The Mannish Boys win the award for TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR

	The Mannish Boys win the award for TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR at the 34th Annual BLUES MUSIC AWARDS in Memphis, TN. ELVIN BISHOP JACKIE PAYNE MIKE FINNIGAN JUNIOR WATSON FRED KAPLAN ROB RIO ADRIANNA MARIE BILL STUVE CYNTHIA MANLEY BOBBY TSUKAMOTO MIKE TEMPO From Randy Chortkoff (CEO/PRODUCER of Delta Groove Music and band leader of THE MANNISH BOYS) Hey There Music Lovers and Blues Fans, I am very pleased and honored that The Mannish Boys were nominated and won the "Traditional Blues Album of the Year" for their 2012 release "Double Dynamite". The Mannish Boys have received 12 nominations over the past 7 years for "Band of the year" "Album of the year" and "Traditional Blues Album of the Year" but have never taken home an actual win. My feeling has always been that the nomination alone was something to be very proud of being that the nominating committee are basically our peers and represent not only blues fans but individuals that are proactive members of the Music/Blues community. At the Awards last week during our performance the director stopped us after the first of our allotted three songs to say that they were interrupting our performance to give out an award. Little did I know that the award was for Best Traditional Blues Album and that it would be presented by one of Delta/Eclecto Groove's favorite recording artists, Ana Popovic. From where I was standing on stage I could barely hear what the award was for or who won. It was our drummer and bass player Jimi Bott and Willie J Campbell who yelled out to me "We won!" I was so shocked that when I received the award I didn't even have the presence of mind to say anything other than "thank you" and dedicate the win to Finis Tasby and Kid Ramos who are both going through challenging health issues. I also made some lame comment about how beautiful Ana looked! Jimi, Willie, Sugaray Rayford and Franck Goldwasser should have been at the podium taking that trophy alongside me. There were so many others to thank as well… So, I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to all of the musicians and individuals that contributed to the success of this fine double CD. For those of you that may not be aware, "Double Dynamite" contains 26 songs and was recorded in it's entirety over the course of only 4 days! Besides the core band of Finis Tasby, Sugaray Rayford, Kirk Fletcher, Franck Goldwasser, Jimi Bott, Willie J Campbell and myself, there was 24 musicians making the total musical contribution a grand total of 31 musicians! I would like to thank The Mannish Boys, Mud Morganfield, Jackie Payne, James Harman, Mike Finnigan, Rod Piazza, Bob Corritore, Jason Ricci, Elvin Bishop, Kid Ramos, Junior Watson, Nathan James, Fred Kaplan, Rob Rio, Rich Wenzel, Bill Stuve, Bobby Tsukamoto, David "Woody" Woodford, Lee Thornburg, Mike Tempo, Cynthia Manley, Jessica Williams, Adrianna Marie, Clifton Curtis and Larry Dopson. This album would not have been possible without my Co-Producer and right-hand man Jeffery Scott Fleenor (background vocal and hand claps!), David Z (mixing), Ryan Foster (Mastering) and especially Rich Wenzel for Engineering as well as providing his great recording studio "Ardent Audio Productions". I would also like to thank Al Blake for his personal encouragement and his harmonica mentoring, Steve Savage for Elvin Bishop's technical assistance, Scott Dirks for liner notes, Grant Cihlar for photography, Joshua Temkin for photography, artwork and design, Melody Gonzalez for project coordination, Art Wade for Barbeque and the Delta Groove staff: Joshua Temkin, Steve Dixon, Tammie Barnum and Malcolm Wiseman. Wow, I'm exhausted! Of course I would be remised if I didn't thank the nominating committee and the true Blues fans who voted for us. The Mannish Boys are dedicated to keeping the essence of traditional Blues fresh and alive. Sincerely, Randy Chortkoff (CEO/PRODUCER of Delta Groove Music and band leader of THE MANNISH BOYS) MUD MORGANFIELD JASON RICCI ROD PIAZZA KID RAMOS JAMES HARMAN BOB CORRITORE NATHAN JAMES RICH WENZEL JESSICA WILLIAMS LEE THORNBURG DAVID Z WWW.DELTAGROOVEMUSIC.COM

Vizztone Label Group: Ruff Kutt Blues Band - That's When The Blues Begins - New Release Review

