JJ Grey & Mofro, War, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

JJ Grey and Mofro might just be the most awesome thing to ever come from an air conditioning company in history. The seeds of the band were sewn when guitarist Daryl Hance struck up a friendship with singer and songwriter John “JJ” Grey as they both worked for an air conditioning company in their shared home town of Jacksonville, Florida. They became close duo to their shared passion for music and decided to form a band together in the early 90’s. They decided on the name Mofro Magic for themselves and spend a good couple of years building up a loyal following all over the southern states of the USA.

Strangely enough for a band so typically American in both style and sound, the band were first offered a record deal in the United Kingdom in 1994. Unfortunately, the deal fell through after some initial recording sessions and with a revamped line-up of mostly English musicians, they shortened their name to Mofro and returned to Jacksonville. They had more luck in their home town and were signed to Fog City Records by 2001, releasing their debut album “Blackwater” in the same year. Unfortunately, what little run of luck they had run out later that year as a car crash involving several members of the band stalled things for a long time.

However, nothing was going to keep this band down for long, and in 2004, they released their second album as Mofro “Lochloosa”. In 2007, they signed a new record deal and changed their name again from Mofro to JJ Grey And Mofro, and ever since then they’ve become one of the most popular new jam bands around. Their live show is utterly unmissable, and JJ Grey remains one of the great unsung heroes of rock and roll songwriting. They’re a band that has the seal of approval of both Toots and the Maytals and The Allman Brothers Band, and if that doesn’t convince you that they’re the real deal, nothing will. Highly recommended.

Band leader Scotty Morris formed Big Bad Voodoo Daddy after meeting blues guitar legend Albert Collin at a concert, and of whom signed his poster with ‘To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy’. Alongside Kurt Sodergren, Morris inspired by the swing of the ‘40s and ‘50s, the pair honed their skills playing in clubs and lounges throughout Ventura, California, and soon made a name for themselves amongst the kitschy cocktail scene.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy released two albums in the early ‘90s “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy” and “Watchu’ Want for Christmas?” before earning their break on the 1996 film soundtrack for “Swingers”. The film featured the singles “You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby), “I Wan’na Be Like You” and "Go-Daddy-O” as well as a onscreen cameo appearance from the group. The band subsequently signed with Capitol Records, who issued the group’s third full-length “American Deluxe” in 1998, followed by “This Beautiful Life” in 1999.

With the swing revival in full flow, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy made an appearance at the Super Bowl XXXIII, sold over three million records and been featured in over 60 films and TV shows.

In an attempt to expand their sound out of the dying swing market, the band released “Save My Soul” in 2003, which included jazz, funk and Cajun elements. In 2004, “Everything You Want for Christmas”, a live CD/DVD was released, followed four years later by the heavily jazz-induced “How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway”. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continued in the jazz direction and released the album “Rattle Them Bones” in 2012, and subsequently their third Christmas collection of songs “It Feels Like Christmas Time” in 2013.