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What's New!
Tuesday, May
7, 2013
-
John Primer &
Bob Corritore /
Knockin'
Around These Blues appears #1 in
April Living Blues Radio Charts!
Thank you to all the blues DJS
for playing
John
Primer &
Bob
Corritore
/
Knockin'
Around These Blues.
Jim McGrath who heads the
Living
Blues Radio Charts
tells us that
the combined playlists from all
reporting stations put the CD at
#1. Thanks also to
Steve
Dixon, publicity
director at
Delta
Groove Music,
for getting the CD to all the
DJS!
To see the April
Living
Blues Radio Chart click
here.
-
Off to Memphis
for the
Blues Music Awards!
Each early May the
Blues
Foundation presents the
Blues
Music Awards which
serves as a
reflection and celebration of
the prior year's activities and
achievements in the blues. This
year the Blues Music Awards
will happen
on May 9, 2013 at the
Cook Convention Center
in Memphis. Artists will be
recognized
in 26 categories and from each
category one of the five nominees
will emerge a winner. To see a
complete listing of nominees
click
here. In
attendance
will be many musicians, labels,
producers, booking agents,
festivals, publicists, artist
managers, photographers,
writers, and blues fans. Simply
put, this is the best blues
party of the year.
For those unable to attend, the
event will be simulcast on
XM/ Sirius Satellite
radio on the
Bluesville
station.
Bob Corritore
is nominated for a
BMA
in the "Harmonica" catagory.
Also two releases that Bob is
associated with are up for a
couple awards each;
Mud Morganfield
/
Son Of The Seventh Son,
and
The Mannish Boys /
Double Dynamite.
In addiition to the
BMAs there
are numerous events and side
shows happening in Memphis
before and after the
BMAs.
To find out more about the
Blues
Music Awards, click
here.
-
Bob
Corritore's scheduled
appearances around the
BMA weekend!
Bob Corritore
will be making the
rounds on the days after the
BMAs. Here are the great
events Bob will participate in:
Friday, May
10,
Hard Rock Cafe, Memphis, 1pm
to 5pm. The
Pinetop Perkins
Foundation - Celebrating what
would have been
Pinetop's 100th
birthday (Pinetop
passed away at age 97).
Featured
enterainers will include Janiva
Magness,
Bob
Margolin,
Bob Corritore,
John Primer,
David Maxwell,
Bob
Stroger,
Diunna
Greenleaf,
Tony
Braunagel,
Patrick
Rynn,
Chris James,
Popcorn
Lauden,
Lectric Liz
Lottmann,
Andy T,
Clay
Swafford, The
Peterson
Brothers,
Kingfish Ingram, and
Larry Van Loon and many many
more special guests!
John Primer
and
Bob Corritore will host one
hour of this event, and will call
up numerous guests. Proceeds to
The
Pinetop Perkins
Foundation and the
Blues
Foundation Scholarship Fund.
Friday May 10,
Rum Boogie,
Memphis, 7 pm to 10pm Brandon
Santini's Beale Street
Messaround -
Proceeds to
Raise The Roof Fund.
Bob Corritore
will appear with
Mud
Morganfield. Other acts
include
John
Nemeth,
Dennis
Gruenling,
Sugaray
Rayford,
Terry
Hanck,
Little G Weevil,
Jeff
Jenson,
Bryan Lee,
Greg Nagy,
Red Velvet and, of course the
great
Brandon
Santini. To see the event
poster click
here.
Friday May 10th
Rum Boogie, Memphis, 10pm until
? VizzTone
Blues Party On Beale. Hosted by
Bob
Margolin,
Doug
Deming & the Jewel
Tones,
Dennis
Gruenling,
Long Tall Deb,
E.G.
Kight,
Gina
Sicilia,
Dave Gross,
Gaye
Adegbalola,
Greg Nagy,
Scissormen, J.W. Jones,
Diunna
Greenleaf,
Bob Corritore,
David Maxwell,
Tony
Braunagel,
Little G
Weevil, Colin John,
Peter
Parcek,
Richard "Rosy"
Rosenblatt and more! To
see the poster click
here.
Saturday, May 11th,
Ground Zero Blues Club,
Clarksdale, Mississippi,
8pm.
Clay
Swafford CD Release
Party. Young piano maestro
Clay
Swafford celebrates his
powerful new CD
Rooster with an all-star
cast that includes
Diunna
Greenleaf,
Bob
Margolin,
Bob Corritore,
Bob
Stroger, and Lee
Williams. To see the poster
click
here.
-
RIP Artie "Blues Boy" White -
April 16, 1937 to April 20,
2013. Beloved Chicago
based soul and blues singer
Artie "Blues Boy" White
passed away on April 16th of
complication from
pneumonia. He was
76. Born in Vicksburg,
Mississippi, White relocated to
Chicago in '55 and sang with
the
Full Gospel Wonders. In
the early '60s White crossed
over to blues and soul music. He
became a prominent recording
artist in the 1970s and remained
in that stature for the rest of
his life. His large recorded
legacy saw releases on
Ronn,
Ichiban, Waldoxy, PM,
Gama, and Gold Circle. He
frequently collaborated with
writer
Bob Jones and had hits
with "Leaning Tree" and "Don't
Pet My Dog." He owned and
operated the South Side Chicago
venue
Bootsy's near 22nd and
Cottage Grove. This great
vocalist will be missed by the
legions of fans and friends he
built over many years. To hear
Artie sing his hit "Leanin'
Tree" click
here.
-
Billy Boy Arnold on
YouTube!
Please enjoy this 2008 clip of
harmonica legend
Billy Boy
Arnold as he covers the
Sonny
Boy Williamson classic "My
Little Machine" live at the
Hondarribia Blues
Festival in Spain with
Johnny Iguana on piano
and
Kenny Smith on drums. This
was part of a show promoting the
Chicago Blues; A Living History
CD. To see the clip, click
here.
Friday, May 4, 2013
-
Sugaray Rayford appears with
Rhythm Room All-Stars
tonight and Saturday
in Phoenix!
Sugaray Rayford
has emerged as a powerful figure
in the
contemporary blues world
as a direct result of his recent
work (over the last 2 years) as
featured vocalist of the West
Coast super-group,
The Mannish
Boys. Feature articles in
numerous blues magazines have
highlighted this rising star of
the blues.
Sugaray has recently
found a second home in Maricopa,
Arizona where he divides his
time with Los Angeles, Californa.
Tonight and Saturday
Sugaray
Rayford will appear at the
Rhythm Room
in Phoenix with
The
Rhythm Room All-Stars (Bob Corritore,
Chris James,
Patrick Rynn,
Brian
Fahey ). To see the poster for
this event courtesy
Amy Brat
click
here. The
Rhythm Room website is
http://www.rhythmroom.com/
and is located at 1019 E. Indian
School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85014.
-
1970s Chicago Blues
images by photographer Hasse
Andréasson! We have
posted a beautiful collection of
Chicago blues photos from the
early 1970s provided by
photographer
Hasse Andréasson from
Stockholm, Sweden who visited
the windy city to seek out its
rich
blues. Included are
images
of
Jimmy Reed,
Eddie Taylor,
Big
Walter Horton,
Carey Bell,
Lucille Spann,
Mighty Joe Young,
Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis,
Hound Dog Taylor,
Blind Arvella Gray,
Howlin' Wolf,
Big Bad Ben, Arthur King,
Sammy Lawnhorn,
James Cotton,
Lefty Dizz,
John Brim and
more! Thank you Hasse for
sharing these precious images!
To see this collection click
here.
-
John Primer /
Bob Corritore CD Chicago
area release party to be held at
SPACE during
Chicago Blues Fest!
Advance tickets available!
John Primer and
Bob
Corritore's acclaimed new
CD
Knockin' Around These
Blues on the
Delta Groove
label will be celebrated at
SPACE, an amazing venue in
Evanston,
on Thursday, June 6th.
On hand will be John and Bob
with a crack Chicago blues group
of
Barrelhouse Chuck,
Dave
Specter,
Melvin
Smith, and
Willie Hayes! Advance tickets
are available now by clicking
here. To
see the first 20+ reviews of
this CD that just came in click
here!
SPACE is located at
1245 Chicago Ave,
Evanston, IL 60202
-
Johnny Shines performs
Sweet Home Chicago on
YouTube!
Please enjoy this clip of
vocalist / guitarist
Johnny
Shines playing a solo acoustic
version of the
Robert Johnson
classic
"Sweet Home Chicago." Shines was a friend and musical
partner to
Robert Johnson
and performs this song in the
true Johnson style. To see,
click
here.
