“The UK’s number one swing-blues outfit”
Norrie Burnett, Blues Matters Magazine
Featuring six of the UK's top blues & roots musicians, The Cadillac Kings play music inspired by the sounds & styles of the ‘40s & ‘50s. A mix of mostly original songs with a few well-chosen covers from the likes of T-Bone Walker, Roy Brown & Champion Jack Dupree have made the band firm favourites on both the blues & jump-jive scenes. With their stunning musicianship & exciting stage act, this is a band that knows how to entertain audiences across the board, from arts centres to dance-halls, from intimate clubs to major festivals.
With backgrounds including Otis Grand’s Band, James Hunter’s Jokers, The Poorboys, Big Joe Louis, and Little George Sueref, The Cadillac Kings came together in the year 2000. They became an immediate hit at venues & festivals all over the UK . 2001 saw the release of their debut CD ‘Lou Ann’ which received wide airplay in the UK & abroad, culminating in a nomination for the 2002 USA Swing Awards.Tour dates have included London’s 100 Club, the Great British R&B Festival, the Burnley Blues Festival, London's Hackney Empire, the Black Horse World Music Festival in Sussex, Crawley Folk Festival, Soho Jazz & Heritage Festival, UK Arts Council tour, the Gloucester Blues Festival, (Norway's huge) Notodden Blues Festival, the Ørland Blues Fest, the Drobak Festival, Denmark's annual Blues Cruise, the Duvel Blues Festival in Belgium & the Rotterdam Bluezy Festival in Holland.
Now signed to ‘33’ Records, home of Don Weller, Stan Tracey, Tina May & the cream of UK jazz & world musicians, November 2004 saw the release of the band’s second CD ‘Highway 17’. Not such a strange label signing when you consider the words of 33’s boss Paul Jolly - “this band truly swings!”
In December 2004 the music critics of The London Times agreed and included 'Highway 17' in their list of the best 24 CDs of the year and chose it overall best blues CD. Ashwyn Smyth of Blues Matters' Magazine also chose it as his CD of the year, and Blues in Britain Magazine listed it in the top releases of the year.
More recently, and for the third year in succession, The Cadillac Kings have won the categories for 'best blues band' & 'best harmonica player' in the 2005 Wychwood Brewery/ Running Horse Awards, as voted for by the audiences at Nottingham's top live blues venue.
“Breath-taking West Coast swing, hugely enjoyable with brilliant vocals, excellent harp, guitar and keyboards and a rock solid rhythm section. In a word – exhilarating!”
Lionel Ross, Blues in Britain Magazine (Dragon Blues Fest. Wrexham)
"Now here’s that rare thing - a British band who can cut the mustard! Powered along by a top class rhythm section, with wild harp and standout guitar. Stick in their authentic hollering vocalist and you’ve got a pretty hot combo! They’re good!!"
Ken Smith, Red Lick Records
“Entertaining, authentic & infectious - The Cadillac Kings’ high energy swinging R&B is enough to put a foaming head on a pint of real ale! This is pure good time music that left The Darlington Arts Centre audience dizzy, long after they’d left the building.”
Darrell Parsons, Blues in Britain
“The Cadillac Kings have amassed a large following which is entirely down to their own special brand of no-nonsense musicianship and sheer hard work. On-stage you get nothing less than 100 % from this band.
These guys swing like they were born in the trees!”
Judge Jones, Blues Freepress, Hull
“1950's R & B at it's very best!”/ “One of the best acts ever seen at the Blues of the Month Club!”
“Please bring them back soon!”/ “These guys aren't a band they're a show - give us more!”
Just some of the comments received following the stunning sets provided by the Cadillac Kings at our November gig.”
Graeme Walster, promoter Blues of the Month Club, Cleethorpes
"The Cadillac Kings are experienced, talented and very tight. They set out to give the audience as much
fun as they obviously have on stage, and they succeed admirably. A six-piece touring band is a bit of a luxury in this trimmed-down age, but to see one that plays with the drive, finesse and sheer exuberance that these guys do, is a real pleasure, not to mention the sartorial elegance on show!"
Mike Mager, Blues in Britain
"If I had heard this band blindfold I would definitely have assumed that The Cadillac Kings were from the West Coast of the USA. They have that lazy swing and hard hitting attack so beloved of California outfits like Rod Piazza's Mighty Flyers, with a little side step into Texas…”
Phil Wight, Blues & Rhythm Magazine
"Instrumentally & vocally strong, The Cadillac Kings recreate US 40's/50's R&B styles with oodles of vigour. You'd be hard pressed to guess that this lot first surfaced in Upminster, Essex, UK!".
Folk Roots Magazine
“What a joyful and infectious ensemble this gang are! Dressed in fifties period outfits, sporting DA haircuts and singing into retro mics from that same era, they jump-jived, rock & rolled, swung and shook us through a fantastic original set of nostalgia-tinged rhythm & blues.”
Diane Gillard, Blues Matters Magazine (Gloucester Blues Festival)
“The Cadillac Kings showed at this gig why they have become the UK’s number one swing-blues outfit. They are gigging widely. Go see them, you’ll be won over too!”
Norrie ‘Snakebite’ Burnett at The Tower Blues Club, Blackpool
Blues Matters Magazine
“Of the bands playing here these days The Cadillac Kings are my personal favourites, they
are real ‘in your face’ jump/jive blues. If you do not tap your feet, at least, you must be dead.”
Barry Middleton, guvnor Running Horse, Nottingham’s premier live music venue
“When you go out and see lots of bands, many of them top quality, it’s rare to find one that knocks you out from the moment they start to play, but The Cadillac Kings did just that, turning a good night into a great one. I am not going to sit and list what they played, just that this band is outstanding and if you like your music with a real blues flavour then go see them right away!”
DJ Steve/ Blue Suede News, R&R Magazine
“At London’s 100 Club harpist Gary Potts led The Cadillac Kings through a sublime and sweaty exercise in 1950s’ style blues and rock‘n’roll”
The Times, London
“On the basis of this stonking gig at Chester’s Alexander’s Club The Cadillac Kings seem best suited to take over the position as the country's finest purveyors of good-time blues and swing.”
Grahame Rhodes, Chester Chronicle
“At Sheffield’s Rhythm Review The Cadillac Kings proved they could do it all, from blues to boogie & cajun too! Their two sets were unbelievable, great to watch and interesting to follow their solos and humour, really first class! We had a fantastic time with great music and dancing all night. What else could you ask for? Watch out for this band, they play a lot of blues festivals but I don’t think it will be long before we see them regularly on the swing dance circuit as well.”
‘Lin D. Hop’, Blue Suede News Rock & Roll Magazine
“If you’re a devotee of UK blues acts of the calibre of Paul Lamb, Big Joe Louis or Otis Grand then this band will DEFINITELY appeal.”
Pete O’ Gorman, ‘Now Dig This’, UK’s premier Rock &Roll magazine
"The Cadillac Kings are Britain's foremost exponents of '40s & '50s blues & jump-jive.
Their harmonica ace Gary Potts, alone, is worth the price of admission!"
Nottingham Evening Post
