SwampCandy are an
excellent delta blues inspired band from Annapolis, Maryland, USA,
comprising:
Ruben Dobbs - Guitar, Slide Guitar and Vocals Joey Mitchell - Upright Bass, Kick Drum
Thu May 23 06:00 PM
The Hanger Farm Arts Centre in West Totton,
Southampton
Check out SwampCandy
at a gig near you, they are a mighty fine band
- Alan white, Earlyblues.com
Finalists
for the British Blues Awards 2013 are:
Male Vocalist Alan Nimmo
Blues Boy Dan Owen
David Migden
Ian Siegal
James Hunter
Marcus Bonfanti
Female Vocalist Bex Marshall
Chantel McGregor
Connie Lush
Dani Wilde
Jo Harman
Kyla Brox
Lorna Fothergill
Lucy Zirins
Band 24 Pesos
Ian Siegal and the Mississippi Mudbloods
Jon Amor Blues Group
King King
Ron Sayer Band
The Motives
Acoustic BabaJack
Blues Boy Dan Owen
Ian Siegal
Lucy Zirins
Marcus Bonfanti
Wooden Horse
Guitarist Alan Nimmo
Ben Poole
Chantel McGregor
Joel Fisk
Jon Amor
Ron Sayer
Harmonica Giles King
Giles Robson
Paul Lamb
Steve “West” Weston
Trevor Steger
Will Wilde
Keyboard Bennett Holland
Dale Storr
Jonny Dyke
Moz Gamble
Paddy Milner
Paul Jobson
Bass Barry Pethers
Fergie Fulton
Ian Jennings
Lindsay Coulson
Roger Inniss
Silas Maitland
Drums Dave Raeburn
Mark Barrett
Sam Kelly
Simon Small
Stephen Cutmore
Wayne Proctor
Instrumentalist Becky Tate (Percussion)
Carla Viegas (Percussion)
Kyla Brox (Flute)
Patsy Gamble (Sax)
Sarah Skinner (Sax)
Simon Anthony (Sax)
Young Artist Alex McKown
Andrew Pipe
Blues Boy Dan Owen
Laurence Jones
Lewis Hamilton
Lucy Zirins
Mitch Laddie
Festival Blues on the Farm
Carlisle
The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival (Colne)
Hebden Bridge
Maryport
Newark
Overseas Artist Buddy Whittington
Hamilton Loomis
Henrik Freischlader
Matt Andersen
Mud Morganfield
Walter Trout
Album Better Side – Ron Sayer Band
Candy Store Kid – Ian Siegal and the Mississippi Mudbloods
House of Mercy – Bex Marshall
Jocks Juke Joint Vol 2 – Various Artists
Rooster - BabaJack
The Motives – The Motives
Villa Del Vibro – Jon Amor Blues Group
Independent Broadcasters Ashwyn Smyth – Digital Blues
Dave Raven – Raven and Blues
Gary Grainger – The Blues Show
Martin Clarke – The Blues Session
Paul Stiles – UK Blues Today
Tim Aves – The Blues is Back
KT Award
Here I Am - Oli Brown
10radio
The Snow Lies Deep - John
Fairhurst
Bishop
Remember When - Otis Grand
BITT
Goldrush - Roscoe Levee
Bluessession
Journeyman Blues - Tom Doughty
Digital
The Burning Truth - Dani Wilde
Frome
Blind Dead McJones - Blind Dead
McJones Band
GTFM
I Hear The River - Katie
Bradley
Marsh
I Am The Train - Ian Siegal
Raven
I'm No Superman - Half Deaf
Clatch
Rumshack
White Lightning Hook - Mighty
Mojos
Saint
Don't Make Me Stay - Ron Sayer
Jnr
Trent
Try Anything Twice - Blues n
Trouble
UKBluesToday
Love Is Here To Stay - Stuart
James
Wall2Wall
Rooster Blues - BabaJack
WEW
See The British Blues
Awards website for more information:
"Over the past decade Derrin Nauendorf has
solidified his reputation as a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar
player of the highest order. Derrin has forged a unique sound,
comprising incredible guitar skills, soulful vocals along with
powerful songs which have won him high praise and many fans. As a
testament to this, Derrin is endorsed by Yamaha guitars and the lyrics
to his song 'Shipwrecked' were published in a textbook for English
literature released by Cambridge University Press."
-
www.derrinnauendorf.com/press.html
The Smokie Blues,
Arbroath, Scotland are organizing a few days of Blues on the 26th and
27th April, in Memory of Billy (The Blind Man) Allardyce. Billy played
Drums for Papa Mojo before he past away last year after a brave battle
with Cancer. Billy did a lot of unseen work to keep the blues alive,
what with helping to organize the Dundee Blues Bonanza, running the
Blind Man's Forum and many charity gigs; he will be missed.
Friday evening 26th
April 2013, 7pm Kent Duchaine, Community Spirit Building, Fisheracre, Arbroath,
DD11 1LE.
