Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Chosen by the Blues, from Willie Jackson and it's solid. Opening with Just An Old Dog , Willie Jackson sings the blues, old style joined by Dillon Young on lead guitar, Jon Willis on bass, (Paxton Eugene on drums and Ace Andersson on harp. On slow blues, Big Boned Woman , Jackson really delivers on vocals and also gives Young a chance to show his stuff as well. His articulate lead work, coupled with the harp work of Andersson makes this track one of my favorites on the release. Sleeping On The Job is a real cool, real time blues track with contemporary a theme but with old style roots, rich vocals and slid harp. Wrapping the release is up-tempo shuffle, Diggin' My Shovel with some strong innuendo. A lively guitar solo, and a firm bass line, this is a super closer with catchy lyrics that will certainly leave a memorable smile on many listeners faces.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming ...

I just received the newest release (June 3, 2016), Red Clay Soul , from Tinsley Ellis and it's got real soul. Opening with All I Think About , Tinsley Ellis shows that he is continuing to spread his wings. The rocking country blues track, features Ellis on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Kevin McKendree on organ and piano, Lynn Williams on drums and Steve Mackey on bass. With a bit more R&B styling, Givin' You Up has strong commercial potential with a solid hook and instrumentation. Callin' has an easy soul feel with an almost Al Green sound. I really like the melody on this track and Ellis alternates his blues runs with his own vocals. Very nice. Anything But Go stays in the soul vein and Ellis does a real nice job of delivering on vocals. McKendree's rich keyboard work anchors this track and Ellis' own melodic riffs are contained and well placed. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Hungry Woman Blues , is a deep soul track with a strong blues twi...

I just received the newest release, tough love , from Tinsley Ellis and he continues to write scorching riffs. Opening with Seven Years , a bluesy ballad, Ellis has a tone all his own with the soul of Robert Cray, the articulation of Mark Knopler and the the heat of SRV. Very cool. Midnight Ride has a romping blues feel with warm organ flow from Kevin McKendree, a driving bass line from Steve Mackey and tight percussion from Lynn Williams. A cool track with hot riffs, this one could catch the radio pretty easy. Give It Away is a quiet ballad featuring Ellis' vocal and acoustic slide techniques. Hard Work has more of a JJ Cale feel with an easy country blues drive. All In The Name Of Love has a really nice R&B feel with McKendree on electric keys. Another track with a particularly strong melody line also features Jim Hoke (sax) and Steve Herrman (trumpet) backing soulful guitar riffs. Should I Have Lied is one of my favorite tracks on the release with BB King like phrasing...

                                                                                                                                           LEFTY WILLIAMS AND TREE LEAF MUSIC ANNOUNCE AUGUST 21 RELEASE DATE FOR ALL IN Atlanta, GA --- Lefty Williams, Producer Ashley Dennis and Tree Leaf Music have annou...

Alfie Harpo (born under the name Alfredo Barranco) brought his smoking Harmonica riffs to America and immediately earned a small nomination at the 1999 Handy Music Award in Memphis, TN as part of the Glendora Harp Summit "Sonny Boy Williamson Tribute", Best Communication and Harmonica Teaching and Live Performances. This event was also nominated for a 1999 Keeping The Blues Alive Award at the W.C. Handy Awards, in the categories of education, historical preservation, and Internet communications. http://www.southernmusic.net/summit.htm With each riveting performance, Alfie proves why he is so honored. His American tour began with The Sonny Boy Williamson Tribute during which he performed with such guests as Sugar Blue, Lee Oskar, Rockin' Jake, Jumpin' Johnny Samson, Blind Mississippi Morris, Arthur Williams, Billy Gibson and Paul D'Lay. He went on to rock Florida's Tobacco Road and dominated the stage with Joey Gilmore Band. Had The Courage To Follow Paul D...

