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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!
I just received the newest release, Blues Won't Let Me take My Rest from Henry Gray and Bob Corritore. Featuring 10 previously unreleased out of 14 included tracks, this release features not only Gray and Corritore, but many other of the greats in recent blues history. Opening with Let's Get High, a great piano shuffle with Gray on lead vocal backed by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on backing vocal and drums and Corritore on harp, this is a great opener. Gray's vocals on Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest are a stark contrast to Clapton but this is real and Gray's piano with Corritore on shielded harp, Bob Margolin and Johnny Rapp on guitar and Chico Chism on drums, this sounds a lot like Muddy's band. New Orleans flavored boogie, I'm In Love Again features a cool harp riff by Corritore and hot guitar riffs by Rapp. Robert Jr Lockwood is featured on vocal and guitar on Robert Johnson's Ramblin' On My Mind, one of my favorite tracks on the release. Big Maceo's Worried Life Blues, feature Nappy Brown on lead vocal but Gray's piano work is solid and unmistakable. Gray is in top form on vocal on They Raided The Joint, joined by Kid Ramos on guitar, Corritore on harp, Paul Thomas on bass and Chism on drums. Very cool! Dave Riley takes the lead vocal spot on Ride With Your Daddy Tonight joined by Chris James on guitar, Yahni Yiley on bass and Eddie Kobek on drums. Corritore and Gray both do really nice jobs on this track making it one of the strongest instrumental tracks on the release. Lowell Fulsom's Trouble Blues, has a great feel with Rapp laying down some real nice slide over Gray's killer piano and vocal work. Excellent! Shuffle track, I'm Gonna Miss You, keeps Gray up front on piano and vocal. With extended harp work from Corritore, Steve Cushing on drum and, Paul Thomas on bass this track, Rapp steps up again with some pretty cool riffs on guitar. John Brim's That Ain't Right features Brim himself on the mic backed by Troy Sandow on bass and Big John Atkinson on drums. Corritore keeps up the heat but this track really shows how nicely Gray can hit the groove on piano. Ernest Lawler's Can't Afford To Do It has Gray back on lead vocal backed by Little Frank, Danny Michael and Big John on guitar, Sandow on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. One of the hottest tracks on the release is Boogie Woogie Ball, really giving Gray the open door to rock it and he really does. Corritore has strong continuity on harp throughout the track, Kirk Fletcher it tight on the beat with hot riffs backed by Patrick Rynn on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. Very cool! On laid back Honey Don't Let Me Go, Gray has the full focus with lead vocal and piano. Backed by Rapp on guitar, Thomas on bass and Cushing on drums, Corritore steps in for a nice harp solo balancing out the track nicely. Wrapping the release is BB King's She Don't Move Me No More featuring Gray on beautiful piano and lead vocal. I especially like Corritore's riffs on this track as well as Rapps tight guitar solos. Paul Thomas on bass and Chico Chism on drums round out the line up.
