Welcome to BluesRow

A great, long article on the eve of the release of his first album in five years, Dirty Deal. Coco talks about how he broke into the music biz (by accident), his long and important relationship with Albert Collins, leaving the music biz and getting back into it with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and finally striking out on his own. If you’re interested in the story of one of the great “second generation” bluesmen, set some time aside and read this. From the Modern Guitars website.

Here’s the list of all the nominees. Awards to be given May 10 in Memphis. No big surprises, but it’s fun to read the list.

Joe discusses life on the road (hard on relationships), how lucky he feels (very), how much he’s willing to compromise to get a radio hit (nothing), and the deep meanings of his lyrics (not very). From a musician who works hard and will do it his way. Read it here.

I’ve added a question mark to the title because the guitar has not been independently verified yet. But momentsintime.com says it has the Gibson L1 and is setting the price at about $6,000,000. Yup, that’s six zeroes.

If you’re a blues collector, this is the Holy Grail. So if you have a few mil lying around, you owe it to yourself to check it out. The rest of us can look at the picture. Read about it here.

Yes, you read that right. The guys who did “Over Under Sideways Down”, “For Your Love”, “Heart Full of Soul”, and “Shapes of Things to Come”. The same band that had three lead guitarists who later went on to a measure of success, named Clapton, Page, and Beck. This current incarnation has two of the original band, and this interview is a fascinating look at rock history. They’re very clear on their blues influences, too. Who knew?

And it’s been run by the family of Jimmy (Duck) Holmes, the last person living who can play the real Bentonia blues, an acoustic blues native to Bentonia, Mississippi. Holmes studied the blues under Skip James and doesn’t want to see this style of blues die out with him. Catch it while you can, as it looks like the Blue Front Cafe is going to be added to the Mississippi Blues Trail. You can read about it here.

Castro and his band played in Long’s Park here in Lancaster, PA last night. Sorry to say I wasn’t there, though my son was. I got scared off by the rain! Anyway, a good article here.

BB granted an exclusive interview to the Associated Press last week. The highlights are here in the South Mississippi Sun-Herald.  Here’s one of my favorites, on swearing on stage: “I’ve got great-grandchildren. I wouldn’t be happy if you were saying
all the swear words around my great-grandchild, boy or girl, so why
should I say it in front of yours?”

Lots more where that came from.

Any reader of this blog knows what a huge Shorty fan I am. The Man himself is playing tonight at the Bradforville Blues Club. While I won’t be able to make the trip, and you may not either, you can read this article/interview from the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. And the other good news is that he’s recording an album this summer for Alligator!

At Mississipppi Valley State College, BB King led his annual workshop on the blues, given to musicians young and old. Where do you sign up? Read about it here.

Went to The Underdogs Cafe in Harrisburg on Friday night for Harpapalooza 2, put on by the Central PA Blues Society.  It was a great idea: get several of the best harp players in the area together, put on a kickin’ show, and raise money for juvenile diabetes along the way. From my perspective, it was a success all the way around.

Hosted by Nate Myers and the Aces (who also served as the house band), and supported by a rowdy and enthusiastic elbow-to-elbow crowd, the evening was a total mainline injection of the blues. I worked my way to the front and got to sit in an actual chair next to the PA rack. One thing I can say is that there’s nothing better than feeling the floor thump underneath you as the band goes through the changes. It’s that live vibe that’s so hard to capture on disc.

We heard Ronny Ray (of the Coolers), Little Freddie from Blind Joe Death, Flatfoot Sam, Mike “Fathead” Easton (from the Krypton City Blues Revue), Mike Mettalia (from Midnight Shift), and Andy “Badmouth” Barnhart, and of course, Nate Myers. Nate is a great frontman as well as a great harp player.

I’m a guitar fan more than a harp fan, but I went at the invitation of my bud Jim Phipps from Blue Light Special, who is a pretty mean harp player himself. He helped me gain more of an appreciation of the instrument as we compared tone and technique of the players.

Got to say that the one who really blew me away was Flatfoot Sam. While he may not be the most technically amazing harp player, he has a GREAT stage presence and vocal style, and led the Aces like they were his band.  Some great jump blues in the set!

