Bios and Reviews
Sometimes we become curious about the life of those we interact with even if it's through music. We aren't afraid to share our stories and what brough us to the blues. Here's the history behind the minds of those you love. The story of Sheba and the Bluesmen.
Sheba The Mississippi Queen
Born Martha Booker in Sunflower, Mississippi, Sheba the Mississippi Queen’s father was a gospel singer who traveled the South. But as sharecroppers barely getting by, the family moved to Florida in search of opportunities. Since that fateful day, Sheba’s career has taken her to New York City and back to Florida, where she gained fame as a uniquely talented singer and performer. Sheba had been singing with the, Wild Rob Moore Blues Band, which led to a gig at the Ft. Lauderdale Blues Fest. There Sheba met Ken Minahan, who liked her voice so much he put a band behind her. Sheba and The Rhythm Kings, toured from the Florida Keys all the way back to Mississippi. After five years and one Sheba-produced CD, Miss Good-n-Plenty, the group disbanded, and Sheba launched her solo career. Her 2009 solo debut, Butter on My Rolls, led to a steady career delighting audiences with her powerful and passionate voice, and the ability to thrill and chill equally. Sheba can skillfully straddle the line between blues and gospel, but her immense range includes jazz as well. She formed the band, Sheba the Mississippi Queen & the Bluesmen, in 2018, and they were International Blues Challenge semifinalists in 2019. Sheba’s albums are almost entirely made up of original material, written from years of pain and hard times, but also about transcending those experiences, as evidenced on her sophomore release, 2017’s A Real Good Woman and her latest, 2021’s This is the Blues.
From Jazz and Blues Florida, June 2023 Issue by JazzandBluesFlorida.com
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Keith Caton
With over four decades of experience playing, writing, recording and sharing quality blues music with thousands around the world, Keith has teamed up with world class blues vocalist/writer/performer, Sheba The Mississippi Queen, to form, Sheba The Mississippi Queen and the Bluesmen. They are a group of seasoned professionals who can bring the music the way it should be experienced; raw and real.
As the leader of two legendary Florida blues bands, the Bluzbusters and the Accelerators, Keith toured the southeast and worked with a "Who's who" of blues icons from, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, James "Superharp" Cotton, Hubertsumlin, Lonnie Brooks, and members of the Muddy Waters and Allman Brothers bands.
Critical acclaim and airplay came from four popular albums: "Tell em Lies" and "No Sugar, Heavy Cream" with, The Bluzbusters, "From the Well" From Acoustic Duo, The Bluzboys, and "Long Time Comin" with, The Accelerators, which has just been rereleased.
Without question, the most important and meaningful relationship Keith was blessed with was an over twenty year friendship with "The Originator" Bo Diddley. He was a mentor not just musically, but in life. They shared the stage often, looked out for each other, and Keith is most proud of the fact that Bo would tell others that he was "family." Bo and Keith wrote the song "Sure Is" for the "Long Time Comin" album, which features Bo's unmistakable singing and playing.
Excited about this new opportunity, Keith, Sheba, and, The Bluesmen, are poised to move beyond regional status, bringing their unique 21st century take on the blues without losing reverence for tradition and the legends who created it.
From Lyrics to Literature
To have conversed with the great May Angelou says a lot about someone's ideals, thoughts, and spirit. Below you can find those thoughts and Sheba's story written done in her book titled, "The Mississippi Queen." Here's what some people are saying after checking out this hot read:
"A Real Good Woman" is the autobiography of Sheba, The Mississippi Queen of the blues. Born in 1953, her life began in the cotton fields of Mississippi; the book takes the reader on a journey from there and then to her current life as a performing and recording artist and spiritual teacher.
Sheba's rich story covers black history and culture in the South, her life onstage and in the studio singing the blues, and her time in Atlanta and New York City as a "working girl."
"Truth. Seldom do we receive the whole truth when we read bios; they seem to leave out the parts that created the writers' hearts. If you want the truth on how the blues enters a soul, read 'A Real Good Woman, ' the story of the birth of the blues in the heart and soul of a real good woman."
-Rev. Prentiss John Davis, Unity of Ocala
"Raw, honest, heart-breaking. Here is an open and honest account of the struggles of an African-American woman and what she went through to escape the cotton fields of Sunflower, Mississippi in the '60s to become the spiritual woman she is today. The book is to inspire others to overcome and know they too can survive and find peace and happiness if they look within to the I AM of self."
-Shirley Long, Unity of Ocala, Administrative Assistant to Senior Minister
