Blue Largo was formed by guitarist Eric Lieberman and vocalist Alicia Aragon in 1999. Eric has been a fixture on the Southern California blues scene since 1981, when he began his four year stint with San Diego’s now legendary King Biscuit Blues Band.

He then went on to form The Rhumboogies, and subsequently The Juke Stompers. As part of the Southern California blues community during the 1980’s, Eric became closely associated with The Paladins, The James Harman Band, Hollywood Fats, Kid Ramos and Junior Watson. He was even lucky enough to play a gig with Hollywood Fats at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California, just two weeks shy of Fats’ untimely death.

Both The Rhumboogies and The Juke Stompers have shared bills with B.B. King, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Little Charlie and The Nightcats, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, The Paladins and The James Harman Band.

And two of Eric’s greatest disciples, Robby Eason and Nathan James, both went on to play guitar for James Harman. In addition to Robby and Nathan, pretty much any blues musician who has lived in San Diego from 1981 to the present will attest to Eric’s major influence on the San Diego music community for the past four decades.

Blue Largo released its debut album, What A Day, produced by Mavis Staples’ guitar player and musical director, Rick Holmstrom in 2000, its second album Still In Love With You in 2003, their third album Sing Your Own Song in 2015, then came their fourth album Before The Devil Steals Your Soul in 2018, and now their fifth album, Got To Believe is out this year.

1. A World Without Soul
2. Got to Believe
3. Soul Meeting
4. What We Gotta Do
5. Disciple of Soul
6. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
7. Soldier in the Army of Love
8. Ronnie
9. Gospel Music
10. Rear View Mirror
11. Santa Fe Bound

Opening on the funky blues grooves within A World Without Soul and the forthright Gospel-imbued title track Got to Believe, this incredibly vibrant new album continues onward with the mid-tempo, languishing blues of Soul Meeting and the comes the uproarious, guitar and Hammond-led beauty What We Gotta Do and the reggae-pop bounce of Disciple of Soul is brought forth.

Along next is their softer, cultured rendition of the song written specifically for pianist Nina Simone, and made mainstream famous by The Animals, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and that is in turn followed by the finger-snapping, toe-tapping, percussion-imbued Soldier in the Army of Love, the funky storytelling within Ronnie, the aptly-named, Hammond-led Gospel Music, the album rounding out on the low slung Rear View Mirror and closing on the upbeat and joyous ode within Santa Fe Bound.

With the completely organic and unintentional stylistic change from playing vintage blues covers to writing their own original material, Blue Largo now likes to think of their music as Americana Soul. Eric just lets the songs come to him as they do and he doesn’t try to write in anyone’s voice other than his own.

In spite of his deep love and respect for traditional blues of the 1940’s and ‘50’s, which he dedicated the better part of his adult life studying and playing, it’s not surprising that his original songs are much more evocative of the 1960’s soul music that he came of age hearing on his parents’ car radio, and the great singer / songwriter albums he immersed himself in as a teenager in the early seventies; with lyrics that reflect his own life experiences, and which he and Alicia hope others can relate to their own life experiences.

In addition to Eric and Alicia, Blue Largo’s current line-up consists of Taryn ‘T-Bird’ Donath (piano), Marcus P. Bashore (drums), Mike ‘Sandlewood’ Jones (Fender bass), and Dave Castel De Oro and Eddie Croft (saxophones).

Official Website

Blue Largo @ Facebook

Blue Largo @ Bandcamp