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Artist
Mason Ruffner
12+ albums
blues rockbluesguitarrockblues rock artist
about
The musical roots of Mason Ruffner go back to the mid-sixties, when the lanky teenager from Ft. Worth, Texas fell victim to the supernatural guitar prowess of Jimi Hendrix and the lyrical genius of Bob Dylan. He began tracing the lineage of modern rock back to its post-war origins, digging the sounds of Jimmy Reed, B.B. King and Robert Johnson. No less influential were the works of French poets and novelists such as Rimbaud, Lautreamont, and Baudelaire. In the late sixties, Mason tried his hand at modern rock and folk music, but the blues bug would not let him be. Eventually, blues singer Robery Ealey invited Mason to join his Five Careless Lovers, the house band at Ealey's own Bluebird Lounge in Ft. Worth. This was Mason's formative period as a guitarist and stage performer. Departing Ft.Worth, Mason spent time in California and New York before settling down in New Orleans in the late '70's. After a few years of playing in bands on Bourbon St., Mason started his own band, The Blues Rockers. They landed a steady gig at Club 544 and played more than 200 live gigs a year, and in time, The Blues Rockers became one of the most popular bands in the Crescent City. They backed blues legends like Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, and counted Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, and Stevie Ray Vaughan among the stars who dropped in to listen or sit in. In 1985, Mason Ruffner was signed to CBS Records. His debut LP was produced by Rick Derringer and issu
