Blues-rock group Moreland & Arbuckle will be inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.
Over the course of their 15-year career, the Wichita, Kansas trio played hundreds of shows, performing in the United States, Canada, across Europe and in Australia, Iraq and Kuwait. They’ve shared stages with ZZ Top, George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Los Lonely Boys, to name a few.
Moreland was born December 16, 1974. He played in a number of garage bands while growing up and was influenced by punk, blues, and rock music. He changed course and focused on blues music after hearing “Death Letter Blues” by Son House. Arbuckle was born December 25, 1981. He first discovered blues in his mid-teens.
The two met at an open mic session in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas in 2001 and they quickly bonded and formed an acoustic duo playing traditional and Delta blues. The all acoustic duo saw their start after reaching the finals at the 2005 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, and followed that success with their first self-produced album, Caney Valley Blues in 2005.
In 2006 the duo added drummer Kendall Newby, and evolved into an electric powerhouse trio. Later that year they released a self-produced independent album, Floyd’s Market.
Inspired by raw Delta, and Mississippi Hill Country blues, Moreland & Arbuckle brought fierce electric fury and unrelenting punk rock energy to their original songs. With each of their six releases, the band grew musically and lyrically, creating a signature sound while earning a large, and loyal, worldwide fan base. Their famous raw and raucous live shows were played with wild abandon.
Together, Moreland’s simultaneous bass, rhythm, and lead guitar work combined with Arbuckle’s emotionally charged harmonica and edgy vocals, driven by Newby’s propulsive drumming, created a sound forceful enough to grab a listener’s attention and nuanced enough to hold it.
Just a year after their Alligator Records debut, Promised Land Or Bust, which was nominated for a BMA in the category of Rock Blues Album of the Year, the group decided to amicably dissolve the band.
They will be joining the ranks of other well known Kansas Hall of Famers, Mike Finnigan, Samantha Fish, Lee McBee, Big Joe Turner, and Trampled Under Foot,
The Hall of Fame virtual induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 30 at 7:30 PM (CST).
