Matt Black and the Phat Cats
Matt Black and the Phat Cats are a knock–out band that provide a swingin’ good time…a 5–piece unit featuring stingin’ guitar, wailing harmonica/sax and funky Hammond organ….. with a focus on maximum audience entertainment.
This ain’t no high-volume heavy rock band – their repertoire includes classic 30’s & 40’s Swing, and 50’s R&B, as well as modern masters of these musical styles.
Just take a listen to their 4-track CD “Jive, Swing, Soul” ….. a blend of contagious, good–time music that swings like a gate! In live performance, these guys really deliver the package. Just ask Sydney’s Swing dance crowds?
“Monster” Matt Black, with over 25 years playing experience, fronts the band on vocals and guitar. He is backed up by Kelvin “Hot Lips” Carlson on harmonica/sax, John “Booker” Tweed on piano and Hammond organ, “Slick” Mick Radwick on bass, and “Little” Daryl Jacobs on drums.
All members are well–known Sydney musicians, and know how to engage audiences and put on a show!
If you yearn for REAL MUSIC, then rest assured the Matt Black and the Phat Cats are the REAL DEAL!
Bio:- Matt Black and the Phat Cats are all Pro musicians:Matt Black lead singer and guitarist - a seasoned musician with over 25 years performing experience. Influenced by 60’s soul vocalists and West Coast Jump guitar masters such as T-Bone Walker and Sam Cooke, Matt has earned a highly regarded reputation as a soulful vocalist and a stinging, swinging guitarist. Well-known in Sydney, Matt regularly organises and hosts the monthly Sydney Blues Society’s Blues Jam, and has shared the stage with US artists Finis Tasby and Enrico Crivellaro, as well as local luminaries Mal Eastick, the King brothers, The Gangsters of Love, and Louise Perryman.
Mick Radwick - Bass. With over 25 years of bass ‘groove’ coursing through his veins, some people call Mick ‘the Concretor’ – because he really knows how to lay it down! (the groove, that is).
A stalwart of the Sydney music scene, Mick has played extensively with bands such as Jumpin’ The Gun, and Texas Radio to name just a few, as well as backing local legends Mal Eastick, Dom Turner and the legendary Aussie band, Dragon.
Daryl Jacobs - a drummer’s drummer. He has done it all, from playing with Sydney R&B legends The Champions, Terry Serio’s Wild Blue Yonder, Howard I Know, The Gangsters of Love and countless gigs with the who’s who in the Sydney Blues and Roots music scene. The depth of Daryl’s experience is unsurpassed in the local music scene, and all who have heard him can testify that Daryl “swings like a gate!”
John Tweed - Piano and Hammond Organ. A much sought-after musician, John is one of the most legendary Blues piano and funky Hammond organ players in Australia. During the seventies and early eighties, John worked the clubs and toured Australia and overseas with Rick Price, Max Merritt and the Meteors, Renee Geyer, Marc Hunter, Judy Stone, Alison Durbin and many others at the forefront of the music scene. In the mid-eighties John was called upon to back visiting artists including Shirley Bassey, Jeff St John, Colleen Hewitt, Ross Hannaford, Doug Ashdown, Normie Rowe and countless others. In recent years John has performed overseas in Los Angeles & Hong Kong and with Angela Brown (Chicago Blues Singer) and at Brisbane and Gold Coast jazz venues. and has recently toured with guitar legend Phil Emmanuel.
Kelvin Carlson - Harmonica/Sax. A veteran harmonica player of over 20 years. Kel is one of Sydney’s recognised “wailers” of amplified harp. He has played with Enrico Crivellaro and Finis Tasby, ‘Collard, Greens and Gravy’, and Mic Conway, as well as conducting regular harmonica workshops from Sydney to Byron Bay with luminaries Ian Collard and Doug Lyons. He is one of the few Australian Harp players who can play with the authentic Chicago sound and style of Big Walter, Little Walter, and James Cotton, as well as the honking sax style of Louis Jordan.
Saturday in Design