Wednesday, May 1,
2013

Wednesday April 24, 2013

Friday April 19, 2013
-
John Primer &
Bob Corritore CD now
officially released! As
of Tuesday, April 16th the CD
John Primer &
Bob
Corritore /
Knockin' Around These Blues
has been officially released!
Delta Groove's
promotional department has done
a great job of getting the word
out in advance. (Thank you
Steve
Dixon!) The initial response has
been exceptional and some of the
first reviews can be seen by
clicking
here! Some solid
Chicago Blues here, played by
folks who specialize in playing
it. To see the
Delta Groove
webpage about this release click
here.
-
Texas Red /
Bob Corritore / Rocket
88s reunite for a show
tonight at the Rhythm
Room!
Texas Red was a
prominent figure of the
1980s Phoenix blues scene before
relocating to the Midwest where
he released two
CDs on the now defunct
Blue Loon record label. He now
resides in
Los
Angeles where he works in
television production and is the
VP of Business Affairs at
Authentic Entertainment.
Texas Red returns
to his old Phoenix stomping
grounds for a show tonight at
The
Rhythm Room,
performing with the
Rocket 88s and his longtime
friend
Bob
Corritore. Look for a
houserockin' mix
of
Jimmy Reed,
Muddy Waters and
Howlin' Wolf songs.
The
Rhythm Room is located at 1019
E.
Indain School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85014.
-
Bob Corritore to
perform in Poland!
Bob
Corritore will appear for
the first time in Poland
thanks to the invitation of
Marek
Wojtowicz, better
known as Polish based blues
artist
Harsh Guitar Mark!
Harsh Guitar Mark is
a keeper of the flame in his
country for traditional
down-home
blues and the pairing of he
and Bob seems very natural.
Bob and
Harsh Guitar Mark
will appear at The
Motywy Blues Festival
in
Racibórz.
Poland
on April 26th, and 27th.
Also appearing at this
festival are
Murphy Blue
(Poland),
Jura
Bostak,
Kamil
Quis,
Premysl
Vecerek
(Czech
Republic). To see the
poster for this festival
click
here!
-
Phoenix Magazine includes
Bob Corritore in feature
of 25
Most Influential Arizona
Musicians!
Special thanks to
Phoenix Magazine for deeming
Bob
Corritore among the "25 Most
Influential Arizona Musicians"
in their forthcoming May issue
that is currently being mailed
to subscribers! Also on this
list are
Duane Eddy,
Alice
Cooper,
Glen Campbell,
Stevie
Nicks,
Linda Ronstadt,
Waylon
Jennings,
Rex Allen,
Hans Olson,
The
Meat
Puppets,The Tubes,
Charles Mingus,
CeCe Penison and
more! Thank you to writer Niki
D'Andrea for putting Bob in such
good company. To see Bob's page
of this article click
here and
to see the preface of the
article click
here. For more
information about
Phoenix
Magazine and to purchase this
issue go to
http://www.phoenixmag.com/
-
Floyd Dixon
Concert
Documentary to
be shown
at Arizona Film
Festival in
Tucson this
weekend! The
music
documentary
Time Brings
About A Change;
A Floyd Dixon
Celebration was
released on DVD
on March 6
on
Bob Auerbach's
High John
Records label.
This documentary
includes
interviews and
concert footage
of
Floyd Dixon,
Pinetop Perkins,
and
Henry Gray
who were all
part of a two
day live
recording and
filming in June
of 2006 at the
Rhythm Room.
This film has
been
selected for
inclusion
in the 22nd
annual
Arizona
International
Film Festival
in
Tucson with a
viewing time of
Saturday April
20, 6pm
at
The Screening
Room,
127 E Congress
St, Tucson, AZ
85701.
The film was
created as an
act of kindness
by
Bob Auerbach
upon hearing
news of
Floyd Dixon's
terminal cancer.
Bob Auerbach
immediately
initiated this
project to stand
as a
testament
to his
friend. He
called upon the
services of
Kid Ramos
as the musical
coordinator and
the project came
together on very
short notice. In
addition to the
trio of
legendary piano
greats and
Kid Ramos, guests
include
Johnny Tucker,
Joe Banks,
Kim Wilson,
Fred Kaplan,
and
Lynwood Slim
with a great
rhythm section
that includes
Larry Taylor
and
Richard Innes
and a fine horn
section. The
project's
credits include
director
Phillip Cruess,
producers
Kid Ramos,
Lisette Cruess,
Bob Corritore
and
Clarke Rigsby,
and executive
producer
Bob Auerbach who
will all plan to
be in
attendance
at the event
(Kid has been
dealing with
some post
surgery
issues but is
hoping to be in
attendance).
This will be a
rare opportunity
to see this work
on a big screen!
To see the DVD
cover click
here
and to read
about the CD and
DVD on the
High John
Records
website, click
here.
For information
on the
Arizona
International
Film Fest
visit
their website at
http://www.filmfestivalarizona.com/.
-
New
photo page of 2012 BMA photos!
As we all gear up for this
year's
BMAs in Memphis
on Thursday May 9th, we
look back at the great party
that this event was last year
(and every year!) This is an
event
were all the blues family
unite for a fantastic night of
reflection, music, friendship,
style and just plain fun.
.
Thank you Blues Foundation!
To see
this page click
here.
-
Delmark releases Tail
Dragger's first
recordings! The unstoppable
Tail
Dragger
has received world-wide acclaim
for his powerful,
take-no-prisoners blues. He has
has had numerous CD and DVD
releases throughout his long
career. A welcome addition to
the
Tail
Dragger
catalog
will be a full album of his
earliest recordings of which
only two songs "So
Eeze", and "My Head Is
Bald" have been previously
released. The CD is called Stop
Lyin', and these early
1980s recordings feature Johnny
B. Moore,
Willie Kent,
Eddie
Burks,
Little Mack
Simmons,
Lafeyette
Leake
and more.
Also included are 3 vintage
Tail
Dragger
photos
from the
Bob Corritore archives!
Justin
O'Brien's
excellent liner notes state
"This is the sound of genuine
west side Chicago blues from the
1980's - a melding of
traditional blues with some
rule-bending rawness." For more
information on this release and
to see the cover, click
here.
(This just in -
Tail
Dragger
now recalls that these sides
are actually late 1970's,
not 1980's as he originally
told
Delmark)
-
Blues News from
Italy!
Blues is a universal art form
that no longer has any borders.
Italy has its own great blues
community with lots of activity
and commitment.
Marino Grande,
editor of the longstanding
Italian blues magazine
IL Blues,
writes that his magazine is now
available to subscribers
on-line and that he has a
new website at
http://www.ilblues.org/
which Marino says is "for
constantly updated news and
concert reviews to be closer to
our blues fans all around the
world." Also from Italy comes a
solid, straight ahead
traditional blues release by
Italian harmonica ace
Egidio
"Juke" Ingala & The Jacknives
titled
Tired Of Beggin' on
Vintage
Roots Records. Italian blues
guitar great
Luca Giordano has
forthcoming
collaborations out with
both
Kathrine Davis and
Spanish harp man
Quique Gomez (separate
releases). Itailian
harp wizard
Marco Pandofi
reports that he is a guest on a
new
CD by
Piero De Luca & Big
Fat Mama called
Beware Of The Wolf (A Tribute To
Howlin' Wolf) which is
co-produced by noted Italian
blues writer
Luigi Monge.
Harmonica player
Fabrizio Poggi
released an all
instrumental CD called
Harpway 61 dececated to
all his harmonica heros, and
with all proceeds going to
the Blues Foundation.
Italian promoter and producer
Tano Ro of Feeling Good
Productions is
consistantly
active in his efforts to present
blues to Italian audiences. Radio
host Simone Bargelli hosts the
program Rock 'n' Blues Today
which can be heard on podcast by
clicking
here.
Thanks
to our blues friends in Italy
for keeping the
blues alive!
-
New Trickbag CD with
star-studded cast! The
new CD
Trickbag /
With Friends Vol. 1
features this top European blues
combo with an huge array of
special guests including
James Harman,
John Nemeth,
Lynwood Slim.
Barrelhouse Chuck,
Sven Zetterberg,
Bob Corritore,
R.J. Misho,
and
West
Weston. This CD is slated
for a
May 24 release date and
Trickbag has a cool,
catchy video preview of this CD
which you can see by
clicking
here.
-
Forthcoming documentary on
America's iconic blues
venues! 24 Seven
Concepts is producing a 12
episode
documentary, focusing on
America's iconic blues
venues that will be called
Blues, Brews & BBQ.
Per the website:
"In each episode of
America’s Blues, Brews &
BBQ, we take
viewers
on a tour of one of
America’s iconic blues music
venues.
