Blues Music Now Blog

A story about how beauty flowers from the fields of brutality

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:09:00 +0000

A detailed story about the birthplace of the blues appeared in an unexpected publication, one that is devoted to reporting on homelessness, poverty, human rights and related issues.

Yet, the article,"The Mississippi Delta: Birthplace of the Blues," published in the April issue of Street Spirit, makes perfect sense, according to editor Terry Messman.

"You cannot listen to blues music for long before you are confronted by the terrible and tragic history of racism, slavery, segregation and discrimination in America," he wrote.

According to Messman, the article is a "reflection on a beautiful trip through the Mississippi Delta my wife Ellen and I took last month." In it, he details his journey to "the wonderful series of blues museums, state blues markers, murals, grave sites and birthplaces of the Mississippi blues musicians that we love the most."

Street Spirit is a publication of the American Friends Service Committee in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Read the article

Legendary bluesman Hubert Sumlin dies at 80; lead guitarist for Howlin' Wolf

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Hubert Sumlin, one of the towering figures of blues guitar, died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. The 80-year-old Sumlin had congestive heart failure, according to his agent, Hugh Southard, and died at a hospital in Wayne, N.J.

Sumlin was the lead guitarist for legendary blues singer Howlin' Wolf on their seminal recordings for Chess Records. Although overshadowed by the massive Wolf, it is impossible to think about blues classics such as "Killing Floor," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful" and "Wang Dang Doodle" without imaging Sumlin's stinging yet soulful guitar riffs.

Ironically, millions of people who have never heard of Howlin' Wolf have been listening to Sumlin's distinctive guitar work on the classic song "Smokestack Lightin'" as the soundtrack to a recent TV commercial for Viagra.

Sumlin's influence lives on today in the countless rock guitarists who were influenced by him, including Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. In 2004, both men played with Sumlin on his recording, "About Them Shoes," a star-studded effort including Levon Helm on drums, James Cotton on harmonica and David Johansen on vocals.

A recent poll of guitarists in "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Sumlin 43rd among the greatest guitarists of all time. "I love Hubert Sumlin," said Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in the "Rolling Stone" article on Sumlin. "He always played the right thing at the right time."

Tributes

New York Times
Rolling Stone
Washington Post
Official Web site

Lee Shot Williams dies at 73

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:25:00 +0000

Chicago blues soul singer Lee Shot Williams died on Nov. 25, 2011, according to his record label, Ecko Records. Williams was 73.

Henry Lee Williams was born in Lexington, Miss., on May 21, 1938. Lee "Shot" moved to Detroit in 1954, finished school, and relocated to Chicago in 1956. There he hooked up with his cousin, Little Smokey Smothers, who hired him as a regular vocalist with his band in 1961.

He got the nickname "Shot" from his mother at a young age, owing to his fondness for wearing suits and dressing up as a "big shot."

Follow this link for more information about Williams, including details about his services.

Buddy Guy dominates Blues Music Awards

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Buddy Guy was the big winner at the recent Blues Music Awards, held in Memphis, Tenn. by the Blues Foundation.

Guy, the 2010 Lifetime Achievement honoree, was the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. In addition, he took home top honors for Album, Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Artist and Song of the Year, which he shared with Tom Hambridge.

Guy released the critically-acclaimed recording, "Living Proof," in 2010.

Complete list of 2011 Blues Music Award winners

The Blues Foundation

Little Smokey Smothers passes away at age 71

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Chicago blues guitarist and vocalist Albert Abraham "Little Smokey" Smothers, 71, died on November 20, 2010, according to Alligator Records.

Smothers, who served as a mentor to musicians including Paul Butterfield and Elvin Bishop, died of natural causes at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Chicago.

According to an Alligator news release, Smothers was born into a musical family in Tchula, Mississippi on January 2, 1939 and moved to Chicago as a teenager. His older brother, guitarist Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers became a well-known Chicago blues artist. Little Smokey took up guitar and before long was recording and performing with artists like Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, his soul singer cousin Lee "Shot" Williams and others.

