Search - Mason Ruffner :: Mason Ruffner / Gypsy Blood

For those of you not familiar with the music of Mason Ruffner, please read on; you may be surprised at what you re missing. For those of you that have spent any amount of time in New Orleans over the past 30 years, you are probably very familiar with Mason as he has been a mainstay on the New Orleans club circuit since he relocated to the Big Easy from FortWorth, TX in 1977. Back in the late 70s, Ruffner was just a kid with a guitar, some hot licks and dreams of stardom. He is now an accomplished journeyman guitar ace that has recorded with the likes of Bob Dylan and Daniel Lanois and toured with U2, Jimmy Page and Ringo Starr. During the past three decades, Ruffner has also released a string of critically acclaimed albums beginning with his 1985 self-titled debut. Mason Ruffner spent his first few years in the Crescent City playing up and down Bourbon Street with his band The Blues Rockers. Soon stars like Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan began showing up at Ruffner s gigs, often asking to sit in with the rising guitar wizard. In 1985, Mason signed a contract with CBS Records and began recording his debut album with Rick Derringer as producer. In October of 85, 'Mason Ruffner' was released to universal praise from critics and fellow musicians alike. On the heels of glowing reviews in Rolling Stone and the New York Times, the song Just Be My Friend started popping up on various radio playlists around the country, an unusual feat for an album dripping with New Orleans blues. In 1987, Mason released his album 'Gypsy Blood'. This time out, Ruffner chose British pub-rock legend Dave Edmunds to produce. Not only did the album ring true with critics (Rolling Stone s review, when comparing Ruffner to Mark Knopfler, brashly stated Meet the new sultan of swing. ), but the album also found a home at rock radio; the title track climbed to #11 on the mainstream rock chart. It was during this flurry that Bob Dylan discovered Ruffner s music and invited Mason to play guitar his wonderfully swampy masterpiece 'Oh Mercy'. It is with great pride that American Beat Records is releasing these two pivotal albums on one CD an ABR exclusive! So sit back, close your eyes, and get swept away into a musical landscape of vintage Dixie rhythm & blues and Bourbon Street gin joints