Thanks to Nate and the Aces and the CPBS for putting on a great show!

Interesting article on Mac Arnold, who played bass for Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, and John Lee Hooker back in the day. Nowadays he’s a farmer in South Carolina and has his band called Plate Full o Blues. Makes me want to head south and hear his stuff. Described as Piedmont-meets-Delta with a healthy dose of Chicago. Oh yeah!

You can read more about the evening here.  But here are the winners.

Acoustic Album of the Year - Down In The Delta - Paul Oscher

Acoustic Artist of the Year - Paul Oscher

Album of the Year - Think of Me - Little Milton

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year - Buddy Guy

Band of the Year - Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers

Best New Artist Debut - Zac Harmon - The Blues According to Zacariah

Comeback Album of the Year - Black Coffee - Al Kooper

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year - Fever For The Bayou - Tab Benoit

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year - Janiva Magness

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year - Kim Wilson

Historical Album of the Year - Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess
Recordings, Volume 2, 1952-1958 - Muddy Waters, (Chess/Hip-O Select)

Instrumentalist-Bass - Mookie Brill

Instrumentalist-Drums - Willie “Big Eyes” Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar - Hubert Sumlin

Instrumentalist-Harmonica - Charlie Musselwhite

Instrumentalist-Horn - Eddie Shaw

Instrumentalist-Other - Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown - Fiddle

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year - Marcia Ball

Song of the Year - “Think Of Me”, written by Jon Tiven, Milton
Campbell, Pete Shoulder, performed by Little Milton, Think Of Me Soul
Blues Album of the Year - Think of Me - Little Milton

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year - Mavis Staples

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year - Little Milton

Traditional Album of the Year - About Them Shoes - Hubert Sumlin

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year - Etta James

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year - B.B. King

Though they’re sometimes called a blues band, the Black Keys will admit they’re not. But they do have some roots in the blues and are big fans of a lot of Mississippi blues cats. Now that they are leaving the Fat Possum label, they’re releasing one last EP, 6 songs of Junior’s. Done in their inimitable psycho-fuzz style, it should be a treat for fans of both the Keys and electric delta blues. Read about it here.

Great article here from a Mississippi newspaper on the state of the blues in the state of Mississippi. It’s actually doing better in that state than most places, due to all the museums and festivals. And yet it’s not mainstream popular and hasn’t been for the last 40 years or so. But it’s an interesting and inspiring read.

OK, now this is my dream vacation. This cruise departs every January from Ft. Lauderdale. and hits ports in Mexico and the Caribbean. Along with the cruise, the food, the beautiful ports, you get wall-to-wall music.

Here’s a list of some of the performers: Taj Mahal, Bobby Blue Bland, Buckwheat Zydeco, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolis, Tab Benoit, Jimmy Thackery, Ana Popovic, and John Hammond. That’s some of the performers!

Someday….. In the meantime, check out these great photos of the cruise.

Craig Brewer, director of the movie Hustle and Flow, is now recording the music for his next film Black Snake Moan.  Artists include Charlie Musselwhite, Jim Dickinson and his sons Cody and Luther (from Mississippi All-Stars).  Christina Ricci stars in the film; she plays a young woman whose life is transformed by blues music.  Sounds interesting!

From Modern Guitars Magazine. The interview ranges from his history (opening for BB King when he was 11) to his guitar heroes (Rory Gallagher, Jimi, Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, and others) to his gear (Budda, Marshall and Dumble amps, for one). He also gives his opinions on the state of the blues today. If you’re a fan of one of the best blues rockers out there today (and I am), you’ll enjoy this interview.

An “overnight sensation” at age 57, with a resume as checkered as a chess board, Watermelon Slim is starting to attract a lot of attention.

This article from the Toronto Star gives details from a recent performance there, and has a fascinating interview with Slim. This guy has been “around the block”, as they say, and his own brand of southern and delta blues is getting some serious listening from blues fans.

Check it out here. All the performance schedules, a history of the festival, and lots more. See you there!