Dr. Wu' and Friends - Resolver Vol. 8 (2023) CDRip

DR. WU' "…the good in me …the good in you" Band mates JIM ASHWORTH and BRYAN FREEZE formed Dr. Wu’ in 2002 after growing up and playing in various bands starting in the late 60’s. The name was taken from a favorite Steely Dan song that encourages us to live life to the fullest and strive to be the very best that we can be. With this as their goal, they set out to record their “Texas Blues” Project Volume I “Fort Worth Artists”… a long overdue recorded history utilizing guest appearances by musicians who have made Fort Worth a global mecca of top players… especially great “guitar slingers”.

The first being BUDDY WHITTINGTON , a multi-talented guitarist and singer with an endless bag of guitar licks, sounds, and tricks that are always refreshing and are inspiring. Buddy is a permanent member of blues legend, John Mayall’s BLUESBREAKERS band. Buddy lends his talent to three tracks on the CD, including a live version of the popular Gary Nicholson song… “JACKSBORO HIGHWAY” an infamous strip on the Northside of Fort Worth which in the 50’s and 60’s was lined with nightclubs like THE SKYLINER BALLROOM where under aged teens could get in to see their blues heroes like Jimmy Reed, Ray Sharpe, Delbert McClinton and countless others on any given Saturday night.

After a chance meeting at The 6th Street Bar & Grill, a local Fort Worth blues venue, long time friend STEPHEN BRUTON instantly agreed to add his creativity to a track. Stephen, a “star” in his own rite, has been a player early on with the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, and countless other greats.

Home-grown JAMES PENNEBAKER added his tracks from his home studio in Nashville due to his busy schedule and much sought after talent as a guitar, fiddle, and pedal steel master. James has been a member of the Delbert McClinton, Leroy Parnell and more recently….Big & Rich bands. James is now the Artist Representative for FENDER GUITARS, NASHVILLE.

Hammond B-3 master, “RED YOUNG" lends his “classic” B-3 sound on two tracks, teaming up with Stephen Bruton on “Come Back Baby” and guitarist Danny Hubbard on the Charlie Bassham scorcher, “Storm Watch Warning.” “Red” is currently on the road with Eric Burden and the “Animals” and has also toured with Linda Rondstadt, Sonny and Cher, Joan Armatrading, Tanya Tucker, Delbert, and is the front man for his own band, the ever popular…. RED and the RED HOTS.

Long time friend CHARLIE BASSHAM, original drummer for THE ATOMIC CLOCK and LEE PICKENS GROUP was enlisted as the third member of DR. WU' after it was apparent that he was the "voice" that was needed to give the "TEXAS BLUES" PROJECT that special magic that would push the project to new levels of "BLUESDOM".

The core element of DR. WU' music is is established with the help of MIKE KENNEDY on drums (early on with FREDDY KING), DANNY HUBBARD on guitar, and GRAMMY nominated bassist, JERRY HANCOCK …collectively, the popular FORT WORTH group, "THE SIDEMEN."