Collard Greens & Gravy (VIC)

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Formed in 1995, the Melbourne-based trio have established themselves as one of Australia's leading blues bands with their energetic, footstomping, country blues sound.

Collard Greens and Gravy's 'Silver Bird' album won the 'Best Self-Produced CD' award at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in February 2005. The band was a finalist for the 'Duo or Group of the Year' award and Ian Collard was nominated for 'Male Vocalist of the Year' at the 2005 Australian Blues Music Awards.

'Silver Bird', the band's third album, builds on the success of 'More Gravy', which won an ARIA Award in 2001.

In 2001 they placed overall runner-up at the IBC then successfully toured the United States. The IBC is an annual competition held by The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee to unearth outstanding independent blues musicians.

An appreance on ABC's Spicks 'n' Specks show relaunched Collard Greens and Gravy, capturing the attention of Australian audiences and rising in the iTunes chart to positions one, two and three in the Blues and Roots section. They are currently recording their fourth album, 'Devil In the Woodpile', to be released in November.

Collard Greens and Gravy is Ian Collard on harmonica, vocals, diddley bow and guitar, James Bridges on guitar and Anthony "Shortie" Shortte on drums and percussion.

Legends like Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, R.L. Burnside, T-Model Ford and Fred McDowell inspire their guitar, harp and percussion combination.

Collard, a gifted blues vocalist, won the Australian Harmonica
Championships in 1996. A Hohner Harmonica endorsee, he has featured on many other recordings including Baz Luhrman's UK number one hit, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen).

Bridges' playing stands out among today's legion of blues guitarists; with taste and economy he creates an eerie style and feel that harks back to names such as Blind Willie Johnson, Son House and Robert Johnson.

Shortte completes the trio on drums. His technique is all his own; he plays intensely and dynamically on a one-of-a kind modified drum kit.

"Collard has dug deep into some wellspring of blues... and dug out a sound similar in trance-like rhythms to north Mississippi hill country blues." - Jeremy Loome, The Edmonton Sun (Canada)

"Collard Greens and Gravy have tapped into some deep subterranean stream that connects us all to the source of the blues." - Mark Doherty, Rhythms Magazine

"Eerie, haunting blues...it reminded me of a dark night on the Delta." - Alligator Records President Bruce Iglauer describes Silver Bird

CDs include:
Devil in the Woodpile (due out in 2007)
Silver Bird (2004)
More Gravy (2001)
Collard Greens & Gravy (1999)

Click Here to view blues CDs & DVDs currently available from the Australian Blues Music Festival from this website or in-store at the Festival Office located in the Goulburn Visitor Information Centre. More titles arriving all the time.

Collard Greens & Gravy featured at the Australian Blues Music Festival in 2000 and will be heartily welcomed back by Goulburn audiences when they return in 2008. Ian Collard will also be presenting a harmonica workshop at the 2008 Festival.

Visit Collard Greens & Gravy's website at: www.collardgreensandgravy.com