Big Blues Machine
Melbourne, Florida, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | INDIE
Music
Press
Oliver di Place
The music of Big Jim Adam and John Stilwagen is a survey of blues styles from country blues from prior to World War II to Chicago blues as it sounded in the 1950s. But these songs are not just museum pieces; Adam and Stilwagen invest each with the immediacy and emotion that great blues demands. Work Til the Sun Goes Down is an original song, just written a year ago. But, there is a type of blues, one of the earliest forms, known as work songs or field hollers. These were rhythmic songs, sung by field laborers a capella, that accompanied tasks like the hoeing heard here or the chain gangs swinging their hammers. Work Til the Sun Goes Down sounds like it might once have been a field holler, and Adam and Stilwagen have given it a haunting instrumental backing that works perfectly. http://oliverdiplace.blogspot.com/ - Oliver di Place
Oliver di Place
The music of Big Jim Adam and John Stilwagen is a survey of blues styles from country blues from prior to World War II to Chicago blues as it sounded in the 1950s. But these songs are not just museum pieces; Adam and Stilwagen invest each with the immediacy and emotion that great blues demands. Work Til the Sun Goes Down is an original song, just written a year ago. But, there is a type of blues, one of the earliest forms, known as work songs or field hollers. These were rhythmic songs, sung by field laborers a capella, that accompanied tasks like the hoeing heard here or the chain gangs swinging their hammers. Work Til the Sun Goes Down sounds like it might once have been a field holler, and Adam and Stilwagen have given it a haunting instrumental backing that works perfectly. http://oliverdiplace.blogspot.com/ - Oliver di Place
Jim and John deserve standing room only and should be sold out for months ahead. Pleased with their act...oh, boy! They moved to the top of our totem of best shows ever. Some performers are super at one thing, be it instrument, voice or song - Big Jim and John have it all, plus they are delightful human beings whom I am proud to have met. I would never hesitate to attend any show they are part of - I just wish I could be closer to their home base. The folks who heard them Oct. 1 are still grinning! Alice, Aberdeen Steakhouse, Atwood, KS - Aberdeen Steakhouse
Jim and John deserve standing room only and should be sold out for months ahead. Pleased with their act...oh, boy! They moved to the top of our totem of best shows ever. Some performers are super at one thing, be it instrument, voice or song - Big Jim and John have it all, plus they are delightful human beings whom I am proud to have met. I would never hesitate to attend any show they are part of - I just wish I could be closer to their home base. The folks who heard them Oct. 1 are still grinning! Alice, Aberdeen Steakhouse, Atwood, KS - Aberdeen Steakhouse
Jim and John deserve standing room only and should be sold out for months ahead. Pleased with their act...oh, boy! They moved to the top of our totem of best shows ever. Some performers are super at one thing, be it instrument, voice or song - Big Jim and John have it all, plus they are delightful human beings whom I am proud to have met. I would never hesitate to attend any show they are part of - I just wish I could be closer to their home base. The folks who heard them Oct. 1 are still grinning! Alice, Aberdeen Steakhouse, Atwood, KS - Aberdeen Steakhouse
Jim and John deserve standing room only and should be sold out for months ahead. Pleased with their act...oh, boy! They moved to the top of our totem of best shows ever. Some performers are super at one thing, be it instrument, voice or song - Big Jim and John have it all, plus they are delightful human beings whom I am proud to have met. I would never hesitate to attend any show they are part of - I just wish I could be closer to their home base. The folks who heard them Oct. 1 are still grinning! Alice, Aberdeen Steakhouse, Atwood, KS - Aberdeen Steakhouse
“His sound is genuine delta pluck to slidin’ contemporary blues, and the vocals are impeccable…front man Jim Adam is a consummate entertainer…”
(Pikes Peak Blues Community)
- Pikes Peak Blues Community
“His sound is genuine delta pluck to slidin’ contemporary blues, and the vocals are impeccable…front man Jim Adam is a consummate entertainer…”
(Pikes Peak Blues Community)
- Pikes Peak Blues Community
Playin' that good ol' boy right now on WDST, Woodstock NY.
"good stuff", "lotsa great blues, dig it!" (WITR, Rochester NY)
"how blue it is" (KUSP, Santa Cruz CA) - Various
The show kicked off with a 10-song set from Jim Adam
Jim’s skill at storytelling, emotional singing and the honest musicianship of his acoustic guitar with that right hand thumping bass while strumming were the perfect appetizer for Ruthie’s upcoming show.
