Buddy Reed & the Rip It Ups

Veteran West Coast blues guitarist Buddy Reed & th' Rip It Ups. Rialto, CA native recognized by the California State Senate and City of Los Angeles as a creator of the West Coast Blues Sound and inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame (1998). As a teenager he joined George 'Harmonica' Smith's house band at Small's Paradise in Watts backing Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, T-Bone Walker and Jimmy Reed, later recording three albums as Bacon Fat for Blue Horizon, touring the US and England with Big Mama Thornton, and playing a year with Little Richard in Las Vegas. Known for raw passionate vocals, high-energy staccato rhythm guitar, searing leads and a Muddy Waters/Elmore James-inspired slide showcase, with repertoire spanning blues originals and early rock & roll (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Coasters). Current trio/quartet Th' Rip It Ups tours the Western states. Recent releases: Soul House EP (2025) and single 'Old Time Used to Be' (2026) on La Hooty Records via buddyreedblues.com.