For over forty years, the Hamburg Blues Band has united uncompromising blues with great stylistic variety - and has long earned a reputation as one of the liveliest and most original acts in the European blues scene.
40 years of St. Pauli Blues - the Hamburg Blues Band on their "Friends For A LIVEtime VOL. II" tour
Founded in 1982 during a legendary midnight jam session at Hamburg's "Onkel Pö" by vocalist Gert Lange and British saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith (Colosseum), the band was from the beginning part of a blueprint for German-British blues collaborations.
Back then, blues in Germany was an outsider genre - today, HBB is considered one of the most important ambassadors of the genre. Gert Lange recalls: "Blues was a dirty word back then. We were outlaws - but team players!" Thanks to their clever mix of blues, rock, soul, psychedelic, boogie, and occasional jazz excursions, they have created a soundscape that captivates both live purists and blues traditionalists.
Over the years, HBB has collaborated with a number of high-profile musicians: Chris Farlowe, Jack Bruce, Arthur Brown, Mike Harrison, Clem Clempson, or Miller Anderson - names whose musical weight also reflects the significance of the band. And with British saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith ("for us, what Alexis Korner was for the Stones"), they had a direct connection to the British blues and jazz tradition. Last but not least, lyricist legend Pete Brown (Cream) was a close companion for years.
Now, on the "Friends For A LIVEtime VOL. II" tour, the Hamburgers are opening another chapter with renewed vigor. On board are the charismatic rock shouter Gert Lange, bassist Reggie Worthy (Ike & Tina Turner, Eric Burdon, Stoppok), drummer Eddie Filipp (Sweet, Inga Rumpf, Clem Clempson Band), and British guitar shooting star Krissy Matthews, whom Beth Hart simply praises as "This guy is the real deal." This ensemble combines decades of blues tradition with fresh rock drive, uncompromising energy, and unfiltered joy of playing.
In this formation, songs from four decades of Hamburg Blues Band are performed - fresh interpretations, old classics, and brand new moments, always carried by the unmistakable energy of an original that never leans nostalgically back but always remains in motion. It is a musical firework with friends, companions, and real characters - with all the groove, depth, and soul that makes blues.