Mike Guldin is Making a Scene

July 8, 2023

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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mike Guldin

Mike Guldin first picked up the guitar at age 15 and since then has honed his craft playing in roadhouses, clubs and bars, and Festivals and Theaters for over 45 years. Influenced by blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins, The Three Kings (BB, Albert and Freddie), Guldin is also inspired by contemporary artists including The Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, and The Rolling Stones. R&B/Soul icons Sam & Dave, Booker T and The MG’s, Reverend Al Green and The Memphis Stax and High Tone Records grooves are also a heavy influence, along with the Southern fried Muscle Shoals sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws and a slew of country and crossover artists like Delbert McClinton and Lee Roy Parnell. It is little wonder that stinging guitar and soulful vocals are second nature for Guldin. When combined with the raucous backing sounds of his band, “Rollin’ & Tumblin’,” all of these inspirations come to life into blues they have branded “Good Ole Butt-Shakin’ Music”!

Guldin and The Tumblers are two-time finalists in the International Blues Challenge, an annual event sponsored by The Blues Foundation and held each year in Memphis, TN. Band members are Mike Guldin, guitar and vocals; Tim Hooper, keyboards and vocals; Bill Sharrow, bass and vocals; and Billy Wear, drums. A journeyman of the blues, Guldin has opened for and shared billing with a wide range of artists including Sam Moore, Delbert McClinton, Levon Helm, EG Kight, Tab Benoit, Tommy Castro, Teresa James, The Nighthawks, Little Milton, Shemekia Copeland, Debbie Davies, Saffire The Uppity Blues Women, Michael Hill and his Blues Mob, John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino.

Guldin’s debut album, Caught Between The Blues and a Heartache, was released in 2003. Roadhouse Rhythm (released in 2005), featured special guests EG Kight, Tommy Castro, Delbert McClinton’s horns (Terry Townson and Don Wise), Denise NeJame and James Pennebaker. The late Tom Hyslop declared, “It all sounds good, and fun is at a premium!” in his Blues Revue magazine review. In 2019, Mike and The Tumblers’ Live at The Sellersville Theater was released.

Nearly twenty years later, Guldin released his opus, Tumblin’, in partnership with Bill Sharrow (Black Cat Studio, Spring Mount, Pa.), on Blue Heart Records. The collection of 13 diverse originals is all penned by Guldin; Sharrow; prominent metro Philadelphia area musicians Mikey Jr., Roger Girke, Will Hodgson, Craig Thatcher, and Kevin Vannoy. Special guests include Kevin McKendree, James Pennebaker, Lewis Stephens, Kevin Vannoy and Luis Mora.

2023 Brings Mike Guldin and Rollin’ and Tumblin’ Back with their latest release, The Franklin Sessions, also on the Blue Heart Record Label with Publicity by Blind Raccoon. The Franklin Sessions was born out of the desire to get back to a more organic approach to recording. In addition to Mike and The Tumblers, special guests include Grammy Winners Kevin McKendree, Yates McKendree and James Pennbaker, along with David Santos, The McCrary Sisters (Regina, Ann & Alfreda), Mikey Junior and The Philly Funk Horns.

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