Tony Williams

Tony with Dizzy,McCoy Tyner,Ron Carter and Freddie Hubbard. Anthony Tillmon "Tony" Williams (December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer. Widely regarded as one of the most important and influential jazz drummers to come to prominence in the 1960s, Williams first gained fame in the band of trumpeter Miles Davis and was a pioneer of jazz fusion Williams was born in Chicago and grew up in Boston. He was of African, Portuguese, and Chinese descent. He began studies with drummer Alan Dawson at an early age, and began playing professionally at the age of 13 with saxophonist Sam Rivers. Saxophonist Jackie McLean hired Williams at 16. At 17 Williams found considerable fame with Miles Davis, joining a group that was later dubbed Davis's Second Great Quintet. Williams was a vital element of the group, called by Davis in his autobiography "...the center that the group's sound revolved around." His inventive playing helped redefine the role of jazz rhythm section through the use of polyrhythms and metric modulation (transitioning between mathematically related tempos and/or time signatures). Williams was an integral participant in the early-mid 60's avant-garde movement, playing on such classics as Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond, Grachan Moncur III's Evolution and Some Other Stuff, Sam River's Fuchsia Swing Song, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, and Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch. His first album as a leader, 1964's Life Time, was also in the avant-garde vein. Many of these progressive albums are considered amongst the greatest jazz recordings of all time. In 1969, he formed a trio, The Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar, and Larry Young on organ. Jack Bruce joined on bass later. Lifetime was a pioneering band of the fusion movement, a combination of rock, R&B, and jazz. Their first album, Emergency!, was largely rejected by the jazz community at the time of its release. Today, Emergency! is considered by many to be a fusion classic. After McLaughlin's departure, and several more albums, Lifetime disbanded. In 1975, Williams put together a band he called "The New Tony Williams Lifetime," featuring bassist Tony Newton, pianist Alan Pasqua, and English guitarist Allan Holdsworth, which recorded two albums for Columbia Records, Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. In mid-1976, Williams was a part of a reunion of sorts with his old Miles Davis band compatriots, pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Miles was in the midst of a six-year hiatus and was replaced by Freddie Hubbard. The record was later released as V.S.O.P. and was highly instrumental in increasing the popularity of acoustic jazz. The group went on to tour and record for several years, releasing a series of live albums under the name "V.S.O.P." or "The V.S.O.P. Quintet." (The CD reissues of these albums are sold under Herbie Hancock's name – making things a bit confusing since the original V.S.O.P. album, which alone was a Hancock album, is not currently available on CD.) In 1979, Williams, guitarist John McLaughlin and bassist Jaco Pastorius united for a one-time performance at the Havana Jazz Festival. This trio came to be known as the Trio of Doom, and a recording of their performance was released in 2007. It opens with a powerful drum improvisation by Williams, followed by Mclaughlin's "Dark Prince" and Jaco's "Continuum," Tony's original composition "Para Oriente" and Mclaughlin's "Are You the One?" With the group Fuse One, he released two albums in 1980 and 1982. In 1985, Williams recorded an album for Blue Note Records entitled Foreign Intrigue, which featured the playing of pianist Mulgrew Miller and trumpeter Wallace Roney. Later that year he formed a quintet with Miller, Roney, saxophonist Bill Pierce, and bassist Charnett Moffett (later Ira Coleman). This band played Williams' compositions almost exclusively (the Lennon–McCartney song "Blackbird," the standard "Poinciana," and the Freddie Hubbard blues "Birdlike" being the exceptions) and toured and recorded throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. This rhythm section also recorded as a trio. Williams also played drums for the band Public Image Limited, fronted by former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, on their 1986 release album/cassette/compact disc (the album title varied depending on the format). He played on the songs "FFF," "Rise" (a modest hit), and "Home." Bill Laswell (see below) co-wrote those three songs with Lydon. The other drummer on that album was Ginger Baker, who had played in Cream with Jack Bruce, later the bass player with the Tony Williams Lifetime. Williams lived and taught in the San Francisco Bay Area until his death from a heart attack following routine gall bladder surgery. One of his final recordings was The Last Wave by the trio known as Arcana, a release organized by prolific bass guitarist Bill Laswell. 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 favorite band!

Miles Smiles - Darryl Jones

Wallace Roney (trompeta, discípulo de Miles Davis), Rick Margitza (saxo con Davis en 3 discos y en directos), Joey DeFrancesco (órgano Hammond B3, fichado por Davis con 17 años), Robben Ford (guitarra, con Davis en el 86 y concierto en Montreux), Darryl Jones (bajo, tocó con Davis en los 80′s y dos de sus discos, y luego bajista de The Rolling Stones) y Omar Hakim (batería, aprendió con Davis antes de Weather Report, Sting, Chic, Bowie y muchos más) Darryl Jones (born December 11, 1961), also known as "The Munch", is an American bass guitarist. Jones began his notable career as a session musician, where he gained the experience and confidence to play with some of the most highly regarded recording artists, in jazz, blues, and rock music. Most recently, he has been best known in his role as primary bassist for The Rolling Stones since Bill Wyman's departure in 1993. Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a youth, his father, a drummer, supported his musical interests and initially taught his son to play the guitar. A neighbor who was a bassist convinced Darryl to switch to playing the bass instead. Jones attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. One musician that Jones first played with in his studio sessions was the nephew of noted jazz musician Miles Davis, Vince Wilburn Jr. He told Jones that Davis was looking for a new bass player, and vouched for him. Jones called Davis, who gave him his first touring gig, and for some years he was mentored by Davis, having joined his band in 1983. As a young protégé, Jones played bass guitar on the Miles Davis albums Decoy (1984) and You're Under Arrest (1985). Jones has worked with jazz recording artists who include Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Mike Stern, John Scofield, and Steps Ahead, as well as touring pop and rock artists Cher, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading. Jones performing with the Miles Davis band, Palais des Congrès, Paris, 1983 Jones has performed and recorded with The Rolling Stones since founding bassist Bill Wyman's retirement in 1993. In the manner of other tour and recording sidemen for the band, such as saxophonist Bobby Keys and keyboardist Chuck Leavell, Jones' stage movement and audience interaction is low-key and he generally wears understated apparel on stage. He is a salaried employee and does not share financial participation in the band's worldwide publishing, recording and concert touring revenues. He is also a member of the Stone Raiders musical band. 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”

