Mercy Brothers – Barrence Whitfield & Michael Dinallo In Concert, Sat. Aug. 22 at Wex Rex, Hudson MA
Mercy Brothers – Barrence Whitfield & Michael Dinallo
Saturday Aug 22 – 7:00 pm show
Wex Rex Gallery, 312 Main St., Hudson MA 01749
WexRex.com
Tickets on Eventbrite – Click Here
Doors at 6:00 pm – Free Parking
Whitfield and Dinallo blend country blues, folk, gospel, and Americana into performances that are intimate, powerful, and deeply moving.
If you know Barrence Whitfield only from the roof-raising, full-throttle days of The Savages, you’re only hearing part of the story. As one half of The Mercy Brothers, Whitfield reveals a deeper, more soulful side of his artistry alongside acclaimed guitarist, songwriter, and producer Michael Dinallo.
Together, Whitfield and Dinallo blend country blues, folk, gospel, and Americana into performances that are intimate, powerful, and deeply moving. Their acclaimed album Strange Adventure has become a cult favorite among roots music fans, showcasing a partnership built on emotion, authenticity, and musical chemistry.
As the Boston Phoenix observed: “Both still breathe fire: Whitfield in the epic leaps and graceful contours of his rich voice, Dinallo flying over the fingerboard… But the largely acoustic Mercy Brothers give both a chance to relax and explore the deeper, more soulful side of the blues and country music they love.”
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience one of America’s great soul singers in a completely different light, backed by the masterful guitar work and songwriting of Michael Dinallo.
Wex Rex Gallery is an intimate showplace for listening to music and interacting with entertainers. Our Storefront StoryTellers series brings you a close up view of top talent. Only 75 comfy seats, so buy your tickets now at EventBrite.
Listen to Mercy Brothers on YouTube Music
Originally released in 2003 and long sought after by fans of American roots music, Strange Adventure is the remarkable collaboration between powerhouse vocalist Barrence Whitfield and acclaimed guitarist, songwriter, and producer Michael Dinallo. Together, they leave behind expectations and head straight for the crossroads where country, blues, folk, gospel, and honky-tonk meet.
Listeners who know Whitfield only from his explosive work with The Savages will discover another side of one of America’s great voices—deeply soulful, emotionally raw, and steeped in the traditions of classic American music. Dinallo’s masterful guitar work and understated production provide the perfect setting for Whitfield’s heartfelt performances, while special guest Vidar Busk adds blazing blues guitar throughout.
As Barry Mazor wrote in The Village Voice:
“A return to roots music—the other side of the big guy best known for modern R&B madness with his band the Savages. With former Radio King twang-picker Michael Dinallo and Euro-blues guitar-slinger Vidar Busk, Whitfield (born ‘Barry White’) has this new unit that presents a mix of raw old-time and honky-tonk country, traditional blues (played hard), and new tunes that match them.”
The album features unforgettable performances of originals including “Down That Road,” “I Believe I’ll Make a Change,” and “The New Year Blues,” alongside inspired interpretations of American roots classics. Every track reflects the deep musical chemistry between Whitfield and Dinallo, creating a record that feels both timeless and intensely personal.
Hailed by critics as an overlooked Americana masterpiece, Cupcakes & Muffins release of Strange Adventure stands as one of the finest recordings in either artist’s catalog—a passionate, soulful journey through the heart of American music that sounds as fresh today as it did upon its original release.
MERCY BROTHERS:
BARRENCE WHITFIELD
has spent more than four decades tearing down the boundaries between soul, blues, rock ’n’ roll, R&B, garage rock, and roots music with a voice often compared to Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, and Solomon Burke. Born Barry White in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised in Boston, Whitfield first emerged in the early 1980s fronting the explosive band The Savages, quickly earning a reputation as one of the most ferocious live performers in American roots music.
At a time when polished pop and MTV-driven production dominated much of the music industry, Whitfield and The Savages revived the raw energy of vintage rhythm & blues and early rock ’n’ roll. Their wild stage shows and deeply authentic sound attracted an unusually broad coalition of admirers across the worlds of rock, blues, punk, Americana, and soul music.
Among Whitfield’s most famous champions is Robert Plant, who has repeatedly praised Whitfield in interviews and broadcasts. Plant was such a devoted fan that he reportedly chased Whitfield down in search of a copy of his reissued debut album, later frequently citing him as one of his favorite contemporary singers. Elvis Costello has also long championed Whitfield’s fiery blend of R&B and roots rock, while Los Lobos have cited him as an inspiration and shared stages with him over the years.
Whitfield’s reputation spread rapidly in Europe thanks to the support of influential British broadcasters. Legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel became an early advocate, introducing Whitfield’s records to massive audiences across the UK and Europe. Equally important was the support of celebrated broadcaster Andy Kershaw, who discovered Whitfield performing in a Boston club and helped launch his international touring career by bringing him and The Savages to Europe during the 1980s for touring after their explosive performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
Over the years, Whitfield has recorded and performed with a remarkable range of artists, including Bo Diddley, Ben Vaughn, Tom Russell, George Thorogood, and Peter Greenberg, who was the other founding member of The Savages. Whitfield’s recordings have consistently balanced deep knowledge of traditional American music with fearless, high-energy performances that feel both classic and dangerously alive.
