Jimmy Jabara is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who began his love for blues in 1968 when Paul Butterfield, John Mayall, Jeff Beck and others came to town. He was mentored intimately by a number of American blues greats including Sonny Terry and Brownie Magee as well as Albert Collins, who sat at his house drinking home brew beer and picking his guitar while Jimmy tinkled the ivories on an old upright piano. As a songwriter, Jimmy recently worked with Larry McCray and co-wrote the title track on Larry’s award-winning album, “Blues Without You”. Jimmy still works with Larry and they are close friends who play and write together.
Brenda Taylor is the eldest daughter of the late Vera and Eddie Taylor; Vera was a singer and Eddie, of course, was Jimmy Reed’s guitar player for many years. Brenda has performed in Chicago and at the Chicago Blues Festival, her music is a mix of familiar blues classics and a few originals. On her album titled “Buggy Ride”, Brenda’s first original is “Better Look Out For Me”, an uptempo tune with a stop/start rhythm. There is, also, “Smooth Ridin’ Buggy” is a frantic boogie which gives the album its title. It’s one of those great double entendre songs as Brenda describes herself as “a smooth ridin’ buggy, ready to go all the time”!
