When you hire Brad Webb And Friends for your event, you’re getting a true Memphis Blues legend.
Brad Webb was born and raised in Memphis, TN, which has a rich musical heritage known the world over from Rock n Roll, Blues, Gospel, Rockabilly, Soul and R&B. He was blessed to be touched by all of these. He got his first guitar, a $13 Kay with painted on pick guard at age 14, a Silver tone at 15 and a Fender Strat at 16.
When he started playing gigs at 15 in 1966, Memphis music was going strong and he was interested in all of it. George Klein, a Memphis DJ, had a TV show called Dance Party that always had local bands and international acts such as The Gentry’s, Booker T & the MG’s, Charlie Rich etc, so as a youngster, he learned to compete at a high level of musicianship.
As early as 1966, Brad learned to buy old guitars and work on them to make extra money. In 1968-69, the Overton Park Shell had the 1st Blues concert with such acts as Johnny Winter, Furry Lewis, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell and local favorite Moloch. That was pretty strong Mojo for a teenager and Brad was drawn to slide guitar. He had never seen so many styles of blues and it was all good. The Shell had music every weekend and he caught as much as he could. That same year, when he went to the train station, he heard guitar bouncing off the marble walls. It was Furry Lewis playing a National and it raised the hair on the back of his neck. At this time, the Vietnam War was going on and his draft number was 17. While he was in the Navy, he knew that if he got out, he was going to do music the rest of his
life.
He started to play with people like Roland Robinson from Eddie Floyd/Buddy Miles Band. Then he met his cousin, the famous Teenie Hodge’s from the High Rhythm Section. They mixed original music with covers to play clubs. Brad also taught guitar from 1973-1993. He found that very rewarding and it kept him in touch with young people.
Brad’s been producing, writing, recording and playing guitar with Blind Mississippi Morris since 1986. We all played with Uncle Ben and His Nephews as Beale Street came alive again in the mid 80’s.
When he started the studio in 1985, one thing he wanted to do was record a lot of the music he was hearing. The tourists that came from all over the world knew what they were hearing and it was a shame that none of it was being recorded. The first people he recorded were Uncle Ben, Ollie “Nightingale” Hoskins, and Roosevelt Briggs.
He went on and recorded two CD’s on Willie Foster, Fred Sanders, John Weston, Henry Townsend, Blind Mississippi Morris who he produces and plays guitar with, Eric Hughes Band, Robert “Nighthawk” Tooms and The Wompas Cats, Phillip Dale Durham of the 60’s local favorite “Moloch”, and The Pocket Rockets featuring Suzanne Buell.
The latest project is for two old friends, Steve Bryson and Billy Lavender for Steve’s new label I55 Productions called “Memphis Livin”. Brad now works for I55 full time and has started working on a Fred Sanders CD. Steve Bryson always said he would come back to his roots and make a difference, and Brad believes he already has.
