Bill Thomas Trio is the embodiment of real Chicago blues. Born & bred from the traditional “West Side Chicago” sound, BT3 puts on a dynamic roots driven stage show that will keep all lovers of all styles of blues coming back for more.
Bill Thomas started playing guitar at the age of 12 and came to the blues at the age of 14 upon discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has been living and playing the blues since that day.
The drummer is always the core that drives any great band, blues or otherwise, and John Martellotta is no exception. As a relative newcomer to playing blues, John brings his New Orleans tinged jazz and rock background to the mix, creating a heavy, poly-rhythmic groove that goes anywhere from delicate and subtle to full bombast. His ability to to take traditionally simple blues tunes and apply deep, moving rhythms that propel the songs forward in unique ways are his specialty. Playing drums since the early age of 7, John cites his major influences as Stanton Moore, Keith Carlock, Jojo Mayers and “Zigaboo” Modeliste.
Ray Somera is one of those musicians that drive other musicians crazy. While most of us strive to play one instrument well, Ray can play the hell out of anything with strings. As the bass player in the BT3, he keeps things anchored and heavy, anticipating Bill’s every musical move and adjusting accordingly. Bill considers Ray his musical mentor and his brother from another mother. Ray is also a virtuosic guitar player and is a master jazz musician.
