The Blues Band: 40 Years & Back for More

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2020 sees The Blues Band Celebrate their 40th year together

Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, Rob Townsend and Gary Fletcher.

Formed in 1979 by five virtuosos, already music industry veterans, The Blues Band are celebrating 40 glorious years as Britain and Europe's leading exponents of one of the greatest musical traditions of all time.

It began back then with Paul Jones, actor, singer, musician and radio presenter, no stranger to the pop charts throughout the 1960s as front man for the hugely successful Manfred Mann. Fellow Manfred member, Tom McGuinness, shared the same love of the blues - he'd started out with Eric Clapton in The Roosters.

They brought in legendary slide guitar maestro and singer Dave Kelly, who brought along a talented fellow musician, bassist Gary Fletcher. With the addition of Tom's chart-topping partner from McGuinness Flint, drummer Hughie Flint, (ex John Mayall's Blues Breakers), that first line-up stormed the post-punk music scene, and contrary to their expectations, they soon had an international career playing the music they loved.

After two and a half years, Flint left due to the pressures of touring. His place was admirably filled by another fine drummer, Rob Townsend, a member of one of Britain's most eclectic, legendary outfits, Family.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. But what history. TV, films, a stadium tour with Dire Straits, over 20 albums and thousands of shows later, they've earned a worldwide reputation as one of the finest exponents of the blues tradition in all its forms.

With this all-star line-up, it's hardly surprising. What's on offer is always the same; a stunning menu of original compositions and blues classics, all delivered with passion, knowledge, love of the genre and entertaining showmanship. Other blues groups come and go, but it takes something special to achieve the iconic prestige they've earned. If you want to know what 40 years of skill and devotion sound like, here's your chance - if you love the blues, it doesn't get any better than The Blues Band