Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Listener's Circle Vol. 50 Waiting For A Train , from Music Maker Foundation and it's very cool. Opening with Railroad Blues , J.W. Warren accompanies his own vocal on acoustic guitar. This is a very classic style blues performance and great opener. Another terrific performance from Carl Rutherford playing guitar and vocal on Shasta Daylight with it's Bluegrass styling gives the release another dimension. Very nice. Two Trains Runnin' is done to perfection by John Dee Holeman with his soulful vocals and just the right amount of echo on his electric guitar. Taj Mahal performs Spike Driver Blues in classic Mahal style with piedmont finger picking and story telling pace. Very nice. George Higgs on harmonica and vocal performs Ruby , totally unaccompanied. Excellent! Playing banjo along with his vocals, Samuel Turner Stevens lays down Railroading and Gambling . With it's jangle and symmetry, it ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Last Pair of Shoes , from John Dee Holeman and it's super. Opening with Chapel Hill Boogie , Holeman shows you that age is no obstacle at 90 years. This is a pure boogie with a great attitude. Accompanied by Tad Walters on harmonica this track is gold. Digging in on Muddy Water's She Moves Me , Holeman hunkers down and grinds it out with terrific highlights by Walters on harp. Excellent! On Lightnin' Hopkins' classic, Shotgun Blues , Holeman really has it stripped down to a basic electric guitar, kick drum and harmonica and it's as real as it gets. Holeman's expressive vocals feel like real pain … real blues. Hound Dog Taylor's masterpiece, (Give Me Back My) Wig gets my vote for favorite track with a relaxed (rather than HDT's high energy) attack. This is a great track and with Holeman's vocals and Walter's harp work, with solid supporting electric guitar and light cymbals. Wrapp...

Blues with No Apologie s Phil Wiggins John Dee Holman  Vonna  Pop Ferguson      If you are a blues lover, then this is the place to be -- June 14, 2014 at the Pop Ferguson Blues Heritage Festival, in historic downtown Lenoir,N.C. USA   Meet blues legends. Hear their stories. Attend a music workshop.   See how other genres came from blues through our theme, “Roots, Branches and Stems” Phil Wiggins, John D. Holman and Pop Ferguson (Roots) Country, Swing, Jazz, R&B, Rock (Branches) Hip-Hop and Funk Fusion (Stems)   Learn how to play the blues harmonica with harmonica great Phil Wiggins. Play along with him on your own instrument, or be one of the first 100 attendees and get your own free Hohner -harmonica!   Learn about the blues violin f...

Diggin': " Sweet Home Chicago "  Will Dawson, John Dee, Tim Duffy I took John Dee Holeman to play for the Elementary and Middle School students at Orange County Charter School yesterday. It was wonderful to see the kids fascinated with the John Dee's Piedmont Blues, accompanied by Tim Duffy and Will Dawson, the school's elementary music teacher. The younger students wildly clapped during songs, mouths open in awe, absorbing the music. When Tim asked John Dee to explain the Blues, he said "Well, the blues, it's a feelin' you have. When I was young, the work was hard, and the pay was low... you might be upset, but you couldn't get real mad, you know. The blues, it's a feelin'." One of the things I love most about working at Music Maker is helping people discover our artists, and the music they play. This was one of those great times - however, what I don't see as ...

John Dee Holeman was born in Orange County, North Carolina in 1929. He is a storyteller, dancer and a blues artist that played with musicians who had learned directly from Blind Boy Fuller. He possesses an expressive blues voice and is a wonderful guitarist incorporating both Piedmont and Texas guitar styles. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage fellowship and a North Carolina Folk Heritage award, John Dee has toured the U.S, Europe and Asia. John recently retired from a career as a heavy machine operator and continues to tour both in the states and abroad. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE