Little Charlie & the Nightcats | |
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Origin | Sacramento, California, United States |
Genres | Electric blues,West Coast blues, jump blues, swing revival |
Instruments | Guitar, harmonica, bass, drums |
Years active | 1976–present |
Labels | Alligator Records |
Members | Kid Andersen Rick Estrin Lorenzo Farrell J. Hansen |
Past members | Charlie Baty Jay Peterson Dobie Strange Brad Lee Sexton Ronnie James Weber June Core Frankie Randall Joey Ventittelli Fletcher Fox Gerald (Jerry) Eddleman |
Little Charlie & the Nightcats (now billed as Rick Estrin & the Nightcats) is an American four-piece electric blues and swing revival combo, currently consisting of guitarist Kid Andersen, harmonicist and lead vocalist Rick Estrin, bassist Lorenzo Farrell and drummer J. Hansen.
Charles Baty (born 1953) was studying mathematics at University of California Berkeley when he and Rick Estrin (born 1949) formed Little Charlie & the Nightcats in 1976. Their first album, All the Way Crazy, was issued in 1987. It includes the songs "Poor Tarzan", "Suicide Blues" and "When Girls Do It". The following album, Disturbing the Peace (1988), included "That's My Girl", "My Money's Green", "She's Talking" and "Nervous". They began touring in the United States and internationally. They played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1980 and 1982, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the San Diego Street Scene, Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival and the Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival in 2002.
Their 1993 album, Night Vision, was produced by Joe Louis Walker, who also performed on it. The album included "My Next Ex-Wife," which won a W.C. Handy Award for Song of the Year. The band's drummer, Dobie Strange, was replaced by June Core in 1996.