Last updated 05:17, Friday, 21 November 2008

Spine tingling ballads and hard rock numbers feature in the performance of the Nicky Moore Blues Corporation at Carlisle Blues Festival on Saturday.

Classically trained: Nicky Moore who fronts the Blues Corporation

By Emma Morley

The band, who have been together for 16 years, have played in Cumbria many times before and Nicky, who fronts the band, is looking forward to playing to a northern audience.

One of the songs that will feature in their performance is Northern Girl, a song guitar vocalist Nicky wrote for his wife Maggie, who is from Workington.

Nicky, 61, said: “We love playing in Cumbria. We try and bring our sense of humour into our performances and laugh and joke with the audience.”

The band is made up of base player Peter Shaw,drummer Eddie Collins, Nicky’s son Timothy Moore on guitar and Daniel J. Kyle on acoustic guitar.

Nicky has more than 40 years experience as a vocalist and the bands he has played with include Samson, Mister Big Stuff and Mammoth.

He is classically trained and his voice range spans three and a half octaves from bottom D to B flat.

The Blues Corporation have released seven albums and were voted top live blues band by Radio 2 listeners in 2000.

Nicky, who lives in Maidstone, Kent, says his biggest musical influence as Bobby Bland with other favourites including Billy Holiday and Bonnie Raitt.