KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AWARD RECIPIENT
GARY ALLEGRETTO IS AN AWARD WINNING AND INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED
PERFORMING AND RECORDING ARTIST, EDUCATOR, AND HUMANITARIAN
"Gary Allegretto is one of the finest harp players you'll hear" and "one of the classiest acts in the music business today"
~Blues Revue magazine
(Please scroll to bottom of this page to hear Gary's music)
"I cannot express enough gratitude for what you have done for the harmonica and for Hohner.
Without you, we would be less of a brand."
~ Clay Edwards, CEO, Hohner Harmonicas Inc.
GARY WINS IWMA MALE PERFORMER OF THE YEAR AWARD!
IWMA PRESS RELEASE, November 19, 2019
For the 15th year, the International Western Music Association (IWMA) Annual Awards Show was held Saturday, November 16, at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.
IWMA Member Gary Allegretto was named 2019 IWMA Male Performer of the Year.
A few of Gary's upcoming award-winning solo acoustic performances this spring include - Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous, UT (Mar. 6 & 7 with Gary's school harmonica program the week before), Vinton Cowboy Gathering, CA (Mar. 21 & 22), Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, CA (April 18 & 19), Genoa Cowboy Festival, Genoa, NV (April 24 & 25), Salado Cowboy Gathering, TX (May 1 & 2).
Contact Gary if interested in booking for a gathering, festival, venue or house concert in your area.
GARY IS NOMINATED FOR 4 PRESTIGIOUS 2019 IWMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Thanks to IWMA membership for honoring Gary by recognizing his work with THREE top-five finalist nominations for their 2019 Awards of Excellence:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
MALE PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
AUGUST TOUR DATES
~ Freeman Stage, Selbyville, DE - August 1 (Full band), https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-of-blues-with-gary-…
~ Riverfront Blues Festival, Wilmington, DE - August 3 (Full band, Main Stage), http://riverfrontbluesfestde.com/
~ Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering (Hosting & performing on Friday night show), Prescott, AZ - Aug 8-10, https://azcowboypoets.org/
~ International Blues Blowoff, Tulsa, OK - Aug 13, www.harmonicaplanet.com/blues-blowoff
~ Caverhill Fly Fishing Lodge (SOLD OUT), Barriere, B.C. Canada, August 26 - 29
GARYS NEW ACOUSTIC RECORD BLUES ON THE TRAIL GETS A RAVE REVIEW
IN LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE, FEB/MAR 2019 ISSUE
Gary Allegretto is a real adventurer, a man’s man. A former forest ranger, fire fighter, bouncer, lifeguard, rafting guide, cowboy and ranch hand, he has all the experience necessary to craft songs about hard luck, happenstance, wild times and romance. Still, cred isn’t limited to street smarts given his academic accreditation as well. After attending Northern Arizona University, he graduated summa cum laude and went on to receive numerous accolades, chart citations and high honors due not only to his music, but also to his work with an organization he founded called Harmonikids, through which he teaches musical skills to special needs kids worldwide.
Indeed, music is his major motivation, and as a performer, educator, workshop clinician, and recipient of the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive award, it’s clear he found his calling. A harp player of exceptional skill, he makes it a point to probe deep into the legacy of a uniquely American idiom. Allegretto's new album takes that intent several steps further by exploring the potential bonds shared by both the blues and trail riding traditions, which he suggests was spawned in the late 1800’s as newly freed slaves adapted their field songs to describe life on the trail and lives lived by wranglers and rowdies in the Old West - a connection to the blues that many academics overlook.
It’s appropriate then that Blues on the Trail often comes across as a series of dust-blown easy ambling shuffles, most acoustic in their framework with Allegretto’s nimble harmonica providing melody and distinction. The sources are obvious - cowboy culture (Blues on the Trail, Cowboys Gotta Be Free, A Horse Called the Bluesman, Another Mule), willful wanderlust (Wherever I Roam, No Place Like Home) and those that carved out a legacy even in the most unruly circumstance (Jack of Diamonds, When Dutchy Plays the Mouth Harp, Whittling Dynamite). The tempos vary but that archival imagery and essential blues motifs remain intact.
Ultimately, Blues on the Trail comes across as a set of songs grounded in both reflection and days gone by - kind of Zane Grey filtered through Robert Johnson - a fantastical campfire serenade for restless souls who can only dream about the trail coming to its end.
