Frank DuMont - Let Me Be Frank (2013)

High energy Blues music, Delta acoustic songs, a couple of bottleneck slide pieces, a tribute to Buddy Miles, an original song which features Billy Cox, bass, Deacon Jones, B3 organ. A cover of Michael Jacksons I"LL BE THERE. w David Hood on bass.

In the early 70’s, DuMont played slide guitar with the Detroit Blues Band and appeared at local Blues festivals backing Mr. Bo Collins, Eddie Burns, and Bo Bo Jenkins. He eventually formed the Living Room Blues Band and worked the circuit around Detroit and Chicago which included opening up with Chicago Pete and the Detroiters for Bo Didley and Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones at Harpo’s Concert Theater. These performances were broadcast live on WDET’s Wayne State’s Blues After Hours radio program by the Famous Coachman.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s, DuMont appeared with the late Rob Tyner of the MC5 at the Soup Kitchen Saloon in Detroit and produced local Blues festivals to benefit Vietnam Veterans at Cass Corridor’s Miami Bar. Among others, he’s also backed James Cotton and accompanied, on acoustic guitar, the producer of the Ann Arbor Blues ‘n Jazz Festival John Sinclair at Weeds Club in Chicago.

In 1981, DuMont bought Albert King’s original 1959 Flying V, Lucy, from the King himself in St. Louis, Missouri.

Also in the ‘80’s, DuMont moved to Southern California where he formed the All Stars which served as the house band for the Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel. His band included Rod “the Rocket” Welk, from Detroit, on harmonica; Paul Butterfield’s son, Lee Butterfield, on bass; Rob Rio on keyboards; and Ron McClurry on drums. Among other things, the All Stars opened the Desert Blues Festival at Indian Wells’ Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and provided backing for regional talent at the festival.

While in the desert, DuMont met B3 organist Deacon Jones, who had been with Freddie King for years and, in the early ‘90’s, DuMont moved to San Francisco to join Jones’ Bucket of Blues Band. Benefit concerts for organizations like Bread ‘n Roses were common. Also as part of his association with the Bucket of Blues, DuMont backed Blues legend John Lee Hooker on many occasions.

Over the years, DuMont has also performed with Buddy Miles from Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys; Gregg Allman; and the late great Chicago Blues Hall of Famer Luther Tucker.

In the mid- and late-‘90’s, DuMont moved first to Maui, Hawaii, where he studied steel and slack key guitar, and then to Europe where he toured as a solo artist and then traveled with Luther Allison’s band from Germany to the South of France. Before returning to the States, DuMont held down a house gig with the Terry Mann Band at the Bourbon Street Bar in Amsterdam.

Now, from his present venue west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, DuMont is performing with his band, The Drivin’ Wheels, and producing a CD which features recordings–done at Sun Studios in Memphis, Stone Studio in New Orleans; and Music Annex in Menlo Park, California–with Freddie King’s brother, Benny Turner, bass; Duke Jethro, B3 organ; David Maxwell, keyboards; Ed Early, trombone; and Walter King, horn arrangements.