Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Play The Blues , by Doug Duffey and BADD and it's straight up with a twist. Opening with shuffle track, The Things That We Used To Do , Doug Duffey takes the basic original blues premise and bends it. With basic piano, bass and drum accompaniment, holds a solid shuffle beat under solid vocal but then in walks Dan Sumner on lead guitar and plays outside of the routine shuffle beat. Pretty cool matrix with cool backing vocals. On Evil, a mod funky blues track, soulful vocals command the spotlight but you can hardly miss the introduction of rhythm guitar riffs that fall more into the pop/punk genre. A fat bluesy guitar solo by Sumner and it's contagious beat makes this one of my favorites on the release. Blues based rocker, Drink It On Down , is another of my favorites with  distinct Keith Richards dirty rock feel. A springy, piano rocker, You Got That Somethin' , has a most commercial feel with it's simpl...

LOUISIANA BLUESMAN BROTHER DEGE & THE BRETHREN ON TOUR NOW FOR WEST COAST SUMMER DATES! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A NUMBER OF BROTHER DEGE'S SONGS FROM HIS VARIOUS ALBUMS BROTHER DEGE & THE BRETHREN 2016 U.S. TOUR DATES: 7/6 SANTA CRUZ, CA - APTOS STREET BBQ 7/7 SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DOC'S LAB 7/9 GRANT'S PASS, OR - G STREET BAR & GRILL 7/10 EUGENE, OR - SAM BOND'S GARAGE 7/11 HOOD RIVER, OR - TRILLIUM CAFE 7/12 PORTLAND, OR - DUFF'S GARAGE 7/13 SEATTLE, WA -  HIGH DIVE 7/14 BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA, TREEHOUSE CAFE 7/19 DENVER, CO, 3 KINGS 7/22 TULSA, OK, MERCURY LOUNGE HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT BROTHER DEGE: "Frankly,  every track  on the Brother Dege CD could have been in the movie [ Django Unchained ]. It works and has a badass score sound to it. Almost every song could be a theme song. It’s like a greatest hits album. But this song 'Too Old to Die Young'... it’s pretty damn badass. And it’s us...

I just received the newest release, Grooving At The Crosse Roads , from Heather Crosse . This is an 11 track release of pure contemporary pop/light jazz music with a twist on R&B/Blues. Backed by Heavy Suga' & The SweetTones ,this release has some real bright spots. Crosse plays bass as well as performs on lead vocal and does a real nice job. On opener My Man Called Me ,Dan Smith hits a real nice guitar riff and Mark Yacovone sets a perfect stage on piano. On Why Does A Woman Need A Bass Guitar , Crosse really plays heavy bass with a few hot bass riffs in addition to what I'd call lead bass under the melody. Very nice! Clarksdale Shuffle is light and easy and Crosse's vocals are sweet as mama's home made pie. My favorite track, Hurryin' Up To Relax , has a cool R&B feel and warm backing vocals by Sandy Carroll. Nice shuffle track, Walking In Their Shoes finds Smith laysing out some really tasty guitar and slide solos and Yacovone's piano work is...

MADRID (AP) — Legendary New Orleans pianist, songwriter, producer and performer, Allen Toussaint, who penned or produced such classics as "Working in a Coal Mine" and "Lady Marmalade," has died after suffering a heart attack following a concert he performed in Spain. He was 77. Rescue workers were called to Toussaint's hotel early Tuesday morning and managed to revive him after he suffered a heart attack, Madrid emergency services spokesman Javier Ayuso said. But Toussaint stopped breathing during the ambulance ride to a hospital and efforts to revive him again were unsuccessful, Ayuso said. Toussaint performed Monday night at Madrid's Lara Theater. "He was a legend in the music world," said Quint Davis, who produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Toussaint performed there so often — frequently as a headliner — that Davis said he referred to it as his "annual concert." Toussaint was born in New Orleans' Gert Town, ...

Big Chief Theodore “Bo” Dollis, who led the Wild Magnolia tribe for several decades and whose gritty voice helped introduce Mardi Gras Indian music to a worldwide audience, has died. He was 71. His death was announced Tuesday by the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame. “It is with profound sadness that I must inform you of our newest ancestor. Big Chief Theodore ‘Bo’ Dollis passed this morning,” reads a message posted to the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page. “His wife, Big Queen Laurita Dollis, has requested prayers for the family and his soul at this time. Please honor her request and refrain from calls and text messages as she prepares for his public life celebration.” Dollis was born in New Orleans in 1944 and raised in Central City. He was fascinated by the Indian tribes in his neighborhood from a young age and masked for the first time at age 14. According to published reports, Dollis made his suit at a friend’s home because he didn’t want his family to know he had become...