~ Lee Zimmerman
FEB 2019 ISSUE
http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/gary-allegretto-blues-on-the-trail-album-review/
On his fifth release, harmonica ace Gary Allegretto once again explores the confluence between blues and cowboy music. An award-winning Blues In The Schools educator, Allegretto is also a compelling vocalist and songwriter. Additionally, his life journey has taken him deep into the cowboy culture as a forest ranger, rafting guide, and a top-notch forest firefighter. His hard-earned knowledge is reflected in nine original songs, two co-written with guitarist Ian Espinoza, who contributes one original.
The title track opens the disc, Allegretto laying down a plaintive vocal over Espinoza’s acoustic guitar. Paul Eckman on bass and Steve Mugalian on drums set up a gently swinging rhythm underneath the tale of a man on the run from the law, his worried mind getting a measure of comfort from some well-crafted harp licks. “Black Diamond” is a fast paced rendering about a magnificent horse and the man who tamed him, while a second tune, “A Horse Called The Bluesman,” continues spotlighting the special relationship between a cowboy and his mount. At first glance, “Another Mule” would seem to be one more tribute to a four-legged partner. Instead, it is a dark tune about suspicions involving the wrongdoings of the proverbial back door man.
Espinoza switches to a National Reso-phonic guitar on a stirring version of the traditional song, “Jack Of Diamonds”. The interplay between his instrument and Allegretto’s harp make this track one of the disc’s highlights. The same guitar is also used on Steve Earle’s “The Firebreak Line,” a proud declaration of the firefighters’ courage and devotion to their team, something that Allegretto knows all too well. “Every Silver Lining” rolls along with a shuffle groove and plenty of dark humor about a man who never seems to catch a break, seemingly with a storm cloud always overhead. Allegretto’s witty nature comes to the fore again on “Whittling Dynamite,” a jaunty look at a male who can’t resist the attraction of women that should wear a warning sign, a man “…with equal parts stupidity and testosterone.”
“When Dutchy Plays The Mouth Harp” is an energetic piece that would fit perfectly around the campfire at the end of a long day of trail riding. Allegretto gets plenty of space to showcase his considerable skill with the harp. The band lays down a steady-rolling groove on “No Place Like Home,” while the leader shares his love for the road, where he can escape life’s travails. That theme is revisited on “Cowboys Got To Be Free,” a country-tinged acoustic gem with more of Allegretto’s dynamic harmonica blowing. The disc closes with a touching ballad, “Wherever I Roam,” as the singer once again extols the freedom of a life under the stars – another song to play by the campfire late in the evening. Tom Corbett on mandolin adds a wistful touch.
Some readers might hesitate on this recording because of the cowboy references. That would be a huge mistake. Gary Allegretto and his musical friends have crafted a top-notch disc filled with quality material and acoustic performances expertly rendered with plenty of feeling, something that is sorely lacking in many releases. The fact that he looks at life from the cowboy perspective in no way diminishes the soul of the blues at the heart of this project.
GARY ALLEGRETTO BAND'S LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO HARVELLE'S
Thurs. Nov. 29th, 9 PM - Close
1432 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401 (http://harvelles.com)
LA's best Blues dance party band for 2 1/2 decades. Only LA appearance, featuring songs from the new CD.
HIGH PRAISE FOR GARY'S NEW CD "BLUES ON THE TRAIL"
"Gary Allegretto masterfully weaves his impressive style of Western music with his unique approach to the Blues in a manner that would make Leadbelly proud... With his own extraordinary musicianship backed by longtime band mates and the stellar guitar work of his good friend Ian Espinoza, Allegretto gallops past standard Blues fare and delivers a gem of a record.”
~ DJ Greg Schultz, KGNU, Boulder, CO
THE NEW CD HAS ARRIVED!
Currently nominated for eight AWA awards including:
BEST ARTIST, BEST CD, and BEST SONG (6 songs)
In his 5th recording, Allegretto leaves the well-trodden path of standard fare and blazes a new trail creating a rare, original, exciting, and cohesively themed record that intently and seamlessly mixes Blues and Cowboy genres - completely fresh and classic at the same time.
"Gary Allegretto masterfully weaves his impressive style of Western music with his unique approach to the Blues in a manner that would make Leadbelly proud... With his own extraordinary musicianship backed by longtime band mates and the stellar guitar work of his good friend Ian Espinoza, Allegretto gallops past standard Blues fare and delivers a gem of a record.”
~ Blues DJ Greg Schultz, KGNU, Boulder, CO
"Pure entertainment, "Blues on the Trail" is a gift to the Western music, raising the bar high for quality and professionalism. Drawing on the deep roots of the blues and cowboy music, the traditional and original tunes shine with originality and impressive talent. Rich with varied musical artistry and inspired lyrics, Blues on the Trail offers humor, adventure, history, matters of the heart, and more. Freedom and life on the road figure largely, and a line from “No Place Like Home” epitomizes the theme in true blues fashion, “There ain’t no place like home, that is why I love the road.”