Just received the newest release (January 14, 2014), Midnight Blue , from Tinsley Ellis and it's a smoker! Hot on the heels of instrumental release Get It!, Ellis comes hot out of the chute with If The River Keeps Rising , opening easy with vocal and acoustic guitar but then letting the dogs out with overdriven electric guitar and solid bottomed bass and drums. Fat slide solo's always make me happy and this is a good one! On Mouth Turns Dry , Ellis uses a classic blues rhythm (The Hunter) with a twist and a forward driving blues rocker with solid vocals and frenzied guitar work. Super track! Surrender has a smoother radio play style with nice bass lines from Ted Pecchio. Solid R&B style blues giving Ellis a great opportunity to show his fluid chops. It's Not Funny has a Louisiana beat and sound with cool resophonic slide sound. This is a cool take on the New Orleans sound and pianist Kevin McKendree and drummer Lynn Williams creat a great theatre for this funky trac...

James Gideon Tanner (June 6, 1885 – May 13, 1960) was an American old time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal) and the blind Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal). Gid Tanner was born at Thomas Bridge near Monroe, Georgia. He made a living as a chicken farmer for most of his life. He learned to play the fiddle at the age of 14 and quickly established a reputation as one of the finest musicians in Georgia. Early on, he participated in several fiddle conventions together with his rival Fiddlin' John Carson, what one of them didn't win, the other would. Tanner reportedly had a repertoire of more than 2000 songs. Tanner and Puckett traveled to New York City in March 1924 to make the first of a series of duet recordings for Columbia Records. The first recordi...

Billy Young was discovered by Otis Redding, Like Otis, he was a Macon native. Along with Loretta Williams and Arthur Conley, he recorded one of the four Otis' and Joe Galkin own JOTIS singles, in 1965. The JOTIS singles were distributed by Atlantic like Stax and recorded some at Stax, some at Fame in Muscleshoals. He died 8/18/1999. On this particular track, recorded at Fame, the second voice is thought to be Otis Redding himself but I've been told it's  Art  (pee wee)  Wilson .   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!

I just received the newest release, Hayride Riot , from Skinny Molly and it's a kick ass rocker. The release opens with If You Don't Care which has the explosiveness of one of my favorite southern rockers, I Ain't The One. Parallels may be drawn from Skynyrd but this band has a sound of it's own. The similarities are a solid cocky singer and blazing guitar riffs laid down on a strong rock beat. Devil In The Bottl e is more of a liad back ballad along the lines of earlier Charlie Daniels. The band is filled out by Jay Johnson on lead guitar, Kurt Pietro on drums and Luke Bradshaw on bass. Two Good Wheels is a bit of a country rocker and has a great hook. This is a track that is likely to hit the airwaves hard. Too Bad To Be True is a hard driving rocker with back to back ripping guitar solos. Judge Parker has a real southern rock swagger and Bitin' The Dog kicks dirt in your face. Lie To Me is a ballad more along the lines of John Bon Jovi (if he had any grit)...

George Riley Puckett (May 7, 1894 - July 13, 1946) was an American country music pioneer mostly known for being a member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers. Puckett was born in Alpharetta, Georgia. An accident during infancy left him blind. He had his formal education at the Georgia School for the Blind in Macon, Georgia. He sang and played guitar and banjo. He was first heard on the radio as a part of Clayton McMichen's Hometown Band. His vocalizing was a regular feature at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers Conventions. Newspaper reporters covering these events referred to him as the "Bald Mountain Caruso" in admiration of his renditions of such songs as "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" and "Sleep, Baby, Sleep". For several years Puckett played and sang with the Home Town Boys, a string-band ensemble composed of Atlanta-area musicians. They made their debut on Atlanta's six-month-old radio station, WSB, on September 18, 1922. Until going off t...

