MELISSA BROWN FROM NEW YORK SINGING WITH MOJO MORGAN FROM WALES. UK. ON THE NEW VERSION OF ( LOVIN IS SO STRONG) http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_3467878 COLLABORATION FROM MELISSA BROWN. MOJO MORGAN. GARETH PRICE. MR CHILLI & STEVIE B.

WRITE UP ON MOJO MORGAN....THE COVENTRY TELEGRAPH. Current mood: rockin Mojo's music is coloured by the blues Mar 4 2008 BEING a good blues man is not about where you happened to have been born. "Feeling the blues" is about feeling the music, and destitute or not, you either have it or you don't. Coventry has been blessed with some great blues men such as Tim James, Joe Beale, John Warwick, John Alderson and the great Mojo Morgan. Mojo Morgan was born in Gulson Road Hospital, in 1952. As a young man his chosen instrument was to be the bass guitar. He joined the popular 80s ska band EMF. "The blues gives me a feeling, which no other music can," reveals Mojo. "When I was a kid, I was listening to Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, then all the 60s blues from the UK such as Alexis Corner, John Mayall, and the Electric Blues, that came out at that time. As I grew, so did my love of music." EMF supported the likes of The Specials, Bad Manners, The Beat, and the Bodysnatchers. "Even in EMF, a ska band, I was doing a lot of blues riffs," said Mojo. "We played all over the country, we just had a great time. But after 2½ years I had itchy feet to get back to my blues roots and I formed a band with John Alderson called the Travelling Riverside Blues Band, and my bass playing took on a different meaning when playing with such a great musician as John." The Travelling Riverside Blues Band was formed in 1980 by Mojo and blues guitarist extraordinaire John Alderson. They played their blues heavy, and built up a huge reputation on the circuit. "We played all the universities around Britain, supporting Paul Jones Blues Band, Dr Feelgood, Tony Mcphee's Band, Chicken Shack, Nine Below Zero and many more," said Mojo. "I also played in a drunken rock 'n' roll band called Sammy Earthquake and the Volcanoes with Roddy Byers from The Specials, and a good time was had by all." By 1996 Mojo had moved to Pembrokeshire, and formed the The Hoochie Coochie Band four years later. From then on Mojo took his love for blues music to another level. I said in my introduction that you don't have to have been born in Southern USA to play great blues. Go to www.myspace.com/mojomorgan and listen to just how well Mojo and the boys have nailed it. Band members have come and gone, and today's line-up looks like this: Mojo Morgan, vocals;= Davey Jones, guitar and vocals; = Mr Chilli, bass and vocals; = AJ., drums and vocals. The band now boast a more rocky blues sound, and make sure that every one of their audiences goes home happy in the knowledge that the band gave 100 per cent. Their set-list includes not just blues standards, but many self-penned compositions - more evidence that this is a band who like to push things a little further than they have to. "The Hoochie Coochie Band is all about having fun with the music and the audience," says Mojo, "while raising money for good causes, just like any true band should be." I asked Mojo if he ever came back to his native Coventry? "I would love to come and visit old mates like Roddy Byers, cause we go way back before The Specials were born. I do get a lot of friends I still see come down to Pembrokeshire for a holiday, like John Alderson and Jim Allen, the sax player from EMF. I do keep in touch on the net with a lot of people." So what does the blues mean to Mojo? "Blues music has been a passion in my life since I can't remember when! So, I believe it has always been there. I always found joy in singing. It gives me inner peace and takes me to another place. Hard to compare with any other feeling." PopTrivia - MOJO MORGAN * THE TRAVELLING RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND took their name from the Robert Johnson song - a song that was 'looted' by the likes of rock giants Cream and Led Zeppelin. * THE Hoochie Coochie Band take their name from another famous blues song, The Hoochie Coochie Man written by Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.