Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Colors by Sugar Blue and the title reflects it's musical diversity. Opening with the familiar rhythms of Bo Diddley on And The Devil Too , Sugar Blue covers lead vocal but more importantly, plays some pretty frantically cool harmonica. Backed by Rico McFarland on guitar, Brady Williams, Llaria Lantieri on bass and Damiano Della Torre on keys a cool opener. We Will Be Alright is a smooth sensitive ballad with a strong melody. Backed by Della Torre on keys and the angelic vocals of Afrika Riz... very nice. A funky remix of The Beatles, Day Tripper , has a great beat, presents some of Sugar's best vocals on the release and gives Sugar a cool track to jam on harmonica over. Solid. Acoustic blues shuffle, Good Old Days , gets your foot stomping along with McFarland on guitar and Washboard Chaz on Washboard. Dragging out some excellent blues guitar riffs, McFarland really hits it as Sugar crafts a suggestive tale, Di...

It has been reported that Johnny Winter, a young man of 70 and currently on tour has passed. This was announced by Sugar Blue, a super harp player during his show at Rosa's Lounge this evening.  I have not found any other specific references to this information or been able to substantiate this claim and at this point believe that it is not true. I will report back as soon as I have determined the facts but at this point I am with his fans around the world praying that he is "Still Alive and Well"! Rock on Johnny!!   New Johnny Winter Studio Release “Step Back” out Sept. 2nd July 4th, 2014 No Comments Johnny Winter releases perhaps his greatest album on September 2, 2014! Step Back features an amazing list of musical guests and takes Johnny back to a more aggressive style of blues… one that helped shape the musical icon. Produced by Paul Nelson . Buy it at Amazon. Step Back Track Listing 1. Unchain My Heart – Johnny Winter 2. Can’t H...

Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso Sugar Blue is not your typical bluesman... Born James Whiting - he was raised in Harlem, New York, where his mother was a singer and dancer at the fabled Apollo Theatre. He spent his childhood among the musicians and show people who knew his mother, including the great Billie Holiday, and decided that he wanted to be a performer. Blue received his first harmonica from his aunt, and proceeded to hone his chops by wailing along with Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder songs on the radio, he was soon to be influenced by the jazz greats such as Dexter Gordon and Lester Young. Sugar Blue has used this background to his advantage, though, creating an ultra-modern blues style and sound that is instantly recognizable as his own. Blue began his career as a street musician and made his first recordings in 1975 with legendary blues figures Brownie McGhee and Roosevelt Sykes. The following year, he contributed to recordings by Victoria Spivey and Johnny Shines...

I just put Raw Sugar Live , the newest release from Sugar Blue on my player and it blasted me like a double barrel shotgun! This is an energetic band with a lot of power. The double live recording opens with Red Hot Mama which is literally a strong show opener that gets your attention. One More Mile comes on with a light jazzy funk beat and the band is in the groove. Sugar really lights this track up with his notorious harping. tracks like this really tell you if the band is tight or not and this band is tight featuring Rico McFarland on guitar, James Knowles on drums, Ilaria Lantieri on bass and Damieno Della Torre on keys. McFarland plays a real screamer of a guitar solo on this track. Next the band takes on Willie Dixon's Hoochie Coochie Man and Sugar's singing and harp work are stellar. The band starts off with the traditional interpretation but adapts it to more of a slow shuffle which really gives the band a chance to stretch and show their talents. Again, McFarland a...

Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso Sugar Blue is not your typical bluesman... Born James Whiting - he was raised in Harlem, New York, where his mother was a singer and dancer at the fabled Apollo Theatre. He spent his childhood among the musicians and show people who knew his mother, including the great Billie Holiday, and decided that he wanted to be a performer. Blue received his first harmonica from his aunt, and proceeded to hone his chops by wailing along with Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder songs on the radio, he was soon to be influenced by the jazz greats such as Dexter Gordon and Lester Young. Sugar Blue has used this background to his advantage, though, creating an ultra-modern blues style and sound that is instantly recognizable as his own. Blue began his career as a street musician and made his first recordings in 1975 with legendary blues figures Brownie McGhee and Roosevelt Sykes . The following year, he contributed to recordings by Victoria Spivey and Johnny Shines be...