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Log InDesoto Blues Band
- Minneapolis, MN
- Bluegrass Band
- Travels up to 180 miles
- $600 - $2,500
Overview
Desoto Blues Band, from East side of St. Paul, plays a combination of Allman Bros, Freddie King, Derek and the Dominoes, Steely Dan, BB King, Lynyrd Skynyrd , Charlie Daniels and many of other well-know covers from 1950s-1990s. Very accomplished dance band that absolutely gets people on their feet.
6 Reviews
Desoto Blues Band was the perfect band for our family gathering. They have a nice sound and set list that appeals to everyone. The crowd loved them and many commented on how good the band sounded. I would certainly recommend them.
1960s Era Entertainment
I enjoyed what I was able to hear. I thought it took too long to get started. We had some complaints about that. We paid too much for an hour of playing. Thanks
Blues Band
Response from Desoto Blues Band:
The four winds Marketplace manager, Matt, who hired us and paid us, thought we were fine.
We were allowed to play exactly one hour of blues music, due to very specific mistakes by management. One problem was having to wait for about 40 minutes for the previous band to strike.
When they finally cleared the stage there was perhaps an hour and 10 minutes left of the entire event. Therefore, they allowed previous band play half of our contracted slot.
I can’t figure out why Dick thinks we are responsible, in any way, for the timetable of band start times. This is a mystery.
The band was great and our customers loved the music at the event. Thanks for being part of our Grand Opening event!
Country Band
Response from Desoto Blues Band:
Our Bluegrass and country trio of Digger Rymerson guitar, myself on 5-string banjo and the charming Teresa Catherson, upright bass, We traded off singing lead, with trademark trio harmony vocals.
Sincerely
Stave
Hired these guys for a multi-generational Birthday Party - 100 guests aged 1-95 years old. Venue was Big Stone Mini Golf and Sculpture Garden in Minnetrista. Nice day, so we were outside, but with the barn for back-up in case of bad weather. A magical venue with the art and the putt-putt and the gardens and farm animals and the Blue Drifters truly put the event over the top. The guys are easy to work with, flexible, straightforward, great communication and deft at reading the crowd. We had a unique hillbilly/jazzy vibe going; retro meets hipster. Awesome. This was not their first rodeo - pros all around. I danced in the grass with my mom. I did not make tons of requests - I asked the guys to have fun and adjust to the event as they read the crowd, and that they did, with stunning success. That 'hillbilly' label can be a bit misleading. Hire these guys and you will appreciate that what they offer is musically complex and sophisticated, and really down-home fun all at the same time. Their obvious depth of knowledge, years of experience and truly top notch musicianship caught our guests and us by surprise. We expected good music and we got that - plus, plus, plus. Among our guests were a few musicians, they were especially impressed and gave us the WOW feedback. It was good background music for gabby guests, and a truly great performance for those who paid closer attention. Perfect. I would hire these guys for a great variety of events, confident that the depth of their talent and breadth of their playlist could swing to meet so many needs. They tune right in to what works, and advise you if you're a little lost on exactly what you want/need. Wish I could give these guys 10 stars. I'm a picky planner. No worries with these fine gents. Just amazing talent and real pros on the business end. Too often it's one or the other. I just love how these guys deliver artistically while leaving the planner (me!) with peace and utter confidence in the Entertainment end of an event with lots of moving parts to manage. These guys do love what they do, and it shows. Bravo, Blue Drifters!
1920s Era Entertainment, 1930s Era Entertainment, 1950s Era Entertainment, 1960s Era Entertainment, Acoustic Band, Bluegrass Band, Celtic Music, Folk Band, Jazz Band, Oldies Music
Good with cover songs - a little to "new" for our senior group. Audience loved the banjo playing & enjoyed the jokes.
Oldies Music
Steven showed up early - set up and was ready to perform right on time and kept our guests captivated for the entire set list of fantastic performances from some of the best singer/songwriter creations from the 60's and 70's all the way up to today. Perfect for our annual backyard BBQ event - already looking forward to next year!!
