Blues City Band goes from fantasy to reality

" It's (Beale Street) a whole new world to me. You can know only your own town and live in Mayberry for the rest of your life or you can get B.B. King to sign your '63 Strat. "

By Heather Flood

As a child living in California, Eddie Ceballos fondly remembers his parents playing records during the early morning hours.

John Hurt and B.B. King - their voices spun memories on the turnstile and floated into the imagination of a young boy lying awake in bed.

Decades later, those songs prodded Ceballos to trek east to Memphis and the Mississippi Delta to find the blues and Beale Street.

Ceballos, 40, moved to Memphis two years ago and formed the Beale Street Blues Society House Band. The group is now known as the Blues City Band, named after its host club, Blues City Cafe, where the band plays two nights a week.

The four-man group has been together for about two years. In the humble opinion of Ceballos and co-manager Billy Gibson, they're "the best killer, jammin' blues band on Beale Street."

Ceballos plays guitar, Gibson and Pat Ramsey rotate stage time playing harmonica, Carl Shankle plays bass and Mike Karcz hangs back on drums.

Ceballos's background doesn't explain his strong desire to play the blues.

He grew up amid grape vines and wineries, not juke joints or recording studios. He even owned his own restaurant and club in Fresno, Calif.

Always on the back burner though was his music. He formed various bands and toured throughout the Napa Valley area, but never was able to make music his full-time gig.

Ceballos also knew that he was destined to turn east out of California and not stop until he reached the cobblestones of Beale Street.

Two years ago he headed in the right direction. Ceballos and his wife sold their restaurant and condo, rented a Ryder truck and drove to Memphis.

"I had no job. No place to stay. But I had a plan," Ceballos said.

The plan was to play Beale Street blues.

"Memphis is the blues city," Ceballos said. "Beale Street is about Memphis music. It's about the history of music."

Within three months of arriving, Ceballos said he "got himself on the street."

That's an accomplishment according to Ceballos. He said his good fortune was a mixture of talent, perseverance and professionalism.

Ceballos says there's an unspoken fraternity among Beale Street musicians. "Either they love you or they hate you," he said.

"Born, dyed-in-the-wool" musicians welcome new talent to Beale, Ceballos said, but only if they've got a good sound and act professionally.

He added that a little friendly competition exists, but assured it's all in good fun.

The Blues City Band has held down the two-night-a-week spot for about one and a half years and they recorded their first demo tape this year. It's a lively debut tape, sung with raw emotion and power. The tape's standout sound is a harmonica that resonates through the song mix.

Ceballos said he sought to "conquer Beale Street because I'm not going back to Napa with my tail between my legs."

"It's (Beale Street) a whole new world to me. You can know only your own town and live in Mayberry for the rest of your life or you can get B.B. King to sign your '63 Strat (Stratocaster guitar)," he said. "You can't get that in Napa."

He still admits to being occasionally awestruck that he lives in the blues-music cradle. "I get blown away listening to WEVL, when I see the cotton fields. I just have to pinch myself sometimes."

To pay the bills he cleans carpets during the day, but doesn't mind the job. "You'll do anything to play music, you'll wash cars," he said.

Balancing Ceballo's childlike wonderment of Beale is Gibson's no-frills knowledge about the music industry and its local scene.

Gibson, 27, said he has been blowing a harp since boyhood days in Jackson, Miss. He said he took up the instrument because it could fit in his back pants pocket.

Gibson's done the "real gigs" as some blues aficionados might say - like jammin' in Clarksdale, Mississippi's Rivermont Lounge.

"I've played all up and down along North Mississippi - Oxford, Clarksdale, Memphis. I used to do frat parties (at the University of Mississippi) all the time," Gibson said.

He's one half of an acoustic duo, The Delta Cats, which is a partnership that he says does its share of coffee houses throughout the Memphis area.

Gibson is also a member of another blues band, The Counts of Rhythm. The group is an Atlanta-based band that occupies most of Gibson's weekend time.

Also a music producer, Gibson owns North Magnolia Music Co. in Oxford. It's a small operation. (Gibson calls himself the "sole proprietor, chief executive and president.) He's released a handful of CDs, including Bobby Little and Pat Ramsey's latest offerings.

Although Ceballos and Gibson would like to get more stage time for the band (Ceballos said that's an aspiration of most musicians), they're satisfied with their two-night Blues City Cafe gig.

They've gained a loyal crowd, especially during their Tuesday night blues jam. Typically, between 20 and 25 musicians jam with the group from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

On a chilly, blustery night - when Beale has more open doors than willing customers - Ceballos and Gibson are asked why they've held onto their late-night time slot.

Is it worth it? After all, the band hasn't yet achieved the kind of celebrity status that other Beale Street bands have. (The house band at B.B. King's Blues Club, the King B's, rings a bell.)

The question evokes long hesitations and mental searches for meaningful answers.

Finally, Gibson explains.

"There's a vibe here. The feel of Memphis is heavy. It's not a word thing. You're just hangin' out on the street - you just feel it."

He points to James Cotton dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jean overalls sitting one table next to him.

Cotton sits comfortably among friends, belting out laughter and hearty guffaws.

Gibson says, "James Cotton's here just drinkin' a beer. He just got back from tourin'. That's it. There's that connection right there."