TERY BISHOP aka Blues Mama
“Yes, I’m old but I still rock!”
I was born and raised in the Napa Valley. Music was always around my home when I was growing up. My mother had a beautiful voice and sang at various events. She first came to California in 1950 to work at the radio station her brother built in Napa (KVON). She had a large record collection of music from the 1950’s, and she always listened to Top 40 radio in the early 60’s. My mom was actually the one who introduced me to The Beatles when she brought home the "Meet the Beatles" album just before their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. Two years later, I attended my very first concert — The Beatles, Candlestick Park, San Francisco, August 1966 (which turned out to be the last concert of the last tour they ever did).
I met Greg at UC Berkeley back in 1975 through a friend who played guitar with Greg and who asked me to sing with them. Greg and I have been together ever since. We’ve been married for over 30 years and are still having a great time playing music together. Two of our 3 sons are guitar players and now we have 2 grandsons to carry on the family musical tradition to the next generation.
I have wanted to be a singer in a band ever since I can remember. But I never had the self confidence to really go for it until I was in my early 40’s. Now, I’ve been the lead vocalist for The Delta 88s since the band was formed in early 1999.
I have very eclectic musical tastes, but my favorite types of music are blues, blues rock, R&B, old Motown soul, and old school punk music (I was a punk rocker for a while back in the late 70's). Some of my vocal influences are Koko Taylor, Etta James, Tina Turner, Otis Redding, John Hiatt, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Delbert McClinton, Tommy Castro, and Paul Rodgers. I also like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers, Ruthie Foster, Coco Montoya, early Rod Stewart, Lyle Lovett, Van Morrison, Sly and the Family Stone, Ike and Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Mink DeVille, Zucchero, the Ramones, The Sex Pistols and, of course, The Beatles.