JJ Grey & Mofro's "This River" Set For April 16 Release

JJ GREY & MOFRO'S THIS RIVER SET FOR APRIL 16 RELEASE U.S. TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED Jacksonville-based singer/songwriter JJ Grey will release THIS RIVER on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. This is Grey's seventh album (his fifth for Alligator Records) and his first studio album since 2010's acclaimed Georgia Warhorse. The New York Times says Grey's singing is "impassioned" and the band plays "riff-based Southern rock, cold-blooded swamp funk and sly Memphis soul." THIS RIVER, like his previous releases, was produced by Grey and Dan Prothero, and recorded at Retrophonics Studio in Saint Augustine, Florida, with additional recording done in Grey's home studio, known as "The Egg Room." As proven by his previous albums, Grey is a meticulous storyteller. "Many of the new songs," says Grey, "are about being your own worst enemy, and about normal folks pushing themselves over the edge." Grey's lyrics and slice-of-life scenarios are filled with honest detail, helping to bring his emotionally complex characters to life in songs including Somebody Else, 99 Shades Of Crazy, The Ballad Of Larry Webb and This River. "I see a little bit of myself in these songs," Grey states. "The difference is in the choices people make." His gritty vocals and punchy horn arrangements add even more depth to the lyrical album. Grey's fervent delivery and the expert musicianship of the band pull the listener deep inside each track, making THIS RIVER a deeply moving and engaging musical statement. "I took my time and I'm happy for it," says Grey. For THIS RIVER, Grey brought the whole band in to the studio and cut most of the tracks live. To JJ, the result was a bit more like their live show. "It adds so much more to the dynamic of a recording. It's so different when you get to play off each other rather than overdub each track," says Grey. JJ Grey & Mofro will appear at SxSW in Austin, Texas in March and then head out on a massive cross-country tour. Grey and the band have been road-testing the new songs at sound-checks for a while now, and they're ready to hit the ground running. "This time around there's no learning curve," he says. "We'll be ready from the git-go." Initial tour dates are as follows: Apr-05 Fri - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues Apr-06 Sat - St. Augustine, FL - Rhythm & Ribs Apr-09 Tue - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Apr-10 Wed - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater Apr-11 Thu - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Apr-12 Fri - Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Apr-13 Sat - Nashville, TN - Exit/In Apr-16 Tue - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr Smalls Theatre Apr-17 Wed - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall Apr-18 Thu - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall Apr-19 Fri - Sewanee, TN - Lake Cheston Apr-20 Sat - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club Apr-24 Wed - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Apr-25 Thu - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Apr-26 Fri - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club Apr-27 Sat - New York, NY-  Irving Plaza May-16 Thu - Worpswede, Germany - Worswede Music Hall May-17 Fri - Dortmund, Germany - FZW May-18 Sat - Schoppingen, Germany - Grolsch Blues Festival May-19 Sun - Raalte, Netherlands - Ribs & Blues Pinksteren May-20 Mon - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal May-24 - May-27 Fri - Mon - George, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival Jun-8 Sat - Greeley, CO - Greeley Blues Jam ### www.ALLIGATOR.com

Wild Roots Records artist: Robert 'Top' Thomas - The Town Crier - New Release Review

I just received a new release, The Town Crier, by Robert 'Top' Thomas and it rocks. Opening with Mississippi Quickie, a play on La Grange, Thomas conjures up a cool story and some real nice guitar lead over the famous guitar riff.... "a how how how how". Blues Grass has more of a spoken sung lyric along the lines of Elvin Bishop. Victor Wainwright adds some nice piano on this track and Thomas slides a nice riff as well. The Same Thing Could Happen To You has a bit of that Louisiana sound with Beth McKee on accordion. Lazy Little Daisey is another track with a "Bishop" flavor. It's a lazy kind of blues with Stephen Kampa on harp and some cool slide work from Thomas. King Snake Crawl has a traditional Chicago style to it with a nice warm sound. Mark Hodson adds cool harp work to strong vocals by Thomas who plays stripped down guitar riffs on this track and Billy Dean carries the bottom on drums. Bad Seed has a a more commercial back beat sound featuring Victor Wainwright on vocal and organ. It has a strong melody and a clean hook. Thomas lays out likely the best guitar solo of the recording on this track. What's The Matter Ma? is a more down home acoustic number along the lines of JJ Cale and also features Kampa on harp. Sugar Shop is a boogie track with a great piano intro and again rowdy vocals which are well paired with the rhythm section. Wainwright plays some particularly cool riffs on this track and Thomas lays down some nice swing blues guitar riffs of his own. YeeHaw Junction is a countrified 12 bar blues instrumental with cool solos all round. This track also features Patricia Ann Dees on tenor sax. I'm A Freight Train is a a cool acoustic blues featuring vocal by Thomas, Damon Fowler on dobro and Kampa on harp. Daddy's Gone is my favorite track on the release. Written by bass and guitar player Stephen Dees, this has a a blues feel but the timing and pace of a rural country track. Brandon Santini adds harp to this track and Thomas's vocals are perfect for this track. Title track, The Town Crier, is another blues shouter with a solid 12 bar base. Dees is back on sax on this track and Jeffrey Willey play some real nice harp but the hot guitar riffs on htis track take the cake. The final track, It Ain't Easy, is a cool shuffle track with heavy brushes on drums and just lead guitar and vocal. The WildRoots Choir (the entire band) adds backing vocal in a Delaney and Bonnie like revival finish.

