Born in the coal mining country of Morganfield (Union County) Kentucky in 1957 raised in Uniontown and Paducah, Ky. both River towns. Stan’s Grandfather Luster F. Petty was a famous Riverboat Captain who made commercials for Texaco, and Father was a Riverboat Pilot. Most relatives were coal miners. Both parents were musicians/ singers. Stan grew up with a lot of Riverboat songs being sung, a lot of Folk, Country, and Blues being played on the record player. His mother Jane is music major with a booming voice, plays guitar and sings folk songs despite being classically trained. Father was a trumpet player who sang in the style of Al Jolson, Frank Sinatra. Hedges relates that his mother was probably his biggest influence, mainly due to her singing everyday and the choice of music she played on the record player. His parents sometimes performed at local nightclubs together.

  Stan started playing guitar at 11 years old, learning Folk, Blues, and Country songs by ear. Hedges never had a formal lesson, but learned Slide Blues from an old janitor at school named Jessie Carter. Moved to Hendersonville, TN. in 1972, and was immediately surrounded by Country Stars and sons and daughters of Country Stars, musicians, songwriters, producers. Hendersonville is melting pot of a lot of entertainers. Such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, The Oak Ridge Boys, etc. Hedges was soon forming bands with local musicians, playing Country, Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Top-40, sneaking into clubs and lying about his age, anything to play. After playing and touring  the US. and  Canada with several popular regional groups ( even opening up for B.J. Thomas and Pat Boone), one that was managed by Mae Axton ( wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” for Elvis Presley and mother to Hoyt), Hedges decided to concentrate on the music he loved, The Blues.

  While playing on a “Cowboy” Jack Clement (Sun Studios, Johnny Cash, U2) produced session for Celinda Pink in the late 80’s Hedges met harmonica ace “Chicago” Charlie Fink, and Bass player Anthony Kenney.

   In Fink, Hedges found a partner in the blues, and together immediately started rehearsing Fink’s old band The Businessmen, and playing Nashville blues clubs.

   Around this same time, Stan received a call from Anthony Kenney’s friend Ricky Phelps who with his brother were forming a Country-Rock band called The Kentucky Headhunters, Phelps wanted Hedges to join their project, and even called Hedges twice, but Hedges wanted to be true to his calling and concentrate on Blues, so he refused the offers. A year later The Ky. Headhunters were winning Grammy’s and CMA Awards for their first album. Ouch!

    During a trip to Chicago in 1988 while sitting in with local Blues-man Jimmy Burns at James Cotton’s Cotton Club, Hedges was heard by Blues legend Buddy Guy who tried to persuade Stan to move to Chicago to “ put him to work”, but Stan didn’t relish the idea of living in such a big city and stayed in Tennessee. However, by the early 90’s Hedges had formed his own band The Mojo Men,  still played with Fink in The Businessmen, also played with Celinda Pink, Blues Co-Op, Miranda Louise, Homesick James and his Broomdusters, Bobby Bradford, and the 15 piece New Orleans R& B band Hal Newman and the Mystics of Time. In the 90’s Stan played with or opened up for a veritable Blues Who’s Who including B.B. King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Son Seals, Etta James, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, Rufus Thomas, The Jelly Roll Kings, Anson Funderburgh and The Rockets with Sam Myers, James Harmon, Billy Branch, Lonnie Mack, Snooky Pryor, Tracy Nelson, Robert Jr. Lockwood, The Thunderbirds, Jackie Pearson and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers, Dr. John, Jerry “Boogie” McCain, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Various members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Wet Willie, Jimmy Hall, Homesick James, Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Shines, The Band, Moses Rascoe, The Kinsey Report, C.J. Chenier,  Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, George Thorogood, Frank Frost, Gatemouth Brown, Fingers Taylor and many others.

   In 95’ The Mojo Men Recorded their first CD entitled “Meat n’ Three”, it garnered rave reviews from critics, including Nashville’s supreme critic Robert Oermann. The all original CD is still being played by Blues Stations across the country and Europe, and is considered by many to be a classic. With many favorites including “Gas Tank for a Love Machine”, “I Don’t Know If Its True But It Happened To Me”, and “TV Dinner Blues”.

   In 2003 The Mojo Men were nominated for Nashville’s “Best Electric Blues Band” by the Music City Blues Society.

  Along the way Hedges has lent his guitar to many CD’s and projects including “ Heavy Harp” with Sam Myers and Billy Branch, Miranda Louise’s first release, Hal Newman’s “ Riverboat Rhythm and Blues”, and has worked with the country’s best producers including Dan Penn, Cowboy Jack Clement, and Joe Scafe.

   Stan’s guitar playing has received accolades from various artist’s and organizations:

 “ Arguably, the best blues guitarist in the Southeast”   Miranda Louise

“ A great guitar player with a lot of soul”   Robert Jr. Lockwood  1992          ( Famous blues artist, Chess Records staff guitarist, original performer on King Biscuit Time, and the step-son of Blues fore-father Robert Johnson)

“Nashville’s most underrated Guitarist”, “ Makes the hair on your back stand up”, “ Still one of Nashville’s best blues guitarists”, “A local treasure”  Music City Blues Society .

