The Smack Dabs, out of Boston MA, specialize in good-time Swing Blues music from the 1930s, featuring the songs of Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, The Harlem Hamfats, and many others. This delightful and timeless genre features a rich variety of musical styles, ranging from mournful blues to joyful celebrations, setting the stage for incredible solo and group improvisations and delighting audiences and dancers alike.

We are proud to feature some of Boston's most compelling improvising musicians in our rotating lineup, bringing a fresh and unique sound to each performance.

• Mark Earley: guitar, vocals, kazoo

• Richard Saunders: piano

• Jim Gray: upright bass

• Mark Berney: cornet

• Kit Buckley: saxophone, clarinet

• Jon Kraus: washboard

SWING BLUES: THE BACKSTORY

The 1930s were halcyon days for Swing music, but not just for the likes of big bands like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford, and the Dorsey Brothers. There were literally hundreds of small Swing combos from trios to octets, each with its own unique take on the music that dominated the market during the height of the Great Depression. The list of artists who led small combos include Tiny Grimes, Slim Galliard, Billie Holiday, and Fats Waller. In addition to these groups, several important vocal harmony groups were also active on the scene, including the Cats and the Fiddle, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and the Spirits of Rhythm. Evolving out of New Orleans jazz and ragtime stylings, Swing music was fueled by the improvisational and rhythmic innovations of soloists like Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins. It remains primarily dance music. 

$17 advance | $22 day-of

*fees not included