During the 12 episodes, we
travel from coast-to-coast
exploring
the rich
history of these
entertainment landmarks and
their
influence on the musicians,
the community and the blues
genre
itself.
We’ll look at the uniqueness
of each venue and also
discover the common elements
that connect each of them to
one
another: delicious foods,
custom drinks and micro
brews,
an eccentric atmosphere and
an obvious passion for the
music
by owners
and customers alike. Each
episode connects to the
total content and flow of
the entire series. It will
inspire viewers
to want
to experience these
legendary blues venues
firsthand."
Friday April 12, 2013
-
Bob Corritore's 2012 in
photos! This year was the
first that
Bob Corritore did not
do his written "2012 Year In
Review". After a 5 week European
tour in November and December
and the upon return home the
preparation for the April 2013
release of Bob's collaboration
with
John Primer made it
impossible to prepare the normal
in depth reflection of the year.
Instead we have put together a
photo page of some
of many highlights of the year.
In 2012
Bob Corritore won the
Living Blues Award in the
harmonica category and is
nominated in the same category
for a
BMA (Blues Music Award).
He was also nominated for a
Blues Blast Music Award for
"Male Artist Of The Year" and
won a
Star Blues Award
for
"Blues Artist Of The Year." Also
2012 was the year that
Hohner
Harmonicas put Bob's image on
their packaging for the Blues
Harp model harmonica (next to
Junior Wells and
Dan Smith!).
In May of 2012, the
UK online magazine
World Of Harmonica featured
Bob as thier first
artist highlight with a great
tribute page. Bob was
represented by numerous releases
in 2012 including
Tail Dragger &
Bob Corritore /
Longtime Friends In The Blues,
Mud Morganfield /
Son Of The Seventh Son
(Also produced by Bob and the
recipient of 2
Blues Blast Music
Awards and two forthcoming
Blues
Music Award nominations),
Kid
Ramos &
Bob Corritore /
The Phoenix Blues Sessions,
plus guest appearances on
the
Mannish Boys /
Double Dynamite, and
Smokin' Joe Kubek &
B'Nois King
/
Close To The Bone
CDs. Bob made major festival
appearances in two
Muddy Waters
Tribute Sets (at
Simi Valley
Fest and
Chicago Blues Fest) and
a
Hubert Sumlin
Tribute Set (Chicago Blues
Festival) as well as playing the
last major festival appearance
with
Ann Rabson (In the
Kenny
Smith & Friends set) at the
King
Biscuit Blues Festival. Bob
organized a Chicago Blues
Showcase for the
Lucerne Blues
Festival in Switzerland with
headliners
Eddie C. Campbell,
John Primer, and
Elmore James
Jr. and then segued into the
month long Chicago Blues
Festival Tour, hitting 5
European countries and featuring
the all-star package show of
John Primer,
Billy Flynn,
Peaches Staten,
Willie Hayes,
Melvin Smith (who organized the
line-up) and Bob. Sadly
Bob Corritore lost one of his
closest life-long friends with
the passing of
Louisiana Red and
flew to Germany to attend the
funeral and play a memorial
show. Bob would play at the
BMAs
with
Diunna Greenleaf and
Bob Margolin and organized and
co-hosted (with
Bob Margolin) a
star-studded
Louisiana Red
Memorial Tribute at the
Hard
Rock Cafe in Memphis on the day
after the
BMAs. Bob and
Tail
Dragger headlined the
Stompin'
At The Savoy festival in
Helsinki, Finland and Bob worked
with
Diunna Greenleaf at The
Bisbee Blues Festival. Bob
consistently performed with some
of the greatest
artists in the blues. All
this and much, much more is
brought to light through
Bob
Corritore's 2012 Year In Photos
which you can see by clicking
here. A heartfelt thank you to
all the great friends and
supporters who made this
undeniably great 2012 happen!
Note that some photos are uncredited and we would be
grateful to anyone who can
identify the photographers so we
can add their credits.
-
Dave Riley /
Bob Corritore Juke
Joint Blues Band appear this
Saturday at the Rhythm Room!
The 8 year blues partnership
of
Dave
Riley and
Bob
Corritore
will be presented this
Saturday, April 13th at the
Rhythm
Room. Dave
and Bob will appear with
Dave's son Dave "Yahni"
Riley, Jr. on bass and
Brian
Fahey on
drums. Look for some good
down home blues this night.
To see a photo page devoted
to Dave and Bob's blues
adventures click
here
and
here.
To
hear some samples of Dave
and Bob's recorded music
click
here.
The
Rhythm
Room is located
at 1019 E. Indian School,
Phoenix, AZ 85014
-
John
Primer & Bob Corritore / Knockin'
Around These Blues to be
released next week! The
formal release date for the
collaborative CD by
John Primer
&
Bob Corritore in Tuesday April
16! The CD, titled Knockin'
Around These Blues will be
released on the
Delta Groove
label and the initial reaction
to the CD has been exceptionally
positive! The CD features some
great musicians:
Barrelhouse
Chuck,
Chris James &
Patrick Rynn,
Billy Flynn,
Bob Stroger,
Brian Fahey and
Kenny "Beedy
Eyes" Smith!
The Kentucky Blues
Society says "This is one of
those records that could have
been released on
Chess back in
the 50′s, only with modern
production standards" and
Chris Spector of
Midwest Record says
"a set of purist, south side
Chicago blues." Much
appreciation for all the e-mails, Facebook posts, radio playlist
inclusions, interviews, and
compliments that this CD has
already received. To see the
album art for this CD, click
here. To
see the first few reviews that
have come in, click
here.
-
RIP Jimmy
Dawkins - October 24, 1936 to
April 10, 2013. Legendary
Chicago blues guitarist/singer
Jimmy Dawkins passed away
yesterday after a long ordeal
with numerous health issues. He
was 77. Originally from Tchula,
Mississippi,
Jimmy Dawkins moved
to Chicago in 1955 and began to
emerge as an in-demand session
guitarist in the 1960s. He had a
new, more electric approach to
blues guitar than was ever heard
before and it took the blues
world by a storm. While making
these innovative new
sounds, Jimmy was simultaneously
firmly rooted in the deep
traditions of the blues. In
1969 he made his debut CD
Fast
Fingers for the
Delmark label,
which firmly established Jimmy
Dawkins as an artist in his own
right. He was a good,
understated vocalist, but his
biting single string lead guitar
was his strongest selling point.
He made many albums in his
career for a number of labels: Delmark,
Earwig,
Ichiban,
Black & Blue,
Excello,
Evidence,
JSP, Wild Dog
Blues,
Fedora,
Storyville, and
Rumble. Jimmy also recorded some
brilliant backing on sessions by
Johnny Young & Big Walter
Horton,
George "Wild Child"
Butler,
Carey Bell,
Andrew
"Blueblood" McMahon,
Luther
"Guitar Jr." Johnson, and
others. Jimmy activated his
Leric Records label in the
1980s, issuing singles by up and
coming blues artists such as
Nora
Jean,
Mojo Elem,
Little
Johnny Christian,
Queen Sylvia
Embry,
Vance Kelly, and
Tail
Dragger (Delmark recently
reissued these sides in their
2010 release
Jimmy Dawkins
Presents the
Leric Story). With
Jimmy's passing we lose one of
the great developmental stylists
of contemporary Chicago blues guitar.His bold, forward
thinking sound influenced those
that followed him.
Some examples
of
Jimmy Dawkins music as both a
leader and as a sideman:
Jimmy Dawkins
"Serves Me Right To Suffer"
(click
here)
Wild Child Butler "Hippies
Playground" (click
here)
Johnny Young & Big Walter "Ring
Around My Heart" (click
here)
Carey Bell "Sad Dreams" (click
here)
Jimmy Dawkins with
Big Voice
Odom on vocals "Welfare Blues"
(click
here)
-
RIP Di
Anne Price
(February
21, 1950
to March 13, 2013).
Memphis had a great blues
secret in singer/pianist
Di
Anne Price whose robust
style revived some of the
early sounds of classic
blues woman. Despite her
immense talent and
showmanship she was
little known outside of her
native home of Memphis. The
Memphis Flyer described her
this way; "Di
Anne Price was
easily one of Memphis’s most
beloved performers. She
played anywhere and
everywhere. Her superb
albums Wild Women, To Hell
With Love, A Good Man Is
Hard To Find, and Reekin'
With Love, all showcase her
smoky vocals, barrelhouse
piano, and her fascination
with a variety of blues and
jazz styles from 1920s
throwback to more
contemporary
arrangements." Her huge
personality used sas, wit
and kindness to win over her
audiences and her tight,
jazz-oriented band
(collectively called
Di
Anne Price & Her Boyfriends)
backed her perfectly. She
passed away on March 13
after a battle with some
ongoing health issues.
