IN 1979 a group of musicians got together and decided it was time for them just to make the music that they loved.
What started out as a fun night down at the local pub turned into a career which none of them could have expected. Fast forward 42 years and The Blues Band have more than 30 albums to their name and thousands of live shows all over the world.
But now it is all coming to an end with the band - Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, Rob Townsend and Gary Fletcher - embarking on a farewell tour which comes to Colne Muni on Wednesday and runs until June next year.
“Actually,” said guitarist Dave Kelly, “this will be our second farewell tour. We did one in 1982 when the band split up for a while but we got back together again after a couple of years and have been working with each other ever since.
“But I think the time is right now to call it a day. There have been some health issues and none of us are getting any younger.”
But Dave, a youthful 74, is not disappearing all together.
“When Covid struck which meant I could go out gigging, that convinced me more than ever that I am never going to retire. Why should I? It sounds smug but I get paid for my hobby.
“The enforced break we had to take over the past couple of years due to the pandemic has been the longest time I have not performed live since I was a teenager and I really missed it.
“The Blues Band has been a part of all our lives for so long and it will be a little strange not to have it there.
“But Paul Jones and I will continue to do our duo shows and I work with Maggie Bell and have own band so I’m not retiring in any way at all. But it’s just time I think for the Blues Band to come to a natural end.”
One of the key reasons for The Blues Band's longevity has been their authenticity. They formed at a time when the blues was out of fashion - certainly as far as the mainstream music industry was concerned - but their shared love for blues music was what brought them together.
Dave Kelly has an impeccable pedigree, touring with Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker and also playing with the like of Son House and Muddy Waters.
“To me the blues is like an amoeba,” he said. “It grows and moves in different directions, it changes shape. It always has done and probably always will do.
“Certainly when we formed The Blues Band it was experiencing something of a downturn but it was music we loved. It’s nice to see that a lot of young people are discovering the blues and playing it now.”
Blues Band shows have always been known for their impromptu nature - a set list has never really featured during an evening with the boys.
But for the farewell tour Dave thinks that they might need to be a little more organised.
“We’ll have a chat about it but I think we should choose quite a few from the new album and a lot from the old days,” he said. “It will be a celebration of the band over the years.”
The Blues Band, Colne Muni, Wednesday, December 15. Details from www.themuni.co.uk
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