The Claudettes is made up of the piano-drums duo of music veterans Johnny Iguana and Michael Caskey, helmed by the vocals of exotic singer Yana, of Nigerian heritage with a soulful, powerful voice. Inspired by the ’60s piano-drums blues recordings of Otis Spann & S.P. Leary, The Claudettes have created their own fanatical fusion of blues and soul-jazz—like Ray Charles on a punk kick. Imagine an amped-up piano hybrid of Otis Spann, Ray Charles and Mose Allison, joined by a jolly madman drummer and conducted in gonzo fashion by Raymond Scott. Prior to starting The Claudettes, Johnny toured with Otis Rush and recorded with Carey Bell and Lil’ Ed (he’s since become the piano player in the Grammy-nominated Chicago Blues: A Living History, while Michael, a Downbeat magazine award winner and five-time Detroit Music Awards recipient, played with everyone from Koko Taylor to Chuck Mangione to Marvin Hamlisch to John Sinclair.
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