Tickets £5 01241876102 or at Abbey music in Kirk Square.
Saturday 27th April 2013
Five Great Bands: Paddy Maguire Blues Band, Rabbit Foot, No Time For
Jive, Linda Jackson, Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters
Three Venues: Coast Gravesend Arbroath, The Millgate Bar, Millgate,
Arbroath, and the Fishermans Inn, High Street, Arbroath.
Eight gigs all free.
RIP Magic Slim Magic Slim, a revered and
towering figure in the field of traditional Chicago blues,
died 21st February in a Philadelphia hospital at the age of 75.
Magic Slim at the Great British R&B Festival, Colne, 2010
Press Releases from
Blind Pig Records:
Magic Slim,
a revered and towering figure in the field of traditional Chicago blues,
died today in a Philadelphia hospital at the age of 75. Born Morris Holt
in Torrance, Mississippi in 1937, the guitarist performer, bandleader,
and recording artist went on to enjoy a career that launched him to
national and international recognition and acclaim.
Slim was one of
the foremost practitioners of the raw, gut-bucket, back alley blues
associated with the postwar Chicago blues sound. He and his band, the
Teardrops, were known as "the last real Chicago blues band" for their
authentic, no-frills, straight-no-chaser performance of the music.
Slim's slash and
burn guitar technique and booming vocals made for a commanding stage
presence. His intense style was the blueprint that spawned much of the
music played by modern blues artists and rockers. After catching one of
Slim's electrifying live shows at a local nightclub Eddie Vetter invited
Slim to open Pearl Jam's concert in Chicago. Magic Slim also had an
encyclopedic repertoire of hundreds of blues songs in his head, giving
his live shows a charming impromptu quality.
Growing up in
Grenada, Mississippi, Slim took an early interest in music, singing in
the church choir, and fashioning a guitar for himself with baling wire
from a broom, which he nailed to the wall. "Mama whooped me for that,"
recalled Slim. His first love was the piano, but having lost the little
finger on his right hand in a cotton gin accident, he found it difficult
to play properly. Undaunted, he simply switched to guitar, working in
the cotton fields during the week and playing the blues at house parties
on weekends. In 2011 the state of Mississippi erected a Blues Trail
Marker in Slim's honor in front of a building in Grenada where his
mother operated a restaurant.
In 1955, like
many musicians from the Deep South, Slim migrated to Chicago, where he
was mentored by his friend Magic Sam, who gave the lanky Morris his
lifelong stage moniker. Initially discouraged by the highly competitive
local music scene, Slim went back to Mississippi and spent the next five
years woodshedding and perfecting his craft. He confidently returned to
Chicago and became a formidable player on the scene, eventually putting
together the Teardrops, who would become one of the busiest and
best-loved blues bands around, and one of the most sought-after
headliners for festivals in Europe, Japan, and South America. Slim and
his group won the coveted Blues Music Award in 2003 as "Blues Band of
the Year," one of six times Slim won a BMA, considered the highest honor
in the blues. Living Blues magazine called Slim and the Teardrops
"a national treasure."
Slim's recording
career began with a series of singles in 1966, and he recorded his first
album for a French label in 1977. With the release of Gravel Road
in 1990, he began a twenty-two year association with Blind Pig Records,
who issued ten albums and a live DVD over that span. His last release,
2012's Bay Boy, proved that Slim could still deliver the goods.
As No Depression said, "Magic Slim doesn't just play the blues,
he body slams his audiences with a vicious guitar attack that pins them
to the floor. His blues are the in-your-face variety." AllMusicGuide
added, "Magic Slim turned 75 in 2012, but his growling vocals have the
fire and brimstone of a Young Lion and his guitar playing is still as
razor-sharp as it was when he turned pro in the '50s."
Blind Pig Records owner Jerry Del Giudice said, "Magic Slim embodied the
heart and soul of this label. It was Magic Slim, and the guys like him,
and their music, that inspired us to start the label in the first
place."
Blues Revue
once remarked, "Whoever the house band in blues heaven may be, even
money says they're wearing out Magic Slim albums trying to get that
Teardrops sound down cold." Now Slim can assume his rightful place as
the leader of that band.
For a complete biography,
please click
HERE.
To see a video of Slim recording "Goin' To Mississippi" in the Blind Pig
Chicago warehouse in April of 2002, please click
HERE.
"If there is such a thing as a
British 'blues pedigree', then Dave Kelly's sets the standard. Kelly is
a blues craftsman - a journeyman who has served his time with the best.
In New York he jammed with Muddy
Waters. He became a friend to Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker, who both
felt the benefit of Dave's playing in their touring bands. It was Dave's
big sister, the late Jo-Ann Kelly, who first opened his ears to the
blues, although his passion for rock and roll - and especially the work
of Buddy Holly - remains intact. In 1967 he joined The John Dummer Blues
Band. After three albums and a solo project he continued to polish his
style and technique throughout an adventurous career with some of
Britain's finest players. When The Blues Band was formed in 1979, the
post of slide guitarist and joint vocalist was a foregone conclusion -
and bringing his friend, the bassist Gary Fletcher, along to that first
rehearsal, was a bonus. Dave Kelly's guitar and vocals form the very
backbone of The Blues Band's distinctive sound. The Blues Band is still one of
Britain's best Blues Band and set up high standards.
