BIOGRAPHY   What is Little Dixie? It's classic soul, r&b, blues and new country (Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Los Lobos, Keb Mo, Boz Scaggs) alongside expertly-crafted original material, all a vehicle for the belting blue-eyed soul voice of Mutter Slater, the former Stackridge frontman. He's joined onstage by a veritable supergroup of West Country musicians from the Custer's/Steamer Ducks/Elderly Brothers stable. Before coming to prominence in the 1970s with Stackridge, Mutter plied his trade all over the South West from the age of fourteen, singing with local r&b bands. With Little Dixie, Mutter returns to his roots, and finds the perfect vehicle for his prodigious writing skills. ------------------- Mutter Slater (vocals, flute, rhythm guitar) was spotted by the future manager of Stackridge playing with his band at Glastonbury Town Hall. It wasn't too hard to persuade him to move to Bristol, where he joined Stackridge in 1970. He then embarked with the band on a gruelling series of one-nighters all over the U.K., developing his legendary and blindingly idiosyncratic stage act (slippers, grey flannels, dustbin lids etc.), alongside the band's strongly melodic yet equally quirky songs and instrumentals. The band was signed to MCA records in 1971, recording their debut album 'Stackridge' that year, followed by 'Friendliness' and the George Martin-produced 'Man in the Bowler Hat' in '72 and '73.  All this, combined with constant gigging in the UK and Europe (including a tour with Jethro Tull), plus recordings for John Peel and Bob Harris at the BBC, resulted in temporary burn-out and several personnel changes in 1973/74. The band rose fag-end like from the ashes with 'Extravaganza' in 1975 and 'Mr. Mick' in '76 on Elton John's Rocket label, before financial constraints brought about Stackridge's eventual demise. Mutter then enjoyed the glamorous life of leather-tanning, car valeting and a car-hire business, keeping his hand in by playing r&b and soul to the good peoples of Somerset and Dorset. After a few false starts, he's managed to find the four other like-feeling and thinking individuals who now comprise Little Dixie. ------------------- Richard Edwards (guitars) picked up guitar at the age of seven, and performed his first gig aged eleven. He was a part of the thriving Hereford music scene that Chrissie Hynde cherry-picked to form The Pretenders. He played for two years with Karakoram alongside Pretenders drummer-to-be Martin Chambers, until Chambers broke both arms in a freak accident, prompting Richard to quit. After a twenty year layoff, he was coaxed out of retirement by country/bluegrass experts the Elderly Brothers, a spell highlighted when Lonnie Donegan joined the band on stage one night, reminding Richie why he picked up the guitar at the age of seven. Equally accomplished in rock, blues and country styles on conventional, slide or lap steel guitar, Richard demands instruments of the highest quality so he makes them himself. ------------------- Chris Lonergan (bass, backing vocals) began his musical career playing in a succession of local bands in and around Weymouth, Dorset, a couple of which 'hit the woodwork' in terms of music business success. He then returned to his first love, i.e. blues and r&b, enjoying a long spell with Custer's Last Blues Band and Brahms & Liszt, the seminal blues outfits in the South West of England.   Chris then teamed up with ex-Pretenders and Paul McCartney guitarist Robbie McIntosh, with whom he formed the Steamer Ducks, a full-on Chicago blues-style band. He joined McIntosh in a number of other musical projects, including a series of gigs in Douglas Adams' front room alongside the likes of David Gilmour, Gary Brooker, Margo Buchanan and Paul 'Wix' Wickens. This, with drummer Paul Beavis, was the line-up that played at Adams' memorial service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields church in London in September 2001. This celebration of Douglas's life was broadcast live around the world via BBC World Service web cast.   With McIntosh, 'cellist Chas Dickie and drummer Chris Page, Chris recorded the musically ambitious and critically acclaimed album Nine Stones under the name Polygenes.    In 1992, Chris, percussionist Steve Mutter and pianist/vocalist Sammy Hurden formed the Jess Upton Soul Band, a nine-piece soul/funk review showcasing Jess's extraordinary vocal prowess.   Chris has worked with boogie piano phenomenon Ben Waters for over ten years. Together they have played at the Cork Jazz Festival (for the last six years), the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the 100 Club, Ronnie Scott’s (London and Birmingham), the Glastonbury Festival (1999 and 2000) The Cambridge Folk Festival 2002, The Trowbridge Festival 2004 where they topped the bill on the Sunday night, and various other festivals in Britain, Europe and Scandinavia, recording three albums during that time. The most recent, Shakin' in the Makin', features three Waters/Lonergan compositions and a piano duet in which Ben trades licks with Jools Holland.   Chris combined bass playing and road managing duties on Muddy Waters' son Big Bill Morganfield's first three U.K. tours, and was (with Ben Waters) a member of the late Florida bluesman Rock Bottom's U.K. touring band. Rock, whose calling card read “expensive and bad tempered” is sadly missed by all who had the chance to meet him.   Since January 2003, Chris has been working with guitarist Paul Hart and USA blues harmonica virtuoso Johnny Mars as part of the 20-plus piece Barrelhouse Blues Orchestra, featuring a star-studded 8-piece brass section and a string quartet put together by Chas Dickie. After just one live performance, the band was booked for Paul Jones' BBC Radio show, recorded in April 2003. The band's second live concert included guest appearances from ex-John Mayall and Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and world-renowned saxophonist Andy Sheppard. This was followed by a concert broadcast from the Newcastle Opera House, again for the Paul Jones Show.   In July 2003, Chris teamed up again with Robbie McIntosh, Paul Beavis, and piano/accordion legend Geraint Watkins for a gig in south London. This led to a tour of Germany in February 2004, for which the band recorded and mixed a live-as-dammit 10-track CD, ‘Funsbury Park', in one 14-hour session at the wondrous Room With A View studio near Ringwood, Hampshire. It was a limited edition run of 100 copies, specifically for the German tour, and it sold out with two gigs of the tour remaining.  ------------------- Ady Milward (drums, backing vocals) cut his musical teeth in punk-orientated bands around Dorset, before being lured onto the blues/r&b scene by promises of fame, riches and not having to play so fast. He's accompanied Lonergan on countless gigs all over the UK, Europe and Scandinavia with Ben Waters, Custer's Last Blues Band, Chris Jagger and the Steamer Ducks, forming a partnership that's essential in any 'happening' rhythm section. He is at present recording albums with the experimental dub reggae band Dubshack and world music stylists No Worries. Ady is also a first-call session player, and is involved in musical education and percussion workshops. ------------------- Clive Ashley (tenor and soprano sax) is the latest recruit into Little Dixie, having sat in with the band one afternoon and not been allowed to leave. As well as fronting his own jazz quartet, Clive can be found adding sparkle to the Jess Upton Soul Band and the Steamer Ducks' sets. In the space of a few gigs, he's formed an uncanny on-stage rapport with Richard Edwards, giving the band a two-pronged instrumental attack. ------------------- Little Dixie is, then, a quintet of seasoned musical talents who've all 'been there and done that'. Many people, Stackridge fans in particular, wonder what happened to Mutter Slater after that band's demise. The answer is that Mutter has gone back to his roots in order to move forward with Little Dixie.   Band contacts: Mutter Slater 01308 458405, Chris Lonergan 01305 772944.

LittleDixie.co.uk was last updated on Friday February 24, 2006

© 2004 Aaron Slater  www.aaronslater.com