from www.rustysterling.com

After years of playing sideman with other bands, Rusty Sterling decided to put together his own concept of a band with his own distinctive brand of red, hot rock n' blues ­ Rusty Sterling & Friends.

Rusty got his start in bands on the East Coast 20 years ago. He toured in the '80s and early '90s with East Coast blues bands and was considered one of the best harp players in the Washington, D.C., blues scene. He brought with him to the West Coast a repertoire that is familiar to many listeners but also has a distinct East Coast influence. Audiences hear tunes that are endearing and familiar to them but not generally played by other West Coast bands.

California is Rusty's home and he rode back into town a dusty unknown in the San Francisco Bay area music scene in 1994. Nonetheless, he made an impression on those who first heard him on harmonica or bass guitar at local jams and he quickly started gigging.

Over the last few years he's become steeped in the West Coast scene, having played in such San Francisco area bands as Borrowed Time, Souls of Blue, The Mike Roche Band, The High Rollers, The Stan Erhart Trio, The Juicers, and The Bart Shea Band. Rusty has also been a special guest with Big Bones & Bonafide, Marshall Law, Big Mamu, Muddy's Sons, Mojo Madness, and The Jukes.

Playing bass, rhythm guitar, and harmonica, Rusty uses his versatility to charm and entertain audiences. The distinct snarl and rasp of Rusty's lead vocals leads many to ask about his consumption of cigarettes and whisky over the years. Together with his driving bass lines, searing harmonica, precise rhythm guitar chops, Clapton-esque vocals, and shiny silver stage wear, he can blind and hypnotize.

Some of Rusty's influences include: Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Michael Bloomfield, T-Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Junior Wells, Willie Dixon, all the Kings (BB, Albert, Freddie), Little Walter, Junior Walker, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Little Feat, The Meters, Koko Taylor, Uncle Dave Macon, James Cotton, Eric Clapton, Charlie Musslewhite, Alberta Hunter, Paul Butterfield, Eric Burdon, James Cotton, Elizabeth Cotton, Albert Collins, Sam & Dave, Elvin Bishop, Rufus Thomas, Al Kooper, Cephus & Wiggins, Jimmy Reed, and too many others that deserve to be on this list.