Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release (July 8, 2016), A Night On The Sunset Strip , from Eric Gales , and it's really strong. Opening with Make It There , Gales and crew are FUNKY! Backed by Cesar Oviedo on bass who's emphasis is additive and percussive and Nicholas Hayes, who's drumming is crisp and direct this band is tight and spontaneous. Gales, of course, has the mic, playing a green/gold metallic Strat and his soloing is absolutely fluid. This man can throw down 50 note runs barely moving is gingers. Great opener. On modified boogie track, The Change In Me , Oviedo sets a solid boogie bass line but this track has some changes in mind. With effective use of rim shots and snappy jazz turns by Hayes and classy chords by Gales, this track is adventurous. Gales slowly builds dynamics using light bursts of fire but ultimately exploding into full out speed riffs, but not without returning to the jazzy chords and light touch to close. An interview with Gales is interjected be...

I just received the newest release, Individually Wrapped , from RC and the Moonpie Band and it's a lot of fun. Opening with F in Funk , Robert "RC" Christian (lead vocal), Robert Marlow (guitar), T Bone Betourney (drums), Mike Logiovino (bass) and Russell Pleasants (backing vocals) throw down a mix of blues and R&B. Gary Pope sits in on slide guitar and Dale MacPherson on harp along with RC's vocals giving an Al Green style track a bluesy feel of Muddy Waters. On shuffle track Country Girl , Marlowe handles a tasty guitar riff over slick vocals from RC. Pope is back on slippery slide for Squeeze Play Blues but I really like a grinding rhythm work of Marlowe working with Logiovino on bass on this track. Hope In A Hopeless World is a strong R&B track and RC has his best opportunity to show is vocal capabilities joined by Lorette Christain on backing. Again Marlowe plays some tasty riffs and Debby Gore contributes nicely on keys. My favorite track on the rel...

Sidney Selby is a true blues man. He also goes by 'Bone Crusher' and 'Guitar Crusher', names he earned throughout his career. Born in rural Hyde County N.C. in 1931 during the height of the Depression, he toiled in the cotton fields during his youth but set aside Sundays for exercising his rich baritone in the choir of Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church, continuing a tradition which gave rise to a whole generation of blues singers of his era. He moved to New York in the 50s, found a job and started singing in Church again. However. encouraged by his friends, he soon formed his own band, the Midnight Rockers and began attracting a large following. The year 1960 marked the beginning of a decade of performances with The Drifters, The Isley Brothers, Ben E. King and other major R&B talents which flourished during the 1960's musical renaissance. Selby was signed by Columbia Records and remained under contract until 1970, when the musical tastes in America began to shift aw...

One of the last links to the prewar African-American string band tradition, banjo player Odell Thompson was born on August 9, 1911, the son of John Arch Thompson, who was also a pretty fair banjo player. Thompson was raised in the northeastern part of Orange County in North Carolina, and when he began playing banjo, he absorbed his father's traditional repertoire, and was soon playing in string bands for square dances and frolics with his cousin, fiddler Joe Thompson. Odell took up guitar (he also played a little fiddle) and began playing the blues in the 1920s, but continued to play banjo in the old style in string bands with Joe until the 1940s, when pressure from bluegrass and other newer musical forms made their approach all but obsolete. In the early '70s, folklorist Kip Lornell discovered the duo and convinced them to start playing the old music again, which led to a new career of festivals and concerts for Thompson and his cousin. Odell played banjo in the old clawhammer...

Billy Bland (born 5 April 1932, Wilmington, North Carolina) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Bland first sang professionally in the 1940s in New York, and sang with a group called The Four Bees in the 1950s on New Orleans's Imperial Records. He left the group for a solo career in 1955 and signed a recording contract with Old Town Records. In 1960, Bland heard Titus Turner recording the song "Let the Little Girl Dance" in the studio, and demonstrated for Turner how to sing it (along with guitarist Mickey Baker and other session musicians). The event was recorded by record producer Henry Glover, and was eventually released as a single. The tune was a hit in the U.S., peaking at #11 on the Black Singles chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bland had two other minor hits that year, "Harmony" (U.S. Hot 100 #91) and "You Were Born to Be Loved" (U.S. Hot 100 #94). He recorded until 1963 for Old Town, and then quit the music industry. In the 1...

Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American hard bop and soul jazz saxophonist and flautist born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Vick released several albums as leader during the 1960s and 70s, and worked with Grant Green, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff and Shirley Scott, among others as sideman. Vick also played with Nat Adderley, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Mercer Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Taylor, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver, Ray Charles & Gene Ammons. He played in films such as Stardust Memories and Cotton Club, in which he played a musician. He also was in the Spike Lee film School Days. He featured on the soundtrack for She's Gotta Have It. 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! Harold Vick, tenor saxophone; Blue Mit...

Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was an American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer from North Carolina, United States. She was born Etta Lucille Reid in Caldwell County, North Carolina, of African American, Native American, and European American heritage. She played both the 6-string and 12-string forms of the acoustic guitar, as well as the five-string banjo. Baker played the Piedmont Blues for ninety years, starting at the age of three when she could not even hold the guitar properly. She was taught by her father, Boone Reid, who was also a longtime player of the Piedmont Blues on several instruments. Etta Baker was first recorded in the summer of 1956 when she and her father happened across folk singer Paul Clayton while visiting Cone Mansion in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, near their home in Morganton, NC. Baker's father asked Clayton to listen to his daughter playing her signature "One Dime Blues". Clayton was impressed and arrived at the Baker hou...

Blues guitarist Thomas Burt grew up hearing the reels, rags and spirituals that gave form to black musical expression in North Carolina's eastern Piedmont at the turn of the century. Born in 1900 near Raleigh to a family of sharecroppers, Mr. Burt gained his early knowledge of music informally within a family and community setting. His father played accordion for local dances, his mother sang hymns as she performed the daily chores, and friends dropped by often to pick the banjo or play tunes on the fiddle. By his early teens, Mr. Burt had joined the music-making, first learning banjo and later mastering the guitar. It was on the guitar that he earned his reputation, playing at house parties, in tobacco warehouses, and at community gatherings from the 1920s through the '40s. He became a prominent figure in Durham's flourishing blues community, performing alongside local masters such as Sonny Terry and Blind Boy Fuller. His occupations included sawmilling, laying railroad t...

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded. He performed with his son Merle for over 15 years until Merle's death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina. According to Watson on his three-CD biographical recording Legacy, he got the nickname "Doc" during a live radio broadcast when the announcer remarked that his given name Arthel was odd and he needed an easy nickname. A fan in the crowd shouted "Call him Doc!" presumably in reference to the literary character Sherlock Holmes's sidekick Doctor Watson. The name stuck ever since. An eye infection caused Doc Watson to lose his vision before his first birthday. Despite t...

The big band of Ike Carpenter was heavily influenced by the sound and style of Duke Ellington, even recording a cover version of that band's signature tune, "Take the 'A' Train," as well as other material heavily associated with the Duke, such as his son Mercer Ellington's nostalgic composition entitled "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." But the most famous record created by Carpenter and company during a decade of recording activity beginning in 1945 was "Pachuco Hop," a tribute to Mexican hipsters or hoodlums, depending on sociological perspective. Often treated to the Japanese-sounding spelling of "Pachuko Hop," this 1953 single originally released on the Alladin label features ear-withering trumpet soloing from a young Maynard Ferguson. Despite the assertion of some critics that the performances of Carpenter's bands lacked jazz content, excellent soloists were often showcased. The aforementioned version of "Take...

CHAPEL HILL, NC – Guitarist/singer Dudley Taft announces a May 7 release date for his new CD, Deep Deep Blue , coming from his own American Blues Artist Group Records. On Deep Deep Blue , Taft pulls together his influences – geographical, biographical and musical – and filters them through his blue soul. The result is a genre-busting slab of tunes, blending his Midwestern roots with his love of the blues, the British Invasion and Southern Rock, seasoned with songwriting and musicianship nurtured through 30-plus years as a musician. The new album, the second solo release from Taft, includes eight originals, plus deft takes on a diverse group of covers from Bob Dylan (“Meet Me in the Morning”), Lou Reed (“Sally Can’t Dance”) and Freddie King (“Palace of the King”). Of the original tunes, Taft points out several for discussion. “‘God Forbid’ is an extension of the spaghetti western type of song we did on my last CD. Using the same protagonist who finds himself ...

Moses Rascoe got his first guitar in North Carolina at the age of 13 and turned professional in Pennsylvania some 50-odd years later. In between, he traveled the roads as a day laborer and truck driver, playing guitar only for "a dollar or a drink," as he told Jack Roberts in Living Blues. But he'd picked up plenty of songs over the years, from old Brownie McGhee Piedmont blues to Jimmy Reed's '50s jukebox hits, and when he retired from trucking at the age of 65, he gave his music a shot. The local folk-music community took notice, as did blues and folk festivals from Chicago to Europe. Rascoe recorded his first album live at Godfrey Daniels, a Pennsylvania coffeehouse, in 1987.   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!

