Soul Men Steve Cropper (Booker T. & The Mgs) And Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals) Reunite For Second Stax Recording

Midnight Flyer, due in stores June 15, showcases more brilliant songwriting by two titans of blue-eyed soul’s golden age

Steve Cropper, guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs and one of the primary architects of the unmistakable Stax sound of the 1960s, and vocalist/keyboardist Felix Cavaliere, the voice of the Rascals and the pivotal figure in the blue-eyed soul movement of that same era, have reconvened for their second collaborative recording. Sparks fly at the crossroads of Memphis soul and East Coast R&B when Stax Records releases Midnight Flyer on June 15, 2010.

Midnight Flyer, recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary David Z, is the followup to Nudge It Up a Notch, the 2008 maiden voyage by Cropper and Cavaliere that scored critical acclaim from the music and mainstream press. The San Francisco Chronicle called Nudge It Up a Notch “an unexpected delight,” while BluesWax heralded the project as “one of the great surprises of 2008, and further evidence of Concord Music Group’s genuine commitment to the revamped Stax imprint.”

Album Review: John Mayall, "Tough"

There's a reason that John Mayall is a legend - the man knows the blues and he knows how to pick the right musicians to help deliver his musical vision. I still can't get the picture out of my head of Mayall packing up his own gear after a gig in Austin a few years ago. Even though he's a legend, he not above doing his own equipment grunt work. You gotta respect that. On Tough, his 57th studio album (!) Mayall delivers the goods at an age when most of his musical contemporaries are either dead or have resigned themselves to listening to the blues from their rocker. Strong harmonica by Mayall is featured on the disc and some tight backing by musicians like guitarist Rocky Athas, bassist Greg Rzab, drummer Jay Davenport, and keyboardist Tom Canning. Long live the blues and long live John Mayall!

Joe Bonamassa Tour Dates

If you are near one of these venues at the right time, you should check this artist out. 'Nuf said.

10/30 @ Center Stage Theatre, Atlanta GA
10/31 @ Alys Robison Stephen PAC, Birmingham AL
11/05 @ Plaza Theatre, Orlando FL
11/06 @ Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater FL
11/07 @ Gusman Center, Miami FL
11/10 @ Coach House, San Juan Capistrano CA
11/11 @ Coach House, San Juan Capistrano CA
11/16 @ Milano Guitar Festival, Milan ITALY
11/18 @ Capitol, Mannheim GERMANY
11/19 @ Jovel Music Hall, Muenster GERMANY
11/23 @ The Olympia, Paris FRANCE
11/24 @ Festival Blues De Traverse, FRANCE
11/25 @ AB Theatre, Brussels BELGIUM
11/26 @ Royal Theatre, Amsterdam NETHERLANDS
11/28 @ Venue Cymru, Llandudno WALES
11/30 @ Royal Center, Nottingham ENGLAND
12/01 @ Guildhall, Southampton ENGLAND
12/02 @ UEA, Norwich ENGLAND
12/03 @ Academy, Leeds ENGLAND
12/05 @ Picturehouse, Edinburgh SCOTLAND
12/06 @ Waterfront, Belfast IRELAND
12/08 @ Vicar Street, Dublin IRELAND
12/09 @ The Opera House, Cork IRELAND
12/11 @ Den Atelier, Luxembourg
12/13 @ Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Rome ITALY
12/15 @ Kyttaro Live, Athens GREECE
12/18 @ Riding 3, Tel Aviv ISRAEL

03/23/10 @ Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth TX
03/26 @ Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City OK
04/02 @ Englert Civic Theatre, Iowa City IA
04/15 @ Town Hall Theatre, New York NY
04/16 @ Wilbur Theatre, Boston MA
04/17 @ Paramount Center, Peekskill NY
04/18 @ Grand Opera House, Wilmington DE
04/20 @ Hart Theatre at the Egg, Albany NY
04/21 @ Count Basie Theater, Red Bank NJ
04/23 @ Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC
04/24 @ Keswick Theatre, Glenside PA
04/25 @ Sunoco Performance Theater, Harrisburg PA
05/28 @ Hammersmith, London UK
05/29 @ Magna Centre, Rotherham UK
05/30 @ International Center, Bournemouth UK
05/31 @ National Indoor Arena, Birmingham UK

John Mayall's "Tough"

New Studio Album By The Blues Master – His 57th To Date

New York, NY -Over the years, Eagle Rock Entertainment has developed a strong relationship with legendary blues master John Mayall. On September 15, 2009, through their wholly-owned Eagle Records subsidiary, Mayall’s dynamic and masterful new piece of work: Tough has been released.

