Bman's Blues Report

BLUESCENTRIC.COM ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NEW PRODUCT LINES FOLLOWING OTIS REDDING ESTATE AND STAX RECORDS AGREEMENTS New Additions Join Iconic Artists Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley And Others Columbia, MO --- Bluescentric.com, the shop for Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n Roll, has announced new product lines following a recent agreement with the estate of Otis Redding, alongside deals with Stax, Concord, and Delmark Records.  These indelible, iconic brands join Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Johnny Winter and others as part of the Bluescentric family.  The expanded retail website now carries over 500 unique, officially licensed music and band t-shirts, apparel, gifts and accessories for musicians, music lovers and vinyl enthusiasts.  Since 2009, every item the company has delivered to the consumer has emanated out of the corporate headquarters in Missouri. Bluescentric.com carries sizes small through 5XL in a variety of colors and vintage styles, big & tall, all weather...

I just received the newest release, Apollo Saturday Night/Saturday Night At The Uptown , from Real Gone Records and it's a real R&B party. Originally released on Atlantic in 1964, these two original LP's are combined onto a single Cd. Opening Apollo Saturday Night with I Found A Love and Alabama Bound by the Falcons , this is scorching hot and real. Otis Redding takes the stage with Pain In My Heart and These Arms Of Mine and in classic style. His voice is unmistakable and his dynamics with the horns impeccable. Doris Troy swings with Misty and gets a hot groove on Say Yeah . Great sax (King Curtis) backing really pushes this track. Rufus Thomas is down with Rockin' Chair and Walking The Dog gets that funky groove going with trumpets, trombones and sax with a Watusi kick. The Coasters deliver T'Ain't Nothin' To Me with their typically classic humor and Speedo's Back In Town with that hot R&B feel. Ben E King 's set includes Groovin...

I just received the new release, Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding which is due to be released tomorrow. This is a really cool album of tracks recorded by Redding but not assembled as a greatest hits nor a reissue. The packaging is authentic 60's style and even has the wear mark from years of vinyl sitting on the shelf (and an inner sleeve)!! This may be the best Otis Redding album ever! Yes...album. Concord is releasing this not only on CD but on blue vinyl!! The release opens with I Love You More Than Words Can Say , a really hot soul track. Redding really shows where it's at. Gone Again , a track which has just a pinch of country blended into the soul is great and trimmed with trumpets. Free Me , has cool guitar arpeggiation under the melody with keys and accent horns, but of course the focus is Redding's phrasing. Open The Door , another track with just a pinch of country (somebody's gonna ask where, but it's there) has the strength of the ...

  LONELY & BLUE: THE DEEPEST SOUL OF OTIS REDDING , DUE OUT MARCH 5 ON STAX RECORDS, COLLECTS SOUL LEGEND’S POIGNANT BALLADS Available on CD and blue vinyl, packaging evokes the look and feel of a late ’ 60s Stax/Volt album that Redding might have released at the height of his career LOS ANGELES, Calif.  — Otis Redding ’s Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding could pass for a title Stax/Volt might have released in the late ’60s. The look of the album reflects Stax’s design themes of the era. But in fact it’s a collection that never existed, until now, that homes in on one mood and one theme —heartbreaking, yearning ballads — of which Redding had many. The album will be released as a CD and blue vinyl LP on March 5, 2013 on Stax Records through Concord Music Group . Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding contains the hits (“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “These Arms of Mine,” “My Lover’s Prayer,” “Free Me”) alongside...

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American soul singer-songwriter and record producer. Born in Dawson and later moved to Macon, he began touring with blues guitarist Johnny Jenkins and served as the lead singer in the band Otis Redding and The Pinetoppers. He signed a contract with record label Stax Records and released his debut album Pain in My Heart in 1964. This album produced several successful singles, including "These Arms of Mine". Although he was not very successful among white audiences in the United States, the opposite was true in Europe. His performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 was one of his last big concerts until his death in a plane crash at the age of 26. One month later, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was released, which sold about 4 million copies worldwide and would be his biggest hit. Redding is seen to be one of the major figures in soul/R&B and this eventually resulted in the honorifi...