As a musical form, the blues has been around for hundreds of years.
Roomful of Blues has been around for only 41 years. Yet the Rhode Island band, which will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Grand in Ellsworth, has seemed synonymous with the blues scene for much of that time.
During those four decades, about 50 musicians have been part of Roomful of Blues. The newest member is trumpeter Doug Woolverton, replacing Bob Enos, who died in early 2008. Before him came the new rhythm section of drummer Ephraim Lowell and bassist Dima Gorodetsky.
What does it take to fit into Roomful of Blues?
Reached by phone at his Rhode Island home, guitarist Chris Vachon, the current bandleader, admits the recruitment process is largely word-of-mouth, but added, “We try to find guys with backgrounds in the type of music we do, with experience in a lot of different facets of blues.”
Roomful of Blues was formed in Westerly, R.I., in 1967, when guitarist Duke Robillard and keyboardist Al Copley started a band to play Chicago blues. They soon moved into the swinging, jumping blues, R&B and jazz of the 1940s and ’50s, and added a horn section, which included current alto saxophonist Rich Lataille, in 1970. Vachon himself has been with RoB for 20 years.
Through the years, the group has earned five Grammy Award nominations and seven Blues Music Awards, winning Blues Band of the Year in 2005.
The band is touring behind its 2008 Alligator album, “Raisin’ a Ruckus,” the first featuring vocalist Dave Howard.
Roomful of Blues puts out a new studio album every couple of years, with the main criteria being that “we’re just looking for good songs,” explained Vachon, 51.
They try out cover songs during their nonstop touring schedule.
“We play it in front of people, to make sure it will go over good,” he said.
The group’s original songs go through a different process: “I ask everyone if they have something, then we’ll work up an arrangement together, and see if it will fit in [on the album].”
So what’s the secret behind Roomful of Blues’ longevity?
“The fact that everyone enjoys what they’re doing,” Vachon said. “With me, it’s the variety. We can cover a lot of different types of music. We get to go out on tour and make records, and it seem to be a lot of fun.”
For ticket information, call The Grand box office at 667-9500 or visit the website: www.grandonline.org