2010 Inductees
Tiny Davis
D.C. Minner
Curly ‘No Shoes’ Jr.
Joe Liggins
Bucky Young
Rudy Scott
Roy Milton

Ray Tubbs
Ray Tubbs KBAVolunteer of the Year Award

video courtesy of Krystal Lacey – Rudy Scott on Keyboard and Bucky Young on Bass…

D. C. Minner was born on this corner in 1935. When he was one year old his grandmother, who was raising him, opened her house up as a dance hall and a corn whiskey house – a juke joint. It was nearing the end of the depression. Charlie Drennan had become her husband, he had a check from the VA and this Capricorn went into business. The family was never hungry again. D.C. loved his family, they loved him. After his inductions into five Halls of Fame he used to comment ‘ I went from the House of Shame to the Hall of Fame.’ He did reopen his grandmother’s place as a straight-up legit Blues Club, in 1988, some 20 years after her death – hence one of the last remaining juke joints with it’s own native son OK Blues Legend D.C. Minner.
We are proud to introduce our inductees!

Rudy Scott Is a 75 year old keyboard player who worked with Ernie Fields and was born . . . A tall and slender man with a way around the keys!! From Jazz standards to funky grooves. The man is clean and always right there!

Bucky Young James Artra Young, better known as Bucky Young. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Spent most of his life in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He was born on September 5, 1942. He began his musical career with his first public appearance at the age of 15. He played the trumpet and guitar in the high school band. They disbanded after approximately 2 yrs. and never had a name. By the end of his freshman year at Langston University, Charles Burton (musician who later played with Gladys Knight) advised Bucky that he was not a very good guitar player, and that he should consider playing bass. That summer Bucky’s mother bought him a precision fender bass. He was a natural. During the next 3 years Bucky joined the Langston University Combo. He also played at the Black hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There he played with multiple local jazz, blues, and standards bands, All the while supporting his wife and family , as well as continuing his education at Langston University . Bucky played with numerous local bands, some of which generated famous names. One of the main after hours gathering locations for local and famous bands ambets. Famous names such as, Sonny Stitt, Lou Donaldson, Jack McDuff, and Jimmy McGriff jammed with the local up and coming musicians. Bucky was able to play with the many famous musicians through this means. After freelancing for some time Ernie Fields Jr.(band leader for Bobby Blue Bland) was looking for a replacement for their bass player. Bucky was recommended. After that gig Bucky was asked to permanently join the Bobby Blue Bland Band by telephone call and a ticket waiting for him at the Tulsa airport. He was flown to Houston, Texas where he met up with the band. They were employed by Don Rodey (famous record label owner of Duke Records) and began touring with them. Bucky continued with the band for about 8 months. He was terminated when the spotlight was redirected from Bobby Blue Bland onto Bucky. Bucky’s arrogance with this experience ended his relationship with the band. He was immediately picked up with Little Milton Campbell, and toured with him. After a short stint Bucky started freelancing and was later picked up by Willie Hutch. Bucky toured with Willie Hutch and was included on two albums (Havanna’s House Party and Color Her Sunshine). Recognizing the political atmosphere surrounding music, Bucky decided to retire from music. This lasted for 22 years. Wife gone, children grown, Bucky decided to again pursue his musical career. He contacted Charles Burton who encouraged him to break back into the business by going to local jam sessions. This led to a short stint with Steve Pryor, Calvin Youngblood, Flash Terry, and many others. Bucky Young has been making a name for himself in and around the Tulsa area, playing in bands such as, Seriously Twisted and Little Joe and the Oily Stuff . He also formed the band The Old Dudes. Bucky is currently playing bass guitar and piano.
Ray Tubbs Ray Tubbs KBA Volunteer of the Year Award is from Meeker Oklahoma and was a fixture on the Oklahoma City blues scene for many years. Ray in many ways embodies the heart and soul of the Blues festival. He loved D.C and honored that friendship with many years of work. And no one worked harder than Ray Tubbs!! Put up the fence – 2 weeks- closed in the farm pond, helped build the stage, cut grass each year like it was going out of style.. played keyboard – had a beautiful tone on the organ – with D.C. and later in Selby’s band for several years. He drove the RV on the last tour D.C. did. The west was calling – DC and Selby had gone on tour out there almost every year since the 70s – and Even tho DC was on Dialysis they fired up the RV – Ray drove, John Seymour played bass, Selby booked the dates, played the guitar and sang, and Ray drove. One day he said. “I’m going to name this RV the Shuttle because I really like the way it goes up the mountains” and he smiled.

