19 March 2024

Rico Ferrara

An Assortment of Posts from Rico’s “Blues For A Big Town” Blog

Jackie Wilson (Jack Leroy Wilson) – “Mr. Excitement!”

“The greatest singer I ever heard – the epitome of natural greatness” Berry Gordy “The most dynamic singer and performer that I’ve ever seen” Smokey Robinson

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DELBERT McCLINTON – “The Godfather Of Americana Music”

Originally Posted on January 20, 2024- Blues For A Big Town Blog Texas Roots / R&B / Blues Rocker Delbert McClinton is one of a select few who’s equally at home performing in a “chicken wire” honky-tonk as he is in a funky dance hall or juke joint. And, on any…

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SOUTHERN SOUL – “The Natural Truth”

After a long musical journey I came to the destination of R&B and Soul in my teens.

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Laura Nyro – “Hard To Get Into and Hard To Get Out Of”

Originally Posted on Blues For A Big Town Blog May 8, 2022 “Sometimes I think being a star is kind of silly. I’d sooner be looked at like a comrade rather than a star” Laura Nyro in an interview with Melody Maker in 1976 after re-surfacing from the first of…

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BONNIE RAITT – “A Force To Be Reckoned With”

“There are two types of men in this world: those who are in love with Bonnie Raitt, and those who’ve never heard of her” Willie Nelson I must confess I’m one of the former. LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Singer Bonnie Raitt performs a tribute to the late B.B.…

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Dee Dee Bridgewater – More Than Just A Jazz Singer

Defining Dee Dee Bridgewater as just a Jazz singer is doing Ms. Bridgewater a disservice to the nth degree. Yes, Bridgewater sings Jazz brilliantly, but she’s so much more than that. Beginning in the 70’s, Bridgewater has had a rich and varied five decade long career, and has displayed the…

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ROBERT PALMER – More Than Meets The Eye

ROBERT PALMER – More Than Meets The Eye Originally Posted on October 17, 2021 - Blues For A Big Town “In interviews I hardly ever get asked about music. I do, however, get asked about the ‘Addicted to Love’ video and my suits on a daily basis” Robert Palmer Say the name…

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THE WEST SIDE SOUL OF CHICAGO BLUES

THE WEST SIDE SOUL OF CHICAGO BLUES Originally Posted on August 22, 2021-Blues For A Big Town As told numerous times, the emergence of Urban Blues was a by-product of the Great Migration of African Americans from the southern U.S. to points north. Undoubtedly affected, (for different reasons), by the Great Depression…

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Nina Simone – The High Priestess of Soul

Nina Simone - The High Priestess of Soul It was in the mid 80’s when Toronto’s short lived Village Vanguard North was advertising “Sunday Brunch With Nina Simone”

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Louis Prima – “The Wildest” – King Of The Swingers

“The audience never knows what comes next. And to tell you the truth, neither do we. We always throw them surprises, and they love it” - Louis Prima

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BOBBY “BLUE” BLAND – Blue is His Middle Name For a Reason

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Rico Ferrara - Blues For A Big Town Blog “He’s my favourite Blues singer.” BB King “Bobby Bland was just the man…He had exceptional delivery and understanding. He made you understand what the song means to him” Dan Penn, celebrated Southern Soul songwriter and singer “He is…

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About the Author

Rico Ferrara

Blues For A Big Town - “Blues to soothe your Soul”

Rico Ferrara, under the Blues For A Big Town banner, has been active in the music business in some capacity since late 1996.

Following a successful 20 plus year career in corporate marketing, he turned to his true passion: music; more specifically, Blues and R&B music.

He initially established Blues For A Big Town to produce shows showcasing  talent that he personally scouted. Accordingly, he promoted over 200 shows in various Ontario markets. Artists that he introduced to the Canadian market include: Tab BenoitTad Robinson, Chico Banks, Deanna BogartReba RussellJimmy Burns, and Michelle Willson, among others.

After promoting shows for a number of years, he became, what he likes to call, a music business generalist. That is, utilizing the skills and contacts from his time as a promoter, he diversified his business. He did so by adding talent buying and stage management (including the Beaches Jazz and Waterfront Blues festivals), media, booking, and business planning to his portfolio. Of these endeavours, Waterfront Blues merits special mention. The Festival ran for 10 years, and Rico enjoyed the responsibility and privilege of selecting and hiring of artists, of media initiatives, and of stage management.

In 2020 Rico started his latest venture – the Blues For A Big Town music blog – covering an array of artists and respective genres.

It’s been an interesting trip for the 6 year old boy who ran home every day to catch American Bandstand; and made that fateful first purchase of a “45” of Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang”.

 

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