Lee Pons

                                              Lee Pons Lee Pons was born to be a musician. His dad played a 1930s upright bass in big bands, including Duke Ellington's and Harry Belafonte's, and appeared in the Danny Kaye film "A Song is Born'' in a jam that featured Loui...

                                              Lee Pons Lee Pons was born to be a musician. His dad played a 1930s upright bass in big bands, including Duke Ellington's and Harry Belafonte's, and appeared in the Danny Kaye film "A Song is Born'' in a jam that featured Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and Benny Goodman. Lee Pons reveled in the sounds of his Dad's jam sessions with his notable musician friends; his godfather was Ray Brown, the jazz double bassist who played with Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Growing up in an environment rich with the sounds of music, Lee Pons began picking out songs on the family piano at an early age. In 1974, he saw an ad for Dr. John's appearance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and convinced his parents to let him stay up late and watch the show. "Some folks talk about how seeing the Beatles on TV for the first time made them know they wanted to be musicians," Pons says. "Watching Dr. John that first time made me realize I had to be a musician." Although piano was his first love, bass was his first instrument. His dad bought him a half size upright bass for his 10th birthday and enrolled him in formal lessons. "My Dad started my classical training early on," he says. "His idea was if you can play classical and jazz, you can play anything." With that experience under his belt, Pons made All-City Band in high school and had the opportunity to apply to The Juilliard School. He aced the audition, earned a full scholarship, and graduated from that prestigious school of music with degrees in Performance and Composition. Lee Pons cites his biggest musical influences as his father, Art Tatum, Jellyroll Morton, Dr. John, and the Big Easy. "New Orleans music has always been around me and I still get the biggest kick out of it," he says. "Everything about it: the jazz, the brass bands, the Mardi Gras Indian chants, the R&B, and early rock 'n' roll hits. It's inside of me and even if I was playing in a heavy metal band, that New Orleans vibe would come out. I couldn't stop it if I wanted to." That New Orleans vibe took a temporary back seat when Lee Pons started touring the country as a bass player in a number of rock bands. He settled in St. Petersburg, where he won the Bass Wars so many times that he was asked to retire from the competition. Unfortunately, he then experienced a devastating personal tragedy that tore his life apart. To find solace from his pain, Pons turned to the blues and returned to the keyboards that he loved. Blues legend James Peterson (who mentored the career of his own son Lucky Peterson) invited him to form a duo, and the die was cast. When Peterson decided to retire to his home town in Alabama, he gave Lee Pons his blessing and his gig. With Peterson's blues and his beloved New Orleans boogie, Lee Pons quickly established himself as an amazing keyboardist on both piano and Hammond B3 organ. In 2009, he won the "Best of the Bay" Blues Artist award for Tampa Bay artists, and later competed as a semi-finalist in the 2010 and 2011 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. His new CD Big Boogie Voodoo, was released on Mind Balm Records in August 2010 and has earned steady major radio play on Blues Stations across the Country, Including House of Blues Radio Hour with Elwood Blues, and B.B. King's Bluesville on Sirius/Xm Hosted by Bill Wax.. . Keep your eyes and ears on Lee Pons. With his gritty vocals, key pounding fury, and a heart and soul infused with New Orleans boogie woogie blues, he's a true voodoo boogie child. For more information: leepons@yahoo.com, www.leepons.com or www.mindbalmrecords.com