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”
I just received the newest release (April 21, 2015), Let It Rain, from Deb Ryder and it swings. Opening with That's Just How It Is, Ryder comes out hot and heavy with powerful backing from Kirk Fletcher, Ric Ryder on bass, Mike Finnigan on B3 and Tony Braunagel on drums. Fletcher really hits the groove and Finnigan lays it flat out. On Latin/shuffle track Can't Go Back Again, Braunagel sets a mean line and Johnny Lee Schell joins Fletcher on guitar with Lee Thornburg on Trumpet and Lon Price on sax. Very nice! On You Won't Be True Thornburg and Price give the track a much heavier swing and Schell and Fletcher lays down some really hot riffs. I really like Ryders vocal work on this release. Excellent! On the smokey, Guilty As Sin, Ryder guides her listeners down a dark slinky alley. Finnigan's B3 punctuation is particularly effective, Kim Wilson tips in some warm harp work on this track and Fletcher steps up with a few real nice R&B style blues guitars solo as well. Very smooth! Cry Another Tear has a spiritual undertone with Finnegan leading the way on both piano and B3. With a hand clapping revival feel, Ryder shows she has it all joined by Johnny Lee Schell and Finnigan on backing vocals. Fletcher steps up with a flight fingered country style solo on guitar which I would have sworn was Albert Lee. Very nice! Ryder's solid bass work drives the train on Hold Your Lamp High with rich horn work from Thornburg and Price. Finnegan creates the tension on B3 but it's the super lead vocals by Ryder that shines brightest on this track. Thornburg takes a cool muted trumpet solo on this track giving it a quiet jazz sound for a bridge but Ryder drags it back into the soul arena with her gritty voice. On boogie stack, Money Monsoon, Fletcher again shows his fast finger work and Finnegan, Thornburg and Price push it over the top. Excellent! On quiet ballad, Kiss and Dream, the entire band softens it back with James Hutchinson on double bass and Finnegan on piano accompanied by Braunagel on brushes. Ryder shows the clarity of her vocals and Price lays out a really nice sax solo. Title track, Let It Rain has a R&B feel and Fletcher steps up and delivers Robert Cray style. Kim Wilson blends his harp work in nicely with finesse and control. This is really an ideal radio track with a catchy melody, simple but tight instrumentals and of course the super vocal work of Ryder. David Fraser joins on accordion for New Orleans flavored Ma Misere and Albert Lee takes the lead guitar role bouncing off of the super piano work of Finnigan. Wrapping the release is a stripped down bluesy track, Round and Around with Ryder on vocal, Wilson on harp, Schell on guitar and backing vocals. Nice wind down from a really pretty hot release!
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”
I just received the newest release from Cleopatra Records, A Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Opening is a rousing Fortunate Son with Mike Zito and Sonny Landreth on slide guitar. These guys tear it up...nuf said! The Mynabirds are up next with Bad Moon Rising, a female interpretation of the track sounding like a blend of U2 and Crissy Hines with a Bo Diddley rhythm. Proud Mary is covered by Blitzen Trapper. An easy rocker with light drums, vocals, a few tidy guitar riffs and keys. Down On The Corner is covered by Spirit Family Reunion with a solid Cajun flavor. A raspy but solid lead vocalist, nicely blended backing vocals and accordion cover most of the melody with addition of banjo and harmonica as well as assorted percussion instruments. Have You Seen The Rain is covered by Dead Man Winter. This is a simple vocal track with minimal instrumentation (tambourine and acoustic guitar) and I think that it's one of the purest tracks on the release. Looking Out My Back Door is covered by LeRoux and has a solid New Orleans feel with upfront snare drumming. Nicely blended vocals over this funky march is really quite pleasant and key and guitar solos are shot but tight. Duke Robillard covers Who'll Stop The Rain bringing along a troop of heavy hitters like Bruce Bears, Brad Hallen and Mark Teixeira. Duke takes the lead vocal and keeps fretwork to mostly nice atmospheric chords with a short break. Bears plays a real nice solo punching up the track. South Memphis String Band featuring heavy hitters Jimbo Mathus (drums and vocals), Alvin Youngblood Hart (guitar and vocal)and Luther Dickinson on bass takes the hard line rick road and sets a cool stage for slide work over the hot rocker Up Around The Bend. Susie Q gets a bluesy lope by Will Wilde. A nice blues rocker with hot harp work and relentless rhythm guitar and drums makes this another contender for top track. Run Through The Jungle gets a real bluesy rock version that is pure Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King. Another hot track, Kubek lays down some nice riffs here. Kirk Fletcher covers Green River with some of the richest guitar work on the release. Fletcher definitely knows his way around the guitar and spares no mercy here! Wrapping the release is Born On The Bayou covered by Trampled Under Foot. The dimension of a solid female vocalist in Danielle Schnebelen over what is other wise a solid Creedence mix makes for a cool wrap of a cool release.
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”
Voting is underway for the 2013 Living Blues Awards.
