Sometimes the plans of mice and men go astray. It has been nigh on fifteen months since we finished the basic recording for our debut CD entitled “Blues What Am”. The finished audio was ´ready to go´ by the end of October 2022. So why the delay? 

My plan had always been to search for a well-known and respected distributor that would be sympathetic to our needs at all levels – the French-based DixieFrog label was my first choice.  Their immediate reaction was very enthusiastic and so we moved toward the required negotiations – no round pegs in square holes please! Take a not so giant step into early 2023 and we found ourselves in a position to firm up a release schedule. To ensure that there would be sufficient time to plan a comfortable official release date we all agreed to relax whilst working toward the date 6th October 2023. 

So, you might ask, what have we been doing whilst time has been flying past? Well, you might have noticed that we´ve been busy creating five videos that have been posted online under the headline “Blues Memories” - the current one featuring our version of ´Roll & Tumble Blues´. Well, any moment now there will be a new one – our re-working of Billy Boy Arnold´s Chicago classic ´I Wish You Would´. 

We have just presented (1st September 2023 - see below), with help from the folks at DixieFrog, our first online single – taken from the CD: ´Sugaree Sugaree´. An original song written by ´yours truly´ and Kid Carlos – a spicey ´50s styled blues-rocker with a nod to Chuck Berry and the Louisiana Bayou. Call it ´good time rocking blues´ with a chorus that you can sing along with!

And there will be more videos to help promote the CD. T-Shirts too and an up-to-date Gig schedule – what more could you want? 

That´s it for now. Thank you for taking the time to read and digest this information and we are looking forward to seeing you soon. Take care... 

Mike Vernon MBE

BREAKING NEWS - Mike Vernon to be the featured interviewee on BBC Radio 2 on the 13th November 2023:

“As one time Producer of Fleetwood Mac, Freddie King and Bo Diddley I am really looking forward to reminiscing about those early and not so early days with the one and only Cerys Matthews. So please do listen in on BBC Radio 2 on Monday 13 November starting at 21:00 GMT - should be interesting with some rarely heard musical moments too!"   Mike Vernon

Show to feature a Cat Squirrel track and other, rare, tracks from Mike's impressive past as a producer. 

Show is available online for a month immediately after it's broadcast.  Click here for a link to the programme.

“Superb!" - Blues on the Ouse Radio

“Fourteen amazing songs to enjoy again and again” – LHDB in Spain

“The recording process took place in Sevilla, Spain, and the results are nothing short of sensational”.  - Jessica Jacobsen, Dirty Rock

“An outstanding album … and no surprise that it’s getting international recognition” - Dennis Roberts (Maritime Radio)

“One of the best blues albums of recent years" - Blues21

Cat Squirrel's debut CD "Blues What Am" was released on the 6th October 2023 through Dixie Frog.  Ordering of this fantastic new album is available from the Dixie Frog website. (English version to follow)

Herewith CAT SQUIRREL offers a new video..."LET THE BOOGIE RIP"!  "All over the World, people loving the Blues"... get ready to hop, jump and skip!  Enjoy

Featuring Mike Vernon (vocals), Kid Carlos (guitar), Mingo Balaguer (harmonica), Oriol Fontanals (bass) and Pascual Monge (drums). 

Recorded in Spain in the autumn of 2023 this is the featured track off our new album "Blues What Am".

Debut Single - Sugaree Sugaree

Here it is folks, Cat Squirrel is proud to give you our debut single "Sugaree Sugaree".  Enjoy and please do feel to share around on your social media too.  HOT ROCKIN’ BLUES WITH A NOD TO CHUCK BERRY

Excited to introduce you to our second CAT SQUIRREL Promo Video featuring an original penned by ‘yours truly’ and Kid Carlos.  Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ at your leisure but above all else, enjoy!

Mike Vernon

Written by Mike Vernon and Kid Carlos.

Featuring: Mike Vernon (vocals) Kid Carlos (guitar) Mingo Balaguer (harmonica) Pascual Monge (drums) Oriol Fontanals (bass).  Recorded at Sputnik Recording Studios on the 9th May 2022 by Jordi Gil del Valle.  Filmed by Fotografofernandoes

"I Feel So Good"

As promised, here is the debut VIDEO from CAT SQUIRREL, focusing on our rendition of Big Bill Broonzy’s classic I FEEL SO GOOD. More to come - so keep your eyes peeled!  Enjoy

Shot at Sputnik Studio Sevilla in 2022 featuring:  Mike Vernon (vocals); Kid Carlos (guitar), Mingo Balaguer (harp); Pascual Monge (drums); Oriol Fontanals (bass).