Today, after 35 years 'treading the
boards' with the band, with his solo albums, duo tours with Paul Jones,
and soundtrack work (for commercials and such projects as BBC TV's' King
of the Ghetto' and the Comic Strip's 'Strike!') Dave Kelly is firmly
established as Europe's premier blues performer.
DAVE KELLY – Family & Friends "We
Had It All" are 18 unreleased tracks from his musical journey covers
over 35 years in the business and feat. Names like ERIC BIBB, CHRIS
BARBER, MAGGIE BELL, LONG JOHN BALDRY, CHRISTINE COLLISTER and many
more".
"Robin
Trower, one of the most
justly-acclaimed of British Rock music's elder statesmen, will release
his new album ROOTS AND BRANCHES on MANHATON RECORDS on February 4th
2013
On the new album Roots
& Branches Robin has produced unique cover versions of some
classic blues and R'nB tracks such as Hound Dog, The Thrill Has Gone &
Little Red Rooster. Of the new album Robin says "I started off thinking
I would do a complete album of covers, I wanted to get as far away from
the originals as possible. I came up with half a dozen arrangements,
which felt different enough, so I ended up writing some new songs as
well. I have tried to make the new songs be influenced by what I have
done with the classics, so the album blends together"
The unassuming Robin
Trower has, over the forty-odd years since his departure from Procol
Harum, assembled an incredible body of work, from his commercial
high water mark with the epochal Bridge of Sighs album in 1974,
through to the brand new Roots & Branches. His music has
never attempted to make concessions to commercial demands, and his
improvisational skills have consistently re-set the bar in terms of
blues-soaked inspiration and intensity. Never abashed about crediting
the late Jimi Hendrix as one of his main influences, Trower
remains one of the most talented musicians that the UK has ever
produced.
Roots & Branches comes hard on the heels of recent
Trower releases such as What Lies Beneath, and Seven Moons,
his 2008 collaboration with Jack Bruce, and offers yet more
proof that his inspirational wellspring has far from run dry".
"Wow, an excellent album,
covers of originals and Robin's new songs certainly do blend together
beautifully" - Alan White, Earlyblues.com
Friday 5th The Musican Leicester Clyde
Street Leicester LE1 2DE Doors open at 8pm
tel: 0116 2510080 Tickets:
www.wegottickets.com.
www.xanderpromotions.co.uk
Saturday 6th The Fleece Bristol 12 St
Thomas St, Bristol, BS1 6JJ Box Office: 0117 929 9008 Tickets:
seetickets.com
MAY 2013
Thursday 2nd Citrus club,Edinburgh 40-42
Grindlay St. EH39AP Edinburg,Scotland
Friday 3rd The Lemon Tree,Aberdeen 5 West
North Street,AB24 5ATAberdeen,Scotland
Saturday 18th
Dexters,Dundee 24 Castle Street Dundee
Scotland
Candy
Store Kid
Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Mudbloods
Ian Siegal,
Cody Dickinson, Luther Dickinson, Alvin Youngblood Hart with special
guests Garry Burnside and Lightnin'
Malcolm.
"Life isn't just one flavour. Music shouldn't all have the same
taste. In the right hands, the blues can be a rainbow, and with Candy
Store Kid, Ian Siegal has just painted his masterpiece".
British Male Vocalist: Ian Siegal
Runners up:
Marcus Bonfanti
Alan Nimmo
British Female Vocalist: Chantel McGregor
Runners up:
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Connie Lush
British Blues Band: King King
Runners up:
The Ian Siegal Band
24 Pesos
British Harmonica Player: Paul Jones
Runners up:
Paul Lamb
Giles King
British Blues Guitarist: Matt Schofield
Runners up:
Oli Brown
Alan Nimmo
British Acoustic Artist: Ian Siegal
Runners up:
BabaJack
Marcus Bonfanti
British Bass Player: Andy Graham
Runners up:
Lindsay Coulson
Fergie Fulton
British Keyboard Player: Paddy Milner
Runners up:
Jonny Henderson
Bennett Holland
British Drummer: Stephen Cutmore
Runners up:
Wayne Proctor
Simon Small
British Instrumentalist: Becky Tate
Runners up:
Kyla Brox
Patsy Gamble
British Young Artist: Oli Brown
Runners up:
Lucy Zirins
Virgil McMahon
Independent Blues Broadcaster: Gary Grainger
Runners up:
Tim Aves
Dave Raven
British Blues Album: "Take My Hand " – King King
Runners up:
"Anything But Time" by Matt Schofield
"The Skinny" by Ian Siegal and The Youngest Sons
British Blues Festival: The Hebden Bridge Blues Festival
Runners up:
The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival
Newark Blues Festival
Overseas Artist: Joe Bonamassa
Runners up:
Walter Trout
Buddy Whittington
The Kevin Thorpe Memorial Award For Best Song:
"The Bittersweet" by Marcus Bonfanti
Runners up:
Trevor Sewell for "Hate Me For A Reason"
Larry Miller for "The Wrong Name"
Lifetime Achievement: Author & Blues Historian Paul Oliver
The amazing
solo album from Slowburner's frontman Paul Bridgwater. Slowburner
are a four-piece live blues band from the Midlands who play R&B the way
that Brits are not supposed to!
