RICK BRYANT: VOCALS, PERCUSSION
BILL LAKE: GUITAR, VOCALS
GEOFF RASHBROOK: PIANO, GUITAR
NICK BOLLINGER: BASS
ANDREW DELAHUNTY: HARMONICA, MANDOLIN IN CONCERT
CIRCA STUDIO
1 TARANAKI ST, WELLINGTON
23 - 26 MARCH 2000
more info DISCOGRAPHY
THE WINDY CITY STRUGGLERS (Eelman, 1994)
ON TOP OF THE WORLD (Red Rocks, 1998)
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The Windy City Strugglers is an eclectic band, blending acoustic and electric styles and boasting some of New Zealand's finest practitioners of blues and roots music. Originally
formed as a jug band, the Strugglers have evolved over the years to incorporate everything from country blues to R&B, calypso to gospel, plus a swag of originals. When the group made its debut at
the 1968 National Folk Festival the line-up consisted only of Lake and Rashbrooke, with Geoff's brother Mike on jug. Rick Bryant, already a fixture on the Wellington R&B scene, joined soon after. Though
numerous musicians passed through the ranks of the early Strugglers, the group has existed in more or less its current form since Andrew Delahunty and Nick Bollinger joined in the mid-70s.
While Rick
and Bill also played in rock groups such as Mammal, the Pelicans and the Jive Bombers, the Strugglers always existed as an entity in its own right, performing whenever busy schedules make it possible. In
1990 Rick and Bill released We're In The Same Boat, Brother, a cassette-only that included some Strugglers material. In 1994 the Strugglers released their own self-titled CD, which won Best Folk Album in the
New Zealand Music Awards. In 1998 the Strugglers released their second CD, On Top Of The World, which also became a Music Awards winner. The closing year of the millenium finds the Strugglers, 31 years
on from their first gig, performing more frequently and with more vitality than ever.
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