Nick Moss paid his dues, working as a side man for veteran Chicago bluesmen, including Buddy Scott, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and former Muddy Waters drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Those blues chops, hard earned, provided the backbone for Moss to lead his own formidable blues outfit for more than a decade.
A student of Chicago-style blues, Moss was recruited as a bass player by Scott when he was barely out of high school. From there, there was a short stint in Dawkins’ band before he joined Smith’s Legendary Blues Band, receiving his first songwriting credit on the band’s 1993 album, Money Talks. With Smith’s encouragement, Moss gradually moved from bass to lead guitar. After a stint with Rogers, he forged out with his own band, Nick Moss and the Flip Tops, recording Got a New Plan in 2001 and First Offense in 2003. Amont Moss’s following seven albums, check out 2005’s Sadie Mae.
Rhythm guitarist Michael Ledbetter joined Moss in 2011 and shares songwriting and vocal duties on Time Ain’t Free, a soul-inflected blues-rock treat. Ledbetter’s soulful vocals on such songs as “I Want The World To Know” provide an excellent counterpoint for Moss’s beefy guitar solos and rocking vocals. Other highlights include “Fare Thee Well” and “Tell You Somethin’ ‘Bout Yourself.”   “EZ Bree Zee” provides a light R&B respite, and “Walkin’ on a Ledge” povides a bit of Afro-beat soul. “Bad ‘n Ruin” has an infectious rock vibe and “(Big Mike’s) Sweet Potato Pie” closes the album with some funk. Along with Moss and Ledbetter, Patrick Seals plays drums, Matthew Wilson plays bass, and Bryan Rogers plays keyboards, with Tina J. Crawley and Lara Jenkins providing background vocals on half the songs.
Â
Audio Stream: Nick Moss Band, “Fare Thee Well” [audio: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7770435/04%20Fare%20Thee%20Well.mp3]
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.