Welcome to BluesRow

… from Lightnin’ Hopkins!

Personally, I don’t know of any better way to learn how to play than to watch the masters at work. This B&W clip from the 60’s (judging from the age of Joan Baez, who is sitting next to Hopkins, and who gets lots of face time in this video). Anyway, Hopkins does his rendition of “Let’s Pull a Party”. Check it out here.

That’s the name of new book/CD combination released by blues historian Paul Oliver. This review by Richard Marcus has really whet my appetite for reading/listening to this collection. It’s the story of blues music and how it spread in the segregation era.

Fascinating review. I found the explanation for the blues influence on British pop music predating American pop really interesting. I know this one’s on my Christmas list!

Shemekia holds forth on her new Sirius radio show, the state of mainstream radio, what it was like growing up in “a blues household”, and carrying the torch for tough mama blues singers everywhere. Right here.

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.

If you’ve ever wondered what the killing floor is, how you can dust a broom, why you would need to get your ashes hauled, or how precisely you get your mojo workin’, this book is for you. Its full title is The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu, by Debra DeSalvo.

Lots of the phrases actually go back beyond southern plantations all the way to African folklore. And you might be surprised at some of the meanings. For instance, the “killing floor” has nothing to do with the slaughterhouses in Chicago. It’s about Howlin’ Wolf’s wife going after him with a shotgun! Read about it here.

It felt like Mississippi in Central PA, and I mean that in the best way possible. My friend Jim Phipps invited me to a jam put on by the Central PA Blues Society on Thursday.  I had gone to one other jam with Jim a couple of months ago and actually ended up performing.  I survived that and thought, “Hey, let’s try another.”

The venue was the 40 et 8 Club outside of Harrisburg, a private club.  I didn’t even know private clubs existed anymore!  It was a one-story building with a side porch.  We pulled into the parking lot (really just some gravel and grass) and saw it was packed with cars.  People spilled out from the club onto the porch, and you could hear (or feel) the blues groove from outside.  Shouldering our way in, which was the only way to get in, we found a loud, crowded, smoky blues club.  All kinds of people were there — old, young, black, white…   But everybody enjoying the music and each other.  Man, I felt like I had stumbled into a Mississippi juke joint!

Jim introduced me to George Bressler, the president of the CPBS, and I asked him where to sign up.  George, a real nice guy and a gentleman, indicated the clipboard up front.  Actually, I was asking where to sign up for the CPBS, and he thought I meant where to sign up for the jam.  So I signed up and then realized that I had just signed up to jam later.  Well, I had brought my guitar, but…  After about an hour of listening to the other musicians, I was ready to take my name off the list!  If you’ve even been an amateur among pros, you know the feeling!

One guitarist who absolutely smoked was Don Johnson.  He did a great set of blues and soul and totally ripped on his solos.  And he was a good vocalist as well, with a real soulful delivery.

I loved the atmosphere (except for the smoke) and was astonished to find so many blues fans out on a Thursday night.  So for those who think the blues is dead or dying, if you live in the Harrisburg area, come on out on a Thursday night!  It’s very much alive and definitely kicking.

Oh, and we had to leave before my set came up. *whew*  Maybe next time…

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!

A very personal recollection of the life and music of Otis Rush by a blog critic who goes by the name of DJRadioHead.  If you want an introduction to the music of one of the great blues guitarists, as well as some strong opinions on what to buy and what not to buy, this is a great place to start.

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!

EC will finish his world tour on August 3 in Moscow with his full band (including Derek Trucks).  Backing up will be the Robert Cray Band.  Sounds historic!  And it’s on my birthday; maybe someone will get me tickets.  Read about it here.

The Maxwell Street bluesman was shot in an armed robbery March 22, and is now paralyzed from the waist down.  It’s a severe blow for a piano player known for moving with the music.  He’s keeping his spirits up and hopes to be in a wheelchair and playing by the summer.  Read the Chicago Tribune article here.

The ever-modest BB King says in this interview that he considers Clapton better than him as a blues guitarist, and the best rock guitarist ever. This should launch a firestorm of controversy among blues guitar aficianados.

My take? Listen to the CD “Riding with the King”, which features both BB and EC. I’ll take 2 of BB’s notes over any 50 of EC’s. And I say that as a Clapton fan. BB’s stuff can stab you right through the heart. Clapton might be able to play rings around him, but I don’t think he’s got a quarter of the “juice” that BB’s got.

A true classic by a truly classic singer. You can see the video at the colorfully named blog “Squeezemylemon“. Blues or Zep fans will get it. Everyone else, just use your imagination…

They’re appearing in Fairless Hills, PA, Sunday, May 7. This article from www.allaboutjazz is a great review of their work and a helpful introduction if you’re not familiar with their music.

This press release announces almost $200,000 in grants to organizations and museums who have programs to keep the blues alive.

Interestingly, most of this money is from the proceeds from the film “Lightning in a Bottle”, a documentary on a concert at Radio City Music Hall celebrating the blues.  It has some great performances, though some of the performers are head-scratchers (David Johanssen?  Chuck D?).