Thursday night I was talking to my friend Mike. We were sitting in his club the “Cool River Draught House and Eatery.”
Cool River Draught House and Eatery is my favorite place for the blues and every Thursday night Mike holds an all pro jam night. The club hosts many pro players. These pro players are some of the top artists of today like; Eddie Campbell, Billy Branch, Lonnie Brooks, Johnny Drummer, L V Banks, Smilin Bobby, Cyrus Hayes And Lady Lee, and the list goes on and on.
A man walked up to Mike with flyers and posters. His name is Pat Smillie. Mike introduced me. Mike said you gotta look at his work and am I glad I did.
Chicago contains a tremendous amount of musicians and these musicians are in competition with one another. I receive a lot of requests to review different artists and at times those requests can be overwhelming. Mike knows talent when he hears it, he listens to and watches artists almost 24/7. He is on a quest for the ultimate blues artist. Unfortunately, Pat is not one of those blues artists, but he is one of the great “Rhythm and Blues” artists of the day. I tell you it really tickles me when I 
discover someone I did not know.
Pat is a “Rhythm and Blues” soul artist that has to be seen and heard to be appreciated. Pat is a not a large man, but his voice is bigger than life. I listened to two CD’s that Pat gave me and his voice will hold up to any soul singer.
The first CD I listened to was a live recording. It seemed like the band was featured more than the vocals which is a shame, because without Pat’s vocals the band is just another band.
The second CD was a studio recording. Pat’s vocals are spot on with this CD. The band was fine and the back-up vocals were OK, but not knock-out ok. Pat needs a producer to put the icing on the cake.
Both recordings are quite good and present a “Rhythm and Blues” singer that has been around the block a couple of times. Pat Smillie deserves attention from a national audience. If you are in the business of music you need to take a look at this man.
Pat is a vocalist extraordinaire. I can compare him to Ray Charles, Joe Cocker and John Belushi, but I won't. He has his own voice and I like it!Myspace.com/patsmilie
If you want Pat's CD email americanbluesblog100@gmail.com
Terrance “Gatorman” Lape
My CD "Mark Of the Gator" is available for digital download at Amazon.com
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