Freddie Roulette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Freddie Roulette
Background information
Birth name	Frederick Martin Roulette
Born	(1939-05-03)May 3, 1939 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 24, 2022(2022-12-24) (aged 83)
Genres	Chicago blues, electric blues
Occupation(s)	Guitarist
Instruments	Lap steel guitar
Years active	1960s–2022
Labels	Janus, Rykodisc, others
Associated acts	Daphne Blue / Ray Bronner, Henry Kaiser, Harvey Mandel, Earl Hooker, the Holmes Brothers

Freddie Roulette was an amazing American musician. He played the lap steel guitar and sang the electric blues. He was born on May 3, 1939, and passed away on December 24, 2022. Freddie was famous for his unique way of playing the lap steel guitar.

He was a member of the band Daphne Blue. He also worked with many other great musicians. These included Earl Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, Henry Kaiser, and Harvey Mandel. Freddie also released several music albums on his own. People often called him an "excellent musician."

You can find a short video about Freddie Roulette on YouTube. It shows his time with the Daphne Blue Band. An online blues encyclopedia called "All About Blues Music" talks about his long time with the band. It also mentions his album, Daphne Blue: Legendary Blues Instrumentals. Freddie thought these 15 songs were some of his best work.

Freddie Roulette's Musical Journey

Early Life and Starting Music

Freddie Roulette's family came from New Orleans. But he was born and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He learned to play the steel guitar when he was in high school. As a teenager, he started playing in clubs in Chicago.

In 1965, he joined Earl Hooker's band. He toured and performed with them until 1969.

Playing with Earl Hooker

Earl Hooker's band was very popular. It included the pianist Pinetop Perkins and harmonica player Carey Bell. The singer was Andrew Odom, and Freddie Roulette played guitar. Many people thought this was one of the best bands Earl Hooker ever had.

Freddie played on several of Hooker's songs. He was also on Hooker's 1967 album, The Genius of Earl Hooker. He also played on the 1969 album, 2 Bugs and a Roach.

Moving to California and New Collaborations

Later, Freddie became good friends with Charlie Musselwhite. He recorded with Charlie on the 1969 album Chicago Blue Stars. Freddie toured with Charlie and played on his albums Tennessee Woman and Memphis, Tennessee.

After that, Freddie moved to the San Francisco, California, area. He lived there for the rest of his life. In San Francisco, he played in a band with Luther Tucker. He also recorded music with Earl Hooker's cousin, John Lee Hooker.

The Daphne Blue Band

After moving, Freddie started playing with a 14-year-old guitarist named Ray Bronner. Ray was also known as 'Daphne Blue Ray'. They formed the band Daphne Blue with some older musicians from Chicago. Famous musicians like 'Big Moose' (Johnny Walker) and 'Pinetop Perkins' often joined them. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown also played with them sometimes.

Freddie released an album with the band called Daphne Blue: Legendary Blues Instrumentals. This album has 15 great songs. Freddie believed these were some of his best recordings.

Solo Albums and Later Success

In 1973, Freddie released his first solo album. It was called Sweet Funky Steel. The famous guitarist Harvey Mandel helped produce this album. Another musician, Don "Sugarcane" Harris, played on some of the songs.

For the next twenty years, Freddie kept playing with other musicians. He also sometimes led his own band. In 1996, he worked with Mandel and Kaiser again. They played together on the album Psychedelic Guitar Circus.

A producer named Larry Hoffman brought Freddie to Chicago. There, Freddie recorded his 1997 solo album. It was called Back in Chicago: Jammin' with Willie Kent and the Gents. He played with Willie Kent and Chico Banks. This album won an award from Living Blues magazine. It was named the Best Blues Album of 1997.

After this success, Freddie started playing at many blues festivals. In 1998, he recorded the album Spirit of Steel. The Holmes Brothers were featured on this album. Freddie also helped with Kaiser's album Yo Miles. This album was a tribute to the jazz legend Miles Davis.

Man of Steel and Other Projects

Freddie's solo album Man of Steel came out in 2006. It featured guitarists Will Bernard and David Lindley. Henry Kaiser also played guitar and produced the album. It was recorded in Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. This album mixed blues with jazz, country, soul, and reggae. In the same year, Freddie played in a small group with Mike Hinton.

Freddie played at many music festivals over the years. These included the Long Beach Blues Festival and the San Francisco Blues Festival. He also played at the Calgary Folk Music Festival in 2000. He continued to play club shows in the San Francisco area, often with Harvey Mandel.

In 2012, he recorded Jammin' With Friends. This album was made in three different studios with many musicians. Michael Borbridge produced it and played drums on all the songs.

As of 2015, Freddie was still playing with the Daphne Blue Band. In 2019, the Chicago Reader newspaper wrote an article about Freddie. It was called "The Secret History of Chicago Music." It talked about musicians who deserved more recognition.

Freddie Roulette passed away on December 24, 2022, when he was 83 years old.

Freddie's Music Albums

More to Explore

• List of electric blues musicians