Michael Osborn

Guitar/Vocals/Songwriter

Michael Osborn and the blues first made each other’s acquaintance when Michael was a young teen in the mid-1960s. Friends with eventual blues greats Robben and Patrick Ford, Michael took up the bass guitar and played with the Ford brothers in blues, rhythm & blues and soul bands from 1967 through 1969.

After Mike switched to rhythm guitar in 1970, he became a founding member of the famous Charles Ford Band, which featured Gary Smith on harmonica and Lou Bottini on bass guitar, in addition to Robben on lead guitar and Patrick on drums.

In the ‘70s, Mike recorded with the Charles Ford Band and Charlie Musselwhite, and built his chops in various blues bands with Gary Smith, Mark Ford, Mixed Nuts (featuring Bonnie Raitt’s brother, David Raitt) and occasional Charles Ford Band reunions.

In June of 1981 Michael became lead guitarist for blues legend John Lee Hooker, and toured all over North America, Europe, Japan and Brazil with John Lee for more than a dozen years. During this time Mike backed such stars as Robert Cray, Elvin Bishop, Brownie McGee, Willie Dixon, James Cotton and Charlie Musselwhite. Mike has also shared stages with such notables as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Johnson, Albert Collins, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana, John Hammond, Etta James, Curtis Salgado, and The Nighthawks.

Mike has played – with John Lee Hooker and with other bands, including his own — at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, The Hammersmith Odeon in London and The Monterey Jazz & Blues Festivals.

Mike released his first solo recording in 1988, “Cold Hearted Girl”; his second release “A Case For The Blues,” came out in 1993 and “A Background In The Blues,” in June of 1996. All three of his solo efforts were released by Blue Rock’It Records.

Since he left John Lee Hooker’s Coast to Coast Blues Band, Mike occasionally fronts his own band and has toured with blues singing sensation Sista Monica and the Blue Rock’It Blues Revue. He’s been a headliner at the Mountain Winery Summer Series Blues Festival; has toured Europe several times, playing festivals and clubs throughout, including Djurs Bluesland Festival in Denmark, the Tiel Blues Festival in the Netherlands and the 1997 Notodden Blues Festival in Norway. He has toured Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and various Northern California venues, including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Sacramento Blues Festival.

After moving to Portland a few years ago, Mike hooked up with Bill Rhoades & the Party Kings. Mike’s new CD, “What Goes Around,” is on his own label, Checkerboard Records. The album features John Moore on drums, Tom Szell on bass, D.K. Stewart on piano, harmonica ace Bill Rhoades and an old friend from Ukiah, California on guitar.

Michael Osborn
and the Drivers

K.G. Jackson

Bass Guitar/Vocals/Songwriter

K.G. has 25 years of professional experience and has been playing music in the Northwest since 1990. In 1997 his band “K.G. Jackson and Shakin’ Ground” was a Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award nominee for Best New Act. In 2006 he did a short stint in the band “Double Deuces” which was then nominated for Best New Act. He was also nominated in 2006 by the Cascade Blues Association for Best Vocalist, in a final field of three that included Curtis Salgado. He has the ability to give a song what it asks for, what it needs, while at the same time putting his own indelible stamp on it making it his own. K.G. is also a prolific songwriter and writes many of the songs the band performs. These first class compositions are among the many things that set this combo apart from others in their field.

Dave Mathis

Harmonica/Vocals

Dave has long been a Portland mainstay of the blues with 30 years of professional experience. Dave has most recently fronted “The Blues Police” with Steve Cameron. He also had a long stint playing with Kelly Jo Phelps and is featured on Kelly’s recording entitled “Traditional Blues” as well as one cut on “Shine Eyed Mister Zen”. Dave is also a two-time Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award Winner in the Traditional Blues Act category with the band “Sheila and Backwater Blues” for the years of 1996 & 1997. Dave is often a featured artist at Bill Rhoades’ yearly “Harmonica Blow-Off” which brings together the best harmonica talent the Northwest has to offer. Dave can blaze on the harmonica or play sweet and low with the best of them, and he is also a heartfelt true blues singer.

John Moore

Drums/Percussion

John has been a mainstay of the Portland/Eugene Blues scene for more than 20 years. He has backed Albert Collins, William Clarke, Bill Rhoades and even George Harrison! He is the heartbeat of the band!