It has been less than a year since the genesis of "The Mud Boys" and they have already evolved to the point of thriving in that cosmic Eco-system known as the Ottawa blues scene.

Whether playing for Ottawa Blues Festival headliners like Bernard Allison, blues luminaries like Eddie "The Chief" Clearwater and "Mighty" Joe Young, or headlining at Ottawa's legendary "Rainbow Bistro" and "Tuscon's Roadhouse", The Mud Boys' deep, dark and eclectic blues explode into a dance party of pure, unadulterated fun--every nite!

Does Darwin know about this??

An avid fan of The Mud Boys describes a typical performance like this:

"Every tune is like a danceable mini-show. You can't get enough of it...definitely 'New Blues.'"

The experiences are multiple. You just want more and more and more -- and you get it! The depth of this talent pool is like quicksand to a crowd on a pub-crawl; a geyser of irresistible rhythm and sound. Small wonder they're one of the hottest acts around.

Who are The Mud Boys? The story goes roughly like this...

On a hot, blues-saturated Ottawa weeknight (exactly one year ago today, depending on the day) guitar great Tony D. and The Mud Boys founder Dean Dupuis were knocking around possible names for Dean's new band. Tony related Dean's vision of an earthy, gutsy, driving blues band to the mud of the Mississippi Delta and, in a word (or three), The Mud Boys' name became the seed crystal to this vision...

...The rest is NOW!

But, who are The Mud Boys?

The Mud Boys' solid rhythm section is Ottawa-born and -bred. The bass player (Mike Ktenas) and drummer (Gary Epton) nightly shatter the groove barrier on a perpetual sound mission of pure forward motion. Their party is relentless. So is the party. They seem to have an intuitive knowledge of gravity. The party gravitates to where The Mud Boys play!

On piano is blues veteran Steve Ridgley. In a lifetime of blues he has played with many Southern-Ontario blues artists, not to mention the "Prime Minister of the Blues" Dutch Mason and Downchild's "Flip, Flop, Fly" guy, Hock Walsh. It has been said of Steve, this remarkable performer that "...if Jimi Hendrix, Otis Spann and Jerry Lee Lewis were the same guy, married Mae West and had a child, the child would be Steve."

Chris "Jarhead" Breitner is from planet guitar and a rising start in the Ottawa blues scene. The winner of the 1998 Ottawa Blues Guitar Riff-Off, Jarhead's spectacular guitar playing and bizarre on-stage antics take you to another place, another solar-system, another... be forewarned!

On the harp, the leader of The Mud Boys, the guy who put it all together, the guy who took a name from the glorious mud of the Mississippi Delta and flung it downtown, the winner of the 1997 Ottawa Blues Harp Riff-Off, the notorious "Plumber of the Blues", Dean "Hey Buddy" Dupuis. Dean's sensuous harp playing and "I dare ya" vocals deliver The Mud Boys' great-time blues -- permanently!

The Mud Boys have finally arrived.

This is something you gotta see;

This is something you gotta hear;

This is something you gotta dance!

If you'd like to contact The Mud Boys for an upcoming event, just click below.

Contact The Mud Boys