Concentrating primarily on his instrumental skills, he toured and led bands playing locally in Chicago's South Side blues clubs beginning in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. He partially retired to raise a family, but returned to blues in 1978. He spent most of the 1980s playing small Chicago clubs and touring occasionally as a sideman, including as lead guitarist with the Legendary Blues Band.

For more information, including funeral arrangements, visit the Alligator Records Web site.

Mississippi Blues Trail heads north to the Badger State

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 03:35:00 +0000

The Mississippi Blues Trail, a collection of important blues locations, winds its way through Mississippi, Memphis, Arkansas, Alabama and, eventually, Chicago. This weekend, the trail extends another 100 miles north to the small town of Grafton, Wisconsin, which is the home of Paramount Records.

The record label produced 78 rpm records of early blues pioneers including Charley Patton, Skip James, Son House, Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson. According to ParamountsHome.org, more than 1,600 songs were recorded in Grafton between 1929 and 1932. Over 60 African Americans recorded their blues, spirituals, and even sermons in a "make-shift" studio of an old chair factory, opposite of the pressing plant.

The Grafton Blues Association will unveil the marker during the fifth annual Paramount Blues Festival in Grafton on Sept. 18. Grafton is about 20 miles north of Milwaukee.

The marker will be located at the former location of the Wisconsin Chair Factory, which housed the Paramount recording studio.

Delmark reissues songs from Dawkins' Leric Records

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:58:00 +0000

Most blues fans are very familiar with the work of blues guitar legend Jimmy Dawkins. Not everyone is aware of his work as a record producer with his own label, Leric Records. In the 1980s, the label released 45s by Tail Dragger, Queen Sylvia Embry, Little Johnny Christian and Nora Jean Wallace, to name a few.

Thanks to Delmark Records, these records are now being reissued for the first time on CD, "Jimmy Dawkins presents: The Leric Story." In addition to the artists listed above, the package also includes unissued sides by Vance Kelly and Big Mojo Elem. Dawkins contributes as a sideman, along with Johnny B. Moore, Lafayette Leake, Willie Kent, Eddie "Jewtown" Burks, Michael Coleman and Chico Banks.

New law to help Mississippi blues artists in need

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:19:00 +0000

The Mississippi Legislature has passed a bill that will provide help to struggling blues artists in the state, according to the Associated Press.

The legislation allows the Mississippi Blues Commission to "raise and expend grant funds to provide assistance to any blues musician in need." The bill amends the original law that created the commission.

The commission will handle the funds, which would only go to Mississippi performers. "We don't just want some guy who goes out and buys a harmonica to say, 'I'm a bluesman. Give me some money,'" said Mississippi state Sen. Billy Hewes. "We want it to go to true artists."

BusinessWeek article

Mississippi Blues Commission

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noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:53:00 +0000

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Lonnie Brooks, Charlie Musselwhite, Bonnie Raitt named to Blues Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:24:00 +0000

The Blues Foundation has announced the inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010, including Lonnie Brooks, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt.

The induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 5, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before the 31st Blues Music Awards.
The Hall of Fame committee, consisting of scholars, record producers, radio programmers, and historians, is chaired by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues.

Here is the complete list of the 2010 inductees:

Classic of Blues Literature
The Bluesmen by Samuel Charters

Classic of Blues Recording - Single or Album Track
"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" -- Otis Rush (Cobra, 1958)
"Fever" -- Little Willie John (King, 1956)
"Key to the Highway" -- Big Bill Broonzy (OKeh, 1941)
"Match Box Blues" -- Blind Lemon Jefferson (OKeh and Paramount, 1927)
"Spoonful" -- Howlin' Wolf (Chess, 1960)

Classic of Blues Recordings - Album
Hung Down Head by Lowell Fulson (Chess LP, 1970; CD, 1996)
I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson (Alligator LP, 1977; CD, 1991)
Strong Persuader by Robert Cray (Mercury LP/CD, 1986)

Non-Performer
Peter Guralnick
Sonny Payne

Perfomer
Amos Milburn
Bonnie Raitt
Charlie Musselwhite
Cus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers
Lonnie Brooks
W.C. Handy

Blues Foundation Web site

Blues GRAMMYs go to Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Derek Trucks Band

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:27:00 +0000

If you're interested in learning who took home the GRAMMY awards for best blues albums in 2009, don't bother watching tonight's show. (Unless you want to see the rumored Lady Gaga-Elton John duet.) Don't despair, however, as we have the scoop here:

The GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album went to "Already Free" by The Derek Trucks Band [Victor Records].