On this, his self-produced 57th studio album to date, John Mayall once again proves why he is known as “The Godfather of British Blues.” Tough tackles a number of topics, deeply exploring the struggles in human relationships, the pitfalls of temptation, and the difficulties we face in the world’s current state.
However, through the “toughness,” he also touches upon one more prominent theme: the promise of hope. Current, gritty, and strong, these 11 tracks are words of wisdom told from a voice of strength and experience.

Taking on multiple instruments (piano, organ, six and twelve string guitar, and harmonica, along with his signature vocals) Mayall is backed by his touring band–guitar phenomenon Rocky Athas, bassist Greg Rzab, drummer Jay Davenport, and organist/pianist Tom Canning.

76 years young, Mayall has spent 44 years cultivating his brand of blues and has helped launch the careers of some of the greatest contemporary blues musicians, including Eric Clapton, Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Peter Green. He has enjoyed many deserved accolades for his extraordinary contributions to blues music, including an honor from the Queen of England herself. In 2005, she named him an officer of the Order of the British Empire. He accepted this prestigious honor alongside Brian May (Queen) and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin).

Tough promises to be another great addition to this incomparable musician’s body of work. Other Eagle Rock Entertainment releases, include In The Palace Of The King (April 2007), The 70th Birthday Concert (2CD, DVD, and Blu-ray), Road Dogs CD (June 2005), and Along For The Ride CD (May 2001).

Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Germany, France & Toronto.


Track Listing:
1.) Nothing To Do With Love
2.) Just What You’re Looking For
3.) Playing With A Losing Hand
4.) An Eye For An Eye
5.) How Far Down
6.) Train To My Heart
7.) Slow Train To Nowhere
8.) Number’s Down
9.) That Good Old Rockin’ Blues
10.) Tough Times Ahead
11.) The Sum Of Something

The Crank Brothers: Black Midnights, Stars & Streetlights

Norway's The Crank Brothers have a new CD out titled, "Black Midnights, Stars & Streetlights. You can learn more about this band on the web at: www.myspace.com/grandeblues

BLUESFEST LONDON X: Bluesman pays homage to legends and friends

U.S. rock and roll royalty was in the Bluesfest house last night.

Steve Earle returned to downtown London for the first time in many years, bringing the Bluesfest London crowd to its feet with stories, one-liners and plenty of beautiful blues.

Not all Earle's blues songs fit the definition Earle supplied himself with mock seriousness part way through the set.

But when a Grammy winner stands up with just a guitar and harmonica and ends his opening number with a couple of lines from Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love and name checks blues icons Lightnin' Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb, it's safe to say this Earle is a bluesman, too. [Read More]

Blues in the Schools

Portland, Oregon blues guitar legend Robbie Laws is advancing the teaching of blues to students in the Portland school system in conjunction with the Cascade Blues Association. Laws, an 18-time winner and Hall of Famer of the Muddy Awards and owner of SixStringCentral School of Music, is spending his twenty-third year ensuring that the next generation is well aware of the musical history that was the progenitor of nearly every form of American music.

Blues in the Schools is a program modeled after the after nationally recognized “Blues in the Schools” programs offered throughout the United States and is sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association, considered one of the most active blues associations in the country.

According to Laws, “As a player, a teacher and an aficionado of the blues, I almost consider it my duty to let kids know there is a form of music still out there breathing and thriving that gave birth to the music they are currently listening to. Portland school children aren’t all able to come to SixStringCentral to learn to love the blues, so we go to them.”

Buddy Guy - Skin Deep Video

To celebrate the imminent release of his all new album "Skin Deep," Buddy Guy has filmed a great solo version of the song

Jimmy Reed Marker Unveiled Today

The Mississippi Blues Commission unveils a marker today at 4pm honoring the great Jimmy Reed in Sunleith, Mississippi at Collier Road. A mural unveiling will follow at 5pm on Broad Street in Leland and a reception at the Hwy 61 Blues Museum (307 N. Broad).

