Gary Bernath first started playing blues harmonica in the late 1960's while
attending the University
of Massachusetts.
Inspired by harmonica giants such as Paul Butterfield, LittleWalter, Charles
Musselwhite, and Junior Wells. Gary formed his first band in 1971, playing
harmonica and doing much of the writing and arranging for the group which
was later known as the Bill (Big Screamin') McGrew Band, which featured
Brian Duffey as the guitar player.
The group continued to be a powerful musical force in
New England and New
York
until 1979 with its own mix of blues, jazz and funk. Gary expanded to saxophone and vocals, as well
as harmonica, and continued to stay musically involved with part time bands
and as one of the original members of the Cambridge Harmonica Orchestra
through the 1980s.
The Gary Bernath (Blues) Band was originally formed in 1989 in a warehouse
on the south side of Framingham,
MA. The band did not intend to go
out publicly but word got around, and by 1991 it was playing in local
nightspots from Boston
to Worcester. It appeared at
clubs such as The House of Blues, Harper's Ferry, Sit' N Bull, The
Plantation Club, Johnny D's, Waldo's, The Blue Buffalo, and kicked off the
first Framingham Blues Festival. The band appeared on the same bill with
many national and local headline acts including Tinsley Ellis, Kenny Neal,
Joe Louis Walker, NRBQ, Luther Johnson, Jay Geils, Ronnie Earl, James
Montgomery, Michelle Wilson, and Monster Mike Welsh to name a few. In 1993
the band recorded a cassett entitled “Around The Town” which was featured on Boston blues radio
stations frequently.
In 1996, Gary
reformed his band and featured the great Peter Henderson on guitar and
vocals. Peter was the founder and leader of the former Bobby Watson Band
that worked all over New England for over
17 years. He is widely known and respected as a great blues guitar player
and singer. The rhythm section featured Phil Borgeson on drums and Ray Fisk
on bass and included Brad Kohl on Saxophone. An exceptional and talented
musician, Brad played with Sleepy LaBeef and other national and local acts.
For recording, Gary also enlisted Jack
Meditz, a former member and close friend, to add his rich vocals and solid
guitar to some of the tracks. The title cut of Gary’s debut CD "Inside The Blues", was
originally written for Jack's voice. "Inside The Blues" was recorded
"studio-live" at Bill Smith's Club 39 studios in Sudbury Mass and released
in 1996.
The band continued working in area clubs until 2000, when changes in
personnel began to make scheduling difficult.
Gary
decided to take a break from the band following the departure of guitarist
Pete Henderson to join the band Fatwall Jack. On Henderson’s recommendation, Gary hired Jim Atkinson to finish the band’s
remaining dates. Jim founded the West End Blues band in 1986, and like Gary, had also recently
put his band on hold to focus on personal matters and a family business.
Gary and Jim began discussing the possibility of writing material together
with the eventual goal of producing a CD of original compositions. Within a
short time, the two had almost more original material in the works than both
had recorded with either of their earlier projects. Armed with fresh songs
and a huge base of blues material perfected during their many years of
performing in area clubs, Jim and Gary looked to reform a band. They
enlisted saxophone mainstay, and former Bobby Watson alumni, Dave Stringham,
and added a rhythm section anchored by former “Gary Bernath Band” bassist
Ray Fisk and local blues veteran Jim Lavezzo on drums. The newly
formed West End Blues Band continued to perform in area clubs while writing
and recording their new original material. In 2003 the band released
“Just Because I’m Out Of Money” featuring 18 original tracks, and continued
to perform their material live. In 2005, after a long run of club
appearances, the West End Blues Band decided to once again disband and
pursue diverging musical directions.
Having succeeded with the “all originals” West End
project, Gary
decided to once again reload and set course in new musical directions.
Currently Gary and Brian Duffey, the guitar player from his days in his
first band with Bill McGrew, are performing as a 2 piece acoustic act which
has been playing in Boston’s
Metro West and South
Shore venues. He is also
performing again with his latest 5 piece electric band . Guitarist Paul
Ferguson has reunited with Gary
after being apart nearly 25 years. Joined again by Dave Stringham on
saxophone and long time rhythm mates Ray Fisk on bass and Jimmy Lavezzo on
drums, Gary’s newest 5 piece lineup delivers a special blend of electric
blues, drawn from the traditional blues masters as well as a number of
original songs with a foundation in the blues and spiced with some classics
from Sam Cooke, Junior Walker, Bob Dylan, Bo Diddley, Tracy Chapman, Wilson
Pickett and more good ole Rock n’ Roll. They have just released their
latest CD, “Wait On Time” which combines material from studio sessions with
live tracks from the Chicken Bone Saloon in
Framingham
MA to create an exciting mix. The
band is hotter than ever.