Current projects
Acoustic Trio
100 % Acoustic!
Big Daddy Wilson and two amazing guitarists, Jochen Bens (“Skinny Joe”) & Michael van Merwyk (“Big Chief “). The sound that comes from these two Guitarists is truly amazing, breath taken solo’s, fingerpicking good.
Two different styles - one traditional, one classic - together a unique mélange from country, blues, roots & soul - world music at its best. Equipped with slide guitar, Weissenborn, Dobro and BDW on percussions (Conga, Cajon and HiHat) provides the perfect platform for the deep rich baritone voice of BDW, the storyteller. Bound to make a lot of music lovers very happy indeed.
This trio sounds like a band, nothing is missing!
"Big Chief" Michael van Merwyk
Michael has become famous as one of only a few lap steel guitar players in the blues business. His musical instrument with its weeping sound is typically played in the country music while placed on the player's lap. He not only looked up to his blues idols for inspiration; his songs, now and then, also reflect other forms of music.
Michael performs and entertains fans at large festivals and also smaller clubs throughout Europe, either together in an acoustic duo with a blues harp player and singer Gerd Gorge as Delta Boys or his own band called Bluesoul.
He developed his artistic skills in a house band in one of the most famous Blues clubs in Germany in Rheda-Wiedenbrück called the ROADHOUSE. In the past, the Roadhouse hosted a plethora of various music legends such as Jimmy Rogers, Lazy Lester, Joe Louis Walker, Larry Garner, Jimmy Johnson, etc. During their European tours, these great artists performed at the Roadhouse and equipped this young talented rookie musician with the music wisdom, tutored him, often asked him to perform in jam sessions on the stage, and hired him as a part of the band (Michael can be heard on Larry Garner's live CD "Embarrassment to the Blues" released by the RUF-Records and performs as a guitar player for Big Daddy Wilson).
"Skinny Joe" Jochen Bens
Artists played with: Tommy Schneller, Bernard Allison, Angela Brown, Albie Donelly, Big Daddy Wilson, Butch Williams, Sydney Youngblood, Henrik Freischlader, Dave Goodman, Harriet Lewis, Blues Company, Red Holloway, Eric Bibb, Gregor Hilden, Lillian Boutte, Abi Wallenstein, Alexander Klaws, Klaus Doldinger, Steve ‚Big Man’ Clayton, Peter Weniger u.a.