  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”

 

Wild Roots Records artist: Robert 'Top' Thomas - The Town Crier - New Release Review

I just received a new release, The Town Crier, by Robert 'Top' Thomas and it rocks. Opening with Mississippi Quickie, a play on La Grange, Thomas conjures up a cool story and some real nice guitar lead over the famous guitar riff.... "a how how how how". Blues Grass has more of a spoken sung lyric along the lines of Elvin Bishop. Victor Wainwright adds some nice piano on this track and Thomas slides a nice riff as well. The Same Thing Could Happen To You has a bit of that Louisiana sound with Beth McKee on accordion. Lazy Little Daisey is another track with a "Bishop" flavor. It's a lazy kind of blues with Stephen Kampa on harp and some cool slide work from Thomas. King Snake Crawl has a traditional Chicago style to it with a nice warm sound. Mark Hodson adds cool harp work to strong vocals by Thomas who plays stripped down guitar riffs on this track and Billy Dean carries the bottom on drums. Bad Seed has a a more commercial back beat sound featuring Victor Wainwright on vocal and organ. It has a strong melody and a clean hook. Thomas lays out likely the best guitar solo of the recording on this track. What's The Matter Ma? is a more down home acoustic number along the lines of JJ Cale and also features Kampa on harp. Sugar Shop is a boogie track with a great piano intro and again rowdy vocals which are well paired with the rhythm section. Wainwright plays some particularly cool riffs on this track and Thomas lays down some nice swing blues guitar riffs of his own. YeeHaw Junction is a countrified 12 bar blues instrumental with cool solos all round. This track also features Patricia Ann Dees on tenor sax. I'm A Freight Train is a a cool acoustic blues featuring vocal by Thomas, Damon Fowler on dobro and Kampa on harp. Daddy's Gone is my favorite track on the release. Written by bass and guitar player Stephen Dees, this has a a blues feel but the timing and pace of a rural country track. Brandon Santini adds harp to this track and Thomas's vocals are perfect for this track. Title track, The Town Crier, is another blues shouter with a solid 12 bar base. Dees is back on sax on this track and Jeffrey Willey play some real nice harp but the hot guitar riffs on htis track take the cake. The final track, It Ain't Easy, is a cool shuffle track with heavy brushes on drums and just lead guitar and vocal. The WildRoots Choir (the entire band) adds backing vocal in a Delaney and Bonnie like revival finish.

  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”

 

Dream - The Persuasions with Jerry Lawson

Jerry Lawson (born 1944) is a lead singer, producer, musical arranger, performer, best known as the original lead singer of The Persuasions. Born as Jerome E. Lawson in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, he was raised in Apopka, Florida. He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Julie. Jerry Lawson is the original lead singer, arranger & producer of the a cappella group The Persuasions. In the 1970s, with Jerry Lawson on lead vocals, the Persuasions had no less than five albums in the Billboard Top 100, four of which were in The Billboard 200: We Came to Play #32 Billboard R&B (1971) Billboard 200 (#189) Spread the Word #40 Billboard R&B (1972) Billboard 200 (#195) Street Corner Symphony #16 Billboard R&B (1972) Billboard 200 (#88) We Still Ain't Got No Band #49 Billboard R&B (1973) Billboard 200 (#178) More Than Before #52 Billboard R&B (1974) For many, Lawson's Persuasions became the face of a cappella music, continuing to successfully record and perform up to 2003 when Lawson went solo. In 2000 they performed in the Blues Clues film Blue's Big Musical Movie. In 2003 after four decades and 22 albums, Lawson had what he calls a calling and he left the Persuasions. He and his wife moved to Arizona, vowing that his a cappella days were over (though fate would intervene). He got his first day job in 40 years and began working with developmentally disabled adults while his wife worked tirelessly to establish Jerry as a solo artist. He began to work with jazz combos and big bands, and eventually made plans to record with The Moscow Philharmonic. He was finally living out some of his dreams that were on the back burner while working hard to keep the dying art of a cappella alive. In 2004, Lawson was introduced to 4 of the members of the San Francisco-based a cappella group Talk of the Town (Rayfield Ragler, Stan Lockwood, Paul Carrington and Carl Douglas). As fate would have it Talk of The Town had spent 35 years studying Lawson's recordings and wishing they had a lead singer like Jerry. Upon his wife's urging, he finally decided that it was no accident that he intersected with these well seasoned vocalists. Lawson became lead singer for the group. He was so impressed with their rendition of "Paper Doll" by The Mills Brothers that he and his wife were compelled to join with these vocalists to produce what Lawson considers to be the masterpiece of his a cappella career. In 2007 they independently released Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town. While certainly reminiscent of the Persuasions, the sound of TOTT was noticeably different, with more focus on a single lead singer and a smoother tighter group harmony backing Lawson's gruff leads. The album features several guest performers including Sean Altman (formerly of Rockapella), Jerry's daughter Yvette Lawson singing lead on track 8 and his wife, manager and co producer Julie closes the CD with Jerry & TOTT summing up a bit of their 34 years together on track 20. Sadly, within a year of the album's release, bass singer Ray Ragler died on March 16, 2008. Clips from the album can be heard on their MySpace page and the CD can be purchased directly from In response to Hurricane Katrina, Jerry Lawson performed with Rod Stewart in the Katrina Benefit Telecast, September 9, 2005. Since 2007, one of the most requested videos on children's television network Noggin has been Jerry's video of "I'm Glad", which he first recorded with the Persuasions, and performed for Noggin with Talk of the Town. In 2008, during the US presidential campaign, Jerry teamed up again with Talk of the Town to record a re-working of the Dixie Chicks' song I Hope (a song which had appeared with the song's original lyrics on the Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town album) as a tribute to then presidential candidate Barack Obama. In 2009, Jerry Lawson collaborated with singer/songwriter James Power on a tribute recording to gospel legend Reverend Claude Jeter of the Swan Silvertones, on a track titled "The Man in Room 1009". In 2010, Jerry Lawson appeared in a documentary titled "A Lesson in A Cappella", by filmmaker/director Keith Lewis, on the art of a cappella music. In this documentary, Jerry discusses the evolution and future of the musical art form, as well as performing several a cappella songs. His performances are with Talk of the Town, with a bonus feature with James Power. On March 28, 2010, Jerry Lawson was inducted into the Doo Wop Hall of Fame at Boston Symphony Hall. During the induction ceremonies, Jerry performed with the a cappella group The GrooveBarbers consisting of former Rockapella members Sean Altman, Charlie Evett, Steve Keyes, and new member Kevin Weist. They performed Chain Gang, Drip Drop, and Mint Julep. Jerry's induction acceptance speech into the Doo Wop Hall of Fame. Lawson and Talk of the Town were invited to participate in season 2 of the NBC television series The Sing-Off And in season 3 Lawson was invited back and featured on the Christmas special singing lead on "Sweet Soul Music" with members of the cast. 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”

The Huckle-Buck - Lem Davis with Buck Clayton

Lemuel A. Davis American jazz saxophonist, born 22 June 1914 in Tampa, Florida; died 16 January 1970 in New York City. In addition to playing with bands led by Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart, and Eddie Heywood, Davis led his own band featuring Emmett Berry on trumpet, Vic Dickerson on trombone, and Dodo Marmarosa on piano. After recording with jazz vocalist Billie Holiday as a member of Heywood's band in 1944, Davis went on to record with John Kirby, Joe Thomas, and Eddie Safranski. Although he reached his apex in the 1940s, Davis continued to perform in the New York area during the 1950s. He appeared on an album recorded during a jam session with influential trumpet player Buck Clayton. Unable to make the transition from swing to bebop, Davis faded into obscurity. 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!