(First uploaded in January 2023) ... Now that the summer festivities (here in Spain) are finally finished CAT SQUIRREL reconvened to discuss the mixing process for our debut CD, a future release date for 'BLUES WHAT AM' and plans for touring in Europe during 2023 to promote the product.  We also took time out to make a new video!  Three hours from set-up to completion...boom!  A special present for our loyal fans and Blues enthusiasts Worldwide.  Another Big Bill Broonzy tune...KEY TO THE HIGHWAY.  Featuring Mike Vernon (vocals), Mingo Balaguer (harmonica) and Kid Carlos (guitar).

Cat Squirrel - Live

Here's a fantastic shot of us taken by our great friend, the photographer Per Ole Hagen at the Cáceres Blues Festival in Spain this October.  What a fantastic night was had by all.  More shows are coming in for 2024 so keep coming back here and keeping an eye out for Facebook and Instagram posts for gig news updates.

Here is our rendition of a ‘timeless Chicago blues classic’ - “I Wish You Would” -Blues Memories’ #6.  Written and recorded by Billy Boy (Arnold), circa May 1955 for the Vee-Jay label, this song was to become a favourite during the early ‘60s so-called ‘British Blues Boom’ when The Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton) released their ‘cover’ version as their debut single.  Billy had been working with Bo Diddley both ‘on the road’ and in the studio during the early/mid ‘50s and, as proof, you can hear him playing on Bo’s Checker recordings of “I’m A Man”, “Little Girl”, “Bo Diddley”, “You Don’t Love Me (You Don’t Care)” and “She’s Fine, She’s Mine” - the latter having been recorded just before Billy’s hit-to-be “I Wish You Would”.

Following the success of that recording - which featured a very insistent Bo-esque groove - the two artists went their own ways.  Many a story to be told there!  Putting all that to one side - we are hoping that you will enjoy our re-working of this Blues evergreen: Mingo Balaguer (harmonica); Kid Carlos (guitar/percussion) and ‘yours truly’ (vocal)…and Billy Bongo (drummage).

View, like and share…and ENJOY! 

BLUES MEMORIES #5  "ROLL AND TUMBLE BLUES" By Cat Squirrel

Our April/May addition to “Blues Memories” #5 features ROLL AND TUMBLE BLUES.  The original version of this ‘classic’ was recorded in 1929 for OKeh Records by the Memphis blues singer/guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern. The basic melody may well have been around for a time … Sleepy John Estes and Gus Cannon both recorded their own songs with different lyrics but same tune.  During the late 1930s Robert Johnson borrowed the same melody when he recorded ‘If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day’.  Other early recordings of ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ (as it became known) include those by Muddy Waters, Baby Face Leroy Foster and, in 1960, Elmore James.  Subsequently this evergreen has been covered hundreds of times … here’s ours!  As always…’yours truly’, Mingo and Carlos … with Billy Bongo keeping us in the groove!

View, like and share … ENJOY!

Here we go … here we go! MEAN OLD WORLD (BLUES) written and recorded by Aaron T-Bone Walker for the Rhumboogie label in 1942.  Little Walter adapted the lyrics for his version recorded in 1952 for the Chicago based Checker label.  Four years later T-Bone re-recorded the song for Atlantic … and now … Cat Squirrel offers yet another adaptation.  As always ‘yours truly’, Mingo and Carlos … Billy Bongo ever present! 

View, like and share but above all else…ENJOY!

BLUES MEMORIES #3 "TOO MANY DRIVERS" - By Cat Squirrel

'BLUES MEMORIES' #3 features our rendition of "TOO MANY DRIVERS" aka "LITTLE CAR BLUES".  The original theme was written and recorded by Big Bill Broonzy way back in 1939 but we have used the 1947 version as recorded by Andrew 'Smokey' Hogg as our template.  We have also borrowed some other lyrics from Lowell Fulsom's 1964 Kent recording of this outstanding double-entendre blues.  Once again 'yours truly', Mingo and Kid Carlos...Billy Bongo driving us home! 

View, like and share but above all else...ENJOY!

Thrilled to offer up our version of James Lane's wonderful "WALKING BY MYSELF" as #2 in our monthly 'BLUES MEMORIES' series.  The original was recorded in Chicago on 29th October 1956 and featured Jimmy Rogers, Walter Horton, Otis Spann, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Willie Dixon and A.J. Gladney.  Our rendition features 'yours truly', Mingo and Kid Carlos...Billy Bongo keeping time!  View, like and share but above all else...

BLUES MEMORIES #1 “ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN’” By Cat Squirrel

We are planning to post a new CAT SQUIRREL video every month under the banner ‘BLUES MEMORIES’.  The December 2022 offering (#1 in the series) features our version of Melvin Lil’ Son Jackson’s “ROCKIN’ AND ROLLIN’” recorded for Imperial back in 1951.  Thank you for your continued support…’yours truly’, Mingo and Kid Carlos.  View, like and share but above all…ENJOY!