When saxophonist Terry Hanck joined soul man Elvin Bishop’s band, things changed.
“Before, I’d be playing crappy clubs and no one gave a shit,” Hanck says. “Suddenly, I was playing stadiums for thousands, doing the same thing, with everyone paying attention.”
The Chicago native credits a 10-year stint with Bishop as key to gaining the confidence needed to go out on his own.
The Terry Hanck Band has been going for more than 25 years now, and has picked up Blues Music Awards, Living Blues Awards and International Songwriting Competition awards along the way. On the outfit’s latest album Gotta Bring it on Home To You, Hanck includes his own soul-drenched Motown-spirited spin on Bishop’s hyperactive “Right Now Is the Hour.” Also notable is the group’s rendition of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s sultry “One Horse Town,” which Hanck has been performing live for a dozen or so years. Meanwhile, the funky instrumental “T’s Groove” sounds like it came off a Stax-era Booker T. & the M.G.’s record. Hanck says he brought the tune back after he stopped performing it in the ’90s.
On Sunday, the Terry Hanck Band opens the Seaside free Blues in the Park series; local R&B/blues outfit The Joint Chiefs open. The gig comes sandwiched between a 17-night run at the Alameda County Fair and a 17-night run at the Sacramento State Fair.
He acknowledges constant performing is best for those obsessed with music. “You’re drawn to it or you’re not,” he says.
Growing up in Chicago in the early ’60s, Hanck recalls seeing B.B. King and Ray Charles. And though it was before he had picked up the sax, Hanck already felt a lasting connection to the music.
1-4:30pm Sundays through Aug. 9. Laguna Grande Park, Seaside. Free. www.ci.seaside.ca.us.
BLUES IN THE PARK (1-4:30pm Sundays until Aug. 9)
- July 12: The Terry Hanck Band and Joint Chiefs
- July 19: Chris Cain and Rollin & Tumblin
- July 26: Debbie Davies and Next Blues Band
- Aug. 2: The Zydeco Flames and Free Sound
- Aug. 9: Sai What Band and Red Beans and Rice
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