The Hucklebuck - Panama Francis

David "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918, Miami, Florida – November 13, 2001, Orlando, Florida) was an American swing jazz drummer. He began performing at the age of eight, and booked his first night club at the age of thirteen. His career took off after he moved to New York City in 1938. Early collaborations included Tab Smith, Billy Hick's Sizzling Six, the Roy Eldridge Orchestra, and six years with Lucky Millinder's Orchestra at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. Panama Francis spent five years recording and touring with Cab Calloway. He also played with Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Ray Conniff, and Sy Oliver, becoming a highly successful studio drummer. He recorded with John Lee Hooker, Eubie Blake, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois Jacquet, Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson and Big Joe Turner. As rhythm and blues and rock and roll went mainstream Francis became even more sought after. He drummed on the Elvis Presley demos, and he is featured on hits by the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man"), the Platters ("Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "My Prayer"), Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash"), Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl"), and Dion ("The Wanderer"). He drummed on "Prisoner of Love" for James Brown, "What a Difference a Day Makes" for Dinah Washington, "Drown in My Own Tears" for Ray Charles, and "Jim Dandy" for LaVern Baker. Many music reference books indicate that he also played drums on Bill Haley & His Comets' 1954 version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but producer Milt Gabler denied this; Francis is also believed to have played drums for at least one other Haley recording session in the mid-1960s. In 1979, Panama Francis reestablished the Savoy Sultans touring, recording several Grammy-nominated albums, and keeping residence at New York's prestigious Rainbow Room through the mid-1980s. He appeared in several films with Cab Calloway: Angel Heart, Lady Sings the Blues, The Learning Tree 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”

RED HOT - BILLY THE KID EMERSON

William Robert Emerson, known during his recording career as Billy "The Kid" Emerson and more recently as Rev. William R. Emerson (born December 21, 1925, Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States), is an African American preacher and former R&B and rock and roll singer and songwriter, best known for his 1955 song, "Red Hot." Born in Florida, Emerson learned the piano, playing in various local bands. In 1943, he joined the United States Navy, and after World War II he began playing around Tarpon Springs, and following a spell in one group, dressed as outlaws, he picked up the nickname, "Billy The Kid". He joined the United States Air Force in 1952, and on his discharge met up in Memphis with bandleader Ike Turner, who recruited him into his Kings of Rhythm. In 1954 he released his first record on the Sun label, "No Teasing Around", following which he left Turner's band and joined a group led by Phineas Newborn. He stayed with Sun as a songwriter, writing and recording "When It Rains It Really Pours", later recorded by Elvis Presley, and "Red Hot", which later became a hit for both Billy Lee Riley and Bob Luman but was not a commercial success for Emerson. In late 1955 he joined Vee-Jay Records in Chicago, making records such as "Every Woman I Know (Crazy 'Bout Automobiles)", released a year later but with little commercial success, and soon afterwards moved to Chess Records. However, he continued to have more success as a songwriter, writing for Junior Wells, Willie Mabon, Wynonie Harris and Buddy Guy during the early 1960s, often in conjunction with Willie Dixon. After recording for several smaller labels, he formed his own Tarpon Records in 1966, releasing Denise LaSalle's debut single as well as his own records. He also continued to play in clubs and on European blues tours. In 2005 he was reported as having a church in Oak Park, Illinois, as Rev. William R. Emerson. Emerson was inducted in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. A compilation album, Red Hot: The Sun Years, was released by Bear Family Records in 2009 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”

Good Time Feeling - Dickey Betts and Great Southern

Forrest Richard "Dickey" Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won with the band a best rock performance Grammy Award for his instrumental "Jessica" in 1996 Recognized as one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time, he had early on in his career one of rock’s finest guitar partnerships with the late Duane Allman introducing melodic twin guitar harmony and counterpoint which "rewrote the rules for how two rock guitarists can work together, completely scrapping the traditional rhythm/lead roles to stand toe to toe". Dickey Betts was ranked #58 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list in 2003, and #61 on the list published in 2011 Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Betts grew up in a musical family listening to bluegrass, country and Western Swing music. He started playing ukelele at five and, as his hands got bigger, moved on to mandolin, banjo and guitar. At sixteen and feeling the need for something "a little faster," he played in a series of rock bands on the Florida circuit, up the East Coast and into the midwest before forming the Second Coming with Berry Oakley in 1967. According to Rick Derringer, the "group called the Jokers" referenced in "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" was one of Betts' early groups.He is currently living in Sarasota, Florida. 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”

