Your Company

Mark (Boweevil) (guitars/slide guitar, hirsute adornment, amp with lots of fiddly knobs)

Mark is a blues and funk guitarist with a rare feel for the music, who is widely experienced in both acoustic and amplified forms of the music.

He was a founder member of the outstanding and much-missed Mondatta Funk outfit, which gigged to wide acclaim around the region a few years back, and in more recent times he has added his talents to a number of Norfolk bands, including The Perfect Strangers Blues Band.

His recent musical CV centres round the much-respected soul/blues duo Dove & Boweevil, whose first CD album 'Getting Somewhere' is currently available through Amazon and CD Baby. He's the sitting-down half of the duo . . . if you buy this man's CD, it will help keep him in the manner to which he's not accustomed.

Mark played numerous Honeydripper gigs with us last year, and we're most pleased to be blessed with his talents once more in 2012.

Johnny Boy (vocals, harps, shades, sack barrow, snakeskin shoes, patter)

Honeydripper front man Johnny Boy has graced the East Anglian R & B circuit for many years, and was a stalwart of the much-missed 4D Jones band, as well as blowing and singing for Midnite Jack. Here he comments on his blues harp equipment preferences :
  "Being a harp player for over 20 years I've tried and tested all types of harmonicas, amplifiers and microphones. For me there is only one amp I would recommend, and that is a Fender. I currently play through a Fender Hot Rod, a 1x12 single cabinet with 2 channels - it's the best I've used. As for harmonicas, I use Hohner Marine Band for that fat Chicago sound. I also use Hohner Blues Harps for the same sound, and for the cleaner sound I use Lee Oskars. As for mics, there is only one for me, a Shure green bullet with a volume control. The volume control allows me to set up the amp and leave it set for the gig, and just use the mic for up and down volume control.I've listened to the blues since my early twenties, but was drawn to the harp players like Big and Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Terry, Rick Estrin, Kim Wilson and Paul Lamb, just to mention a few. Catch me on a gig and have a chat. "

John Boy.

Mike (bass guitar, upright bass, soul patch, poncy braces, Zimmer frame)

The Bassdaddy is old enough to know better, although his bass crimes commenced only upon retirement from the day job. He played guitar with local skiffle and rock’n’roll bands in the 1950s (yes, he really is that ancient). In the early 60s he heard recordings by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, and gave it up as a hopeless task. After a lay-off longer than the gap between Steely Dan albums, he picked up a bass (“because it's not so hard”) and played in a band led by gifted blues guitarist/vocalist Roger Billings.

When RB relocated to less miserable climes Mike played with pop band Sweet Nothin's, and in a duo with songwriter David Young, and was blessed to play with blues luminaries such as Oli Brown. He underpinned 8 piece Norwich soul band Midnight Groove, and gigged extensively with blues-rock bands Blue Fingers and Square One, and more recently played with classic rock outfit Blind Spirit for a couple of years.

Mike loves blues, proper rock and roll, and jazz, and is delighted to be with Honeydripper; it keeps him off the street corners, and the others play so well he's hoping it'll rub off on him.