In recent years, Whitfield has explored a more stripped-down and roots-oriented side of his artistry through collaborations such as The Mercy Brothers with guitarist and songwriter Michael Dinallo. Moving away from the full-throttle attack of The Savages, these performances reveal another dimension of Whitfield’s artistry: soulful, acoustic-driven interpretations rooted in country blues, folk traditions, and Americana storytelling.
Whether fronting a roaring electric band or singing over a single acoustic guitar, Barrence Whitfield remains one of the most distinctive and emotionally committed voices in American roots music.
In 2023 Barrence sang the lead in the Studio Cast recording of “Beasties: A Sci-Fi Roick Opera” written by Wex Rex owner Gary Sohmers, and also appeared live on stage performing the lead role in Oct 2024 at the Regent Theatre in Arlington MA.
MICHAEL DINALLO
has spent decades building a career that bridges blues, Americana, soul, folk, and rock ’n’ roll while quietly becoming one of the most respected musicians, producers, and songwriters working between Boston, Memphis, and Nashville. A guitarist, arranger, producer, bandleader, and now author, Dinallo’s work has consistently centered on storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional truth rather than trends or commercial formulas.
In 2026, Dinallo completes an unofficial creative trilogy that began in 2023 and spans music, lyrics, and literature. The first installment arrived with the 2024 release of The Night’s Last Dance on Memphis International Records. The second chapter, Street Opera, continues that cinematic and deeply personal journey through songs shaped by melancholy, motion, nature, groove, and emotional dislocation. The trilogy concludes later this year with the publication of Dinallo’s first book, Waiting for a Better Day, a collection of lyrics and poetry exploring many of the same characters and landscapes found throughout his recent recordings. Waiting for a Better Day features Library of Congress archive photos curated by Dinallo and a forward by Ted Drozdoski, the singer-songwriter of Coyote Motel and Scissormen, who also writes, as he says, “some damn fine music journalism,” and it is.
Born in Ohio, Dinallo’s earliest musical obsessions were trumpet legends Al Hirt and Herb Alpert before discovering Elvis Presley at age five. Seeing Elvis perform live in Cleveland in 1974 became a life-changing moment. By his early teens, Dinallo was studying jazz standards from the Real Book while obsessively learning B.B. King guitar solos note for note. After moving to Boston in 1985, he studied big band arranging at Berklee College of Music and soon immersed himself in the city’s legendary blues scene through guitarist Ronnie Earl.
Dinallo first gained national attention in 1991 as founder, guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader of The Radio Kings. The group quickly won the Boston Battle of the Blues Bands and became known nationally after backing former Muddy Waters harmonica player Jerry Portnoy. Their recordings, including It Ain’t Easy, Live at B.B. King’s, and Money Road, established Dinallo as both a formidable guitarist and a songwriter deeply rooted in American musical traditions.
In 2002, Dinallo formed The Mercy Brothers with soul vocalist Barrence Whitfield. Moving away from Whitfield’s explosive garage-soul sound, the project embraced acoustic blues, country soul, folk traditions, and Americana storytelling. Their album Strange Adventure became a cult favorite in both Europe and the United States and helped cement Dinallo’s reputation as an artist capable of blending roots authenticity with cinematic songwriting.
Alongside his performing career, Dinallo has become an in-demand producer. His collaborations with Grammy-winning engineer Ducky Carlisle produced gold and platinum records for Norwegian artist William Hut and recordings for soul legend Eddie Floyd. He has also produced acclaimed work for singer-songwriter, Billy Prine, and numerous Americana and roots artists.
Now based out in the wilds of Boston’s MetroWest, Dinallo continues to work as a producer, writer, performer, and musical director while remaining, above all else, a musician devoted to songs that feel lived-in, weathered, and human.
CUPCAKES & MUFFINS
is an international independent record label, co-owned by music industry veterans David Greenberg and Del Bartle. Greenberg previously worked as a producer/product manager for Rykodisc, overseeing projects involving artists such as Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, and Frank Zappa, and later serving as Director of Marketing for a few boutique international music booking agencies. Bartle, a longtime member of The Godfathers and The Sid Presley Experience, and former Rykodiscer in their label’s UK/Europe office, brings to the label decades of experience as a guitarist, arranger, songwriter, and producer.
Cupcakes and Muffins specializes in rare reissues, overlooked rock and jazz recordings, roots music, and artist-driven collaborative projects. Its catalog includes releases by Yoko Miwa Trio, tribute band Pink Houses, The Mothers of Exile, DJ Trotsky, Iranian national protest singer Sahand, and archival projects such as The Joint’s Freak Street, and soundtrack compilations from the sexy and outrageous New German Cinema movement of the 1960s. Cupcakes & Muffins combines deep catalog research with modern independent production, digital strategy, and physical design, focusing on music that bridges lost musical history with contemporary creative work across jazz, Americana, R&B, folk, and rock ’n’ roll.
But ultimately, Cupcakes & Muffins is a music label dedicated to releasing treats, sweet and savory in every bite. Sometimes, they bite back.