THE LUCKY LOSERS
Nominated for THREE 2023 Independent Blues Awards for the album Standin’ Pat on Vizztone
Winners of FIVE Independent Blues Awards in 2021 for the album Godless Land!
Danger meets sophistication in the soulful music of The Lucky Losers, San Francisco’s eminent male/female duet fronted band.
Artist of the Year | Cathy Lemons
Song of the Year | Godless Land
Best R&B Soul Song | Godless Land
Best Female Artist | Cathy Lemons
Best R&B Soul CD | Godless Land | The Lucky Losers (on Vizztone)
SHORT BIO
Winners of five Independent Blues Award in 2021 including “Artist of the Year” (Cathy Lemons), “Song of the Year” (Godless Land), “The Lucky Losers are San Francisco’s finest male/female duet fronted band — a throwback to the hybrid of soul, blues, rock, gospel, and country that emerged in the late 1960’s with impassioned vocal performances, electrifying musical interplay, and powerful harmonica.
Described as “the finest light-skinned female blues vocalist in the U.S” [Real Blues - 2010], fiery Dallas-born entertainer Cathy Lemons has a velvet voice with a gritty edge and the rebel conviction of a woman risen from the ashes. New Jersey native Phil Berkowitz "has earned renown as one of the West Coast’s most distinctive harp players, as well as for his sharp, resonant tenor" [Living Blues - 2018]. The stark contrast between incandescent Lemons and elegant Berkowitz makes for a captivating musical union, breathing new life into American songwriting tradition and the vanishing art of duet singing.
Since 2015, The Lucky Losers have completed numerous national tours, performing on stages in over 46 states. Their artistic achievements have garnered 6 national awards, 25 award nominations, & two International Songwriting Competition prizes as Finalists (2018 & 2020).
LONG BIO
In July of 2014, The Lucky Losers emerged onto the scene and have been entertaining audiences across America ever since. Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz delivered an outstanding debut album, “A Winning Hand", which marked the beginning of their fruitful collaboration with Kid Andersen at his famous Greaseland in San Jose, California. The Lucky Losers recruited top West Coast players, such as Grammy Award winning guitarist, Steve Freund (Sunnyland Slim), Andersen himself, and Ben Rice, who won the 2014 International Blues Challenge for “Guitar” in the Solo/Duo category, to make their dreams come alive. "A Winning Hand" went on to peak at #5 on The Roots Music Report’s “Top 50 Blues Albums” and reach #1 on Blues 411's "A Baker's Dozen of Blues", garnering a nomination for a Jimi Award in the "Best Traditional Album" category. The album was listed as one of the "Top Blues Albums of 2015" by The Roots Music Report. Dan Akroyd (Elwood Blues) chose their original song, "Change in the Weather" as "Bluesbreaker of the Week" for his internationally syndicated "Bluesmobile/Everything Blues" radio show. The Lucky Losers landed the cover of the November 2015 issue of French magazine, Blues and Co. Living Blues, Elmore, Classicalite, Blues Matters, Blues Blast, Blues Bytes, and additional influencers in the blues community concluded that The Lucky Losers had dealt a winning hand.
In the summer of 2016, The Lucky Losers released "In Any Town", their sophomore album on Dirty Cat Records featuring stellar musical contributions from Kid Andersen, Paris Slim, Terry Hanck, and Jeff Jensen. Inspired by music of the 60's and true events from their beautiful, twisted lives, Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz served up medicine for wayward souls, offering glimpses of paradise through a veil of tears.
Within two weeks of its release, "In Any Town" reached #10 on The Roots Music Report's "Top Albums/Blues, #2 on The Roots Music Report's "Top Albums/All Genres/ California" and #3 for "Top Blues Rock Albums." A month later, Living Blues Radio Chart placed it at #6. Eight songs from the album charted into the top 20 on The Roots Music Report's "Top Singles". The album was also nominated by Blues 411 for a Jimi Award for “Best Harmonica Player” and “Best Contemporary Blues Album”.
"In Any Town" was featured in several notable end of year lists such as Richard Ludmerer’s "Top 50 Independent Blues Albums of 2016" (of Making a Scene). Critics from all around the world gave the album rave reviews. In 2017, The Lucky Losers toured extensively nationwide in support of "In Any Town" accompanied by incendiary guitarist, Laura Chavez, who was listed by Guitar Player Magazine as one of the world's "Top 50 Sensational Female Guitarists". “In Any Town” was nominated for total of seven awards, five Independent Blues Awards and two Blues 411 Jimi awards.
