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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!
Please email me at Info@Bmansbluesreport.com
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Supersonic Blues Machine Return with CALIFORNISOUL on October 20 - Featuring Special Guests Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather, Eric Gales, Walter Trout and Robben Ford
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Jeff Beck Plays Screaming Slide on an Oil Can Guitar

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Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Texas '51 Records artist: Van Wilks - 21st Century Blues - New Release Review

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
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Monday, August 10, 2015
Silvertone/RCA Records artist: Buddy Guy - Born To Play Guitar - New Release Review

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Garbage Man Blues - Buddy Guy & Billy Gibbons
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
All-Star Cast of Musicians Joins Les Paul Trio Guitarist Lou Pallo on Special CD/DVD Tribute to the Guitar Master, "Thank You Les"
An All-Star Cast of Musicians Joins Les Paul Trio Guitarist Lou Pallo on Special CD/DVD Tribute to the Guitar Master, Thank You Les
Special Guests Include Keith Richards, Steve Miller,
Billy F Gibbons, Jose Feliciano, Slash, Bucky Pizzarelli, Nokie Edwards, Melinda Doolittle plus More Notables and Members of the Les Paul Trio
DOVER, NJ – An amazing array of all-star musicians join guitarist Lou Pallo in paying tribute to the legendary Les Paul with the September 11 release of a unique CD/DVD titled Thank You Les, produced by Showplace Music Productions in Dover, NJ, and distributed in the U.S. and Canada by the Allegro Corporation. The exciting new release plays as a love letter to the iconic guitar player and recording innovator from these artists who were influenced and inspired by his artistry and innovation. The music covers styles ranging from pop and jazz, to country, rock and blues. The guest artists include guitarists Keith Richards, Billy F Gibbons, Steve Miller (who also penned the package’s liner notes), Jose Feliciano, Slash, Johnny A, Bucky Pizzarelli, Arlen Roth, Nokie Edwards (The Ventures), Frank Vignola, Bob Leive, Tommy Doyle and Jon Paris, as well as singers Eddie Brigati, Jr. (The Young Rascals) Blondie Chaplin (Rolling Stones), Nicki Parrott (Les Paul Trio), Lexie Roth, Melinda Doolittle (finalist on “American Idol” season six) and members of the Les Paul Trio.
The 21 tracks of pure guitar bliss on Thank You Les, including many of Paul’s personal favorites plus others from the great American music songbook, were recorded organically on analog tape by Ben Elliott, Chief Engineer at Showplace Recording Studios. Thank You Les will be available as an individual CD and DVD, as well as in a combo package including both discs. The DVD documentary is a full-length, fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album, and is loaded with interviews, rare photos, musical performances and bonus features.
The musical thread that runs throughout the CD and the DVD film documentary is the relationship between Les Paul and his long-time friend and rhythm guitarist, New Jersey-based Lou Pallo, who many credit with helping Les Paul revitalize his career as a live performer after they first met in 1963 and soon after began performing together. It was Pallo who stood on stage with Les for his extended run of weekly performances in New York City starting in 1984, first at Fat Tuesday’s in Greenwich Village for 10 years, and later at the Iridium on Broadway, which became the “hot ticket” destination for not only thousands of music fans, but also for any musician in town who wanted to tip their hat and worship at “The House that Les Paul Built.”
“Les was my guitar idol and I was honored to work beside him and call him my friend for so many years,” says Lou Pallo. “This tribute allows Les’ musicianship and sense of humor to take center stage giving everyone the opportunity to experience the Les Paul we knew well and the music he adored.”
In his loving remembrance of Les Paul in the package’s liner notes, guitar great Steve Miller fondly recalls not only Les Paul the musician, but also the family friend (Les was Miller’s Godfather) who spent part of his honeymoon with Mary Ford visiting at the Miller family’s house in Wisconsin. “Even after becoming one of the most influential musicians and inventors of the 20th century, Les Paul always had time for everyone from Tony Bennett to Johnny Rotten and anyone in between,” writes Miller. “He never judged you by how you looked or what kind of music you played, but by your character and your commitment to music. It’s a tribute to the kind of human being Les was that he was always willing to share his spotlight with any musician brave enough to come forward to say hello.”
“So, this album is a tribute to Les Paul, truly one of the most enjoyable and creative musicians to ever live. He was a modest man who always gave more than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s a heartfelt thank you from just a few of his many friends for his wonderful music, inspiration and friendship.”
Plans are in the works to celebrate Thank You Les with a CD/DVD release show in New York City featuring Lou Pallo and special guests. To view a trailer from the Thank You Les DVD: http://www.thankyoules.com/index.php/component/allvideoshare/video/highlight-reel For more information, visit www.thankyoules.com
Thank You Les – Partial Recording Credits
1) Avalon – featuring Frank Vignola – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
2) Mr. Day/Tell Me What's the Reason – featuring Steve Miller - guitar and vocal;
Lou Pallo - guitar
3) Caravan – featuring Nokie Edwards – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
4) Tennessee Waltz – featuring Lou Pallo – guitar; Nicki Parrott - bass and vocals
5) September Song – featuring Billy F Gibbons – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
6) It's Been a Long, Long Time – featuring Keith Richards - guitar and vocal; Lou Pallo - guitar and vocal
7) I'm Confessin' That I Love You – featuring Eddie Brigati, Jr. – vocal; Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
8) Mister Sandman – featuring Arlen Roth – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
9) Bésame Mucho – featuring José Feliciano - guitar, vocal, congas, shaker; Lou Pallo - guitar
10) Brazil – featuring Frank Vignola – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
11) Vaya Con Dios – featuring Lexie Roth – vocals; Arlen Roth – guitar; Frank Vignola – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
12) Deep in the Blues – featuring Slash – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
13) Nature Boy – featuring Steve Miller – vocal; Lou Pallo - guitar
14) Memories of You – featuring Tommy Doyle – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
15) Smile – featuring Blondie Chaplin – vocal; Lou Pallo - guitar
16) Carioca – featuring Frank Vignola – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
17) Just One More Chance – featuring Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
18) St. Louis Blues – featuring Jon Paris - vocal, slide guitar, harmonica; Lou Pallo - guitar
19) Sweet Georgia Brown – featuring Johnny A – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
20) Out of Nowhere – featuring Nokie Edwards – guitar; Lou Pallo - guitar
21) Over the Rainbow – featuring Melinda Doolittle – vocal; Lou Pallo – guitar
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Deep Ellum Blues - Blackberry Smoke with Billy Gibbons

