The Cash Box Kings is an American blues band from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States, specializing in Chicago-style blues from the 1940s and 1950s, as well as

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

style music from the 1920s and 1930s.

Overview

The Cash Box Kings were created by singer, songwriter, and harmonica player Joe Nosek, who now heads the band, along with singer/songwriter Oscar Wilson. The band was signed with

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using hi ...

, and more latterly

Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label. Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...

. The band is named with respect to ''Cashbox'', a defunct publication that kept a music chart from the 1940s through the mid-1990s that rivaled ''Billboard'' 's. ''I-94 Blues,'' the band's fourth release, was recorded entirely in a single day, with a majority of the finished tracks recorded live in the studio. ''Holler and Stomp'', the CBK's Blind Pig label debut, was nominated for Blues Blast Music Awards for “Band of the Year,” “Song of the Year” and “Best Traditional Blues” CD. The band released ''Black Toppin in 2013 to favorable reviews, and the album won the Blues Blast Music Award for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Their album, ''Holding Court'', released in 2015, has received favorable reviews from critics and fans for its songs' contemporary themes. For example, "Download Blues" recounted the struggles of musicians in today's internet and digital music piracy age, while "Gotta Move Out to the Suburbs" bemoaned the difficulties that come with urban

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

juxtaposed with traditional, old-school blues style. It is their third release with Blind Pig, a label that band header Joe Nosek says they feel "at home" with. Gaining traction with this album, the CBKs were featured performers in the 2015

Chicago Blues Festival The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June, that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the Chicago, Illinois, City of Chicago Department of Cu ...

. The Cash Box Kings received three nominations for the 37th

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

s, held in May 2016. Their 2019 recording, ''Hail to the Kings!'', was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Members

Joe Nosek

Joe Nosek moved to Chicago in his early teens, and, inspired by the music of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

and

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

(Chester Arthur Burnett), fell in love with the blues. He remembers attending the

every year and seeing his favorite musicians perform at blues bars. He learned to play the harmonica and guitar, and by his early twenties, Nosek had performed with

Clyde Stubblefield Clyde Austin Stubblefield (April 18, 1943 – February 18, 2017) was an American drummer best known for his work with James Brown. A self-taught musician, he was influenced by the sound of natural rhythms around him. His drum patterns on Brown's ...

Luther Allison Luther Allison (August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997) was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas, although some accounts suggest his actual place of birth was Mayflower, Arkansas. Allison was intereste ...

, and

Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...

. Nosek formed the Cash Box Kings in his mid-twenties, for whom he provides vocals, arrangements, and harmonica. Nosek wrote or co-wrote eight of the thirteen tunes appearing on the band's 2015 album, ''Holding Court.''

Oscar Wilson

Oscar "43 Street" Wilson, the second front-man of the band, was born in Chicago into a musical family: his father was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, blues, and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

musician and composer. He taught himself guitar, piano, drums and harmonica, and remembers performing at the age of 11 at a neighbor's house party. Instead of having formal training as a new musician, Wilson is mostly self-taught, resulting in his own personal style and technique.

Kenny Smith

Drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith got an early start with the blues, performing with

at the age of seven. From there he went on to perform all over the world and record tracks with

Pinetop Perkins Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011) was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Life ...

Homesick James Homesick James (April 30, 1910December 13, 2006 was an American blues musician known for his mastery of the slide guitar. He worked with his cousin, Elmore James, and with Sonny Boy Williamson II. Early years Homesick James was born in Somervil ...

Billy Boy Arnold William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935, Chicago, Illinois) AllMusic biography">AllMusic.html" ;"title="AllMusic">AllMusic biography/ref> is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica p ...

Henry Townsend Henry Townsend may refer to: * Henry Townsend (Norwich) (1626–1695), early American colonist born in Norwich, Norfolk, England * Henry Townsend (Oyster Bay) (1649–1703), American colonist born in Oyster Bay * Henry Townsend (missionary) (1815� ...

Junior Wells Junior Wells (born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., December 9, 1934January 15, 1998) was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song "Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 album ''Hoodoo Man Blues'' ...

and

Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several popu ...

Joel Paterson

Playing guitar and singing vocals for the Cash Box Kings, Paterson has toured and recorded with

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

and

David "Honeyboy" Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi. Biography Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi.

, among others. He is currently a member of not only the Cash Box Kings, but other Chicago bands such as the Modern Sounds and the Western Elstons. He also played with Kim Wilson's Blues All-Stars.

Other members

The CBKs are also augmented by a rotating cast of honorary Kings including Gerry Hundt (bass, rhythm guitar, vocals), Billy Flynn (guitar, mandolin, vocals, harmonica), Brad Ber (upright bass), Beau Sample (upright bass, vocals), and Mark Haines (drums). Barrelhouse Chuck (piano, vocals) also regularly performed with the group, prior to his death in 2016.

Discography

* ''Live! At the King Club'' (2003) * ''Black Night Fallin (2005) * ''The Royal Treatment'' (2006) * ''I-94 Blues'' (2010) * ''Holler and Stomp'' (2011) * ''Black Toppin (2013) * ''Holding Court'' (2015) * ''Royal Mint'' (2017) * ''Hail to the Kings!'' (2019)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cash Box Kings official website

Blind Pig Records official website
Chicago blues ensembles