Born March 9, 1944 in Hamilton, Canada, "Biscuit" started his career by stealing his first harmonica (Marine Band, key of B) from a joke shop on Hamilton Mountain and never looked back. By age 20, Richard was playing harp with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks until Ronnie decided his "new Hawks" were so much trouble they could "fuck up a crowbar" and so, fired the whole band. Within weeks, the Canadian Juno-nominated group, Crowbar, was formed and a record deal with Daffodil signed. Richard stayed for two albums and then stepped out on his own, signing a major American deal with Paramount / Epic. Seven solo albums followed, along with two Juno nominations for Best Blues Album and Best Blues Artist. Once called by the guitarist, Keith Richards in Rolling Stone Magazine, "the best white blues harmonica player in the world", the great "King Biscuit Boy" found his way home to Race Records where he reunited with fellow Crowbar saxman, Sonny Del-Rio, cutting the blues nugget, Two Hound Blues and playing on Sonny's 40 Years of Rock & Roll and all I got's the Blues.
On Jan. 5, 2003, we lost the Great Blues Man but his legacy lives on.
title:Two Hound Blues A combination of six lost tracks from the 1981 King Biscuit Boy album, Blues Biscuits and the 1991 Sonny Del-Rio effort, 40 Years of Rock & Roll and all I got's the Blues, recorded in 2002.
In 2005, this work received the Hamilton Music Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.
Blue Light Boogie
Hard Times (page track)
recorded at
42nd Street Studio
by Richard Lightheart
Cross Eyed Bear Studio
by Chris Scroope
Grant Avenue Studio
by Bob Doidge
A Cellar Full of Noise
by Georgie Fab
produced by
Georgie Fab / Darcy Hepner
mixed at
Sounds Interchange
by John Stewart
Grant Avenue Studio
by Bob Doidge
The Metal Works
by L. Stu Young
(Juno Award, 2004, Best Engineer)
mastered at
The Metal Works
by Nick Blagona
horn arrangements
Darcy Hepner
vocals, harmonica
Richard Newell
("King Biscuit Boy")
vocals, saxes
Sonny Del-Rio
saxes, clarinet, organ
Darcy Hepner
drums
Claude DeJardines
Jack Pedler
Bobby Hayden
Randy Scott
bass
Roberto Occhipinti
Neil Nickafor
Johnny Stone
Ronnie Lodge
