Dr. Blues

Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul "Dr. Blues" Shambarger has been performing with blues pianist & singer Liz Pennock since 1983 as the duo LIZ PENNOCK & DR. BLUES. The piano/guitar team, based in St. Petersburg, Florida since 1996, has captivated audiences from Miami to Chicago with their vast
repertoire of classic, contemporary, and original blues.

Dr. Blues has roots in northern Ohio, where he began his musical career as a drummer for bands in the late 1960's, and made the move to guitar in the early 1970's. He also plays slide dobro on many of their songs. Doc's witty and sometimes biting lyrics can be heard in his crowd-pleasing favorites "Alimony Blues" and "Cruel Jewel."

Pennock & Shambarger met in 1981, married in 1983, and have been a nonstop creative team ever since. They co-produced Pennock's debut album Bluesy Atmosphere in 1986, and released their second recording, Blue Illusion, in 1989. Each album features ten of their original songs. Liz & Doc's
1996 CD, Six Fingers Boogie, features twelve originals
plus two blues classics, with guest appearances by Gaye Adegbalola (of Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women) and harmonica great Rock Bottom. Their latest CD Live >From St. Pete (released in 2003)contains eighteen live cuts- four covers and fourteen originals recorded here for the first time.

In addition to their duo work, Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues also performed extensively with legendary blues shouter Diamond

Teeth Mary McClain from 1988 until April, 2000 when Mary died at age 97. In 1993, Liz & Doc co-produced Mary's critically-acclaimed CD Walking Mary's Blues, and accompanied her at the 1996 Chicago Blues Festival.

Liz & Doc performed in Belgium at the Brussels Boogie Woogie Piano Summit in 2004, in Germany (2002), and on a Blues Cruise to Mexico in 2001. They have appeared with such artists as John Hartford, John Hammond, Carey Bell, The North Mississippi AllStars, Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, Roy Book Binder, and Savoy Brown.

Doc now plays his black Dean Palomino guitar at most of their shows. "I love the feel of the neck, and the three P-90's with the five-way switch give the Palomino a wide range of tonal variations," says Doc. "Plus it's just a great-looking guitar!"

Dean Palomino