Special thanks to promoter
Jay Sheffield and to the
venue Huey's in Memphis for
their great support of Di
Anne. To learn
more about the late
Di
Anne Price check out her website
at
http://www.dianneprice.net/. To see a
great tribute to
Di
Anne Price
by the
Memphis Flyer and see a
spectacular video of this great
artist click
here.
-
RIP Johnnie Billington (1935 to April 1, 2013).
Lambert,
Mississippi
blues singer/
guitarist/educator
Johnnie Billington died
on Monday, April
1st at a
Clarksdale
hospital from
complications of
a heart attack.
He was 77.
Johnny was a
true beacon of
blues purity who
never strayed
from a
traditional
blues sound.
Born in Crowder,
MS in 1935,
Johnnie spent
some time in the
1950s in Arizona
and then Chicago
before returning
to Mississippi
in 1977 where he
became active in
education. He
received a
number of
awards; a
Governor’s Award
for Excellence
in the Arts, the
Blues
Foundation’s
“Keeping the
Blues Alive”
Education Award,
the
Sunflower
River Blues
Association’s
Early Wright
Award, and the
Mississippi Arts Commission’s
Folk Arts Fellowship. He was
a good and honorable man and
a true bluesman. To read
more about
Johnnie Billington click
here.
-
First blues
reality show!?!
Roger Stolle and
Jeff Konkel
have announced a forthcoming
weekly series called
Moonshine And Mojohands, a
reality show about the blues
experience in Mississippi. The
projected first season will
consist of 10 edisodes each of
approximately 12 minutes in
length and available free online
at
http://www.moonshineandmojohands.com/.
Currently on the website you can
see the series trailer that
incldes snippits of scenes with
Super Chikan, Artheice "Gas Man"
Jones and
Frank Ratliff (the
recently deceased priopieter
and tour guide of
Clarksdale's historic
Riverside Hotel).
Roger Stolle
and
Jeff Konkel have
previously produced the highly
acclaimed documentaries
M For
Mississippi, and
We Juke Up In
Here. Roger would not be pinned
down to a specific debut date
but promised us the first
episode in early fall!
-
Valerie
June appears at ACM Awards!
It is always a proud pleasure
when someone from our blues
family gets a shot at major
mainstream exposure.
Valerie
June is a self proclaimed
purveyor of "Moonshine Roots
Music" which includes elements
of blues, folk, gospel and
country music. Hailing from
Jackson, Tennessee, she is a
youthful musical embodiment of
her Southern heritage with a downhome guitar and banjo style,
and accented vocals. She also
possesses an intoxicating beauty
with her slim silhouette,
angelic face and Medusa-like
dreadlocks.
Valerie June
recently had a feature article
in
Living Blues Magazine. Last
Sunday, April 7th she appeared
unannounced and uncredited on
CBS's broadcast of the
AMC
Awards (AMC stands for
Academy
of Country Music) as she sang
sweet harmony in a duet with
country music superstar
Eric
Church on his hit "Like Jesus
Does." To see this performance
on YouTube, click
here.
Her memorable, poised
performance and striking look
surely made a powerful
impression on the millions of
viewers that tuned in to this
televised event. Look for
Valerie's forthcoming CD Pushing
Against A Stone. co-produced by
Dan Auerbach of the
Black Keys,
to be out later this year. For a
nice interview/performance with
Valerie June from Crane TV click
here.
-
Walter Davis Tribute CD to be
Released! Album art revealed!
Walter Davis was an immensely
popular blues
singer/pianist/songwriter who
made scores of influential
recordings in the 1930s and 40s.
His somber, heartfelt blues is
considered to some of the
deepest ever recorded, and his
songs have been covered by
Muddy
Waters,
Ray Charles,
John Lee
Hooker,
Pinetop Perkins,
Champion Jack Dupree, and many
more. More recently however,
German pianist
Christian
Rannenberg has produced a
marvelous concept album
reconstructing the sound and
mood of Mr. Davis. This project
features
Billy Boy Arnold,
Charlie Musselwhite,
Jimmy McCracklin,
Christian
Rannenberg,
Keith Dunn, and Davis' close
associate
Henry Townsend
(with
Bob
Corritore). The CD is titled
The
Walter Davis Project
and
will be released on
Electro-Fi
Records on May 21. To see the
cover art for this record click
here. Look for some powerfully
deep blues from this one. Here are some
Walter Davis
original recordings:
"Oh Me Oh My"
(click
here)
"Ashes In My
Whiskey" (click
here)
" Please
Remember Me" (click
here)
"Come Back
Baby" (click
here)
Friday May 5, 2013

Wednesday
February 27, 2013
-
Tail Dragger & Bob
Corritore are off to the Boquete
Jazz & Blues Festival in
Panama!
The city of
Boquete, Panama will become
a music hub for Central
America
on February 28th - March 3.
Those are the dates for the
Boquete Jazz & Blues
Festival
which features music,
parades, parties, art shows,
concerts and jam sessions.
This year the music lineup
will include
Tail
Dragger
&
Bob Corritore,
B3, Andy Egert, Randy Oxford
Band, Carlos Ubarte Latin
Jazz Quintet, Ron Hacker &
The Hacksaws, Spicy Latin
Jazz Band, Rigobertto Coba
Big Band, Maria Rivas & Her
Libertango Band, Sounds like
a party to us! For more
information on this event
please click
here.
-
RIP
Cleotha Staples April 11,
1934-February 21, 2013.
Cleotha
died on Thursday, after
years of battling
Alzheimer's disease.
She was 78 years old.
Cleotha
"Cleedi" Staples gave the
world years of joy as the
high voice in the unworldly
great harmonies of the
Staples Singers. Though Cleotha was the oldest of
Pops Staples children, it
was her sister Mavis that
received the most attention
as the most frequent lead
vocalist of this cherished
family band. But Cleotha's
contributions were essential
to the
Staple Singers sound.
"A lot of
singers would try to sing
like her,"
Mavis Staples
said "Her voice would just
ring in your ear. It wasn't
harsh or hitting you hard,
it was soothing." To find
out more about her
distinguished music career,
click
here.
-
John Primer
&
Bob Corritore
CD
Album Art!
The forthcoming album
John
Primer &
Bob Corritore /
Knockin' Around These Blues
will be released Aril 16th
on the
Delta Groove
label. This album features a
fantastically traditional
sound with John amd Bob
in top form
surrounded by the all-star
cast of Barrelhouse
Chuck,
Chris James and
Patrick Rynn,
Billy Flynn,
Bob Stroger,
Kenny "Beedy
Eyes" Smith
and
Brian
Fahey. The beautiful
album design
featuring a
cover
photo by
Dave Blake,
inside photos by Daniel
Swadener, and
graphic design by Josh
Temkin is now complete and
can be seen by clicking
here.
-
Blues Music Awards
voting closes at
7:59 AM on March 1.
Voting for the 2013
Blues Music Awards
(BMAs)
is in progress and
Blues Foundation
members can make their choices
now
until 7:59am on March 1.
To see the list of this year's
nominations click
here.
Bob Corritore
is nominated for a
BMA
in the "Harmonica" category.
Also two releases that Bob is
associated with are up for a
couple awards each;
Mud Morganfield
/
Son Of The Seventh Son,
and
The Mannish Boys /
Double Dynamite.
The award winners will be
anounced at the formal ceremony
which takes place
on Thursday, May 9th
at the
Cook Convention Center
in Memphis. For more on the
awards and the
Blues Foundation
go to
http://www.blues.org/.
-
Phoenix's
Blues Blast Festival March
9th with The 44s.
Pre-party March 8th with Mud
Morganfield!
The
Phoenix
Blues Society presents the Blues
Blast 2013 festival on
Saturday, March 9th, at
Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown
Phoenix, located at 200 East
Moreland Street. Appearing
at
Blues Blast 2013
will be
The 44s,
Shawn Pittman,
Big Nick & The Gila Monsters,
The Sugar Thieves, and
the
Bad News Blues Band.
The show will start at 12:00NOON gates will open at 10:00
AM. More information at
http://www.bluesblast.info/.
Also note that the pre-party
will be Friday March 8th, at
the
Rhythm Room with
Severn recording artist
Mud
Morganfield with
the
Rhythm Room All-Stars
Bob Corritore,
Chris James,
Patrick Rynn, and
Brian
Fahey. Also, the
after party will happen
immediately after the fest
at the
Rhythm Room
with a showcase / celebrity
jam.
Festival ticket stub holders
can attend the after-party
free of charge!
-
Bear
Family Records to release
updated, definitive Sun Records
blues box set!
