The horn-fueled, jumping, swinging, award-winning band Roomful of Blues, touring in support of their latest Alligator CD, Raisin’ A Ruckus, will perform live in Roanoke on Oct. 31 at 9:30 p.m. at 202 Market. Tickets are $25. With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it’s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.”

Since 1967, the group’s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues, and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The band, with a membership that has continued to change and evolve over the years, has always boasted great musicianship featuring a stellar horn section.

Roomful of Blues joined the Alligator Records family with the Grammy-nominated That’s Right! in 2003, followed by Standing Room Only in 2005. Both CDs received critical and popular praise and earned them hordes of new fans around the world. Now they’re back with Raisin’ A Ruckus, a foot-stomping CD highlighting the intense vocal and instrumental power of the world’s smallest big band.

In addition to their band recordings, Roomful of Blues often backed legendary musicians such as Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and Earl King—stars of the 1940s and 1950s blues scene, and the very people who created the music that Roomful still keeps vital and alive. Roomful recorded albums with Turner, Vinson, and King during the 1980s, and all three recordings received Grammy nominations. The Roomful Horns backed many other artists as well, including Stevie Ray Vaughan on his 1984 Live At Carnegie Hall album on Epic.

With their non-stop touring schedule, long-time fans and new converts alike can see for themselves why The Chicago Sun-Times said, “This is a band on top of its game, sliding easily from big-band jazz-blues to guitar-drenched urban blues. Let the party begin.” With Raisin’ A Ruckus, the party has clearly already started.