E
Robert
Ealey
b: Dec. 6, 1925,
Texarkana, TX
Dallas-based vocalist and songwriter Robert Ealey began singing in his
local church at age 15 with a quartet group in his native Texarkana. Influenced
by the likes of Lightin' Hopkins, Lil' Son Jackson, Frankie Lee Sims, and Aaron
"T-Bone" Walker, he began singing blues professionally at 20 after he moved to
Dallas. In nearby Fort Worth, he joined the Boogie Chillin Boys and became a
featured vocalist at the Blue Bird Club there. After singing there for 20 years,
Ealey bought the Blue Bird Club and ran it for another ten
years.
In 1990, Ealey booked up with guitarist
Tone Sommer and began touring outside Texas. The band quickly found an audience
for their authentic Texas urban blues in Europe, where they have toured more
than a dozen times since 1990. Sommer and Ealey also did TV commercial work that
made use of their music. Every September, Ealey performs in his own blues
festival, held in Sundance Square , Fort Worth.
After Black Top Records purchased several master tapes from the Top Cat Label in
Dallas, they released Ealey's Turn Out The Lights. On the album, he is
accompanied by a bevy of the D/FW area's best blues accompanists, including Mike
Morgan and Sommer on guitars, Ty Grimes on drums and Mark Rybiski on saxophones.
I Like The Music When I Party followed in 1997.