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JW Gilmore is a master storyteller, a demon on the harp, a well-versed musician and, above all, a showman extraordinaire.  From slow dirty blues to frenetic swing, JW keeps audiences laughing, smiling and dancing into the night.  He has been playing harmonica for over 20 years, from Baton Rouge to Ft. Lauderdale, playing with greats like Tabby Thomas, Chris Thomas King, Louisiana Red and Joey Gilmore.  He can be heard on the Blue Beat CD Blues From the Swamp by Tabby Thomas.  JW was also a regular on the South Florida blues circuit, playing both coasts from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples, bringing his burning harp playing and his soulful song stylings to thousands of fans.  Seeing JW live is a true treat.   Part Muddy Waters, part James Brown, JW puts on an energetic entertaining show while keeping true to the roots of the music.  Just close your eyes and you can see him on a front porch spinning a yarn or in a small juke joint belting out the blues on a sweltering Mississippi summer night.  JW is a blues performer that takes to heart the legacy of the legendary bluesmen that have come before him.   He's much more Muddy than Stevie Ray, more Little Walter than Eric Clapton, he plays a pure blues rather than rock versions of blues classics.  Just like the great bluesmen, JW can surprise you with new tunes and old classics with new interpretations; with JW you just never know what to expect and that's half the fun.

Equipment:

  • Hohner harmonicas
  • Shure microphones
  • Peavey, Lani Lei amplifiers
   
 
 

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Since JW started playing in St. Augustine, he's been backed by a variety of musicians.  In the early months, when he was struggling to get a band together and members would come and go, he joked that his marquee should read "JW Gilmore and (to be announced)", or as commonly abbreviated, "TBA".  Well, as the band formed, the name stuck.  To give a little substance to the joke and to answer the questions from fans, the meaning of the abbreviation was changed to "The Blues Authority".  We still answer to both, of course.  So, here's the current lineup for TBA...

   

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Coop is a North Florida native who's been playing the blues since he plugged in his first bass and learned licks along with the first ZZ Top album (on 8-track!).  Since those days, he's performed many diverse styles including jazz, rock, soul, world music and traditional American roots music and he borrows from that experience to bring life and soul to his blues. Back in the days when he had hair, he was the original bassist for Jacksonville’s seminal 80's experimental/new wave bands The Reacterz and The Great Invisibles and has performed with various bands and songwriters in Florida, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. In addition to holding down the bottom end, Coop manages the back office stuff and he keeps the technical side of the show in order.  Despite those distractions, Coop's a player that gets in the pocket and creates a solid groove that keeps people moving on the dance floor..  

Equipment:

  • Warwick Thumb basses, KYDD Electric Upright Bass
  • Eden amps and cabinets
   
   

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Keith is a wildman on the guitar, burning up blues licks and adding tremendous versatility to the band.  He has toured with many rock and blues bands across the country and brings his tasty leads and soulful slide to the First Coast blues scene.  He has played all styles of music from Reggae to Punk and brings those influences to the blues.   His manic energy, eclectic lead style and enthusiam are exciting to watch and get swept up by.   He is also an expert on guitar history and has a collection that will make any enthusiast cry.   He not only collects them, but he plays them out as well, bringing amazing sounds of classic guitars out from history to the stage. 

Equipment:

  • Gibson, Fender, PRS, Epiphone guitars
  • Fender, Roland, Line6 amplification
   
   
   
   

   
   

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Joseph "Joey duh Eye" Iannelli has been mesmerizing audiences since the age of three when he would perform flawless renditions of "Lady of Spain" on the accordion.  A an award-winning veteran child performer, Joseph was well on his way to a future with the Lawrence Whelk Orchestra when he discovered that girls preferred rock organists to easy listening accordionists.  He quickly made the switch from his stradella to a B-3 and the rest is history.  Since then, he has performed with many bands over the years in blues, jazz and rock, including the Flailing Wombats, the TuneTanglers and Will and the Wild Machines.  His soulful organ playing raises the rafters and when he kicks the rotating horn in, the crowd goes wild.

Equipment:

  • Hammond XK-2 Digital Organ
  • Motion Sound amplification
   

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Drummer Phil Reed brings his own brand of West Coast blues /funk to the Blues Authority. Phil spent 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a first call session drummer and has shared the stage with artists from every genre of popular music. His solid funk grooves, up tempo swings and and driving shuffles have been heard behind Tower of Power's former lead vocalist Lenny Williams, jazz Divas Linda Cole & Jan Crawford, and a variety of local rock and top 40 bands.

Equipment:

  • Yamaha, African American, Pearl drum
  • Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste cymbals
  • Vic Firth sticks
   
   

Tapping out beats and rhythms in the high chair as a youngster, (and this has been confirmed by family members) Bret began his trip down drum road at an early age.  He started lessons In the fourth grade with a great teacher, moved to private lessons in Jazz, Rock, and Big Band in junior high school and filled in for his teacher from time to time.  At 19, he was in a band that was signed to Atlantic Records, and then he worked the eastern seaboard metropolitan circuit throughout as a hired artist for all styles of music.  He has also worked with Grammy Award-winning guitarist Cesar Diaz, who is renowned as a custom guitar amp manufacturer, and guitar sound expert for artists such as, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, and other recording artists.