Delta Blues Benefit a Success! West Michigan Blues Society Web Site - October 2005
The stars came out in the afternoon last Sunday, October 23, and they shone brightly in Billy's Lounge in Eastown, as a stellar lineup of five local blues bands performed for almost 300 people, all of whom came out to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims - especially the New Orleans musicians who have been severely affected by the hurricane and its devastating aftermath. $4,100 was raised that day, due to the generosity of the bands - who donated their services, "Chef O" - who prepared and served a scrumptious Louisiana buffet, and the many fine folks who came out and gave so generously. All proceeds will go to The American Red Cross and the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

The brainchild of Stan Greene, lead singer for Tailshaker, The Delta Blues Benefit was a rousing success in every way. In addition to Billy's Lounge and WMBS, sponsors included The West Michigan Blues Society, Kent Beverage, Superior Seafoods, Structure Interactive. The bands that performed included The Wealthy Street Sheiks featuring Jimmie Stagger, James Reeser & his Hot Blues Quartet, Weezil Malone & the King-Size Blues Band, Junior Valentine & the All-Stars with Hank "The Hawk" Mowery, and last, but not least, Tailshaker.

It was no surprise that Chef O's Louisiana Gumbo buffet was also a hit, with many people asking for the recipe. "There is no recipe", replied Chef O, "I just kept tasting and adding 'til it tasted right." In a surprise move, Chef O added an auction for his services - to prepare and serve a 5-course meal for two - to the many items donated for raffles. The auction brought in $225 to the lucky high bidder.

Sales of a limited-edition CD, prepared specifically for the Benefit, were brisk. Each of the day's bands contributed two tracks for the Delta Blues Benefit CD, which was released the day of the Benefit. Additional CDs are available, and may be ordered by sending a check for $10.00 and your name and address to Stan Greene, 4636 Breckenridge Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. All proceeds from the CD sales will go to the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Blues Bands Gather For Benefit Concert - The Grand Rapids Press - October 20, 2005
By John Sinkevics

GRAND RAPIDS -- Leave it to "the A-list" of local blues bands to aid fellow musicians ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and beyond.

"It started with the realization that there's so much musical heritage in New Orleans that all of us owe a debt to that. Having musicians do something for them was just a natural fit," said Stan Greene, lead singer for Tailshaker, a Grand Rapids blues band. "If their work continues in rebuilding their lives, then our work to help them must continue as well."

So on Sunday, The Delta Blues Benefit at Billy's Lounge will convene the cream of the crop from West Michigan's blues scene for an afternoon and evening of rousing blues music aimed at raising money for the American Red Cross and the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

Tailshaker, the Wealthy Street Sheiks featuring Jimmie Stagger, Junior Valentine and the All Stars with guest Hank "Hawk" Mowery, Weezil Malone and the King Size Blues Band, and James Reeser and His Hot Blues Quartet will perform.

Each band also has contributed previously recorded songs for a compilation CD assembled by Madhouse Mixed Media that will be sold to raise even more money for the cause. That cause includes Red Cross hurricane relief efforts as well as the Music Maker Relief Foundation's work to provide food, shelter and medical care to elderly and poverty-stricken pioneers of traditional American music.

Spurred to action after the late August hurricane, Greene decided to organize the benefit show. His previous visits to New Orleans and past performances with some of its musicians left a lasting impression.

"Everybody I asked to participate said, 'Yes,' immediately. That's when I knew we had hit the right note," he said.

"Everybody's doing it on a pro bono basis on a Sunday in October," added Mike Brown, Tailshaker's drummer. "That speaks a lot for these bands. We compete with these guys for gigs, so all the rules of the game have been erased for this. That's the A-list (of blues bands) here in town."

The event, sponsored by Structure Interactive, Kent Beverage, Superior Seafoods and the West Michigan Blues Society, also will feature a raffle and a "Louisiana spread" of food, including seafood gumbo and red beans and rice.

"We're gonna have a lot of fun," Greene said. "When we play out, it's like a blues party."

The six-member Tailshaker, formed in late 2004, plays "electric Delta blues with some Chicago influence," Greene said. The band puts its own stamp on songs by Willie Dixon, Otis Rush and Junior Wells.

But the group also plans to highlight an original tune, "My Mojo Ain't Broke," that could serve as the theme for the benefit, an inspirational song for all those New Orleans musicians recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

"The hook is, 'I may be tore down, but my Mojo ain't broke,'" Greene said. "My sense is that this has become the theme of their lives."

Steve from The Barn in West Olive – March 2005
"Tailshaker could easily become West Michigan's premier blues band. Stan Greene is one of the best blues vocalists I've heard yet."

Steve Saversky
SDS Blues Productions
Band "Bookie" for The Barn
West Olive, MI

STAN GREENE FINDS A BAND – West Michigan Blues Society Newsletter – January 2005
Late last summer we reported that rhythm and blues crooner Stan Greene, who could frequently be found sitting in with various bands at Billy’s Lounge, was without a band. The newsletter made it known that Stan was ready to make a musical commitment to the blues band appreciative to his singing styles. Well, it seems Stan has finally hooked up with a stable of musicians. Stan will now be front man for Tailshaker, a recently formed unit that comes out of the Grand Haven area.