Things About Coming My Way - Diamond Jim Greene w/ Lamont Harris

I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago until I was 12. My family moved a lot spending time in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kansas and West Virginia. I have performed in numerous blues band configurations over the years including with the Southern California-based, all acoustic, “Blues Ambassadors” during the mid 1980’s. Even while with the Blues Ambassadors I performed gigs solo or with just a harmonica player. For the last 25 years, I have pretty much performed unplugged and solo, or with a harmonica player and/or upright bass and sometimes piano and tuba. The late John Cephas with Phil Wiggins, the late John Jackson, the late Archie Edwards, Paul Geremia, Roy Bookbinder, all of whom I had the pleasure of meeting and playing with during the mid 1980′s, remain constant influences as does fellow Chicagoan, the late “Honeyboy” Edwards. I have toured extensively throughout Europe since 1995, spreading the good news about acoustic blues on major festival stages in the U.S. and abroad, including multiple years in the Chicago Blues Festival; the Long Beach Blues Festival and several years in the International Blues Festival at Lucerne, Switzerland, to name but a few. My instruments of choice are prewar National Steels and 12 string guitars. At most of my gigs I play my Nationals plugged in or in front of an SM-57 Microphone. I have had the unbelievable pleasure of opening shows for James Cotton, Buddy Guy, the late Ike Turner, Otis Clay, the late KoKo Taylor, John Hammond, Duke Robillard, the late John Cephas & the still alive Phil Wiggins, Saffire (the Uppity Blues women), Sherman Robertson, Joe Louis Walker, Mississippi Heat, Lonnie Brooks, and a host of other well-established blues performers. 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”

You Made Me So Happy - Joe Moss Band

Few up and coming young blues performers walk the walk to the degree of Chicago-based guitarist/bandleader JOE MOSS. One of the hardest-working performers on the Windy City circuit, Moss routinely works up to 28 gigs a month. His sound, a winning mix of blues and R&B flavors paired with original songwriting vision, can be heard blasting out of Chicago venues like Buddy Guy's Legends and House of Blues on a regular basis. His stinging guitar and accomplished vocal style have won him fans citywide. His debut CD "The Joe Moss Band" (212 Records) gives ample proof to the rest of the world of what Midwest blues fans have known for some time: JOE MOSS is for real. A guitarist since the age of 15, Moss was given his passport into the blues world by Buddy Scott, who noticed Moss at a jam session at Rosa's Blues Lounge on Chicago's west side. Soon, Moss was playing seven nights a week as a member of Buddy's Rib Tip band. In 1992, Joe toured Spain with Buddy and also recorded "Bad Ave." with him as well. The record was released on Polygram's Verve Gitane Blues label. Moss' guitar skills quickly became notorious on the local scene and made him an in-demand sideman. He played countless gigs with nearly every bluesman and -woman in the city. Some of his past employers include Zora Young, Charles Wilson, Lil' Smokey Smothers, Syl Johnson, Big Time Sarah, Barkin' Bill Smith, Lefty Dizz, Magic Slim, A.C. Reed, Billy Branch, and Little Mack Simmons. Not merely a local hotshot, Joe has backed these artists in places like Canada, Turkey, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, France, and Germany as well as in Chicago. Not content to remain on the side, Joe felt the pull to be his own man and lead his own band. This desire led to the birth of both The Joe Moss Band and the CD of the same name. Moss is finally able to do things his way and express the music he has been writing. Original tunes like "Coldhearted," "Good Lovin' Groove," and "Jealous" are sure to win over fans of blues, blues/rock, and R&B. Not one to be media-shy, either, Joe has been featured in Gig Magazine, Vintage Guitar, Living Blues, the Chicago Tribune, the Kenosha News, and In The Mix Magazine. He has also received airplay on WLUP 97.9 FM, WXRT 93.1 FM, and WCBR 92.7 FM. JOE MOSS is one representative of the future of the blues. Not just an imitator of the music's glorious past, he strives to find his own sound and material within the styles he chooses to play. His band features some of Chicago's finest blues musicians and Joe himself is a consistent and entertaining performer. Blues fans would be wise to check out JOE MOSS and his band as soon as they can. Any worries about this music surviving in the new millennium will surely be put to rest. 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 favorite band!

Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy dead at 89

Ed Cassidy, founding member and drummer for iconic band Spirit has died of undisclosed causes. Our thoughts are with his family. Ed "Cass" Cassidy (May 4, 1923 - December 6, 2012) was an American jazz and rock drummer who, in 1967, was one of the founders of the rock group Spirit ("I Got A Line On You", 1969) Ed Cassidy was born in a rural area outside Chicago, Illinois on May 4, 1923. His family moved to Bakersfield, California in 1931. Cassidy began his career as a professional musician in 1937. He served in the Navy during World War II, and after his discharge held many jobs before becoming a full-time musician again. At one time in the late 1940s he played 282 consecutive one-nighters in 17 states. He worked in show bands, Dixieland combos, country and western bands, and on film soundtracks, as well as having a brief stint with the San Francisco Opera. In 1950 he enrolled at college to get a musical teaching credential, but after about a year decided to leave and move to southern California to meet more jazz musicians and perhaps form a group of his own. During this period he performed together with many leading jazz musicians including Art Pepper, Julian Cannonball Adderley, Roland Kirk, Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan. With Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, he formed the Rising Sons in 1964. After that, he formed the Red Roosters in 1965, with his young stepson Randy California, Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes. Adding John Locke, they became Spirit in 1967. He sported a shaved head, which was unusual at that time; always wore black; and instead of the double-bass drum kit that was popular at the time, he used a single large parade bass drum turned sideways, with pedals on each side. He had a proclivity for playing extended drum solos with his bare hands instead of drumsticks, which influenced Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham to do the same; the bands toured together in 1969. Cassidy played with various line-ups of Spirit on almost 20 albums over almost 40 years, and, after Spirit finally disbanded after Randy California's death in 1997, also performed with Merrell Fankhauser. From the mid 1970s, Cassidy also worked as an actor, including live improvisation and appearances on the TV series General Hospital and in movies. He wrote, studied history, and continued to correspond with fans from his residence in Southern California until his death in San Jose at the age of 89 on 6 December 2012 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 favorite band! Video

Where Is Your Faith In God - Rev. James Cleveland

The Reverend Dr. James Cleveland (December 5, 1931 - February 9, 1991) was a gospel singer, arranger, composer and, most significantly, the driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound, bringing the stylistic daring of hard gospel and jazz and pop music influences to arrangements for mass choirs. He is known as the King of Gospel music. Born in Chicago, he began singing as a boy soprano at Pilgrim Baptist Church, where Thomas A. Dorsey was minister of music and Roberta Martin was pianist for the choir. He strained his vocal cords as a teenager while part of a local gospel group, leaving the distinctive gravelly voice that was his hallmark in his later years. The change in his voice led him to focus on his skills as a pianist and later as a composer and arranger. For his pioneering accomplishments and contributions, he is regarded by many to be one of the greatest gospel singers to ever live. 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”

He Loves You & Me - Delois Barrett Campbell

The Barrett Sisters are an American award-winning gospel trio from Chicago, Illinois. The trio consisted of sisters DeLois Barrett Campbell, Billie Barrett GreenBey and Rodessa Barrett Porter. They have been singing together for more than 40 years. The Barrett Sisters grew up in poverty in Chicago, Illinois. They had seven siblings. Four of their siblings died from tuberculosis.[1] They were raised by strict spiritual parents. They were not allowed to listen to blues music. In 1930s, the three sisters began singing gospel with their cousin, and their vocal coach was their aunt Mattie Dacus. Like many of their cohorts, they thought that the only hope for a music career; they would have to enter into the secular world. But The Barrett Sisters knew that would deeply hurt their parents, who believed that secular music had no place in the lives of the saved. In the mid-1960s, the sisters regrouped to record their first album on the Savoy Records, "Jesus Loves Me," on which they recorded Sam Cooke's "Wonderful". They followed with "I'll Fly Away" and "Carry Me Back" where they were joined with Roberta Martin on "I Hear God". Ms. Martin sang lead on the title track. Since then, The Barrett Sisters have become one of the world famous female gospel groups. They have performed at countless churches and in many respected concert halls including the Lincoln Center in NYC, Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, and Theatre-DeVille in Paris, France. The Barrett Sisters have toured internationally over thirty times. In the 70's they recorded two albums for Nashboro's subsidiary label Creed: "God So Loved The World" and "Coming Again So Soon". Ms. Campbell followed with a solo album also on Creed called "Through It All". The Barrett Sisters made their first appearance on radio and television in the 1960s. They have appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," "The Oprah Winfrey Show,""Bobby Jones Show," "Living the Dream," a television tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, PBS special "Going Home to Gospel with Patti LaBelle," along with Gospel Queen Albertina Walker, and the "PTL Club." They've been featured several times on the locally produced Emmy Award winning "Jubilee Showcase." They have appeared on The Stellar Awards, which included accepting 2009 Walgreens' Ambassador Bobby Jones Legend Award. In 1982, The Barrett Sisters were featured in the critically acclaimed documentary "Say Amen, Somebody," which features Willie Mae Ford Smith, Sallie Martin, Thomas A. Dorsey, The O'Neal Twins, and Zella Jackson Price. They were also featured on the soundtrack The eldest Barrett sister, Delois Barrett Campbell (March 12, 1926 – August 2, 2011), began her career as the lead singer of the world famous Roberta Martin Singers while still in high school. As a member of Roberta Martin Singers, DeLois traveled around the United States and the world singing for the Lord, but she soon placed her career on hold to started her family. DeLois became a mother and a pastor's wife. 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”