Joe Burton, affectionately known as "Lil" Joe from Chicago, is the quintessential Blues instrumentalist in a class of his own. "Lil" Joe's career began in 1964 with the late, great Junior Wells. Joe's relationship with Junior continued for years but he also toured with other great acts such as, B.B. King, Bobby Womack, Joe Tex, Otis Clay and many others. He has appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, Midnight Special, Soul Train and a host of others. Joe is well known throughout Europe and the United States for his heart-wrenching solos and tasteful high-energy performances. His uniquely versatile approach to traditional and contemporary Blues is legendary. He effortlessly blends fat round tones of his trombone with various styles and formats of Roots Music. His recordings include (BB King's) Lucille Talks Back, Guess Who, Mississippi Seeds, L.A. Midnight, BB King & Bobby Bland for the First Time, (Junior Wells) Junior Wells Live at Buddy Guys Legends (whi...

George Rufus Adams (April 29, 1940 Covington, Georgia – November 14, 1992 New York City, New York) was an American jazz musician who played tenor saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. He is best known for his work with Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Roy Haynes and in the quartet he co-led with pianist Don Pullen, featuring bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Dannie Richmond. He was also known for his idiosyncratic singing. George Adams's musical style was rooted in the blues and in primarily that of African-American popular music. As a saxophonist his greatest influences seem to have been Rahsaan Roland Kirk, with whom he played in Mingus's band on occasion, as well as the adventurous edginess of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. He played with tremendous intensity and passion, as well as lyricism and subtlety. At times he bent over backwards when playing, almost ending up on his back. His singing varied from wild wailing blues to ballads.[citation needed] Adams and Don Pullen shared a ...

I just got a copy of the newest Tinsley Ellis release, Get It! and it's really strong! Ellis has put together a 10 track all instrumental recording and he demonstrates that you can say a lot without uttering a word. Opening with Front Street Freeze , Ellis cranks up the funk accompanied by Kevin McKendree on keys, Lynn Williams on drums and Ted Pecchio on bass. Ellis plays smokin guitar that he is known for and adds a little Albert Collins sting. Sassy Strat is another track with a funky bottom. Speaking with his own guitar voice and a bit of wah, Ellis takes a Beck, lay back and let it come to me approach on his melodic lead. McKendree keeps the flame hot with Billy Preston like richness. The Milky Way is a very solitude track with quiet drums and organ on the bottom and single line leads not unlike those seen from Dutch guitar great Jan Akkerman. This is a really nice track with a strong melody and smart use of the fretboard. Detour is a twistin' Texas infused surf trac...

Ziegler’s recordings appear on the following collections: Georgia Blues Today (issued by Flyright in 1981 and reissued by Fat Possum), John Lee Ziegler: The George Mitchell Collection Vol. 6 (the same tracks appear on The George Mitchell Collection 7-CD box set) plus Expressin’ The Blues, Blues Sweet Blues, Georgia Blues Today and Cames So Far all on the Music Maker label. Part of John Lee Ziegler’s unorthodox style comes from the fact that he was a left-handed guitarist who played a right-handed guitar upside-down, with the bass strings at the bottom. Born in 1929 in Houston County, Ziegler started playing guitar at age 15 as a fluke: when his parents couldn’t find him the bicycle he requested as a gift, they returned from Macon with a guitar instead. It didn’t take Ziegler long to get good enough to play local clubs and house parties; he even spent some time in New York playing with a band. He also told Mitchell he’d spent some time with John Lee Hooker in Hawkinsville, Georgia. Whe...

Devon Allman Exclusive Video Premiere April 15 th on Relix.com “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” From Solo-Debut CD: Turquoise Atlanta, GA- Relix.com presents the exclusive premiere of the Devon Allman video, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, from his Ruf Records release, Turquoise , on Monday, April 15. A five day exclusive run will coincide with him and his band, Royal Southern Brotherhood and their appearance at the Wanee Festival on April 18 th , ending on Friday, April 19 th . This rock classic is a duet with label mate and Blues Music Award winner, Samantha Fish, whose vocals are sassy and smart; melding with Devon’s strong rich voice. “Tom Petty has always been one of my favorite artists,” says Devon. “This song totally takes me back to my youth. I'm really pleased Samantha and I get to turn on a new generation to this classic tune. We slowed it down a bit and made it a little sexier.  New Orleans is the most photogenic city in America, so the vide...

