Here are some of the reviews from the band's release,

"'Bone Appetit Tour - LIVE at the 1997 Mid-Michigan Blues Festival"

"No originals here, but a slew of tunes you'll recognize done with brass accents and more energy than a big boat battery. Luther Allison's 'She Caught The Katie' kicks off the disc then segues into 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' -- you'll be lucky if your hat stays on through the complete CD as gale force blues gusts from your speakers. The band seems most at home on Dr. John's 'Funkalishus' and Tower of Power's 'Once You Get A Taste' although 'Cheap Sunglasses' and 'One Way Out' are close seconds. Strong bids are made by 'Unchain My Heart' and 'Driving Wheel' but the most interesting cut is Bug's rendition of Zappa's 'I'm The Slime' -- something for everyone here." Michael Downes, Blues Connection, October, 2000

"Horn player and vocalist Bugs Beddow leads his energetic Detroit-area band
(guitar, horn section, bass and drums) through two sets of blues, R&B, funk
and novelty numbers. The 3D Blues album is a studio production from 1996. It
features tight arrangements and the excellent guitar work of Robert Noll.
The overall sound makes one think of Blood, Sweat and Tears. There are varied
styles and tempos, with some swing ('Don't Get Around Much Anymore').
The live CD has an entirely different supporting band and a wider range of
song covers (from Stevie Ray through Dr. John, ZZ Top and Ray Charles to
Frank Zappa). The band plays at a frenzied pace, never taking the pedal off
the metal, and Beddow sounds like a caffeine-overdosed Joe Cocker. While
four songs are repeated from the studio disc ('She Caught The Katie, 'Leave
Your Hat On', 'Funkalishus' and 'My Babe') they sound quite different. Live,
this band is wild, crazy, off-beat, occasionally tasteless ('The Slime') and
quite entertaining. For my at-home listening pleasure, I prefer the studio
CD, but this would be a very enjoyable live act. Both CDs are available by
writing the Bugs Beddow Band, P. O. Box 240411, Orchard Lake, MI 48324-0411."

Ron Eggleston, Disc & Dat CD Reviews, Capital Area Blues Society, September, 1999


"Here's a test: Listen to the Bugs Beddow Band's newest CD - "'Bone
Appetit Tour" - while performing some mundane chore at home. If you
don't find yourself be-bopping while sorting your laundry, or breaking
into an impromptu dance while making dinner, or at the very least
tapping your foot while reading your mail, then maybe it's time for
some hearing aids.

The point is, you can hardly listen to the Bugs Beddow Band without dancing.

Now, forget the CD. Get out and hear the band in person. Residents in the
Holland area will have a chance this weekend at Calypso's at the Holiday Inn.
Bugs Beddow, the quintessential Detroit "party blues" band, will perform from
9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

Expect three hard-working, horn-blaring sets of "jumpin' and rockin' rhythm
and blues", according to Doug "Bugs" Beddow, the Detroit native who leads
the band with vocals, tronbone, "whammy trumpet" and flute.

"It's music that gets your foot tapping or gets you up and dancing...or
at the very least is very entertaining, " said Beddow from his car phone
in Detroit. "It'll put you in a good mood. If you're already in a good mood,
it will put you in a better mood."

If all this horn playing smacks of jazz, you're right...and wrong. Beddow's
roots are in jazz, earning him the "best trombonist" award by the Metro
Times three years in a row and a 1992 award for his jazz album "Yuda Man".

Local jazz and blues fansmight remember him from Newt & the Salamanders
(he was one of the salamanders) which used to pack The Intersection in
Grand Rapids when they came to town, or from the Progressive Blues Band.

Five years ago, Beddow turned to rhythm and blues and formed the Bugs Beddow
Band which immediately began earning accolades of its own with its first album,
"Bootleg Brigade"  -winner of the 1993 Motor City Music Award for
"outstanding blues recording." Beddow himself was named "outstanding blues
performer."

Since then, the band has shared the stage with the likes of Robert Cray,
Boz Scaggs, Spyro Gyra, Koko Taylor, and Buckwheat Zydeco to name a few.

Other band members are Jason Hinz on guitar, James Morse on saxophone,
Jim Pryor on drums, and Don Turner on electric and string bass. All
musicians also provide vocals.

Their recent album, "'Bone Appetit Tour", was recorded live at last
summer's Mid-Michigan Blues Festival in Fenton, Michigan, for broadcast
on the syndicated "House of Blues" radio show. It is "the Beddow Band at
its funkiest" according to the Detroit Free Press.

