I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live , from Zac Harmon & The Drive and it's super! Opening with soulful, NTRO , Nate Robinson on bass and Gino Iglehart on drums set a solid foundation, with Corey Lacy building on keys and lush guitar work by Zac Harmon and Kingston Livingston really setting the bar. Terrific opener. Blue Pill Thrill has super movement and soulful vocals by Harmon. Lacy on keys works the rhythm with Robinson and Iglehart and Livingston and and Harmon play stinging riffs on guitar really giving this track some kick. Deep blues track, Feet Back On The Ground features Albert King like stinging riffs and super soulful vocals by Harmon. Keeping the music floor low allows Harmon plenty of space to go dynamically from soft to wow quickly adding real emotion to the track. Excellent! Boogie Down is a strong jam with a firm piano base by Lacy giving Harmon plenty of headroom for vocal corralling. Lacy lays in some real tasty keyboar...
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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Grit Grease & Tears from Deb Ryder and it's quite good. Opening with Ain't Gonna Be Easy, a smooth driving jazz track, Ryder steps up big time on lead vocals backed by Tony Braunagel on drums, Ric Ryder on bass and the great Mike Finnegan on Hammond. Johnny Lee Schell is wicked on guitar with some really hot riffs and the horn section, Joe Sublett on sax and Darrell Leonard on trumpet really top it off. Get A Little Steam Up is a cool high stepper with Ryder sharing lead vocals with Sugarray Rayford. This track has a great groove and Kirk Fletcher and Johnny Lee Schell sharing guitar lead. Very nice. Boogie rocker, Blink Of An Eye, features some real nice slide work by Schell and heavy drum riffs by Braunagel. Title track, Grit Grease & Tears is a lumbering soul rocker with especially warm harp work by Bob Corritore and a simple, solid drum work from Braunagel. R&B track, Sweet Mary Anne, is a solid radio track with warm backing vocals by Schell, Ryder, Leslie Smith and Finnigan. Sublett and Leonard give the track just the right touch of horns paired with Finnigan's keyboard to balance Ryder's vocal lead. Fletcher and Schell set a nice platform on blues number, Lord Knows I Do, with T-Bone Walker style and Finnigan's mastery nicely highlights Ryder's vocals. One of my favorite tracks on the release. With a bit of JG Watson like style, Panic Mode gets the funk on. Fletcher blasts a rel nice solo with Finnigan, Leonard and Sublett juicing it up and solid male backing vocals by Finnigan. Little Feat style sets the pace for Just Her Nature. Kenny Gradney's bass work and Braunagel's drum work really anchor this one. Albert Lee's shows real finesse on guitar and Ryder's vocals are super. Very nice. New Mechanic (Patrick's Blues) has a real hard boogie bass line courtesy Ric and Pieter Van Der Pluijm works it with Finnigan, Schell and Fletcher to set a great blues stage in this solid boogie. Prisoner of War is another hot boogie ... like a hot update of Hip Shake or ZZ Top's La Grange. Yes, this thing smokes with Van Der Pluijm on harp, Braunagel on drums, Ric on bass, Finnigan on keys and Schell on guitar. Excellent! Wrapping the release is easy paced Chicago style blues number, Right Side Of The Grass. With it's super walking bass line by Ric, tight drums by Braunagel, energetic organ work by Finnigan, and Deb's grinding vocals, with a dash of harp by Corritore and a few hot riffs by Schell and Fletcher, this track is a great closer for a really nice release.
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Lucille Bogan (April 1, 1897 – August 10, 1948) was an American blues singer, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson . The sexologist and music critic, Ernest Borneman , stated that Bogan along with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith , was in "the big three of the blues". She was born Lucille Anderson in Amory, Mississippi , United States, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama . In 1916, she married Nazareth Lee Bogan , a railwayman, and gave birth to a son. She first recorded vaudeville songs for Okeh Records in New York in 1923, with pianist Henry Callens . Later that year she recorded " Pawn Shop Blues " in Atlanta, Georgia , which was the first time a black blues singer had been recorded outside New York or Chicago. In 1927 she began recording for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin , where she recorded her first big success, " Sweet Petunia ", which was covered by Blind Blake . She also recorded for Brunswick...
Charles LoBue was one of the fathers of the custom electric guitar business. Charles came to the industry after taking classes from Michael Gurian, first working in and around the guitar repair business in NYC in the mid 60's. Charles' interest in the business began by doing basic repairs on factory made guitars. These were primarily made by Gibson and Fender, the "Gold Standard" for electric guitars, as well as any guitar including acoustics which came through the door. As a professional player in the U.S. in the 60's, Gibson and Fender were the most likely choices if you wanted an electric guitar. It is well known that the Brits used European made guitars as well, primarily due to their accessibility. By the mid late 60's both companies had been sold to larger corporations which were not primarily in the guitar business. The basic perception even today is that the guitars made by these companies during this period were inferior in quality and also l...
It is with great sadness to report that J. Blackfoot (born John Colbert , November 20, 1946) died today, November 30, 2011 at Methodist Germantown Hospital near Memphis, TN. We will keep you abreast of service information as we receive it. J. Blackfoot will truly be missed. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I will not relay senseless nonsense. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here
Deb Ryder is a force of nature..
ReplyDeleteI love everything she does...
Tommy Marsh