Recording of Wild Child - Jim Morrison and the Doors

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer-songwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors. Following The Doors' explosive rise to fame in 1967, Morrison developed a severe alcohol and drug dependency that culminated in his death at the age of 27 in Paris. He is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. Morrison was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, he is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and number 22 on Classic Rock Magazine's "50 Greatest Singers In Rock" James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, to future Rear Admiral George Stephen Morrison and Clara Morrison. Morrison had a sister, Anne Robin, who was born in 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and a brother, Andrew Lee Morrison, who was born in 1948 in Los Altos, California. He was of Irish and Scottish descent. In 1947, Morrison, then four years old, allegedly witnessed a car accident in the desert, in which a family of Native Americans were injured and possibly killed. He referred to this incident in a spoken word performance on the song "Dawn's Highway" from the album An American Prayer, and again in the songs "Peace Frog" and "Ghost Song." Morrison believed this incident to be the most formative event of his life, and made repeated references to it in the imagery in his songs, poems, and interviews. His family does not recall this incident happening in the way he told it. According to the Morrison biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, Morrison's family did drive past a car accident on an Indian reservation when he was a child, and he was very upset by it. The book The Doors, written by the remaining members of The Doors, explains how different Morrison's account of the incident was from the account of his father. This book quotes his father as saying, "We went by several Indians. It did make an impression on him [the young James]. He always thought about that crying Indian." This is contrasted sharply with Morrison's tale of "Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death." In the same book, his sister is quoted as saying, "He enjoyed telling that story and exaggerating it. He said he saw a dead Indian by the side of the road, and I don't even know if that's true." With his father in the United States Navy, Morrison's family moved often. He spent part of his childhood in San Diego. While his father was stationed at NAS Kingsville, he attended Flato Elementary in Kingsville, Texas. In 1958 Morrison attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California. He graduated from George Washington High School (now George Washington Middle School) in Alexandria, Virginia in June 1961. His father was also stationed at Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida[citation needed]. Morrison was inspired by the writings of philosophers and poets. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, whose views on aesthetics, morality, and the Apollonian and Dionysian duality would appear in his conversation, poetry and songs[citation needed]. He read Plutarch’s "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans". He read the works of the French Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose style would later influence the form of Morrison’s short prose poems[citation needed]. He was influenced by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Baudelaire, Molière and Franz Kafka[citation needed]. Honoré de Balzac and Jean Cocteau, along with most of the French existentialist philosophers. His senior-year English teacher said that, "Jim read as much and probably more than any student in class, but everything he read was so offbeat I had another teacher, who was going to the Library of Congress, check to see if the books Jim was reporting on actually existed. I suspected he was making them up, as they were English books on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century demonology. I’d never heard of them, but they existed, and I’m convinced from the paper he wrote that he read them, and the Library of Congress would’ve been the only source." Morrison was arrested in Tallahassee after pulling a prank while drunk at a football game Morrison went to live with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida, where he attended classes at St. Petersburg College (then known as a junior college). In 1962, he transferred to Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, where he appeared in a school recruitment film. While attending FSU, Morrison was arrested for a prank, following a home football game. In January 1964, Morrison moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He enrolled in Jack Hirschman's class on Antonin Artaud in the Comparative Literature program within the UCLA English Department. Artaud's brand of surrealist theatre had a profound impact on Morrison's dark poetic sensibility of cinematic theatricality. Morrison completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA's film school within the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965. He never went to the graduation ceremony, instead having his degree diploma mailed to him. He made several short films while attending UCLA. First Love, the first of these films, made with Morrison's classmate and roommate Max Schwartz, was released to the public when it appeared in a documentary about the film Obscura. During these years, while living in Venice Beach, he became friends with writers at the Los Angeles Free Press. Morrison was an advocate of the underground newspaper until his death in 1971. He later conducted a lengthy and in-depth interview with Bob Chorush and Andy Kent, both working for the Free Press at the time (January 1971), and was planning on visiting the headquarters of the busy newspaper shortly before leaving for Paris Morrison joined Pam in Paris in March 1971. They took up residence in the city in a rented apartment on the rue Beautreillis (in the 4th arrondissement of Paris on the Right Bank), and went for long walks throughout the city, admiring the city's architecture. During this time, Morrison shaved his beard and lost some of the weight he had gained in the previous months. His last studio recording was with two American street musicians—a session dismissed by Manzarek as "drunken gibberish". The session included a version of a song-in-progress, "Orange County Suite", which can be heard on the bootleg The Lost Paris Tapes. Morrison died on July 3, 1971 at age 27. In the official account of his death, he was found in a Paris apartment bathtub (at 17–19 rue Beautreillis, 4th arrondissement) by Courson. Pursuant to French law, no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner stated that there was no evidence of foul play. The absence of an official autopsy has left many questions regarding Morrison's cause of death. In Wonderland Avenue, Danny Sugerman discussed his encounter with Courson after she returned to the United States. According to Sugerman's account, Courson stated that Morrison had died of a heroin overdose, having insufflated what he believed to be cocaine. Sugerman added that Courson had given him numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death, saying at times that she had killed Morrison, or that his death was her fault. Courson's story of Morrison's unintentional ingestion of heroin, followed by his accidental overdose, is supported by the confession of Alain Ronay, who has written that Morrison died of a hemorrhage after snorting Courson's heroin, and that Courson nodded off instead of phoning for medical help, leaving Morrison bleeding to death. Ronay confessed in an article in Paris that he then helped cover up the circumstances of Morrison's death. In the epilogue of No One Here Gets Out Alive, Hopkins and Sugerman write that Ronay and Agnès Varda say Courson lied to the police who responded to the death scene, and later in her deposition, telling them Morrison never took drugs. In the epilogue to No One Here Gets Out Alive, Hopkins says that 20 years after Morrison's death, Ronay and Varda broke their silence and gave this account: They arrived at the house shortly after Morrison's death and Courson said that she and Morrison had taken heroin after a night of drinking. Morrison had been coughing badly, had gone to take a bath, and vomited blood. Courson said that he appeared to recover and that she then went to sleep. When she awoke sometime later Morrison was unresponsive, so she called for medical assistance. Hopkins and Sugerman also claim that Morrison had asthma and was suffering from a respiratory condition involving a chronic cough and vomiting blood on the night of his death. This theory is partially supported in The Doors (written by the remaining members of the band) in which they claim Morrison had been coughing up blood for nearly two months in Paris, but none of the members of The Doors were in Paris with Morrison in the months prior to his death. According to a Madame Colinette, who was at the cemetery that day mourning the recent loss of her husband, she witnessed Morrison's funeral at Père Lachaise Cemetery. The ceremony was "pitiful", with several of the attendants muttering a few words, throwing flowers over the casket, then leaving quickly and hastily within minutes as if their lives depended upon it. Those who attended included Alain Ronay, Agnes Varda, Bill Siddons (manager), Courson, and Robin Wertle (Morrison's Canadian private secretary at the time for a few months). In the first version of No One Here Gets Out Alive published in 1980, Sugerman and Hopkins gave some credence to the rumor that Morrison may not have died at all, calling the fake death theory “not as far-fetched as it might seem”. This theory led to considerable distress for Morrison's loved ones over the years, notably when fans would stalk them, searching for evidence of Morrison's whereabouts. In 1995 a new epilogue was added to Sugerman's and Hopkins's book, giving new facts about Morrison's death and discounting the fake death theory, saying “As time passed, some of Jim and Pamela [Courson]'s friends began to talk about what they knew, and although everything they said pointed irrefutably to Jim's demise, there remained and probably always will be those who refuse to believe that Jim is dead and those who will not allow him to rest in peace.” Morrison's grave at Père Lachaise (August 2008) In July 2007, Sam Bernett, a former manager of the Rock 'n' Roll Circus nightclub, released a (French) book titled "The End: Jim Morrison". In it Bernett alleges that instead of dying of a heart attack in a bathtub (the official police version of his death) Morrison overdosed on heroin on a toilet seat in the nightclub. He claims that Morrison came to the club to buy heroin for Courson then did some himself and died in the bathroom. Morrison's body was then moved back to his rue Beautreillis apartment and dumped into the bathtub by the two drug dealers from whom Morrison had purchased the heroin. Bernett says those who saw Morrison that night were sworn to secrecy in order to prevent a scandal for the famous club, and that some of the witnesses immediately left the country. There have been many other conspiracy theories surrounding Morrison's death but are less supported by witnesses than are the accounts of Ronay and Courson. 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!

