Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin Altar Boys - Live At The Big Bull (2015) Lossless

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago Richard Raven first heard the blues of Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker and Pee Wee Crayton coming from his mother's stereo. His older cousin later brought home the records of Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Magic Sam, Slim Harpo, Buddy Guy and Otis Rush.

After seeing Freddy King at the Kinetic Playground, he started going to Maxwell Street on Sunday afternoons to see Johnny Dollar, Lefty Dizz and Jimmie Lee Robinson play in the alleys and on the street corners.

The 1970s were spent going to the clubs and taverns on the south side of Chicago and Chicago Heights to see and hear raw urban blues.

After playing in bands for 5 years and doing a 15 year stint in U.S. Navy, where he acquired the Reverend tag, Chief Raven hung up his anchors to give music another go.

That was fifteen years ago and he hasn't looked back. Since then he has become a regular on the Mid-West blues circuit, headlining Buddy Guy's Legends, The Slippery Noodle, Memphis Smoke, Fat Fish Blue, Blues on Grand, The Zoo Bar, Whiskey Junction, 21st Saloon, and most of the Midwest blues festivals. Rev has won the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award (WAMI) for best blues artist in 1999,2000, 2003,2004, 2006, 2010 and again in 2015. Voted Milwaukee’s Best Blues Band in 2012 and 2014 by the Shepherd Express Newspaper’s Readers Poll and nominated for a Grammy for a CD Compilation in 2007.