- Thom Rogers
I'm hooked! Please bring "Big Jim" to Nashville and introduce him to this part of the world. - WAKG
Big Jim Adam, Rock Island Line (Fossyl). Acoustically grounded, but with touches of Soul. Mr. Adams best instrument is his rich baritone voice, which lends these tracks an attention-grabbing authority. The songs are a mix of originals and mostly familiar covers. My favorite of the originals is the upbeat Feel Good Day (7). There Goes the Blues (13) is my favorite cover, in part because this is a great Texas Johnny Brown song that rarely (if ever) has been recorded by anyone else. (Nick Delay – WKVR-fm) 02/08 - Nick Delay
"Big Jim and Little John entertained us with their foot stomping, knee slapping blues. Whether a blues fan or someone new to the sound, the audience enjoyed the diverse selection that included old time blues as well as contemporary sounds. This show was a real crowd pleaser."
Karen Gerrity
Cultural Affairs Manager
City and County of Broomfield - Broomfield Auditorium
"Big Jim and Little John entertained us with their foot stomping, knee slapping blues. Whether a blues fan or someone new to the sound, the audience enjoyed the diverse selection that included old time blues as well as contemporary sounds. This show was a real crowd pleaser."
Karen Gerrity
Cultural Affairs Manager
City and County of Broomfield - Broomfield Auditorium
Discography
Cajun Moon
Big Jim's latest release after relocating to Melbourne, Florida.
Tippy's Barn
Big Jim Adam and John Stilwagen sing some down-home Americana/Blues songs. Listener’s wishing to embrace old traditions will want to seek this one out.
Back In My Home Town
2011 International Blues Challenge Solo/Dou Finalist Big Jim Adam and John Stilwagen. Cook up some Tasty Blues Soup.
Rock Island Line (Fossyl Records)
Collection of traditional and original blues material, has charted on the Living Blues radio chart and the Roots Music Report
Live at Jimbo's
A true acoustic performance. A mic on his voice and guitar and a mic on the floor to capture his stomping foot
Photos
Bio
Big Blues Machine is a duo comprised of Big Jim Adam and Steve Rinker
Together they serve up down home style Blues soup with Jim stirring the pot with his vocals and gumbo rhythms using his guitar and foot drums to thicken the mix. While Steve adds the spice to give it some kick. Whatever the song needs whether it’s Cajun hot sauce or some of that sweet and smooth Chicago licks, Steve is a master chef. “These guys put out more quality sound then most full bands”
Big Jim Adam grew up in a Baptist church in rural Kansas and cut his teeth as a musician by first learning old front porch Gospel tunes. He is a master storyteller, his performances rich with history and making his down-home style of blues a captivating experience where time becomes easy forgettable and being lost in the moment seems automatic. In 2012 he took home the 1st place title at the Telluride Acoustic Blues Competition. In 2011, he was an International Blues Challenge Finalist in Memphis, TN. His vocals and guitar work can also be heard throughout the critically acclaimed 2010 PBS documentary “For Love of Liberty”, a two-part, four-hour documentary series honoring African-American servicemen and women.As a songwriter Jim has several film credits and a couple of songs cut by Edgar Winter. His credits include the film, "The Waterdance", which starred Wesley Snipes, Eric Stoltz and Helen Hunt, in which both his song and performance were used. Steve Rinker hails from Columbus, Ohio. He came to the Brevard County, Florida area in 1965, when his folks were transferred there, so Dad could work on the rockets at Kennedy Space Center. He has lived there ever since! Steve is a true artist with his guitar adding just the right tone, feel and groove. Steve plays with taste always working to make the song shine. He cut his teeth on acoustic guitar and dobro, but after a few years, Steve went electric! Nowadays, you can hear him play mostly electric finger-style guitar, bottleneck slide guitar, and lap steel.
Steve is always in demand both live and in the studio to perform his magic for other musicians, Steve helped on an album by his friends Bill & Eli Perras, which was reviewed by Sing Out Magazine (Vol. 52 No.1 - Spring 2008) saying: “Throughout, the duo is assisted by a collective of musicians they call the Florida Acoustic Segue Orchestra, playing stand-up bass, piano, banjo, percussion and slide. Of the performers, I was driven most to the slide work of Steve Rinker. His Dobro solo on “Housewife” is sweet and soulful with just enough sass, and his riffing with electric (lap steel?) slide on “Florida Blues” and “Paid Your Dues” really caught my ear. Great tone and sustain in all the right places.”
Band Members
Links
