The Phantom Blues Band is an American blues and roots ensemble formed in the early 1990s as Taj Mahal’s road and studio band, with its long-running core built around Tony Braunagel on drums and percussion, Larry Fulcher on bass and vocals, Johnny Lee Schell on guitar and vocals, Joe Sublett on saxophone, Les Lovitt on trumpet, and Mike Finnigan on keyboards and vocals. They accompanied him on tours and contributed to various album recordings, including Shoutin' in Keys and Senior Blues, the latter of which won a Grammy Award. In 2001, they received the W.C. Handy Award for Best Band of the Year. Following extensive touring and studio work, the Phantom Blues Band released their debut album, Limited Edition, in 2003, followed by Out of the Shadows (2006), Footprints (2007), Inside Out (2012), and Still Cookin' (2020). Besides their work together as a band, the members were also notable session musicians, producers, and arrangers. After keyboardist Mike Finnigan’s death in 2021, the group released Blues for Breakfast in 2022 on Little Village Foundation, with guests including Bonnie Raitt, Curtis Salgado, and Ruthie Foster, and with Jim Pugh taking over keyboard duties. In 2026, Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band released Time, a studio album recorded from 2010 sessions and issued through Resonatin’ Records and Thirty Tigers.
