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OMAR KENT DYKES IS A BIG TOWN PLAYBOY ON NEW RUF RECORDS ALBUM COMING OUT APRIL 14 NEW CD FEATURES SPECIAL GUESTS JIMMIE VAUGHAN, LAZY LESTER, JAMES COTTON AND LOU ANN BARTON
ATLANTA, GA – Ruf Records announces an April 14 release date for Big Town Playboy, the new album from Austin, Texas-based Omar Kent Dykes, featuring special guests Jimmie Vaughan, Lazy Lester, James Cotton and Lou Ann Barton.
Big Town Playboy is a logical follow-up to the 2007 critically-acclaimed On the Jimmy Reed Highway CD, which teamed Dykes and guitar legend Jimmie Vaughan. That album not only charted for double-digit weeks on Billboard magazine’s blues chart, but also was nominated for several Blues Music Awards. This time, Omar Kent Dykes is again joined by Jimmie Vaughan, who lends his special guitar talents throughout the album’s dozen tracks, as well as seminal blues harp masters Lazy Lester and James Cotton, “first lady of Texas blues” Lou Ann Barton and stellar guitarist Derek O’Brien, who also produced the new CD. Drummer Wes Starr and bassist Ronnie James return to anchor the bottom, and rising star Gary Clark Jr. adds to the all-star ensemble with his guitar and harmonica work.
Whereas On the Jimmy Reed Highway celebrated the music of that singular blues legend, on Big Town Playboy, Omar Kent Dykes broadens his musical palette including a number of post-war blues gems made famous by John Lee Hooker, Ivory Joe Hunter, Smokey Smothers and Jimmy McCracklin. Several additional songs associated with Jimmy Reed are represented here, along with two songs written by his guitarist, Eddie Taylor, who was a huge influence on both Dykes and Vaughan. The most-famous of those, “Big Town Playboy,” jump-starts the album in stirring fashion, with the core band joined by Chicago-blues great James Cotton on harmonica. Blues legend Lazy Lester is the perfect complement to add his swampy harmonica playing on two Excello Records classics written by Slim Harpo (“Dream Girl”) and Lightnin’ Slim (“Hello Mary Lee”). Lou Ann Barton brings her distinctive smoldering vocals on “Think” and “Close Together,” in duets with Dykes.
Born and raised in McComb, Mississippi, Omar Kent Dykes has been based in Austin for many years. His distinctive guttural vocal style first came to notoriety as the leader of the appropriately- named Omar and the Howlers in the 1980s. Omar continues to keep that band alive today, touring throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world. The blues has always been a big part of his music, and having lived in Texas for so many years has added that extra edge to his sound which makes him a true original.
Omar Kent Dykes is managed by Kevin Wommack of Loophole Management (512-327-2995 / Kevin@loopholemail.com). For more information, visit www.omarandthehowlers.com.
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