaybest.net
European Bookings - Joe Rambock: joe@mlk.com
N. American Agent - Marty Diamond: mdiamond@paradigmagency.com
N. American Press Requests - Steven Trachtenbroit: steven@bighassle.com
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By the way, we played a gig at the Deaf Institute in Manchester a few months ago and part of our lucky cows horns were stolen. We've had these cow horns for about 10 years and we take them to every gig. If you know anything we'd appreciate it if you could get in touch with us. Cheers, K, D & L.
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OUR ALBUM 'KITTY DAISY & LEWIS' IS OUT NOW!
Our album is OUT NOW on CD, 12" LP and download. Click the cover shot above to buy it online from the Sunday Best webshop.
Or you can download it from
It's also available as an authentic and highly collectable 1940s-style hard-back 'record album' featuring five 10" records which play at 78rpm - the first of its kind to be made in over 50 years. This also comes with a free CD copy of the album. Click on the photos below to get your copy ... before they sell out!
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'(BABY) HOLD ME TIGHT' / 'BUGGIN BLUES'
Our latest release is this double A side single available on 7", 78rpm 10", CD and download. '(Baby) Hold Me Tight' was written by Kitty and 'Buggin Blues' was written by Lewis. Click on the cover below to buy it online...
And here's the video for '(Baby) Hold Me Tight'...
'GOING UP THE COUNTRY'
Our previous single 'Going Up The Country' is also available on 7", 78rpm 10", CD and download backed with exclusive track 'Say You'll Be Mine'. Click on the cover below to buy it online...
Here's the video. It was shot by Alex Walker of Brickwall Films at our home in Kentish Town, in Mario's Cafe and at a farm near Tunbridge Wells:
The KD&L movement started about nine years ago when Big Steve the owner of a club called 'Come Down and Meet the Folks' asked Lewis to play a song with him as a floor spot. Just before the gig, Kitty sighted a drum kit and was eager to play. So when they played 'Folsom Prison Blues' with Lewis on the banjo, Kitty on the drums and Big Steve on the acoustic guitar, there was some idea of a band forming. Lewis and Kitty were asked to play again and this time Daisy wanted to play so she quickly learnt three chords on the accordion. They performed the same song 'Folsom Prison Blues'. At the time Kitty was eight, Daisy was twelve and Lewis was ten. They were then asked for the third time to play with Big Steve. On that gig they performed 'Mean Son of a Gun' with Kitty playing the harmonica and singing, Lewis had his Gretsch for the first time and Daisy was hitting one drum and a hi-hat. When the harmonica solo came people knew the joint was rockin'.
The three siblings have since built a massive word of mouth audience through a stream of rapturously received gigs and festival appearances. At their packed live shows there's no compromise when Kitty's howling harmonica solos backed by Daisy's pounding rhythm on a battered snare-drum and Lewis's snapping guitar work, drive crowds into a Southern Evangelical frenzy.
The trio jump from one instrument to another, which range from guitar, drums, harmonica, piano, lap steel, banjo, ukulele, accordion, xylophone, trombone ... it's a sound crew's nightmare ... and the music is a mix up of dirty R'n'B & blues, whiskey soaked country, haunting Hawaiian jungle drums and Gospel fever, with a punch in the face by Daisy's hard beatboxing.
Joining them on stage are their (former Raincoats drummer) mother Ingrid Weiss on upright bass, their father Daddy Grazz on acoustic guitar, and legendary Jamaican trumpet player Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton.
They have recently returned from a successful 6 week US arena tour opening for Coldplay - Chris Martin handpicked them for the tour. Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Eagles Of Death Metal, KT Tunstall, Jools Holland, Boy George, Canned Heat and movie stars Dustin Hoffman, Elijah Wood and Emma Thompson are all enthusiastic Kitty Daisy & Lewis fans.
No dry exercise in musical luddism, their 2008 debut album swings with the passion, intensity and sheer exuberant joie de vivre that makes their live shows one of the gig circuit’s greatest and most innocent pleasures. The album is a mixture of the covers their dad used to sing to them when they were children, like ‘Going Up The Country’ - a perfectly rounded summer holiday feel-good jam, full of harmonica solos, handclaps and lyrics about leaving the city smog for fairer country hills - together with new material like the heart torn ‘Buggin’ Blues’, written by Lewis and inspired by the great late Otis Spann (Chess Records) and latest single ‘(Baby) Hold Me Tight’, written by Kitty and featuring Skatalites contemporary Eddy ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton.
"A gift to those of us that still believe in magic" Observer Music Monthly ****
“The vibe is irresistible” The Times ****
“Their musicianship would put several older groups to shame” Independent on Sunday
“This trio will blaze a trail to your heart and set your dancing feet on fire” Dazed & Confused
“A wonderful album: passionate exuberant and fun” The Guardian ****
“The sound of yesteryear, but also a band for the future” NME
“British band Kitty Daisy & Lewis brings American music back to the States” Venus Zine
"Have you heard of Kitty Daisy & Lewis? They're f***ing amazing!" Chris Martin of Coldplay
The album was recorded in glorious, utterly digital-free analogue by Lewis and Daddy Grazz at their home studio in Kentish Town. A stickler for living and breathing the music they play and talk so passionately about; Lewis DJs, collects and even cuts his own 78rpm records himself when he isn’t recording with his sisters.
This obsessive passion for the vintage music that inspires their performances led to their compilation ‘A - Z of Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - The Roots Of Rock n Roll’ being named one of The Guardian’s 2007 ‘Albums Of The Year – 5/5’.
Kitty Daisy & Lewis's second artist album is due mid-2010.
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Please check our diary above for our upcoming live shows and below for event flyers with links to buy tickets...
Los hermanos Kitty, Daisy y Lewis Durham actuaron este jueves en Madrid ante una audiencia selecta de sus admiradores más fieles, que pudieron obtener la entrada a través de la página de la banda en Myspace.
"Sounds like it was not only recorded live, but recorded live down a tin can to a tape recorder at the other end of a phone, and sounding great for it!" - Mark Lamarr, BBC Radio 2
VIDA LATINA PRESENTS THE MOST ANTICIPATED EVENT IN NYC FASHION KISS FRIDAYS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND PATRON PARTY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27TH, 2009 W/ MEGA 97.9 DJ LOBO ROCKING THE HOUSE @ EROS LOUNGE (178TH SOUTHERN BLVD. BX, NY) LADIES FREE TIL 12AM ON GUESTLIST SHOTS OF PATRON ON US UPON ENTERENCE 1ST FIVE GROUPS OF 10 FEMALES RECIEVE FREE BOTTLE OF YOUR CHOICE AN EXCLUSIVE EVENT YOU WOULDNT WANT TO MISS STRICK DRESSCODE:: DOORS OPEN AT 10PM ARRIVE EARLY!!
TO GET FREE OR REDUCE ADMISSION, B-DAYS OR RESERVATIONS CALL::646-919-8314
My Dear KITTY DAISY & LEWIS, I want you to know that your music and your songs are my passion. I am addicted to KITTY DAISY & LEWIS. There is something that pulls me towards them. Keep it up KITTY DAISY & LEWIS. Fi PS:Follow Me Twitter at http://twitter.com/iaent
Great profile. Peace and progress. Many thanks for adding me and looking forward to your comment.. Any suggestion is welcome. Hope you enjoy and dance to my Music. All the best wishes. Farid
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