75 Birthday Bash

“I’ve been on the road for over 50 years and feel blessed that I’ve been able to make this incredible musical journey, often accompanied by a wonderful extended family of music makers.”
After more than 8000 concerts and 50 years on the road, HANS THEESSINK is a blues and roots music institution. His unmistakable acoustic guitar style, his sonorous voice, and his penchant for melodies and vocals, as well as his charismatic stage presence, have become trademarks of the Dutchman and Viennese resident. Trademarks that are recognized and appreciated worldwide, and have earned Theessink – whom Bo Diddley once called “a hell of a guitar player” – a Grammy nomination, as well as a nomination at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis TN, and several Amadeus and Danish Music Awards. In 2018, Hans was inducted into The Dutch Blues Hall of Fame.

Every year, Hans Theessink gathers an illustrious group of musicians to his “second Viennese living room” the Metropol. There he gives the audience—and himself—the most wonderful birthday present that can be given to such a tireless ambassador of roots and blues music: making music together. When the great and much-too-soon departed blues legend Luther Allison attributed a “special philosophy” to this music, he revealed himself to be Hans Theessink’s brother in spirit. Theessink doesn’t just play this music — he lives, breathes, and embodies it. And he does so in a way that has unfortunately become quite rare. Hans Theessink’s music — much like Hans himself — is relaxed, laid back, unflashy, and perfectly-suited to lose yourself in. His sonorous voice and virtuoso, rhythmic guitar have become unmistakable trademarks, as has his unparalleled songwriting, whether he’s singing about love, friendship, and togetherness, or about how life isn’t all sunshine. It is a recognition that, regardless of our ancestry and origins, the color of our blood is always the same, connecting us all. This is a central component of the “special philosophy” of the blues. Anyone who has ever attended a Hans Theessink concert knows that he succeeds in conveying this sense of community to the audience from the very first bars.

“75 Birthday Bash” documents this perfectly, from “Bridges,” with Insingizi and Roland Guggenbichler, to the closing “People Get Ready – One Love,” with Eric Bibb, Ulrika Bibb, Eleanor Shanley, Vlado Kreslin, Insingizi, Roland Guggenbichler, Douglas Linton & The Plan Bs. On “Schwoazzmarie” and “Da Schurl Und da Lingge,” Theessink, with Ernst Molden at his side, proves that he long ago fell in love with the language of his adopted hometown — of course adding his own twist . The grande dame of British blues, Dana Gillespie, takes to the Birthday Bash stage on “May The Road,” along with Guy Davis, Anja Klipic, Christina Eckhard, Chris Fillmore, Angus Thomas, and Alee Thelfa, among others. Christian Dozzler also joins the band on some tracks, such as “Slidin’ Delta.” This list alone puts beyond question the immense global status that Hans Theessink has achieved over the decades. The double CD – excerpts from it will be released on a single vinyl LP at the same time – conveys, with its brilliant sound, an atmosphere of togetherness that is ideal for finding peace, joy, and serenity for a few hours. “I see the Birthday Bash concerts as a great opportunity to make music with friends,” Hans Theessink has said. “We make this music because it touches our souls. It simply creates a sense of family!”