Anson Funderburgh

Biography

Anson Funderburgh (born James Anson Funderburgh; November 14, 1954) is an American blues guitar player and bandleader of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets since 1978. The band's style incorporates both Chicago blues and Texas blues.

Career

Funderburgh was born in Plano, Texas, United States. Anson was with The Bee's Knees in 1976 and recorded Cold Hearted Woman. In 1977 the Rockets began with Anson, Mark Hickman on Fender bass, David Watson on drums and vocalist Darrell Nulisch. In 1981, Funderburgh released the Rockets' debut album Talk to You By Hand from New Orleans, Louisiana based Black Top Records. The band consisted of Anson, with Darrell Nulisch on vocals and harmonica. The album included a cover version of Earl King's song, "Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)". Talk to You By Hand was also the first ever release by the Black Top record label.
Before the debut album's release in 1981, Funderburgh participated that same year with The Fabulous Thunderbirds in recording of their Butt Rockin' album.
Funderburgh and the Rockets appeared at the 1984 San Francisco Blues Festival. When Nulisch left the band in 1985, Funderburgh invited the blues harmonica player Sam Myers from Jackson, Mississippi to fill in the spot. Myers stayed with the band until his death on July 17, 2006, appearing on eight albums with them. The first Rockets recording featuring Myers was My Love Is Here To Stay, released in 1985.
Funderburgh and the Rockets appeared in the 1994 film China Moon, starring Ed Harris and Madeleine Stowe. They are shown playing "Tell Me What I Want To Hear" from the self-titled release. As well as the studio recordings, in 1990 the band played the Long Beach Blues Festival. The same year, they appeared on show number 109 of the NBC television program, Sunday Night.
In 1989 and 1990 the band's bassist was Mike Judge, future animator and creator of Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill. Their song "Can We Get Together" was also featured in the film, 21 Grams in 2003.
In 2007, Funderburgh played on and produced John Németh's album, Magic Touch. Németh had briefly replaced Myers in Funderburgh's backing band.
In 2011, The Mill Block Blues album was released. The CD was unique in that a portion of the sales of the album was donated to help fellow musicians in need via the HART Fund (Handy Artist Relief Trust), a service provided by the Blues Foundation that provides for acute, chronic, and preventive medical and dental care as well as funeral expenses for blues musicians.
October 2012 saw the first U.S. and European tour of 'Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue', an all star package that included Funderburgh; Little Charlie Baty on guitar; former Rockets drummer Wes Starr; bassist Richard W. Grigsby; and leader, harmonicist, and singer Mark Hummel. The quintet were first featured on Hummel's 2014 Electro-Fi Records release The Hustle Is Really On, which was nominated for a Blues Music Award for 'Best Traditional Blues Album' in 2015.
In 2013, Funderburgh produced and featured on The Andy T–Nick Nixon Band's Drink Drank Drunk, released on Delta Groove.
In 2014, he was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Best Instrumentalist – Guitar' category.
More recently, Funderburgh co-produced Dany Franchi's album, Problem Child (2018). He also produced Breezy Rodio's 2022 album, Underground Blues.