The Blue Hearts are back in 2021 with their 5th album "Blue Country" which sees them going back to their Country roots with a collection of hard to find singles and 10 previously unreleased songs. The band was originally formed after Bob & Mark went to see the great Texan fiddle/guitar player Erik Hokkanen (they enjoyed the show so much, they invited Erik back to Bob's flat for some late night drinking and travelled to his show in London the following night) who inspired them to form the band, originally going out as "Big Cactus & The Moonshine Aces". With the addition of the strong rhythm section of Scott Warman on Double bass & Geoff Ansell on drums plus Sue Bradley on fiddle & Mike Fitzsimons on pedal-steel guitar, the band found a great traditional country sound, drawing from the classic Country artists of the 1950's such as Johnny Cash & George Jones. Wanting to explore different musical genres, the band became "The Blue Hearts" and started writing material (drawing on their diverse influences) covering genres such as Folk, Blues and Rock. "Blue Country" is their first album to bring together their Country songs.
The band's debut album 'Lullaby for the Lost' received great reviews in the mainstream press and it generated extensive airplay on local and national radio both in the UK and Europe. The band were invited to BBC events that promoted the new sound. Since then the Blue Hearts music has been played throughout the world, from Australia to the USA and Europe.
The Blue Hearts line up is
Bob Powell - Vocals & lyrics
Mark Horse - Guitars
Mike Fitzsimons - Bass/Pedal-Steel Guitar/Backing Vocals
Sue Bradley - Violin/vocals
and has included:
Torquil MacLeod - Bass/Backing Vocals
Geoff Ansell - Drums
Scott Warman - Double Bass / Backing Vocals
Brian Powell - Guitars
The band are based in Brighton, East Sussex, England.
Band Discography: 1993 Single Delirious 3 tracks 1995 Album Lullaby For The Lost 14 tracks 1995 Single Hearts About To Break 3 tracks 1997 Single A Thousand Stars 3 tracks 2001 Album No More Long Goodbyes 12 tracks 2003 Single Everyone Wants To Dance With My Girl 3 mixes 2005 Album Dark Side Of Town 10 tracks 2010 Album Jukebox Of Maladies, 2021 Album Blue Country.
They are all available direct from all good Digital Music Services e.g. Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Apple, Pandora, Deezer etc
The primary songwriters are Mark Horse (guitar) and Bob Powell (Lyrics) Blue Hearts.
The Blue Hearts are recognised as important influential leaders of the new music scene in Brighton UK. Having created a new sound that is an uncompromising challenge to complacency, fired by provocative lyrics, built around mesmeric stories and tales. Other artists have taken this direction and created their own distinct but respectful sound. Brighton’s new vibrant live music scene is built around the pioneer work started by bands such as the Blue Hearts.
A Blue Hearts gig is not to be missed. Let your soul enjoy the whiskey and your heart the stories. Spend a little time with the Blue Hearts. It will never leave you untouched. We'll be glad to see you. Love to you all
