(June 1, 2020) What can be more American than a mashup of the blues, funk, jazz, soul, gospel music and family? Not much, if you ask me.
Bassist Chip Ratliff is the kind of musician who has the chops and the history to bring in all together, and he does just that on his new single, “Red Black and Blue.”
“Red Black and Blues” features Ratliff’s thumping, roof shaking bass, gospel infused organs and is punctuated with the tight, harmonized horn section that calls the mind all of great funk bands from Sly & the Family Stone to the JB’s to Tower of Power to EW&F. And the sax solo that comes midway through that leads to a wah wah pedal guitar solo will remind some of a time in early R&B when a sax player might be moved to walk the bar.
Ratliff came by this funk honestly. He grew up in Chicago, the town where Muddy Waters electrified the blues. Ratliff’s family contains a deep blues linage. His grandfather played in BB King’s band in the 1940s and 50s and his uncle is Fernando Jones, and Ratliff’s father made sure to feed his son a steady diet of the blues, jazz, soul and funk. Yep, Chip Ratliff was raised right, and it shows. Check out “Red Black and Blues” here.
By Howard Dukes
Chip Ratliff - "Red, Black & Blue"