Sam Phillips'
Sun Records from Memphis,
Tennessee was certainly one of
America's most defining record
labels. Though best known
for artists such as
Elvis
Presley,
Johnny Cash,
Jerry
Lee Lewis and others,
Sun had
it's start with the blues. Being
at the center of the South,
producer
Sam Phillips launched
and furthered the career of many
blues artists:
Howlin' Wolf,
Little Milton,
Big Walter
Horton,
Ike Turner,
Rosco
Gordon,
Rufus Thomas,
Earl Hooker,
and
Pinetop
Perkins to name a few. On March
15th
Bear
Family will release The
Sun Records Blues Box, a 10 CD
set complete with a booklet
containing photos and
discography. This is in
conjunction with Sun's sixtieth
anniversary, and
Bear Family is
also releasing two other
definitive box sets showcasing
the labels vast contributions to
county music and to a rock 'n'
roll. The
Sun Records Blues Box has been released in two forms
already on England's
Charly Records. But this appears to be
the most inclusive set possible
to date, including items not
available at the time of the
past releases. Here is what the
info sheet says: "Finally, the
last word on the
SUN, and pre-SUN
blues recordings! Nearly 30
years after the original
Sun
Blues Box was released on LP,
it's back on CD with so much
more than was on the original
set. Recently discovered music
from well-known artists … and
incredible artifacts like
Sam Phillips narrating a radio
commercial for a West African
herbalist who would soon be
jailed for selling bogus patent
medicine. Recordings produced by
Phillips but issued on
Chess,
RPM,
TRUMPET and other labels
were unavailable in 1983, but
are now included. Researcher
Steve LaVere finally allowed the
world to hear the
Sun audio and
see the
Sun -related photos he
collected back in the late
1960s. In fact, the entire blues
research community came together
to make this a
once-in-a-lifetime blues
experience!" Thank you
Bear
Family.
-
Magic
Slim Funeral Services. This
comes to us from
Magic
Slim's Manager Marty Salzman.
The funeral service for
Magic Slim will be at
Horizons Community Church ,
3200 Grainger Parkway ,
Lincoln Nebraska on
Saturday, March 2, at 10AM. A musical memorial
tribute is currently being
planned in Chicago IL. The
Zoo Bar in Lincoln is also
planning a musical tribute.
Both tributes will be
announced when details are
finalized. These memorial
tributes will be benefits
with all proceeds going to
Ann Holt and her family.
-
T-Bone 1966 performance on
YouTube!
Please enjoy this 1966 clip
of
T-Bone Walker leading
an all-star band at a Jazz
At The Philharmonic concert
in London. The band includes
Dizzy Gillespie,
Teddy Wilson,
Louis Bellson,
Clark Terry,
Coleman
Hawkins,
Zoot Sims, Jimmy
Moody,
Benny Carter and
Bob Cranshaw. T-Bone
performs a medley that
includes "Going To Chicago",
click
here to see,
and to see Norman Granz's
introduction, and T-Bone singing
"Woman, You Must Be Crazy", click
here.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
-
RIP Morris "Magic
Slim"
Holt - August 7,
1937 to February
21, 2013.
With the passing
of
Magic Slim
we say farewell
to one of the
greatest
traditional
Chicago blues artists
of our time.
Magic Slim
died of
complications
from a breathing
disorder after
weeks of
hospitalization.
He was 75.
Though a great
singer,
guitarist and
band leader, it
was
Magic Slim's
undeniable
personality that
set him apart.
He could play
heartfelt, rough
and tumble
Chicago blues
with a zest that
was unmatched.
Every part of
Magic Slim's
being was the
blues - his
geographical
path, his hard
partying, fun
loving
personality, and
his far
traveling,
dedicated
lifestyle.
Magic Slim's
patented two
guitar driven
Chicago blues
sound was both a
concert hall
pleaser
and a dance
floor filler. He
had, perhaps the
largest
repertoire
in the blues,
knowing
thousands of
songs that he
could call upon
at any time.
Living Blues
Magazine put it
this way; "Magic
Slim
consistently
offers no-frills
houserockin’
blues. He and
his band are a
national
treasure."
Born in rural
Mississippi to a
farming life,
Slim lost his
little finger in
a cotton gin
accident at a
young
age, but that
did not seem to
hinder his
guitar playing.
He arrived on
the Chicago
blues scene in
the mid 1960s
initially to a
luke-warm
response, but
after
recruiting
his brother Nick
to play bass,
Magic Slim & the
Teardrops
were formed, and
in 1966 their
first single "Scuffin"
was released.
Some years
later,
Slim's
1975 single "I
Wonder Why"
produced by
Steve
Cushing
(then a drummer
in
Slim's
band) won high
praise for it's
raw, gutsy
sound.
Throughout the
mid 1970s Slim
and his tough
band worked the
south and north
side clubs every
night of the
week, gaining a
huge following
and getting the
attention of
promoters and
record labels.
Europe embraced
Slim with
numerous
tours and record
releases on
labels such as
MCM,
Black & Blue,
Isabel
and later
Wolf
Records
for whom Slim
would
record many
albums.
Magic
Slim
was also part of
the highly
celebrated 1978
Alligator
Records
compilation
series
Living Chicago
Blues
earning much US
airplay among
blues
DJs.
Slim's
band became
noted for the
second guitarist
who would play
an essential
role in the
Slim's
sound and
who would open
the sets before
Slim took over
the microphone.
This guitar role
was defined
early on by the
great work of
Junior
Pettis
AKA "Daddy
Rabbit.
After
Pettis
left the band, a
long legacy of
artists served
as the
Teardrops'
second guitarist
including
Pete Allen,
James Wheeler,
Jake Dawson,
Jon
McDonald,
and of course
John Primer
who's 13 year
tenure with this
band starting in
1983 is highly
celebrated, and
served as a
launching
pad for John's
own powerful
career.
In 1994 Slim
moved from
Chicago to
Lincoln,
Nebraska where
he had played
for years prior
as a popular
attraction at
the
Zoo Bar.
In 2009
Slim's
beloved brother
and longtime
musical partner,
Nick Holt
passed away.
Slim's son,
Shawn "Lil'
Slim" Holt has
emerged as a
great young
talent and has
been a feature
of some of Slim's more
recent shows.
Slim's
last release,
Bad
Boy
on the
Blind Pig
label was
released in mid
2012. A movie
called "We
Be Kings"
was in the works
that would have
featured Magic
Slim as it's
lead character
in a fictional
story of a
rediscovered
blues man. We
can look back at
Magic
Slim's
long and
fruitful career
and see a man
who has lived
his dreams.
After humble
beginnings,
working hard to
garner his
respect,
Slim's
persistent
and
consistent
work earned him
a rightful place
as one
of the greatest
blues artists of
his time.
Slim's
recordings will
live as a
permanent
testament
to his greatness
with over 30
albums released
on labels such
as
Alligator,
Wolf,
MCM,
Black & Blue, Candy Apple,
Rooster Blues,
Red
Lightnin',
Delmark,
Evidence,
Isabel,
Storyville,
Tone Zone,
and most
recently,
Blind Pig
Records
who have
annually
released top
quality albums
by this great
artist. He
received
numerous awards
and nominations
for his
recordings, his
band, and for his
role as a
uncompromising
traditional
blues artist.
Thanks to
Slim's
manager
Marty
Salzman
and road manager
Michael
Blakemore
for their
amazing behind
the scenes
support work.
Also thanks to
the booking work
of Max
Cooperstein,
Concerted
Efforts, Adrian
Flores, and
Jillina Arrigo
for their
contributions
over the years.
Slim always
lived his life
on his terms and
he met and
exceeded his
dreams. We can
look back and
think of all the
times that he
brought a smile
to our face. He
was the
consummate
bluesman
and we will
always love him
for that. May he
now rest in
peace after his
tireless work
here on earth.
We thank God for
blessing us with
the blues of
Magic Slim.
Saturday February 16, 2013

Friday, February 15, 2013
-
Magic Slim health update.
Magic Slim has been
hospitalized for a few weeks now,
and this is the information that
his manager, Marty Salzman has
released; "Magic Slim remains
hospitalized in Pennsylvania
under treatment for bleeding
ulcers complicated by
pre-existing issues with his
kidneys, his lungs, his weight
and his heart. Although
seriously ill, he has been
stable for the past three days,
his kidneys have improved, the
bleeding has stopped and his
heart rate has improved. He
still has a long road ahead of
him but things are moving in the
right direction. We thank
everybody for their kind words
and prayers and ask that you
keep
Magic Slim in your
prayers".
