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Gary Performing At King Biscuit In 1996
Posted on 2024-08-21
Vivian posted this in the Delta Musicians section of Delta Boogie.
The discography is not complete. The prices are for historical reference only.
This is Vivian's post from back in the day. I will be updating Gary's page on Delta Musicians.
Gary "Alaska" Sloan
"Alaska Slim" Gary Sloan
Born June 28, 1945 Los Angeles California.
Currently living in Diamond City, Arkansas
BIO
Gary arrived in Alaska in 1964 and stayed until 1995. He had sung in church and school choir, so it wasn't much of a stretch to become the animated lead singer of a Top 40 band.
Gary Performing at King Biscuit in 1996
A year later, upon hearing the first Butterfield and Musselwhite albums, he picked up the harp and added blues to the mix. By the next year all other types of music was dropped and "Proof" became the only Alaskan blues band.
When Jimmy Reed died, Gary called JOHN LEE HOOKER at home and brought him up to tour the state. By this time (1971) Lindy Raines had been lead guitarist for several years. John told them a harmonica player was sleeping on his couch and needed work: CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, who was the next to tour with the band. Word of mouth from those two spread and in the next 20 years Gary and Lindy would tour with BO DIDDLEY twice, HOOKER 2 more times as well as JIMMY ROGERS, PHILLIP WALKER, SLEEPY LaBEEF, ELVIN BISHOP, ANGELA STREHLI and many others. Some artists, such as MARIA MULDAR, ELVIN BISHOP and CHUCK BERRY would borrow the band (or members of it) from time to time as well.
Band & Musical History
HARVEY MANDEL and ABU TALIB (FREDDY ROBINSON) play guitar on two of Garys CDs ("BLUE SHOES" and "SKULL"). The band name changed to "Southside Blues" and Larry Raines would join or alternate with his brother on lead guitar. An out-of-print vinyl LP of that name was released in 1980. It was re-pressed and more cassettes made a year later. Two cassette only albums were released in 1984 and 1986.
In 1992 the first CD "Blue Shoes" was released, and in 1996 portions were rerecorded for the re-pressing, making it also the most recent addition. In 1994 the live "SKULL" was released, followed in 1995 by "Dedicated to Binky ", a collection of Alaskan blues songs. Garys first two albums (with "Proof" in 1969 and 1971) have fetched up to $400.00 from european collectors, as they were limited and long out-of-print.
Awards
In 1995 upon moving to Arkansas, he came to Jonesboro to see Blues Fest and ended up playing with AARON LOVE and HAIRY LARRY. When going to see the King Biscuit Festival he entered the blues competition and won first place (he asked the band on before him to stay and back him: only the drummer and guitarist did). He came back the following year and won first place again for the Sonny Boy Blues Society as well as in Little Rock: Three first place showings in less then a year got him spots on the King Biscuit Festival, Riverfest and the Eureka Springs Blues Festival.
Members of his current band are Bill Trumbauer, drums; Curt Rosy, electric & acoustic bass; Mike Elrod, electric & acoustic guitar.
Achievements
Gary has jammed with MUDDY WATERS, JOHN MAYALL, JORMA KAUOKENEN, JOHN CIPOLLINA, JAMES COTTON & band, LUTHER 'GUITAR JR' JOHNSON & band, WYNTON MARSALIS Band, REESE WYNANS, LEE OSKAR, NORTON BUFFALO, ELVIN BISHOP, BILLY PRESTON, JOHN WESTON, LAZY LESTER, BRODY BUSTER, KINGFISH (with DAVE TORBERT & BOB WIER) and N.R.P.S. (with JERRY GARCIA) among others. Gary organized two tours (with a horn section) for WOLFMAN JACK revues in 1989 and 1992, backing FREDDY CANNON, DEL SHANNON, COASTERS, DRIFTERS, PLATTERS, TOKENS, SHIRELLES, MARY WELLES, BO DIDDLEY and LITTLE ANTHONY as well as the WOLFMAN himself. He was featured in a Maxwell House coffee ad in 1994 playing, of all things, a harmonica player!
In November 1996 he went to Belgrade, Serbia to headline a blues festival (Jr. Wells headlined the first night, Gary the second), tour Yugoslavia and produce a CD by the band that backed him 'RAWHIDE". He returned in April 1997 to tour to support that CD. This took him to cities that no American had ever visited and happened in between the two wars. He still keeps in contact with his friends there via e-mail.
