Bill Perry, howlinmadd, howlin madd, Bill
Howl-N-Madd Perry,Howl-N-Madd Perry Blues Ambassador, blues
legends,blues hall of fame, Mississippi delta
blues,b b king,Bill Perry Blues Band,Chuck Berry,T-bone Walker,Terra Blues,House Of
Blues,blues clubs,blues festivals,blues concerts,juke,jook,blues
promoters,book blues band,hire blues band,famous blues musicians,famous
bluesmen,ground zero blues club,Po Monkey A born showman, Howlin Madd
Perry lives to travel, entertain and play
his highly contagious blues. Whatever the venue or event he makes
it a special occasion.
Bill Howlin Madd Perry began his highly eventful musical career touring
and
recording with the gospel group, Clefs of Calvary (Savoy Records). In
1970,he made his solo debut with "I Was A Fool" (Dispo/Canyon label)
which made the Billboard charts. In 1973, he, Stan Lewis and Jewel,
recorded “Sittin on the Banks of the River" and "Can't Let You Go."
(Paula Records)
Succeeding years found him working with the likes of Freddie King,
Little Richard, Johnnie Taylor, Chuck Berry, Lee "Shot" Williams, Ted
Taylor, Cash McCall, sharing several stages with the seminal electric
guitar great T-Bone Walker, and writing songs for and playing with
Fontella Bass of “Rescue Me” fame.
Moving to Chicago, Perry got his first chance to sing the blues on
stage with Little Milton's band, as they both recorded for Chess
Studios, where Perry recorded until the label’s demise. In the
seventies, Perry released "Funky Like a Donkey" on Fantasy Records and
"Down At The Disco" a groove still receiving airplay in Europe and
featured in several commercials.Still minding his gospel roots, Perry
continued to write songs for the Salem Travelers, Mildred Clark and The
Melody Airs, the East Saint Louis Gospelaires, and others. In the
eighties, returning to Mississippi, Perry joined The Relaxations,
renamed Howl-N-Madd and The Relaxations, recording several albums at
Muscle Shoals in Alabama. In the nineties, he founded The Perrys,
a family band which performed throughout the South and East before
embarking on a year long stint at Big Mama’s Juke Joint in Hong Kong
and the Grand Hyatt in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Perry recently performed at the Hayward/Russell City Blues Festival in
California and his band headlined the Dodgeville Blues Festival in
Wisconsin and in numerous festivals in Mississippi including the
Sunflower Blues Festival in Clarksdale, and the Hwy 61 Festival in
Leland. He and his band opened for B.B. King at the B.B. King Festival
in Mississippi. In 2009 he acted alongside Cuba Gooding in the thriller
Way Of War and released his latest album Way Of Blues, reaching number
2 at Radio Blues Intense in France. XM Satellite is playing Way
of Blues as well as his other CD's like Reason I Singthe Blues. After
years in LA and Chicago, Perry returned to his home town, Abbeville,
near Oxford, Mississippi, where he lives with his wife of over 40
years. As a part of Mississippi's Museum's Arts and Education
Program, he teaches the blues to young musicians, has worked with B.B.
King in the B.B. King Music Workshop at Mississippi Valley State
University and performed for major political figures, like the Governor
of MS, Haley Barbour. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
November 10. 2008. |