SILENT PARTNERS * CHANGING TIMES *
SILENT PARTNERS:
Tony Coleman – drums, vocals (1, 2, 4, 9) all originals written by Tony Coleman, except 9 the lyrics are rewritten, original but music is written by Joe Sample & The CrusadersRussell Jackson – bass, vocals (5, 6, 7) all originals written by Russell Jackson. Jonathan Ellison –guitar, vocals (3, 8, 10) all originals written by Jonathan Ellison.
With special guests
Kid Andersen – guitar
Jim Pugh – piano, organ
Vicki Randle – congas
Lisa Leuschner Andersen –vocals
Don Dally – violin
Produced by Jim Pugh
Engineered, mixed, & mastered by KidAndersen at GREASELAND USA
As young men, Tony Coleman and Russell Jackson first met in 1974 when they were in the U.S. army. Jackson returned to Ft. Riley, KS after a 2 year stint in South Korea, when he met Tony who happened to be looking for a bass player to start a band. In literally crossing paths on the army bus, Tony noticed the bass on Russell’s back and shouted where to meet the next day at the army post as he disembarked. Russell was excited and eager to jam the next day and a partnership was created. They added another army buddy guitarist Welton Everette and the band “Solid Funk” was created and performed locally. The young musicians would often drop by Tony’s Aunt’s house in Kansas City, for it was a gathering place for the top musicians of the day who were members of the Kansas City Musician’s Association. Charlie Parker, Count Basie, John Coltrane, and many more frequented the home and of course, jams would take place. In late 1975, Jackson and Coleman relocated to Chicago and heard through a mutual army friend that Otis Clay was looking for a bass player and drummer. An audition was set up with Otis and his guitar player Leonard Gill and the two were hired on the spot. With money very tight, they were happy to accept Otis’s offer to sleep on the floor at the old Chess Records Studio which happened to be where Otis had his office at that time. In 1977 Otis took them on tour to Japan where they recorded his first live album “Otis Clay Live at Touranimin Hall” released in 1978. Coleman and Jackson relocated to Austin, Tx and joined forces with guitarist Mel Brown recording Silent Partners debut album “If it’s All Night, It’s All Right” on the Antone's Label. They often performed at the famous Antone’s Club and recorded a handful of other projects on the Antone label including work by Matt Guitar Murphy in ‘87 and Luther Tucker in ‘89. In 1990, the band broke up. Mel Brown went to Toronto, where he became a staple on the scene. Tony Coleman and Russell Jackson went to Vancouver, B.C. where they joined the Powder Blues Band. In 1992, they recorded on Long John Baldry’s album “It Ain’t Easy” with Lucky Peterson. Nearly 35 years later, Tony Coleman received a call from award winning keyboardist Jim Pugh, who had built the Little Village Foundation, a non profit record company in Santa Barbara, Ca. At Pugh’s persuasion, Silent Partners with Tony Coleman and Russell Jackson reunited once again to record. They’re happy to welcome the newest member to Silent Partners - the man currently known as the new King Of Beale Street, guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Ellison. Jonathan was Denise LaSalle’s band leader for many years and worked with Latimore to name only a couple of his accomplishments.
"There must have been many a night when the three men wondered when they would ever command a stage of their own. They were no strangers to applause, or the footlights, or the serpentine bus trips that bracketed the one-night stands. But for a very long time, there had been someone else out yonder at center stage taking the bows, basking in the glow. So they fell back, as the good ones always do, on guts and craft and class. Over time, the calling which had beckoned them into The Life became an art whose mastery kept them in demand. Still, the evolution of the Silent Partners into a cohesive and self-contained unit seems almost predestined. Coleman and Jackson met one another in the Army, where they formed a band. After mustering out, they toured Japan with Otis Clay. The duo formed the original incarnation of the Silent Partners to back up piano queen Katie Webster.
... it's the sound of the engine running at full throttle. And this time, it's the Silent Partners who are at the wheel. That's only fitting- after all, "Silent," in persons of Jackson, Coleman, and Brown (Ellison) is golden." - John T. Davis, from the liner notes to SILENT PARTNERS' debut album from '89 on Antone's Records, Austin, TX
Upcoming SILENT PARTNERS performances:July 30 & 31, 2022- CALGARY BLUES FEST - own set and sets with Lurrie Bell and Joe Louis Walker!!
Here's a fascinating interview with drummer/vocalist Tony "TC" Coleman on BLUES JUNCTION PRODUCTIONS!BLUES JUNCTION Productions - Monthly Artist Spotlight: Tony Coleman
Tony Coleman
This information is the work of : Kevin Johnson, delrayjohnson@yahoo.com,
Thanks.
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