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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
Gregg Allman, one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, has died. He was 69.
The southern rocker's passing was announced on his official website, adding that Allman "passed away peacefully at his home in Savannah, Georgia" on Saturday.
Allman's death comes after rumors circulated last month that he had entered hospice care. A rep for the rocker told ABC News that the rumors were not true.
Still, Allman had been suffering from ill health in recent years, dealing with a respiratory infection, a hernia, a liver transplant and an irregular heartbeat.
Back in March, he canceled all his 2017 tour dates to support his upcoming album "Southern Blood" due to his health.
Michael Lehman, a close friend of Allman's, said in a statement posted to his website: "I have lost a dear friend and the world has lost a brilliant pioneer in music. He was a kind and gentle soul with the best laugh I ever heard."
"His love for his family and bandmates was passionate as was the love he had for his extraordinary fans. Gregg was an incredible partner and an even better friend. We will all miss him," the statement concluded.
Allman is survived by his wife Shannon Allman along with their four children and three grandchildren.
According to his website, "The family will release a statement soon, but for now ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
This year’s
festival started off under partly cloudy skies with Patty Reese rendering an
acapella version of the Star
Spangled Banner.As she sang you could
gaze out over the Chesapeake Bay and
imagine, as I did, the British
warships heading back out to sea after failing to capture Fort McHenry.Then a moment of silence was observed for the passing of BB King.
The festival
kicked off with the Marcus King Band
followed by a female band of local DC musicians put together
specifically for this performance called the
Sisterhood of Soul.Then a last minute
substitute band, The Record Company, replacing the
previously booked Davy Knowles.The
highlight of these opening acts, in
fact one of the true high points of the whole festival, was the
performance turned in by Little Margie Clark of Sisterhood of Soul. The little
old lady (formerly of the 60s group
The Jewels) packed a powerful voice. And when she ad libbed some serious scat
she blew the lid off that place!Man, I can’t even tell you what language she
was signing in!!The most outstanding
version of an improvised scat vocal I’ve ever heard on a record or in person…
and that’s counting Ella Fitzgerald!The
horn section for Sisterhood of Soul was outstanding.I really wish they’d
have turned those horns loose on their
set finale Turn On Your Lovelight.
The meat of the lineup started when Tommy Castro and The
Painkillers took the stage at
mid-afternoon.The set they played was clearly the
best I’ve ever heard Tommy play.I’ve
seen him at least 7 or 8 times and have not come away impressed.This time I came away singing his praises.He dropped his horn section a couple years
back and his new lineup has taken some time to come together.But they
are a tight outfit now!The highlight of
his set was his cover of the Wet
Willie standard, Keep On Smilin’.
The
Painkillers were followed by Bobby Rush making his second appearance at the festival.His was the usual standard
entertaining Bobby Rush set full of good music and a few laughs.
Next up was
Beth Hart who has the most amazing
voice.Extremely powerful.She was holding the
mic at her waist and it was picking up her voice like other
singers who are damn near swallowing it!I did not know what to expect from her as my only exposure was on some
duet performances she recorded with Joe Bonamassa.But she wowed me and pretty much everyone
within earshot, which probably included some fishermen way out under the Bay
Bridge!
Immediately
after Beth Hart concluded her set the
thunder and lightning rolled in bringing some heavy rain with it. This delayed the
start of the Gregg Allman set by
more than an hour and 15 minutes.Finally, with lightning still off in the
distance and the crew squeegeeing
water off the stage,I left for the evening.By all accounts those who stayed were thoroughly impressed with Gregg’s
band and his set.Everyone
mentioned his tribute to Dickie Betts and the
quality of musicianship the whole
band displayed.
Day two
started off the way day one ended
with cloudy skies and spitting rain.But
by the time the
Chesapeake Bay Blues Band took the
stage it had cleared.They are another “festival specific” band featuring Mark Wenner
on harp and vocals and Tommy Lepson on keys. It essentially consisted of what
amounted to the “Old Nighthawks,”
guys who once played in the
Nighthawks of the 80s, 90s, and
early 2000s.They ripped through a very
hot set of blues standards in which everyone got a vocal or two and they set the
bar higher for the remainder of the day.
