Roy Gaines "Tuxedo Blues"

(Black Gold) Gaines is a Texas blues guitarist who has worked in about a thousand different situations: as the guitarist with the late R&B legend Chuck Willis (there's one promo picture of both Willis and Gaines together), session musician, lounge entertainer, toured with Harry Belafonte and Diana Ross, etc., and he was just talented enough to pull it all off. Fans of 1950's rock & roll might do well to hunt down "Skippy Is A Sissy," which made its' way onto Vol. 1 of the famed Sin Alley series. It's been smooth T-Bone Walker-ish blues that has been the closest to his heart, although he occasionally stretches out in other directions too. His newest album is his big band project (think Ray Charles, whose band Gaines once played in). This project is right on the jazz-blues fault line, with some odd curveball cover versions here and there, so if you want to complete your collection of Michael Jackson remakes, then a jazzy big-band rendition of "Rock With You" might be up your alley...