Bman's Blues Report

Billy was born in East St. Louis on December 11, 1959 into a musicial family. His mother played the organ and piano, and his father sang in the choir for the Dupo 1st Bapist Church. He started playing guitar at the age of 9, and also played trumpet in grade and high school. .. ......After seeing Andreas Segovia and Joe Pass in his senior year, Billy decided to study jazz and classical gutiar at SIU Edwardsville, Ill. Following college, he joined Street Corner Symphony- a touring band from the midwest. Twelve years later, he started his own band....... ......He has opened up for,or performed with many musicians.They range from Roy Orbison,The Neville Brothers,The John Scofield band,Jr Wells,R.L.Burnside,Kenny Brown,Johnnie Johnson,The Jean Luc Ponty band, to rockers like Nazareth,Reo speedwagon,Billy Corrigan,Yngwie Malsteem,Eric Gales,Chuck Berry...Old school blues James Cotton,Tommy Bankhead,Leon Estell to rockin the blues ala Smokin Joe Kubec,Ronnie Backer Brooks,,Performed with B...

Arvell Shaw (September 15, 1923, St. Louis, Missouri - December 5, 2002, Roosevelt, New York) was an American jazz double-bassist, best known for his work with Louis Armstrong. (Third from right) Shaw learned to play tuba in high school, but switched to bass soon after. In 1942 he worked with Fate Marable on riverboats traveling on the Mississippi River, then served in the Navy from 1942 to 1945. After his discharge he played with Armstrong in his last big band, from 1945 to 1947. Shaw and Sid Catlett then joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars until 1950, when Shaw broke off to study music. He returned to play with Armstrong from 1952 to 1956, and performed in the 1956 musical High Society. Following this he worked at CBS with Russ Case, did time in Teddy Wilson's trio, and played with Benny Goodman at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. After a few years in Europe, he played again with Goodman on a tour of Central America in 1962. From 1962-64 Shaw played again with Armstrong, and ...

Heavy Electric Blues from the Lou! Since the age of eleven, Tony has been infatuated with the sound and feel of the guitar and the positive vibe that resonates from its strings. He was fed the music of the blues greats like Buddy Guy, Freddie and Albert King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters. Soon that expanded to guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan. With his group, The Tony Campanella Band, all of his influences come together to produce heavy hitting but soulful music that can't be described as just Blues. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Walter Trout, Indegenous, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Etta James, Bernard Allison, Micheal Burks and Robin Trower to name a few. With Bike on Bass Guitar and Terry Melton on drums, they form a group that truly lives up to the moniker "Power Trio". Take your time to check them out! If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m...

City Hall Records artist Barbara Carr will be releasing her newest recording, Keep The Fire Burning on August 21, 2012. A seasoned soul singer with previous records at Chess records as well an one solo album, Good Woman Go Bad, Barbara has teamed up with Catfood house band, The Rays featuring Richy Puga on drums and percussion, Dan Ferguson on keys, Johny McGhee on guitar, Bob Trenchard on bass, Andy Roman on sax, Mike Middleton on trumpet and Robert Clairborne on trombone. I've had a chance to review this new cd and it's a solid soul collection. Hanging On By A Thread has a driving rhythm with a slick guitar solo and just the right touch of horns. We Have The Key could be a classic ballad with perfect balance and strong vocals by Carr. Keep The Fire Burning , the title track, is a nicely written and executed soul ballad. Johnny Rawls join Carr for a vocal duet on Hold On To What You Got , a track that should see great airplay. You Give Me The Blues is another great additi...

