2024 SUNDAY BLUES CRUISES
KNOXVILLE RIVERBOAT COMPANY

www.tnriverboat.com

(865) 525-7827

The Smoky Mountain Blues Society will once again present live music with our final monthly Blues Cruises of 2024. This month’s performance will feature The Nick Moss Band on the Tennessee Riverboat on Sunday, October 6th at 4 pm – 7 pm.

Tickets are available through the Tennessee Riverboat Company’s website, (tnriverboat.com) and by calling (865) 525-7827.  Tickets are just $20 for members in advance and $25 for non-members. SMBS Members should call to claim their discount (865) 525-7827. Members will be receiving discount code by email.

Boarding begins at 3:15 pm.

NICK MOSS 

Nick Moss has been recognized as one the great guitarists of his generation, garnering accolades from Buddy Guy and praise from Jambase, Relix, and Gratefulweb.com among many others. His recording career spans decades and his albums are staples at blues radio outlets worldwide, and are now in rotation at stations with jam and rock formats.

Nick Moss Band has a legion of fans that flock to his shows, knowing that each night will be a grand musical experiment. There will be sonic textures to discover and new sounds to stir the soul.

AllMusic says the band, winners of the 2020 Blues Music Award for Blues Band Of The Year, “makes the case for the vitality of old-fashioned Chicago electric blues in the 21st century.” They are among the world’s very best old school blues ensembles, with each musician expertly playing off the others. “We are a rare breed as far as how authentic we like to keep the music,” says Moss. The guitarist proudly represents the city of Chicago as one of the few bluesmen working today to have learned his craft firsthand, directly from many of the genre’s original creators.

From the life lessons espoused in The Bait In The Snare, Losing Ground and Choose Wisely to the hard blues of Aurelie and Living In Heartache to the lighthearted ode to the band’s Brazilian bass player, It Shocks Me Out, Moss makes clear, in addition to his unparalleled guitar work and soulful singing voice, he is also an award-winning songwriter with the rare Willie Dixon-like ability to write and sing the blues’ honest truth.

Authenticity has never been a problem for Moss, who first made a name for himself playing bass for bluesman Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins. Dawkins encouraged Nick to unleash his fire and passion. From there, Moss was chosen by Willie “Big Eyes” Smith to join his Legendary Blues Band, but Smith insisted Moss switch to guitar. Blues icon Jimmy Rogers (whose best known songs included Walking By Myself and Ludella) hired Moss as his touring guitarist, mentoring him on the blues lifestyle along the way. Today, Moss’ blistering fretwork, impassioned, soul-charged vocals and memorable original songs place him in a league of his own.

Growing up in Chicago and standing tall at 6’2”, the teenage Moss dreamed of playing both music and sports. His mother was a huge blues fan, even taking a young Nick to see Muddy Waters live in concert. At 18, sudden emergency kidney surgery sidelined his athletic hopes and left the youngster feeling blue. To lift his spirits, Nick’s brother snuck him out of the hospital to see Alligator artists Little Charlie & The Nightcats perform. Nick was blown away by the show and by meeting the band, and it was then and there that he decided on a career as a bluesman. After his years working with and learning from true blues royalty, Nick formed his first band in 1997 and released his debut album a year later on his own independent Blue Bella label. Since then, he’s earned legions of fans, playing over 100 shows a year. Moss has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Gary Clark, Jr., David Hidalgo and many others, and is an in-demand guest, always welcome to sit in with his musician friends around the world. He and the band have crisscrossed the United States and Canada multiple times, and have performed in the UK, Norway, Belgium, France, Spain, Latvia, Poland and other European countries.

“Guitarist and singer Nick Moss shows the world his fearsome guitar chops and his complete familiarity with the great tradition of Chicago blues music. ” MOJO MAGAZINE on The High Cost of Low Living (Alligator 4981)

NICK MOSS BAND MEMBERS:

Nick Moss – Vocals/Guitar
Ben Levin – Piano/Vocals
Pierce Downer – Drums