Harold "Chuck" Willis (January 31, 1928 – April 10, 1958) was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No.1 on the Billboard R&B chart. He was known as The King of the Stroll for his performance of the 1950s dance The Stroll. Willis was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Willis was spotted at a talent contest by Atlanta radio disc jockey Zenas Sears, who became his manager and helped him to sign with Columbia Records in 1951. After one single, Willis began recording on a Columbia subsidiary, Okeh. During his stay at Okeh, he established himself as a popular R&B singer and songwriter. In 1956, he moved to Atlantic Records where he had immediate success with "It's Too Late (She's Gone)", "Juanita" and "Love Me Cherry". His most successful recording was "C.C. Rider", which topped the US Bill...

Curley James Weaver (March 25, 1906 - September 20, 1962) was an American blues musician, also known as Slim Gordon. He was born in Covington, Georgia, United States, and raised on a farm near Porterdale. His mother, Savannah "Dip" Shepard Weaver, was a well-respected pianist and guitarist, who taught Curley together with her friend's sons, "Barbecue Bob" Hicks and Charlie Hicks. The three formed a group with harmonica player Eddie Mapp, and played in the local area. In 1925 Weaver moved to Atlanta, working as a laborer and playing on the streets and at various social events. In 1928, he first recorded with Columbia Records, later releasing records on several different record labels. Although he recorded on his own during the 1920s and 1930s, first in the style taught by his mother and later with the spreading Piedmont style, he was best known for duets with Blind Willie McTell - with whom he worked until the 1950s - as well as Barbecue Bob, Fred McMullen, and h...

Fiddlin' John Carson (March 23, 1868 – December 11, 1949) was an American old time fiddler and an early-recorded country musician. Carson was born in (or near) Fannin County, Georgia, and grew up on a farm there. His father worked as a section foreman for the W&A Railroad Company. In his teens, Carson learned to play the fiddle, using an old Stradivari-copy violin brought from Ireland in the early 18th century. When he was eleven years old he used to roam the streets of Copperhill playing for tips. In his teens, he worked as a racehorse jockey. In 1894, he was married and a couple of years later, in 1900, he began working for the Exposition Cotton Mill in Atlanta followed by work in other cotton mills of the Atlanta area for the next twenty years, eventually he was promoted to be a foreman. In 1911, Carson's family moved to Cabbagetown, Georgia and he and his children began working for the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill. Three years later, in 1914, the workers of the cotton mi...

Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson (August 30, 1934 – March 18, 1976) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was also known as Luther "Snake" Johnson or Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, and was otherwise billed as both Luther King and Little Luther (under the latter he recorded for Chess Records in the 1960s). Allmusic journalist, Ron Wynn, stated "Johnson's own inimitable vocals, raspy lines and tart guitar eventually create his own aura... a good, occasionally outstanding blues artist."[ He is not to be confused with Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. He was born Lucious Brinson in Davisboro, Georgia, United States. He was raised on a farm and taught himself to play guitar. After service in the US Army up to 1953, Johnson played guitar with a local gospel group called the Milwaukee Supreme Angels. However, he graduated towards blues and set up his own trio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before relocat...

Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry (24 October 1911 - 11 March 1986) was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts. Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia. His father, a farmer, taught him to play basic blues harp as a youth. He sustained injuries to his eyes and lost his sight by the time he was 16, which prevented him from doing farm work himself. In order to earn a living Terry was forced to play music. He began playing in Shelby, North Carolina. After his father died he began playing in the trio of Piedmont blues-style guitarist Blind Boy Fuller. When Fuller died in 1941, he established a long-standing musical relationship with Brownie McGhee, and the pair recorded numerous songs together. The duo became well-known among white audiences, as they joined the growing folk movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This included collabo...