Killing the Blues - Chris Smither

Chris Smither (born November 11, 1944, Miami, Florida) is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers. Smither’s family lived in Ecuador and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas before settling in New Orleans when Chris was three years old. He grew up in New Orleans, and lived briefly in Paris where he and his twin sister attended French public school. It was in Paris that Smither got his first guitar - one his father brought him from Spain. Shortly after, the family returned to New Orleans where his father taught at Tulane University. In 1960, Smither and two friends entered and won a folk “Battle of the Bands” at the New Orleans Saenger Theatre. Two years later, Smither graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans and went on to attend the University of the Americas in Mexico City planning to study anthropology. It was there that a friend played Smither the Lightnin' Hopkins' record “Blues in My Bottle”. After one year in Mexico, Smither returned to New Orleans where he attended Tulane for one year and discovered Mississippi John Hurt’s music through the Blues at Newport 1963 album on Vanguard Records. Hurt and Hopkins would become cornerstone influences on Smither’s own music. In 1964, Smither flew to New York City two days prior to boarding the SS United States for the five-day transatlantic voyage to Paris for his Junior Year Abroad program. While in New York, he stopped at The Gaslight Cafe to see his hero, Mississippi John Hurt. Once in Paris, Smither often spent time playing his guitar instead of attending classes. Smither returned to New Orleans in 1965. With a few clothes and his guitar, he soon took off for Florida to meet another musical hero, Eric von Schmidt. Smither arrived uninvited at von Schmidt’s door; Von Schmidt welcomed Smither in, and upon listening to him play, advised him to go north to seek a place in the burgeoning folk scene in New York City or Cambridge, Massachusetts. Smither followed this advice, and arrived at Club 47 in Harvard Square several weeks later only to find von Schmidt performing. Von Schmidt invited Smither on stage to play three songs. Smither soon began writing and performing his own songs. He achieved some local notice and by 1967 was featured on the cover of The Broadside of Boston Magazine, and in 1968 music photographer David Gahr’s book, The Face of Folk Music featured Smither’s picture. By 1969, after living in several places around Cambridge, Smither moved to Garfield Street in Cambridge and often visited Dick Waterman's house where Fred McDowell, Son House and other blues legends were known to congregate. It was there that Smither first performed his song "Love You Like A Man" for Waterman's friend, Bonnie Raitt. That summer, he appeared at the Philadelphia Folk Festival for the first time. In 1970, he released his first album I'm A Stranger, Too! on Poppy Records, followed by Don’t It Drag On the next year. He recorded a follow up, Honeysuckle Dog, in 1973 for United Artists Records but Smither was dropped from the label and the album went unreleased until 2004, when it was issued by Tomato Records. Despite no longer having a recording contract Smither continued to tour and became a fixture in New England's folk clubs. In 1972, a longstanding working relationship with Bonnie Raitt took shape as Raitt's cover of "Love Me Like a Man" appeared on her second album Give It Up. Raitt has since made it a signature song of her live performances, and the song has been included on several of her live albums and collections. She has openly expressed admiration for Smither's songwriting and guitar playing, once calling Smither "my Eric Clapton." In 1973, Raitt covered Smither's song "I Feel The Same" on her Takin' My Time album. Following this mixed early success, Smither's recording and songwriting career had a long fallow period while he struggled with personal issues. In his official biography, Smither is quoted: "I was basically drunk for 12 years, and somehow I managed to climb out of it; I don't know why." Smither began to re-emerge as a performer in the late 1970s, and gained a few press notices. In 1979, he was featured in Eric von Schmidt and Jim Rooney's book, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, and the next year in the UK's Melody Maker magazine. In 1984, Smither's belated third album, It Ain’t Easy was released on Adelphi Records. In 1987, author Linda Barnes’ book “A Trouble of Fools” was published. This is the first in a series of 11 (to-date) novels featuring the private investigator Carlotta Carlysle who is a big Chris Smither fan, and all of which include some reference to Chris Smither. Smither recorded his next album, Another Way To Find You, in front of a live audience at Soundtrack Studio in Boston and in 1991 released it on Flying Fish Records. Later that year he received a Boston Music Award. Two years later, he was invited to compose music for a documentary on Southern folk artists and met Southern folk artist Mose T. In 1993, Smither recorded and released his fifth album, Happier Blue (Flying Fish), which earned Smither a National American Independent Record Distributors NAIRD award. Another two years later, he released Up On The Lowdown (Hightone Records), which was recorded at the Hit Shack in Austin, Texas. This was the first of three records produced by Stephen Bruton. Also that year, the Chris Smither Songbook I was published. In 1996 he began recording live concerts in the US and Ireland for what would later become a live CD. The next year, he released his seventh album, Small Revelations (Hightone), and filmed an instructional guitar video for Happy Traum’s Homespun Tapes in Woodstock, NY. In 1997 Smither's music was used exclusively on the entire score of the short film, The Ride, directed by John Flanders and produced by Flanders's company, RoughPine Productions. Flanders plays a folk-singer in the film who is largely influenced by Smither. The Ride won the Audience Best Film Award at the 2002 Moscow Film Festival. 1998 was a year of small breakthroughs and the start of a fertile songwriting and recording period for Smither. HighTone Records reissued Another Way To Find You and Happier Blue and Jorma Kaukonen invited Smither to teach at his Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio. In addition, Smither toured with Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell as Hightone’s "Monsters of Folk" tour, and Emmylou Harris recorded his song "Slow Surprise", for the Horse Whisperer soundtrack CD. In 1999, Smither released Drive You Home Again (HighTone Records), and Keys to Tetuan by Israeli novelist Moshe Benarroch was published with a line from Smither's song I Am The Ride on the opening page. Also in 1999 he went to New Zealand and played at the Sweetwaters Music Festival. 2000 brought the release of another CD, Live As I’ll Ever Be (HighTone Records ), comprising the live recordings made two years earlier. His song "No Love Today" was featured in the Bravo network program Tale Lights. The following year, songwriter Peter Case invited Smither to be part of a Mississippi John Hurt tribute record for which he contributed the opening track, “Frankie and Albert”. In 2003, Train Home was released on Hightone. In 2004, jazz singer Diana Krall covered “Love Me Like A Man” on her CD, The Girl in the Other Room. In September 2006, Smither released Leave the Light On (Signature Sounds Recordings) produced by David 'Goody' Goodrich. His song, "Diplomacy," from the CD was named #42 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Best Songs of the Year 2006. Smither was also named as 2007's Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music Awards. That year he also contributed an essay entitled "Become a Parent" to the book Sixty Things To Do When You Turn Sixty (Ronnie Sellers Productions). And he narrated a two-CD audio book recording of Will Rogers' Greatest Hits (Logofon Recordings). Smither released a 78-minute live concert DVD, One More Night, (Signature Sounds Recordings) in February, 2008. In May 2009, Smither's short story "Leroy Purcell" was published in Amplified (Melville House Publishing), a collection of fiction by fifteen prominent performing songwriters. Smither continues to tour worldwide, performing at clubs, concert halls, and festivals in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia. Smither's thirteenth CD Time Stands Still was released on September 29, 2009 on Signature Sounds Recordings. On February 8, 2011, Chris was profiled in The New York Times' Frequent Flier column, entitled, "The Drawbacks of a Modest Celebrity," in which he recounts anecdotes from his four decades as a traveling musician. American Songwriter writes that Smither's 2012 album "Hundred Dollar Valentine" is his first of all original material in his four decade career 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!