-
Blues In
The Schools Benefit Saturday at
the Rhythm Room! This Saturday,
February !6 from 3pm to 6pm,
Reverend Charlie F. Edwards "The
Preaching Bluesman" will present
a
Blues In The Schools Benefit
at the
Rhythm Room in Phoenix.
This show is all ages. Reverend
Charlie will present a seminar /
workshop on the birth of the
blues to be followed by
performances that will include
Dave Riley & Bob Corritore,
Paris James and Revernd Charlie.
To see the event flyer click
here.
-
Tail Dragger & Bob Corritore to
appear at Boquete Jazz & Blues
Festival in Panama! The city of Boquete, Panama will become a
music hub for Central America on
February 28th - March 3. Those
are the dates for the
Boquete
Jazz & Blues Festival which
features music, parades,
parties, art shows, concerts and
jam sessions. This year the
music lineup will include
Tail
Dragger &
Bob Corritore, B3,
Andy Egert, Randy Oxford Band,
Carlos Ubarte Latin Jazz
Quintet, Ron Hacker & The
Hacksaws, Spicy Latin Jazz Band,
Rigobertto Coba Big Band, Maria
Rivas & Her Libertango Band,
Sounds like a party to us! For
more information on this event
please click
here
-
Petition to reactivate
two Grammy
blues categories! In April
of 2011
NARAS (The National
Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences) announced their
unfortunate decision to
eliminate numerous award
categories. The most shameful of
these eliminations was reducing
the blues from 2 categories:
"Traditional Blues" and "Contemporary
Blues," into just one
general blues category. What
that did was effectively wipe
out the chance that the less
commercial traditional blues
performed by some of the musics
pioneers would have any
representation at all. Earlier
that year, before this
elimination, the Traditional
Blues Category was won by
Pinetop Perkins and
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for
their
Tel-Arc CD
Joined At
The Hip. If there would have
just been one general blues
category as exists right now,
then Pinetop and Willie, both
elder statesmen of the blues who
died later that year, would have
likely never even made it into
the nominees category from being
swept away by more comercial
contemporary blues artists who
have more crossover appeal to
the mainstream. This move by
NARAS is nothing short of an
atrocity as it dismisses the
value of the tradition of the
blues. If we sound angry well,
you guessed it, we are! A
petition movement has been
activated by
Micheal Freeman and
Patricia Morgan (Micheal
produced Joined At The Hip,
and Patricia manager Pinetop and
Willie).
For more
information on this movement
with an
explanation of its
reasoning and importance,
click
here. You can
help this cause by printing
out the petition form and
actively seeking signatures
in your community.
Michael Freeman
will need all petitions back
on or before
February 28
for his
meeting with
NARAS
officials
on March 1st.
Please help this cause. You
can access the
petition
form by
clicking
here. Thank you!
-
2013
Hall of Fame Inductees
Annouced!
The
Blues
Foundation has announced the
class of 2013
Blues Hall Of
Fame inductees. The
induction dinner will be
Wednesday May 8 at the
Downtown Memphis Marriott.
Congrats to all:
Performer
Otis Clay
Earl Hooker
Little Brother Montgomery
Jimmie Rodgers (Note that
Jimmy
Rogers was inductued in 1995)
Joe Louis Walker
Jody Williams
Individuals
Dave Clark
Henry Glover
Cosimo Matassa
Classic of
Blues Recording
- Single or
Album Track
"How Many
More Years" -
Howlin' Wolf (Chess,
1951)
"Canned Heat
Blues" -
Tommy
Johnson (Victor,
1928)
"Let the Good
Times Roll" -
Louis
Jordan (Decca,
1946)
"Mystery
Train" -
Little Junior [Parker]'s Blue
Flames (Sun,
1953)
"Me and My
Chauffeur Blues" -
Memphis Minnie (OKeh,
1941)
Classic of
Blues Recording - Album
Complete
Recorded Works (Herwin,
1975)/Texas Worried Blues -
Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas-
(Yazoo, 1989))
More Real
Folk Blues -
Howlin' Wolf- (Chess,
1967)
Louis
Jordan's Greatest Hits -
Louis
Jordan- (Decca,
1969)
Classic of
Blues Literature
Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of
Stax Records - Rob Bowman
For more
information on the
Blues Hall of Fame, and
for bios and information on the
recipients, click
here.
-
Big Walter Horton remembered and
a glimpse at
Chicago Blues in 1970!
Thanks to Clas "Volvo
Slim" Ahlstrand from Sweden, who
has shared his story of
travelng to Chicago with Lasse
Lindedal in January of
1970. Volvo Slim posted this
two part story a few years back in
Blindman's Blues Forum and
recently wrote us with these
links. His story includes some
wonderful
descriptions, photos,
and recordings made during this
trip. Harmonica master
Big
Walter Horton is the primary
subject, but many other Chicago
artists of that time period are
also discussed. These links are:
Part one, click
here
Part two, click
here
Big Walter with Johnny Young
sound recordings:
Song one,
click
here
Song two;
click
here
Thanks Volvo Slim for this
trip back in time, and for documenting the
experience so that we can
all enjoy it some 43 years
later!
-
Time Brings About A Change;
A Floyd Dixon Celebration
DVD to be released March 6!.
Movie premire
announced! The long
awaited documentary DVD
companion to the 2006 CD
Time Brings About A Change;
A Floyd Dixon Celebration
will be released
on March 6 on
Bob
Auerbach's
High John
Records.
This DVD includes interviews
and concert footage of
Floyd Dixon,
Pinetop Perkins,
and
Henry Gray
who were all part of a two
day live recording and
filming that took place in
June of 2006 at the
Rhythm Room.
Floyd had been diagnossed
with a terminal illness and
Bob
Auerbach
immediately initiated this
project. Kid
Ramos
was the musical director of
the event and special guests
include
Johnny Tucker,
Joe Banks,
Kim Wilson,
Fred Kaplan,
and
Lynwood Slim
with a great rhythm section
that includes
Larry Taylor
and
Richard Innes
and a fine horn section. The
project's credits include
director
Phillip Cruess,
producers
Kid Ramos, Lisette Cruess,
Bob Corritore and
Clarke Rigsby,
and executive producer
Bob
Auerbach.
This film will premire at
the
Cinema City Theatre,
5635 E. La Palma Ave,
Annaheim, California 92807
with a 6:30 to 7:30 meet &
greet and a 7:45 movie
presentation. You will be
able to pick up this DVD at
the premire, or at finer
music stores and at
http://www.highjohnrecords.com/.
This film represents the
last stand of an influencial
West Coast blues pioneer and
the meeting of three
legendary piano masters. It
also provides a great look
at
Kid Ramos'
amazing guitar playing and
bandleading. This show will
be right before Kid's cancer
surgery and Kid plans to
attend!. To see the DVD
cover click
here and to read
about the CD and DVD on the
High John Records
website, click
here.
-
RIP
Roscoe Chenier - November
6, 1941 to February 7, 2013.
Louisiana blues singer /
guitarist
Roscoe Chenier
was the cousin of
Clifton Chenier but a
fine blues artist in his own
right. He lived his whole life
in the Opelousas, Louisiana area
and though he had solid
reputation in Europe, he was
little known in the USA outside
of his hometown.
Processing a rich full
voice and downhome blues guitar
style, he was able to make
numerous
albums and
European tours playing
Holland's
Blues Estafette
Festival in 1992, 1993, 1996,
1998 and 2001, and performed at
the very
prestigious
North Sea Jazz Festival
in the Hague. His first
recording, a 1961 single "Born
For Bad Luck" on the
Reynaud
label led to numerous albums on
labels such as
Vidrine,
Maison
de Sol,
Black and Tan, APO,
Rhino, and
Avenue Records. In
recent years his diabetes would
limit his travel and
performance and
eventually take his life.
Here are some examples of his
powerful music (click
here and
here).
-
Sin City Soul & Blues
Revival announces a spectacular
three
day lineup! Las Vegas,
Nevada will be the home of a 3
day blues event called the
Sin
City Soul & Blues Revival. The
event happens on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Septempber 15, 16, and
17. Acts include
Royal Southern
Brotherhood,
Tad Robinson,
John
Cleary,
John Nemeth,
Trampled
Under Foot,
Henry Gray &
Bob Corritore,
Tab Benoit,
Sister
Sparrow,
Kris Lager Band,
Orgone,
Brad Cordle,
Mike Zito,
Karen Lovely,
Curtis
Salgado's Big Band,
Austin
All-Stars featuring Malford
Milligan and W.C. Clark,
Monophonics,
Tommy
Castro,
Lil Ed & The Blues
Imperials,
Tedeschi-Trucks Band,
Selwyn Birchwood,
Hadden Sayers
Band,
Contino,
Ruthie Foster,
Los Lonely Boys,
Deanna
Bogart,
The
Iguanas,
Scottie Miller
Band,
Carolyn Wonderland,
Josh
Hoyer,
James Harman
Band,.and
more! Mark your calendars for
this huge blues event. To find
out more about this festival and
to order tickets go to their
website at
http://www.sincitysoulandbluesrevival.com/.
