Vocalist, saxophonist and songwriter/arranger, Bobby Hurricane Spencer lifts the spirits and moves the body with his deep soulful and funky blues.

Recently named by Elmore Magazine as one of the top six killer artists you need to hear right now, Bobby started his musical career in Oakland but now calls Los Angeles home.

He cut his teeth in the Chitlin’ Circuit of the Bay Area, anchored dead center in the horn section of the funk bands of Johnny Tolbert and De Thangs and Marvin Holmes and the Uptights. His trademark sound can be found on records by Timex Social Club, Sonny Rhodes, JJ Bad Boy Jones, Jimmy McCracklin, just to name a few and his original music appears on the Grammy nominated Force of Nature album by Koko Taylor.

Bobby Hurricane Spencer played behind such legends as Etta James, BB King, Big Joe Turner, Charles Brown, the Pointer Sisters and many others.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

 In this episode, we talked about:

• Who really created funk (it’s not who you may think)
• What exactly is the “chitlin circuit,” and how it helped Bobby’s career
• A Blues History lesson, with stories about his experiences performing with musicians like Etta James
• His funny story about his encounter with John Coltrane
• And how Charlie Parker and Paul Desmond influenced his playing

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