
Upright Records recording artists Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues have been performing together since 1983, touring virtually every week of the year to small towns and cities alike. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, the piano/guitar team captivates audiences with their vast repertoire of classic, contemporary and original Blues.Piano player/singer Liz Pennock began performing professionally as a solo artist in 1975. She has lived and worked in Colorado, Arizona, Florida and her native Ohio. Undaunted by what might seem a limitation, Pennock was born minus two fingers on each hand, a fact not evident from the other side of the piano. She has developed her own powerful ivory-tickling style, inspiring countless listeners. Pennock's songwriting ranges from the romantic "My Best Fan" to the rollicking "He Plays the Boogie". Liz also plays rack-harmonica along with piano, and is an endorsee for Hohner Harmonicas. |
Guitarist/vocalist Paul "Dr. Blues" Shambarger has roots in northern Ohio, where he began his musical career as a drummer for bands in the late 1960's, and made the move to guitar in the early 1970's. Doc's witty and sometimes biting lyrics can be heard in his crowd-pleasing favorites "Alimony Blues" and "Cruel Jewel".Pennock & Shambarger met in 1981, married in 1983, and have been a nonstop creative team ever since. They co-produced Pennock's debut album Bluesy Atmosphere in 1986, and released their second recording, Blue Illusion, in 1989. Each album features 10 of their original songs. Liz and Doc's 1996 CD, Six Fingers Boogie, features 12 originals plus 2 Blues classics, with guest appearances by Gaye Adegbalola (of Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women), and harmonica great Rock Bottom. In 2003, the duo released Live From St. Pete, featuring 14 new originals and 4 covers. |
| In addition to their duo work, Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues also performed extensively with legendary Blues shouter Diamond Teeth Mary McClain, from 1988 until April 2000, when she died at age 97. In 1993, Liz & Doc co-produced Mary's critically-acclaimed debut CD, Walking Mary's Blues, and accompanied her at the 1996 Chicago Blues Festival. Liz & Doc performed in Belgium at the Brussels Boogie Woogie Piano Summit in 2004, in Germany (2003), and on a Blues Cruise to Mexico in 2001. They have appeared with such artists as John Hartford, Diane Schuur, John Hammond, Carey Bell, Alan Gerber, North Mississippi All-Stars, Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, Big Bill Morganfield, Roy Book Binder, Savoy Brown, and Leon Russell. |