Friends and bandmates since the 1970s, Bill “the Coach” Mather (bass), Paul Lenart (guitar), Chuck Purro (drums), and Richard Rosenblatt (harmonica) formed the 11th Hour Band and started playing the Boston music circuit in the early ‘80s. They released Hot Time In The City Tonight in 1985, the first album on the fledgling Tone-Cool Records imprint, and went on to play together off and on for the next few decades.
They all stayed busy with other pursuits, musical and otherwise, but their unique musical chemistry and friendship kept bringing the “11 Guys” back to their original quartet. 2020 saw the release of their international chart-climbing instrumental album, Small Blues and Grooves, their first release since 1985.
Gratified by the response, they definitely weren’t about to let one little pandemic stop them. So they dug in with remote recordings and produced 11 new singles accompanied by creative videos produced by The Coach. These singles yielded the band’s 2023 album, 11 x 11.
Now they’re pressing forward, one single at a time. The newest release, “Lonesome Hotel Blues,” is out today. Marked by carefully detailed textures, this cinematic blues ballad is suitable for long nights in strange places.