~Margo Metegrano
"A riveting adventure. Blues on the Trail takes you at full gallop across the American landscape on a ride you won't forget!"
~ DJ Peter Bruce, KAFF, Flagstaff, AZ
TO PURCHASE ONLINE:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/garyallegretto3
Or, get a signed copy by sending $20 to:
Gary Allegretto, 2144 Beech Knoll Road, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(Also available on iTunes)
Gary will be performing at the
31st annual Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering in Prescott, AZ
August 9, 10, 11
The Gary Allegretto Band is the headline act
at the Chester County Blues Festival
on June 2nd, 2018. All info about this great event is at:
http://www.chestercountyblues.com
An Acoustic Evening with Gary Allegretto & Andy Hedges (renowned artist from Lubbock, TX)
Acoustic Blues, Roots, Cowboy Music, Poetry and Storytelling
Hosted by Diane Adams-Huml
This Saturday, May 12 at 6 PM
28303 Alaminos Dr, Santa Clarita, CA 91350-1416
Gary Allegretto Solo and Acoustic
Arizona Folklore Preserve Theater
Sierra Vista, AZ, April 7 & 8
All Info:
Blues Singer and Harmonica Master Gary Allegretto
With Guitar Virtuoso Joe LaSorte
in Kauai. Hawaii
Trees Lounge, 9:00 PM, November 9 & 12
MORE INFO HERE
Blues Revue Magazine raves: "Gary Allegretto is one of the best harp players you'll hear" and "one of the classiest acts in the music business today...taking the time to craft music noted not only for it's quality but for it's authenticity".The internationally touring, Los Angeles - based Bluesman's critically acclaimed music has been considered for two Grammy Award nominations, topped the Blues and Roots radio charts, andbeen featured on the soundtracks of major motion pictures and television.Hohner, the world's leading harmonica manufacturer, has endorsed Gary for over two decades. Catch this rare Gary Allegretto performance at Trees Lounge and you'll see why he's a recipient of one of the Blues Foundation's highest honors - the "Keeping the Blues Alive Award".
SATURDAY NIGHT HEADLINE PERFORMANCE
AT THE 32nd ANNUAL TEXAS COWBOY GATHERING
Gary brings his own brand of "Harmonicowboy Blues" performing solo and acoustic on March 2nd and 3rd at the 32nd annual Texas Cowboy Gathering in Alpine Texas.
More info:
Gary is honored to be teaching and performing at the 2017 Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas June 6-8.
All levels are encouraged to register for the harmonica workshop. Don't miss this excellent opportunity to learn from Gary and fellow acclaimed instructors Peter Madcat Ruth and Rob Roy Parnell.
All info here: http://www.kerrville-music.com/harmonica-workshop
Gary Reminisces About
Playing with Prince
Shine on Prince. I had the rare opportunity to both meet and play the Blues with him about 20 years ago when he showed up with his entourage at my gig in the VIP room of "Sanctuary" - an exclusive night club in Beverly Hills. His body guard approached me asking "Can my boss, the 'Artist Formerly Known as Prince' sit in with your band?" Of course I said yes. Up he stepped in in a white glitter jump suit and platform shoes. I asked what I should call him (he was using the "symbol" at the time) and he replied "Just call me your buddy" smiling broadly. Grinning back, I replied "Okay buddy… which of your songs do you want to play?" He quickly responded "I want to play the Blues with you guys". I called out one of my songs which he supported with very tasty but fairly reserved guitar rhythm work… at first. After I sang verses and played a harp solo I nodded to him to take a guitar solo. He jumped from the stage, and then laid spread eagle on his back in the crowd and fully WAILED on the guitar! I mean he completely cut loose Jimi Hendrix style. It was masterful. The audience stood around him in a circle in utter astonishment. When he returned to stage we had a blast trading solo licks back and forth in a high-speed harmonica-guitar faux duel. The crowd went crazy. When it ended he left the stage and departed with his crew. This was back before everyone had cell phone cameras so sadly there was no photo or video documentation. But everyone who saw it still raves about it 20 years later - and I know it will be etched in our memories forever. Thank you for sharing some Blues with me "buddy".
~ Gary Allegretto
GARY RETURNS AS HARMONICA DIRECTOR
AT THE PINETOP PERKINS FOUNDATION'S MASTERCLASS WORKSHOP
FOR HIS 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Gary is very honored and pleased to be part of the Pinetop Perkins Foundation's Workshop Experience and Blues Showcase in his fifth consecutive year. His esteemed fellow instructors are Bob Margolin (musical director), John Del Toro Richardson (guitar), and Victor Wainwright (piano). It culminates with a showcase performance at Morgan Freeman's famed Ground Zero Blues Club. For aspiring Blues players of all ages and levels.