"Great singer who continues the tradition of
British blues soul singers"
- Robert Plant
"Paul's
voice must be one of the most underrated in the business, his range,
interpretation and delivery are exceptional ..."
- Steve Wosket
"If you only buy one more album this
year, this is the one to get - incredible voice, beautiful songs and
superbly produced
album, highly recommended"
- Alan White,
www.earlyblues.com
Rapturous Rhythm & Blues with The
Stumble's third album 'Lie To Me' available now from gigs and soon from
CD Baby.
Track listing:
Lie To Me, Big Better Love, I get a Little Hot, Money On Time, My Life,
Little Margarita, Jumping Off The Lovin' Train, 360 Degree Blues, In &
Out of Love, No Patience, Numb The Pain.
All songs written and arranged by Boyd Toner, except 'Numb The Pain,
written by Paul Melville and arranged by Boyd Toner.
"Undoubtedly their best album yet"
- Alan White, Earlyblues.com
The Stumble are:
Paul Melville - Lead Vocals
Colin Black - Guitars
Rob Livesey - Guitars
Cameron Sweetnam - Bass
Simon Anthony - Saxophones
Boyd Toner - Drums
Blue
to Brown from Blue to Brown
Dom Brown, lead guitarist with
Duran Duran, and singer and voice artist Rob Brown are launching their
debut album as Blue to Brown on Remedy Records in the summer.
"A mix of old-style blues and driving blues/rock, the album
showcases the extraordinary guitar work of Dom and the deep, powerful
voice of Rob, frontman of Gets/z Loose ("Robert Johnson on Overdrive":
Daily Express)". "Dom is a guitar player in the great British
tradition of Clapton, Beck and Page. He brings an understanding of blues
and roots to create music that is both innovative and reassuringly
traditional"
- John Taylor, bassist, Duran Duran.
Michael "Iron Man" Burks,
July 30th, 1957 - May 6, 2012
Guitarist, vocalist,
songwriter Michael "Iron Man" Burks died in Atlanta on Sunday, May 6,
2012. He was 54 years old. He was returning from a tour of Europe and
collapsed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He was
rushed to South Fulton Medical Center where he could not be revived.
"Arkansas-based blues guitarist/vocalist
Michael “Iron Man” Burks toured Europe and the UK in November 2010. performing songs from his
Alligator Records CDs, "Iron Man", "I Smell Smoke" and "Make It Rain".
Boasting remarkable natural talent and deep-rooted soulfulness, Burks’
music is driven by an intense, blue collar work ethic that has earned
him well-deserved national recognition, making him one of the blues
world’s fastest-rising stars. Burks’ powerful presence, inventive and
riveting guitar work and soul-shaking vocals make him the torchbearer of
electric blues guitar heroes. His instantly identifiable guitar sound
and his live charisma have already earned him four Blues Music Award
nominations. Burks’ first Alligator release, MAKE IT RAIN, was named as
one of the Top 200 greatest guitar recordings by GuitarOne magazine. In
2006, the Delta Cultural Center awarded Burks the prestigious Sonny
Payne Award for Blues Excellence, presented each year to an individual
or individuals who have strongly influenced blues music in Arkansas".
- Alligator Records
_________________________________________________________________________
MEMORIAL
AND MUSICAL CELEBRATION FOR MICHAEL "IRON MAN" BURKS
The family of late blues legend Michael
"Iron Man" Burks has announced plans for a memorial and musical
celebration on Sunday, May 20, 2012. The event, open to the public, will
take place rain or shine at 3:00pm CST at Riverwoods On The Ouachita,
Bradley Ferry Road, in Burks' hometown of Camden, Arkansas.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that
donations in Burks' name be made to the HART Fund of The Blues
Foundation, which aids musicians with health care needs:
http://www.blues.org/#ref=hart_donate
_________________________________________________________________________
I interviewed Michael
at
the Carlisle Blues Festival in November 2010 during his European and UK
tour,
you can read the interview here.
RIP Louisiana Red W.C. Handy award winner traditional blues artist Louisiana
Red (born Iverson Minter) died from a thyroid imbalance in hospital in
Germany on Saturday 25th February 2012, aged 79.
Louisiana Red lived the Blues. He not only
played the Blues, he lived it through his guitar and his singing.
