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“They are very, very good. That's why I keep having them back at my club”
— BUDDY GUY
“These guys are really good”
— BRUCE IGLAUER
Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy play traditional blues, straight up with a big dose of passion. With smoking grooves, served up with hot harmonica and smooth stinging guitar they play original songs peppered with nods to Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and the three Kings.
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Born and raised on south side of Chicago, the Reverend has been playing the blues since 1971 when he first saw Freddy King play at the Kinetic Theatre in Chicago. After 15 year hitch in the Navy, Chief Raven moved to Milwaukee where he began a long friendship and collaboration with Madison Slim, long time harmonica player for Jimmy Rogers.
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Westside Andy Linderman joined Rev and his band as a featured performer in 2014 after fronting his own band for 18 years. Rev and Andy have opened for B.B. King, Gatemouth Brown, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Luther Allison, William Clarke, Rod Piazza, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Pinetop Perkins, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, and numerous others.
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TESTIMONIALS
"Bloody excellent!."
HUGH LAURIE
"The Reverend's ability to keep a crowd going all night long is a matter of haunted local legend."
BRIAN BARNEY, SHEPHERD EXPRESS
"I've been a big fan of Reverend Raven for many years. Give his band one listen and you'll become a convert as well. Strong vocals and incredible guitar playing, along with swaggering sax or hot harp, and a rhythm section that locks it all together into mighty grooves, this is how today's Chicago-style blues should sound!"
DON 'T-BONE' ERIKSON, FOUNDING EDITOR, BLUES WAX MAGAZINE
“Andy Linderman is one of my very favorite harp players. His tone and phrasing are tops in my book.”
GARY PRIMICH, PREMIER HARP PLAYER
"Best in the midwest!"
JOHNNY RAWLS
Andy Linderman is a great player, a great heart, a great musicality and energy, and a great friend.”
CORKY SIEGEL, MUSICIAN/PRODUCER
“Andy blows harmonica on the virtuoso level, with great tone and an apparently endless stock of ideas, and beats the odds by doing it gracefully.”
TOM HYSLOP, BLUES REVIEW
"One of the best acts I've ever seen at the Bayfront Blues Festival."
BLUE MONDAY MAGAZINE
ACCOLADES AND AWARDS
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Latest CD, "My Life" (2018), #1 for 8 months on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Chicago Blues CDs
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Reverend Raven’s and Westside Andy’s 2015 Albums both hit the Roots Music Reports Top 30
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2016 Independent Blues Scene Award for Best Live CD
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2011 Blues Blast Music Award Nominee for Best Blues Band” and “Best Song”
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Grammy Award nomination, Best Blues Compilation CD: 2007
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Wisconsin Music Industry (WAMI) award, Best Blues Band: 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008 , 2010 and 2016
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Wisconsin Music Industry (WAMI) award, People’s Choice: 2006, 2008 and 2010
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Voted Milwaukee's Best Blues Band 2015, 2016 and 2017