When Mr. B was playing in front
of his first large audience and met Bob Seeley for the
first time many years ago, little did he know that the two would
become close friends and two of the better known international
purveyors of boogie-woogie piano alive today. Mr. B,
influenced by a number of boogie-woogie piano greats including
Little Brother Montgomery, and Bob Seeley, a
classical pianist by training and protégé of the
late great Meade Lux Lewis, deliver grace, style,
lightning, and thunder.
"I first met Bob Seeley in 1982. I was
playing in Metro Detroit, on a large stage for a big crowd on a
bill that included Big Joe Turner and J.C. Heard. An usher
approached me and mentioned that a gentleman wanted to meet me,
and within the next hour or so, Bob and I were sharing a piano
bench and improvising a four-handed boogie woogie for a few
thousand people.
"We've been close friends ever since. In
fact, Bob refers to himself as my illegitimate father, and I call
him Dad. We have played far and wide together over the years, and
Bob has been a great example to me in so many ways. I feel
fortunate to have been Bob's friend.... (He's) one of the absolute
finest purveyors of classic piano blues and boogie."