Bman's Blues Report

Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries. His lazy, slack-jawed singing, piercing harmonica and hypnotic guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the 1950s and 1960s, and had a significant impact on many rock and roll artists who followed, such as Elvis Presley, Billy Gibbons and the Rolling Stones. Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi, in 1925, learning the harmonica and guitar from Eddie Taylor, a close friend. After spending several years busking and performing in the area, Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943 before being drafted into the US Navy during World War II. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved back to Mississippi for a brief period, marrying his ...

Ida Cox (February 25, 1896 – November 10, 1967) was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings. She was billed as "The Uncrowned Queen of the Blues" Cox was born in February, 1896 as Ida Prather in Toccoa, Habersham County, Georgia, United States (Toccoa was in Habersham County, not yet Stephens County at the time), the daughter of Lamax and Susie (Knight) Prather, and grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, singing in the local African Methodist Church choir. She left home to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often appearing in blackface into the 1910s; she married fellow minstrel performer Adler Cox. By 1920, she was appearing as a headline act at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; another headliner at that time was Jelly Roll Morton. After the success of Mamie Smith's pioneering 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues", record labels realized there was a demand for recordings of race music. The classic female bl...

HAK was born in 2002 in drummer Andy Coldwell’s bedroom. Coldwell’s schoolmate, Kyle Strohmaier, had brought over his new Epiphone for an attempted jam session. The two boys, 13 years old at the time, managed a couple recognizable verses and choruses of Purple Haze, and were subsequently addicted to the idea of forming a band. Shortly thereafter, Strohmaier contacted Hugh Gilmore, bassist and former bandmate from a short-lived jazz sextet. It was after the addition of the third member that the first-name acronym HAK was chosen as the band name..... Gilmore, Coldwell and Strohmaier quickly became loyal friends; HAK was, and remains, secondary to their friendship. The band underwent rapid musical development, playing cover songs at small gigs when possible, but truly began to experiment with originality and more complex musical texture after the addition of keyboardist Mark Bates in 2004. Led by Strohmaier, the band began to compose and arrange its own music. By 2005, the band had accumu...

BLUES GERMAN AWARDS 2012! BLUES COLOGNE CLUB plays BLUES GERMAN CHALLENGE 2012! „ Authentic Großstadt-Blues with a pinch Motown/Stax. Cool voice, organic sound, elegant arrangements and persuasive soloists. " (Marcel Anders, music journalist, music express train, guitar bass, radio) with "Our Streets" the debut - CD of the Cologne blues club comes on the 25th February to the stores. The tape has signed recently a five year contract with the famous label ZYX/Peppercake. Twelve songs are on "Our Streets", six own titles and select cover versions. "Our Streets" was played in in May, 2010 and is for the musicians a location regulation, a snapshot and the first important step on her musical way. They want her kind to play blues develop constantly and refine the sound the volume constantly. „ Finest Groovin blues " call them her music what they with it mine one can hear on "Our Streets" wonderfully: Grooving, urbane, song-oriented blues, stra...

"Hollywood's Burning Hot Blueswomen," The Scorch Sisters , In Concert @L.A.'s Premiere Music Venue, House Of Blues , Sat. Sept. 1 (WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.) - "Hollywood's Burning Hot Blueswomen," the Scorch Sisters , perform at L.A.'s premier live music venue, House Of Blues , this Saturday, September 1 , in the Voodoo Lounge . 7:30-10 p.m., and no cover charge! Info: (323) 848-5100 or www.houseofblues.com/sunsetstrip . What The Press Is Saying About The Scorch Sisters "Scorch Sisters wowed the Real Blues Festival 2 audience....be ready for these Hollywood hipsters because they'll 'blue' you away. I really dig these gals and I think you will too." Casey Reagan/ AMERICAN BLUES NEWS "The Scorch Sisters seize the blues as their own and subseq...

I have been listening to the new Paula Harris recording, Turning On The Naughty . Paula has a strong vocal style and is surrounded herself with a strong band of musicians including Simon Russell (piano), Mike Eppley (Hammond B3), Nate Ginsberg (organ), Joey Fabian (Bass), Derrick Martin (drums), Al Diaz (percussion), Terry Hiatt (guitars), Steve Gurr (rhythm guitar), Mic Gillette (brass), Tom Politzer (sax) and Tom Poole (trumpet). Paula sings 14 tracks including a number of standards and some originals. The recording has a distinctive styling built for a full orchestra and solo vocalist. On the opening number, A Nick of Too Damn Late , Hiatt ripps a really cool guitar solo. On Touch Of The Blues the horn section is turned up a little and there is a bit of funk added to the mix. On Learn From My Mistakes , Ginsberg lays down some pretty cool organ work. On Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore , the band falls back to the shuffle and there are a number of interesting instrumental...

For Her 40 th Album, Maria Muldaur Presents a Loving Tribute to a Blues Pioneer on .… First Came Memphis Minnie , Coming October 9 from Stony Plain Records New CD Also Features Special Guests Rory Block, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor, with Del Rey, David Bromberg, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund EDMONTON, AL – Stony Plain Records, Canada’s roots music label, announces an October 9 release date for ….First Came Memphis Minnie, a loving tribute to the pioneering blues woman produced by multiple Grammy-nominee Maria Muldaur , featuring special guests including Rory Block , Ruthie Foster , Bonnie Raitt , Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor . Other musicians appearing on the new CD are Del Rey , David Bromberg , Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund. Stony Plain is distributed in the U.S. by ADA, in Canada by Warner Music and in foreign territories by a variety of well-established dist...

Charles Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), also known as "Yardbird" and "Bird", was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career and the shortened form, "Bird", which continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise." Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop,a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Many Parker recordings demonstrate virtuosic technique and complex melodic lines, sometimes combining jazz with ...

Gene Allison (August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American R&B singer. Born Versie Eugene Allison in Pegram, Tennessee, he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks. Record producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got him a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single was "You Can Make it If You Try", released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S., where it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1959. Allison would go on to score two more hit singles at the end of the 1950s, and the success of "You Can Make it If You Try" allowed him to open a 24-hour soul food restaurant called Gene's Drive-In in Nashville.[1] Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of renal fail...