With a style somewhat similar to John Mooney, Hubbard, a native of Georgia shares the Son House disciple's love of the combination of New Orleans swamp funk and second-line rhythms with a taste of the Delta. Hubbard began playing the slide guitar at the age of 11 after a local juke-joint owner and fan of the traditional Delta Blues and New Orleans music gave him some 1930s albums to play along with.
Opening shows for John Lee Hooker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown led to BBC Radio in England inviting him to perform live on-air songs from "On the Dark Side." He also enjoys playing acoustic. It sets a different mood and helps him to remember where the music came from as well as to relate to the endurance that was commanded back in the old days.
Separate bands appear on each album. On 1998's "On the Dark Side," the players include, Pete Christ (drums) and Paul Welch (bass). Joining Hubbard on 1999's "Slidin' at Ya Live" is Jay Fink (drums) and Chuck Bithom (bass).
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This review is copyright © 2000 by Matt Alcott, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.