The Windy City Strugglers
Encyclopedia
The Windy City Strugglers are one of New Zealand
's most enduring blues
bands. Their music is based on the singing, songwriting, and guitar playing of Bill Lake, and the vocals of Rick Bryant. Their long-serving band members are Andrew Delahunty on guitar, harmonica
and mandolin
and Nick Bollinger on double bass
. Their music is a unique amalgam of mostly black American
styles, which has evolved into a personal expression combining the band's blues roots with a wide range of other historical and contemporary influences. Moving with ease from an acoustic format to a full electric lineup, the Strugglers are equally at home in a folk club, blues bar, or concert hall.
The group made its debut at the 1968 National Folk Festival when the line-up consisted only of Lake and Geoff Rashbrooke on piano and Mike Rashbrooke on jug
. Bryant, already a fixture on the Wellington
R&B scene, joined soon after. Though numerous musicians passed through the ranks of the early Strugglers, the group has existed in more or less its current form since Delahunty and Bollinger joined in the mid-1970s.
While Bryant and Lake also played in rock groups such as Mammal, the Pelicans, and the Jive Bombers, the Strugglers always existed as an entity in its own right, performing whenever busy schedules make it possible. In 1990 Bryant and Lake released We're in the Same Boat, Brother, a cassette-only album
that included some Strugglers material. In 1994 the Strugglers released their own self-titled CD
, which won Best Folk Album in the New Zealand Music Awards. In 1998 the Strugglers released their second CD, On Top of the World, which also became a Music Awards winner.
While the Strugglers' blues and jug-band influences have been documented extensively on their previous albums, the 2001 Snow on the Desert Road broke new ground in consisting entirely of original songs by singers Bryant and Lake (in collaboration with songwriting partner Arthur Baysting
).
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's most enduring blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
bands. Their music is based on the singing, songwriting, and guitar playing of Bill Lake, and the vocals of Rick Bryant. Their long-serving band members are Andrew Delahunty on guitar, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and Nick Bollinger on double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
. Their music is a unique amalgam of mostly black American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
styles, which has evolved into a personal expression combining the band's blues roots with a wide range of other historical and contemporary influences. Moving with ease from an acoustic format to a full electric lineup, the Strugglers are equally at home in a folk club, blues bar, or concert hall.
The group made its debut at the 1968 National Folk Festival when the line-up consisted only of Lake and Geoff Rashbrooke on piano and Mike Rashbrooke on jug
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
. Bryant, already a fixture on the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
R&B scene, joined soon after. Though numerous musicians passed through the ranks of the early Strugglers, the group has existed in more or less its current form since Delahunty and Bollinger joined in the mid-1970s.
While Bryant and Lake also played in rock groups such as Mammal, the Pelicans, and the Jive Bombers, the Strugglers always existed as an entity in its own right, performing whenever busy schedules make it possible. In 1990 Bryant and Lake released We're in the Same Boat, Brother, a cassette-only album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
that included some Strugglers material. In 1994 the Strugglers released their own self-titled CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, which won Best Folk Album in the New Zealand Music Awards. In 1998 the Strugglers released their second CD, On Top of the World, which also became a Music Awards winner.
While the Strugglers' blues and jug-band influences have been documented extensively on their previous albums, the 2001 Snow on the Desert Road broke new ground in consisting entirely of original songs by singers Bryant and Lake (in collaboration with songwriting partner Arthur Baysting
Arthur Baysting
Arthur Baysting is a songwriter, screenwriter , and comedian from New Zealand. He was a songwriting member of The Crocodiles, co-writing their biggest hit Tears with Fane Flaws....
).
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albums | ||||||
| 1994 | The Windy City Strugglers | Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
| 1998 | On Top Of The World | Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
| 2000 | Live at the Bunker | - | - | |||
| 2001 | Snow On The Desert Road | Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
| 2004 | Kingfisher | Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
| 2008 | "Shine On (album) Shine On (album) -Bonus tracks:Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is B-Sides*"Snap Your Fingers" - Best Buy Shine On Album ; B-Side on "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" .... " |
Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
| 2010 | "Time Comes Around: The Best Of The Windy City Strugglers (album)" | Red Rocks Records | - | - | ||
Sources and external links
- Band's Web site
- "The Windy City Strugglers: A Lifetime in Music" — by Trevor Reekie, for New Zealand Music Magazine.
- Blues artists in New Zealand documenting Rick Bryant, Jubilation, Windy City Strugglers and others