"We're not just a hard-core blues band," Beddow said. "We play a variety
of styles." That includes an untraditional reworking of the traditional
"She Caught the Katy," saxophone and flute on the Allman Brothers' "One
Way Out," and a R&B take on Frank Zappa's "I'm the Slime" and the Tower
of Power's "Once You Get a Taste." The latter artists are two of Beddow's
favorite bands, so they're in his repertoire.

"We keep the mood pretty light, upbeat and hip. It's got to be fun, or
we don't want to do it," Beddow said, adding that the band's "hot,
danceable, rockin' rhythm and blues" are always performed on a professional
level. "We want to be the best at what we do. We work hard and take our
music very seriously.

The Bugs Beddow Band will perform Friday and Saturday night at Calypso's
at the Holland Holiday Inn, located at U.S. 31 and 24th Street. For his
part, Bugs is hoping "to find out what this wooden shoe thing is all about."

Nancy Willey, The Holland Sentinel, Thursday, January 29, 1998


"Detroit trombonist-singer-bandleader Bugs Beddow's group is so well
oiled it's easy to forget that is is a party band extraordinaire.  This
live set, recorded in June in Fenton for broadcast on the syndicated
"House of Blues" radio show, is the Beddow Band at its funkiest.  It
runs through a roadhouse repertoire that includes everything from an
untraditional reworking of the traditional "She Caught the Katy" (with
fine soloing from guitarist Jason Hinz and Beddow on the "whammy trumpet")
to Frank Zappa's ridiculous and ridiculously complex "I'm the Slime," with
a grimy guest vocal from bassist Don Turner."

Terry Lawson, Detroit Disc Column, The Detroit Free Press, October 5, 1997




"Bugs and gang are a hoppin' Detroit band that has been all over the place.
Bandleader Bugs Beddow leades the group on trombone, trumpet and flute, as
well as lead vocals.  Jason Hinz can be found on the guitar and vocals; James
Morse on sax and background vox; Jim Pryor beats the drums and fills some
lead vocal roles; and Don Turner plays the bass and also has some lead vocal
responsibilities.

This CD is live, and after some initial mixer adjustments, it does have
good sound quality. I was, too, surprised with the arrangements considering
this is a horn-driven ensemble. Luther Allison's 'She Caught the Katy' was
a slow starter, but finished stronger.  I loved the slow, jazzy rendition
of Randy Newman's 'Leave Your Hat On'.  'Poontango', and its author Mojo
Nixon, are what can I say; it's self explanatory; good lead guitar riffs,
however.  'Woman Crazy Man', by bassist Don Turner, is well-written with
great room for instrumental solos.  James Morse' sax and Bug's trumpet are
outstanding here.

Stevie Ray's 'Cold Shot' shows off the guitar and earth vocals of Hinz.
I could rest assured that Stevie would appreciate the arrangement; the
horns make a nice rhythmic complement to the blazing guitar.  'Funkalishus'
(Dr. John) and 'Once You Get A Taste' (Tower of Power) are two funky jazz
blues numbers that are handled much like the originals.  Good choice covers
for this collection of musicians; still funky delights.

Check out the sax and flute work on the Allman Brothers' 'One Way Out';
this one's a smoker, don't miss the guitar, bass or drum action.  'My Babe'
by Willie Dixon, gives everyone solo opportunities and introductions all
around.  Z.Z.'s 'Cheap Sunglasses', however, does not fit the jazz mode,
as done here ... sounds like an old Chicago jam session.  Zappa's 'I'm The Slime'
doesn't work to highlight the talent here, either.

Ray Charles' 'Unchain My Heart' is a gem, while James Cotton's 'Driving Wheel'
was as well a charmer.  Both tunes show why this band is so immensely popular
wherever they go.  Go Bugs!  A great effort!  Looking forward to hearing more
from this bunch."

Mark A. Cole, Big City Blues Magazine, October, 1997




"Fans of Detroit's multi-award winning Bugs Beddow Band will find this live
set chock full of energy, not to mention Beddow's own unique mix of musical
surprises.  The disc was recorded live, in 90-degree heat, June 22, during
Fenton's Mid-Michigan Blues Fest, where these cats liquefied the stage just
before dusk.  The band is unusual in that lead-man Beddow not only sings on
most of the tracks, but blows his guts out on trombone, whammy trumpet and flute.
The band is rounded out by Jason Hinz on a mean-soundin' guitar, James Morse
pumpin' away on electric and acoustic saxophones, Jim Pryor on drums, and Don
Turner on bass.  The sound is right in your face, full of blasting horns and
hard-driving rhythms that will leave you exhausted by the sheer force of their
power.

