Richard ‘Rosy’ Rosenblatt, Founder/President

Richard ‘Rosy’ Rosenblatt
Founder/President

Photo by Alan E. Dines

I started out as a harmonica player in the great Boston blues scene of the 1970′s, toured the East Coast as a member of the Allston Allstars, the Billy Colwell Band, T. Blade and the Esquires, and the 11th Hour Band. I was also lucky enough to record with Sunnyland Slim and back up Hubert Sumlin, John Lee Hooker, Luther ‘Georgia Boy Shakey Snake’ Johnson, Otis Rush and others during that wild time.

I set up a basement recording studio, and started Tone-Cool Records in 1985. I spent the next 20 years as Prez and/or CEO of Tone-Cool, released more than 50 records, and got to work with some amazing artists, including Susan Tedeschi, North Mississippi Allstars, Double Trouble, Sean Costello, Hubert Sumlin, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Bernard Allison, Monster Mike Welch, Mark Hummel, Tony Z, David Maxwell, Johnny Hoy, the Love Dogs, Toni Lynn Washington, Rick Holmstrom, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and lots more.

I was honored to work as a team to launch and advance the careers of such great artists, and to help earn a certified Gold Record, multiple Grammy nominations and countless W.C. Handy (Blues Music) Awards.

During that time I also served 6 years on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation, made some great friends and ate a lot of Memphis BBQ. (I also completed a degree in French at Harvard University, but that’s a whole other story…) In 2004, due to the changing realities of the independent record biz, Tone-Cool became a division of V2-Artemis Records, and I stayed on as Prez until Spring of 2006.

I’m still playing harmonica — you can hear me on lots of Tone-Cool records, as well as a few Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson CDs, relatively obscure recordings by Sunnyland Slim and country star Dick Curless, and the occasional album track, commercial or soundtrack.  In recent years I’ve done some very cool gigs with Hubert Sumlin, Bob Margolin, Dave Gross, Gina Sicilia, Alizon Lissance, Geoff Bartley and others.  Lately I’ve been playing with erstwhile J Geils Band bassist DK’s band, Danny Klein’s Full House, and with Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers — who won the Boston Blues Challenge in October 2010 and went to Memphis to compete in the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in February 2011.  (Seems to me there’s some symmetry at work here…)  Other than that, I’ve been working with a few artists, producing, recording, writing strange songs, and plotting some brand new empire-building.

I’m proud to be launching the VizzTone label group, along with my pals blues musician Bob Margolin and publishing magnate Chip Eagle. We’re working with Redeye Distribution to establish a ‘non-traditional’ structure for releasing records and marketing music, and we are proud to be working with some amazing artists.

I still live in the Boston area with my wife Mary, our son Max (whenever he’s home from college), and one small but mighty terrier.