Rising Soul-Blues Stars Markey Blue Climb The Charts

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Hey Hey, the first album by rising soul-blues stars Markey Blue, premiered at number one on the Chop's Blues Debut Chart and has been holding in the top five since it's release last month. The album is also in the Top 40 in the roots Music Report Chart, alongside such luminaries as Lucinda Williams, Gary Clark, Jr., Janiva Magness and Johnny Winter. The Music City-based band's CD is being played by hundreds of stations in the U.S. and abroad, including Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, with 11 of its dozen songs currently in rotation.

Why are Markey Blue and Hey Hey catching fire? Legendary Stax songwriter, guitarist and producer Steve Cropper says: "What do you get when you have a great singer, a great band and great songs? A great project. Markey Blue, you have done it!" In fact, Cropper was so taken with Markey Blue's original song "Baby I'm Crying" that he assisted in its production.

Co-founded less than two years ago by vocalist Markey and guitarist Ric Latina, who also both produced Hey Hey, Markey Blue has blasted off like a rocket, playing more than 100 shows a year including festivals. Until now their high-energy live concerts have been the key to their popularity, but Hey Hey is propelling the group to new heights. Throughout the disc Markey and Latina display their uncanny ability to draw on the wellspring of great soul music - particularly the Memphis-based sound of the Stax and Hi Records labels and Alabama's Muscle Shoals studios - as a source of inspiration for delivering original numbers that seem satisfyingly familiar, but are buoyed with wide-eyed energy and zealous performances that make them ring distinctly contemporary.

Hey Hey is available at Amazon, iTunes and other popular outlets as well as selected music stores, via City Hall distribution. To learn more or hear tracks from Hey Hey, visit the band at MarkeyBlue.com.