Other nominees were "This Time" by The Robert Cray Band [Nozzle Records/Vanguard]; "The Truth According To Ruthie Foster" by Ruthie Foster [Blue Corn Music]; "Live: Hope At The Hideout" by Mavis Staples [ANTI]; and "Back To The River" by Susan Tedeschi [Verve Forecast].

The Best Traditional Blues Album GRAMMY went to "A Stranger Here" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott [ANTI].

Other nominees were " "Blue Again" by The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Featuring Rick Vito [429 Records]; "Rough & Tough" by John Hammond [Chesky Records]; "Stomp! The Blues Tonight" by Duke Robillard [Stony Plain Records]; and "Chicago Blues: A Living History" by Billy Boy Arnold, Lurrie Bell, Billy Branch & John Primer, Larry Skoller, producer [Raisin' Music].

Another blues recording won in the category of Best Historical Album. "The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967),"
a Little Walter compilation from Hip-O Select, took top honors. However, the soundtrack for "Cadillac Records" did not win for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media, losing out to "Slumdog Millionaire."

By the way, I watched some of the pre-telecast online at the GRAMMY Web site and probably enjoyed it more than the actual show with all of its star power. We got to see a few gospel, R&B and folk performances, along with some award presentations by Mick Fleetwood and Robert Flack. Taylor Swift even showed up to collect her first two GRAMMYs ever and no one even took the microphone away from her!

GRAMMY Web site

Tail Dragger DVD puts viewer smack dab in Chicago blues club

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:44:00 +0000

Are you in the mood for some authentic Chicago blues, but don't want to visit the Windy City in January? A good alternative is the latest DVD from Tail Dragger, "Live At Rooster's Lounge." This stellar release from Delmark puts the viewer right in the middle of the west side Chicago blues club for a raw and raucous performance from James Yancey Jones, the aforementioned Tail Dragger.

The DVD is a follow-up to Tail Dragger’s first Delmark DVD, "My Head Is Bald - Live at Vern's Friendly Lounge." "My Head is Bald" was named best blues DVD by Living Blues magazine in 2005 and "Rooster's Lounge" is just as good. (Both titles also can be purchased as separate audio CDs.)

Thanks to the excellent camera work, “Live at Rooster’s Lounge” almost makes it seem as if the viewer is sitting in the lounge, as Tail Dragger stalks the premises not unlike his mentor, the late, great Howlin’ Wolf. The video captures Tail Dragger as he works the crowd and even flirts with the ladies. You can almost taste the beer and soul food as it’s served to the patrons.

Tail Dragger’s vocals are backed ably by guitarists Rockin' Johnny Burgin and Kevin Shanahan, harpist Martin Lang, bass player Todd Fackler and drummer Rob Lorenz. Dragger’s good friend, West Side blues legend Jimmy Dawkins, contributes his distinctive guitar sound to one song, “Wander,” a Tail Dragger original.

The set list includes a nice mixture of originals and covers from Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, John Lee Hooker and Little Walter.

Delmark Web site

Tail Draggers’ Web site

Les Paul, "Father of the Electric Guitar, dies at age 94

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:52:00 +0000

One of the great innovators of modern music, Les Paul, died in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 13, 2009, from complications of pneumonia.

Although Paul was an accomplished guitarist in his own right, his greatest contributions to music came as an inventor, both of the solid body guitar and multi-track recording. It is impossible to imagine music today without recognizing these innovations.

Tributes to Paul poured in from across the world from the countless musicians who were inspired by the Waukesha, Wisconsin native. A typical comment was made by guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top: "Les Paul brought six strings to electricity and electricity to six strings. Les Paul was an innovator, a groundbreaker, a risk taker, a mentor and a friend. Try to imagine what we'd be doing if he hadn't come along and changed the world."

