SunnyLand Bluesband

The Sunnyland Bluesband is considered by many to be the seminal German Bluesband. In addition to being 2-time winner of the "Talking Blues" award in Cologne, Germany, it‘s turbulent history includes many important festival dates in and outside of Germany and three highly-praised recordings. In 1997 they succeeded, as first German band ever, in placing themselves in the North American Blues Charts. More than anything else, it is the electrifying live performances of the band that had people talking. sunnyland bluesband

Whether at large festivals such as "Rock Over Germany" in Mainz-Finthen (1994), "Lahnstein Bluesfestival" (1997), Daytona-Europe-Festival in Lahr (1997), Zürich Bluesfestival (1999), Jazzfestival Kempten (1998, 2000), or on smaller club stages like Café Hahn (Koblenz), Ducsaal (Freudenburg) or the Downtown Bluesclub in Hamburg, these guys proved themselves to be the real deal- no arrangement is so good that a little improvisation can't improve.

This Little-Feat-esque feeling made every Sunnyland Bluesband concert a unique experience. In addition, the band could write - there was plenty of room in their very loose definition of "the Blues" for elements a la Little Feat, J.J. Cale, Ry Cooder, Allman Brothers or Dire Straits, which, paradoxically, gave their music a sound all it's own. This mixture has not only reaped praise from international Blues giants such as B.B. King, John Mayall, Johnny Winter and Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), but also from Pop, Rock, and Jazz stars like Alannah Myles, Golden Earring, and Klaus Doldinger.

The band featured the American brother and sister duo of Shaun Williamson (Ex-Atlanta Rhythm Section) and Shelly Bonet on lead vocals, the stellar guitar work of Gerd Vogel, the masterful stylings of Thomas Klippel on Hammond Organ, and the rock solid rhythm section of Tom Bornemann on Bass guitar and Martin Stehl on drums.