Bill Wharton

Bill Wharton, aka "The Sauce Boss," takes a novel approach to blues performing, combining his love of cooking with his passion for gutsy guitar playing and singing. Wharton, who cooks up gumbo while on stage, is no flash in the pan, nor is his live act meant as some kind of cheap gimmickry; he is simply combining two things he's always loved to do: play music and cook dinner.

Known mostly for his live shows around Florida, where he sells his own homemade Liquid Summer Hot Sauce, Wharton has been fortunate in recent years to take his act to France, where he received rave reviews. By no means a straight-ahead blues player, the guitarist, singer and songwriter's recordings are a rootsy mix of blues, classic R&B and rockabilly-flavored tunes.

Wharton's albums for the Sanford, Fla.-based Kingsnake label include The Sauce Boss (1989), South of the Blues (1994) and Standing in the Fire (1996). He also recorded an album for the Atlanta-based Ichiban label in 1992, Cookin'. All of Wharton's albums reflect his eclectic tastes and include R&B tunes, roots-rock, swamp pop numbers, Delta blues, calypso and zydeco music.

While Wharton doesn't take himself seriously, he does take his music very seriously, and he deserves to be heard by a wider audience.