Chicken House Shorty - Shorty Gilbert

Shorty moved to Chicago in 1969 at the age of 18. He started gigging on bass with Homesick James, Eddie Clearwater and Kansas City Red. He's also backed up Little Johnny Taylor and Jimmy Reed. But by far the biggest feather in his cap is when Shorty was asked to join Howlin Wolf's band by the Wolf himself in 1974. He held that position until 1976 when the Wolf passed away. After that he joined Eddie Shaw's Wolfgang who he's played with for over 35 years, touring all over the world. 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”

She Knocks Me Out - Harold Burrage

Harold Burrage (March 30, 1931, Chicago - November 26, 1966, Chicago) was an American blues and soul musician. Burrage did session work as a pianist in the 1950s and 1960s as well as recording under his own name. He released singles on Decca, Aladdin, States, and Cobra in the 1950s, and for Vee-Jay and M-Pac in the 1960s. Burrage's backing bands included the likes of Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, and Jody Williams, while Burrage supported Magic Sam, Charles Clark, and others as a pianist. Burrage's only national hit was the 1965 Chicago soul song "Got to Find a Way", which reached #31 on the Billboard R&B charts. The following year Burrage died at the home of Tyrone Davis, a musician Burrage influenced. 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 favorite band!

AS THE YEARS GO PASSING BY- JIMMY JOHNSON BLUES BAND

Chicago guitarist Jimmy Johnson didn't release his first full domestic album until he was 50 years old. He's determinedly made up for lost time ever since, establishing himself as one of the Windy City's premier blues artists with a twisting, unpredictable guitar style and a soaring, soul-dripping vocal delivery that stand out from the pack. Born into a musical family (younger brother Syl Johnson's credentials as a soul star are all in order, while sibling Mack Thompson was Magic Sam's first-call bassist), Jimmy Thompson moved to Chicago with his family in 1950. But his guitar playing remained a hobby for years -- he toiled as a welder while Syl blazed a trail on the local blues circuit. Finally, in 1959, Jimmy Thompson started gigging with harpist Slim Willis around the West Side. Somewhere down the line, he changed his surname to Johnson (thus keeping pace with Syl). Since there was more cash to be realized playing R&B during the 1960s, Jimmy Johnson concentrated on that end of the stylistic spectrum for a while. He led polished house bands on the South Side and West Side behind Otis Clay, Denise LaSalle, and Garland Green, also cutting an occasional instrumental 45. Johnson found his way back to the blues in 1974 as Jimmy Dawkins' rhythm guitarist. He toured Japan behind Otis Rush in 1975 (the journey that produced Rush's album So Many Roads -- Live in Concert). Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 1 With the 1978 release of four stunning sides on Alligator's first batch of Living Chicago Blues anthologies and the issue of Johnson's Whacks, his first full domestic set on Delmark the next year, Jimmy Johnson's star began ascending rapidly. North/South, the guitarist's 1982 Delmark follow-up, and the 1983 release of Bar Room Preacher by Alligator continued to propel Johnson into the first rank of Chicago bluesdom. Then tragedy struck: on December 2, 1988, Johnson was driving his band's van when it swerved off the road in downstate Indiana, killing bassist Larry Exum and keyboardist St. James Bryant. I'm a Jockey Understandably, Johnson, himself injured in the wreck, wasn't too interested in furthering his career for a time after the tragedy. But he was back back in the harness by the mid-'90s, cutting a solid set for Verve in 1994, I'm a Jockey, that spotlighted his blues-soul synthesis most effectively. Every Road Ends, recorded in France and released on Ruf, followed in 1999. A collaboration with his brother Syl appeared in the summer of 2002, the cleverly titled Two Johnsons Are Better Than One. Brothers Live, recorded by Jimmy Johnson and the Chicago Dave Blues Band featuring saxophonist Sam Burckhardt at Switzerland’s Basel Blues Festival in 2002, arrived in 2004. 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 favorite band!

Honey Davis Live

Chicago born Honey Davis played in boston with Chicago bluesman Luthor Johnson before relocating to San Francisco where he started a ten year stint as lead guitar for the legendary Charles Brown (Merry Christmas Baby, Black Nights, Driften Blues, Trouble Blues, etc), and also lead his own group with Freddy Roulette. there he would open shows for Bobby Bland, Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells, etc, and back up all the local and national blues artists... Sonny Rhodes, Jimmy McCracklin, Vernon Garret, Dottie Ivory, etc. After moving to Los Angeles, he opened for Robin Trower, Robin Ford, Tex and the Horseheads, Top Jimmy, and many others and became lead guitarist for Solomon Burke. His 1986 blues album "My Heart Attacked Me" got wide airplay, but with no U.S. distribution, sold mainly in Italy and Holland. 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 favorite band!