In May of 2018, The Lucky Losers continued their winning streak upon the release of their third album, "Blind Spot", produced and engineered by long-time collaborator, Kid Andersen. “Blind Spot” is a road warrior’s tale, solely comprised of original material created by Cathy and Phil alongside their multi-talented songwriting partner, Danny Caron (Charles Brown). Traveling through a winding soundscape of modern blues, vintage R&B, and Americana, “Blind Spot” presents unvarnished testimony to the fragile and fleeting state of our world. The album features contributions from Blues Music Award winner/ guitarist, Kid Andersen, IBMA Momentum Award winning violinist, Annie Staninec (Rod Stewart), 2019 BMA nominated saxophonist, Nancy Wright, and 2019 BMA nominated guitarist, Laura Chavez.
“Blind Spot” was on the Roots Music Report’s “Top 50 Blues Album Chart” for 26 weeks/ with 4 weeks in the Top 10, peaking at #9 and for 32 weeks on the RMR “Contemporary Blues Album Chart,” peaking at #5.” The Living Blues Radio Chart placed it at #10 in May of 2018. “Blind Spot” was on the “Top 50 California Album Chart” for a total of 32 weeks with 18 weeks in the Top 10. Nine of the 11 original songs from the album made The Roots Music Report's "Top 50 Singles” in Blues & Contemporary Blues categories. The album was included in several notable end of the year lists such as Downbeat Magazine’s “Best of 2018,” Richard Ludmerer’s “Top 40 Indie Blues Recordings of 2018” (listed at #1), and The Roots Music Report’s “Top Blues Albums of 2018 (listed at #28).”
In the late spring of 2019, Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz headed back out on the road, bringing their music to the American public on a 13-state tour. Upon their return, they discovered that The Independent Blues Awards honored them with 5 award nominations: Best Independent Blues R&B/Soul CD; Best Independent Blues-Soul Artist; Best R&B/Soul Song for “Take The Long Road” (featuring Laura Chavez on guitar); Best Blues Rock Song for “Alligator Baptism;” and Best Contemporary Blues Song for “The River.” Additionally, Cathy Lemons’ song, “The River” was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, competing against 19k global artists to become one of the 16 songwriters honored in the “Blues” category.
Blind Spot won Cathy & Phil their first national award: “Best Blues/ R&B Soul Artist of 2019”.
At the end of February 2020, and upon returning from a tour with Blues Blast Award winner & guitarist, Ben Rice, The Lucky Losers booked studio time with the great producer, Kid Andersen, to lay down tracks for what was to become their fourth album, “Godless Land”. They were lucky enough to complete all instrumental tracks with the band by the end of February 2020.
Then came the lock down due to the pandemic.
All clubs were closed, all festivals and concert series were cancelled. The Lucky Losers lost a full August tour which Phil had worked on for 6 months. They quietly continued to work in the studio with only Kid Andersen, laying down the final vocals, their beautiful harmonies, and more instrumentation, much of which Kid Andersen supplied and on a wide variety of instruments.
The album, “Godless Land,” was eventually released on August 14, 2020 on the national label Vizztone. In July, the original song "Half A Nothing" rose to #2 (& subsequently #1) on The Roots Music Report’s “Top Blues Song Chart” - before the album was even officially released. By August the album had taken off. "Godless Land," rose to #2 on The Living Blues Radio Chart & #5 on RMR’s “Top Blues Album” chart. The crown jewel of radio charts (aside from Billboard) is “Itunes Top U.S. Blues Albums” which listed the album at #7. The International Blues Broadcaster’s Association’s also charted the album at #9 in August of 2020. For 45 weeks the album stayed on numerous charts. Nine original singles charted for 8 months.
Year-end lists for “Godless Land” include “Living Blues Top Albums of 2020,” The Roots Music Report’s “Top Blues Albums for the Year 2020 & 2021,” “Richard Ludmerer's “Top Indie Blues Releases 2020,” Bruce K. Edwards’ (Caldonia’s Crosroad) “Top Blues of 2020, ” Rick Keyes’s “Top Blues Albums 2020” & more. Major critics gave "Godless Land" five-star reviews, and Richard Ludmerer of Making A Scene called the album “one of the best contemporary blues albums of the year.”
