When I first stumbled across European blues in the late 1990s it was a revelation. The blues scene here in America had peaked and, much to my dismay, was already declining in popularity at the turn of the century. As I began to cast my gaze across the Atlantic, wondrous new sounds were now filling my ears by remarkably talented young bands such as Knock-Out Greg & Blue Weather (Sweden), the Electric Kings (Belgium) and B.B. & the Blues Shacks (Germany). My appetite was once again satiated and the Euro blues scene had become my salvation.

When I happened across the album Yellow Fever in 2003 by a band from the south of France calling themselves Rosebud Blue Sauce, I knew I had found something special. Here was that swinging West Coast sound I had grown to love so much, echoing back to me from across the big pond, performed with gusto and unbridled enthusiasm.

Of particular note was the band’s vocalist/guitarist, Nico “Teen” Duportal. It was readily apparent from the get-go that this young man had done his homework. Flourishes of T-Bone Walker, Tiny Grimes, Hollywood Fats and Junior Watson were evident in his playing – all guitarists I equally adored. I came to the immediate conclusion that from this point forward I would continue to seek out his music and follow his career with great interest. When Lynwood Slim informed me that he would be producing the band’s third CD About Love it was with brimful certainty that I thought they must be on the verge of international stardom. Imagine my shock when I caught wind of the band’s demise in 2009.

Thankfully my fears were soon abated, as Nico promptly resurfaced with a new band in tow – the Rhythm Dudes. Everything I had come to admire about his music was still intact, only now he was also incorporating a heady dose of early Black rhythm & blues. With his 2009 solo debut Meet Me in the Basement and each subsequent release, Nico continued to impress and undoubtedly prove to be a formidable talent.

In 2014, Nico contacted me regarding plans for his first trip to Southern California. Coincidentally, I was in the throes of producing the Mannish Boys’ seventh release, Wrapped Up and Ready, and without hesitation I invited Nico to sit in on the
proceedings. Upon completing his part for the Roy Brown song Everything’s Alright, his chaperone Lynwood Slim exclaimed, “I’m so proud of you!”

The American blues scene has undoubtedly encountered its share of adversity in recent years. Whenever I begin to doubt the uncertainty of where this music’s headed, along comes someone like Nico Duportal to reassure me that everything’s gonna be just fine.
Our mutual friend Lynwood Slim passed on August 4, 2014, and while he isn’t here to congratulate Nico on accomplishing what is undoubtedly his finest recording yet, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Slim is looking down smiling and proud of him once again. That makes two of us.

- Jeff Scott Fleenor / Delta Groove Music (Host of the Blues Disease / KUCI 88.9 FM, 1996-2011 and occasionally thereafter)