B.B. King: One Kind Favor

Though he's created some of the most essential, elemental blues in musical history, B.B. King has never shied away from exploring different directions, and some might say he's occasionally ventured too far afield. ONE KIND FAVOR should silence those doubters; with the help of superproducer T-Bone Burnett's roots noir approach, it finds King delivering gritty, impassioned interpretations of the tunes that influenced him in the 1950s. From his soulful, syncopated take on Blind Lemon Jefferson's country blues classic "See That My Grave is Kept Clean" to the Chicago-style stomping takeover of the Mississippi Sheiks' "The World Is Gone Wrong," King proves that at the age of 82 he can still turn out fiery, energetic music as undeniably vital as anything being produced by artists a third of his age.

Exploring the Home of the Blues

Buddy Guy Gives Tour of Chicago Music History: Exploring the Home of the Blues, the Chicago Blues Audio Tour narrated by Chicago-local Buddy Guy has found an astonishing audience in just six months.

The podcast has been downloaded more than 97,000 times and is currently averaging over 1,000 downloads per day. The free, 50-minute tour combines an interactive map, tour stop directions, archival photos, video, music clips, and interviews – a true multimedia experience unlike anything else available.

Listeners are able to follow the tour either by downloading to a portable media player or by virtually experiencing Chicago on a home computer. The Chicago Blues Tour is free and can be downloaded at www.downloadchicagotours.com.

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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.

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...