I just received the newest release, Heavy Water , from Fo'Reel and I gotta say it's spectacular! Opening with one of my favorite all time funky blues tracks, Breaking Up Somebody's Home this band sets a solid groove. C.P. Love is a superb singer and he's gunning hard on the first track. Johnny Neel on organ and Mark Domizio on guitar set the pace and Domizio really makes the guitar squirm with his soulful riffs. A super horn section consisting of Jon Smith (tenor sax), Ward Smith (bari sax) and Barney Floyd (trumpet) really add depth to this already deep recording. Excellent! Next up is the title track, Heavy Water , and it has a funky New Orleans jazz funk feel. Love is again leading the way and Daryl Burgess keeps the bottom really tight pushing David Hyde on bass. Nice solos from Neel and Domizio add nicely to Love's lush vocals. Leave Your Love Alone has a change up on vocals lead by Rick Lawson. A walking bass line by Hyde really sets the tempo for this ...

Tabby Thomas, the renowned Baton Rouge blues guitarist, died early Jan. 1, 2014, just shy of his 85th birthday, according to a source close to the family. Thomas was perhaps best known for having opened Tabby's Blues Box, a ramshackle room on North Boulevard that was a haven for blues lovers across the world. Thomas was born Ernest J. Thomas on Jan. 5, 1929 in Old South Baton Rouge, where he grew up on Mary Street. He quickly became known as Tabby for his catlike reflexes on McKinley High School's football team. Thomas served with the Air Force following his graduation from McKinley, but music had always been on his mind since singing with the church choir at St. Lukes. While in California with the Air Force, he entered and won a talent competition with KSAN radio in 1952. That first success stuck with him, and it ignited a lifelong dedication to his craft. After his first few records didn't sell well, Thomas returned home to Baton Rouge where he began recording new tr...

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jonathon “Boogie” Long was born with the blues coursing through his veins. Brought up in a Southern Baptist community, he first picked up the guitar at the age of six, teaching himself old gospel songs. Years later, a teenage Long found himself playing weekly gigs at blues clubs and events around town. At fourteen, he left school to lay down his roots touring with local legends Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor from 2003 to 2005. Additionally, he has toured with Chris Duarte, Kenny Wayne and Tyree Neal on the Chitlin’ Circuit. Boogie has shared the stage with standout musicians such as Warren Haynes and Govt Mule, Dr. John, Rockin’ Dopsie, Monte Montgomery, Ellis Hall, Kenny Neal, Larry Garner, Henry Gray, Lil Ray Neal, and Lou Marini of the Blues Brothers Band. In 2011, Boogie Long was crowned Guitar Center’s “King of the Blues” from a field of over 4,000 contestants, in the competition for #1 Unsigned Blues Guitarist in America. Soon after, Boogie was soug...

Now that “Good Lovin’ Will Make You Cry” has become a certified classic in the Southern Soul world Carl Marshall’s popularity has grown rapidly the last several years. But Carl’s actually given his all to the music world for over 30 years now. He grew up in the music streets of New Orleans, Louisiana with his guitar in a band called Sam & the Soul Machine. During the 7+ years he was with them members consisted of Aaron Neville (leave vocals) Sam Henry (keyboards) Gary Brown (sax) Richard Amos (bass) Cyril Neville (congas) Robert Bush (drums). His first recording was released on Amherst Records in 1976. Under the name Soul Dog Carl released an album called “Movin’ On”, featuring the proto-rap song “Soul Dog”, which was delivered in a trucker’s MC style. A second LP, this time credited to Carl Marshall & The S.D.’s (Soul Dogs), called “I’ll Give My Heart To You” was released in 1980 on Chantilly. In the meantime singles appeared on labels like J.B’s Records, T-Jaye (“Let’s G...

"Chicago" Bob Nelson ( July 4, 1944, Bogalusa, Louisiana January 17, 2013], United States) was an American blues musician. Chicago Bob Nelson was a harmonica player and singer who is known for amalgamating Louisiana and Chicago blues styles. He was singular in being mentored by traditional rural southern blues harmonica practitioners and melding their approach with urban Chicago playing, thus creating his own distinctive sound. Nelson died on January 18, 2013. His family was a musical family. Bob's father, Versie Nelson, played upright bass and harmonica. From an early age Bob accompanied Versie to house parties, backyard barbecues and Saturday night fish fries around Bogalusa where cajun music, zydeco and blues were performed. Nelson recalled, "It was just people eating, jamming and having a good time!"[citation needed] Nelson began playing the harmonica at age 8. As a youngster he was encouraged and instructed by Versie's musical cohorts, Louisiana blue...

I just received the new self titled release from David Egan and it's quite entertaining. Opening with That's A Big Ol' Hur t, Egan conjures the silky smooth sound of Basin Street and a refined orchestration. This is a really cool track along the lines of I Got News For You. Egan really delivers vocally and on piano. Funky track Call Your Children Home , benefits from Lil Buck Senegal adding some hot guitar riffs. Outta Mississippi is a hard charger with driving piano and moving to Dickie Landry playing some outrageous sax later in the track. Dance To The Blues With Me has a R&B style with nice instrumental texture. Bruce MacDonald adds nice guitar work on this track and background vocals by Roddie Romero and Caleb Romero add considerable warmth. One Foot In The Bayou is a straight up boogie with a cool swing. Egan's piano work on this track is hot and Joe McMahan slips in some nice guitar riffs as well. Not to be ignored are solid contributions by Mike Sipos on ...

