About the Artist

Dave Specter has earned an international reputation as one of the premier talents on the Chicago music scene. Since 1985 Specter has performed regularly at top Chicago blues and jazz clubs in addition to festivals and concert halls throughout the USA. Since 1989 Dave has toured internationally with performances in Argentina, Brazil, Israel, Spain, England, Northern Ireland, Denmark, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Luxembourg, Mexico, and Canada.

Before forming his own band in 1989, Specter toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe behind such blues greats as Son Seals, The Legendary Blues Band, Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, and Steve Freund. Specter has also performed and/or recorded with such artists as Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Johnson, Jack McDuff, Johnny Adams, Snooky Pryor, Kim Wilson, Tad Robinson, John Primer, Johnny Littlejohn, B.B. Odom, Mighty Joe Young, Valerie Wellington, Magic Slim, Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Earl, Otis Clay, Floyd McDaniel, Pinetop Perkins, and Jorma Kaukonen.

Dave appears on over 40 albums and DVDs as a guitarist, bandleader and/or producer, with 12 albums as a leader or co-leader on Delmark Records.

He appears on compilation CDs with artists such as Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Junior Wells.

Dave is also a partner at one of the Chicago area’s most acclaimed music venues, Evanston SPACE and hosts the podcast, Blues From The Inside Out.

Dave endorses Victoria Amplifiers and GHS Strings

Brother John has been a resident musician at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago for 30 years.  He has played with Eric Clapton, Steve Miller, the Black Crowes, and acquired ringing endorsements from many other musicians of renown. For example: Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant had seen John play with Otis Rush at the Jazz Café in London. When Plant and Kattke met in person at the United Center in Chicago, Plant told Kattke: “You play a mean guitar!” George Benson came to the jam session that Kattke hosts at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. After hearing the opening set that John played with his band, Benson told him: “You’re fearless! I thought I was fearless! You’re fearless!”

Selected quotes and articles featuring Brother John…

Rolling Stone France RS102-Chicago
In terms of the condition of full-time musicians in Chicago, “Brother” John Kattke is a privileged witness. For more than a quarter of a century he has scoured the clubs of the city, taking turns on guitar or keyboards, when he’s not directing studio horn arrangements or playing keyboards on some albums, such as the latest Toronzo Cannon release, “The Chicago Way.” Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Matt Murphy, Junior Wells, he accompanied them all at a time or another.

“Clubs may not be as generous as the past in terms of earnings, their business has become more complicated, but the circuit is not dead, he assures. So you have to adapt, as it has always been more or less the case. As far as I am concerned, I’ll admit that I earn my living by playing with a dozen different groups or artists.”