Hoodoo Stew - Selwyn Birchwood

Selwyn Birchwood stumbled upon the Blues at age seventeen while attending a Buddy Guy concert in Orlando. After witnessing the raw energy and power the music created first hand, he decided it was what he wanted to pursue. He has spent the years since then trying to hone his skill to convey the same intensity and feeling of the blues greats. After seeing him perform in a local club, Texas Bluesman Sonny Rhodes offered him the chance to hit the road and tour nationally. Selwyn quickly took advantage of the opportunity and has frequently toured with his blues mentor across the U.S. and Canada at many premiere venues including: “Terra Blues” in New York City, “Big Muddy Blues Festival” in St. Louis, “Beltline Blues Fest” in Calgary, Alberta, and “Buddy Guy’s Legends” in Chicago. Selwyn is backed by a rock-solid rhythm section that is as bluesy as it gets. Auggie Antoine (Bass) was a regular at Kingsnake Records in Sanford, Fl. In its heyday Kingsnake turned out records for many notable artists including Ace Moreland, Rufus Thomas, and Kenny Neal. The band also features Dave Scitney (Drums) who adds his own style keeping the pulse of their unique brand of swampy, Florida BLUES. ****2010 has shaped up to be a great year for Selwyn and the band as they opened for many nationally acclaimed acts including: Robert Cray, John Lee Hooker Jr., Zac Harmon, and Joanna Connor. You can also catch him every Sunday night at B.B. King's Blues Club (Orlando) 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!

Bow legged daddy - Willis 'Gator Tail' Jackson

Willis "Gator" Jackson (April 25, 1932 – October 25, 1987) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Born in Miami, Florida, Jackson joined Duke Ellington alumnus Cootie Williams's band in 1949 as a teenager, after being discovered by Eddie Vinson. During the 1950s he participated in R&B and jazz recordings, primarily as a session musician. He also toured as leader of the backing band of singer Ruth Brown, whom he married.Jackson joined Prestige Records in 1959, making a string of jazz albums which proved to an influence on the burgeoning soul jazz movement. During this era, Jack McDuff and Pat Martino became famous through association with Jackson. Jackson's main influences were Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet. Jamaican ska innovator Prince Buster has cited Jackson's song "Later for the Gator" as one of the first ska songs. Jackson died in New York one week after heart surgery, in October 1987, at the age of 55 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!