Strongly influenced by Muddy Waters, Lightnin‘ Hopkins and Arthur
Crudup, he long ago found his own voice, his own style, his own form
of expression. In a career spanning over half a century, Red played
with just about every major bluesman you can name, some of the most
memorable encounters being his jams with B.B.King and Muddy Waters. His
albums have been called masterpieces by critics, and in 1983 he won a
W.C. Handy Award as best traditional blues artist.
Red recently toured the UK with Michael Messer
and I had the privilege of interviewing Red at Southport Arts Centre in
conjunction with Spencer Leigh, BBC Radio Merseyside.
You can read the interview here.
Guitarist Magazine Presents:
The Exclusive BB King DVD Fanpack
"Guitarist Magazine, is soon to release a 132 page magazine
special edition fanpack on the Mississippi Delta Blues legend that
is Mr B.B. King, featuring an exclusive one-hour documentary DVD by
renowned director and ‘Mr Rock & Roll’ himself John Brewer a prelude
to his forthcoming feature film on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
blues icon.
With special inside access to B.B. himself, the DVD includes in
depth interview extracts, video footage from his sell-out concert at
the Royal Albert Hall last year plus additional film and images from
the archives, highlighting his career from the 1950’s through to the
present day.
Featuring exclusive guest contributions from the world of music
including Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Cray, Slash and
many more, plus record producer Bill Szymczyk (BB King/The Eagles) and
the record company legend that is Joe Bihari the fanpack gives a truly
informative and inspiring insight into B.B. the man, the legend, the
influence upon successive generations of guitar players across all music
genres.
Under the Guitarist
Presents banner, BB King: King of the Blues, the magazine and DVD pack
focus on King’s life and career to date and will be released on 2nd
February at the retail price of £14.99 and is available to pre-order now
in UK and US editions via MyFavouriteMagazines
Guitarist Presents BB King: King of the Blues."
RIP Etta James Three-time Grammy winner singer Etta James, a pioneer
of 1950s rhythm and blues and rock music, died from complications of
leukaemia on Friday, 20th January 2012, aged 73. Etta died at a hospital
in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 on Wednesday.
BabaJack's terrific new album Rooster will have you tingling right down
to my toes! This album really reflects the BabaJack sound: the winebox
growl, the powerful percussive rhythms, some beautiful vocals and
intricate guitar, and the sheer groove and musicality of the double
bass.
The album is available in
the shops now and it is available for download through CD Baby, iTunes
and Amazon as well as from
www.babajack.com
A new single from their debut album
Force 9. The video for Va Vah Voom is
now live on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/39nNa3uJKrw
KING MOB
comprises Stephen W Parsons aka Snips – vocals
(film composer and vocalist of 70’s band Sharks), guitar legend
Chris Spedding (Roxy Music, Elton John, John Cale, Paul
McCartney), Glen Matlock - bass (Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop,
Faces), Martin Chambers – drums (Pretenders), and hot new
guitar talent Sixteen.
"Force 9 is an album that draws on the
collective experience of all KING MOB’s members to create
something totally unique. They bring the raw power of the ‘Spirit of
’69’ into a contemporary setting.
KING
MOB began life when vocalist Stephen W
Parsons (aka Snips) approached his old friend and ex-Sharks
colleague Chris Spedding with the idea of forming a new band.
During time out from a highly successful film and advertising career,
Stephen found himself DJ-ing at The Axe club on Hackney Road. Every
weekend the joint jumped to Stephen’s old school music in the form of
Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Ike & Tina et al, and Stephen realised that
these pre-1977 sounds were going down a storm with the younger crowd.
Happily, Chris Spedding agreed to form a new combo, and the pair
brought in exciting young guitarist Sixteen, whose Rockabilly
credentials and dynamic style led to exciting musical sparring between
the two guitarists. Chris Spedding asked Glen Matlock to join on
bass and he in turn suggested that Martin Chambers complete the
combo on drums".
CHANCE TO WIN EXCLUSIVE PATTIE BOYD SIGNED
PRINTS OF COVER
New album featuring the photography of famed
guitarist’s muse and photographer Pattie Boyd offers the chance to win
exclusive collectables.
Petit joins fellow guitar gods George Harrison
and Eric Clapton as inspiration for Layla’s photographic talents.
Perhaps Petit is the greatest guitarist she never married, but Pattie
has exhibited photographs taken during her days with Harrison and
Clapton, as Through the Eyes of a Muse, at top galleries around the
world. Now her portrait of Petit adoring his newly acquired ‘Stephen
Dale Petit Gibson Signature Model SG’ forms the BBC Sessions album cover
and the specially commissioned gallery quality print will be signed by
both photographer and guitarist, and make a unique and priceless
collector’s item for three recipients of a coded, “golden ticket” which
have been included in three CD booklets, and when entered in to
www.stephendalepetit.com will confirm the winners.