   Hedges has performed at The Chicago Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival ( 8 times), B.B. King’s Annual Homecoming Blues Festival, The W.C. Handy Blues Festival, The Crawfish Blues Festival, Florence Blues Festival, Birmingham Blues Festival, The Martin Luther King Blues Festival, Down Home Blues Festival, The Legendary Blues Festival, Selma Blues Festival, Nashville’s Summer Lights, Dancin in the District, B.B. King’s Blues Spectacular, Grinders Switch Bikes and Blues, several Sonny Boy Williamson Blues Benefit’s, The Exit Inn, 3’rd & Lindsley, Bluesboro, The Sutler, and other National and Regional Blues Clubs.

   Has also done several Live Radio broadcast’s on “ King Biscuit Time” ( the legendary radio show that has been broadcasting thru-out the Mississippi Delta for 65 years) with good friend “Sunshine” Sonny Payne, has appeared on Nashville’s Lighting 100,  Vanderbilt’s Sunday Night Blues Show, as well as Charlie Garners Saturday morning local Radio show on 96.7.

  Currently Stan “The Man” has wrapped up his first solo release “Two Mule Parade” that is absolutely taking the Country and the International Blues Community by storm, and should place Stan in the upper echelon of the Blues World. The CD is receiving strong airplay, is on rotation, and has been the “Featured CD” on many Blues Shows. What is really setting Stan apart is really “the whole package”; A CD that is in itself has a strong sense of cohesiveness, has no weak links, no filler, and takes the listener somewhere.. Every song belongs next to the one before and after it, yet each song is different. An artist that has a very enamoring style that draws you in with his realness, but yet blows you away with talent; Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist/Vocalist, Arranger/Producer. Stan “The Man” is the whole package, and “Two Mule Parade”, a CD that will surely become a classic.

 Stan will be touring soon in support of this CD with an All-Star Lineup Band, and has been hosting a Winter Blues Concert Series at Grinders Switch that will culminate in May 17^th 2008 with The 1st Annual “Grinders Switch Blues Festival” with headliner James Cotton.  Stan still plans on playing with brother-in-law Chicago Charlie & The Businessmen and wrapping up their CD (as of yet untitled) that should showcase the tightness and intuitiveness of Stan and Charlie together which is a treat to hear and watch.

          Project:  TWO MULE PARADE         Artist:  STAN ‘THE MAN’ HEDGES

                                      Give Me Some Mo Joe Productions

Two Mule Parade is longtime Tennessee Blues Guitar-Slinger Stan “The Man” Hedges’ first solo project.  For Hedges, now 50, it’s been a long time coming!  However, from what people are exclaiming after hearing this 12 song project (11 originals, most written in the last two years), it’s well worth the wait!

     Hedges, primarily known as a guitarist, has drawn accolades a-plenty over the years from various experts such as the late blues legend Robert Jr. Lockwood calling Stan “A great guitar player with a lot of soul” or Music City Blues writing that Stan “makes the hair on your neck standup, … a local treasure,… possibly Nashville’s most underrated guitarist.”  He has lent his guitar to producers such as Cowboy Jack Clement, Dan Penn, Joe Scafe and others.  Now with the release of Two Mule Parade it’s very obvious that “The Man” is the complete package; Singer-Songwriter-Guitarist with an enamoring style all his own.

      This project in its entirety is a gem, with its own earthy provocative feel, mixing New Orleans grooves and Kansas City shuffles with “Fat Back” rockers, gritty storytelling and stunning guitar work. From the eerily nostalgic acoustic-swamp-jazz narrative of the title track “Two Mule Parade”, to the story of a misunderstood ex-con who probably won’t last much longer on the outside in “Angola Cowboy”. “I Can Hear the Delta” is a picturesque longing for a rich musical culture that is slowly dying with killer slide work, while “Garden of Pain-Requiem for Billy Collins Jr.” tells the heart-wrenching true story of Nashville Golden Boy boxing contender Billy Collins, Jr.’s maiming in the ring of Madison Square Garden by a dishonest opponent’s manager in 1983. The guitar solo ending on this song is very strong and emotional, and could be a lesson in “tension and release” and how to use air between notes for extreme effect in emoting. “Waiting for the sky to Fall” is a John Lee Hooker type of blues with lyrics that stick,  ”Sometimes late at night, I hear you call my name, but it’s just the wind outside, bringin’ in the rain”, also if you’ve never heard an

ES-335 cranked through a 65 Fender Deluxe; listen to the short solo on this song, you won’t soon forget the tone. “Reach the Light-Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe” is an up-lifting, hand-clapping Gospel vamp that you won’t want to end. Sister Rosetta had a crackerjack guitar style that I haven’t heard in years until Hedges nailed it on this song, while “Won’t stand the Light of Day” is a scalding attack on racism past and present, with a tasty snarlin’ out of phase “Strat” sound.  Hedges shows his sense of humor with the Jump Blues “Snappin’ Turtle Blues” and exhibits more than an acquaintance with the West Coast style, and to his better judgment left clinkers and all in on this first- taker. “Butter Yo’ Biscuits takes you to the Delta in this Muddy Waters type resonator slide number.  The instrumental “Kentucky Skin Tag Salad” being a grooving “Organ Trio Type” head-cutting contest where Stan and keyboardist Shannon Wickline absolutely “cut loose”, “should be required travel music” says Brad Martin of the Tennessee Press Association.  While not an original, the unique blues version of the traditional spiritual “Wade in the Water” should have most out of their chair, singing with the choir!  This CD should thrill a lot of people searching for something different, but also something satisfying and real.