It's that time of year again…time to vote for your favorite Delta Groove artists in the Living Blues Awards!Delta Groove artists have received a total of 6 nominations this year, including The Mannish Boys "Double Dynamite", Tail Dragger & Bob Corritore "Longtime Friends In The Blues", and Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King "Close To The Bone" for Best Blues Album of the Year (New Recordings),Kirk "Eli" Fletcher for Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar),Bob Corritore for Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica), and Elvin Bishop for Best Blues DVD of 2012 for "That's My Thing".
Vote online and support your favorite Delta Groove artists.
It's quick, simple, and easy to vote. All ballots must be received by July 15, 2013.
Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)
TAIL DRAGGER &
BOB CORRITORE "LONGTIME FRIENDS IN THE BLUES"
"One of the great
personalities of Chicago blues is the unstoppable Tail Dragger, whose
charisma fills up any room he plays in." - Bob Corritore
"One day this boy (Tail Dragger) will take my place." - Howlin' Wolf
"…a damn good harmonica player (Bob Corritore) with a lively sense of history." – Downbeat
"If Phoenix, Arizona, had a blues mafia, then Bob Corritore just might be its resident godfather." – Living Blues
Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)
THE MANNISH BOYS
"DOUBLE DYNAMITE" "With personnel ranging from duets up to horn-fired big-band charts,
this quintessential backup band takes center stage on their way to deserved
recognition as a premier blues group in their own right." – All Music Guide "…an infectious revival of both '40s jump and '50s to '60s Chess-like styles
from a band that lives inside the music..." – Wall Street Journal "The Mannish Boys' dedication to preserving the past is matched only by their musical aptitude." – Living Blues
Best Blues Album of 2012
(New Recordings)
SMOKIN' JOE KUBEK
& BNOIS KING
"CLOSE TO THE BONE"
"King's jazzy guitar work is the perfect foil to Kubek's
more incendiary style. They are simply the best guitar tandem on the
scene today." - Blues Revue "Potent, undiluted 100-proof Texas blues honed to a razor's edge." – Guitar One "I'm very excited to have them in the Delta Groove family. I'm blown away by
their great songwriting and performances - a true Texas duo." – Randy Chortkoff (Founder and President of Delta Groove Music)
Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)
KIRK "ELI" FLETCHER "Fletcher favors toothy Strat
tones, stinging bends, and flurries of tight, staccato riffs that seem
to pop from his fretboard like little firecrackers."
- Guitar Player Magazine "Fletcher clearly has ensemble
dynamics down, suggesting that his years as a sideman have been
fruitful. But he's also unabashed as a bandleader, and his guitar work
earns its prominence." - Blues Revue Magazine "Kirk Fletcher is a young man
with a big reputation... he exudes class and style, knows all the
classic licks but never resorts to mere copying, always with his own
take in his trick bag." - Blues & Rhythm Magazine
Best Blues DVD
(2012)
ELVIN BISHOP "THAT'S MY THING" (DVD)
"Before Eric Clapton was old
enough to shave, Elvin Bishop was hanging out in Chicago with the first
generation of electric bluesmen." – Guitar World "Forever a crusader for fun blues
and rock 'n' roll, Bishop gives his cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 a hug
and places emphasis on his terrific slide guitar chops…" – Downbeat "…Bishop's muscular guitar
provides the sets pulse, as his soulful slide ripples through R & B
classics and rowdy blues alike." – Relix
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)
BOB CORRITORE
"An incredible harmonica player."
– Hohner Harmonica's Easy Reeding Magazine "Corritore's taste in studio partners is matched by his musical execution."
– Living Blues Magazine "…from party-time boogies to melancholy after-hours serenades, Corritore's got the Blues for you." – Omaha Reader "(Bob Corritore's) a damn good harmonica player with a lively sense of history." – Downbeat Magazine
TO HEAR AUDIO CLIPS FROM ALL THE NOMINATED ARTISTS VISIT US ONLINE AT:
The Mannish Boys win the award for
TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
at the 34th Annual BLUES MUSIC AWARDS in Memphis, TN.