-
Memphis
Slim and Matt Murphy on YouTube!
Please enjoy these fantastic
1963 recordings by blues piano
champion
Memphis Slim and
Matt
"Guitar" Murphy from a Belgian
documentary of the 1963
American
Folk Blues Festival tour. Note
that the drummer is the great
Billy Stepney!
"I'm Lost
Without You" click
here.
"Wish Me
Well" click
here.
"Matt's
Guitar Boogie" click
here.
"My Gal keeps
Me Crying" click
here.
A multi-song
clip with a few different songs,
click
here.
Friday February 8, 2013

Thursday, February 7, 2013
-
IBC's
in Memphis recap! Each
year in early February, the
Blues Foundation's
International Blues
Competition (IBCs)
in Memphis unites the blues
world. It is a gargantuan
contest in which each blues
society in each community
sends the winner of their
local
competition as their
representative. Beale Street
(the venue filled strip
where the
IBCs take place) is
bursting with all the
ambitious energy of these
bands and the people who
came to cheer them on. Is
there any other genre of
music that has such a well-organized network come
together with this force?
The
Blues Foundation must be
commended for creating this
forum and for handling the
huge organizational
responsibility that goes
along with it. There are
also jams, and showcases that
take place before, and after
these events, and of course
the
Keeping The Blues Alive
(KBA)
Brunch is a great way to
honor the lifetime work of
many
hardworking blues
devotees.
I
fully
enjoyed the
IBCs and
I performed 5 times during
the
week, making music with
such great artists asJonn Del
Toro Richardson,
Rich
DelGrosso,
Cassie
Taylor, The
Andy T. / Nick
Nixon Band (with
Anson
Funderburgh and
Markey Jeanette),
The
Nick Moss Band (with
stunning vocalist
Mike
Ledbetter),
Phil
Pimberton &
Doug
Woolverton
(from
Roomful Of Blues)
Big Bill
Morganfield,
Clay
Swafford,
Tony
Braunegal,
Marie
Woodford,
Micah Ian
Kesserling, and
others. There was
also some
fun
off-stage playing with
harmonica players
Dennis
Gruenling,
Andrew
Ali, and
Big John! Great to
see so many friends and
to play
for some many blues lovers.
Congratulations to
IBC winner
Selwyn
Birchwood from
Florida who you will hearing
a lot from in the years to
come.
Here is a nice photo page
from the
IBCs from
Blues
Festival Guide Magazine
(click
here).
Thank you to the
Blues Foundation for
creating this forum for all
of us to gather to celebrate
the music, and
to legitimately raise
up-and-comers into the
international spotlight.
- Bob Corritore
-
Living Blues lists Top 50
Blues Albums Of 2012!
Bob Corritore
appears on 4 of them!
The current issue of
Living Blues Magazine
compiles of list of the "Top
50 Blues Albums For 2012."
Congratulations to all the
great releases that appear
on this list.
Bob Corritore plays
harmonica on 4 of these 50
Cds;
Mud Morganfield /
Son Of The Seventh Son
(which came in #3),
The Mannish Boys /
Double Dynamite (
#5), Tail Dragger &
Bob Corritore /
Longtime Friends In The
Blues (#13) and
Smokin'
Joe Kubek &
B'Nois King /
Close To The Bone (#
22)!
You can find out more about
Living Blues Magazine at
www.livingblues.com
and to see the complete
listing of their "Top
50 Blues Albums of 2012,"
click
here.
-
Bob Corritore's blues
radio show celebrates it's
29 year anniversary
this Sunday!
In February of 1984
Bob Corritore
began broadcasting his very
traditionally oriented blues
show on
KJZZ (then called
KMCR). This Sunday, 29 years
later Bob is still hosting
his 5 hour weekly
program and enjoying every
minute of it. In 2007 this
radio show was honored by
the
Blues Foundation with a
Keeping The Blues Alive
Award! You can tune in this
and
each Sunday online at
http://www.kjzz.org/
or if in Phoenix at 91.5
FM from
6pm to 11pm Arizona
time. Thanks to
KJZZ
for providing a safe and
consistant place for blues
to be broadcast!
-
Eddie
C. Campbell Health Update.
This information cones via
The
Chicago Blues Guide
about Chicago blues guitar
great
Eddie
C. Campbell
who recently suffered a
heart attack and a stroke
while on tour in Germany.
The CBG quotes Eddie's
longtime partner Barbara
Mayson Campbell as saying
"Eddie is out of intensive
care and stablized. However,
he is at present paralyzed
on his right side. Time is
of the essence, Eddie's
prognosis for a full
recovery is dependent upon
him receiving the
appropriate medical
attention including neuro/physical
therapy. Eddie has no
medical coverage in Germany
and, due to his condition,
he may only be able to fly
comercially with a medical
escort, or in an air
ambulance. The costs will be
staggering in the coming
weeks and months. Donations
are being accepted through
the
Eddie C. Campbell Assistance
Fund
PayPal account at the
following link (click
here)"
Note that a benefit for
Eddie
C. Campbell
is
being planned for Sunday
February 17 at
Rosa’s
in Chicago.
-
Jimmy Vaughan doing well
after last week's heart
attack. This from
Jimmy Vaughan's press
people: “Jimmie
Vaughan was admitted
to
Pomona Hospital Medical
Center on January
23rd, 2013 with an acute
Myocardial Infraction. He
had a
Coronary Angioplasty
and Stent placement. He is
progressing well after this
routine procedure and was
discharged from the hospital
on January 25th. Jimmie
feels fine but was advised
by his cardiologist to rest
at home for a month. He
regretfully had to cancel a
scheduled trip to
The
Mahindra Blues Festival in
Mumbai, India as a result.
Mr. Vaughan said, ‘I feel
really good and I can’t wait
to get back to work with my
band.’”
-
Blues Music Awards
voting going on right now!
Voting for the 2013
Blues
Music Awards (BMAs) is in
progress and
Blues Foundation
members can make their
choices
now
until 7:59am on March 1.
To see the list of this
year's nominations click
here.
Bob Corritore is nominated
for a
BMA in the "Harmonica"
catagory. Also 2 releases
that Bob is associated with
are up for a couple awards
each;
Mud Morganfield /
Son Of The Seventh Son,
and
The Mannish Boys /
Double Dynamite. The award
winners will be anounced at
the formal ceremony which
takes place on Thursday,
May 9th at the Cook
Convention Center in
Memphis. For more on the
awards and the
Blues
Foundation go to
http://www.blues.org/.
-
Junior Watson / Fred Kaplan
Band to appear Friday at the
Rhythm Room!
West
Coast heaveyweights
Junior
Watson,
Fred Kaplan,
Richard Innes and
Kedar Roy will appear
this Friday, February 8
at the
Rhythm Room
in Phoenix with a guest
appearance by
Bob Corritore.
The show is appropriately
titled "West Coast Blues
Masters" and you can
expect
the highest quality of
musicianship from these
great players. Go to
http://www.rhythmroom.com/
for more information. To see
the beautiful poster for
this event designed by
Amy
Brat click
here.
-
Muddy Waters home will
not be torn down! After a
number of newspapers reported
the possible demolition of
Muddy
Waters historic Southside
residence, we are
relieved to have a recent
report that this landmark is to
remain. Thanks to
Tom Marker of
WXRT's Blues
Breakers program for posting
this news, which you can read by
clicking
here.
-
Eddie Taylor
Photo Page
started!
Guitarist
Eddie Taylor
was among
the greatest
blues guitarists,
and his work
defined the
instrument's
role in
Chicago
Blues.
Last week in
our
newsletter
we requested
photo
contributions
for a
tribute
photo page
and we were
very pleased
by offerings from
Scott Dirks,
Hasse
Andreasson,
Barrelhouse
Bonni
McKeown,
Tom Buckley,
Justin
O'Brien, and
Bert Lek.
Due to time
constraints
we have not
added all
these
submissions
yet but they
are coming!
Here is the
start of
our
Eddie Taylor
photo page
with more
images to be
added very
soon! Click
here
to see.
-
RIP
Precious Bryant - January
4, 1942 – January 12, 2013.
Georgia
blueswoman
Precious
Bryant was a spectacular down-
home singer and guitarist who
combined her love for
Memphis Minnie,
Jimmy
Reed and
Muddy
Waters with the
spirituals and rags
that characterize her region.
