Having been born into a musical
household, Brian Tingle was inured early with the universal language
of the universe. Elvis, T. Rex, the Jackson 5. These are some of the
earliest musical memories for the Baltimore born and bred musician.
He was just a lad when he was pounding on bongos or driving his
parents crazy with tambourines. He had a natural rhythm and with
parents who were both involved in music, it was predestined that
music would become an important factor in his life.
As a teen, he listened as Boston,
Aerosmith and Kiss hit the airwaves. And, although percussion and
drums were his first loves, Brian picked up his first guitar. At
fourteen, he began to emulate his guitar heroes and joined with his
buddies in garage bands. They plugged along at parties and the
occasional gig. At one of these neighborhood jam sessions, he got
introduced to a new instrument, the bass. Brian’s neighbor was the
one and only Dale Coleman of the Expressway Band and the Fabulous
Chambers Brothers. While they were jamming, Dale put a bass in the
hands of then 21 year old Brian. A new love was consummated. Brian
had found his instrument. He is a natural bass player and innately
felt the deep, powerful emotive nature of the instrument.
Having struggled through some
personal issues, he found himself at 24 with a fresh perspective and
began to travel the Fells Point circuit of seedy bars and clubs. He
hopped on public transportation with his guitar or bass in tow and
went off into the night for the release of his pent-up musical soul
night after night. Around 1993 he ended up at the Full Moon Saloon
at a jam that was run by Bob Margolis. He had finally found a forum
for his expressions. The following year he began to run his own jam
at the same establishment.
Learning through the school of
hard knocks, practicing every opportunity he got and honing his
playing at jams with all sorts of characters in Fells Point Brian
earned his credentials as a bluesman. Blues was naturally the genre
that appealed to Brian’s hardscrabble romantic existence. Along the
way, he met the contacts that would allow him to be the bass player
in Ursula Ricks band. He also became a regular with Rick Chapman,
who Brian considers a legend amongst blues guitarists. And
eventually he secured an on again, off again bass/ drumming gig with
the Steve Ray Vaughn tribute ensemble, the R. C. Yetter Band.
He played everywhere—primarily
Baltimore, but also Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and
Florida. He took work where ever he could find it. He played every
night of the week. He paid his dues. And he learned from everyone.
But he always felt as if he was riding someone else’s bus.
Well, Brian Tingle is stepping off
that bus and into the cool of the evening with the release of his
first CD of original blues. His self-titled debut independent
release is the culmination of one man’s musical journey. This time
everything is in place. Brian has penned nine original blues pieces
and has laid down the guitar, bass and some drum tracks of his own.
Also taking on the vocals, Brian has created a powerful and
thoughtful blues experience.
Brian has earned the right to play
with some of the area’s best known players. The core band
surrounding Brian on this CD is John Thomakos on drums and Mark
Cornachionne on saxophone. Some expert soloing by Ronnie Zebron of
Never Never is featured on a handful of tunes. But, most importantly
Brian’s true talent and evocative playing is at the center of this
showcase. Besides the nine original tunes, Brian has chosen to cover
a classic blues lament, “Days Gone By” written by friend and mentor
R.C. Yetter.
The songs on this debut effort are
thoughtful narratives from an adult perspective. The blues truly
belongs to those who have been wounded by life and have come out on
the other side. Brian has earned the right to sing the blues and his
evocative guitar playing and vocals betray the strong emotions
contained within this collection. Like a fine wine, Brian Tingle
reveals the bittersweet confessions of a bluesman tinged with the
sweetness of the revelation itself.
Drink deep, friends!