Singing Guitarist
Booking Info
Price Range: $600 - $2,500
Gig Length: 45 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
What to Expect
We are a successful cover dance band. Our repertoire consists of a wide variety of 60's-70's hits, blues, jazz, Cajun, vintage country and new country. Digger's searing lead guitar anchors the band taut and churning rhythms. His playing is quite unlike anyone else in the state of MN.
bottleneck blues: I Never Cried, Traveling Riverside Blues, Stop Breakin Down, Walkin Blues, Cross Road Blues, many others.
Robert Johnson guitar transcriptions
Call Me the Breeze - Lynyrd Skynyard
Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison, 1959
Key to the highway - Derek and the Dominoes
Stormy Monday- Allman Bros.
Night by Night - Steely Dan
Keep you hands to yourself
It Hurts me too- Elmore James
Ain’t nobody’s business but my own
Nobody knows you when You're down and out - Derek and Dominos
Knocking on Heavens Door Dylan
Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
Rambling Man - Marshall Tucker
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Unchain My Heart - Ray Charles
Song for Life- waltz country hit 1980s Rodney Crowell
Cross Road Blues- slide guitar
Long haired country boy- Charlie Daniels
I’m Walking - Fats Domino
Take the A Train
Stop Breaking Down - slide blues Exile on Main Street Rolling Stones
Sarah Smile -1975 Hall and Oates
The Thing called love
Top Tush- ZZ Top
Bad to the Bone- George Thorogood
Below is Country and other variety:
Why Don’t You Love Me Like You Used to Do - 1949 H Williams #4
Can I Borrow (A Cup of sugar from you) Waylon Jennings, Black on Black
Will You Be Lovin Another Man,1947, Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys
North to Alaska, 1961 Johnny Horton
Better Man, 1992, Clint Black
Sugar Magnolia - 1968, Bob Weir, Grateful Dead
Jambalaya – Hank Williams, Sr., 1956
18. Gentle on My Mind, Glen Campbell hit, 1967
19. Looking Out My Back Door – CCR 1970
20. All of Me 1976, Willie Nelson, Stardust Album
21. Moondance, V Morrison 1972
22. Take Me Home Country Roads – J Denver 1971, Poems, Prayers and Promises
25. Sarah Smile – 1975, Hall and Oates
27. Only Love can Break Your Heart, 1971, Neil Young
29. Folsum Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, J Cash
30. Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone, Bill Withers
31. Lovesick Blues-H Williams
32. Josh Turner, 2009, Your Smile
33. Wagon Wheel, Darius Rucker, 2013
34. Jack Daniels if You Please, - David Allen Coe, 1975
35. Calling Baton Rouge 1993, In Pieces Gath Brooks
36. Night Rider’s Lament (cowboy song with yodeling), The Chase, 1992 Garth Brooks
37. King of the Road – Roger Miller 1964
38. Behind Closed Doors, 1973 Charlie Rich
39. Highway 40 Blues – 1981 Ricky Skaggs
40. Thank God I’m a Country Boy – 1974, Back Home Again
41. The Rainbow Connection – 1973 Academy Award Song – Muppet Movie, and Willie Nelson
42. That’s the Way Love Goes – Lefty Frizzel
43. A Fool Such As I, Hank Snow, 1953.
44. Streets of Laredo- Marty Robbins
jazz: Cherokee, Sweet GA Brown, Back Home in Indiana, All of Me, Georgia on My Mind, and dozens more
Fire and Rain, 1968-James Taylor, Something - George Harrison, All My Loving, Baby Don't Do It, Night They Drove Old Dixie down - The Band, Bad Moon Rising, Lodi, Lookin Out My Back Door, 1971: One Toke Over the Line - Brewer and Shipley, Go My Way, Home From the Forest, Did She Mention My Name, Wreck of Ed Fitz., Carefree Highway, Rainy Day People - 1975 , Gordon Lightfoot, Uncle John's Band, Ripple, Sugar Magnolia, Deep Elem Blues - Grateful Dead, Don't Let It Bring You Down, Only Love can Break Your Heart, I Believe in You - Neil Young, 1971, Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich 1973, Crazy Love, Into the Mystic, Moondance, Brown-Eyed Girl, Van Morrison, I'm Walkin - Fats Domino, Country Roads, Thank God I'm a Country Boy - John Denver, Time in A Bottle - Jim Croce, Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt and Scruggs, Gentle on My Mind - John Hartford-Glen Campbell, Bluebird - Steve Stills, Buffalo Springfield, Girl From the North Country, Like a Rolling Stone, Fare Thee Well, Buckets of Rain, Love Minus Zero, No Limit, Times They Are a-Changin - Bob Dylan, What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong, April Come She Will, Homeward Bound - Simon and Garfunkel, You Never Even Called Me By My Name, Jack Daniels if You Please - David Allen Coe, Bloody Mary Morning, All of Me - Willy Nelson, Highway 40 Blues - 1981, Ricky Skaggs.