Next up was Jarekus
Singleton.I was looking forward to
hearing him as I had heard mixed reviews on his first album and wanted to make
my own decision. Some folks said he was great and the
new savior of the blues.Others
said he was a highly overrated product of the
music industry hype machine.I found neither to be true.A lot of folks really enjoyed his set.I found it to be excessive and self-indulgent.He has talent and a big upside.But he is far from being the future of the
blues.
Mingo
Fishtrap wrapped up the afternoon
with a mixed bag set that was well received.Their set included everything from a New Orleans second line to country blues to
straight ahead gut-bucket. And then the rain came.
As Shemekia
Copeland took the stage she
announced “Here I Come!And Here Come The rain!”Shemekia is the absolute
Queen of the Chesapeake Blues Fest
and has appeared more times than any other
artist.The fans love her and she loves
playing this festival.It was the usual high energy, superb performance we’ve come
to expect from Shemekia.As always she
paid tribute to her father Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, but this weekend she also paid tribute
to the late B.B. King who had passed
just two days day before.
The artist I
most wanted to see was Charlie Musselwhite.I had never seen him perform and I was not disappointed.In fact, I liked seeing him live more than I
liked him from listening to his albums.He had an outstanding playlist of his older stuff, newer stuff, blues
classics.A thoroughly enjoyable set.
Jonny Lang
came on.Pleased many people with his
guitar antics.He was largely
popular.I have however grown weary of
his faux ”pain with every note” stage act.He is another hugely talented
guitarist who can’t decide whether
he wants to play rock, blues, prog, or Christian music.All I can say is constant thrashing may
entertain some, but it becomes tiresome to me.
And finally the incomparable Buddy Guy closed out the show.His
was a rip snortin’, hell raisin’, string stetchin’ masterful performance.It was his usual act complete with a walk
through the audience during an
extended version of “Slippin’ Out,” The
entire set was done with precision, and on this night, extreme passion.I think Buddy felt the
need to set the record straight
about who the premiere guitarist at
that festival was and was also feeling a pain in his heart about the loss of his friend, BB King.Those elements combined to yield the best performance I’ve ever seen of Buddy
Guy.Ironically the
first time I saw him perform was as part of BB King’s Blues Revue (with Koko
Taylor) back in the early 90s and
thought his performance that night could never be matched (he absolutely cut
Eric Johnson’s head off that night!).When Buddy brought out his young protégé Quinn Sullivan to help close
out the festival I believe we came
closer to seeing the future of the blues then
than ever.
As I’ve
probably said in previous reviews, this festival has probably one of the most beautiful settings as any in the country.It’s
right on the Chesapeake Bay with the Bay
Bridge as a
backdrop.The festival is non-profit and
all proceeds go to charities that actually get the
money!It’s a good time, it’s a good
place and it’s a good cause.If you ever
get the chance to come on down to my
place, the largest estuary in the United
States, please check out this festival.
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The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival with Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Beth
Hart, Jonny Lang and many more at Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, MD
on Saturday, May 16th and Sunday, May 17th, 2015! Buy tickets today!
2015 CHESAPEAKE BAY
BLUES FESTIVAL
Two
incredible days of live music on the beautiful shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
On Saturday, May 16th and Sunday, May 17th, 2015, the Chesapeake Bay
Blues Festival will return to Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, Maryland.
Boasting one of our best line-ups
ever, the festival will feature performances by: Gregg Allman,
Buddy Guy with special guest Quinn Sullivan, Beth
Hart, Jonny Lang, Charlie
Musselwhite, Bobby Rush, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, Shemekia Copeland,
Mingo Fishtrap, Jarekus Singleton, the Sisterhood of Soul, the Marcus King Band
and the Chesapeake Bay Blues Band.
The
festival also includes a variety of food, including local favorite crab cakes
and oysters, Beer, wine, smoothies, a large crafter village with something for
everyone, and a kids activities!
The
net proceeds from this event will go to several worthwhile and very special
charities, including: Special Love, Inc., Camp Face, We Care and Friends and
League for People with Disabilities.
