Duffy Bishop

Duffy Bishop With Her Palace Of Culture - The Queen's Own Bootleg - 2002 - Burnside Records

The multi-talented Duffy Bishop, as well as being a notable actress has also been a member of many bands, with different line-ups, and is very popular in the American West, and North West regions. Though not strictly a blues singer, the blues has always played a major part in all her musical ventures. She has toured Japan with Big Brother & the Holding Company, and has been the opening act for John Lee Hooker, Chicago, and Etta James, to name some of the greats. This album by Duffy Bishop and the short-lived Palace of Culture, was recorded live at The Key Largo, Portland, Oregon on January 31, 1998, the day after the famous Portland Blues vocalist Paulette Davis died. It was originally released as a limited issue. It contains some great Duffy Bishop originals, as well as great versions of Willie Dixon's "Insane Asylum", Johnny Adams' "Room With A View" and a brilliant rendition of "Old Black Magic". Sund quality varies from song to song on this album, with varying amounts of reverb, but the feel and energy of the album is great. Buy her great "Back to the Bone" album.

TRACKS

1. Breakfast Feud
2. Insane Asylum
3. The Love You're After
4. Bath Of Love
5. Easy Baby
6. Ten Minute Kiss
7. Room With A View
8. Old Black Magic
9. Hey Chester
10. Everyone's Comin' To A Party

BAND

Duffy Bishop (vocals)
Chris Carlson (guitar, background vocaals)
Jon Goforth (saxophone, flute)
Bryan Dickerson (saxophone, clarinet)
Willie barber (bass)
Dave Jette (drums)

BIO

Blues vocalist Duffy Bishop has a list of honors and awards as long as her microphone stand, including Best Female Vocalist from the Muddy Awards for five consecutive years, beginning in 1995. She took home the award again in 2001. She snagged a spot in the Cascade Blues Association's Hall of Fame in 1997. The Northwest Area Music Association dubbed her Best Female Vocalist in both 1989 and 1990, and followed up a year later by naming her Entertainer of the Year. In 1992, she again earned the title of Best Female Vocalist, this time from the Washington Blues Society. The organization repeated the recognition in 1999. The same society proclaimed her Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and repeated the honor in 1995. The Duffy Bishop Band earned a Muddy Award for Best Regional Blues Act in 1994, and another award two years later for Best Contemporary Blues Act. Not a bad career for a woman who started out at the age of four singing from the make-believe stage of her family's picture window, making up tunes on the spot with a child's charm and enthusiasm. Once in school, she traded her pretend stage for a real one when she became involved in class productions, which she continued to do until her high school graduation. She started appearing with local groups when she was 16. She spent three years with her first band, Roadside Attraction, before working her way through other outfits with names like Toulouse, Lautrec, Coda, and Skeezix. The names she appeared with as her career blossomed were considerably more recognizable. She has been the opening act for such artists as Roy Orbison, John Lee Hooker, Lou Rawls, Chicago, and Etta James, among others. In 1983, Bishop became a member of Cool Ray & the Shades. She moved on to the Rhythm Dogs and worked on the albums Dogs Run Cheap and On a Journey. At one point she developed polyps and a cyst, but after recovering she went on to sing and tour Japan with Big Brother & the Holding Company. In addition to picking up awards for her vocal talent and stage presence, the singer is actively involved with costume design. At one time, she contributed designs to the Brass Ring Theater, Skid Row Theater, and Pasadena's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She continued to design for the academy for about four years. Bishop has also performed in theater productions in San Francisco and Seattle. Her band consists of keyboardist Dover Weinberg, bassist Phil Haxton, drummer Michael Partlow, and guitarist Chris Carlson. © Linda Seida, All Music Guide

ABOUT DUFFY BISHOP

Duffy Bishop has been a Rocking R&B Belter since Hector was a pup. She'll go join the Circus at the drop of a hat, though, performing under a tent in the Austro-Hungarian Empire for months at a time. One day she'll take on the role of Dr. Frankenfurter in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' at Seattle's Empty Space, the next day she'll be singing in a Tavern Opera at the Eastlake Zoo with a bunch of Guitar Outlaws. She's the woman of 1,000 faces. Sometimes you won't even recognize her at one of her shows - until she sings, and then you know it could't be anyone but Duffy. Yes, there are the inevitable comparisons to Janis (Duffy starred in a successful Seattle production of a play of the same name), Dusty, Bette and Carmen Miranda, but the comparisons don't tell the tale. Besides the voice, the energy and the showmanship, there's the heart and the passion that make her pure Duffy. Presently, Duffy Bishop is performing regularly with her band, as well as doing shows and singing duets with the legendary Paul deLay. Duffy is also a part of Portland's All-Star (Curtis Salgado, Andy Stokes, Lee Garrett, Sweet Baby James, Linda Hornbuckle, and many, many more) Ray Charles Tribute, which started at last year's Waterfront Blues Festival and has taken on a life of it's own. A CD is due out soon. You can find Duffy out there doing something that's going to make you smile. © 2008 Duffy Bishop



MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

When you talk about Duffy’s career it’s hard to know where to begin. To say she is multi-faceted is a serious understatement. She has her feet firmly planted in four different mediums and to each of these she brings fierce commitment and tireless dedication. Her earliest recollection of performing was at age four. She would often put on records and entertain her family. She recalls having a large picture window in her home that she would perform from, making up her own songs. When Duffy entered school she started singing in the third grade. She continued to participate in school productions until she graduated. At the age of 16 she began to sit in with local bands. Developing a unique and powerful style that she can emphatically call her own. Her first experience was with a band called: Roadside Attraction. She would sing with them for three years before joining with three other bands: Coda, Toulouse and Lautrec. Since that time she has opened for major headliners: Lou Rawls, Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Chicago and Roy Orbison to name a few. Being the innovative creative force she is, Duffy realized she had a flair for costume design. She would lend her talents to The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena California for four years. Followed by Skid Row and Brass Ring theatre companies. Although she is no longer connected to any company in that capacity, it has not stopped from expressing her creativity in this avenue. As in the beginning of her career she still designs her own costumes. 1979 brought Duffy to Seattle Washington where she joined the band Skeezix. But it was not until joining Cool Ray and The Shades in 1983 that she considered to be her first “big break”. This ultimately led to the creation of the Rhythm Dogs and her first two albums: On A Journey and Dogs Run Cheap. If accolades are any indication of talent Duffy has a truckload. In 1989 and 1990 she was awarded best female vocalist by The Northwest Area Music Association Awards and entertainer of the year in 1991. The Washington Blues Society recognized her as best female vocalist in 1992 then entertainer of the year in 1993. The Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award for best regional blues act in 1994. Followed by The Washington Blues Society entertainer of the year in 1995 and best female vocalist in 1999. To add to this impressive list of achievements Duffy has extensive theatre experience as well. She played Janis Joplin in the production Janis, Frankn’ Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Annie in Last Summer At Blue Fish Cove. She just completed the blues Chantuse role in Teatro Zin Zani in Seattle and San Francisco. She will be returning to San Francisco to play that role again on July 5th. Festivals are another venue where Duffy can be found. This type of atmosphere is conducive to her high energy and her penchant to interact with the audience. She has appeared at the Bumbershoot, Taste of Edmonds and The Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland. She is slated for The Waterfront on July 4th. © Leslie Sallee , www.girlmusician.com/feature/bishopjune00.html