In the style of Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon and "Slim" Galliard & "Slam" Stewart, Ricky Nye (piano and vocals) and Nick Lloyd (upright bass) are doing their part to keep alive this fine tradition. Born out of Ricky's "Swingin' Mudbugs" trio, this duet draws from blues, boogie woogie and New Orleans piano styles. Here are a few tracks featuring Ricky and Nick, taken from Ricky's latest recording, entitled "Quick 'N' Dirty" (Downtown Boogie & Suitcase Blues), plus an outtake from the sessions (Chatanooga Choo-Choo). The duet recently participated in a regional video music production, "The Saturday Night Guitar Pull"- a video performance available at: www.thesaturdaynightguitarpull.com (click on "Cincinnati", then scroll down to "Ricky Nye")

Nick Lloyd was born in 1975, grew up in Iowa, and began his musical studies at the age of eight. Nick has performed classical, jazz, country, swing, and blues music, with bassists such as Milt Hinton, Willie Dixon, Kevin Smith, and Dutch bassist Peer Wassenaar acting as major influences on his playing. All of these bassists utilize a "slap" technique that give the music a unique drive and pulse. It is this style that Nick brings to every performance. Nick has performed and recorded with artists such as Studebaker John, Warren Storm, and Ray Campi. Currently, Nick can be heard with pianist Ricky Nye in duets, and with Ricky's trio, The Swingin' Mudbugs. 2003 included performances at the Queen City Blues Festival, The Fifth Annual Blues & Boogie Piano Summit (both held in Greater Cincinnati), and the Blues Estafette in Utrecht, Netherlands. In his daylight hours, Nick maintains a professional workshop where he builds, repairs, and sells upright basses. He can be reached at nlloyd5@yahoo.com.

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