What They're Saying
“This is the best band I've seen in a while… Everybody wants to be me, but I'd rather open a bait store and be you.” - Jimmy Buffett at Sauce Boss show at his New Orleans Margaritaville
“You makin me homesick.” Carey Bell (Muddy Waters)
“Bluesy as a motherfucker!” Kenny Neal
Blues Bytes Review of “The Sauce” August 2024
Bill Wharton, a.k.a. the Sauce Boss, returns with The Sauce (Swampside Records), which consists of a dozen songs that run the gamut from traditional acoustic blues to spicy blues rock, all presented in his inimitable fashion. … the music is plenty good and tasty, and an enjoyable time will be had listening this fine set, even if you have to cook your own gumbo. (See more)
Grateful Web Review of Sauce Boss with Extra Sauce at Suwannee Roots Revival 2025
"...After dinner, we made our way to the dance tent for a powerful performance by Florida’s own Sauce Boss. If you live in Florida and haven’t seen Sauce Boss, can you really call yourself a Floridian? The band was delightfully loud, and the crowd was electric as we gleefully chanted “HOT SAUCE!” while Sauce Boss mischievously poured two bottles of his homemade hot sauce into a giant steaming pot of gumbo. Everyone was dancing, and even those too shy to move couldn’t keep their feet still. When the music ended, Sauce Boss invited everyone to line up by the stage, where he served piping-hot bowls of his seafood gumbo. Yes, we had just eaten wings—but there’s always room for gumbo, especially when it’s made right in front of you by the band. The gumbo was rich and unforgettable, a perfect ending to a night filled with rhythm and flavor...."
Blues Blast Magazine Review of “The Sauce” 9/12/24
… Bill’s recipe for music is a pleasant and smooth easy-going sound with some excellent guitar mixed in. And if you check his web site, you can buy some of his hot sauce and some cookbooks as well. The Sauce Boss has you covered.
La Hora Del Blues Sept 2024 review of “The Sauce”
Red Hot & Blues Reviews by Marty Gunther December 2024
Slide guitarist/vocalist Bill Wharton truly is the Sauce Boss. A beloved chef and performer, he’s been serving up his own brand of hot sauce and steaming bowls of gumbo to audiences out of the Florida panhandle for decades. But he dispenses with his usual format here as a one-man band and delivers a funky set that sends a message of love and understanding when we need it most. Full of easy, breezy Rx for a troubled world, Damon Fowler sits in on guitar and lap steel for a couple of cuts, and guitarist Neal Goree and drummer Brett Creek make brief appearances, but it’s the Sauce Boss who shines throughout.
Austin Chronicle
“A very talented slide guitar player, blues hound Bill Wharton has enjoyed a strong word-of-mouth following. Those in the know, including many blues legends, say that Wharton is one of the most dynamic bluesmen going.”
ZicZac (France)
Bill Wharton is an original artist who chose the pseudonym Sauce Boss to present us with a sort of musical gumbo that he sprinkles with his own hot sauce to better awaken the taste buds of an audience that appreciates him in a one-man band format that suits him like a glove. (See More)
Times Picayune (New Orleans) "He stirs up the crowd as well as the roux, giving his audience a demonstration of both cooking and guitar skills they'll never forget.
Brett Anderson - City Paper (Washington DC)
“Try this trick: Stir, play guitar, taste, adjust heat, guitar again, stir again, sing. Wharton's got gumbo down to a science. Or is it a religion? Wharton doesn't really make gumbo; he plays it into existence summoning the spirit of Lightning Hopkins to share pot space with his own Liquid Summer hot sauce. As an artist, he's borrowed from the recipes of the Chicago blues as well as Julia Child. He takes a guitar, a pot and a burner onto stages of blues festivals and juke joints all over the world.”
"The Sauce" review by John Muller in Blue Notes
The Sauce Boss - Bill Wharton - Much like the delicious , mouth-watering gumbo that the "Sauce Boss" has been dishing up for frenzied audiences for decades , his latest sessions , "The Sauce", certainly stirs up a delectable blend of musical goodness with many exciting and unexpected surprises. His music , much like New Orleans style gumbo, is a true Southern tradition . Bill Wharton's music delivers a kick, unlike his own brand of hot sauce(sauceboss.com/hot-sauce) , those special musical moments are the perfect cajun seasonings, making this uniquely original " swamp funk" an unforgettable experience. (See More)
Relix Magazine
"At the end of the show we say the blessing--or actually we sing the blessing with just the slightest hint of southern gospel flavor," says Wharton. “This is the highlight of the evening for me as I add the last bit of heat to the pot with my hot sauce.” And he does it with the zeal and passion of a countrty preacher chasing the devil from the dinner table.