The Gibson Les Paul is one of the most recognizable guitars in music history, played by musicians such as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, Billy Gibbons, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Davey Johnstone, Carlos Santana, Hubert Sumlin, Joe Walsh and Eddie Van Halen, just to name a few.

Not only a great inventor, Paul also was a successful musician in the 1940s and '50s, earning 36 gold records, many of which featured his wife, vocalist Mary Ford.

"As the 'Father of the Electric Guitar,' he was not only one of the world's greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world," said Dave Berryman, President of Gibson Guitar. “I have had the privilege to know and work with Les for many, many years and his passing has left a deep personal void. He was simply put – remarkable in every way. As a person, a musician, a friend, an inventor. He will be sorely missed by us all."

Gibson Web site

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

Rolling Stone.com

Les Paul's Web site

Famous Guitarists Who Have Played a Les Paul

Muddy Waters, Newport Jazz Festival 1960

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:19:00 +0000

This vintage film captures Muddy Waters during his legendary performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, U.S., on July 3, 1960. Muddy and the band plays "Got My Mojo Working."

View the video on a separate page

"Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor dies at 80

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Alligator Records reported the death of Koko Taylor, 80, on June 3, 2009, in her hometown of Chicago. The Grammy Award-winning blues singer died as a result of complications following her May 19 survey to correct a gastrointestinal bleed.

Taylor’s final performance was on May 7, 2009 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang “Wang Dang Doodle” after receiving her award for Traditional Blues Female Artist Of The Year.

Born Cora Walton on a sharecropper’s farm just outside Memphis, TN, on September 28, 1928, Koko, nicknamed for her love of chocolate, fell in love with music at an early age. Inspired by gospel music and WDIA blues disc jockeys B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, Taylor began belting the blues with her five brothers and sisters, accompanying themselves on their homemade instruments. In 1952, Taylor and her soon-to-be-husband, the late Robert “Pops” Taylor, traveled to Chicago with nothing but, in Koko’s words, “thirty-five cents and a box of Ritz Crackers.”

In Chicago, “Pops” worked for a packing company, and Koko cleaned houses. Together they frequented the city’s blues clubs nightly. Encouraged by her husband, Koko began to sit in with the city’s top blues bands, and soon she was in demand as a guest artist. One evening in 1962 Koko was approached by arranger/composer Willie Dixon. Overwhelmed by Koko’s performance, Dixon landed Koko a Chess Records recording contract, where he produced her several singles, two albums and penned her million-selling 1965 hit “Wang Dang Doodle,” which would become Taylor’s signature song.

Survivors include Taylor’s husband Hays Harris, daughter Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee, Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren.

Follow this link for more information.

Podcast features words and music of Buddy Guy

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:46:00 +0000

As part of Black History Month, Legacy Recordings has posted a number of podcasts from great African-American artists. (OK, Black History Month was in February, but you can still listen to the interviews anyway!)

For blues fans, the Buddy Guy podcasts are especially interesting. Hosted by journalist Anthony DeCurtis, the four-part series features recollections and insights from the blues man and includes 15 classic tracks from throughout Guy’s career.

Other podcasts are available from Ashford & Simpson, Philadelphia soul, Miles Davis, Fats Waller, Sam Cooke and Bill Withers.

Follow this link to listen to the Buddy Guy podcasts.

What a shock! B.B. King wins 15th Grammy award

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:25:00 +0000

With all due respect to Elvin Bishop, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker Jr. and Pinetop Perkins, they never had a chance against B.B. King in the competition for best traditional blues album. The King of the Blues racked up his 15th Grammy award on Feb. 8 for "One King Favor."

The other blues Grammy went to another multiple Grammy winner, Dr. John. He took home his fifth Grammy for "City That Care Forgot," which was recorded by Dr. John and The Lower 911. Other nominees in the category for best contemporary blues album were Marcia Ball, Solomon Burke, Taj Mahal and Irma Thomas.

Old vets B.B. King, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith still bringing the blues

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:58:00 +0000

Two new blues CDs from two grizzled old pros crossed my desk recently and they were a much welcomed reprieve from much of the mediocre crap that passes for blues these days.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that one of the CDs was from the legendary B.B. King, who turned 83 years young on Sept. 16.

