Title: I Gotta Tell Somebody
Artist: Joe Survival Caruso
Label: CD Baby
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 707541694391
Genre: Blues

Joe Caruso grew up in a New Orleans musical family. The legendary Club Desire, just across the street from Joe's house, was where he first learned the sounds of Blues and Rhythm and Blues performers including the young Ray Charles, Guitar Slim, Memphis Slim, Count Basie, Dinah Washington, Fats Domino, and other greats. Joe formed his first R&B band at the age of 15 with a group of schoolmates. They called themselves 'The Ec-Statics Revue,' opening for headliners Etta James, Hank Ballard, Ernie K-Doe, Aaron Neville and Johnny Adams. In the Summer of '69 Joe received his draft notice and spent a year in the tropical paradise of Viet Nam. April Fool's Day 1971 found Joe back in his home town of New Orleans where he discovered that the world of Blues had taken some new turns thanks to young artists like Jimi Hendrix. Landing a job as session musician for Cosimo Matassa's Studio and playing in top local bands quickly honed Joe's guitar skills. Soon Joe was working with "Sweet Poison", the house band at Prout's Club Al Hambra with Bobby Marchan as MC. Joe started the band "Survival" in 1983 and performed in the "I've Known Rivers," commonly known as the "Afro-American," Pavilion at the World's Fair in New Orleans. He moved to Oakland, California in 1984 with his band 'Survival' and became involved with the very active Bay Area Blues Society, performing with bluesmen including Sonny Rhodes, Ronnie Stewart, 'Cool Papa' Sadler, Buddy Ace, and Freddy Roulette. By this time, Joe had become known as "Joe 'Survival' Caruso," playing such famous West Coast venues as Yoshi's Supper Club, the Sacramento Blues Festival, Marine World/Africa USA opening for John Lee Hooker, and at Boz Scaggs' club "Slim's" in the Bay Area. Blues singer Buddy Ace picked up Joe and Survival in 1990 to tour the states and Germany in 1991. He moved back home to New Orleans in November 1992 at the request of Buddy Ace who wanted to base his operations out of Houston and needed his band leader closer than California. After leaving Buddy Ace over a pay dispute he worked as a studio musician for the Southland label owned by George Buck. It was there Joe recorded his CD of cover songs, "Joe 'Survival' Caruso: I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive.' In September of 2005, Joe left New Orleans with his elderly mother on a Friday to play a gig with Al 'Little Fats' Jackson at the Grand Casino in Kinder, Louisiana, located in the northwest part of the state. The weather was beautiful that weekend. While there, Joe received a telephone call from a friend in New Orleans warning him not to come back home because a storm was approaching. Joe didn't know then that this storm would become the very powerful Hurricane Katrina and that everything he owned would be lost except for his love of his family and the Blues. Joe moved his Mom to his sister's house in Deltona, Florida, to keep his family together and safe. Always a "Survivor," Joe has created this collection of his songs for your enjoyment and wishes to dedicate it in memory of his Mother, Verdadelle Adams, born in 1928, who passed away during the making of this recording.

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