Hold On - Tino Gonzales

Born in the Southside of the Bluestown Chicago in 1951, Tino Gonzales, grew up with the sounds of Latin, Blues, R & B, Jazz, and Soul. All have contributed to his musical foundations. Having served his apprenticeship with a wide range of blues, pop and jazz greats he eventually set off on his solo career in 1985. But as a Mexican American with a streak of Arabic heritage, the Latin blood flows equally in his veins. His music encompasses all of these varied cultural influences resulting in a unique sound that can not easily be labeled in terms of conventional categories – but if one had to sum it up in one word it would have to be passion! Gonzales' incredible virtuoso style is so fluid it seems as though he pours his soul right into his guitar as he floats up and down its neck, coaxing from it sounds and vibrations hitherto unknown. He changes styles more often than many musicians know how to change keys and in any direction he chooses, whether Latin, Jazz, Blues, R & B or Soul, he plays with the same passionate fire and fluidity. As top US westcoast DJ Steve Pringle from KMHD radio in Portland, Oregon once put it, 'I have no frikken idea why you aren't better known. Not for lack of talent, sound, writing...it's all good!` ... One of the reasons undoubtedly is Gonzales free-spirited and independent way of thinking, which has earned him the reputation of being a maverick in the business. He resisted the temptation of signing with major labels on more than one occasion, because he refuses to let himself be exploited, run down and spat out by the industry as he has seen happening to so many of his friends and peers. Instead, he goes his own way, sometimes a rough and tumble road, but free from any demands from labels who require extensive touring. After years of touring the US and Canada Gonzales grew tired of the same old Club and Festival scene, packed his Hobo bag and decided to sail east. Since his arrival on European shores Gonzales has certainly made some big waves over here. Having finally found a label he could work with he signed with one of the leading European independents, the French Blues label Dixiefrog Records. So far he has recorded four CDs for them, each one a masterpiece in its own right with the unique Tino Gonzales touch. All have received rave reviews in the international press. Currently he has signed with the Belgium label MusicAvenue. His musical career reflects a process of transformation and artistic growth that is becoming more apparent with every new CD he records. Traveling throughout Europe, from France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, England, Luxemburg and Germany, to Spain, Turkey, Italy and even a few eastern European countries such as Slovenia and Hungary, Gonzales has become deeply influenced by the Old World roots of the same soulful music he grew up on in the States. Spanish, Gypsy, Arabic and African influences, which originally contributed to both, Latin and Black American music, have all found their way into his repertoire. His unique blend of Latin, Jazz and Blues fusion has resulted in a phenomenal melange of musical influences all of which speak the same language - passion. Passion for music, passion for love, passion for life – and compassion for the state of the world. Gonzales' passion is not just show. He deeply cares about humanity and planet earth. To him the essence of music is about communication and conveys a message that applies to the human condition everywhere and throughout all of time. He plays and sings the sounds of peace, love, anger, humor, joy and the politics of the world. One of his songs, an exquisite slow blues tune, gives a message of peace to the world, appealing to each and everyone of us not to add 'No More Misery'... 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 favorite band!

Delmark artist: Willie Buck - Cell Phone Man- New Release Reviews

I just received the newest release, Cell Phone Man, by Willie Buck. This release sounds really fresh but it fits like an old glove. This new release is a mixture of new tracks written by Buck and some old classics written by Muddy Waters among others. The release opens with Doin' Good And Bad At The Same Time, a contemporary Chicago style blues track. Buck is backed by Rockin' Johnny Burgin (lead guitar), Rick Kreher (rhythm guitar), John Sefner (bass), Steve Bass (drums), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano) and harp men Bharath Rajakumar and Martin Lang. Darling I Miss You So, the classic Ted Taylor track is right on the spot with crisp riffs by Burgin. Muddy Waters' Strange Woman has a beautifully slow pace which provides plenty of space for Bucks' gritty blues voice, Rajakumar's soulful harp work and tasty guitar tweaks from Burgin. Each featured artist takes a turn showing their stuff, you find yourself just closing your eyes and letting it in. Excellent! Cell Phone Man, another traditional Morganfield Chicago style track sound as if it could have been performed by Waters himself. The authentic feel of the execution is fresh. Another Waters song, Two Trains Running is given a very stripped down,just vocal and acoustic guitar, traditional run and is also executed very well. It has the life of original delta blues. Goin' Down Main Street is a romping blues and features Barrelhouse Chuck on piano and Rajakumar again on harp. It's also great to hear tight little guitar riffs from Burgin on this track. Morganfield's Streamline Woman, gets a very solid cover again sounding very fresh and keeping you wanting more. I love the slide sound on this track. This band just has the sound of having played in the best blues club in Chicago for a long time. Tried To Work Something Out With You is a real sweet track following suit with the balance of the recording but in this case featuring Lang on harp. I Want To Talk To My Baby is another standout on the release again with a very stripped down feel. The track is electrified but kept at a very minimal really highlighting the blues men at their best. Blow Wind Blow closes the release with a smooth rendition of one of Muddy's most popular tracks. This release has a great delivery and is a pleasure to kick back and listen to. There are times throughout this 17 track release that I reach for my guitar because it sucks you in. Great job!

  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 favorite band!

INDEPENDENCE BLUES - VALERIE WELLINGTON

Valerie Wellington (November 14, 1959 – January 2, 1993) was an African American, Chicago blues and electric blues singer and actress. Her 1984 album, Million Dollar $ecret saw her work with Sunnyland Slim, Billy Branch, and Magic Slim. In her early years, Wellington also worked with Lee "Shot" Williams. In a short career, she switched from opera to the blues. She was born Valerie Eileen Hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Wellington trained as an opera singer, graduating from the American Conservatory of Music, but in 1982 took up singing the blues in her local Chicago clubs. Her work extended to the theater, where she undertook roles portraying earlier blues singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Wellington's opera training enabled her to project her voice to theater audiences. She appeared at the 1984 San Francisco Blues Festival, on the bill alongside Marcia Ball and Katie Webster. Her recorded work blended the more traditional vaudeville approach with a contemporary Chicago blues format. Wellington appeared on a limited number of recordings, but her voice was used on several advertisements on both television and radio. Wellington's recording of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" was used on the soundtrack to the 1989 film, Great Balls of Fire!, in which she briefly appeared depicting Big Maybelle. In the same year, Wellington toured Japan, with Carlos Johnson. Wellington died of a cerebral aneurysm in Maywood, Illinois, in January 1993, at the age of 33. She was interred at the Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. In 1995, Rooster Blues re-issued Million Dollar $ecret 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 favorite band!