Discography
CDs $15, Cassettes $10 plus $1.50 per order ($3.00 international) for shipping and handling
CD only: "BLUE SHOES' (features HARVEY MANDEL, ABU TALIB and the RAINES BROTHERS)
CD only:"SKULL" (live) (features HARVEY, ABU, LINDY RAINES and RICK HOLMSTROM)
CD and cassette: "DEDICATED TO BINKY" (Alaska blues novelty songs)
cassette only: "ALASKA SLIM LIVE: ARKANSAS TO YUGOSLAVIA" (at King Biscuit with LINDY RAINES and Belgrade Bluesfest with RAWHIDE)
Gary Sloan And Harvey Mandel
Rick Holmstrom-Gary Sloan And Harvey Mandel-Lindy Raines
Gary Sloan-Blue Shoes
Gary Sloan-Skull
Gary Sloan - Polar Bear-Hug Blues - Dedicated To Binky
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by Vivian Heyl 1950-2024
Vivian Running Sound At Blues Fest
Vivian was editor at Delta Boogie since we started the site in 1996. She wrote almost all of our Delta Musicians section, the most popular area on Delta Boogie. She also wrote anything else on Delta Boogie that doesn't have a byline.
She also worked for the Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where she contributed many features and some reporting. Her work at the Times Dispatch regularly won awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
Writing was her passion. She wrote for her whole life. Much of it we still have in computer files. I am posting her work here as I find it.
by Larry Heyl
Links
Delta Boogie
Gamer+
Related To Geeks
Gretchen says:
Today we celebrate Vivian Heyl. Mom, Grandma, Viv. Whatever name you knew her by, I'm sure at some point in time she used her gift of nurturing on you. She was indeed a nurturer - of the mind, body and spirit. Her words of encouragement could only be outdone by her quick wit and, when needed, sharp tongue. She loved unconditionally, but she had no problem calling you on your crap. She welcomed ALL to her family - and about the only thing that would get you unwelcome was making someone else feel that way. Today we celebrate the life she lived, the example she set and the love she shared.
Many have asked what they can do for the family or in memory of Mom - I offer these suggestions:
Play a game with your family. There is nothing that would be a better gift than to share joy with your family and in memory of Mom.
Read a book (it can have pictures). Mom loved to go on adventures in books and she led us kids down the same path.
Encourage a kid (preferably one who no else even seems to notice). I promise that is the one Mom would spot first and immediately bring into the fold.
We would also love to hear your stories about Mom. We would love anyone who would like to share stories or memories to do so in the comment thread. Maybe you have a story where you realized, possibly even years later, that you had been molded by a momma's love in the form of Vivian Heyl.
If you would like to make a memorial gift, please consider the children and youth fund at Brookland UMC or the friends of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, the Lawrence County Library or your local library.
Lastly, just keep loving us! We are sad, but we are blessed.
Add your words to the comments thread:
Words and Comments
Delta Boogie Newsletter/Gamer+ News - May 2024 - This One's For Vivian
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry/pages/1714661546292
My wife Vivian was the editor of Delta Boogie and a regular contributor to Gamer+. She helped me with everything I did including Blues Fest for 25 years, The Bandshell Project, Jonesboro Computer Services, The Jonesboro User Group, and so much more. I don't know what I'll do without her.
On April 18, 2024, Vivian passed on.
She was a writer all her life and I am collecting her writings here.
https://deltaboogie.net/words
She worked at The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, for years. Her features regularly won Awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
She wrote almost all of Delta Musicians, the most popular section on Delta Boogie, where she provided Delta Bluesmen with a place on the internet back in the nineties. She also wrote all of the articles on Delta Boogie that do not have a byline.
She played and ran fantasy RPGs with dice and miniatures at ASU Beebe in the early seventies before D&D was published.
We home schooled our children and she saw their love of D&D as an educational opportunity for reading, writing, history, the arts, and, of course, math.
She loved music and games and she raised a family of musicians and gamers.
We have five children and seven grandchildren. I had two boys before we married and she loved them like her own.
She saved my life and she gave me a good life. I love her still and always.
For her, I thank you all, for your continued support of Delta Boogie, Gamer+, Delta music, NEA gaming and whatever else it is that you do to make the world a little bit better.
Please take a minute and say a prayer.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Comment thread here.