You can call Blackberry Smoke’s music southern rock and you wouldn’t be wrong. Or you could call it country and you wouldn’t be wrong, either. But you would be selling both the band and its legion of fans short by trying to fit them solely into one genre. With influences that run the gamut from country to bluegrass to metal to gospel and yes, southern rock, Blackberry Smoke is more than the sum of its diverse parts.
“None of us have ever said, ‘Let’s be a southern rock band or a bluegrass band or a country band’,” Blackberry Smoke front man Charlie Starr explains. “We all love the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Stones and the Faces and Hank Williams and Bill Monroe. It’s not about what kind of music it is, as long as it’s good and it’s honest. When we get together it just sounds the way it does.”
The group, which is made up of Starr, sibling rhythm section Richard and Brit Turner (bass and drums, respectively) and guitarist Paul Jackson, formed in 2000 and quickly made an impact. Thanks to individual and shared reputations for entertaining, the foursome hit the road hard. “We had gigs right away,” says Richard, who with Brit had been in a popular Atlanta band that opened for national touring acts.
One of the fledgling group’s early supporters was Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl, who invited the group to tour with his band. “He’d heard a demo and thought it was fantastic,” remembers Charlie. “It was trial by fire. We played every scary dive between here and there… and a few real nice ones, too. From that tour we made relationships with club owners, promoters and DJs that we still have today,” says Charlie.
Touring soon became a way of life for the band. Among the many acts the group has shared the stage with are ZZ Top, Montgomery Gentry, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker Band and Cross Canadian Ragweed.
While the group has deep southern roots—Starr is from Alabama, the Turners are from Georgia and Jackson hails from Florida—it first found success north of the Mason Dixon line. “We got big in Wisconsin and Michigan and worked our way back to Georgia,” Brit says with a smile.
Not only did the band mesh when it came to touring, they also clicked when it came to musical aspirations. “We had an unspoken vision of what the band should sound like,” Charlie says. Paul agrees, “Everybody brings something to the table.”
The group found inspiration in some of the greatest bands of all time. “The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin would make records with great rockin’ songs and also some honky tonk country and blues,” explains Charlie. As such, diversity is important to Blackberry Smoke. “It makes it more enjoyable for the listener than staying in a little narrow hallway,” Brit says. “And for the players, too.”
Good music is good music, the band believes, no matter the style. “There are moments in our show that are straight out of a Jimmy Martin or Flatt & Scruggs set list,” Charlie says. “Bluegrass is a beautiful form of American music. Just like southern rock, bluegrass is about really good songs and good musicianship,” he adds. “You just spread out and see where it will go.”
The quartet, which has built an international following thanks to the Internet and a universal love for good music, self-released its debut, Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime, which was produced by Dupree, in 2004. A few years later, they followed up with the country-centric EP New Honky Tonk Bootlegs.
Acclaimed producer Dann Huff (Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) agreed to produce Blackberry Smoke’s second album after coming to see the band live. “We were excited because we knew what a great musician Dann is,” says Charlie. “He said, ‘I love what you guys do and it’ll be great when we go into the studio that I don’t have to bring in studio musicians to play on it.”
True to his word, Huff encouraged the band to bring their road show into the studio. “We did not use any gear that we don’t have on our trailer, except for a 12-string acoustic,” remembers Charlie.
“Dann’s impressive in every aspect,” Charlie says of Huff. “He’s such a great musician and producer, with great ideas and great ears, and he has such a love for music. If we were arguing with one another, he would always help us find a middle ground.”
The result is Little Piece Of Dixie, a fresh yet familiar collection that fuses Blackberry Smoke’s diverse influences with its road-honed musicianship.
The band, which pens most of its own songs, is also astute enough to realize that a great tune can come from outside its four walls. “Everybody should tip their hat to Hank Williams as the greatest songwriter that ever was,” Charlie says.
To that end, the album is a complementary mix of songs written by the band and some of Nashville’s top songwriters, including Lee Roy Parnell, David Lee Murphy, Gary Nicholson, Craig Wiseman, Randy Houser and Rob Hatch.
The music is already spawning reaction—the hard-driving, layered riffing of “Up In Smoke” popped up in EA Sports’ NASCAR 08, and anthemic first single “Good One Comin’ On” was featured prominently in the Kevin Costner political comedy Swing Vote.
Keyboardist Brandon Still from Lancaster, SC was added to the band’s line up in 2009.
The final piece to the puzzle came when Zac Brown signed the band to his Southern Ground label in the Spring of 2011.
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Tech Talk - ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons Rig Rundown

