History

SOBO was founded in 1995 by song-writing team Assaf Ganzman and Daniel Kriman.

The two met when Daniel was playing at a Jerusalem Rock-’n’-Blues bar.

Assaf remembers that moment well:

“You gotta understand, I'm coming from Nashville and New York of the early 90"s.

So anyway, I stumble into a small smoky club and there's this kid with long blond hair to his ass, a beat-up acoustic guitar, literally a broken beer bottleneck in his hand, a harmonica in his lips, a tambourine tied to his foot and this guy is wailing like you couldn't believe.

It was like nothing I'd ever seen. Lucky for me his mouth was so busy on the harp that he needed someone to sing... and that's how it got started.”

Sammy and Daniel jammed together for the first time that night and have been a musical team ever since.

It was SOBO's inspired blues jams and intense funk rhythms that helped found the still-growing Israeli blues scene.

The band performed at venues all through Israel and the Netherlands during the 90s, and recorded their first album in 1998, which was received very positively in Israel.

In the Summer 2002 SOBO took St Petersburg, Russia by storm appearing at the Delta Neva International Blues Festival wining a gold medal for their performance.

In 2003 the band appeared on Jazz, Blues and Videotapes Festival, Tel Aviv and The Summer Blues Festival, Givatayim, Israel.

In 2004 SOBO was chosen to represent Israel in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN under the banner of Blues For Peace.

While at the Challenge SOBO was spotted and immediately hired to play at the Blues City Cafe on Memphis' World Famous Beale street, where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert King, and many other bluesman have played.

SOBO had a very strong showing prompting interest from local press, television and many national blues societies

In 2007 SOBO performed and headlined at the International Blues Festival in Moscow

2009 SOBO is releasing its new album SHOOBA DO on Israeli radio and in record stores