Meet Patty Tuite & The Boilermakers
Patty Tuite started playing in public in 1992, performing on her guitar and singing at open mic sessions in the Springfield, Massachusetts area. Her folk roots expanded into the blues realm, with influences from Etta James and Bonnie Raitt to Ella Fitzgerald and Debbie Davies. In 1997, Patty recorded her first CD, Patty Tuite and Friends, Live at the Tic Toc, which included five original songs. Continuing to compose songs as well as perform live, she formed The Patty Tuite Band in 1999, which competed in the finals of the Connecticut Blues Society's Blues Challenge in 2001. By 2002, the band released Girls Night Out, comprised entirely of the band's original material. The Connecticut Blues Society (CTBS) released a compilation CD, Local Flavor, in 2003, which included "Red Light", an original song of Patty's. That same year, WHUS radio released a station CD which included one of her songs as well. Another CTBS compilation CD, Blue State Blues, released in 2007, featured another Patty Tuite original, "Gimme a Man". In 2005, The Patty Tuite Band once again competed in the Connecticut Blues Challenge finals. In 2007, Patty formed her current band, Patty Tuite & The Boilermakers. The band plays a mixture of blues, swing, jazz and classic rock 'n' roll, as well as Patty's original songs.
Frank Busse, drummer, has been playing drums and singing professionally for more than 38 years, having started playing out at the age of 12. Growing up, his family life was musically oriented. He lived his early adult life on the west coast in California until 1981, playing at state fairs and festivals, cruise ships in San Francisco, and clubs from the Redwoods in the north to Cannery Row in the south. He was influenced by many of the rock bands of the ´60s and ´70s, such as The Beatles and The Who. He ventured into jazz and has played a wide variety of styles with the bands he's joined. In addition to playing drums in Patty Tuite & The Boilermakers, he also plays percussion with King Cake, an eastern Connecticut swamp blues band. Frank's solid singing voice creates great vocal harmonies to enrich The Boilermakers' music.
Tom "Turk" Neilsen, bassist, has played the gamut over the last 30+ years: blues, gospel, jazz, R&B, country, folk, roots music, rock, classic rock, and originals in varying bands and venues throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts with some minor forays into Rhode Island. When asked about his major musical influences, he lists Stevie Wonder's left hand, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, The Three Stooges, Hopalong Cassidy, Arthur Godfrey and Raymond Chandler, just to name a few. Tom's talents don't stop with his bass playing, however; he also shares vocal duties in The Boilermakers, and he is an accomplished guitarist, as well. When he's not holding down the bottom line in The Boilermakers, he can be found playing bass with King Cake, an eastern Connecticut swamp blues band, in addition to playing with Patty Tuite & The Boilermakers.
"Wild" Bill Furey began playing guitar at age 13, influenced by Elvis Presley and a whole bunch of English guys during the "British Invasion". However, after hearing the musical genius of Michael Bloomfield, he fell hard for blues music. After hearing Miles Davis, he became interested in jazz; this led to his "discovery" of John McLaughlin, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green—the list goes on. Bill can accompany almost any song, be it blues, jazz, or rock ´n' roll, showcasing his talent with his tasteful playing. For the last few years, he has also been playing with Bruce John's Eagleville Band, wowing the crowds at outdoor festivals and clubs in Connecticut.