Curly ‘No Shoes’ Jr.

Mark Muehlberg (a.k.a. Curly “No Shoes” Jr.) was born on July 1, 1957 and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Curly started playing guitar at the age of 9 and had formed his first musical group by the age of eleven. He has traveled the US and Europe, living in numerous places.

During one of his appearance tours back through Oklahoma, the fine ladies of the Oklahoma Blues Society introduced Curly to the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame member and Queen of the Oklahoma Blues community “Miss Blues” (a.k.a Dorothy Ellis). In that introduction, Curly found his new mentor. Miss Blues and Curly immediately became fast friends and have been promoting one another since, with Curly bringing Miss Blues into Colorado regularly for concert and festival appearances and Miss Blues doing the same for Curly in Oklahoma. THAT is what the Blues is about! NO competition…just shoutin’ the Blues and helping one another in any way we can.

In 2001, Curly’s Single “Wanna Be A Better Man” went to #1 on MP3.com’s Electric Blues Charts.

In 2005 Curly’s single “Nuthin’ But A Tear” was featured in the Movin’ Pictures Studios film titled ” The Surfer King” and in 2006 Curly was commissioned by the 2006 Martin Luther King Committee to write the 2006 MLK “Marade” theme song “What’s Goin’ On”

Curly completed his first solo CD, “Make Your Dreams Come True”, partnering with Blues legend Sammy Mayfield (Musical Director for “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Soul Legend“ Solomon Burke) in August of 2006.

Curly’s newest CD release “Blues Bakers Dozen”, Recorded Live at The Walnut Room in Denver, Colorado is expected to be released in the summer of 2010.

Curly has recently relocated to the “Windy City” and home of so many Blues greats, Chicago, IL where he is continuing to perform regularly and will soon start recording his third CD with the Chicago configuration of “The Curly ‘No Shoes’ Jr. Band”.

Discography
2001 – Single – Wanna Be A Better Man (#1 on MP3.com’s Electric Blues Charts)
2004 – Single – Nuthin’ But A Tear
2005 – Full CD Release – Make Your Dreams Come True
2006 – Commissioned by the 2006 Martin Luther King Committee to write the 2006 Marade theme song “What’s Goin’ On”
2007 – “Nuthin’ But A Tear” is included on the 2007 Colorado Blues society Compilation CD “Trois”
2010 – “Blues Bakers Dozen”, Recorded Live at The Walnut to be released summer of 2010

Films
2005 – “Curly’s song “Nuthin’ But A Tear” featured in the Movin’ Picture Studios film “The Surfer King” starring Lindsay Wagner and Alan Thicke
2007 – “The Path” is featured in Stillwater Production’s film “The Ruined”
2007 – “Hide Me From Myself” featured in RW Production’s film “The Brandenton Monster”

Acting
Curly has appeared, mostly in Leading Roles, in over 25 movies over the past 5 years

Special Awards and Recognition
2005 – “Special Recognition” in the 2005 Billboard Songwriting Competition
2005 – Musiqtone’s “You Gotta Know Artist”
2006 – Recipient – The Colorado Wave’s “Golden Wave” Award
2007 – Colorado Music Buzz Magazine rated The Curly “No Shoes” Jr. Band as the #4 local show to see in Colorado (the only Blues band in the top 10)
Tiny Davis Tiny was a fixture on the Tulsa Blues Scene, Having played with Flash terry’s old band – morphed into the Kevin Phariss band and had his own snap as well . He released several CDs and had a smooth singing delivery and was a very versatile bassist. Tiny sold and reconditioned all types of wonderful guitars and always would help a fellow musician. He was Selby Minner’s bassist for about a year. Tiny will be missed, particularly by his wife of over forty years and the music community of Tulsa.

