Bman's Blues Report

King Biscuit Blues Festival presents 5th annual "Call and Response, The Blues Symposium" in historic Helena, Arkansas     Call and Response Blues Symposium Looks into The Origins of Delta Blues at The King Biscuit Blues Festival   (Helena, Arkansas) — What is about the Delta that gave rise to America’s music, the blues? Artists, journalists and presenters will discuss the special magic that defines the King Biscuit Blues Festival and inspires the world’s music at the Fifth Annual Call and Response Blues Symposium, a featured event of the 30th annual King Biscuit Blues Festival .  “Memphis is blues, but this is it,” says singer/songwriter Reba Russell about The B...

                                   Story By Roger Stolle       Sad news in the blues world today. Mr. Robert "Wolfman" Belfour — RIP. Arguably the deepest of the surviving, old-school, Mississippi bluesmen was found deceased at his home in Memphis this morning by relatives. He had been suffering from various health issues (mainly diabetes and mobility related) for over a year but had recently been doing better. He had not performed since last June but was slated to play at Juke Joint Festival in April.       Mr. Belfour's family is in desperate need of money for funeral services. The Memphis Blues Society is trying to raise money to help the family with funeral costs. Those wishing to donate can do so through The Memphis Blues Society Benefit li...

Award-Winning Film and Music Producers Set to Launch First Blues Music Reality Show This Fall (CLARKSDALE, MS) – The creators of the award-winning documentaries “M For Mississippi” and “We Juke Up in Here” return in 2013 with “Moonshine & Mojo Hands,” a new weekly web-TV series dedicated to the rude, rowdy – and often ridiculous – world of Mississippi blues. The show follows hosts Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle as they travel the Delta’s back roads in search of juke joints, house parties, barbecue, moonshine and – of course – the men and women who keep this uniquely American music alive in the land of its birth. The first season of the show will consist of 10 episodes streaming for free online this fall. Each 12-minute episode will take viewers on a wild ride through the Mississippi Delta and Hill Country to meet the region's most fascinating characters in truly unforgettable settings. “There’s truly no place else on...

(CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI)  For its third year in a row, the Clarksdale Film Festival aims to make you laugh, cry   and , occasionally, rock out. Organizers promise attendees a feast of Mississippi and Southern filmmaking – plus a little fresh popcorn. According to Garden & Gun magazine, "Mississippi gets its close-up... to celebrate the Magnolia State's films and filmmakers" at the festival. "The Clarksdale Film Festival isn't just about great movies," said Nan Hughes, president of the non-profit that organizes the event. "It's also a wonderful excuse to experience the entertainment and restaurant mini-mecca that our revitalized downtown has become. What other small Delta town offers such great movies, food, history tours , museums, shopping and live music in the middle of winter?" The Clarksdale Film Festival runs Thursday-Sunday, January 24-27. The main downtown screening venue is historic Delta Cinema (11 Third St...