Get
ready for a weekend of blues, roots, and rock music at the 17th Annual
Doheny Blues Festival on May 17 & 18, 2014. Enjoy
20+ performances on three different stages, tasty microbrews, local vendors and
delicious food. Headlining the 2014 festival are Gregg Allman, The Doobie
Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Buddy Guy, and Vintage Trouble. Also joining the line-up
are Keb’ Mo’, James Cotton & Friends, Ruthie Foster, Charles Bradley &
The Extraordinaires, The Mannish Boys Revue, and John Németh & The Bo-Keys.
Grab your friends and family and head down to Dana Point’s Doheny State Beach
for the Doheny Blues Festival on May 17 & 18, 2014
Nashville, TN – April 2, 2014 – On
January 10, 2014, a multi-generational assortment of musicians from the worlds
of rock, blues and country joined together at Atlanta's historic Fox Theatre for
a once-in-a-lifetime all-star performance to pay tribute to the life and music
of the legendary singer/musician/songwriter Gregg Allman. That live musical
event can now be experienced via the new multimedia package All My Friends:
Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman, set for release by
Rounder Records on May 6th, 2014
Shot in high definition
video with 5:1 Dolby sound, this 1-DVD, 2-CD package (also available in multiple
format variations including Blu-Ray) captures the four-hour concert event in its
entirety. The show features a diverse assortment of high-profile Allman
admirers paying tribute to the iconic veteran rocker, delivering distinctive new
performances of classic material drawn from his four and a half decades as a
recording artist; encompassing his landmark work with the legendary Allman
Brothers Band as well as his parallel solo career.
The variety of the
artists paying tribute to Allman, and the diversity of their interpretations of
his songs, attests to the broad appeal of Allman's talents, which transcend
stylistic and generational boundaries. With musical direction by noted
producer/musician Don Was, several of the guest performers are drawn from the
Allman Brothers Band's extended musical family, including current ABB guitarists
Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (who also appears here with his wife and frequent
musical partner Susan Tedeschi) and Gregg's talented son Devon
Allman.
The prestigious slate of performers also includes such Allman
contemporaries as Jackson Browne, Dr. John, John Hiatt, Taj Mahal, Wet Willie
singer Jimmy Hall and classic soul man Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave fame), along
with such younger acts as Robert Randolph, Keb' Mo', Widespread Panic and Pat
Monahan of Train. Such notable guest performers as Eric Church, Trace Adkins,
Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Zac Brown, Brantley Gilbert and Jess Franklin
represent the world of country music, long a key component in Allman’s musical
consciousness.
All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of
Gregg Allman would not be complete without Allman's own authoritative
voice, which is spotlighted here on collaborative readings of landmark tunes
with Gregg's onetime L.A. roommate Jackson Browne ("These Days," "Melissa"),
Vince Gill and Zac Brown ("Midnight Rider") and Taj Mahal ("Statesboro Blues").
Gregg also joins with the Allman Brothers Band to deliver fiery readings of the
classics "Dreams" and "Whipping Post," which precede a set-closing "Will the
Circle Be Unbroken," performed by the show's full cast. With the recent
announcement that the Allman Brothers Band will cease touring at the end of
2014, these may be among the last recordings of the band on stage.
The
All My Friends show features a celebrated house band that includes Don
Was on bass, former Allman Brothers Band members Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and
Jack Pearson (guitar), ex-Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed, Wallflowers
keyboardist Rami Jaffee and renowned drummer-to-the-stars Kenny
Aronoff.
As Allman later enthused, "That show was one of the highlights
of my life. It was great to see old friends, and everyone was so gracious and
really poured their souls into my songs. It was a very special
night."
In most video formats, All My Friends also features
extensive bonus video material, including 26 exclusive interviews with the
show's performers, candid behind-the-scenes material, and historic footage of a
special presentation to Allman.
Gregg Allman is one of rock's most
acclaimed and beloved icons, possessing a distinctively soulful voice and
singular songwriting ability that resonate through a musical career that spans
nearly half a century. Gregg, along with the Allman Brothers Band, was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1995. At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards
in 2012, the group was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The
same year, Gregg's critically acclaimed tell-all memoir, My Cross to
Bear, spent several weeks as a New York Times
Bestseller.
