Bman's Blues Report

Severn Records Sets October 7 Release Date for Seeing Is Believing , New CD from Acclaimed Sugar Ray & the Bluetones ANNAPOLIS, MD – Severn Records announces an October 7 release date for Seeing Is Believing , the new CD from the acclaimed Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. Seeing Is Believing is the band’s seventh album for Severn Records and follows their highly-successful 2014 CD, Living Tear to Tear , which garnered them seven Blues Music Award nominations, including “Best Band,” plus individual nominations for Sugar Ray as “Traditional Male Blues Artist” and “Instrumentalist – Harmonica,” and a song nomination for “Things Could Be Worse.” At the most-recent Blues Music Awards in May, the group was again nominated for “Band of the Year,” as well as individual nominations for keyboardist Anthony Geraci, guitarist Monster Mike Welch and bassist Michael Mudcat Ward. Anthony Geraci’s album with The Boston Blues-All-Stars, Fifty Shades of Blue , received three additiona...

SEVERN RECORDS ARTISTS MUD MORGANFIELD AND SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES GARNER MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARDS ANNAPOLIS , MD – Severn Records artists Mud Morganfield and Sugar Ray & the Bluetones each received two nominations when the 2012 Blues Blast Magazine Music Awards were announced yesterday, June 28. Both artists were nominated in the Traditional Blues Album category: Mud Morganfield for his acclaimed Severn label debut, Son of the Seventh Son ; and Sugar Ray & the Bluestones for their latest CD, Evening , which also led the way with five nominations at the recent Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Additional Blues Blast Award nominations include Sugar Ray & the Bluestones for Blues Band of the Year and Mud Morganfield for the prestigious Sean Costello Rising Star Award. Currently featured on the cover of the latest issue of Living Blues magazine, Larry “Mud” Morganfield is the son of the legendary Muddy W...

Ursula is a blues singer from Providence, RI presenting very cool, sexy and contemporary interpretation of Vaudeville-era blues tunes, mostly penned by the female writers of the day. Check out Marty Ballou's bass solo out of "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" (J.Hurt /J. Yancey arrg.) with Ursula George at Chan's, Woonsocket RI on November 12, 2011. Special guest Sugar Ray Norcia with Lori Urso, Marty Richards, Eric Barron, Anthony Geraci People who remember Sugar Ray fronting Roomful of Blues can attest to the fact that he is as much at home with a swinging horn band as he is with his four piece Chicago style blues outfit. Besides his recordings with Roomful, some examples of Ray's big band music can be heard on Porky Cohen's CD RHYTHM & BONES "Sent For You Yesterday" and a CD by Doug James entitled BLOW MR. LOW "Dirty People" and "I Want A Little Girl." Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! -  ...

I just received and have been listening to the new Sugar Ray release. It's really good. I really should say I got it last week and have been listening to it for a few days. Sugar Ray has a great command over the harp. This band is really tight and listening to it all day is a pleasure. Oh, and Monster Mike Welch covers the guitars like yu would expect from a seasoned pro! Many have long celebrated the fact that this dyed-in-the-wool bluesman has never been one to give in to fads, excesses or over-the-top antics. Sugar Ray sings, plays and writes from his heart. This is apparent on Evening which also reunites Sugar Ray & the Bluetones with guitarist Monster Mike Welch for this set of Chicago Blues. Whether it's Johnny Young's "I'm Having A Ball," Otis Rush's "You Know My Love" or any number of the superbly crafted originals, Sugar Ray delivers - as do the Bluetones on this their 5th album for Severn Records! Track Listing: 1) I'm Having A...

ANNAPOLIS , MD – Severn Records announces an October 18 release date for Evening , the latest album from multiple Grammy and Blues Music Award nominee Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. Evening is the band’s fifth album for Severn and first release since My Life, My Friends, My Music in 2007, which was nominated for Blues Music Awards as “Album of the Year,” “Instrumentalist – Harmonica,” “Instrumentalist – Bass Player” and “Song of the Year” (for “Last Words of a Fool”). Joining Sugar Ray Norcia (vocals, harmonica) are guitarist “Monster” Mike Welch, drummer Neil Gouvin, bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward and pianist Anthony Geraci. “We approached this one like Hank Williams made records,” says Norcia about the sessions. “I went in with my lyrics, just rough sketches of the songs and the great musicians in the Bluetones, who always play something exciting. This album’s mostly original and in the Chicago blues vein. Last time, I used a full horn section, so My Life, My Friends, My Music was...