Further On - George Bedard

The much-anticipated live blues cd by guitar legend George Bedard is finally available! This follow-up to "Pickin' Apart the Past" brings Bedard home to his blues roots with blazing tributes to the masters as well as powerful original tunes.

Pickin' Apart the Past - George Bedard

Pickin' Apart the Past is packed with such classic works as Okie Dokie Stomp, Minor Swing, Flying Home, Topsy/Swing to Bop, Cleo's Mood, and Last Date, demonstrating a departure from his Kingpins style. Additionally Bedard has included two new original pieces, Lockwood Jump (a tribute written in honor of Robert Lockwood, Jr.) and the acoustic Yellow Room Rag. The CD is accompanied by a booklet of liner notes written by George while completing this project, giving the listener an inside track on just what it took for a great guitarist to learn these masterpieces.

Hip Deep - George Bedard and the Kingpins

George Bedard splashes his grooves with a brainy compote of blues phrasing and rockabilly bad-boy twang. The songs feature plenty of 50's-era crooning and hip R&B songwriting. With crisp backing by drummer Richard Dishman and bassist Randy Tessier, Bedard sucks down on his Gibson ES - 5 Switchmaster and slings out licks like fries in a Tennessee A&W.

- Art Thompson, Guitar Player Magazine

The first track, "Nightmare," is a soulful R&B shuffle that conjures img of girls in batwing sweaters and saddle shoes, doing the Lindy, the Madison, or the Stroll. "Getting' Later" jumps to a jittery, jungle-beat groove, a la Little Walter in his Chicago-blues heyday. "Zip" is breezy, hep-cat swing.

For "Heeby Jeebies," Bedard adopts the hiccuping rockabilly vocals of a young Elvis Presley, giving the song a seminal Sun Sessions feel. And they top it all off with a tongue-in-cheek surf-guitar rendition of the William Tell Overture.

-Kevin Ransom, The Detroit News

Triple Crown - George Bedard and the Kingpins

"Triple Crown" shows a bit more range than Bedard's earlier albums: a gentle waltz ballad ("Shake Me"), a touch of pedal steel ("One More Day"), and on four of the 14 cuts here, the prominent input of nimble All Hill on organ and piano. The high point: "Where Have I Been," with Hill and Bedard trading high-spirited lead lines. The song is at least two minutes too short, and leaves you wondering what Ann Arbor's leading roots rockers could conjure up at a summit jam session.

Rounding out Bedard's ditties on the pleasures and pitfalls of love are a couple of twangy instrumentals, a Bo Diddley-style treatment of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You," a modest cover of the country oldie "He's Got You,"a zippy version of Little Richard's "Oooh! My Soul," and bassist Randy Tessier's Replacements-flavored lament "New Year's Party."

-Bruce Martin, Ann Arbor News Entertainment Editor

Upside! - George Bedard and the Kingpins

Guitarist George Bedard just may be America's newest star in the roots music sweepstakes. He's certainly one of the best blues-rockabilly-swing jazz guitarists you never heard of, but should. He's been knocking around the Ann Arbor, MI scene long enough to become king of the hill, and this, his long overdue debut on the fledgling Schoolkids label, goes a long way toward explaining why he's top dog in that neck of the woods.

The opening cut, "What a Shame," sets the tone for everything that follows; a Bedard original, it's a bluesy shuffle infused with all of his personality, meaning equal parts Mr. Cool and Mr. Explosive. Check out his guitar solo, then look around to see if there's anything better – not likely. While his playing is encyclopedic in its scope, his vocalizing is equally impressive, simply because he just sings like himself, without resorting to phony rasping or vein-popping histrionics. A lot of stylistic ground gets covered on this album, from blues, rockabilly, surf music, and beyond. Whether it's the New Orelans strut of his "La Day Oh," the R&B ballad, "Here Comes the Night," or the left-field pop turn of "I'm My Own Dog," Bedard hits the inside corner of the plate every time, while still maintaining his own identity. The effect is no small achievement. Making all of this fit into one neat package is the seamless work of Kingpins' drummer Rich Dishman and bassist Randy Tessier, a crackerjack rhythm section that follows him flawlessly and kicks in all the right places.

George Bedard may not become the Next Big Thing, but as far as the music is concerned, he's already the Next Cool Thing.

-Cub Koda, CD Review Magazine, April 1993

One Chance With You - The Silvertones

In 1973, Steve Nardella had a group called the Vipers which included drummer, Fran Christina, bass, Sarah Brown and guitarist, George Bedard. They recorded the very first record for Blind Pig Records (001).

Then came the Silvertones, which also included guitarist George Bedard. They were a big influence in the roots-music rival that was happening in the mid-1970s. They traveled to Austin, Texas to California, and to many other spots through-out the U.S. This was before such groups as the Paladins and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, (which included Fran Christina). The Silvertones released an album, also on Blind Pig, called "One Chance With You", in 1977. It was well received by the critics and still retains a following of fans.