If anyone likes guitar gear more than me...it's Billy Gibbons. Here's a rare chance to look at a bunch of Billy's current gear. Elwood Francis who gives us a look at ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' array of guitars, including the famous fur guitar, and lets us in on how Billy has everything set up for their tour.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
Unusual Suspects - Leslie West - New release review

I just received a copy of Leslie Wests new recording, Unusual Suspects. The release is well put together and has all the pyrotechnics expected from a Leslie West recording. I don't know how many of you have been keeping up with West's recent releases but his last 4 or 5 releases have been primarily blues recordings and really spectacular. West has a great voice for blues and of course then there's his guitar tone!! Alas no videos from these releases so I'm happy to be able to finally present you with some real footage!!
This release is more rock in nature but still has the blues overtones and plenty of guitar to go around.
Leslie West, Legendary guitarist and the founder of one of rocks most influential bands, Mountain, will release a brand new solo album, 'Unusual Suspects', on Monday September 19th.
The album features West alongside a hand-picked line-up of the world's finest guitar players; including Slash, blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Black Label Society front man and ex-Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Toto's Steve Lukather.
Released by ProvogueRecords, the album follows the shocking news that, in late June, West underwent life-saving surgery, when his leg was amputated above the knee. While such an ordeal would surely deter lesser artists, West insisted on honoring the 'Unusual Suspects' album’s September release date and is gearing up for a US tour in October.
"These guys don't just show up to play on everybody's albums," says West on his special guests and the album's title. "They're all stars in their own right, and fantastic players - everyone with their own sound and style, about as far from the usual suspects as it gets."
If you like your blues with a flavor of rock you'll wanna give this a listen and if you want hot nasty blues that screams make sure that you catch one of his most recent releases. They are all killer!
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