The set opens with Luther Allison's "She Caught the Katy" -- true to its
original form, but with trombone and guitar so strong, you may need to
reinforce your walls.  You'll also want to insulate with more than just
your hat, for the strip-tease, "Leave Your Hat On" which comes through with
bone-rattling intensity.  Band members keep things tight and rockin' on the
original, "Woman-Crazy Man".  The Turner creation also features the bass man
on vocals, giving the tune a loose, yet determined, good-time groove.  When
the band tears into the Stevie Ray Vaughn hit "Coldshot," it's with horn-driven
fervor and a screaming guitar that will leave your senses reeling.  Beddow
also gets the fellas rockin' on "One Way Out," proving by the addition of
a lofty flute solo, there's more than one way out of this Allman Brothers'
classic.  "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Driving Wheel" are also served Beddow-style
in this set.  The acclaim given Beddow as a blues musician over the years does
not seem to deter him from also attempting non-blues.  The obscure "Once You
Get a Taste", is right out of the 70's funky, disco scene and while Frank
Zappa's "I'm The Slime" may tickle some funny bones, those who consider it
crude will probably also be able to do without the reference to Beddow's
"hairy buttocks" on "Poontango," uproarious to some crowds.

Technically, the record levels seemed a little high here, and one can't help
but notice some distortion, with fade problems particularly on Hinz's vocals
in "One Way Out".  Still, the energy and funk of this live set can't be denied.
These guy's are onto something hot here, and one listen to this CD will lay
testament as to why the Bugs Beddow Band is one of Detroit's premier
horn-blowin' party groups!"

John Ripper, The Blues Review, October, 1997




"Doug Beddow finally has the last laugh on his older sisters.  As a
third-grader in 1962, he decided he wanted to play trombone after watching a
school pep band.  The guy playing the trumpet stood up straight and still,
but the trombonist, ah, he was different.  'He was moving his arm up and
down with the slide,' says Beddow. 'It looked like he was really doing
something.'  So Beddow decidecd the trombone would be his instrument.

His sisters laughed.  Influenced by early rock 'n' roll, they told him
the only cool brass instrument was the sax.  'They told me the trombone
was not cool, but I decided I would make it cool,' laughs Beddow. 
  
And he has, first with his own jazz group and, for the last five years,
with his blues group, the Bugs Beddow Band.  In the late 1970's, he performed
with the group called Newt & The Salamanders, playing what he calls 'party
funk R & B.'  Then he did a turn with the Progressive Blues Band.  In 1982,
he decided to form his own jazz band, cutting an album featuring jazz
guitarist Earl Klugh and recording work with Mitch Ryder.  Along the way,
Beddow earned several Metro Times awards as the best jazz trombonist
while the group's album, "Yuda Man," won MT's best jazz album of 1992.

Then he decided to switch directions.  'I've always liked the blues and
I wanted to put something together that was blue-based with elements of
jazz and rock," he says.  The result is the Bugs Beddow Band and the
results were similar: their album, "Bootleg Brigade." won the best blues
album award the following year.  Since then, they've played on their own
and with Boz Scaggs, Buckwheat Zydeco and Koko Taylor and other others
while living up to their motto" 'Plenty of vocals, horns and dancing.'
'You name it,' says Beddow.  'We've played everything from living rooms
to the Fox Theatre.'

Personnel changes in 1996 brought the present line-up with Beddow on
trombone, flute and vocals; Jason Hinz on guitar and vocals; James
Morse on sax, percussion and background vocals; Jim Pryor on drums
and vocals and Don Turner on bass guitar and vocals.  Their just-out
CD, called the "Bone' Appetit Tour," was recorded live in June; its
punnish title refers to Bugs signature instrument as well as the tasty
covers of stuff ranging from Stevie Ray Vaughn and James Cotton to
Randy Newman and Frank Zappa.

As for his nickname, it's kind of a long story.  In his homeroom at
Birmingham Groves High School, Beddow used to "bug" the kid who sat
ahead of him.  The name became pluralized when the kids in the school's
Dixieland band decided to take on the nicknames of 1930's gangsters.
There's another derivation too, he laughs.  'My favorite mischievious
cartoon character is Bugs Bunny.' " 

Robert Musial, Upbeat Column, The Oakland Press, September 14, 1997




"Trombonist-singer Bugs Beddow leads one of the most diverse horn bands
around, and this set - recorded in the sweltering heat at a concert in
Fenton during the summer - is a testament to the group's wide reach and
abundant energy, not to mention its good taste in offbeat covers (Mojo
Nixon's 'Poontango', Frank Zappa's 'I'm the Slime'). The Beddow boys
acquit themselves well on well-known tracks by Ray Charles, Luther
Allison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ray Charles and Z.Z. Top, while its epic
rendition of Willie Dixon's 'My Babe' flaunts more chops than most
bands display on an entire album. "

Gary Graff, Journal Music Writer, Detroit Sunday Journal, September 14, 1997