I just received the newest Ruff Kutt recording, That's When The Blues Begins, and I'm betting you're going to love it! Opening with Deep Elam Blues, Ruff Kutt wastes absolutely no time in getting gritty. Finis Tasby takes the lead on vocals and Zac Harmon and Anson Funderburgh the lead on guitar. The guitar working is stinging and Sax player Ron Jones really beefs up the bottom. Blues In My Blood with a strong funky back beat is up next featuring stinging guitar guitar work throughout. Don't It Make You Cry, a New Orleans soul influenced track gives Jones a great opportunity to play a super melodic solo. Oh Woman!, another strongly soul influenced track features some super vocals by Tasby and Jones pours on the heat on sax. Zac Harmon takes the lead vocals on Down So Low, a loping Texas style blues track with a healthy dose of slick guitar riffs. On Bare Foot Blues, Tasby returns to the mic and the band plays a swing style blues track. Wes Starr keeps things tight on drums and Gentleman John Street rides the keys. Funderburgh plays some really nice riffs on this track. The Blues Ain't A Color is a real clever track and a real swinger. Background vocals by Steven Richardson really give depth to an already rich lead vocal by Harmon. This track has some particularly hot guitar riffs on it as well. That's When The Blues Begins has a deep blues feel which takes strong depth from gospel styling. Vocal blending on this track is particularly strong and allows a nice spacing for really articulate guitar playing. I'm Over You Woman has a Albert King kind of sound again featuring Harmon on vocals. Going To Bluesville has a solid R&B strut. Funderburgh nicely punctuates Harmon's vocals with his guitar together with the band creating one of the most swinging tracks on the release. Let's Dance has a real nice groove and super horn work creating a super blues base. Tasby, back on vocals really delivers the goods on this track and Funderburgh plays a really relaxed but concise solo on this track making for a really cool track. On the finale, When A Bluesman Goes To Heaven, Harmon delivers a great punch on vocals and Funderburgh is right there dotting the i's. A guitar duet ensues on this track and the players nicely compliment each other. This a a really cool release and one that allows a number of really talented players to work together on a special project. I really like this release and I suspect that new fans will be made for the individual players as well as for Ruff Kutt!  

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Deep Texas Blues - Ruff Kutt Blues Band - FREE TRACK

BRAND NEW FROM THE VIZZTONE LABEL GROUP Ruff Kutt Blues Band That's When The Blues Begins free track download & listening party! Click HERE to get a free download and a special offer, and to hear the whole album! Deep Texas Blues featuring Zac Harmon, Finis Tasby, and Anson Funderburgh Texan James Goode describes himself as an “old rascal and beat-up coach," but this Rockabilly Hall-Of-Fame inductee, songwriter, bass player, and creator of the Ruff Kutt Blues Band certainly knows how to field one hell of a Blues team.  THAT’S WHEN THE BLUES BEGINS features fourteen songs written or co-written by Goode, performed by world class Bluesmen including vocalist/guitarist Zac Harmon, vocalist Finis Tasby, and producer/guitarist Anson Funderburgh.    The first Ruff Kutt Blues Band album, Mill Block Blues (2011), garnered critical raves and was so successful that Goode was able to donate $10,000 of proceeds to the Blues Foundation’s HART Fund, providing relief to Blues musicians in need.  When he decided to do a follow up, it went without saying that the first call would go out to Texas Blues guitar hero Anson Funderburgh, who anchored the first CD.  Anson was quick to sign on to produce the new CD, and soon they brought in internationally acclaimed Blues heavyweights Zac Harmon and Finis Tasby to form the nucleus of the team for THAT’S WHEN THE BLUES BEGINS. Rounding things out are Wes Starr on drums, Ron Jones on saxophone, and keyboardist/engineer Gentleman John Street. This all-star aggregation hits a deep Blues groove and delivers Goode’s songs with the assured, relaxed intensity of seasoned pros.  Sadly, these sessions are the last recordings Finis Tasby completed before suffering a debilitating stroke in December, 2012.  His many friends and fans have been sending prayers, support, and their hopes for his recovery. Zac Harmon, James Goode, Finis Tasby, Anson Funderburgh TRACKS: 01.  Deep Elam Blues 02.  Blues In My Blood 03.  Don’t It Make You Cry 04.  Oh Woman 05.  Down So Low 06.  Bare Foot Blues 07.  Blues Ain’t A Color 08.  That’s When The Blues Begins 09.  That Woman Gives Me Fever 10.  I’m Over You Woman 11.  Going To Bluesville 12.  Touched By Her Flame 13.  Let’s Dance 14.  When A Bluesman Goes To Heaven "The triple-threat of Harmon, Tasby and Funderburgh chase the blues away with an ease that belies their total artistic command."  — Dave Rubin CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE TRACK, HEAR THE WHOLE CD, AND GET A SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFER

Boarder Town Blues - Mannish Boys feat. Finis Tasby

The Mannish Boys are a blues band based in Los Angeles, California. They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles.

Led by vocalist Finis Tasby, the band consists of all-star veteran members of the West Coast blues scene. The band debuted from Delta Groove Productions in 2004 with the album That Represent Man. The members on the debut CD were Finis Tasby (vocals), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), Franck Goldwasser (guitar), Leon Blue (piano), Ronnie James Weber (bass) and June Core (drums). The CD featured guests including Roy Gaines, Paul Oscher, and Mickey Champion. They have been making appearances at festivals in the U.S., Canada, and also in Europe.

It may be best to consider this band to be a loose session project as the lineup changes from recordings to recordings and also from shows to shows. Bobby Jones, a blues and soul vocalist from Chicago came on board as a special guest on Big Plans (2007), and became an official member soon after.

The Mannish Boys Lowdown Feeling was nominated in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for 'Blues Album of the Year'.
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