B.B. King has never gone away for very long in his storied career, but his new recording, "One Kind Favor," (Geffen Records) represents sort of a comeback for the King of the Blues. Much of the credit goes to producer T. Bone Burnett, who tried to duplicate the sound of King's recordings from the 1950s with much success.

Wisely, Burnett bypassed the current formula of pairing blues legends with rock stars, a technique that might sell CDs, but often produces bland, if not lifeless, recordings.

Instead, Burnett recruited a crack band of session pros, including Nathan East on stand up acoustic bass and Jim Keltner on drums. Dr. John, who contributes on piano, is the best known band member, but he never steals the show, leaving the spotlight for B.B. and Lucille, his trusty guitar.

Speaking of King, his playing and vocals are in fine form, as usual. And, the song selection of old blues covers are impeccable, including songs by T-Bone Walker, Lemon Jefferson, John Lee Hooker, Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf)and Lonnie Johnson, to name a few.

The other CD comes from Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. "Born in Arkansas" (Big Eye Records) is state-of-the-art Chicago blues from Muddy Waters' former drummer from the 1960s and 1970s. Smith also played with Bo Diddley, Johnny Shines, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, a veritable who's who of blues legends.

On "Born in Arkansas," Smith is backed by veterans of the Chicago blues scene, including Bob Stroger on bass, Barrellhouse Chuck on piano, Billy Flynn on guitar, Little Frank Karkowski on guitar and Smith's son, Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith on drums.

"Big Eyes" Smith contributes vocals and harmonica on the recording, which doesn't stray far from the tried and true sound of Chicago blues. That's meant as a compliment of the highest order ... if anyone else does a better job with this genre of blues, I'd like to hear it. Certainly, the old man himself, Muddy Waters, would be proud of his former band mate if he were alive to tell us.

--Jeff Stevens

Kings of Rhythm still feel Ike Turner's presence

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Ike Turner may have left this world when he passed away late last year, but apparently he isn't quite ready to leave the recording studio, according to the drummer of his backing band, the Kings of Rhythm.

Drummer Bill Ray said the band felt Turner's presence during a recording session at a home studio in Santa Monica, California, in late July.

"Ike made an appearance in a very bizarre way. We were recording a song called "After Hours' -- one of Ike's favorite songs," Ray told Blues Music Now.com. "There's a part where Mack Johnson screams 'Turn out the lights and call the law." When that part arrived the lights in the studio mysteriously dimmed and we all thought the engineer did it but there was no one near the light switches."

Ray continued: "We all instantly knew who it was -- Ike. I don't find that far-fetched at all, as the same people who were in the house when he passed were on this session as well."

Despite Ike's "ghostly" practical joke, the Kings of Rhythm recovered to record about 10 songs. Ray said the session was "amazing" and should lead to a great album, although there are currently no plans for releasing the tracks. "Right now we are 'building it' in hopes that 'they' will come,'" he said.

The musicians, most of whom backed Turner on his Grammy-winning album, "Risin' with the Blues," were:

Seth Blumberg- Guitar
Armando Cepeda- Bass
Kevin Cooper - Bass
Leo Dombecki- Sax
Paulie Cerra- Sax
Mack Johnson- Trumpet
Paul Smith- Hammond
Ernest Lane- Piano
Bill Ray- Drums

B.B. King returns to the 1950s for his latest disc

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:46:00 +0000

The latest disc by the legendary B.B. King will return to the vintage sound of 1950s-era blues when "One Kind Favor" is released by Geffen Records on Aug. 26.

Producer T Bone Burnett and King have formed the type of blues band used by the King of the Blues back in the formative years of modern blues. Featured players include Dr. John on piano, Nathan East on stand up acoustic bass and Jim Keltner on drums. In addition, vintage studio conditions were reproduced at The Village Recoder in Los Angeles for the sessions.