Berry Oakley Special

Raymond Berry Oakley III (April 4, 1948 – November 11, 1972), was an American bassist and one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band. Oakley was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in the suburb of Park Forest, Illinois, then moved to Florida where he met and joined Dickey Betts's band, The Second Coming. He was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1969, along with guitarist Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, who was the band's vocalist and keyboardist, Dickey Betts on second guitar, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson, both on drums, congas, and the band's percussionist. With the Allman Brothers, Oakley was known for his long, melodic bass runs underneath Allman and Betts' furious guitar solos and jams. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post" from the live album At Fillmore East capture Oakley at his best. Oakley was also the band member most involved in establishing domestic unity among the band's extended family. When Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident, Oakley was devastated, according to drummer Butch Trucks. The band continued touring. But Oakley "lost his sparkle" and started drinking heavily during what was to become his last year in life Oakley's bass guitar, nicknamed "The Tractor Bass", was a Fender Jazz Bass with a Guild bass pickup (manufactured by Hagström, a Swedish company) On November 11, 1972, Oakley was involved in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia, just three blocks from where Duane Allman had his fatal motorcycle accident the year before. Oakley was driving around a sharp right bend of the road on Napier Avenue at Inverness when he crossed the line and collided at an angle with a city bus making the bend from the opposite direction. After striking the front and then the back of the bus, Oakley was thrown from his bike, just as Allman had been, and struck his head. Oakley said he was okay after the accident, declined medical treatment, and caught a ride home. Three hours later, he was rushed to the hospital, delirious and in pain, and died of cerebral swelling caused by a fractured skull. Attending doctors stated that even if Oakley had gone straight to the hospital from the scene of the accident, he could not have been saved. In 1998, the Georgia state legislature passed a resolution designating a bridge on State Highway 19, in Macon, Georgia, as the 'Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge' in "honor and remembrance" of the late founding member of the Allman Brothers Band". His son, Berry Duane Oakley (aka Berry Oakley Jr.) is also a bass guitarist, and he has performed with groups such as Bloodline, OKB and Blue Floyd. He now tours with The Chuck Negron Band, former vocalist for Three Dog Night. And grandson Shaun Berry Oakley who is a musician in Siesta Key, Florida. Daughter, Brittany, whose mother is Linda, with whom Berry resided in Macon, Georgia, at the time of his death. (Brittany's photo appeared on the back cover of the Allmans' 1973 Brothers and Sisters album.) 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!

Jim Dandy---Lavern Baker

LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958). She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally referred to as Delores Williams because of an early marriage to Eugene Williams; in the late 1940s he was identified in RCA Victor record company files as "D. L. McMurley." She was the niece of blues singer Merline Johnson and was also related to Memphis Minnie. She began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa around 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, and first recorded under that name in 1949. She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, and then became LaVern Baker when singing with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952. In 1953 she signed for Atlantic Records as a solo artist, her first release being "Soul on Fire". Her first hit came in early 1955, with the Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" reaching #4 on the R&B chart and #14 on the national US pop charts. Georgia Gibbs scored the bigger hit with her version of "Tweedle Dee", for which Baker unsuccessfully attempted to sue her. Baker had a succession of hits on the R&B charts over the next couple of years with her backing group The Gliders, including "Bop-Ting-A-Ling" (#3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (#2 R&B), and "Still" (#4 R&B). At the end of 1956 she had another smash hit with "Jim Dandy" (#1 R&B, #17 pop). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Further hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (#7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear" (#2 R&B, #6 pop in 1959), "I Waited Too Long" (#5 R&B, #3 pop, written by Neil Sedaka), "Saved" (#17 R&B, written by Leiber and Stoller), and "See See Rider" (#9 R&B in 1963). In addition to singing, Baker also did some work with Ed Sullivan and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1964, she recorded a Bessie Smith tribute album, before leaving Atlantic and joining Brunswick Records, where she recorded the album "Let Me Belong to You". In 1966, Baker recorded a duet single with Jackie Wilson. The controversial song, Think Twice, featured raunchy lyrics that were not considered appropriate for airplay at that time or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the x-rated version with the raunchy lyrics. In the late 1960s, she became seriously ill after a trip to Vietnam to entertain American soldiers. While recovering at the US Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, a friend recommended that she stay on as the entertainment director at the Marine Corps Staff NCO club there, and she remained there for 22 years. In 1988 she returned to perform at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary. She then worked on the soundtracks to films such as Shag, (1989), Dick Tracy, (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991), which were all issued on CD. In 1990, she made her Broadway debut replacing Ruth Brown as star of the hit musical Black and Blue. In 1991, Rhino Records released a new album Live in Hollywood recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, as well as a compilation of her greatest Atlantic hits entitled Soul on Fire. In 1992, she recorded a well-received studio album, Woke Up This Morning, for DRG Records. She continued performing after having both legs amputated from diabetes in 1994 and made her last recording, "Jump Into the Fire," for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD, For the Love of Harry on the Music Masters label. She received the 1990 Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, Baker became the second female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following Aretha Franklin in 1987. Her song "Jim Dandy" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and was ranked #343 on the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. LaVern Baker died from cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67. Originally buried in an unmarked plot in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York, her grave received a headstone on May 4, 2008, after a fundraiser was held by local historians. 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!

