Hwy 321 Blues Album of the Month: Review

BILLY BRANCH & THE SONS OF THE BLUES – The Blues Is My Biography
Rosa’s Lounge Records

Chicago’s beloved Northwest Side club, Rosa’s Lounge, launches
its own label in world-class style with this offering from Billy Branch, the dean of the city’s harp players and one of its brightest stars. It delivers the best of Windy City blues, and it’s full of
cautionary tales and sound advice — something certain to make it a contender when the next awards season comes around.

Produced by Larry Batiste, Billy’s joined by Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Bobby Rush with backing from the Sons of Blues – Branch’s partners for decades: Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi
and Tony Lufrano on keys, Giles Corey and Wilton Rabb on guitars, Ari Seder and Troy Lampkins on bass along with the best horn section in the city.

Don’t miss “Hole in Your Soul,” “Call Your Bluff,” “Beggin’ for Change,” “Blues Is My Biography,” “Harmonica Man,” “Real Good Friends,” “How You Livin’,” “The Ballad of the Million Man March,”
“Toxic Love” and “Roaches.”