JOE LIGGINS

Born

Jul 9, 1915 in Guthrie, OK

Died

Jul 26, 1987 in Lynwood, CA

Years Active

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000

Genre Styles
• Blues
• Jump Blues
• Early R&B
• R&B

Biography by Bill Dahl
Pianist Joe Liggins and his band, the Honeydrippers, tore up the R&B charts during the late ’40s and early ’50s with their polished brand of polite R&B. Liggins scored massive hits with “The Honeydripper” in 1945 and “Pink Champagne” five years later, posting a great many more solid sellers in between.

Born in Oklahoma, Liggins moved to San Diego in 1932. He moved to Los Angeles in 1939 and played with various outfits, including Sammy Franklin’s California Rhythm Rascals. When Franklin took an unwise pass on recording Liggins’s infectious “The Honeydripper,” the bespectacled pianist assembled his own band and waxed the tune for Leon Rene’s Exclusive logo. The upshot: an R&B chart-topper. Nine more hits followed on Exclusive over the next three years, including the schmaltzy “Got a Right to Cry,” the often-covered “Tanya” (Chicago guitarist Earl Hooker waxed a delicious version) and “Roll ‘Em.”

In 1950, Joe joined his brother Jimmy at Specialty Records. More hits immediately followed: “Rag Mop,” the number one R&B smash “Pink Champagne,” “Little Joe’s Boogie,” and “Frankie Lee.” During this period, the Honeydrippers prominently featured saxists Willie Jackson and James Jackson, Jr. Liggins stuck around Specialty into 1954, later turning up with solitary singles on Mercury and Aladdin. But time had passed Liggins by, at least right then; later, his sophisticated approach later came back into fashion, and he led a li

ROY MILTON

Born

Jul 31, 1907 in Wynnewood, OK

Died

Sep 18, 1983 in Los Angeles, CA

Biography by Bill Dahl
As in-the-pocket drummer of his own jump blues combo, the Solid Senders, Roy Milton was in a perfect position to drive his outfit just as hard or soft as he so desired. With his stellar sense of swing, Milton did just that; his steady backbeat on his 1946 single for Art Rupe’s fledgling Juke Box imprint, “R.M. Blues,” helped steer it to the uppermost reaches of the R&B charts (his assured vocal didn’t hurt either).

Milton spent his early years on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma (his maternal grandmother was a Native American) before moving to Tulsa. He sang with Ernie Fields’s territory band during the late ’20s and began doubling on drums when the band’s regular trapsman got arrested one fateful evening. In the mood to leave Fields in 1933, Milton wandered west to Los Angeles and formed the Solid Senders. 1945 was a big year for him — along with signing with Juke Box (soon to be renamed Specialty), the band filmed three soundies with singer June Richmond.

“R.M. Blues” was such a huge seller that it established Specialty as a viable concern for the long haul. Rupe knew a good thing when he saw it, recording Milton early and often through 1953. He was rewarded with 19 Top Ten R&B hits by the Solid Senders, including “Milton’s Boogie,” “True Blues,” “Hop, Skip and Jump,” “Information Blues,” “Oh Babe” (a torrid cover of Louis Prima’s jivey jump), and “Best Wishes.” Milton’s resident boogie piano specialist, Camille Howard, also sang on several Milton platters, including the 1947 hit “Thrill Me,” concurrently building a solo career on Specialty.

After amassing a voluminous catalog as one of Specialty’s early bedrocks, Milton moved on to Dootone, King (there he cut the delectable instrumental “Succotash”), and Warwick (where he eked out a minor R&B hit in 1961, “Red Light”) with notably less commercial success. Sadly, even though he helped pioneer the postwar R&B medium, rock & roll had rendered Milton an anachronism.

The drummer remained active nonetheless, thrilling the throng at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival as part of Johnny Otis’s all-star troupe.