Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, 25 Year Retrospective , from Tommy McCoy and it's exceptional! Opening with The King Is Gone , a really nice tribute to BB King structured along the lines of The Thrill Is Gone. McCoy really does a nice job of capturing the spirit of BB and the band, with McCoy on vocal and guitar, Theodore Alexiou on guitar, Demetris Georgopoulos on bass, John Dinoulas on drums and Kostas Tenezos on harp is spot on. R&B track, I Got A Reason , has a light pop feel and features Babis Tsitivigos on sax. The Change Is In has more of a rock feel but maintaining a bit of R&B. Mark McCoy on bass, Calvin Cratic on guitar, John Street on keys and Pat Geoffrey on keys set a nice stage for a fine biting guitar solo from McCoy on guitar, nicely complimenting his vocal led melody. Blues driver, No Love Without Any Green , has a great rhythm line fed my Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. McCoy rips a hot guitar solo on this track with a crisp drumming and solid bass...

  Blind Raccoon & Earwig Music Showcase Friday, May 10, 2 - 8:15 p.m. Purple Haze Night Club, Downtown Memphis, One Block South of B.B. King's on Second Featuring Andy Cohen, Leo Hull, Tommy McCoy, Guitar Mikey RB Stone, Johnny Drummer & Chris James and Patrick Rynn Blues Hall of Fame Tribute Jam Wednesday, May 8, 10 p.m. onwards B.B. King's on Beale, Memphis Yellow Dog Records All Star Showcase Thursday, May 9, 12:45 - 3:45 p.m. B.B. King's on Beale, Memphis VizzTone Label Group's Blues Party On Beale Friday, May 10, 10 p.m. onwards Rum Boogie on Beale, Memphis ...

I just got a copy of the new Tommy McCoy release, Late In The Lonely Night . McCoy has worked in the past with such names as Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Commander Cody, Lucky Peterson and the Double Trouble rhythm section but here McCoy teams up with his own band, Big Al Razz on bass and Pug Baker on drums. McCoy plays a contemporary style of rock blues pushed by a strong base and stinging guitar riffs. he wrote 9 of the 11 tracks on this release. Late In The Lonely Night is the release opener with soul style blues in the vein of Robert Cray. Karyn Denham contributes vocal lead to Never Shoulda Listened and Liz Pennick does some really nice piano work as well. Language Of Love is a cool funky blues and possibly the best track on the cd. It features some nice backing female vocals as well as some smart guitar riffs by Mc Coy. Dance Your Pants Off is a straightforward blues rocker that has strong commercial airplay opportunities. McCoy demonstrates his guitar acuity and the song mov...