Lyricist    -  Vocalist  -    Multi-instrumentalist                   Solo Artist                                      


                                                                                        Bandleader




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Ms Vikki Briggs  (aka) Blue Briggs Has been singing and performing in the bay area since 1986  when she moved here from South Lake Tahoe.  She studied with Ed Kelley and took classes with Phillip Elwood, which allowed her to cut her first chops singing with many bay area greats such as Thelonius Monk Jr. & Calvin Keyes AND Ed Kelley.  From there she followed her love for "Roots Music", intrinched herself in it, went and saw every Blues and R&B  legend she could find.  While studying "American Roots" music in classes with Elwood, she decided to hit the road to go meet with hopes of singing with,  "Cool Papa" or Etta James.  She found Cool Papa in a little tiny juke joint in Santa Cruz and he let her sing with him. She played Harp while he played and sang, then she sang with him, the feeling of "The Blues" ( which she had all her life ) found it's long lost home- in her heart-  From there she was hooked.  Cool Papa, sitting in his wheel-chair, with one good leg, and one good kidney just a singin' the Blues.  From that day foward, she understood, laughed, wept, listened, loved and absorbed.  It was the only music she felt was real.   THE BLUES and Rhthym & Blues
Performing in Rock Bands at the time, she began to incorporate the sounds and the feel of the Blues into her bands ( sometimes to the dismay of bandmembers who really didn't get it )  From there she found her own style of "Rocked Rhthym & Blues"   She then joined a band  called "The Vision" and as the only white singer in an 8 piece band,  they  opened up for JAMES BROWN at the Henry J Kaiser in 1996, in Oakland, Ca.
After various other projects she began doing some small clubs with some local musicians that were very talented, but did not understand the Blues until she took them too see "The Allman Brothers Band" within a couple weeks she had them doing "Allman" tunes.  Somehow Gregg Allman heard of this group and came and swooped some of these guys off to go tour with him.
Vowing to keep Blues and Rhthym & Blues Alive she founded and began the first female run successful Blues Jam and after a short time dubbed her band and all its incredible ( & sometimes legendary ) special guests "THE BAY AREA BLUES EXPLOSION".   It was  true love AND  true labor.   It's hard to be taken seriously as an R&B/Blues singer when you're as "honky" as they come ( or so it would seem )  But, Vikki grew up with music all around her.  Her father was in the industry, life on the road took its toll on family and soon he was gone.  So visits with father all through life were weekends at shows at  "Winterland" back stage at age 9 the first time. Hanging with him at BGP events and inside the Keystone, Palo Alto by age 11.  Vikkis first performance was at age 10 at one of her fathers studios jamming with a band called "The Doobie Brothers". She would later sing small parts at studios with the bands "The Tubes", meet the "Rolling Stones" ( at age 13 gets passed her first joint  by Mick Jagger and witnesses an overdose)   And is present at the last BIG party at the  "Record Plant" recording of Carlos Santana and Grace Slick ( separate projects ).   These were the great memories, soon to befall on an all too tragic accurance in music and it's people who love it.  Vikks mother attempted suicide when she was young, not being able to cope.  Vikki began writing poems and songs then at 6.  She was then put on a plane to go to her father, and the road, and wild life for a young kid.  This is where Vikkis life was turned upside down from the ravenges of a Heroin addicted father. 12 years later,   She was at his side trying to save him as he died.  He loved music so much, it was all he cared about.   She stopped  writing.
Working as a grocery clerk for Safeway she ( just like Michelle Pfifer ) was discovered by a talent  agent and asked to be in a movie called "Babies" where she played a piano bar singer .  The band in the movie was the  "Clarence Clemmons" band.  While singing in between shots ( because the music was overdubbed )  a man walked up to her and said "forget the B movies, you should make singing  your priority".  That man was "Narada Micheal Walden". He invited her to his studio,  She began writing again. It was a tough road all around-but none so tough as giving up a good steady paycheck for your love of music. She finally felt she was doing what she loved - heading up a campaign to keep live music, especially the Blues, Alive!  With her skills at organizing and some moxy she successfully launched and ran an very successful Jam session in the east bay.  While also taking over trying to keep an old Oakland Blues Club open, The A&C. Successfully  Inviting  people like "Sugar-Pie DeSanto", Louis Madison, Will Scarlett,  Freddie Roulette, Fillmore Slim, Larry James, and of course her first guitar player special guest host Steve Gannon.  Many a great connection was made at these nites.  Some bands out there today making it  owe it to a chance meeting through one of vikkis easy going, love -inlaced Jams.   It was "Country Pete McGill" , the toughest old "Oakland BluesMan" legend that finally gave her the bestowed "You are a true Blueswoman" after a sweaty 20 min rendition- duet of  "Worried Blues" in which they wailed, and writhed, and cryed as  Red Archibald played  screamin' Harp at his first nite back after a  health scare.  He then dubbed her "Miss Vikki "  -"one true Blues wailer"
She has since shared the stage with the late great John Lee Hooker,  Beverly Stovall, Stu Blank, Harvey Mandel, Freddie Roulette, Eugene Huggins,  Larry James, Frankie Lee  (*) plus many other wonderful musicians