The Blues Brokers
The Band
Steve "BB" Payne - Vocals, Guitar
Steve has been a member of the Southern California blues scene for many years. He describes his guitar style as an attempt to blend the soulfulness of BB King and the aggressiveness of Stevie Ray Vaughan. His vocals betray countless nights on the road paying dues. Steve learned his blues on the streets of Los Angeles where he started playing at an early age with names like Jonathan Gale, Steve Schuffman, Leyland, The Renegade Band, and the legendary tenor sax man Taco Davis. Steve "BB" Payne also likes to think of himself as an expert blues and jazz historian. When you see him, feel free to ask him about anything from Muddy Waters and Little Walter to Miles Davis and The Duke. "BB" Payne founded the Blues Brokers with one goal in mind: Let the Good Times Roll!!
Check Steve out at http://www.myspace.com/stevepayneguitar.
Irwin Haas - Vocals, Sax,
Irwin started playing sax as a teenager, and fresh out of high school, received a diploma in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston. While in Boston he honed his skills playing for crowds on the streets and subways. In the early 80's Irwin led several different bands playing blues, jazz, funk, and top 40. In '84 he returned to his hometown of San Diego where he has performed with many groups including The Siers Brothers, The Automatics, Holding Power, The Big Idea, and Fullxposure. Additionally, Irwin has added his horn to many recording projects and loves to play live, as those who have seen him can attest.
David "Cool Breeze" Coats - Vocals, Drums
David started out at a young age playing along with old Benny Goodman records on a set of bongos that his dad brought home from Hawaii. He then found himself studying percussion through junior high, high school and college. The Cool Breeze grew up loving jazz music and didn’t even know what top 40 music was until he was in high school. He credits his high school jazz teacher with inspiring him to continue to play. After a move to Southern California David broke into the local blues/rock scene with The Crawlin' King Snakes who, as he puts it "slithered on for about 10 years." After a search for a more progressive band, he soon found himself as the very popular rhythmic anchor of The Blues Brokers.
Danny Langdon
- Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
The Blues Brokers are extremely pleased to welcome newest member Danny Langdon to the band. Besides being an excellent vocalist and front man, Danny is a great guy and in a very short time has become like an old friend who we love having around. Previously Danny played with a band in New York called the Prowlers. Danny is also a very talented songwriter. He has an excellent album out called "Hard Lessons" which is available at our gigs. The Blues Brokers have already started playing some of Danny's original songs and are working on more for near future. Check Danny out here: http://www.myspace.com/dannylangdonmusic
Emo - Vocals, Bass
Emo is the product of a family of professional classical musicians. He fell in love with the blues however, at 4 years old after hearing Jimmy Reed and Slim Harpo on late night radio when the family thought he was asleep. Seeing Ricky Nelson on TV was the inspiration to take up guitar at age 8, and the bass came soon after. Emo played his first gig as a 7th grader in a surf band with a bunch of older guys. Although blues is still his favorite music, Emo makes no apology for being a huge fan of all styles of rock and classical music. His attitude toward playing the bass is that it's all about the groove, and simplicity is the key to keeping things shakin'. Over the years, he's been a member of many different blues and rock bands, most recently having done stints with Beyond Blue and Sweet Blue Onion featuring Johnny Mannion. Emo also performs solo on classical guitar. Check Emo out here:
The Blues Brokers are San Diego's premier blues-rock band. It's five guys who love to play more than anything. Not your run-of-the-mill blues band, the Blues Brokers often stretch out beyond the blues into the realms of swing, funk, country, R&B, Latin, and just plain old rock-n-roll. It's all about keeping the dance floor full and having a good time. These guys are always having a blast while they're playing, and it's obvious in the infectious fun of their groovin' sound.
Meet the band...
