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Bobbie Mercy
Oliver was a sharecropper's son and one of twelve children. He grew up
picking cotton and farming. Though he grew up with love all around
him, he still came to know what the blues were - right down into the very
core of his being.
On hot summer
nights, after a long day's work, Claude Oliver, with his guitar tuned to
the "key of E," played to express his own soul and to entertain his
family. In Atlanta, Texas, 1939, that's what people did. There
was no tv, no movies - none of today's modern technology - just old
fashioned conversation and music made the authentic way. On one of
those nights, a family friend came by and performed some Jimmy Reed tunes.
Jimmy Reed was one of Bobbie's idols and a popular blues artist of that
time. When Bobbie heard this duplication of his idol's music, he
knew at that moment that he wanted to play guitar, harmonica and sing. So
he taught himself how to play both instruments in his own unique manner.
Bobbie left home for
Chicago, Illinois after graduating from high school.
While living there, he formed a blues band,
Oliver's Trio, consisting of his sister Mary on bass guitar, his wife at that
time on drums and Bobbie of course playing guitar and harmonica.
Eventually
Bobbie returned back to his home State of Texas and put away his guitar
for a number of years. Encouraged by his new wife and manager, Eva,
Bobbie picked up the guitar again and formed Bobbie Mercy Oliver & Jam City Revue.
Bobbie is a composer and player of multiple instruments - all by ear. He
is the last of the old school harmonica players ala, Little Walter, James
Cotton etc. He owns BEO, Inc. Studio where he composes, arranges and
records his music. He is a one man band, playing guitar, harmonica
and singing all at the same time. To watch him do all of this during
a performance leaves his fans in awe.
The band consists of Bobbie "Mercy" Oliver on rhythm guitar, harmonica
and vocals, Glenn "SmittyG" Smith on bass, vocals and background, B. T. Carpenter
on drums and percussion, and Gloria Hall (aka Lady - G), vocals.
They perform
regularly throughout Texas, Arkansas and Memphis. Some notable
highlights are:
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Battle of
the Bands in Helena, Arkansas, 2004, 2007
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King Biscuit Blues Festival
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T-Bone Walker Blues Fest, 2006
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Tyler, Texas
Rhythm and Blues Blowout
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Numerous other music
festivals
Bobbie is a member of
The Paris Blues Society,
The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee
and Barcelona Blues Society in Spain.
"My music has captivated
audiences of all races in diverse places. I am gifted with numerous
talents, write my own lyrics, arrange the music, set all my songs to music
and play multiple instruments for my CDs in my studio, BEO, Inc."
Bobbie puts on
a wonderful show and has been dubbed the "Texas Blues King" by the News
Messenger in Texas. He is entertainment to the utmost and is
described as being a one-man band all by himself. His goal is to
travel with his band and to perform blues all over the world.
Read
Bobbie's Featured Article from
Linden Texas
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