Cathy & Phil were so proud of what they were able to achieve under such dire circumstances. They decided to take the risk to tour in October 2020. They chose a stellar group of musicians: Jad Tariq of Memphis, TN, Michael Carvale of Minneapolis, MN, and Aaron Fowler of Tampa, FL. They travelled in a big cargo van through eight Covid spiking states in the Midwest! And they made it back alive. No one became ill. Cathy & Phil took one last chance in December and performed at an esteemed music series produced by The Boise Blues Society at The Sapphire Room in Idaho. They also travelled to Twin Falls, ID & played to a packed club, then finished in Jackson Hole, WY. They travelled through rain, sleet & snow.
In 2022, The Lucky Losers completed several national tours with a fabulous band made up of Joseph Barton on guitar, Calvin Johnson on bass, & Jon Otis on drums (the son of the great Johnny Otis). They have now entertained audiences in 46 states in the U.S.
2022 ALBUM STANDIN’ PAT
Standin’ Pat was officially released on October 28, 2022 on Vizztone, and was recorded, produced and engineered by Kid Andersen of Greaseland Studios. This collection of 11 beautifully rendered original songs captures the essence of the Lucky Losers sound, a vintage blend of blues, late '60's to early ‘70's soul, and traditional, electric Americana. Standin’ Pat made Living Blues Radio Chart, peaking so far at #14, for the months of October, November & December of 2022. Blues Music Magazine (via the critic Dan Stevens) placed the album at #1 on “Top Blues Albums of 2022”. The album achieved #1 status on Mike Jacops KIOS radio show, Blues in the Afternoon out of Omaha and was chosen for ”Top 10 Albums of 2022” by KALW, Fog City Blues at #6, which is San Francisco’s favorite public radio station.
Five singles have charted on The Roots Music Report and Standin’ Pat is again listed in the “Best Albums of 2022” in the blues category, peaking at #20 for the Blues Chart, #1 For California Album Chart, #13 for Contemporary Blues Chart.
The album also peaked at #11 for North American College and Community (NACC) radio charts which tabulates weekly airplay from College and Non-Commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. And the big surprise was the Australia Blues & Roots Airplay Charts which Standin’ Pat squeaked into at #25 in Novembver of 2022.
Frank John Hadley, longtime critic of Downbeat Magazine, says of the release, “The bandleaders have animated musical intelligence in abundance.
‘Down in Memphis Town’ may be the outstanding song, with ten more originals almost as good. Standin’ Pat is definitely a strong contender for ‘best blues album of the year.’”
HOW CATHY & PHIL BECAME THE LUCKY LOSERS
The Lucky Losers were born in the summer of 2013 on a deserted road in Sedona, Arizona.
With a Willie Dixon song on the stereo, Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz spontaneously began to sing together and felt a spark of magic. So it was, that two seasoned blues musicians came together to begin a new adventure, inspired by the vanishing art of duet singing.
Roughly a year earlier on a dark night in San Francisco, soulful vocalist/harmonica ace, Phil Berkowitz dropped by The Saloon and was instantly captivated by the siren song of blues singing legend, Cathy Lemons. Phil sought to make her acquaintance, inviting her to perform with him at Club Fox in Redwood City. While rehearsing for the show, Cathy Lemons marveled at Phil’s encyclopedic knowledge of American music and his unique sound, a hybrid of country, soul, and R&B. A tall, blonde, good looking man, decked out in tailored suits, fine hats, and strange checkered shoes — Cathy felt an immediate attraction. When Phil would bend down on one knee and sing a Charlie Rich song, she felt goosebumps. Then she noted the shiny ring on his hand... Phil was a married man.
A year later, Phil went through a divorce and Cathy separated from her long-time beau, Johnny Ace. They fell in love and took off on a road trip to Sedona, Arizona. The rest is history.
Upon their return to the Bay Area, Cathy and Phil continued to sing together, fashioning the beginnings of what would become their distinctive signature sound. An inventive, hypnotic spin on blues, classic R&B, and Americana.
