Roomful of Blues is an institution, the blues genre’s equivalent to the Count Basie Band and Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Roomful is much smaller, comprising only an octet, yet considering its longevity of 58 years, the comparison holds. Basie and Ellington’s bands had a tenure of 50 years under each’s leadership. Granted, Roomful continues without an original member, although saxophonist Rich Lataille has been aboard since 1970. However, we now have a new development. For the first time, a female vocalist fronts Roomful of Blues, the gifted and powerful DD Bastos. While Ellington and Basie had both male and female lead vocalists, Roomful now can claim the same with their twentieth album, Steppin’ Out.