Keep Your Hands Off My Mojo - Coot Grant and Kid Wilson

Wesley Wilson (October 1, 1893 – October 10, 1958) was an American blues and jazz singer and songwriter. His own stage craft, plus the double act with his wife and musical partner, Coot Grant, was popular with African American audiences in the 1910s, 1920s and early 1930s. His stage names included Kid Wilson, Jenkins, Socks, and either Sox Wilson or Socks Wilson. His musical excursions included participation in the oddly named duo of Pigmeat Pete and Catjuice Charlie. Wilson recorded songs such as "Blue Monday on Sugar Hill" and "Rasslin' Till The Wagon Comes" He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Wilson played both piano and organ, whilst Coot Grant strummed guitar as well as sing and dance. The duo's billing also varied between Grant and Wilson, Kid and Coot, and Hunter and Jenkins, as they went on to appear and later record with Fletcher Henderson, Mezz Mezzrow, Sidney Bechet, and Louis Armstrong. Their variety was such that they performed separately and together in vaudeville, musical comedies, revues and traveling shows. This ability to adapt also saw them appear in the 1933 film, The Emperor Jones, alongside Paul Robeson. In addition to this, the twosome wrote in excess of 400 songs over their working lifetime. That list included "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" (1933) and "Take Me for a Buggy Ride", which were both made famous by Bessie Smith's recording of the songs, plus "Find Me at the Greasy Spoon (If You Miss Me Here)" (1925)[6] and "Prince of Wails" for Fletcher Henderson. Their own renditions included the diverse, "Come on Coot, Do That Thing" (1925), "Dem Socks Dat My Pappy Wore," and "Throat Cutting Blues" (although the latter remains unreleased)." Although Grant and Wilson's act, once seen as a serious rival to Butterbeans and Susie, began to lose favor with the public by the middle of the 1930s, they recorded further songs in 1938. Their only child, Bobby Wilson, was born in 1941. By 1946, and after Mezz Mezzrow had founded his King Jazz record label, he engaged them as songwriters In that year, the association led to their final recording session backed by a quintet incorporating Bechet and Mezzrow. Wilson retired in ill health shortly thereafter, but Grant continued performing into the 1950s. In January 1953, one commentator noted that the couple had moved from New York to Los Angeles, but were in considerable financial hardship. Wilson died from a stroke, aged 65, in October 1958 in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. In 1998, his entire recorded work, both with and without Grant, was made available in three chronological volumes by Document Records. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

A Broken Word - Teague Stefan

As one of Central Florida’s hardest working musical acts, the three-piece Teague Stefan Band combine elements of blues, rock and funk to create a solid wall of electric guitar-driven sound that can be described as complex, aggressive and pounding: a full-bodied style that gives a subtle nod to power trios of the 70’s and artists from Hendrix to Stevie Wonder that remains refreshingly original and, above all, crowd pleasing.
The band’s repertoire includes their second full-length studio album Game Of Life, in which Teague Stefan, the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for his eponymous three piece group, employs his talents in musicianship and composition. Stefan shows his range on the album, a textured, well-flowing arrangement of numbers such as the bluesy, soulful 'Power Of A Woman', the funky, heavy 'No Matter What' and the blistering 'One More Night'. There is no post-production trickery employed here; Stefan’s guitar is just as, if not more, intricately fiery during the band’s live shows as it sounds on the album.
Indeed, the Teague Stefan Band is at home on stage, delivering with each live performance. Supporting Stefan are bassist Todd Warsing and drummer Dave Marder, accomplished and professional musicians who provide the firm rhythmic foundation for Stefan’s blazing guitar. The members of the band are perfectly synchronized, effortlessly meshing thanks to numerous shows and countless hours of practice. The group has appeared at the Orange Blossom Blues Society show at Hard Rock Universal, twice at George’s Music Springing the Blues, the Lakeridge Winery Blues Festival and at the Orlando Magic Family Day at the Amway Arena. The band continues to perform frequently at various local clubs and bars in the Central Florida area.
Stefan, who has played guitar since the age of seventeen, lists his major influences as Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan. He has created his own brand of music that cannot be confined to either blues or rock, as it contains aspects of both (along with funk).
But ultimately the Teague Stefan Band defies an accurate description; seeing the band perform live is perhaps the only way to truly experience their raw, untapped talent. Stefan, Marder and Warsing are entertaining to say the least, with vibrant stage presence that exudes energy and charisma, but these are serious musicians; frontman Stefan exhibits complete control over his guitar, handling even the fastest of songs with effortless precision, flooding the stage with his original, jaw-dropping sound that one must experience live to truly comprehend. Although it’s been said before, it’s true: this is a band you don’t want to miss.
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Bobby and the Renegades

All coming from diverse musical backgrounds, it was their love for the blues that brought this mix of generations together. Bobby and the Renegades is made up of Greg Magnanti on Vocals; Steve Laudicina on Guitars; Mason Randall on Bass; and Rich Conklin on Drums. Strong command of their instruments; stage presence; and high energy shows really get the crowd involved and grooving when Bobby hits the stage.

A singer/songwriter who stresses the pure soul of music, Greg Magnanti' s many years around the blues scene has made him a polished front man. When you hear Steve Laudicina, the "Young Gun" on lead and slide guitars, you'll swear he's "experienced" if you know what we mean! Steve is capable of delivering his soul felt blues in to notes that entice and embrace audiences and leaves them screaming for more.

Mixing the styles of Mason Randall (aka Boogie Man) on Bass, and Rich Conklin on drums, drives the band with their hard rocking, soulful rhythms.

Formed in May 2010, Bobby and the Renegades have already competed and placed 2nd at the International Blues Competition for the South Florida Blues Society and The Orange Blossom Blues Society, making quite an impression!

Bobby and the Renegades have several original songs and more than enough material for anything from one set to a 4+ hour night. You can catch Bobby live at places like the House of Blues, BB King's Blues Club, Back Room Blues Bar, Hurricane Lounge, Buckingham Blues Bar, Earl’s Hideaway Lounge, Downtowner Saloon, Satchmo Blues Bar, Shenanigans, A1A Dive Bar as well as other locations throughout Florida.
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Rude Mood - Mike Imbasciani and his BluezRockerz Band

15 year old blues/rocker guitarist and vocalist. Playing guitar since the age of five. Playing professionally since the age of eleven.
Mike Imbasciani and his BluezRockerz Band.
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I Don't Want To Have To Wait - James & Bobby Purify

James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached #6 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version #12 in the UK Singles Chart (in April 1976), and "Let Love Come Between Us" in 1967, which reached #23 in the U.S. The original "Bobby Purify" (Robert Lee Dickey) was replaced by a second "Bobby Purify" (Ben Moore) in the 1970s.
The vocal duo of James Lee Purify (born May 12, 1944, Pensacola, Florida) and his cousin Robert Lee Dickey (September 2, 1939, Tallahassee, Florida – December 29, 2011, Tallahassee) formed in 1965. Dickey had previously worked as a guitarist with the Dothan Sextet. The duo were signed by Don Schroeder to Bell Records in 1966, with Dickey taking his cousin's surname as a stage name.They had immediate success with "I'm Your Puppet", written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn and produced by Penn at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The record, released in September 1966, spent 14 weeks in the U.S. chart and sold an estimated one million copies.

