Food and music go together like any of those combinations in the song 鈥淟ove and Marriage,鈥� but few people mix the two like Bill Wharton, aka the 鈥淪auce Boss.鈥�

He isn't called the "Sauce Boss" for nothing.

plays the Blues, but mixes large doses of Roots-Rock, Swamp Pop, Calypso, Zydeco, R&B, and Rockabilly into his singing, songwriting and rootsy guitar playing. While mostly known for playing around his home territory of Florida, lately he has caught on elsewhere including France, where he has received great support. Plus he has become a popular feature at festivals and performing arts centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

His 鈥淪auce Boss鈥� nickname stems from his creation and selling of his own homemade Liquid Summer Hot Sauce. Wherever he plays, his shows are pretty much impossible to forget because he cooks gumbo on stage during the show! Cooking food and cooking up great music have both always been great loves of Wharton and he decided he didn鈥檛 need to choose one over the other.

What could have been perceived as gimmickry has been very well received by the 鈥淪auce Boss鈥欌€� legions of fans. The two sides of Bill are so genuine that few people see his shows as phony.

http://youtu.be/zQ5dI2a1LEg

Many methods can be used to gage an artist鈥檚 success, but the 鈥淪auce Boss鈥� has a credit that most would envy. Parrotheads around the land are flocking to 鈥淪auce Boss鈥� shows because Jimmy Buffett was inspired by and sings about Bill Wharton in his song 鈥淚 Will Sing for Gumbo.鈥� OK, Hawaiian shirts on and margaritas raised...

http://youtu.be/Bbt1RtXNDsQ

Performances by Wharton are rollicking good picnics and happy time parties. He shares them with homeless shelters and disaster victims through shows and free gumbo provided by his non-profit .

Radio ordinarily would deny us the chance to properly experience a 鈥淪auce Boss鈥� show, but this week when I play him on The Nine O鈥檆lock Blues, why not set the atmosphere by cooking up your favorite ?

Also on this week鈥檚 show we鈥檒l hear Carolyn Wonderland from Austin, Texas, who will be one of the headliners for this year鈥檚 Greeley Blues Jam on June 8th.

http://youtu.be/7b4fJRPnZT0

Wonderland is a multi-faceted artist whose talents include playing guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, trumpet and piano, plus she鈥檚 a powerful singer. Her style is mostly Blues, but she likes to include overtones of Country, Swing, Zydeco, Surf, Gospel, Soul, and Cumbia. Cumbia is a mixture of Columbian Native, African slave and Spanish colonial influences that has caught on throughout Latin America.