The full track listing for One Kind Favor, along with the name of the artist who originally recorded the track, is:” See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” (Lemon Jefferson), “I Get So Weary” (T-Bone Walker), “Get These Blues Off Me” (Lee Vida Walker), “How Many More Years” (Chester Burnett), “Waiting For Your Call” (Oscar Lollie), “My Love Is Down” (Lonnie Johnson), “The World Is Gone Wrong” ( Walter Vinson, also known as Walter Jacobs, and Lonnie Chatmon, core members of the Mississippi Sheiks), “Blues Before Sunrise” (John Lee Hooker), “Midnight Blues” (John Willie “Shifty” Henry), “Backwater Blues” (Big Bill Broonzy), “Sitting On Top Of The World” (Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon) and “Tomorrow Night” (Lonnie Johnson).

New Buddy Guy album drops July 22

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:45:00 +0000

Five-time Grammy winner Buddy Guy will release his latest recording, Skin Deep on July 22. His tenth studio release on the Silverstone/Zomba label, "Skin Deep" features Eric Clapton, Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

The 72-year-old Guy said he exercised more control over the recording of this album, which features all new material.

"This is the first time I really had more control," Guy says. "Everything in here is new. Most of the other albums have been a few new songs and then back to the older stuff or the covers-which is fine, but you gotta be creative. I would talk to Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck when they were all making records, and they would tell me that they would go in the studio with the freedom to play what they wanted. This time, I had that."

You can listen to streams of several songs, including the Eric Clapton collaboration, "Every Time I Sing the Blues, at the Earbender Web site.

Legends help celebrate Delmark's 55th

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:46:00 +0000

By Steve Sharp
CHICAGO -- A frail-looking Delmark Records founder Bob Koester greeted admirers near the front of the stage throughout the evening of March 7, 2008 at Buddy Guy's Legends, enjoying his label's 55th anniversary celebration. The marathon concert featured performances by Delmark's still-impressive stable of talent, including Taildragger, Lurrie Bell, Billy Branch, Aaron Moore and Byther Smith. These and many other artists were backed by a superb rhythm section including drummer Kenny Smith and bass legend Bob Stroger.

Read more...

Get on the blues bus

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Our latest installment of "Scenes from the Road" takes us back to Chicago's Maxwell Street, circa 1992. Today's photo features the blues bus, a fixture on the street back in the day.

Photographer Steve Sharp writes this about the bus: "Painted blue, it was operated each weekend at the Maxwell Street Market in the 1980s and 1990s by a couple of old gentlemen from Mississippi. They sold crusty blues tapes by everyone imaginable -- from Isaac Hayes to Muddy Waters, from Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker to Poonanny."

For more about the blues bus, visit Blues Music Now.com.

And the blues GRAMMYS go to...

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:39:00 +0000

If you're a blues fan, you don't have to bother to watch tonight's GRAMMY telecast, as both blues album winners were announced in the infamous "pre-tel" awards ceremony earlier in the day.

The best traditional blues album went to "Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas." The recording, released on the Blue Shoe Project label, featured Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr. and David "Honeyboy" Edwards.

Other nominees in the category included "Pinetop Perkins On The 88's - Live In Chicago" by Pinetop Perkins [Sagebrush Productions/Vizztone Label Group], "10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd Featuring Various Artists [Reprise Records] and "Old School" by Koko Taylor [Alligator Records].

The GRAMMY for best contemporary blues album was awarded to JJ Cale & Eric Clapton for "The Road To Escondido" [Reprise Records/Warner Music Group]. The duo beat out "Into The Blues" by Joan Armatrading [429 Records], "Is It News" by Doyle Bramhall [Yep Roc Records], "Truth" by Robben Ford [Concord Records] and "The Scene Of The Crime" by Bettye LaVette [Anti].

GRAMMY Web site

Boston bluesman dies in house fire

noreply@blogger.com (editorbluesmusicnow) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:53:00 +0000

"Weepin'" Willie Robinson, an elder statesman of Boston blues, died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007, in a house fire. He was 81.

According to The Boston Globe, Robinson died in bed in a fire caused by his own cigarette in his Boston rest home.

A fixture on the Boston blues scene since 1959, Robinson didn't record his first solo album until 1999 at age 72. "At Last, On Time," released on the APO label, featured Mighty Sam McClain, Susan Tedeschi and Jimmy D. Lane.

Boston Globe article

APO Records

AllMusic.com