Born Robert T. Smith, a resident of St. Louis where he is known as Piano Slim. He paid his dues way back in the '40s and '50s in Houston, Texas working among such first rate bluesman as Gatemouth Brown, Little Willie Littlefield, and Henry Hayes. It was there that he made his first record for a small label that also starred Smokey Hogg. In 1959 he moved to St. Louis and recorded '"Workin' Again" for the local Bobbin label, released along with the works of Albert King and Little Milton. In St. Louis Slim played in about any club or bar worth mentioning and today there are no signs of him slowing down. His first album for the Swingmaster label, "Mean Woman Blues", was recorded in August of 1981. Other recordings and singles followed, such as the 1983 album, "Gateway To The Blues". This led to six European tours featuring Piano Slim as either a headliner, supporting act, or sideman. When home in St. Louis, he continued to play the local clubs ...

Lightnin' Slim (March 13, 1913 - July 27, 1974) was an African-American Louisiana blues musician, who recorded for Excello Records and played in a style similar to its other Louisiana artists. Blues critic Ed Denson has ranked him as one of the five great bluesmen of the 1950s, along with Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson Lightnin' Slim was born Otis V. Hicks in St. Louis, Missouri. moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of thirteen. Taught guitar by his older brother Layfield, Slim was playing in bars in Baton Rouge by the late 1940s. He debuted on J. D. "Jay" Miller's Feature Records label in 1954 with "Bad Luck Blues" ("If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all"). Slim then recorded for Excello Records for twelve years, starting in the mid 1950s, often collaborating with his brother-in-law, Slim Harpo and with harmonica player Lazy Lester. Slim took time off from the blues for...

THIS ST. LOUIS BASED BLUES/ROCK SINGER, SONGWRITER, GUITARIST IS MAKING HIS MARK ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH DIGITAL AND CD SALES. HE HAS SOLD PRODUCT IN SUCH PLACES AS BELGIUM, DENMARK, AUSTRIA, ITALY, AND RUSSIA JUST TO NAME A FEW. MICHAEL IS CURRENTLY GETTING RADIO PLAY ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND ON SEVERAL INTERNET RADIO STATIONS REACHING AUDIENCES ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE IS ENJOYING PERFORMING HIS MUSIC IN SMALL CLUBS, FESTIVALS, OUTSIDE CONCERTS, AS WELL AS AUDITORIUMS. THE MICHAEL TERRY GROUP IS THE ONLY ACT THAT HAS EVER BEEN ASKED TO PERFORM THREE YEARS IN A ROW ON THE STEPS OF THE MISSOURI STATE CAPITOL FOR THEIR ANNUAL CULTURAL CONCERT SERIES, WHICH HAS TAKEN PLACE FOR 15 YEARS. THE GROUP HAS APPEARED LIVE ON “FOX 2 NEWS WITH TIM EZELL” AND KSDK “SHOW ME ST. LOUIS.” THEY PERFORMED AT THE LEGENDARY RICKMAN AUDITORIUM IN 2010 AND 2011, HEADLINING THE BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL. WHILE MICHAEL IS ENJOYING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIO...

Jimmy McCracklin (born August 13, 1921, St. Louis, Missouri, United States) is an American pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. His style contains West Coast blues, Jump blues, and R&B. Over a career that has spanned seven decades, he says he has written almost a thousand songs and has recorded hundreds of them. McCracklin has recorded over 30 albums, and owns four gold records. McCracklin joined the United States Navy in 1938, later settled in Richmond, California, and began playing at the local Club Savoy owned by his sister-in-law Willie Mae "Granny" Johnson. The room-length bar served beer and wine, and Granny Johnson served home-cooked meals of greens, ribs, chicken, and other southern cuisine. A house band composed of Bay Area based musicians alternated with and frequently backed performers such as B. B. King, Charles Brown, and L. C. Robinson. Later in 1963 he would write and record a song "Club Savoy" on his I Just Gotta Know album. His recorded a debut si...

