Mix it up – and mix it up but good – is the aim of the fun-lovin’ Jon “Blind Dog” Cooley and his scorching Roots Rockin’ Boogie and Blues band, and it shows! From the Texas-fried honky-tonk rhythms of “Corpus Christi Mama” to the Dick Dale and the Del Tones-esque “Surf Medley” to the down-and-out blues wailer “Help Me,” the adventurous sound on the new CD release “Get Your Boogie On… Live!” amounts to a generous helping of the blues…plus.

Maybe it’s the diverse influences each band member brings which send their music into such uncharted blues territory. Take Cooley’s own favorites, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley (for whom the band recently opened). Then throw in a little Pantera and John Bonham from drummer Blake Throckmorton’s own collection. Now top it off with bassist Mike Green’s preference for 70s guitar gods like Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Grand Funk Railroad, and together you have an unprecedented mix of hot guitar licks meeting show-stopping blues kicks. As Southwest Blues Magazine puts it, the Blind Dog Cooley Band’s sound “exemplifies Ft. Worth’s musical eclecticism…you won’t be disappointed!”

              -Robb McCaffree, Los Angeles, CA

 

The Blind Dog Cooley Band

Jon "Blind Dog" Cooley – Guitar and Vocals

Blind Dog Cooley has been cranking out the tunes for 10 years or so now in the Fort Worth and Dallas areas. He got his feet wet in the local DFW music scene in the early nineties, making as many friends as possible. "You could go out to a jam and experience music from such great local musicians as Robert Ealey, Bobby Counts, Jerry Clark, Johnny Mack, Holland K. Smith,  the list goes on and on. Every time I'd get to see these guys perform, I'd watch and try to learn." "The quality of musical talent in this area is second to none, It's quite the honor for my feet to even touch the same stage as these folks". 

Jon bought his first electric guitar with money from his paper route when he was in the eighth grade. That was  when he figured out that girls dug guitar players. "Hey, I needed all the help I could get!" he states. Jon lived in Austin, Texas for  a few years in the eighties. " I was really turned on to the whole Texas music experience in Austin. Hangin' out in clubs like Antone's and Steamboat, I was in heaven."

Blind Dog’s musical influences are as varied as his hat collection. "Omar and the Howlers, Webb Wilder, Johnny Cash, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and most definitely Chuck Berry, these are the guys that get me goin’" says Blind Dog.

Blind Dog Cooley’s first CD release "All Twisted Up" is currently out and is a great example of the bands music. It sounds a bit Rock and Roll, some Country, and all blues. Blind Dog is currently working on a new CD project to be released in 2004.

 

Blake Throckmorton – Drums and Backing Vocals

Blake Throckmorton has been the drummer for the Blind Dog Cooley Band for around three years so far. Blake is a native of Alvarado, Texas. He started playing drums at five years of age. Professionally, he has played nine years. Blake is well steeped in the blues, but his musical tastes are varied and diverse, including a love of bluegrass and jazz. "Everything from Patti Labelle to Pantera" Blake will state as his background. His major influences as far as drummers go would be John Bonham and Ginger Baker.

Blake is a huge part of the Blind Dog Show. His excellent musicianship and ability delight audiences as well as keep the rest of the band on their toes. Blake is the backbone of the Blind Dog Cooley Band, no question about it. Just ask the other guys in the band! 

One of Blake’s musical high points in his life was playing rub board while his buddy played dobro during Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street.  

"Music is a big part of my life, it’s in my blood" says Blake.

 

Mike Green - Bass and Backing Vocals

 Mike Green is the newest addition to the Blind Dog Cooley Band. Mike is from Granbury, Texas and he brings a great deal of talent and experience to the Blind Dog Show.

 

As a teenager growing up just outside Detroit, Mike was heavly influenced by Motown, but as he took an interest in playing Bass Guitar in the late 70’s, the bass players in the southern rock scene had all my attention. 

"There wasn’t much music in the 80’s that really intrested me", says Mike. "When the 90’s came around and the hair bands died out, I picked up my bass again and started playing some of the my old favorites like Led Zepplin, Bad Company, Z Z Topp, Grand Funk Railroad and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Their bassist’s knew how to take a blues line, put some driving energy behind it, spice it with a little funk and deliver it with feeling." Mike delivers these same qualities to the Blind Dog Cooley Band.

Mike and Jon have been pals for a while. Mike previously played in the band Peter's Dragon with Marko Vorkapich who is featured on guitar on the track "You Got Me Runnin'" on the Blind Dog Cooley "All Twisted Up" CD.

 

 

 

Review from April 2001 Southwest Blues

Blind Dog Cooley
All Twisted Up
(El Perro Ciego 1001)

As a frequent visitor to the DFW area, I have observed that each city has their own distinct musical personality. Dallas is a city where you are more likely to find traditional blues and R&B. Performers like Anson Funderburgh & Sam Myers, Tutu Jones and Andrew "Junior Boy" Jones have established Dallas as a blues stronghold. Head west to Ft. Worth and the musical menu starts to change. In Ft. Worth, artists like James Hinkle and Johnny Mack mix blues with country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll to create a sound that is different from the music you hear played in Dallas.

All Twisted Up is the newest release from Jon "Blind Dog" Cooley, a singer/guitarist/songwriter who definitely straddles the Ft. Worth side of the fence. If you visit Cooley's web site (www.blind-dog.net) you will find that Cooley labels his music Roots Rockin' Boogie & Blues, an apt description of the music contained on the disc. "Scientific" is a straight-ahead roots rocker that reveals a humorous side to Cooley's songwriting abilities. "Snake Charmer" pulsates with a Bo Diddley beat while Cooley turns the classic "Route 66" into a road house rocker. Cooley gets the opportunity to showcase his guitar chops on the instrumental "Perro Ciego Stomp" while the title tune is a classic Texas blues shuffle. The disc closes with covers of Chuck Berry's "Nadine" and Jimmy Reed's "You Got Me Running", two appropriate choices for an artist like Cooley to cover as their sound is very much echoed in Cooley's music.

With the help of musicians like Bobby Counts, Steve Springer and several others, Jon "Blind Dog" Cooley has recorded an album that exemplifies Ft. Worth's musical eclecticism. If Roots Rockin' Boogie & Blues is your thing, get this CD you won't be disappointed.
- Barry Gober

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"WORK HARD, ROCK HARD, EAT HARD, SLEEP HARD,GROW BIG,

& WEAR GLASSES IF YOU NEED 'EM" The Webb Wilder credo

 

"Remember, Real Music is out there and Real People are makin' it!"

                                                                                      -Webb Wilder

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