Nancy sits in with her first nationally acclaimed artist A.C. Reed at the Stanhope House in the late 70's.
" A.C." was kind enough to extend the invitation whenever he was in town .
The California Soul Review was established in 1986 to back a review featuring Sonny Rhodes, Frankie Lee, and Eddie Ray Knight . The band featured Dennis Kronemeyer, Bill Cherensky, Dave Ambrosy, Big Nancy, and the late great keyboardist Dave Shearn. The dates were set at the "old" Tramps, on Irving Street in New York City.
Soon after, the California Soul Review
morphed into The Sonny Rhodes Band.
Nancy toured nationally and abroad with the legendary Texas lap steel player for the next five years.
The Sonny Rhodes Band played at the WC Handy Awards ceremony in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990.
During this time Sonny and Nancy shared stages with some of the greatest blues legends of all time, including Willie Dixon, Gatemouth Brown, Little Milton, and PineTop Perkins.
They also shared the stage with rock artists John Popper, the Spin Doctors and Bruce Springsteen .
In 1992 Nancy began touring with the Blues Man Willie Band. The flamboyant Blues Man Willie, pictured here with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell, took Nancy to most of the major cities in the continental U.S. .
They appeared in such venues as The House Of Blues in Boston, BB Kings in Memphis, Lou's Pier 47 in San Francisco,
The Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, The Blues Ship in Tampa, and the Pioneer in Seattle Washington.
Originally formed as a side project in 1992, SUPREME COURT has become Nancy's primary focus. This hard hitting Blues, Funk, and R&B ensemble has attracted the attention of many great musicians.
It features guitar legend, Bernie Braunswetter; Ron Howden of Nektar; the dynamic vocalist, Yolanda Briggs; and the big harp sound of Nancy Swarbrick.
Many great performers have sat in with the band including; Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, Bobby Radcliff, Bernie Worrell, Ann Rabson, the Spin Doctors, Lenny Kaye, and Vinnie " Mad Dog" Lopez.
Nancy is a disabled musician but that doesn't slow her down. She currently lives with her husband Dan and their cats, Huey and Django, in Central New Jersey. She sends her thanks to all of the brilliant musicians that have shared their talents and stages. We invite you to enjoy the rest of the site by clicking on the links above. Please leave messages for Nancy through our contact page.
Biography
Big Nancy was born in 1955 in Somerville, New Jersey. She was raised in nearby Green Brook. Her love of music was handed down to her from her father, an avid listener and player of Dixieland music. Much of her love of Blues and Gospel chord patterns came from recordings of the day, old movies, and cartoons. Nancy became enamored with the Blues Harp while viewing a Woody Guthrie documentary featuring harmonica master Sonny Terry.
Nancy (Wertheim Swarbrick) picked up the harp in high school, started booking national acts in college, and joined her first band "Bob White and The White Boys" in 1978.
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The White Boys, lead by guitarist/Rutgers English Professor Bob White, played every Wednesday night for 13 years at the notable New Brunswick night spot the Court Tavern.