The
album, a special limited edition Digipak pressing of 1,000 copies with 8
page full colour booklet, consists of session recordings Stephen Dale
Petit, with special guest – Rolling Stone, Mick Taylor, made for BBC
Radio 2’s Paul Jones Rhythm & Blues Show and the Bob Harris Show from
2007 through to 2009 and serves up a music fan’s tasteful feast. It
includes introductions and interviews from Paul & Bob as well as their
plaudits and compliments:
“… SDP is a magnificent musician and a
powerful advocate of blues evolution…”
Bob Harris, BBC
“I’ve played with some great players over the
years and I can tell you the future of the blues is in good hands with
SDP”
Mick Taylor, Rolling Stones
“SDP joins up the gap between the Alexis
Korner era of Blues in Britain and where it’s heading tomorrow. Enjoy
these sessions – we did!”
Paul Jones, BBC
"SDP's respect for early blues
heritage keeps traditional blues alive and kicking in a contemporary
context - long may he continue to do so"
Alan White, Earlyblues.com
RIP
Hubert Sumlin The legendary blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin passed away in
hospital in Wayne, New Jersey
of heart failure on Sunday, 4th December 2011. He was aged 80.
Chris James - acoustic guitars,
slide, vocals
also featuring ... Laurence Blackadder - double bass Steve Brookfield - hammond organ, piano, percussion, drums, bass
"Chris has played music for the last 30 years
in and around Carlisle. On the way, he has supported many of the finest
live acts around from John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Earl Thomas,
Nine Below Zero, The Hoax and The Nimmo Brothers to acoustic acts such
as Clive Gregson, Boo Hewardine, Kristina Olsen and Paul Jones. Chris
won through to the Final of the New Brunswick battle of the Blues in
April 2011 at the 100 Club in London. He is now becoming a regular
performer around the country".
Drawing inspiration from the great bluesmen of
the past such as Robert Johnston, Reverend Gary Davis and Big Bill
Broonzy, together with his warm, charismatic personality and laid back
manner, Chris delivers authentic, raw, acoustic instrumentals and songs
- an authentic Mississippi Delta sound with the voice to match.
Wonderful stuff!!
Fabulous new album from
the very talented Mumbo Jumbo:
Oliver Carpenter, vocals, trumpet, flugel horns & whistling Abbey Brant, vocals, piano and organ Chris Lomas, vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and ukelele
Taking elements from blues, bluegrass,
rockabilly, country and their own Brit folk heritage, wow, they
deliver!!
An excellent debut album of covers originating from the likes
of Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters.
Very impressive indeed!
Whilst BluesClub have only been in
existence for a few years, they have a love for the Blues of America
from the 1930's to 1970's with a set list that includes songs from
artists as varied as Leadbelly, Son House, Charley Patton, Slim Harpo,
Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker,
Taj Mahal and Canned Heat.
BluesClub and pedigree are: William Topley - Lead Vocal (The Blessing) Guy Fletcher - Keyboards & Steel Guitar (Mark Knopfler's right
hand man on all his projects since joining Dire Straits in 1983; has
toured with Pete Townshend) Robbie MacIntosh - Guitar (The Pretenders and Paul McCartney's
band) Peter Hope-Evans - Mouth Organ & Jews Harp (in 1968 formed the
group Medicine Head and has also toured with Pete Townshend) Alan Rogan - Fender Bass (the legendary guitar technician for The
Rolling Stones, Joe Walsh and Pete Townsend) Danny Cummings - Drums (Mark Knopfler's drummer, and has played
percussion with Dire Straits, George Michael, Simply Red, Daniel
Beddingfield and Bryan Adams amongst others)
'Widely regarded
as one of the finest guitarists of his generation - and the best
British-born blues guitarist since the iconic heroes of the '60s - Matt
Schofield has just released his new album recorded in New Orleans and
produced by multiple Grammy Award winner John Porter - another Brit
celebrated for his way with capturing the authentic sound of American
blues music'.
Matt Schofield: guitar & vocals Jonny Henderson: hammond B3 organ, bass keys & wurlitzer electric
piano Kevin Hayes: drums & percussion
Special guest: Jon Cleary: piano, wurlitzer & clavinet
Mississippi
Cadillac Blues Band
Stone Cold
MCBB are
'Mississippi homegrown blues with a rock 'n' roll feel', coming from
Oxford, Mississippi: Alex Ross: vocals, lead and rhythm guitar Bud Bays: rhythm guitar John Miller: bass guitar Will Hunt: drums Billy Earhart: piano, organ, wurlitzer
BOB DYLAN ENCYCLOPEDIA GREATEST HITS is an audio-book, featuring a broad
selection of entries chosen and read by Michael Gray from among the 850
entries in his vast & authoritative The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia,
published in paperback by Continuum International in London & New York
in 2008 (ISBN 978-0-8264-2974-2).
Michael Gray is a critic, writer & broadcaster recognised as a world
authority on the work of Bob Dylan.
His pioneering study Song & Dance Man, published in the 1972, was the
first full length critical study of Dylan’s work. A second, updated
edition was published in 1981. The massive third edition Song & Dance
Man III - including a 112-page study of Dylan’s use of the blues - was
published a fortnight before the end of the 20th Century (2000 in the
US). A seventh reprint was issued in 2008.
