Finis Tasby (February 1, 1939 – November 2, 2014) was a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
based blues singer and frontman for the group
The Mannish Boys
The Mannish Boys are an American blues band based in Los Angeles. They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles.
Founded by bandleader Randy Chortkoff, the band is named after the song "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters.
Led by v ...
.
Background and career
There is some confusion over his birth details, depending on which source is referenced. One year quoted is 1939, and that he was born on February 1, in Dallas Texas United States.
[''Blues: A Regional Experience'' Eric S. LeBlanc and Bob Eagl]
Page 375, Artists by Ecoregion of Birth
/ref> Another states that he was born in 1940 in Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Early years: 1950s and 1960s
While in his teens, he played drums for a local band called The Blues Blasters. In the early 1960s he had moved over to bass guitar. He became a member of a local group called The Thunderbirds, playing bass as well as contributing backup vocals. Later he would work with Z.Z. Hill
Arzell J. Hill (September 30, 1935 – April 27, 1984),Dahl, Bill. "Z.Z. Hill" Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2014. known as Z. Z. Hill, was an American blues singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including his 19 ...
, Clarence Carter
Clarence George Carter (born January 14, 1936) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His most successful songs include " Slip Away", " Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), " Patches" (1970) and "Strokin" (1986).
Ea ...
and Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921March 7, 1999) was an American blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. He also recorded for contractual reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, he was the most imp ...
. He also worked with Freddie King
Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...
when he toured in the region.
1970s onwards
In 1971, he was in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...
, working with Joe Simon and Z.Z. Hill. In 1973, he moved to Los Angeles and worked the blues clubs there. He started a group in LA and opened for artists including B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
and Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...
. In 1981, he appeared in the Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture.
Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...
film '' Sharkeys Machine'', where he performed the song "After Hours". In the late 1990s, Tasby began an association with Rand Chortkoff who produced his album, ''Jump Children''. That association would lead to Tasby being the front man for The Mannish Boys which was creation of Chortkoff. The Mannish Boys were nominated numerous times for blues awards. The group's album ''Double Dynamite'' received the Traditional blues album of the year award. In 2005, he appeared at the Topanga Canyon Blues Festival
The Topanga Canyon Blues Festival is an annual event held in California, attracting blues acts from across the United States. It began in 1982. Like the Orange County Blues Festival, it attracts some of the major blues artists in the United St ...
in Topanga, California
Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...
. In 2006, he came to Australia and appeared with guitarist Enrico Crivellaro at the Australian Blues Music Festival.
During his career he worked as an automobile mechanic at various stages. He suffered an injury to his hand in the late 1970s which caused him to give up playing bass, for a time. He did return to playing bass on occasion in the early & mid 2000's at several Southern California clubs such as Martini Blues.
In December 2012, he suffered a stroke. Tasby died in November 2014 as a result, aged 75.
Recordings
Among the singles he recorded in were "Get Drunk and Be Somebody" which was released in 1978, and "Blues Mechanic" which was released on Ace Records. In 1995 he released his debut album, '' People Don’t Care'', which was not a commercial success. The album had legs, and potential with the movie "The Babysitter" using 4 songs off the album in that movie starring Alicia Silverstone. And a CD release party at the Hollywood House of Blues as well as a featured night at Universal City Walk's BB Kings Club. The album had guest artists including Lowell Fulson, Mick Taylor, Elvin Bishop and Vernon Reed. In 1998 he released ''Jump Children''. This album did better and had guitarists Kid Ramos
Kid Ramos (born January 13, 1959) is an American electric blues and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Ramos has released four solo albums since 1995 on Black Top and Evidence Records. He has worked with James Harman, Roomful of B ...
and Rick Holmstrom
Rick Holmstrom (born May 30, 1965) is an American electric blues and rhythm and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Holmstrom has previously worked with William Clarke, Johnny Dyer, and Rod Piazza. He is currently the bandleader for Mavis ...
, bassist Larry Taylor
Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Le ...
and drummer Richard Innes
Richard Innes (born ) was a Scottish cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Norfolk. He was born in Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a cit ...
. In 2005 he released ''What My Blues are All About''.
Discography
Singles
* "Get Drunk and Be Somebody" / "Just a Kiss" – Big Town 724 (1978)
* "Find Something Else To Do" / "To Many People (In The Street)" – Watts City Records – WC1014 (1987)
Albums
33rpm LPs
* ''Blues Mechanic'' - Ace Records Ltd. – Ch 122 (1984)
Cassettes
* ''People Don't Care'' – Shanachie Records 9007 (1995)
* ''A Tribute to John Lee Hooker'' – Kon-Kord Records 6617 (2002)
Compact discs
* ''People Don't Care'' – Shanachie Records SHCD 9007 (1995)
* ''Jump Children!'' – Evidence ECD 26097 - (1998)
* ''A Tribute to John Lee Hooker'' – Kon-Kord Records 6617 (2002)
* ''What My Blues are All About'' – Electro-Fi Records 3390 (2005)
Collaborations
* Ruff Kutt Blues Band – ''That's When The Blues Begins''; featuring Zac Harmon
William Zach "Zac" Harmon is an American blues musician from Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Harmon was signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music until 2015, when he announced his signing to San Francisco–based Blind Pig Records.
Biography ...
, Finis Tasby and Anson Funderburgh
Anson Funderburgh (born James Anson Funderburgh; November 14, 1954) is an American blues guitar player and bandleader of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets since 1978. Their style incorporates both Chicago blues and Texas blues.
Career
Funderbu ...
- Vizztone VTRK 2013 - (2013), CD Baby / Ruff Kutt 5638083035 - (2013)
References
External links
''Blues-E-News Magazine:'' Volume 2 issue 4 - Pages 40 - 47
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasby, Finis
1939 births
2014 deaths
American blues drummers
American blues singers
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American male singers
People from Dallas
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians