Bob Margolin

"Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin, guitarist, singer, and songwriter, keeps pushing the limits of contemporary blues with every release. Born May 9, 1949, and raised in Brookline, MA, he developed a passion for Chuck Berry's recordings during high school and began performing in the early '70s while studying at Boston University. He played in several Boston-area blues groups, among them the Boston Blues Band, before committing to music as a full-time career. In 1973 he became a sideman for Muddy Waters, remaining in that role on tour and in the studio until 1980 and appearing at festivals and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe alongside the blues legend, who passed away in 1983. Standout moments from those years include the 1976 Thanksgiving taping of The Last Waltz and an August 1978 performance at the White House for Jimmy Carter.

Two years after a Boston DJ bestowed his nickname in 1978, Margolin formed his own band in 1980 and fronted it for nine years until issuing his debut album on Tom Principato's Powerhouse label; a second Powerhouse album followed, though both titles are now out of print. He kept touring until 1993, when he signed with Bruce Iglauer's Alligator label, by then an established company with reliable worldwide distribution. The Alligator recordings—Down in the Alley (1993), My Blues & My Guitar (1995), Up & In (1997), and Hold Me to It (1999)—are distinguished efforts that stretch the genre's conventions, blending well-known blues covers with Margolin's distinctive originals, which are marked by insight and occasional humor. His first Telarc Blues release, All-Star Blues Jam, arrived in 2003 and showcased fellow former Muddy Waters band members Pinetop Perkins, Carey Bell, and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. The mostly solo In North Carolina appeared on Steady Rollin' in 2007.