The Bobby Murray Band featuring Lenny Watkins and Greg Nagy

The musical line-up is:

Mark Thibodeau, keyboards and vocals

David Uricek, bass & vocals

Renell Gonsalves, drums

Lenny Watkins, vocals

Greg Nagy, guitar & vocals

Bobby Murray, guitar

Detroit has a long history of standout blues performers, many who travelled north from Mississippi and other Southern states. Guitarist Bobby Murray is another talented performer who migrated to Detroit, albeit from the West Coast.

Murray’s roots with the blues run deep, back to high school when he and bandmate Robert Cray saw Albert Collins perform at their high school graduation in Tacoma, Washington. In the ensuing decades, Murray amassed a considerable resume of his own.

He performed in Etta James’ backup ensemble, the Roots Band, for over two decades, including shows at the WOMAD festival at the Barcelona Olympic, Carnegie Hall and at the inaugural for President Bill Clinton. You may have heard his guitar work on James’ song “Blues is My Business,” that was used on “The Sopranos;” or seen him perform on “The Tonight Show,” “Austin City Limits” or “Late Night with David Letterman.”

Bobby performed with Collins off and on for 20 years and has performed with or recorded with many other blues and soul greats, including Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Otis Clay, Irma Thomas, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, The Sweet Inspirations, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, Lowell Fulson, Taj Mahal, Little Milton, Percy Mayfield, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Charlie Musselwhite and Otis Rush. And along with recording and performing with many others, he has released several recordings of his own, since 1996. The latest being “I’m Sticking With You” released in 2013.

Murray recorded with Cray and B.B. King on the song “Playing with My Friends,” from King’s Grammy Award-winning album “Blues Summit.” He also performed on James' Grammy winning recordings “Let’s Roll” and “Blues to the Bone.”

Murray, who moved to Detroit in 1996, was selected by the Detroit Blues Society as a recipient of the group’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. And since 2012, Bobby has won numerous Detroit Music Awards including Outstanding Blues/R&B Instrumentalist.

But, don’t get the wrong idea, Bobby’s not resting on his laurels. Murray is better than ever, fronting his own Bobby Murray Band, and most recently forming a thirteen piece revue entitled “Love Letters From Detroit” - which is currently performing and recording. He is also recording and collaborating with Detroit’s other top performers. His moving blues guitar work and exciting stage performances make him one of the Motor City’s musical treasures

Detroit born and bred blues and soul singer Leonard "Lenny" Watkins is certainly a jewel in the crown of the current Detroit blues scene. He is a keeper of a proud tradition of a musical city that has spawned the likes of John Lee Hooker, Little Willie John and Jackie Wilson, among so many talented others. Whether it's a back alley blues, sweet southern soul or uptempo and decidedly urban -- Watkins is equally at home and delivers. A superb vocalist and consummate entertainer, Watkins gets house. He's opened for Etta James at the House of Blues in LA and Chicago, and other venues - including a great performance at Buddy Guy's Legends. He's also worked with Bobby Rush, Detroit guitar ace Johnnie Bassett, and Motown and Stax session whiz and arranger Rudy Robinson. The now deceased Rudy Robinson was nothing short of a musical guru in Detroit and encouraged Lenny early on.

Growing up, he listened to the classic soul artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Johnnie Taylor. Later,a friend's mom exposed him to Bobby 'Blue' Bland and Lenny was hooked. Watkins played in a band in his high school and played varsity football as a fullback. After a stint in the Navy as a Gunner's Mate, Lenny moved to Los Angeles where he met and worked with such blues luminaries as Monk Higgins, William Clark, and Bernie Pearl. He also secured a gig at Marla Gibbs' Memory Lane with the house band and where Watkins worked with a talented young guitarist and singer named Kevin Moore - who would later become Keb' Mo.

Eventually, Lenny moved back to Detroit where he met Bobby.

Greg Nagy is a multi-faceted artist in the most classic sense, his songwriting, singing, and guitar playing beautifully reveal Nagy’s personalized music refreshingly and honestly infused with elements of soul, r&b, rock, and gospel. So unique and impressive was his debut release, Walk That Fine Thin Line, that it earned Nagy a prestigious Best New Artist debut nomination from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, as well as favorable reviews from hard-to-please critics at top media outlets like Down Beat, All About jazz, Blues Revue, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Living Blues, Hittin’ The Note, Elmore Magazine and more. DJs throughout North America, Europe, and Australia responded enthusiastically to Nagy’s music, which debuted on the National Living Blues Radio charts at #14 and peaked at #3 on XM satellite radio -- no small achievement.

Nagy raised his own bar several notches with the dynamic follow-up, Fell Toward None. Ken Bays of Rollingstone.com called the release one of the best of 2011. Nagy also received high praise from such notables as Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records, Sing Out Magazine, About.com, and much more. The record further carved out his place in the upper echelon of contemporary blues inspired artists, and charted at #3 on XM radio (again, no small achievement).

On the heels of his impressive sophomore record, Nagy was given the honor of performing at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Memphis the following year for the Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (with icons the likes of Buddy Guy and Allen Toussaint present) as his star continued to rise.

Nagy's third release, Stranded, an eclectic blend of original blues, soul, and r&b released in Feb 2015, received four stars from Soul Bag, DownBeat, as well as high praise from Vintage Guitar, Blues in Britain and more. Stranded also spent 14 weeks at Number One and seven consecutive months in the Top Ten on the Root Music Soul/R&B charts. In high rotation on XM/Sirius and spinning on hundreds of stations around the globe, Stranded most recently made DownBeat's Best of 2015 and was listed the #2 album of the year for Root Music Report's Soul and R&B charts. Stranded is a recording that continues to win Greg Nagy international attention and acclaim.

Greg was a performing, writing, producing, and recording member of the acclaimed Michigan Band Root Doctor for five years. Their album Change Ours Way was nominated for a BMA (Blues Music Awards in Memphis TN) in the Soul Blues Category and charted in the Top Ten for Living Blues Radio Charts in 2007. Greg has also recorded a duet with Georgia Music Hall Of Famer E.g. Kight on her BMA nominated release entitled Bad Times (produced by Paul Hornsby). Most recently he recorded guitar and vocals for the Grammy winning artist Bobby Murray. On this release, Greg sings the title track which is a song about Bobby's former boss of 23 years, the great Etta James. Love Letters From Detroit won a DMA (Detroit Music Award) in 2022. He also has recorded vocals on a track with Ronnie Earl and Nick Taborias on Nick's soon to be released album. Greg has been touring with the Larry McCray Band and performing with his own shows for the past three years. He also makes guest appearances with The Bobby Murray Allstar Band. As of Oct 1st 2024, Nagy has released his forth solo cd entitled The Real You which is already receiving critical acclaim and significant airplay…

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