Sherman Robertson (born October 27, 1948, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, United States) is an American blues guitarist, songwriter and singer, who has been described as "one part zydeco, one part swamp blues, one part electric blues and one part classic rhythm and blues." Robertson was born in Louisiana and raised in Houston, Texas. At the age of 13, he watched a performance on television by Hank Williams. Duly inspired and equipped with a cheap guitar purchased by his father, he started playing the songs previously performed by Freddie King and Floyd London. As he lived close to the Duke/Peacock recording studio, Robertson took the opportunity to acquaint himself with some of the musicians who recorded there. At the same time, in his late teens, Robertson played in a band in various bars of his Fifth Ward, Houston neighborhood. In 1982, Clifton Chenier heard Robertson's band playing at the Crosstown Blues Festival. Robertson moved back to Louisiana, learned to play slide gui...

Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz (beating cornetist and trumpeter Louis Armstrong to the recording studio by several months and later playing duets with Armstrong), and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist. Forceful delivery, well-constructed improvisations, and a distinctive, wide vibrato characterized Bechet's playing. Bechet's erratic temperament hampered his career, however, and not until the late 1940s did he earn wide acclaim. Bechet was born in New Orleans in 1897 to a middle-class Creole of color family. Sidney's older brother Leonard Bechet (1877–1952) was a part-time trombonist and bandleader. Sidney Bechet quickly learned to play several musical instruments kept around the house, mostly by teaching himself; he soon decided to specialize in clarinet. At the age of six, Sidney started playing along with his brother's band at a f...

Everyone knows that bedrock of the 1960s Baton Rouge swamp-blues scene, Slim Harpo , whose haunting harmonica was matched by the stinging twin-guitar attack of his lesser-known sidemen, Rudy Richard and James Johnson. It’s Johnson’s biting guitar that puts the “chicken scratch” into Harpo’s 1966 Excello hit, “Baby, Scratch My Back,” which reached #1 on the R&B charts and #16 on the pop charts. As members of the King Bees, the Richard-Johnson tag team also graces many of the other major Harpo sides, including “Rainin’ in My Heart.”   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!

    HISTORY ® ’ S SWAMP PEOPLE ® CELEBRATES THE MUSIC AND CULTURE OF THE DEEP DELTA   Collection from the heart of alligator country features the Neville Brothers, Hank Williams, Jerry Reed, Tony Joe White,  Buckwheat Zydeco, Zachary Richard,    Bobby Charles and introducing Steel Bill   Thirteen-song set, due out May 21 on Rounder Records through Concord Music Group, in partnership with HISTORY ® , captures the spirit of the top-rated series of the same name   NEW ORLEANS, La. — The storied backcountry of southern Louisiana is a place of rich history and fascinating cultural lineage. Its inhabitants — the Cajuns and their “Swamp People” brethren — are part of a unique tradition that dates back some three centuries to the immigration of Acadian refugees. In the 21st century, the region boasts not only a flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and a vastly vibrant culture, but also a d...

  BROTHER DEGE HITS THE ROAD FOR MAY TOUR W/ HIS NEW BACKING BAND THE BRETHREN BEFORE EMBARKING ON A JUNE SOLO RUN WITH TRUCKSTOP DARLIN'   FREE DOWNLOAD OF BROTHER DEGE'S NEW COVER OF BLACK SABBATH'S "SUPERNAUT"   QUENTIN TARANTINO'S "DJANGO UNCHAINED" FEATURING BROTHER DEGE'S SONG "TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG" OUT ON DVD NOW!     BROTHER DEGE & THE BRETHREN MAY 2013 TOUR DATES 5.16 - Mud & Water, Baton Rouge, LA 5.17 - The Nick, Birmingham, AL 5.18 -  Alabama Music Box, Mobile, AL 5.22 - Ashley Street Station, Valdosta, GA 5.24 - Southern Culture, Greenville, SC 5.25 - Kings Barcade, Raleigh, NC 5.31 - Yesterday’s, Jacksonville, FL BROTHER DEGE (SOLO) JUNE 2013 TOUR DATES W/ TRUCKSTOP DARLIN' 6/5 - Sam Bonds Garage, Eugene, OR 6/6 - TBA, Sacramento, CA 6/7 - TBA, Oakland, CA 6/8 - Tupelo,  San Francisco 6/9 - TBA, Los Angeles area or San Diego 6/11 - Yucca Taproom, Phoeniz, AZ 6/12 - TBA, ...