The Lucky Losers tested the waters by competing in a regional International Blues Challenge [IBC], sponsored by The Golden Gate Blues Society. They fittingly won “The Wild Card” round, which allowed them to compete in the finals. Although they were a brand new band and did not take the crown for a chance to compete nationally, it was clear as day that they were stronger together than apart.
DISCOGRAPHY
THE LUCKY LOSERS (CATHY LEMONS & PHIL BERKOWITZ)
“A Winning Hand,” West Tone Records, 2015
“An old school soul explosion!”
– Elwood’s Bluesbreakers, TheBluesmobile, July 30 2015
"In Any Town," Dirty Cat Records, 2016
“A throwback to the hybrid of soul, blues, rock, gospel, and country that emerged in the late 1960’s … impassioned vocals …electrifying interplay… powerful harmonica… dramatic, heavy blues rock…. such a compelling listen… haunting soulful…. Roots music listeners who take a chance on the Lucky losers will surely hit the jackpot.”
–Robert H. Cataliotti, Living Blues, Oct |Nov 2016, Issue 245
"Blind Spot," Dirty Cat Records, 2018
“An ANTIDOTE to the multitude of emotionally vacant singers, San Jose, California’s Cathy Lemons sounds genuinely wise, gritty, tender, wounded, and flirtatious, sometimes all at once. Fortunate to have harmonica champ Phil Berkowitz as her partner in songwriting and singing, she crystallizes her creative resolve to put across a program of smart, likeable originals, that sport winning riffs. Refreshingly mixing rock, blues, R&B, soul, and a dash of country, The Losers lean on technique and spirit equally. Special mention: Laura Chavez’s stirring lead guitar on Supernatural Blues.”
— Downbeat Magazine, Frank John Hadley, August 2018
"Godless Land," Vizztone Label Group, 2020
“The Lucky Losers prove to be one of the fast rising and best duo ensembles on the national scene....Within her vocals, Lemons possesses a supremely talented and developed instrument, as she can coo, tease, belt ballad, and bellow with supreme confidence and to great effect. She simply owns the songs she sings. Two terrific & important songwriters, vocalists, & musicians. In fact ‘Godless Land’ proves their artistic arrival.”
— Blues Music Magazine, Joseph Jordan, October 2020
"Standin’ Pat," Vizztone Label Group, 2022
“The new album shows that the studio connection Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz make
with producer Kid Andersen is wonderful. They conjure a blues of a different hue, one full of
surprises and elemental forces. The bandleaders have animated musical intelligence in abundance.
‘Down in Memphis Town’ may be the outstanding song, with ten more originals almost as good. ‘Standin’ Pat’ is definitely a strong contender for ‘best blues album of the year.’
— Frank John Hadley | Longtime Critic Downbeat| October 25, 2022
CATHY LEMONS DISCOGRAPHY (PRIOR TO 2015)
“Dark Road,” The Saloon Recordings, 1999
"A burnished, scintillating disc and certainly one of the finest debuts from a contemporary female blues singer this year."
– Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue, 2000
“Lemonace,” Vizztone, 2010
“A wonderful, beautiful, sonic film that bends the boundaries of genre description.”
–Johnny Fulltime, Fulltime Blues, 2010
"Black Crow," Vizztone Label Group, 2014
"Once you hear her, you will be a fan for life. This is music with a timeless quality that will have all the hitting power twenty years down the road that it does today."
– Reflections In Blue, Bill Wilson, 2014
PHIL BERKOWITZ DISCOGRAPHY (PRIOr TO 2015)
High Times, Dirty Cat Records, 2000
“Lead man ‘Harmonica’ Phil Berkowitz blows inspiring harp and sings on every tune, causing the toes to tap and the fingers to snap along with his constant rhythm. Berkowitz also contributes to the songwriting detail by penning nine out of the 12 tunes.”
– Bruce Coen, BluesBytes
Phil Berkowitz Plays...Louis' Blues, 2005
“Berkowitz's singing is relaxed and unaffected, his harp tone resplendent, his phrasing inventive. William Beatty on piano anchors a trio of wonderful guitarists; Danny Caron and Sean Carney augment or substitute for main man Marvin Greene on six tracks.”
– Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue, Issue #119, Aug/Sept 2009
ALL Night Party, Dirty Cat Records, 2009
"Consistently imaginative arrangements … and striking harmonica work--it is a bit of a classic blues record.”
– Lee Hildebrand, Living Blues, 2009
