TrainTime brings Chicago Blues
Excitement to the Audience

Bret "TrainTime" Pritchett began his musical training at the age of 7 with traditional piano lessons. At the age of 12 he wanted to change to the guitar but his father forbid it. "The guitar is a damn hippie instrument" he would say. Secretly he bought his first harmonica at the age of 14. His style was influenced by Paul Butterfield, James Cotton, Savoy Brown, Jimi Hendrix, J. Geil's Magic Dick, Muddy Waters, Seigel-Schwall, Jr. Wells, Howlin Wolf, and Luther Allison. While still in High School, Bret moved into his own apartment. To pay the bills he took a job as a dishwasher. The other dishwashers were all adult black men. They would pick him up on their way to work and play BB King on their 8-tracks. Hearing BB, he was hooked on the Blues. He started improvising Blues Lyrics and practicing relentlessly on his harmonica.

At 16 Bret moved to Carbondale for college and became friends with Matt Coulter. A couple years later, at the "Ye Olde Fiddler Convention" in North Carolina, Bret met a 78 year old Blue Grass musician who took the time to teach him some important harp playin skills. Before long Bret was Jammin with local musicians from bands like Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows, Skid City, and Code Blue. Matt took up the guitar and the two of them formed a small band with a good friend Gary Gordon on vocals. The Jams sometimes included a half a dozen guitars. They formed a song list and a style all their own. They played on the street, at parties, and even at weddings. Frankly, they would play anywhere for anybody at anytime. Guess what the name of the band was. Unfortunately, the three went different directions: Minnesota, Florida, and Chicago.

Bret found that losing the band really gave him the Blues. This was when he started playing the classic "Train-Time" Blues Harp solo. Train-Time is one of the few Blues songs a harp player can play alone. Once or twice a year he would get together with Matt for a weekend of jammin. He was invited to play on stage with Jazz and Country bands, rehearsed with a Heavy Metal band, and took every opportunity to jam the Blues. He even tried to raise a Blues band. His three sons, grown men now, have had guitars, drums, saxophones, and keyboards since they could walk. Bret played with Dale (DrBlooz) Duffala at Chicago's famous "Blues Etc." on a Blues Jam night in '98. Bret got Matt and Dale together to play for a New Year's Eve "Party on the Fox" in '99. In 2000 Bret, Matt, and Dale formed the Blues Drifters which performed at clubs in the Chicago and Dallas Metro areas. Bret's signature solo, Train-Time, led to "TrainTime" becoming his nickname. A few years later the band split when DrBlooz moved to California. After many open jams, Bret and the Blues Drifters are again on tour with many of his fellow jammers.