Well now, what to say about yourself on the world wide web.
Not really an intimate place to talk about yourself.

So let's just start at the beginning.
My name is Ton Wanten, I live in The Netherlands, in the southern province called Limburg.
You could say I’m a southern guy, I guess.
My first “encounter” with blues-music was when I was about 12 years old:
I heard some great music coming out of the room of my older sister.
It appeared not to be a blues band at all… I heard “Roadhouse Blues” from “The Doors”.
As of that moment I directly took my pocket money and went to the local record store to ask about
“that kind of music”. The kind lady at the counter sold me a copy of an LP from a Dutch blues band called
“The Living Blues”. On that album where two songs that blew me away: “Wang Dang Doodle” and “Spoonful”.
That’s how it all started. In that year (1972) it was not really common in The Netherlands to listen to
blues music, everybody else was into Brit Pop etc. So I had a lot of explaining to do when friends came
over and I played this “Blues Music”. After I “discovered” the Living Blues the search went on. Just to
find the origin of blues music. And I have to say, I got rather confused by it. At that time I had never
heard about Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Son House, Bukka White etc. etc.

But I had this “urge” to find out about those guys. Who were they, what did they do.

On my quest for this music I found out that “modern” blues music was VERY interesting too. Almost obviously I discovered the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Again, blown away!!! After Stevie there came a lot (really a lot) of artist and bands that I liked (and still like very much).

Of course there will be the ever going discussion about what blues music really is, of what music is really blues music.
I have to confess: I don’t care too much about that.
As long as the music has found his roots in the blues I like it.

For instance: young guns like Johnny Moeller, J.W. Jones, Jim Suhler.
They are just great. Rusty Zinn, Mitch Kashmar, Nick Moss, Sean Costello, Kid Ramos, Lynwood Slim, Mike Welch, Kirk “Eli” Flether, Hook Herrea. But also blues icons like …. Finis Tasby, Jody Williams etc. people I respect very much.Wow man, I could go on for ever I guess. Even in the European blues scene there are great
blues musicians in my opinion.

As every teenager I tried to learn the guitar at age of fifteen or sixteen, don’t remember exactly. The first licks I tried were blues licks. And after a while I put the guitar away, frustrated because I couldn’t get the “feel” of it. When I was about 35 I started playing again. A little bit wiser, more mature, experienced perhaps (but believe me I will NEVER grow up).
And now I play with a bunch of very good friends in a local blues band. We enjoy ourselves!! Our band is not really good.. but we try and we have fun in playing blues music. Occasionally we play at local venues or at private parties. That’s the real thing. Seeing people dance on the music you play; great!

But mainly I am a radio guy. I love spending time in my small home radio studio and making blues radio shows, listen to all this great music “The Devils Music”.It’s almost an obsession. Work? You ask? Sorry I don’t have a day time job like most people. Due to certain circumstances I have a military pension. It’s not much, but I consider it part of the blues.

My ambition? You ask? Just to try to keep blues music alive. Through playing old school blues, modern electric blues. Hell, every kind of blues. Just as long as it is Genuine Music. That’s what Triple R Blues Radio is all about: The nr. 1 Station of Genuine Music. My aim!
The latest news of Triple R Blues Radio is that it is mentioned in the "Billboard Illustrated Encyclopidia of Jazz and Blues". I consider this as a great honor!!