I just received a copy of Blood Red Blues, the new Cee Cee James recording that will be released on July 17, 2012. The title track, Blood Red Blues, opens the 12 original track release with a gritty, swampy blues chant of a song. Rob "Slideboy" Andrews add some really nice slide texture to the song. Up next is a blues rocker, Let's All Get Loose which not only features James' gritty voice but strong lead guitar riffs from Rocky Athas. I'm Takin' Mine has a foot stompin' sound and James takes no prisoners. James has a naturally interesting voice with although different in style, has a lot of the resonant qualities of Janis. James has her own road to travel and I believe with the writing quality and appeal of her singing she will sell a lot of cd's based upon a lot of airplay. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

BLUES-ROCK SINGER CEE CEE JAMES SET TO RELEASE NEW CD, BLOOD RED BLUES , PRODUCED BY GRAMMY-WINNER JIM GAINES, ON JULY 17 ST. LOUIS , MO – Blues-rock singer Cee Cee James announces a July 17 release date for her new album, Blood Red Blues , produced by Grammy-winner Jim Gaines, on July 17. Blood Red Blues will be released on her own imprint, FWG Records, with international distribution by Burnside Distribution. Blood Red Blues is the fourth CD from the St. Louis-based singer, whose powerfully soulful vocals have already created a lasting impression on audiences and critics alike all over the world. Producer/engineer/mixer Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Luther Allison), who tracked the sessions at his Bessie Blue Studio in West Tennessee, perfectly captures all the exciting elements of Cee Cee’s vocal style on the new album, creating a sound that is both vulnerable and passionate, igniting the songs with a burning, sensual yearning that drives home the...

Vocalist born June 4, 1924,from St Louis with Tommy Dean band. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

James DeShay's first "guitar" was a one-string rig he concocted by nailing a piece of baling wire to a post and tightening it with a snuff box. From that single-string instrument he was able to play melodies and change pitch by mashing down on the wire. DeShay's earliest influences included the great Charlie Patton, Howlin' Wolf and Robert Jr. Lockwood. James was already an accomplished guitar player when he moved to St. Louis in the mid 40's, when he struck up a friendship with Little Walter Jacobs with whom he played around town. James often also worked with Robert Nighthawk and Big Joe Williams. By the early 1950's he had his own band, and by the 1960's his own tavern which he operated and played in. (The BBC shot footage of James there in 1976 for part of the 'Devil's Music' series) Sadly, James never recorded commercially, but his memory and music lives on in all his fans. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Fac...

Ann Peebles (born April 27, 1947) is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label. Two of her most popular songs are "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down", which she wrote with her husband, Don Bryant, and radio broadcaster Bernard "Bernie" Miller and were subsequently popularized in cover versions by, among others, Eruption (1978) and Paul Young (1984), respectively. A native of St Louis, Ann Peebles was given her first opportunity as a professional performer by Hi Records' Gene "Bowlegs" Miller during a 1968 trip to sit in singing with him at a Memphis nightclub. A popular local bandleader, Miller was known for helping other musicians, such as members of the Hi Rhythm Section, get their start in the Memphis music industry. Peebles soon began penning and singing hits for the label, co-writing with label staff songwriter Don Brya...

Heavy Electric Blues from the Lou! Since the age of eleven, Tony has been infatuated with the sound and feel of the guitar and the positive vibe that resonates from its strings. He was fed the music of the blues greats like Buddy Guy, Freddie and Albert King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters. Soon that expanded to guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan. With his group, The Tony Campanella Band, all of his influences come together to produce heavy hitting but soulful music that can't be described as just Blues. The band has shared the stage with the likes of Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Walter Trout, Indegenous, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Etta James, Bernard Allison, Micheal Burks and Robin Trower to name a few. With Bike on Bass Guitar and Terry Melton on drums, they form a group that truly lives up to the moniker "Power Trio". Take your time to check them out! If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I...