New York Times “It's an amusing, engaging mixture.”
Concert Monkey from Belgium review of “The Sauce”
… 'The Sauce', the new album by Sauce Boss, contains several beautiful and successful covers with 'Stop Breaking Down' and 'Gloria'. His own written songs will also appeal to many music lovers. (7.5/10) (See More)
Guitar Magazine (France)
"He belts out a high energy blues and plays the cooking pot simultaneously. More than a simple attraction, his musical gastronomical spectacle becomes a big family soup while the vapors from his cooking tempt your taste buds, the loudspeakers release quite another spice which is no less delectable.
The Legend of Bill Wharton, Florida's “Sauce Boss” Nov 2023 Catalyst St Pete
Living Blues 2021 review of Peanuts
Performing Songwriter Review of Sky Blues 2003
Spicing Up the Blues CNN
Extra (TV) Daily News “The Sauce Boss”
Gourmet Magazine
International Herald Tribune
Island Life (Key West)
LeMonde de Musique
Living Blues 1994 review of “Cookin'”
Something Wild Movie Poster (which contains “Let the Big Dog Eat” in the Soundtrack)
St Pete Times comes to a Planet Gumbo show at Pinellas Hope Homeless Shelter
French review of Sauce Boss at Le Creusot Blues Fest
“Bill Wharton, a.k.a "The Sauce Boss", is a favorite attraction at blues festivals, state fairs, and clubs all over the country for two reasons: He's a wonderful player and singer, and he cooks up a mind-blowing gumbo right on stage, passing out the tasty results at set's end . . . Wharton's slide guitar is always innovative, and his high baritone matches the tunes perfectly. . . However, it could be the eatin' side of things that will permanently hook you into the Sauce Boss's universe . . ."” Blues Revue Magazine
"Talk about a hot show: Bill Wharton brings it-music and gumbo-to a boil and never lets 'em leave hungry . . . the poet laureate of sauce, the sauce boss himself, a gentleman by the name of Bill Wharton, a modern hero of the blues and a visionary . . . he's a gumbo preacher with a slide guitar . . . He and his band don't just perform the blues they cook them, literally . . . " Bob Shacochis - Gentlemen’s Quarterly
“Wharton, who is in town to perform today and Sunday at the Florida State Fair in Tampa, had stopped by Pinellas Hope on Friday to cook gumbo and entertain the homeless. It's a labor of love. He's become so well known for his championship of the homeless that Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about him called I Will Play for Gumbo. "It's a big soup kitchen wherever I am, and I bring the kitchen," Wharton said. "I like sharing (and) I'm doing my own thing - totally." Anne Lindberg - Tampa Bay Times
“(Review of "Live at the Green Parrot") It's a blast. This album just reeks of party!” Bman - Bman’s Blues Report
“Good, it seems, at most everything he sets his mind to, the "Sauce Boss" is a superb musician on multiple instruments, an incredible wordsmith and has made his own blend of hot sauce besides. Musician, chef, teller of tales and the producer of some exceptional hot sauce, the Sauce Boss is an unusual individual to say the very least. We have all heard tell of those who are the jack of all trades and master at none. In this case, the man appears to excel at everything he does.” Bill Wilson - Reflections in Blue
“As you listen to this album, you realize that it's just one really cool blues song after another. If this guy makes gumbo as well as he plays slide guitar, then one of his shows must be as good as you'll ever see. After all, blues and gumbo is a tough combination to beat. If you like lowdown-boogie blues, you are going to love Sauce Boss.” Gary Schwind - Axs
“Sauce Boss! This was a show within a show. Bill “Sauce Boss” Wharton was a tremendous hit with his slide guitar and a giant pot of gumbo. Yes, he made gumbo on stage and even had fans come up and help give it a stir. It was a delightful experience that fed the masses." Music Fest News
“Bill Wharton is a groove monster . . . the Orlando-born slide guitar wizard has likely put a stomp in your shoe and a twist in your hips. And just because he's touring solo, don't expect any let up.” Bob Weinberg - Jazz and Blues Florida
“Tallahassee singer/songwriter and slide guitarist Bill Wharton is known as the “Sauce Boss.” Mainly because he brings his own Liquid Summer datil pepper hot sauce to his one-man band gigs, and cooks a big pot of gumbo for the crowd while he performs. Better yet, after the last encore, everyone gets to enjoy a bowl on the house.” Bob Townsend - Atlantic Journal Constitution