About
Desoto lineup:
Douglas "Digger" Rymerson - lead guitar, vocals - dude with 30 years of national touring experience and sounds like it
Patrick Ferrin - slide guitar and vocals, (left)
Umar Malik Williams - drums, vocals (glasses)
Steve Howard - bass, vocals (hat)
Additional Booking Notes
We bring our PA, as needed. Four mic stands, 3 wedge monitors, powered mixer, feedback exterminator, double rack 1/3 octave EQ, two new EV Speakers.
Services Offered
Past Booked Events
| July 31, 2021 • 2:00pm - 5:00pm | Birthday Party |
| August 03, 2019 • 12:00pm - 2:00pm | Festival |
| May 18, 2019 • 12:00pm - 3:00pm | Corporate Event |
| October 14, 2017 • 5:30pm - 8:30pm | Wedding Reception, Bayfield, WI |
| September 23, 2017 • 5:30pm - 8:30pm | Osage, IA, Community Celebration |
| September 16, 2017 • 5:00pm - 9:00pm | Wedding Reception - Deerwood, MN |
| August 23, 2017 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | Music in the paerk Series-Savage, MN |
| August 18, 2017 • 10:00am - 2:00pm | Nowthen Threshing Show - quartet show |
| July 30, 2017 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | Anoka Summer concerts |
| July 21, 2017 • 9:00pm - 11:00pm | Bachelor Dinner- Wayzata |
| July 08, 2017 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm | House Party |
| June 24, 2017 • 7:00pm - 9:00pm | Ecology Camp for Kids, Lanesboro, MN solo performance |
| June 15, 2017 • 12:00pm - 12:45pm | Nonprofit Event |
| May 06, 2017 • 2:00pm - 5:00pm | Adult Bday Party-Big Stone Mini-Golf Sculpture Garden |
| April 22, 2017 • 1:15pm - 3:00pm | Church Anniversary Celebration - downtown- Duet |
| March 18, 2017 • 5:00pm - 7:00pm | Palmer's Bar, BDs Quartet, Minneapolis, MN |
| February 26, 2017 • 11:00am - 2:00pm | Pub 500, Mankato, MN, solo Steven Earl Howard |
| September 19, 2015 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | Gibbs Farm Museum, duet, 11 a.m. – 3. GIBBS MUSEUM OF PIONEER AND DAKOTAH LIFE, 2097 W. Larpenteur A |
| September 12, 2015 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 1:45-3:00 pm., Cambridge City Center Market, 122 N. Buchanan St., Cambridge, MN 55008. Art Festival |
| August 04, 2015 | Holiday Party (Other) |
Set List
Already covered in categories above.
Team
| Steven Earl Howard | lead singer, guitars, 5-string banjo |
| Danny Lentz | fiddle |
| John Goolsby | guitar |
| Sean Roderick | bass |
Influences & Inspiration
All first generation bluegrass groups: Bill Monroe, Stanleys, Osbourne Bros., many others. Contemporary - Tony Rice, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Lonesome River Band, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss and too many to mention.
The leans heavily towards traditional Americana and is similar to David Bromberg's repertoire and touring bands, in that we play rural blues, jazz, Cajun, Irish. Also, we do many funky covers 60s-70s, Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, CCR, Gordon Lightfoot.