Jesse "Wild Bill" Austin passed away on March 22, 1996, the day before his 66th birthday. Four years earlier, his live performance at a small bar inspired a drummer-agent and a bellydancer to form Roesch Records to disseminate this bluesman's music and talent throughout the world.
Steel Trap was recorded in November 1992. It was Jesse Austin's first commercial release since the 1950's. For years, Jesse had been saving his original compositions in a briefcase.
Jesse Austin's voice was always a tough act to follow. Like Howlin Wolf, Jesse's singing always commanded attention and fans. His big voice combined with the irresistable grooves he dished out on his Hammond B-3 organ.
The title cut, Steel Trap rollicks and swings like the woman with the big mouth it was written about. Cold Feeling is a dark and spooky journey from betrayal to loneliness. Bridgeport describes the happy-go-lucky "pimpwalk" up the east coast and Miss My Love is a love song with threatening overtones.
The three cover songs are well-known blues chestnuts which are given the Jesse Austin touch. Heās the groove-master. Steel Trap put Jesse Austin and the young Roesch Records on the map.
"Twas indeed a pleasure speaking to you anent that Brobdingnagian talent, Jesse Wild Bill Austin. Steel Trap twisted our proverbial dicks and knocked 'em in the dirt." Lionel WABC Radio NYC
"Austin has a deep and raspy voice that is immediately likable. His straightforward organ playing is often at the center of these performances, surrounded by guitar, bass and drums, as well as a three piece horn section of saxes, trumpet and trombone." Paul Yamada copyright DC Blues Calender May 1996 (www.dcblues.org)
"The reaction to Austin's music, which he had tucked away in a a briefcase for nearly 40 years, has been electric!" The Greenwich Times
"Austin's vocal style is like that of the shouters of the fifties but with that distinctive howl that keeps those Georgia hogs jumping all night. It's a joy to hear a man with this strong a voice who's also able to lick that Hammond B-3 with style and grace." Peter Jordan copyright The Blues Audience Sept 1993 p.3 (www.bluesaudience.com)