For more info:
http://www.pinetopperkinsfoundatio n.org/ 2016-workshop-experience.
GARY IS PROMINENTLY FEATURED
IN THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DOCUMENTARY FILM
"SIDEMEN"
ALONGSIDE FAMOUS ARTISTS SUCH AS GREGG ALLMAN, ELVIN BISHOP, BONNIE RAITT & MORE
REVOLVING AROUND THE LEGENDARY BLUESMEN
PINETOP PERKINS, HUBERT SUMLIN AND WILLIE SMITH
The film will premiere at this year's 2016 SXSW Festival
Gary is very honored to have been asked to provide the harmonica soundtrackfor Golden Globe/Oscar/Emmy award-winning film composer Mychael Dannafor a celebrated scene in the blockbuster Disney Pixar animated movie
"THE GOOD DINOSAUR"
Here's the VIDEO of the scene:
VIDEO
Gary plays his original train song "Untrainable"
on stage in his performance at the Augusta Heritage Center.
GARY RETURNS WITH HIS BAND AT THIS MALIBU HOTSPOT ON 5/14/16
Gary returns for his 4th year as the harmonica instructor
for the Pinetop Perkins Foundation
With fellow instructors: Bob Margolin, John Del Toro Richardson, Victor Wainwright
For more information visit:
http://www.pinetopfoundation.org./masterclass15.html
Gary has been invited to teach and perform at the prestigious
2014 Augusta Blues and Swing Week in Elkins, WV.
SEE DETAILS HERE
GARY WILL BE PERFORMING WITH HIS BAND
AND TEACHING HARMONICA AT THE 25TH ANNUAL SIMI VALLEY CAJUN AND BLUES FESTIVAL
SEE: http://www.simicajun.org/2014/artists/garyallegretto/index.html
GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB PERFORMANCE, CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI 
"Gary Allegretto is top-notch. He has the talent to play that harp like few in the music business.
He mezmerized the big crowd with his performance at Ground Zero Blues Club on June 14th, 2013."
~ Bill Luckett, Mayor of Clarksdale Mississippi and co-owner of Ground Zero Blues Club (with Actor Morgan Freeman)
GARY'S RETURNS TO PERFORM WITH HIS BAND AND TEACH HARMONICA WORKSHOPS
AT THE 2014 SIMI VALLEY BLUES AND CAJUN FESTIVAL
"Gary Allegretto knocked it out of the park with his Harmonica Workshop at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival. A week after the festival we are still getting positive comments from our attendees and media loved it and are including the workshop in their reviews. Thank you Gary."
~Jeff Newby, Director of the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival*
SEE FULL ARTICLE HERE
This top-selling item at Hohner is the perfect gift for yourself, family, or friends - and your purchase benefits kids with special needs! The Harmonikids harmonica sells for only $14.99 and is currently available for purchase from your favorite Hohner dealer or online at:
http://www.hohnershop.com/harmonikids-harmonica/
"When I was a kid, my grandfather gifted me his own harmonica in a magical moment that changed my life. I still have and cherish it. It was a Hohner.
Many years later I am so very proud and honored to be announcing my own signature Hohner Harmonikids model harmonica. It will be sold in stores around the country this fall and a portion of the proceeds will support my Harmonikids work with challenged children worldwide. My deep heartfelt thanks to Hohner for their fine products, generosity, and humanitarian spirit."
~Gary Allegretto
HOHNER PROUDLY ANNOUNCES IT'S ALLIANCE WITH GARY'S HARMONIKIDS PROGRAMS
AND GARY"S "BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS" SESSIONS
Hohner is the world's top harmonica manufacturer. As a performing and recording artist Gary has been an official Hohner endorsee for decades. This year Hohner announced its alliance with Gary's nonprofit organization Harmonikids as well, providing a generous sponsorship program to assist Gary in performing humanitarian work worldwide. Subsequently, they have also provided Gary an exclusive and unique grant to sponsor Gary's "Blues In the Schools" programs. Hohner's official press release states:
Hohner, Inc. is proud to announce the company’s alliance with Harmonikids, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing harmonicas & the joy of music into the lives of special needs children. Hohner, Inc. has partnered with Harmonikids founder, artist, educator and 2011 Keeping Blues Alive Award recipient Gary Allegretto, to provide harmonicas and musical instruction to children beset with a wide range of physical, emotional, and/or economic challenges. Harmonikids’ seminars and events have introduced children throughout the world to the healing and restorative powers of music since 1985, utilizing the harmonica to create unique avenues for music therapy and education in environments ranging from children’s hospitals to tsunami-ravaged North Sumatra. Each child participating in a Harmonikids event is gifted with his or her own Hohner harmonica and afforded the rare opportunity to receive musical instruction and inspiration from a professional musician and educator in a supportive and nurturing environment. Clay Edwards, President of Hohner, Inc. recently commented, “Hohner endeavors to be a part of everyone’s musical life. If music provides an outlet for these children to express themselves and their condition, then by all means we have an obligation to support and foster it. Harmonikids is a first class organization with its heart in the right place and Gary Allegretto couldn’t be better in relating to the children”.