ELVIN
BISHOP
JACKIE
PAYNE
MIKE
FINNIGAN
JUNIOR
WATSON
FRED
KAPLAN
ROB
RIO
ADRIANNA
MARIE
BILL
STUVE
CYNTHIA
MANLEY
BOBBY
TSUKAMOTO
MIKE
TEMPO
From Randy Chortkoff (CEO/PRODUCER of Delta Groove Music and band leader of THE MANNISH BOYS)
Hey There Music Lovers and Blues Fans,
I am very pleased and honored that The Mannish Boys were nominated and won the "Traditional Blues Album of the Year" for their 2012 release "Double Dynamite".
The Mannish Boys have received 12 nominations over the past 7 years
for "Band of the year" "Album of the year" and "Traditional Blues Album
of the Year" but have never taken home an actual win. My feeling has
always been that the nomination alone was something to be very proud of
being that the nominating committee are basically our peers and
represent not only blues fans but individuals that are proactive members
of the Music/Blues community.
At the Awards last week during our
performance the director stopped us after the first of our allotted
three songs to say that they were interrupting our performance to give
out an award. Little did I know that the award was for Best Traditional Blues Album and that it would be presented by one of Delta/Eclecto Groove's favorite recording artists, Ana Popovic. From where I was standing on stage I could barely hear what the award was for or who won. It was our drummer and bass player Jimi Bott and Willie J Campbell
who yelled out to me "We won!" I was so shocked that when I received
the award I didn't even have the presence of mind to say anything other
than "thank you" and dedicate the win to Finis Tasby and Kid Ramos
who are both going through challenging health issues. I also made some
lame comment about how beautiful Ana looked! Jimi, Willie, Sugaray
Rayford and Franck Goldwasser should have been at the podium taking that
trophy alongside me. There were so many others to thank as well… So, I
want to take this opportunity to give thanks to all of the musicians and
individuals that contributed to the success of this fine double CD.
For those of you that may not be aware, "Double Dynamite" contains 26 songs and was recorded in it's entirety over the course of only 4 days! Besides the core band of Finis Tasby, Sugaray Rayford, Kirk Fletcher, Franck Goldwasser, Jimi Bott, Willie J Campbell and myself, there was 24 musicians making the total musical contribution a grand total of 31 musicians! I would like to thank The Mannish Boys, Mud Morganfield, Jackie Payne, James Harman, Mike Finnigan, Rod Piazza, Bob Corritore, Jason Ricci, Elvin Bishop, Kid Ramos, Junior Watson, Nathan James, Fred Kaplan, Rob Rio, Rich Wenzel, Bill Stuve, Bobby Tsukamoto, David "Woody" Woodford, Lee Thornburg, Mike Tempo, Cynthia Manley, Jessica Williams, Adrianna Marie, Clifton Curtis and Larry Dopson.
This album would not have been possible without my Co-Producer and right-hand man Jeffery Scott Fleenor (background vocal and hand claps!), David Z (mixing), Ryan Foster (Mastering) and especially Rich Wenzel for Engineering as well as providing his great recording studio "Ardent Audio Productions".
I would also like to thank Al Blake for his personal encouragement and his harmonica mentoring, Steve Savage for Elvin Bishop's technical assistance, Scott Dirks for liner notes, Grant Cihlar for photography, Joshua Temkin for photography, artwork and design, Melody Gonzalez for project coordination, Art Wade for Barbeque and the Delta Groove staff: Joshua Temkin, Steve Dixon, Tammie Barnum and Malcolm Wiseman.
Wow, I'm exhausted! Of course I would be remised if I didn't thank the nominating committee and the true Blues fans who voted for us. The Mannish Boys are dedicated to keeping the essence of traditional Blues fresh and alive.
Sincerely, Randy Chortkoff (CEO/PRODUCER of Delta Groove Music and band leader of THE MANNISH BOYS)