Big Mama Thornton Vanguard Release

Read the review by Richard Marcus

Debbie Davies Triggers a Musical Explosion on New Telarc Release

Blues Blast includes guest appearances by Tab Benoit, Coco Montoya and Charlie Musselwhite

"Her dedication to 'rockin' the blues,' as she puts it, continues to inspire superlative efforts and a deep freezer's worth of bone-chilling guitar."
-- Relix

When blues guitarist Debbie Davies' released All I Found (CD-83636), her June 2005 debut on Telarc, Blues Revue raved: "She pulls out all the stops. She can play it all: seductive, soulful material, down-home delta blues, or humorous tales of life on the road."

Two summers later, Davies follows up with the August 28, 2007, release of Blues Blast (CD-83669), a pressure cooker recording that showcases her seasoned guitar and vocal capabilities and includes guest appearances by three high-profile bluesmen: guitarists Tab Benoit and Coco Montoya, and harpist Charlie Musselwhite.

"Like a master chef's gourmet meal offering exquisite courses, Debbie has crafted a nine-course wallop of her musical vision and spirit," says Art Tipaldi, senior writer for Blues Revue and the author of the album's liner notes. "One listen to Debbie's tribute [to guitar mentor Albert Collins] with Coco, the opening 'A.C. Strut,' proves these kids learned Pop's lessons."

And that's just the beginning. While the spirit of Collins is ever-present in Davies' guitar attack, the earthy Texas shuffle has become her trademark sound. On Buddy Guy's classic 'My Time After While,' she conjures up that fiery Lone Star groove.

Four of the eight remaining tracks are either written or co-written by Davies. Musselwhite ups the ante when he steps in with his high-end blows and low-end draws on Davies' own "Sittin' and Cryin'" and Musselwhite's own contribution, "Movin' and Groovin.'" Labelmate Tab Benoit joins Davies to pay homage to two legendary blues masters: John Lee Hooker on "Crawlin' King Snake" and Howlin' Wolf on "Howlin' for My Darlin.'"

The closer, "Sonoma Sunset," bakes slow and rich like the perfect high-calorie dessert for every blues lover. Davies and her three accomplices join together in this minor-key, slow-blues instrumental. The combination of Musselwhite's harp solo - an exquisite succession of one sonic innovation after another - and input from all three guitarists turn this track into a ten-minute workout. In the final coda, it's easy to feel the spirited enthusiasm in their teamwork.

"With tour schedules being what they are," says Davies, "it's nearly impossible to get four blues musicians in the same studio at the same time. So making this record was a rare joy, and a highly satisfying experience. All of us - Tab, Coco, Charlie and myself - are students of the old school, and there's a sense of history that ties us together. We all brought our 'A game,' and when we came together, we all spoke the same language. The exchange of ideas that took place in the making of this record had very little to do with talking and everything to do with music."

More than just a creative dialogue, Debbie Davies' latest is a Blues Blast.

A Hurricane Relief Benefit - George Winston plays the blues

George Winston, best known for his melodic rural folk piano style, has made no secret of the debt his playing owes to the musicians of New Orleans. Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions–A Hurricane Relief Benefit was inspired by Winston’s desire to support the Gulf Coast Region after the recent hurricane related devastation.

100% of artist’s proceeds will go towards the rebuilding effort in the Gulf Coast region. RCA Records will also be donating the bulk of its net profits to benefit musicians in the New Orleans area.

Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions features six Winston compositions inspired by the music of New Orleans as well as pieces written by or influenced by New Orleans pianists Henry Butler, James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Jon Cleary. Winston interprets James Booker’s Pixie, Henry Butler’s complex composition The Breaks and Dr. John’s Creole Moon. Winston’s compositions run the gamut from up tempo to the melancholy.

New Orleans Shall Rise Again is an ode to The City and its music, Pixie #3 (Go•bajie) borrows its form from James Booker’s Pixie, and Stevenson is a moving eulogy for a lost friend.

The centerpiece of Gulf Coast Blues is Winston’s epic treatment of When The Saints Go Marching In. The arrangement starts at a deliberately ominous tempo inspired by Dr. John, before breaking into the song’s familiar celebratory melody and variations inspired by James Booker.

The festivities are interrupted when Winston’s left hand moves up an octave, inspired by Henry Butler, before returning to the melody. At the end of the tune he breaks into a stride piano section before ending with two hand rolls inspired by the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand).

The album closes gently with Blues for Fess, Beloved, a eulogy for Professor Longhair that leaves each note hanging in the air reverberating, thoughts offered to fallen friends and a region and a city struggling to get back on its feet.

