Little Charlie & the Nightcats

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Little Charlie & the Nightcats
Origin	Sacramento, California, USA
Genre(s)	Blues, Jazz
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Harmonica, Bass, Drums
Years active	1976 – Present
Label(s)	Alligator Records
Website	www.LittleCharlie.net
Members
Charlie Baty, Guitar (1976) Rick Estrin, Harmonica/Vocalist (1976) Lorenzo Farrell, Bass (2002) J. Hansen, Drums (2002)
Former members
Jay Peterson/Bass (1976) Dobie Strange/Drums (1976) Brad Lee Sexton/Bass (1991) Ronnie James Weber/Bass (1992) June Core/Drums (1996) Frankie Randall/Bass (2002) Joey Ventittelli/Drums (2002)

Little Charlie & the Nightcats is a four-piece combo, consisting currently of guitarist Little Charlie Baty, harmonicist/lead vocalist Rick Estrin, bassist Lorenzo Farrell, and drummer J. Hansen.

Charlie Baty was attending UC Berkeley and studying mathematics when he formed Little Charlie & the Nightcats with Rick Estrin in 1976. The band's music relies chiefy on electric urban blues of the Chicago variety, but mixed in bits of many other compatible styles, including early rock & roll, soul, surf, swing, jump blues, and Western swing.^[1] Nightcats issued their debut album, All the Way Crazy, in 1987, with songs "Poor Tarzan", "Suicide Blues, and "When Girls Do It". Followed album Disturbing the Peace in 1988, with guitar opener, "That's My Girl", jazzy work on "My Money's Green", rockability licks on "She's Talking", and blues on "Nervous". The records help established them on the blues festival and club circuits, and they began touring the country extensively, playing a number of international venues as well. They have played at the legendary San Francisco Blues Festival in '80 and '82, Montreal International Jazz Festival, San Diego Street Scene and Seattles Bumbershoot Festival, Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival in 2002, just to name a few.

In early 2008 Charlie Baty announced entering "soft" retirement, and will no longer tour with the band except for possible reunion tours/shows in Europe and very select North American festivals. Rick Estrin will carry on with the band as Rick Estrin and the Nightcats. Baty will be replaced on guitar by Chris 'Kid' Andersen. Andersen has been honing his chops in bands backing up Charlie Musselwhite, Terry Hanck, John Nemeth, Andy Santana as well as fronting his own band. Andersen is one of the few players around with the talent and skills to replace Baty.

Baty's last blues recording is as a guest on JW-Jones - Bluelisted (2008), an album which marks the first time in his career that he documented his harmonica playing on recording, and the first time he and another west-coast blues legend, Junior Watson have recorded together on the same tracks.

[edit] Selected discography

Year	Title	Genre	Label
2005	Nine Lives	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
2002	That's Big	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1998	Shadow of the Blues	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1995	Straight Up!	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1993	Night Vision	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1991	Captured Live [Live]	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1988	Disturbing the Peace (reissued)	Jazz, Blues	Alligator
1987	All the Way Crazy (reissued)	Jazz, Blues	Alligator