Born in 1946 and raised in St. Louis, Art Dwyer grew up on the city's north side. "Rufus, the Dells, T-Bone Walker, Otis Redding, and of course, Albert and B.B. King were my music. It fit in with everything my friends and me did. "Art drifted around for quite some time, working as a union organizer, a Maritime employee and a ditch digger, but he never lost the music. "There was always a dance party or jam session going on somewhere. That's how the Soulard Blues Band came together."Art has performed with the great Henry Townsend, J.B. Hutto, Little Johnny Taylor, Fernest Arceneaux and the Thunders, the Zydeco Farmers, Larry Davis, the legendary Billy Gayles, Chuck Berry, Doc Terry, Tommy Bankhead, Albert Collins and many others. In 1978, Art organized the Soulard Blues Band. Since 1987 Art has been a disc jockey on St. Louis' number one community radio station, KDHX 88.1 FM, hosting the weekly blues program, "Blues in the Night". If you like wha...

Of the many roots musicians traveling the world and spreading the early American music tradition, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three are the next in line to make a significant impact on music enthusiasts everywhere. From St. Louis, Missouri, their creative mix of early jazz, string ragtime, country blues and western swing rings true and fine, making them among the most innovative of all the purists performing American roots music today. It’s wonderfully infectious, and all laid down in front of a big, big swingin’ beat. A lot of performers are content to play old material, reworking the tunes to give them new life or to stamp them with personal style. But this group, led by guitar-plucking troubadour Pokey LaFarge, achieves timelessness with original songs while honoring the legendary artists of yesterday through covered tunes. Accompanied by The South City Three, Pokey uses his booming voice as an instrument with an incredible range; one moment he shouts a line and the next he cro...

Billy (d April 8, 1993)was one of St. Louis' finest. A drummer and vocalist that played with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm before Tina, Billy played until the time of his death! If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

The Mound City Blue Blowers were an American novelty jazz ensemble, formed in St. Louis, Missouri and given its nickname. It was co-founded by Red McKenzie and Jack Bland and performed during in the 1920s and 1930s. First assembled in 1923, the group's original members were Red McKenzie playing comb and tissue paper, Dick Slevin on kazoo, and Jack Bland on banjo. The band also included, in lieu of a drum kit, a traveler's suitcase played with foot and whisk brooms. Their debut recording, the 1924 release "Arkansas Blues" b/w "Blue Blues", was a hit in the Midwest. They recorded twelve tunes in 1924 and 1925; Frankie Trumbauer and Eddie Lang played on some of the tracks. In 1929-1931 the group also made at least two short performance films: The Opry House (1929) and Nine O'Clock Folks (1931), which included "I Ain't Got Nobody","Let Me Call You Sweeheart," "My Gal Sal" and "St. Louis Blues." After 1925, McKenzie...

The unfortunately named Papa Egg Shell Casey was a relatively obscure St Louis bluesman in the 1930's who recorded very little but these show him to have been a very good singer and excellent guitar player. Sometimes also known as Papa Slick Head, Casey gained his nickname as a result of his premature baldness. The few recordings he made demonstrate his dexterity on guitar using picked strings, backed by a strong, slightly nasal voice. His song "Goin' Up the Country", which he wrote, survives as a very accessible track and one of the best examples of takes on the 'Kansas City Blues' theme. There is virtually no reliable biographical detail on him and no references to him after the second world war. Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my wall or post great blues photos or events! Share your favorite postings and get more exposure for your favorite band! - ”LIKE”

Eva Taylor (January 22, 1895, St. Louis, Missouri — October 31, 1977, Mineola, New York) was an American blues singer and stage actress. Born Irene Joy Gibbons in St. Louis, Missouri, on stage from the age of three, Taylor toured New Zealand, Australia and Europe before her teens. She also toured extensively with the "Josephine Gassman and Her Pickaninnies" vaudeville act. She settled in New York by 1920. There she established herself as a performer in Harlem nightspots. Within a year she wed Clarence Williams, a producer (hired by Okeh Records), publisher, and piano player. The newlyweds worked together on radio and recordings. The couple recorded together through 1930s. Their legacy includes numbers made as the group Blue Five in the mid-1920s, which included jazz clarinetist/saxophonist Sidney Bechet, trumpet virtuoso Louis Armstrong, and such singers as Sippie Wallace and Bessie Smith. In 1922 Taylor made her first record for the African-American owned Black Swan Records,...