Wesley Houston

Wes Houston has been creating vintage American music for more than five decades. As bandleader/guitarist for the Rev. Fredrick Douglas Kirkpatrick, Wes toured endlessly in the 1960’s and was one of the songwriters who wrote for Broadside Magazine, writing tunes with an eye on the ever-changing political/social climate. His work in this era is included on the 2000 Grammy-nominated “Best of Broadside” boxed set issued by the Smithsonian Institute, and on recordings with Sis Cunningham, Rev. Kirkpatrick and Elaine White, among others.

In the 1970’s Wes put together the All Star Space Band and continued touring using the best of the local pickers he could round up. They broke into the Long Island scene in the early 1970’s and paved the way for other bands to be able to write and perform their own material in an area that hadn’t really seen this happen before. Riding the mid-1970’s Long Island musical Renaissance, the band toured college towns and performed concerts all over the northeast.

The Wes Houston Band continued to play their blend of American blues, country, folk, bluegrass, jazz and rock through 2012, when Wes decided to cut back and reprise an earlier ‘bare bones’ trio sound. With his guitar and harmonica, along with long-time drummer, Ray Forgione, upright bass player and Wes Houston Band alumni, Steve Hawk, Wes continues his musical journey. So, as fads come and go, Wes Houston’s mainstay are strong lyrics, good melodies and above-par musicianship. As Wes says, “it worked then – it works now.”

Wes is also the host/producer of his own long running multi-award winning cable TV show,“Wes Houston Presents…” which showcases area artists and is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

http://www.weshouston.com