Although "I'm Your Puppet" was their biggest hit, they had several further successes on both the Hot 100 and R&B chart in the US in the late 1960s, including a revival of "Shake a Tail Feather", originally by The Five Du-Tones, and "Let Love Come Between Us". Oliver's cover of the twosome's 1968 hit "I Can Remember" reached the top 25 of the Billboard Easy Listening Chart in the mid summer of 1970. The duo continued to record and tour together until 1971, when Dickey retired from the music business for health reasons and returned to Tallahassee, where he worked as a city maintenance supervisor as well as singing and playing guitar with his church and as a member of the Bethlehem Male Singers.

James Purify then worked as a solo singer until 1974, when Penn introduced him to Ben Moore (James B. Moore, born 1941, Atlanta, Georgia). Moore had previously worked with Otis Redding, James Brown and as a member of Jimmy Tig and the Rounders, before forming half of the duo Ben and Spence, who recorded for Atlantic Records in the 1960s. Moore adopted the stage name "Bobby Purify", and the duo toured together until the 1980s. They re-recorded "I'm Your Puppet", which became a #12 hit in the UK in 1976, and an album, Purify Bros.

Moore began recording as a solo singer for Mercury Records in 1977, and (as "Bobby Purify") released an album, Purified in 1979. He also continue to tour as half of the duo with James Purify. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1983, in the category of Best Soul Gospel Performance - Traditional, for the song "He Believes In Me". In 1998, Moore went blind from severe glaucoma and completely dropped out of the music industry. With the encouragement of Ray Charles, however, he returned to performing and recording. Following a new Bobby Purify album, the Dan Penn-produced Better To Have It in 2005, he joined the gospel band Blind Boys of Alabama.
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I Just Want You to Understand - Blues Dragon

The members of Blues Dragon have been a constant on the South Florida music scene for over a decade. A real home grown find, their musical associations with each other go back over ten years. Each member having learned their craft, honed their skills with some of the finest musicians in the rock & roll and blues industry. Not only does each member share a fondness for the music they grew up on, they also have a true love for the most traditional music ever to be recorded. During their live concerts, Blues Dragon delivers their unique interpretations of early American blues and folk songs dating from the mid 1800's through the 1940's. Though most of their music is pre WWII, the band does deliver some Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, and the 1950's & 1960's sounds of Chicago blues, as well as many original songs. Whether they are sitting in kitchen chairs, or standing on the concert stage, Blues Dragon always creates a real “down home” feel while simultaneously rocking the house. With over 100 songs in their repertoire and growing, the band can keep the same audience interested night after night. Lead singer/bassist Mark J. Telesca, switches from acoustic to electric bass while telling stories and history of the land, musicians, and the lives of the people that created this music. Do not be fooled by the name, this is not your typical blues band. Blues Dragon is a truly unique musical experience that takes the most common of things and makes it different .
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CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF - Swingin Harpoon

Swingin Harpoon is based out of North Florida offering the absolute best quality, high energy, and tasteful live music shows to Venues, Festivals, and Events !

Swingin Harpoon's blistering, juicy harmonica flavor will 'blow' you away at your Festival, Venue or Event !
'Sizzilin' songs about life's lyrics enjoyed by all ages !

Swingin Harpoon featuring Jamie Eubanks 'brings it' !

Blistering Harmonica & Power guitar Blues, Swing & Rockabilly with a raw swingin edge...

"Swingin Harpoon gets asked back to all Shows they perform at for a reason "...Allie McKay (Allie McKay & The Allie Cats)

REVIEWS
''Swingin Harpoon Blues Band delivers a sharp, solid sound.... It's (Swingin Harpoon Blues Band) comprised of some of the area's most talented blues musicians........playing it's mix of Detroit blues and jazzy swing! "...TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, APRIL 4, 2008.

Swingin' Harpoon Blues Band with Jamie Eubanks completes a triumphant return to Jamie performing. Jamie picked up where he left off with the Harpoon's swingin' style. A good fit for both (Swingin Harpoon & Jamie Eubanks)'...GARY ANTONE, OWNER of BRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB
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Friday Night - Slim Fatz

Purchase Slim’s CD's "Everybody Loves Slim", "Times Like This" and "The Original Slim" from CD Baby by clicking on the address below:.. ..The Original Slim CD.... .... .. .. .. As you may or may not know...I, Slim Fatz, am not a big fan of porncuters. Or cornputers for that matter. They eat your brain with them Gamma Rays ya know. Make you go blind in no time at all... I’m already half blind from playin with myself so much. Them cell phones are crazy too...They could track you with a GPS and shoot you down with a magnesium satellite if they’d have half a mind to... .. No Sir, Slim Fatz is not a fan of modern gizmos... .. I must say though, I am amazed and humbled by all the friends on that my space thing. I hardly ever look at it unless my friend Bill or Tom make me look at it on their laptops. I’ll look at it, but I ain’t never gonna touch it. I know where them porncuters have been...Mostly on the top of Dick or Tom’s lap... Laptop you know... .. So the only way I am gonna genuinely correspond with you, or you with me, is the United States Postal Service. If you send me a check or money order for 26 cents...Better yet, if you send me a 26 cent stamp and your pony express address to my Post Office Box, I will mail to you directly a post card sized original water color painting of a view from my boat... .. .. .......... .. .. .. If you send 17 Dollars and 26 cents I will send you my new CD and a post card sized original water color painting of a view from my boat... .. 12 Dollars and 26 cents will get you an old Boot Leg Slim Fatz CD and a post card sized original water color painting of a view from my boat... .. Now you could always get my music with the click of a mouse if you ain’t afraid of going sterile. But the only way to receive a post card sized original water color painting of a view from my boat is to go to the Post Office and send me a 26 cent stamp along with your mailing address and maybe a small letter... .. My address is:.. P.O. Box 10528.. Parker, Fl. 32404.. .. .. Thank You and Good Night,.. Slim Fatz ..
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