Live at Midnight Blues Club & Restaurant
Waterville, Maine

By Phil Whipple, Maine Correspondent, The Blues Audience Newsletter

WATERVILLE — One of the hottest swing and jump blues acts this side of the Mississippi made the long haul north to Maine recently, and local fans responded in kind.  Virginia/DC-based Li’l Ronnie & The Grand Dukes have been called the “Little Charlie & The Nightcats of the East,” and with good reason.

While this band certainly has it’s own distinctive sound, the listener is reminded of Rick Estrin’s phenomenal harmonica riffs and Charlie Baty’s smooth, rocking guitar work. Fronted by gifted harmonica player Ronnie Owens, the Grand Dukes delivered an evening of genuine swing and jump blues — with a touch of modern rock ‘n’ roll added in for good measure.

Owens was joined by three musicians who deserve paragraphs of their own. Combine a gifted 21-year-old guitarist with a world-class drummer and a bassist who can play the stand-up note-for-note with anyone on the planet — and you’ve got the most rock-solid rhythm section ever created. Together with Owen’s smooth, impassioned vocals and wisely-timed harp work, these boys produced a sound like we’ve never enjoyed up here in Maine.

Handling guitar duties for the band is Robert Frahm, a young man with tremendous natural talent and an understanding of the blues beyond men twice his age. I’ve heard several young “wannabe” blues guitarists, but none could hold a candle to Frahm. Robert is a soulful singer as well. This rising star hails from the Washington, D.C., area, and I promise you ALL will be hearing from this fine young man in years to come.

Bryan Smith is a true southern gentleman cut from the same cloth as Owens. His resume lists stints with some of the biggest names in blues music, like Robert Lockwood Jr. and Sam Meyers. Central Maine fans marveled at the way Smith laid down that classic beat that only a stand-up bass can produce. His skills greatly add to the traditional sound this group delivers.

Rounding out this highly-skilled unit is George “Bam Bam” Sheppard, perhaps the most energetic, personable drummer on earth. Sheppard is a world-renowned percussionist that has been playing since he was just five years old. A student of two drumming legends, Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson, Sheppard has the skills to blow you away with a solo or provide the most steady, rocking beat you’d ever need for any song. He has his own line of Vic Firth sticks, is a paid endorsee for Remo heads and DW hardware. Sheppard also conducts clinics for aspiring drummers. He left the Waterville blues faithful in awe with his incredible solo, and his terrific personality matches his phenomenal drum skills.