The Lefty Blues Band has a long and tangled history. A garage band of teens in the 70’s, they quickly captured the hearts
of Jacksonville, Florida, with their 50’s style music, enticing crowds not with the Southern rock of the day but with a sound that
captured the R&B, blues, and rock and roll of an earlier generation.
Playing spots in Jacksonville such as the Deli Brew,
The Third Generation, and Castaways in Jacksonville Beach they gained a loyal fan base.
After signing with an agent out of Ocala,
FL, they began to tour. Moving their equipment in a U-Haul truck followed by a small car that Ralph Nader branded as “unsafe
at any speed” they played small town bars throughout the Southern states.
The late 70’s brought three of the band’s members
to Lower Manhattan in New York City. Brothers John and Greg Bell along with Bob Musial began performing as The Loose Screws. True to their original Southern sound that they loved, they offered an alternative sound to the Disco and Punk Rock music that was
so prevalent at the time. Playing venues such as Prescott’s, The Lower Manhattan Ocean Club, Harrah’s, CBGB’s and a real favorite,
McGovern’s Bar at 135 Reade St. they developed a large cult following.
In the mid 80’s John Bell left the band and returned
to Jacksonville to raise his daughter and pursue a teaching career. Bob Musial and Greg continued their musical careers in New
York becoming The Band of George and then the JD’s.
In 2008 Greg returned to Jacksonville to reunite with his brother John. Gathering a group of very talented musicians they began recording at Rooster Recording Studios; In
addition to John’s vocals, the 10 original songs on this CD include Greg Bell, keyboard and organ; Kevin Banks, lead guitar; Richard
Boyce, bass guitar; Ray Wood, sax; and Guy Stranger, drums. Again, as in times past, Lefty brings an alternative sound to the
listening public and a sound that differs from that which is now on the musical fore-front.
The Lefty Blues Band is dedicated to creating good music while helping in the fight to cure Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
Lefty: The Name
The Lefty Blues Band takes its name from the father of John and Greg Bell, Lewis John “Lefty”
Bell, Jr. It has been said that in his youth, Bell was the best left-handed pitcher in the local baseball leagues around
Jacksonville, FL. He was scouted by several major league teams just before the outbreak of WW2.
With the invasion of Pearl
Harbor in 1941, Lefty joined the Navy to help defend his country. During a short station assignment in Washington, DC he met
Lota Marie Berrier before being reassigned to Hawaii. At the war’s end, they reunited and were married. They settled in
Jacksonville. Lefty never returned to baseball. In 1947 Instead he opened a BBQ restaurant with his brother in law, Steve Stephens,
named Pop Berrier’s. Later in the fifty’s Pop’s juke box was filled with the popular R&B, country and jazz 45 records of
that era. The music that radiated from the juke box obviously penetrated the brains of his 2 young sons, John and Greg. On weekends when not playing baseball themselves or watching the game of the week on TV with announcers Dizzy Dean and PeeWee Reese
Greg banged away on an old upright piano while John strummed an old harmony guitar. As teenagers they wrote With Just A Smile
and Mean Motor Scooter, both featured on this first CD, “Change Up”.