The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, won the International Association of Music
Libraries’ C.B. Oldman Prize for an outstanding work of reference and
research. Now Gray has hand picked and read a selection of entries to
create BOB DYLAN ENCYCLOPEDIA GREATEST HITS.
The readings on this new album span a wide range of Dylan topics, from
his birthplace in Minnesota to his great 21st Century work "Love and
Theft".
BOB DYLAN ENCYCLOPEDIA GREATEST HITS will be released by look at me
dance on CD on the 27th of April 2011 and as a digital download from
reputable retailers from the 7th April 2011 onwards.
'look at me dance' is an independent record label and publisher based in
North Yorkshire, UK.
"Reverend John Wilkins played guitar with O.V. Wright in the ’60s, as
well as performing in local churches, parties and clubs, very much in
the North Mississippi Hill Country country-blues style of his father
Reverend Robert Wilkins, whose 1930s version of “That’s No Way To Get
Along,” entitled “Prodigal Son,” was later covered by the Rolling
Stones. Since the early ’80s, Reverend John Wilkins has been pastor at
Hunter’s Chapel Church in Tate County, Mississippi. Past members of this
congregation include Fred McDowell and his wife Annie Mae, Other Turner
and Napolian Strickland".
You
Can’t Hurry God
sports a full bass-drums-guitar-Hammond lineup, with Reverend Wilkins’
daughters on backing vocals. Wonderful stuff. Available now from
Mississippi’s Big Legal Mess Records, an offshoot of Fat Possum Records.
Check it out here:
www.biglegalmessrecords.com/revwilkins.htm
Roadhouse
Dark Angel
Superb new album of mostly
self-penned numbers
- put it in your car's CD player and drive off into the sunset,
soaking in that pounding beat and singing
your heart out!
"Rather than try to
slavishly recreate the originals, aping Robert Johnson's playing and
singing, Hughes instead adheres to the feel of the music, while singing
in his own natural voice. It all works rather well too ....
Hughes is a gifted singer and guitarist in his own right, and has neatly
encapsulated the spirit of Robert Johnson, without ... selling his soul
to the devil in the process"
Gordon Baxter, Blues in Britain
The legendary Willie Dixon, master of the bass
.....
Bronte Blues Club - Blues in
Schools
Since the opening of Bronte
Blues Club in September 2007, an intrinsic part of their operation has
been the ‘Blues-in-Schools’ programme. Since then thousands of
children in local schools (mostly primary) have had their first taste of
live blues music.
Amongst the many artistes
playing for them in their schools have been Sherman Robertson, ‘Mojo’
Buford, Matt Schofield, Kyla Brox, Hamilton Loomis, Doug MacLeod, Ben
Waters and Harper.
We believe this to be the
biggest such programme in Europe.
Sad Songs & Tall Stories, the latest excellent
album from UK blues-based singer-songwriter Al Hughes is released on
Vaudioville Records on 6th December.
"Perceptive lyrics combine with skillful
guitar and bass to produce songs which are both thoughtful, and thought
provoking, with a healthy dose of 'twang' thrown in"
"Up there with the best of them" - Blues
in Britain
Al Hughes at the Skegness Rock &
Blues Festival 2009
"U.K.
film producer Bob Hewitt and his cameras are at it again with the new
DVD release of Leo Fender’s Telecaster: The Original Twang,
which documents the 60-year history of Fender’s first successful
electric guitar model.
Hewitt, a former Guitarist magazine contributor, and
director Michael Bayley Hughes continue the collaboration that created
acclaimed 2007 documentary Strat Masters, assembling a
stellar cast of Telecaster players and experts and filming on both sides
of the Atlantic. The film presents an all-encompassing look at the
guitar that has endured relatively unchanged for six decades, from
inauspicious late-1940s beginnings amid the orange groves of Fullerton,
Calif., to worldwide reverence as an indispensible stage and studio
mainstay.
The film’s interview subjects are certainly qualified to comment. Hewitt
and Hughes trained their cameras on a galaxy of Telecaster stars,
including Keith Richards, James Burton, Albert Lee, Jeff Beck, Steve
Cropper, Redd Volkaert, G.E. Smith, Jerry Donahue, Wilko Johnson, Buddy
Whittington, Richie Kotzen, Greg Koch, John 5 and others. The film
includes the last interview given by Knack leader Doug Fieger, who lost
his battle with cancer in February 2010, shortly after his interview
segment was filmed.
Original Twang also aims the spotlight at female
Telecaster aces. “This is the first guitar film to feature women
players,” Hughes said. “We’re thrilled to have Sue Foley, Deborah
Coleman, Viv Albertine and Chantel McGregor among our pantheon of rock
giants.” Other Telecaster experts appearing in Original
Twang include Seymour Duncan, guitar author/historians Tom
Wheeler and Richard Smith, and Norm Harris of Norm’s Rare Guitars in Los
Angeles. From the Fender corporation itself, interviews include senior
marketing vice president Richard McDonald and Abigail Ybarra, who has
worked for Fender since 1956 and is world famous for winding pickups.