Wait On It - EDDIE VAAN SHAW

Guitarist and singer Eddie "Vaan" Shaw, Jr., is the son of blues saxophonist EDDIE SHAW. Because his father was a fixture on the Chicago blues scene during the '70s - he was a member of HOWLIN' WOLF'S band and a blues club owner - Shaw met many of the city's greatest blues musicians as a child. MAGIC SAM and HUBERT SUMLIN taught Shaw the basics of blues guitar. Shaw jammed with Sumlin and other Bluesmen who frequented his father's West Side club, Eddie's Place (aka The 1815 Club), and plays in the house band. Shaw eventually became a member of his father's band, the Wolf Gang, made up of musicians that had backed Howlin' Wolf in the early and mid-'70s. Since then, Shaw has begun a solo career, though he also continues to work with his father. His album Morning Rain was released on the Wolf label in 1993. In the autumn of 1994 "Vaan" made a solo tour to Vienna/Austria and Lahnstein/Germany. In Vienna he played an unplugged studio session, supported by members of the Vienna Blues Band "Hooked on Blues". Later that evening he played different sessions at Vienna's "Jazzland" Club, supported by Chris Sandera on harp and Al Cook on guitar (#13). You can feel this intimate club atmosphere on this CD. Trough listening this CD you know that "Vaan" learned a lot of the masters - Howling Wolf, his father Eddie Shaw and Magic Sam. 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” Video

Flippin' Out - Studebaker John

Studebaker John Grimaldi was born in an Italian-American section of Chicago and started playing harmonica at age 7. Under the spell of music he heard on Maxwell Street, Chicago’s famed blues melting pot, Grimaldi began performing as Studebaker John and the Hawks in the ‘70s. The band name referenced the Studebaker Hawk, a car Grimaldi still owns today, and was also intended as a tribute to his friend, J.B. Hutto and the Hawks. John began playing guitar after a life-changing experience of seeing Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers perform. “…Hound Dog started playing, hitting notes that sent chills up and down my spine. He was versatile and powerful and would play rhythm as well as leads. I left there knowing what I wanted to do. I had to play slide guitar.” 1978: After playing at various Chicago clubs, John records his first record, Straight No Chaser, released on Retread Records. His second recording, Rocking the Blues, is released in 1985 on Avanti Records. John continues to work clubs and concerts in Chicago and the mid-west region. 1988: Nothin’ But Fun is released in Europe on Belgium’s Double Trouble label. A European tour follows in support of this recording. Due to the success of this release, Born to Win, also on Double Trouble, is released in 1990 resulting in more European tours. At home, John continues to play throughout the Midwest. The Chicago Tribune hails John as “a blues classic”. 1991: John joins the Yardbirds & Pretty Things to record a St. George and Demon Records’ release of classic Chicago Blues. This recording leads to another Demon Records’ release Wine, Women & Whiskey. 1992: Rockin’ The Blues is re-released on the Double Trouble label. 1993: Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan, selects three songs from Nothin’ But Fun and Born To Win to include in his film, Calendar. 1994: John records Too Tough, his 1st release on Blind Pig Records. Also in 1994, Atom Egoyan produces another film, Exotica, featuring two songs from Too Tough. 1995: Nothin’ But Fun is renamed Outside Lookin’ In and becomes John’s 2nd Blind Pig Records release. 1996: John collaborates with record producer Jim Gaines on his 3rd Blind Pig release, Tremoloxe. Studebaker John & the Hawks tour throughout the USA, Canada & Europe in support of this new release. 1997: Time Will Tell, John’s 4th Blind Pig recording, is released. Songs from the CD are featured in the 2001 film Cowboy Up, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Darrel Hannah. John’s music is also used for a CNN/NASCAR Raceway break-theme and in a Ford Thunderbird commercial shown during the 2002 season premiere episode of Fox TV’s “24”. 2001: Howl With The Wolf, released on Evidence Music, revisits John’s roots, one last look at the past before looking exclusively to the future. 2004: The Avanti Records’ release, Between Life & Death, showcases John’s unique songwriting talents, and his blazing guitar and harmonica technique, creating a new sound that transports the blues genre into the 21st century. CD 2006: Avanti Records’ Self-Made Man contains nearly 80 minutes of all original steamy blues and smokin’ blues-rock, incorporating Chicago, boogie, swamp, swing, and harmonica blues, all recorded with a live-in-the-studio sound that is true to Studebaker John’s stage performances. As a songwriter and musician, Studebaker John has emerged as a major creative force in the world of the blues today. Ahead of the pack, with vision and foresight, creating a new standard and landscape for this music’s future… with John at the wheel, the future is now! 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”