35th Annual San Francisco Blues Festival

Celebrate the blues down by the San Francisco Bay at the world’s oldest blues festival, September 28-30. Held on the green at Fort Mason’s Great Meadow and framed by the stunning backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay, the Festival will celebrate its 35th year with an all-star lineup of some of the best blues performers in the world.

Featured performers are Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite Band, Joe Lewis Walker and John Hammond.

Blues singer Etta James hospitalized

Atlanta, GA 7/26/2007 9:48 PM GMT (FINDITT)

Blues singer Etta James was hospitalized Thursday after experiencing complications from an abdominal surgery in June. She is in stable condition but her manager said she had to cancel tour dates with B.B. King and Al Green. The 69-year-old singer is “extremely disappointed” about the cancellations.

“If it had been left solely up to her, she would have checked herself out of the hospital and started the tour regardless of her delicate health. However, her doctor advised that where she to do so, it would put her at very great risk,” said her manager Lupe De Leon.

“We feel confident (that) by postponing her participation until Aug. 23, she will be in good shape to put on the kind of performance that Etta James’ fans know and love,” De Leon says.

Some of James’ hits include “At Last,” “Trust in Me” and “A Sunday Kind of Love.”

Carey Bell dead at 70 of heart failure

Blues harmonica master Carey Bell died on May 6, 2007 of heart failure in his hometown of Chicago, IL. He was 70. Bell - the 1998 winner of the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year - was a veteran of both Muddy Waters' and Willie Dixon's bands as well as an award-winning solo artist, and a guest artist on countless blues recordings. Bell's classic, funky and deeply soulful blues place him firmly on the short list of blues harmonica superstars.

MUSIC REVIEW: White Stripes back to hard-rocking blues

Maybe it's too much to say that the White Stripes saved rock 'n' roll, but the Detroit duo certainly energized it with their daring, blues-drenched sound.

Since their 1999 straight-from-the-garage debut, Jack and Meg White have upped the intensity and creativity on each of their five albums. The pseudo-siblings deliver again on the sixth, "Icky Thump" - a raucous, foot-stomping record that makes a satisfying follow-up to 2005's folk-tinged "Get Behind Me Satan."

Where "Satan" was subdued, "Thump" stands up and demands attention. [more]

"Have the blues done left this town?"

"Have the blues done left this town?"

Check out the link above for a link to the history of St. Louis blues music in multimedia format.

Blues legend Koko Taylor finds perfect fit in new album

By Regis Behe as excerpted from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Koko Taylor thinks she was 22 the night she stepped on stage and sang a few songs at a little Chicago blues club where bluesman Willie Dixon was present.

Afterwards, Dixon came up to Taylor and said "Girl, I like the way you sing them blues. Who are you?"

"I said 'Who are you?" says Taylor, now 71 and performing Saturday at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. "I'm thinking he's somebody who wants to talk, have a little conversation like most guys do in taverns." read more...

Canned Heat - Live At Montreux 1973

Review by Scott Homewood

Let me preface this review by reminding faithful readers (and informing new ones) that for about a decade I listened to blues music almost exclusively. During that time I considered myself a blues purist and, unfortunately, it made me a music racist. For many years I believed white musicians had no business trying to exploit blues' popularity and musically empathize with the plight of the black musicians and yet usurp their music. Now, in retrospect it sounds as ridiculous now as it must have sounded to my peers and other casual musical acquaintances when I would try to explain to them how much I thought Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughn sucked and how could Vaughn and Winter even try to pretend they were blues artists and etc. etc. I have since realized blues does not belong to a particular culture, but is a feeling all human beings go through at one point or another due to life's circumstances. I will say I still love the same blues artists I loved then and still do not feel too much kinship with Vaughn and Winter's music, but I have learned to respect their talents and achievements. I will also say I am surprised at how many blues fans feel the way I used to and will not except other forms of blues and artists into the genre. I am saddened by that and hope it changes so the music can grow.

Well, confession over. This ain't Christmas or Easter anyway.

On to the music. read more...

B.B. King is out of the hospital and doing fine

B.B. King is out of the hospital and is ready to start gigging again. The 81-year-old was said to be "be back to his old self" according to Tina France, vice president of Liberman Management in New York. King is scheduled to play in Ft. Worth on Tuesday, January 24th. The rest of his Texas tour will go on as scheduled.

Someone shout Hallelujah!