“The making of this important documentary has been a real labor of love
over the past two years” Hewitt said. “It was great to talk with the
likes of Telecaster legends Steve Cropper, Keith Richards and Jeff
Beck—but really exciting to hear from the ‘new guys’ like John 5 and
Chantel McGregor. We listened to the people who bought Strat
Masters, and we have included more live performance in this
film. Anyone who loves the Fender brand like we do will certainly enjoy
this film.”
Hewitt and Hughes were given access to film in Fender’s Corona, Calif.,
factory and Custom Shop. They’ve also uncovered rarely seen footage of
the factory in the 1950s that was shot by Fender’s first plant manager,
Forrest White".
For a glimpse of 'Leo Fender’s Telecaster: The Original Twang',
watch this clip:
"Let There Be
More Light – the new single taken from his recently released
The Crave album was championed by
former Rolling Stone, keen gospeller
and
Petit collaborator
Mick Taylor.Stephen
Dale Petit says “It’s the most
gospel-centric song on an album which contains some distinctive gospel
overtones, harking back to the days when spiritual & blues songs were
often the same songs with different lyrical themes”.
“…an infectious revival of both ’40s
jump and ’50s to ’60s Chess-like styles from a band that lives inside
the music...”– Wall Street Journal
“No band
makes the old new againbetter than The Mannish Boys.”
– Blues Revue Magazine
“It is
both refreshing and encouraging to see a song selection that favors a
broad range of little-known gems respectfully presented by a deep stable
of talent.”
– Living Blues Magazine
"2010
heralds the passing of the five year anniversary mark of the birth of
Delta Groove Music.
Likewise, The Mannish
Boys, for whom the label was originally conceived, are
similarly celebrating five years of electrifying the blues for audiences
the world over. The fundamental concept of the band was simple; assemble
a group of like-minded musicians to capture the spirit and joy of this
timeless music, and reintroduce it for a whole new generation to
appreciate and discover. This project, which was only initially
envisioned as a one-time testimony to the power of the blues, has now
given way to a new institution privileged with the task of preserving
this music and presenting it as a vital, living, breathing entity".
"The
Mannish Boys
fifth album,
“Shake For Me” , carries forth the tradition
established by their very first effort, “That Represent Man,” by
presenting an inspired program of deep, lowdown blues supported by a
surprising and ever-revolving unit of world class musicians. Reprising
their all-star roles in the band are Finis Tasby, Bobby Jones, Kirk
Fletcher, Frank Goldwasser, and Randy Chortkoff, joined here by an
entirely new and outstanding rhythm section comprised of Willie J.
Campbell on bass (The James Harman Band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and
Jimi Bott on drums (Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, The Fabulous
Thunderbirds, Woodbrain)".
SPECIAL
GUESTS: Rod Piazza, Kid Ramos, Mitch Kashmar,
Nick Curran, Mike Zito, Arthur Adams, Johnny Dyers,
Lynwood Slim, Rob Rio, Fred Kaplan, Andy Kaulkin, &"Big Pete" van der Pluijm.
"Gwyn Ashton's Two-Man Blues Army is
Australia's most explosive indie, alternative, psychedelic blues and
rock power-duo. Featuring the award-winning guitarist Gwyn Ashton
and powerhouse drummer "Killer" Kev Hickman, this is alt. blues
shaped by the raw passion and commitment of the late Hound Dog
Taylor and infused by the adventurous spirit of The White Stripes".
"Wonderful Stuff! Good home cookin' - just like Mama used to bake 'em!"
Alan White - earlyblues.com
Lee Bates (vocal, guitar, slide guitar) and
Billy Newton (harp and dancing) are a blues duo based in the North
East of England but playing all over the UK. Billy is one of the
UK's finest harp players, whether it's playing in the style of Sonny
Terry, both Sonny Boy Williamsons or Little Walter, Snooky Prior or
George 'Harmonica' Smith, Billy gets the tone and the feel just
right. His style though is all his own, honed over countless years
gigging with the likes of Acme Blues and the Scandalous Bachelors.
Lee is one of the North East's finest slide guitar players belting
out tunes by Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell, Son House, Bukka White
etc. on his old National. He is equally happy with lighter ragtime
styles and at ease laying down fat old-school shuffles.
Together they lay down goodtime blues and boogie where ever they go!
See them with the
Hokum Hotshots
and Michael 'Fruit-lips' Watson
as the Last Gasp Spasm Band
on the Acoustic Stage at the
Colne Great
British R&B Festival 28th August 2009, then again as a duo
on 29th August. Not to be missed!
Ruby
Turner
I'm Travelling On
Ruby's new
gospel album: "getting down-to-the-bone and back to the roots of her
early days in the Pentecostal Church".