For more than two decades B.B. & THE BLUES SHACKS have been playing their unique blend of Blues and Soul all over Europe and overseas. They just returned from a Californian tour where they also performed at the famous Russian River Blues & Jazz Festival sharing stages with Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, WAR a.o. From a combo strictly devoted to 1940s and '50s Jump Blues and R&B, the BBs matured into one of Europe's leading contemporary blues and soul bands.
With plenty of style and taste, the band's original songs and music are based on the legacy of African-American music which experienced its heydays from the mid-fifties to the late 1960s. Vintage music in its purest form.
Bonita complements vocalist Michael Arlt and the other band members. Her vocal style is sweet, powerful and soulful, performing blues and soul numbers with deep feeling, intensity and rocking fun! We really don't know - but it's likely that the South Africa-born singer grew up listening to the music of Ann Peebles, Aretha Franklin, Ruth Brown or Barbara Lynn. In Europe today, the term 'female blues' is often associated with pale looking girlies hanging on to their electric guitars. With her elegant appearance BONITA really stands out. The combination of this unique singer with the tight BBs combo appears to be the perfect vehicle in terms of transporting blues and soul music from the past into the present.
Line-up:
Bonita Niessen - vocals
Andreas Arlt - guitar, vocals
Michael Arlt - vocals, harmonica
Henning Hauerken - electric + upright bass
Andre Werkmeister - drums, percussion
Fabian Fritz - piano, organ