For a link to Hohner's web press release, please click HERE.
TREMBLANT INTERNATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS
Gary was a featured performer and workshop leader at the Tremblant Interntional Blues Festival (http://www.tremblantblues.com/artists/#all). Hohner and Irene Ippersiel, president of the Montreal Blues Society, helped sponor Gary's Harmonikids session with local kids. For the full story read the Montreal Blues Society article: CLICK HERE . And also see American Blues News article coverage: CLICK HERE
Though the festival featured over 70 acts in it's 10 day schedule on 6 stages, Le Net Blues (an internet Blues Magazine) singled out Gary Allegretto's duo performances (accompanied by Ian Espinoza on guitar/vocals) as one of the highlights of the Festival. The review states that they "performed with remarkable intensity" and "it's with a standing ovation that Mr. Allegretto left Tremblant with a smile on his lips." For the story see:
http://www.lenetblues.com/Tremblant-2011.html
~ 2011 KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AWARD ~
Pinetop was a true legend.. and a true character. I first saw him play with Muddy Waters band at the Tower Theater when I was 18 ~ still the best Blues show I ever saw. I literally pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming when I had the opportunity to share the stage and studio with him many years down the road.
I'll never forget when I first met Pinetop at the studio during our 2005 recording session for Rich DelGrosso's CD "Get your Nose Outta My Bizness". He had stepped outside for a smoke. After politely letting me gush about his work and flatter him he finally just took a long drag on his cigarette and said "yeah okay. I love you too." At the CD release party Pinetop (who had just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys) played brilliantly late into the night. As he left the stage he pointed directly to me and said "you keep the business going". My heart stopped and I just said "yes sir", realizing that this was not just another reason to take the work of "Keeping the Blues Alive" seriously ~ but direct orders from the last of the great Mississippi Bluesmen.
In the video of us performing "Got my Mojo Working" when Pine was a young man of 92, I think you can see how much fun we (Rich, David Kida, Ernie Scarbrough, Jeff Turmes, and I) had playing with him and how incredibly ageless he was on stage:
I included a song I played on from Rich's album at the bottom of this page. The song started out with Pine just warming up and fooling around on the piano and wisely, engineer Lenise quickly switched on the controls to capture it. Thus, Rich called it "Smokin' and Jokin' with Pinetop" (see the very last thing at the bottom of this page). Rich's website is at http://www.mandolinblues.com/.
~ Gary
Gary's "Four Days Late" was chosen out of over 500 submissions and won first place in Alternate Root Magazine's Songs For Social Change Contest by a wide margin of nearly 20% with over 1400 votes. The song features vocals by Ivan Neville and Janiva Magness. In Gary’s words “I wrote the song for the victims of the Hurricane Katrina in the midst of the disaster in New Orleans. I was honored to have been invited to New Orleans by Ivan Neville to record him directly at the Neville Brothers studio. The next day through my nonprofit (www.harmonikids.org) I gave harmonicas and lessons to kids at the Martin Luther King School in the Ninth Ward... the first school to reopen there. Among others, I taught them a celebrated song for social change; Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land". I feel "Four Days Late" addresses a part of American history that should not be forgotten ~ as important now as it was then.”
Other accolades:
"Four Days Late" has also recently been honored to be chosen out of more than 400 submissions as a 2011 selection on the Folk Alliance International's first "War & Politics" Compilation CD and Download site. See http://www.folkalliance.org/ for more info.
"Four Days Late" was also chosen by Bob Margolin as one of the songs offered by his organization to raise money for the victims of the Gulf oil spill disaster. Please visit "Blues For The Gulf" at: http://www.bluesforthegulf.org/
Recently under Grammy consideration! As the title suggests, it's all here: rockin', swampy, greasy, Piedmont ~ with inspired musicianship & engaging songs that tell stories ~ featuring prominent artists including Ivan Neville, Janiva Magness, John Cephas. © Copyright-Gary Allegretto Record Label: Big Fiore Records
