BUDDY WHITTINGTON  |  JOE YUELE  |  HANK VAN SICKLE

HANK VAN SICKLE-Bass Hank was born into a musical family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 31, 1961. His father, Denny, played in dance bands in Canada as a youngster, went on to graduate from the prestigious Curtis Institute Of Music, and played bass in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for nearly forty years. The music of the Van Sickle household was jazz, and Hank remembers as a child being entertained by the music of Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Cal Tjader and other jazz giants. He got his professional start as a teenager playing blues with his sister, Lucy, who is an excellent harp player and blues singer. He immersed himself in the classic 50's Chess recordings of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Rogers. From there, he quickly got turned on to the more contemporary sounds of Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, and Magic Sam. And of course there was the influence of the British blues and rock music: John Mayall, The Rolling Stones and Cream. Hank graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, and worked for nearly ten years as a mechanical engineer in the oil and aerospace industries, while continuing to play jazz and blues. Becoming a full-time professional musician was inevitable.Working as a freelance bass player, he started stretching beyond blues and jazz, playing all kinds of music, from Western Swing, to R & B, to Dixieland, Country and Musicals. Hank has worked with Guitar Shorty, Smokey Wilson, Candye Kane, Denny Freeman, Rosie Flores, James Intveld, Wanda Jackson, Yma Sumac, Judy Tenuta, and The Drifters among others. He has contributed to several albums, movie soundtracks (including David Lynch's "The Straight Story") and television commercials. Joining John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers in September 2000 was a tremendous thrill, an opportunity to get back to the roots, and play the blues every night with a great band! On the road with the Bluesbreakers, Hank is also afforded the opportunity to continue his hobby of photography and, from his files documenting world travel, he was able to contribute the front cover photograph of the current Bluesbreakers CD ROAD DOGS. www.hankvansickle.com