Bio
Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, a childhood move from the
the brick Oakcliff neighborhood of Dallas to the
outskirts of the east Texas oilfields brought the
seven-year-old red-head Geanie Stout close to the
musical roots of the blues-jazz tradition that was to
become her metier. That and a southern Baptist piano
teacher with a taste for Jelly Roll Morton.
A teenage
Geanie of Austin-notoriety migrated to San Francisco
at 20 to open at David Allen's Boardinghouse, but not
with a band. Fortunately for her, Chicago guitarist
Michael Bloomfield recommended a sometime-sideman of
Albert Collins and Freddie King, bassist Kip
Maercklein. Along with Kip came saxophonist Sonny
Lewis, the late John Chambers on drums, and the
inimitable flutist Hart McNee, all veteran bluesmen
who would play with Geanie over her years in the Bay
Area. A regular gig at Port Costa's Bull Valley Inn
marked the maturation and metamorphosis of the saloon
singer now evident on Wild Women' with its Brechtian
echoes worthy of the Carlyle and where Kip is on
upright bass and Fender backing up Geanie's piano. And
hear how Producer McNee has ensembled a fine and
eclectic collaboration of known New Orlean`s players:
Storyville Stomper Will Smith is the Moorish trumpet
in San Antonio, Maestro Hector Gallardo, the moving
tumbardoraes of Shadowed Sands, Jackson Square tenor
Earl Brown, the tenor who "loves you most of the time"
while drummer Dave Sobel of the Klezmer All stars
is the movable time behind Hart's baritone infused
Sugar, the evocations of Andaluz in the shadows
beneath Geanie's Weimar voice when 'her ship comes
in...'
Movie credits: The song "All I Want for Christmas is
You," written and recorded by Geanie Stout and her Port Costa band for The Larkshead Society in 2003. A number of songs on this current album were written by Geanie for The Land of Shadowed Sand, a current project of Lettered Union Pictures.
Written by William Dyke
Geanie Stout and friends: Kip Maercklein on bass. Michael Aragon on drums. Rob Roth on sax. Erik Von Buchau on vibes. Geanie on piano. Steve Webber often joins the group on upright bass. And Terry Henry (piano player, bass player, and trumpet man).
There is much going on in Sausalito in the evenings; the music is here. Check our calendar. E-mail for info.