LONG DISTANCE CALL - SIEGEL - SCHWALL - ROLLO RADFORD

The Siegel–Schwall Band is an American electric blues band from Chicago, Illinois.The band was formed in 1964 by Corky Siegel (harmonica and piano) and Jim Schwall (guitar), and still tours occasionally Corky Siegel and Jim Schwall met each other when both were music students at Roosevelt University. Siegel, originally a saxophonist, was interested in blues, while Schwall's background was mostly in country music. They combined these two genres, producing a lighter sounding blues as compared to Butterfield Blues Band or John Mayall. The Siegel–Schwall Band included Shelly Plotkin on drums and Rollo Radford on bass. Radford had previously played with Martha and the Vandellas and Sun Ra. They were the house band at Pepper's Lounge on Chicago's South Side. Every important Chicago blues musician sat in with Corky and Jim at Pepper's, including Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Billy Boy Arnold, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Otis Spann, Bo Diddley, Lazy Lester and Sam Lay, just to name a few. The band moved to Big John's in Old Town after the Butterfield Blues Band began touring and left a vacancy. In 1965, Sam Charters signed the band to Vanguard Records. In 1966, the band released their first eponymous album, and began a national tour in 1969. While they weren't as commercially successful as Butterfield or Mayall, the band was still able to perform at large venues such as Fillmore West. Also around that time, the Siegel–Schwall Band became the first blues band to ever perform with a symphony. They performed "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra" with the San Francisco Symphony. The piece was written by William Russo and conducted by Seiji Ozawa. After four albums with Vanguard, the band signed with Wooden Nickel, a Chicago label distributed by RCA. Their first release on the label won a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover in 1973. The band broke up in 1974 after releasing the album R.I.P. Siegel/Schwall, and reunited in 1987. Alligator Records signed them and released a live reunion album in 1988. The band continues to tour occasionally, usually during summer because Jim Schwall is now a professor of music. Schwall also ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. The Siegel–Schwall Band released a second album on Alligator Records in 2005, entitled Flash Forward, which was a top 15 hit on the Billboard Blues Albums chart. In 1975, Siegel formed the Happy Year Band with Sam Lay, Albert Joseph on guitar and Rollo Radford on bass. Siegel later formed the ensemble Chamber Blues with a string quartet, tabla and harmonica/piano. This unusual group features Frank Donaldson, a 20-year veteran drummer with jazz musician Ramsey Lewis. Siegel continues to record, has earned several composing honors and is a regular performer and lecturer in the Chicago Public Schools. In 2007 he wrote a book, Let Your Music Soar: The Emotional Connection. 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”

Elevator Papa, Switchboard Mama - Butterbeans & Susie

Butterbeans and Susie were a comedy duo made up of Jodie Edwards (July 19, 1895 – October 28, 1967) and Susie Edwards, née Susie Hawthorne (1896 – 1963). Edwards began his career in 1910 as a singer and dancer. Meanwhile, Hawthorne performed in African American theater. The two met in 1916 when Hawthorne was in the chorus of the Smart Set show. They married on stage the next year. The two did not perform as a comic team until the early 1920s. They had been touring with the Theater Owners Bookers Association (TOBA) with a black husband-and-wife comedy team known as Stringbeans and Sweetie May. Upon the death of Stringbeans (Butler May or Budd LeMay), a TOBA promoter asked Edwards to take the stage name "Butterbeans" and for him and his wife to take over Stringbeans and Sweetie May's act. "Butterbeans and Susie" appeared for the first time shortly thereafter. Their act, a combination of marital quarrels, comic dances, and racy singing, proved popular on the TOBA tour. They later moved to vaudeville and appeared for a time with the blackface minstrel troupe the Rabbit's Foot Company. Butterbeans and Susie published several recordings of blues songs interspersed with comic banter through Okeh Records. They later starred in a black-produced feature film. Butterbeans and Susie used their fame and influence to help younger black comedians. After seeing Moms Mabley in Dallas, for example, they helped her gain acceptance at better venues. Even after leaving show business, they stayed friends with many black entertainers and put up down-on-their-luck comedians in their Chicago home. Stepin Fetchit stayed with them at some point in the 1950s or 1960s. In 1926 they made a recording with Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, a mildly salacious blues number called, "He Likes It Slow". Butterbeans and Susie's act played up the differences between the two. Susie wore elegant dresses and presented an air of composure and sexiness. Butterbeans, on the other hand, played the fool, with his too-small pants and bowler hat, bow tie, tails, and floppy shoes. He was loudly belligerent: "I'd whip your head every time you breathe; rough treatment is exactly what you need." However, his pugnaciousness was belied by a happy demeanor and an inability to resist Susie's charms. Whereas Stringbeans and Sweetie May stressed song and dance, Butterbeans and Susie emphasized comedy with content that was frowned on by moralists.[3] The typical act featured a duet, a blues song by Susie, a cakewalk dance, and a comedy sketch. Short bouts of bickering peppered the act. The humor often centered on marriage or, more rarely, black life in general. One of their more popular numbers was "A Married Man's a Fool If He Thinks His Wife Don't Love Nobody but Him". The act could also be risqué at times. One of their more popular comic songs was Susie's saucy "I Want a Hot Dog for My Roll", full of racy double entendres: I want a hot dog without bread you see. 'Cause I carry my bread with me. . . . I want it hot, I don't want it cold. I want it so it fit my roll. The song was accompanied by Susie's provocative dancing and Buttberbeans's call-and-response one-liners: "My dog's never cold!" "Here's a dog that's long and lean.""I Want a Hot Dog for My Roll" was one of the few songs that Okeh refused to release. The act usually ended with a song by Susie that showed that the two really were happily married, then Butterbeans's trademark song-and-dance number, "the Heebie Jeebies" or "the Itch". During this dance, Butterbeans thrust his hands in his pockets and began to scratch himself in time with the music. As the tempo increased, he pulled the hands back out and scratched the rest of his body. According to Stearns, this was the moment when the audience "flipped" 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!