GRAMMY nominated in 2023 for their Chicago homestyle tribute to the blues, Into the Little Blue House, the multicultural, Chicago-based duo Wendy and DB revisits the blues genre with a deep dive into traditional acoustic styles on their sixth family album, Back Home, set for release July 5, 2024.

 

Produced by GRAMMY and Blues Music Award winner Michael Freeman and Wendy Morgan, co-produced by Darryl “DB” Boggs and GRAMMY winner Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, and showcasing the talents of blues icons in Memphis, Austin, and Chicago, Back Home is dedicated to simplicity, self-love, and freedom. The album captures the essence of traditional blues styles and the comforts of home.

 

To ensure authenticity, the team traveled to the original home of the blues, Memphis, Tennessee, to collaborate with Blues Music Award winning guitarist/singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod, traditional Delta blues vocalist Libby Rae Watson, and multiple GRAMMY nominee Shardé Thomas and her Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, which is devoted to preserving the vanishing Mississippi Hill Country fife and drum blues tradition and presenting it in combination with other blues, jazz, hip hop, and R&B stylings. Shardé Thomas is the granddaughter of Otha Turner, one of the best-known exponents of the African American fife and drum tradition.

 

In Austin, Texas, Wendy and DB recorded with three-time GRAMMY nominee Ruthie Foster, whose work travels through a variety of genres: Texas blues, gospel, folk, soul, and jazz. When Wendy and DB returned to Chicago, many blues musicians from Into The Little Blue House contributed their talents to Back Home, including harmonica wizard Billy Branch, GRAMMY-winning drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, and iconic guitarist Mike Wheeler.

 

Wendy Morgan says, “Through unplugged arrangements and heartfelt performances, we wanted Back Home to evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth, and I really think we’ve achieved that.”

 

From Darryl “DB” Boggs’ perspective, the album resonates deeply with memories of childhood visits to his grandmothers in the South. “Sitting on their front porches, surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature, I found music in the simple moments of life,” explains DB. “Back Home takes me back to those cherished memories that reflect the essence of my upbringing.”

 

Noteworthy tracks include “Back Home,” on which Ruthie Foster sings out the verses in her pure, honest voice, helping create a musical landscape that’s sure to make listeners think, “If this is what ‘home’ sounds like, I want to go there!” “Be You/Walk To Your Own Beat” highlights the African rhythms and and sounds of fife and drum of the Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, with Wendy Morgan’s heartfelt vocals encouraging kids to celebrate the uniquely beautiful people they are. The exhilarating “Moving Mountains” and wistful “Reflection” are replete with stunning blues harp work from Billy Branch, while Memphis legend Doug MacLeod takes center stage on “Come To Your Senses” and “Move Them Bones.” “Watching the River Flow” and “Hum Away” are graced by gorgeous down-home vocals from Mississippi’s Libby Rae Watson. Darryl “DB” Boggs brings loads of personality to “Hemingway,” with his friendly, joyful style really lighting up this number about Wendy’s “Wonderdog.” Throughout Back Home, Wendy and DB celebrate traditional blues music through a rich variety of originally crafted songs for young souls and longtime blues enthusiasts alike.

 

ABOUT WENDY AND DB:

Equipped with two guitars, a ukulele, and their voices, the multicultural, GRAMMY-nominated, Chicago-based children’s music duo, Wendy and DB, are committed to working in their community to empower BIPOC children and families. Examining the world with infectious curiosity, they have developed a singular style that is reflected not only in their rich vocal blend, but also in catchy lyrics that focus on inclusion, diversity, love, kindness, and family values. In their recordings, Wendy and DB make it a priority to include as many women and BIPOC musicians as possible. They donate a portion of album proceeds to such not-for-profits as Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots, Xerces Society, A Better Life for Kids, Jumpstart, No Kid Hungry, the Pinetop Perkins Foundation, and, on Back Home, The Blues Foundation. In addition to being GRAMMY nominated, Wendy and DB are winners of the Parents’ Choice Gold, NAPPA, and Creative Child Awards.  Previous albums include Into the Little Blue House (2022 release; 2023 GRAMMY nomination), Hey Big World (2020; NAPPA Award, Mom’s Choice Award, Creative Child Album of the Year), HomeEarth (2017; NAPPA Award), It’s A Doo Da Day (2015; Parents’ Choice Gold Award, NAPPA Award), and Pockets Seasons Rhymes & Reasons (2013).