Rag Mama Rag » Rag Mama Rag | Country Blues | Acoustic Blues | Live Blues Band http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag Old Fashion Blues at it's best Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:27:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Léobard. Abbaye Nouvelle : soirée jazz et blues Le 20 Aout 2011 http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/leobard-abbaye-nouvelle-soiree-jazz-et-blues-le-20-aout-2011 http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/leobard-abbaye-nouvelle-soiree-jazz-et-blues-le-20-aout-2011#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:49:18 +0000 Rag Mama Rag http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/?p=778

Article in La Depeche du Midi 24/08/11 http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2011/08/24/1152284-leobard-abbaye-nouvelle-soiree-jazz-et-blues.html

Gary Brooker and his group supported by  the duo Rag Mama Rag

Saturday, August 20, the Association for the Protection of the Abbaye Nouvelle in Leobard, France, chaired by Paul Barrière, offered an evening of Jazz and Blues, with the opening act, the duo “Rag Mama Rag” followed by Gary Brooker and Judy Blair. The first part of the evening was superb. The duo, Ashley and Deborah Dow, using several instruments each (Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele for him, harmonica, washboard percussion, spoons for her)  played with heart, interpreting  country blues, swing, ragtime and their personal compositions. Then came the second part. Gary Brooker on piano, Judy Blair at the organ, two guitarists and a drummer. Under the arch of the lower room of the Abbey, though 44 years have passed since his debut in the band Procol Harum, Gary`s voice was faultless .

The audience, fascinated until the end listened to the famous “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” global success of 1967. To continue the magic, the duo “Rag Mama Rag” joined the five artists for the last few numbers. The party was over, but all will cherish the memory of that August evening and often watch videos shot that night, hoping perhaps that the local association will have them back a third time.

Photo courtesy of  Malcolm Lewis

]]> http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/leobard-abbaye-nouvelle-soiree-jazz-et-blues-le-20-aout-2011/feed 0 Rag Mama Rag in Blues in Britain issue 59 http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/rag-mama-rag-in-blues-in-britain-issue-59 http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/rag-mama-rag-in-blues-in-britain-issue-59#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:18:34 +0000 Rag Mama Rag http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/?p=296 SUTTON BLUES COLLECTIVE
Station Pub, Sutton Coldfield 4/10/06

Blues in Britain/issue 59
France based Rag Mama Rag (husband and wife team Deborah and Ashley Dow) put on a superlative performance at The Sutton Blues Collective this Wednesday.  They were exactly the right sort of act for the ambience of this club.  A complex combination of traditional country blues with songs from names such as Tampa Red, Leadbelly, Robert Johnson and Blind Boy Fuller were performed together with original songs penned by Ashley Dow,  and even a Ry cooder tune.  Ashley has a voice ideally suited to singing this style of blues.  Both halves of the set were a seemingly endless stream of songs accompanied by Ashley’s fast and driving guitar playing backed by Deborah playing at different times on washboard, harmonica, spoons and an African drum, occasionally providing backup vocals.  There was even a couple of numbers played on the ukulele to provide light relief from the more intense sons.
During the interval I spoke to Ashley about his guitars.  His main instrument during the evening was a Washburn parlour sized guitar.  The other two guitars were a 1990′s National and a John Pearce copy of a 1930′s Wiessenborn lap steel guitar, a thing of great beauty with Ashley proudly told me that he’d managed to get in a bargain from a well known online auction house.  Rag Mama Rag is definitely an act not to be missed.

Clive Sheard

]]> http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/rag-mama-rag-in-blues-in-britain-issue-59/feed 0 Rollin Mill Stomp Review http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/rollin-mill-stomp-review http://rag-mama-rag.com/ragmamarag/blog/rollin-mill-stomp-review#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:16:09 +0000 Rag Mama Rag http://rag-mama-rag.com/?p=9

Acoustic duo Rag Mama Rag  comprises husband and wife, Ashley and Debbie Dow, who are English, but live in France.  Ashley sings and plays any number of stringed instruments, including guitars, mandolin, ukulele and bass.  Debbie adds harmonica, washboard, percussion and backing vocals.  I didn’t  know what to expect when I put this CD on , in fact if   I’m honest, I didn’t expect a lot, but life if full of pleasant surprises and Rollin  Mill Stomp proved to be one.  What we have here are 17 tracks of superb country blues, jug band music and the like, including such delights as Viola Lee Blues from Cannon’s Jug Stompers, You may leave from the Memphis Jug Band, Blind Blake’s You’re gonna quite me, plus a couple by Fuller, one by Bukka etc.

Ashley and Debbie have come up with excellent arrangements for all the tracks and Ashley has added two titles of his own to the collection, Minor Evacuation and the quasi-Hawaiian Paradise Swing featuring some super slide playing.  It has to be said that all of the guitar playing, slide or picked, is first rate throughout.  I  found out that Ashley once played with the Boze Brothers, a fine acoustic outfit of a few years back.  Debbie blows great country blues harp and uses washboard (or planche a laver as it says in the accompanying French bumf) to great effect in the arrangements, and in her hands it is a real percussion instrument rather than a novelty item.

The band apparently do all of their gigging on the continent, but I think it’s time we saw them over here.  They’d  be just as good for festivals as for smaller venues.  In the meantime, if you like acoustic down-home blues, buy this CD.

Rating 9 Michael Prince.

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