The
Evolution of Howlin' Grooves
Howlin' Blues burst
onto the South East music scene in
2009. The original band featured
the following members:
Mike Smith -
Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals
Stewart Grimes - Bass
Guitar
James Asher - Drums
Dave Dowling -
Rhythm/Slide Guitar/Vocals/Harmonica
Anna Etherington -
Lead Vocals
In 2010, Anna decided to
pursue other interest and was replaced
on Lead Vocals by Denise Roberts
who remained in the band until early
2017. During this time, the band
spead their wings, geographically.
In addition to gigs in Ireland, in 2012,
the band played an elite wedding in New
Delhi, India, which included the
performance of several Indian-themed
tunes composed by our very talented
drummer, James Asher.
By 2017, Howlin' Blues was
playing around 80 gigs a year and the
line-up had become:
Mike Smith -
Lead/Rhythm Guitar and Vocals
Steve Roberts - Bass
Guitar
James Asher - Drums
Adrian Smith -
Piano/Hammond Organ
Dave Dowling -
Rhythm/Slide Guitar/Vocals/Harmonica
Further evidence of the
resilience of the band came in early
2019 when Dave Dowling emigrated to
France. The remaining members
took the opportunity to revamp their
musical direction with the addition of
Linda Francis on Lead
Vocals. Linda was a professional
singer and actress with many years of
experience and she soon became one of
the "guys" and her abilities enabled
us to expand the genres of music we
play to include many of the popular
songs that we play today.
The band's name was changed to Howlin'
Grooves, to better reflect our
more diverse set list and the band's
popularity continued to grow.
Very sadly, Linda passed
away on 5 November, 2022, after a long
fight against cancer.
Determined not to give in
to this devastating personal and
professional loss, the band found a
replacement in the form of Maria
Davies Bligh, an experienced
singer with an extensive repertoire of
songs. This addition has enabled
the band to maintain its impetus and
continue booking into 2023 and,
hopefully, well beyond.
***
Mike Smith -
Lead/Rhythm Guitar and Vocals
Steve Roberts -
Bass Guitar
James Asher -
Drums
Adrian Smith -
Keyboards
Maria Davies Bligh
- Lead Vocals
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