Blues harmonica legend, James Cotton
releases his new CD “Cotton Mouth Man” which will be available at local
and online record stores beginning May 07, 2013. May is also a time in which
Cotton’s 77 year old face fills the cover of the current issue
of Living Blues magazine. Writer and walking Blues almanac, David White
provides a 10-page look at a career spanning nearly 60 years. This
CD was premiered at a live performance, Saturday, May 25, 2013 at the Tupelo
Music Hall in Londonerry, New Hampshire.
Cotton Mouth Man follows the trend of collaboration and
featuring key players to round out the disk filled with 13 no-nonsense blues
tunes. This by no means is a compromise but in this case is a certain gift to
the listener. Guests as they appear in order are Joe Bonamassa, Gregg Allman, Keb’
Mo, Warren Haynes, Ruthie Foster, Delbert McClinton and vocalist Darrell
Nulisch, long time veteran of Cotton's road band.The backbone of Cotton's band on this CD are the great Tom Hambridge on drums,
Rob McNelley on guitar, Chuck Leavell on keys, and Glenn Worf on bass.The title track,Cotton Mouth Man, features Joe Bonamassa on guitar played with the fervor
and sound of Ten Years After at Woodstock. Next up isMidnight Train featuring Gregg Allman. Subtle harmonica intro that
kicks into a full band punch. A healthy and strong sounding Gregg Allman
delivers the vocals and organ amongst great doses of Cotton’s distinctive harmonica
and tasty guitar licks from beginning to end.Mississippi Mud featuring Keb Mo is next as acoustic juke joint piano lays down the solid foundation for Cotton’s
harp, tasty electric guitar with Mo’s distinctive and cool vocals covering
the top. This is one cut wherein there is an extra nice harmonica bridge solo that is quite cool. A none too subtle homage is given to Muddy Waters in both name
dropping tip of the hat and song title inference. Something For Me
wakes things up with the Warren Haynes' slip and slide which seems to fit hand
and glove to the harmonica work. Touches of the ZZ Top like ‘buzzin’ and
processed vocals add to an over all effect.Heartfelt female vocals from Rutie
Foster gives a great change up in style in the Wrapped Around My Heart torch
song.A more complex harmonica
arrangement meshes perfectly with the blistering guitar riffs and passionate
lyrics. Saint on Sunday gives
a two-for-one “Devil on Saturday and Saint on Sunday” view of two women rolled
into one. This is a straight ahead driving song with prominent harp
and bass line with the organ taking a more subtle back seat.Delbert McClinton lends his distinctive
vocal delivery and guitar to a definite dance tune. Hard Sometimes reminds
us the of difficulties of getting someone out of your mind with a funky double
entendre to boot. Drums and Bass are featured more than
other cuts in the respect lent to Young Bold Women. Three words that
work well together in describing what makes everything alright. Beginning with
an almost a Calypso skip beat morphs into a straight up basic 4/4 blues beat
only to bounce back and forth between the timing changes resulting in a song
that would be easy to believe as a fun romp for the players to perform.Story telling is key to the lucky
find of a Bird Nest On the Ground. Once again a good Cotton bridge solo
which stands out as my favorite example of James’ notable talent on this recording. I have to admit that Keb’ Mo is one of
my favorites for vocal style and his ability to tell a story. Wasn’t My Time
To Go draws in the listener with more round house piano and subtle
harp with what sounds like a tasty arch-top. Blues is Good For You
is a pleasant bass-driven walking blues with a simple story filled with
references to Southern style and a strong platform for Cotton to blow his blues away.
This is sure to bring a tap of the toe and a smile to your face.Bonnie Blue
features Cotton on vocals and harmonica laid over a basic resonator guitar. It’s great to hear Cottons voice both because of
the texture that he gives to the song and as a testament to his right to call
himself a bluesman.
If you are a fan of harmonica blues then
this is certainly a release that demands your spin time and attention. Less is more in this case.
Production values are superior and a definite recommended collection!
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!
Here's James live in concert. Not a cut from his current release.