Francis Hillman "Scrapper" Blackwell (February 21, 1903 – October 7, 1962) was an American blues guitarist and singer; best known as half of the guitar-piano duo he formed with Leroy Carr in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was an acoustic single-note picker in the Chicago blues and Piedmont blues style, with some critics noting that he veered towards jazz. Blackwell was born in Syracuse, North Carolina, United States as one of sixteen children of Payton and Elizabeth Blackwell. Part Cherokee, he grew up and spent most of his life in Indianapolis, Indiana. Blackwell was given the nickname, "Scrapper", by his grandmother, due to his fiery nature. His father played the fiddle, but Blackwell was a self-taught guitarist, building his first guitar out of cigar boxes, wood and wire. He also learned the piano, occasionally playing professionally. By his teens, Blackwell was a part-time musician, traveling as far as Chicago. Known for being withdrawn and hard to work with...

Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen) (July 10, 1907 – February 13, 1941) was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss. Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina, United States, to Calvin Allen and Mary Jane Walker. He was one of a family of 10 children, but after his mother's death he moved with his father to Rockingham. As a boy he learned to play the guitar and also learned from older singers the field hollers, country rags, and traditional songs and blues popular in poor, rural areas. He married Cora Allen young and worked as a labourer, but began to lose his eyesight in his mid-teens. According to researcher Bruce Bastin, "While he was living in Rockingham he began to have trouble with his eyes. He went to see a doctor in Charlotte who allegedly told him that he had ulcers behind his eyes, the origin...

Eddy Merle Watson (February 8, 1949 - October 10, 1985) was an American guitarist and folk singer. He was best known for the performances he did with his father, Doc Watson. They played and recorded albums together for 15 years until Merle's death in a tractor accident. MerleFest, a folk music festival held annually in Wilkesboro, NC, is named in his honor 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!

Wilburt Prysock (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 1993) known as Red Prysock, was an American rhythm and blues tenor saxophonist, one of the early Coleman Hawkins-influenced saxophonists to move in the direction of rhythm and blues, rather than bebop. While with Tiny Grimes and his Rocking Highlanders, Prysock staged a memorable sax battle with Benny Golson on "Battle of the Mass". He first gained attention as a member of Tiny Bradshaw's band, playing the lead sax solo on his own composition "Soft", which was a hit for the Bradshaw band in 1952. He also played with Roy Milton and Cootie Williams. In 1954, he signed with Mercury Records as a bandleader, and had his biggest hit, the R&B instrumental "Hand Clappin'" in 1955. That same year, he joined the band that played at Alan Freed's stage shows. He also played on several hit records by his brother, the singer Arthur Prysock, in the 1960s. Prysock, who was born in 1926 in Greensboro, North...

John Henry Fortescue b. January 24, 1923 in Belhaven, North Carolina d. May 26, 1976 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina NOTE: This is the original Guitar Shorty. There's another 'Guitar Shorty' (currently active) by the real name of David William Kearney 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”

Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer. A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history. He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Eric Dolphy and Booker Little. Roach also led his own groups, and made numerous musical statements relating to the civil rights movement of African Americans. Roach was born in the Township of Newland, Pasquotank County, North Carolina, which borders the southern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, to Alphonse and Cressie Roach. Many confuse this with Newland Town in Avery County. Although Roach's birth certificate lists his date of birth as January 10, 1924, Roach has been quoted by...

Wilbert Charles Harrison (January 5, 1929 – October 26, 1994) was an American rhythm and blues singer, pianist, guitarist and harmonica player. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, Harrison had a Billboard #1 record in 1959 with the song "Kansas City". The song was written in 1952 and was one of the first credited collaborations by the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Harrison recorded "Kansas City" for the Harlem based entrepreneur Bobby Robinson. Harrison recorded for the Fire and Fury record labels, which were owned and operated by Robinson. After this success, Harrison continued to perform and record but it would be another ten years before he recorded "Let's Stick Together" that went to # 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and a re-worked version titled "Let's Work Together" was later a hit for Canned Heat and Bryan Ferry. It was also recorded by country ...

Lacy Gibson (May 1, 1936 – April 11, 2011) was an American Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He most notably recorded the songs, "My Love Is Real" and "Switchy Titchy", and in a long and varied career worked with Buddy Guy and Son Seals. One commentator noted that Gibson "developed a large and varied repertoire after long stays with numerous bands, many recording sessions, and performances in Chicago nightclubs". Gibson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, United States, but relocated with his family to Chicago, Illinois, in 1949. Initially, he was taught guitar playing by his mother. His early influences included Sunnyland Slim, Muddy Waters, Lefty Bates, Matt Murphy, and Wayne Bennett. Gibson's earliest work was as a session musician, playing mainly rhythm guitar. In 1963 alone, he recorded backing for Willie Mabon, Billy "The Kid" Emerson and Buddy Guy. Gibson's own recording debut was also in 1963 with Chess Reco...