Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review a Terrific release by John Lee Hooker , Boom Boom recorded in 1989. John Lee Hooker has been on of my favorite blues guys since I was a kid so to have the good fortunate to review this release on vinyl is really special. The release explodes with Boom Boom right out of the gate featuring Hooker on guitar a vocal, Jimmie Vaughn on guitar, Richard Cousins on bass, Kevin Hayes on drums and Jim Pugh on keys. Unlike some of the more contemporary releases by Hooker, this band stays out of Hookers way with his eccentric timing and vocal style, Jimmie Vaughn fitting right in the slot under Hookers trademark vocals, Pugh adds just the right amount of organ and Hayes kicking the drums tight to make this track an exceptional opener.  Hooker also plays a solo take on his classic I’m Bad Like Jesse James . This recording is not just clean but alive with plenty of air around Hooker with his vocals sounding immediate and present and his guitar seemi...

I just received the newest release, Blues Full Circle , from Duke Robillard and it's styling. Opening with Lay a Little Lovin' On Me , Robillard has lead vocals and the band is sets up a creep. Bruce Bears lays the ground work on piano, backed by Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums. Robillard ealks in with a really nice fat guitar scream giving the track real attitude. Nice opener. On easy shuffle, Rain Keeps Falling , Bears and Robillard swap lead work under the vocal keeping it tight. Mourning Dove slows it down a bit and Duke plays some of his most expressive riffs of the release. Ouch! Back up to tempo, No More Tears , has a nice groove and Robillard steps out in style backed by Bear's organ work. Very nice. Jimmy Lewis' Last Night features Sugar Ray Norcia and his vocals are rich. Robillard's guitar work is clean and tight and Saw Gordon Beadle lays in some real nice sax work. On New Orleans saturated, A Fool About My Money Bears and Teixeira ...

Legendary Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan Set to Perform with University of Texas 385-Piece Longhorn Band on Thanksgiving Day Halftime Festivities Unprecedented Appearance Wraps Up a Top-Shelf Year for Grammy-Winning Austin Bluesman Austin TX – The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Band Director, Scott Hanna, announced today that Grammy-winning blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan will perform with the Longhorn Band during halftime at the Texas vs. Texas Tech football game at Darrell K Royal  - Texas Memorial Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. “We are excited beyond words about this opportunity to perform with Jimmie Vaughan and to show that Austin is the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’  For our students, this is an incredible opportunity to connect with their Texas musical heritage through a living legend,” exclaimed Hanna. The performance marks the first time a popular musician has played with the band during a halftime performance. The Longhorn...

9th Annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest September 12-13, 2014 * Longview, Texas Legendary guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, along with blues vocalist Lou Ann Barton, will head a power-packed musical lineup for the 9th annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest. The two day event features the Wells Fargo Advisors indoor stage with reserved seating, plus the Patterson Nissan outdoor general admission stage. Performances begin at 4:00pm on Friday and 12 Noon on Saturday. Tickets are available on the festival website . Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-a-Whirl Band with Lou Ann Barton Saturday 10:45pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Rick Derringer  Friday 11:00pm - 12:00am Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 9:15pm - 10:30pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Eric Gales Trio Friday 9:45pm - 10:45pm Wells Fargo Advisors Stage Saturday 11:00pm - 12:00am Patter...

I just received the newest release (April 15, 2014), Taboo , from Bob Corritor e and I have to say it's absolutely spectacular! I won't have to review this in my car a month from now to know whether I will like it next time around. It is simply that good! Living in the Phoenix metro area for a long time, I have seen Corritore many times and been to his famous blues club, The Rhythm Room many times as well. I have to say that this is surpasses every live performance that I have ever seen Bob do, and will easily make it into one of the must have releases of the year. This all instrumental, yes, all instrumental release opens with Potato Stomp , a cool Chicago style blues track with Junior Watson on guitar, Doug James on sax, Fred Kaplan on keys, Kedar Roy on bass and Ray Innes on drums. Corritore is forward in the mix and playing strong. A nice sax solo leads to a stutter stepped guitar solo from Watson. Excellent! Many A Devil's Night , one of my favorite tracks on the rel...

James Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer from Dallas, Texas, United States. He is the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. A significant influence on Jimmie Vaughan's style was Freddie King, who advised him personally; from Albert King and B. B. King; as well as from Johnny "Guitar" Watson. In the late 1960s, Jimmie Vaughan and Paul Ray were playing at an East Austin club when future blues legend[citation needed] and Austin, Texas, native W. C. Clark sat in on bass guitar with the younger Austin locals. Clark was on tour as a member of the R&B Joe Tex Band at the time. After playing the session with Vaughan and Ray, Clark changed his mind about Austin blues having died, and two weeks later he left Joe Tex and moved back to Austin, where he then went on to develop his reputation as the "Godfather of Austin Blues." In 1969 in Ft. Worth, Vaughan's band opened for The Jimi Hendrix...

Lou Ann Barton (born February 17, 1954, Fort Worth, Texas, United States) is an American blues singer based, out of Austin, Texas since the 1970s. In the early 1970s, she was a member of the Triple Threat Revue, with W. C. Clark and Stevie Ray Vaughan. She was a founding member of Vaughan's band Double Trouble, and did a stint with the jump blues band Roomful of Blues. During that time, in 1975, she joined up with W. C. Clark to form his W. C. Clark Blues Revue. She recorded the album Old Enough for Asylum Records in 1982, a well-received recording that was co-produced by Jerry Wexler and Glenn Frey. Despite positive reviews, Old Enough did not sell well, and her tenure with Asylum Records was a short one. Barton recorded Forbidden Tones, a pop-oriented EP for Spindletop Records in 1986 that also failed to find a wide audience. Her next release was the 1989 album Read My Lips for the Austin-based Antone's Records, a triumphant return to her blues roots that featured inspired ve...