Shrimp City Slim
SHRIMP CITY SLIM (aka Gary Erwin, b. 1953 Chicago) is a keyboard player/singer/songwriter based in Charleston, SC.
He performs solo and also has a great band (Silent Eddie Phillips or Steve OJ Hardy, guitar/vocals; John Turbo Etheridge and others, drums/vocals; Juke Joint Johnny or Chuck "The Cat" Morris, harmonica/vocals).
File under "Lowcountry blues and original songs".
Shrimp City Slim has released 7 CDs to date and plays throughout the Southeast and overseas.
He also works with various real-deal downhome blues artists and has released albums by some of them on his label, Erwin Music (see "Recordings" for complete list of Erwin Music releases).
As bandleader/tour manager, he has travelled extensively (USA/Europe) with Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes, Big Boy Henry, Chicago Bob Nelson, Drink Small, Beverly Guitar Watkins, Neal "Big Daddy" Pattman, John Lee Ziegler, and others.
SCS also annually tours Europe solo working with local bands (in France: Dr. Pickup; Germany & Holland: Professor Bottleneck; Poland, Czech Republic: The Blues Doctors).
Having promoted blues in coastal SC since 1986, his other ongoing projects include organizing annual blues festivals (Southern Comfort Lowcountry Blues Bash in Charleston - 21th annual coming up in February, 2011 - and others), playing blues on the radio (21 years, including 17 years on public radio), and most recently TV.
The Shrimp City Slim band has shared the stage with BB King, Bobby Blue Bland, Jimmy Rogers, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, Little Milton, James Cotton, NRBQ, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Herbie Mann, more.
SCS's ongoing collaboration with singer Wanda Johnson (www.wandaj.com) is also taking his music to new audiences. Together, their recent/upcoming appearances outside the Southeast include Pocono Blues Festival (2006 & 2010), Chicago Blues Festival (2007), and numerous tours in Europe and Asia.
If you love blues and blues-based original songs brimming with vitality, real commitment, and a sense of humor, welcome to the world of SHRIMP CITY SLIM.
Please click on 'NEWS' for updates on this artist.
Sample videos (recorded at Utopia, Paris, France, 2008):
"Her Mind Is Gone": www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uf0nDDgymc
"Driftin' & Driftin'":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyfs8R_s0Jo
"See See Rider":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXKYTw3ja-0
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NB: The name "Shrimp City Slim" is trademarked / marca registrada (1992).