She passed away on Jan 12,
2013 at age 71. Her petite
stature was no indication of her
powerful full-bodied vocals,
accomplished finger picking
guitar, and
rabble-rousing
personality.
Precious Bryant was
born in
Talbout County, Georgia
and raised on her family's farm.
Discovered and
recorded first in 1969 by
folklorist
George Mitchell,
Precious would go on
to make 4 records;
My Name Is Precious on the
Music Maker Foundation Label,
and Fool Me Good and The Truth on
Terminus
Records, and a shared album with
Algia Mae Hinton called
Gran'mas I Have Never Had
on Moi
J'Connais Records. She
was featured on a number of
songs on the
National
Downhome Blues Festival
album on
Southland Records, and her
song "Morning Train" appears in
the
soundtrack of the
motion picture
Black Snake Moan. Though a
rich talent, she lived lived a
humble life, residing in a
trailer home in the woods near
Waverly Hall, Georgia. To read a
beautiful article about
Precious Bryant from Access Atlanta, click
here.
-
Precious
Bryant on
YouTube! The zesty
music of the recently deceased
blues gem
Precious Bryant is
captured on these great clips:
Performing
the Memphis Minnie song "Me & My
Chauffeur." Click
here to
see.
Performing
"I'm Broke And Ain't Got A
Dime." Click
here.
Performing
"Buck Dance." Click
here.
Performing
"Black Rat Swing." Click
here.
Friday February 2, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013
-
Ann Rabson
RIP April 12, 1945 - January 30,
2013. We’re saddened to
report the passing of
Ann Rabson,
a friend and motherly figure to
the entire blues community. She
was known as a blues singer,
pianist and guitarist and
founding member of
Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women.
Ann recently colloborated with
Muddy
Waters alumni
Bob
Margolin on a
recording of duets titled Not
Alone. It has been nominated
for a
Blues
Music Award
as Acoustic Album of the Year.
She is
has also been recognized for her
first solo album for Alligator
Records Music Makin' Mama.
She will be remembered
fondly for personifying a
woman's perspective of the
blues, and her warm smile
and universal kindness. For
more information about the
wonderful life of Ann Rabson
click
here.
-
International Blues Competition
going on now in Memphis!
As you read this,
the
Blues Fountation's
International Blues
Competition
(or
IBCs)
is in full swing in Memphis,
Tennesse. Hundreds
of bands, industry folks and
blues fans come together for
this week of blues celebration
that started Tuesday January 28,
and will end
Saturday February 2.
Prior to this event,
blues societies
from all over the world have run
regional contests and from each
a winner advances to the
IBCs!
It is an exciting time as you
see the many talented artists
give heartfelt performances,
hoping to advance their blues
careers. On top of that, blues
fans and industry people gather
for what is secondarily a
musical convention of sorts.
Along with that week is the
presentation
ceremony for the
Keeping The Blues Alive Awards
(or
KBA's)
which happens this year at a
Friday afternoon brunch, and
will formally honor some amazing
people who have devoted their
lives to advancing the cause of
the blues. Add to that, numerous
showcases, and nightly jams, and
you have a fun filled program of
blues activity.
Bob Corritore
will arrive
on Wednesday night
and will will participate in the
VizzTone
Showcase
on Friday after
hours at the
Rum Boogie
hosted by
Gina Sicilia
and
Dave Gross
with an impressive list of guest
performances. To see the poster
for the
VizzTone
Showcase click
here. To read
more about the
IBCs
click
here.
To read more about the KBA's
click
here.
-
Historic
Chicago residence of
Muddy Waters in
danger of being torn down.
Chicago Blues father
Muddy Waters
held a famous residence on
Chicago's South Side at 4339 S.
Lake Park Drive form 1954 until
he moved to the suburb of
Westmont two decades
later. This was truly a home of
the blues as a number of his
band members such
as
Otis
Spann,
James Cotton
and
Paul
Oscher
found a home in the basement.
One can only imagine some of the
glorious gatherings at that
house in the heyday of Chicago
blues! Now it seems that this
building is in danger of being
torn down when it should be
renovated and made into a
national monument. We pray that
someone will start a petition or
a
movement to stop such an
atrocity. To read an eye-opening
article on this subject by
Heather
Gillers,
click
here.
-
John Primer &
Bob Corritore to
release collaboration on
Delta Groove
Records! The
Delta Groove
record label has an
April 16th release
date for
John Primer
&
Bob Corritore
/ Knockin' Around These
Blues. This collaborative
effort will provide a program of
deep Chicago blues from
two artists steeped in that
tradition. Produced by
Bob Corritore,
this CD includes an all star
cast of players;
Barrelhouse Chuck,
Chris James
&
Patrick Rynn,
Bob Stroger,
Kenny Smith,
Billy Flynn
and
Brian Fahey.
Look for program of hard-hitting
Chicago blues on this CD!
-
RIP
Chicago Bob Nelson - July
4, 1944 to January 17, 2013 Louisiana
Born, Atlanta based
Chicago Bob
Nelson was a masterful harmonica
player and vocalist who merged
his Louisiana roots with his love
of Chicago Blues. He was 69. The
following information is quoted
from
Reverend Keith A. Gorden's
blog at
about.com;
Nelson would
play anywhere and with anybody
during this time, gigging with
well-known bluesmen like
Howlin'
Wolf,
Buddy Guy,
Earl Hooker,
and
Muddy Waters, his sound a
unique mix of Southern blues, zydeco rhythms, and urban
Chicago blues. It was Waters
that gave him his "Chicago Bob"
nickname after saying that he
saw the young harp player "all
over Chicago." Nelson would
later tour extensively with
Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson and
John Lee Hooker. Nelson formed
the Heart Fixers with guitarist
Tinsley Ellis in 1981, recording
two albums with the band -
1981's The Heart Fixers
and 1983's Live At The Moon
Shadow - the latter for the
Landslide Records label.
-
Sometime
during the early 1980s, Nelson
relocated to Atlanta, where he
would become part of the
regional blues scene, performing
at the Atlanta blues club
Blind
Willie's when he wasn't touring
the Southeast United States or
Europe. Poor health eventually
sidelined the talented harp
player, although he continued to
perform locally. Nelson recorded
sporadically throughout his
career, and is perhaps best
known for two albums recorded
during the 1990s for
King Snake
Records, 1992's
Hit and Run Lover and
1996's Back to Bogalusa.
During the latter part of his
life, Nelson hooked up with the
folks at the
Music
Maker Relief Foundation, which released his
final album, Tell Me Mama,
a collection of acoustic blues
that displayed a different facet
to the Chicago bluesman's
talents, in 2009. Our thoughts
go out to Nelson's family,
friends, and many fans around
the world.
-
Eddie C. Campbell suffers stroke
and
heart attack.
Sad news about our dear friend
Eddie C. Campbell from our
friend
Dick
Shurman: "Send your kind
thoughts and prayers to Chicago
bluesman
Eddie C.
Campbell, who suffered a stroke
and heart attack in Germany last
weekend. He's improving, but
it's going to be a hard road
back. His wife Barbara is doing
a good job from afar of staying
on top of things but any
support, if only in thought, is
appreciated."
-
Unreleased Arthur “Big Boy”
Crudup
1969 session forthcoming on
Delmark!
How grand
that
Delmark
Records has
announced the late
February issue of a previously
unreleased 1969 studio session
from the legendary
Arthur "Big
Boy"
Crudup. The CD is titled
"Sunny Road"
and features backing from
Jimmy
Dawkins and the late
Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. This
much anticipated session also
has
Crudup’s guitar amped
through the rotating Leslie
speaker,
Ala
Buddy Guy
on "Hoodoo
Man Blues"! Very exciting!
-
Eddie Taylor
photos needed!
We are compiling a photo page
honoring the late Chicago blues
guitar master
Eddie Taylor who
sound helped to define the music
of
Jimmy Reed,
John Lee Hooker
and Chicago
blues
in general.
Eddie Taylor's
beautiful guitar work
masterfully transitioned his
deep Mississippi country blues
upbringing into a vibrant,
electric, city sound. If
you have any photos,
handbill's, or posters
relating
to this subject and would be
willing to share them with the
world please send to
bobcorritore@yahoo.com.
We look forward to presenting
this photo page soon!
-
Amos
Milburn,
Cab
Calloway
and
Big Joe Turner on
YouTube!
Please enjoy this classic
footage of a 1954 variety show
featuring three fantastic
rhythm & blues
vocalists;
Amos
Milburn,
Cab
Calloway
and
Big Joe Turner.
To see this clip, click
here.
Saturday January 19, 2013

Friday January 11, 2013

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