Train Train - Jessie Mae Hemphill

I first saw Jessie Mae on Deep Blues, a film documentary by Robert Palmer... Hughly Recommended!

Jessie Mae Hemphill (October 18, 1923 – July 22, 2006) was a pioneering and award-winning electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in the primal, northern Mississippi country blues traditions of her family and regional heritage.

Hemphill was born near Como and Senatobia, Mississippi, in northern Mississippi just east of the Mississippi Delta. She began playing the guitar at the age of seven and also played drums in various local Mississippi fife and drum bands. Her musical background began with playing snare drum and bass drum in the fife-and-drum band led by her grandfather, Sid Hemphill. Aside from sitting in at Memphis bars a few times in the 1950s, most of her playing was done in family and informal settings such as picnics with fife and drum music until her 1979 recordings.

The first field recordings of her work were made by blues researcher George Mitchell in 1967 and ethnomusicologist Dr. David Evans in 1973 when she was known as Jessie Mae Brooks, using the surname from a brief early marriage, but the recordings were not released. In 1978, Dr. Evans came to Memphis to teach at Memphis State University (now University of Memphis). The school founded the High Water label in

1979 to promote interest in the indigenous music of the South. Evans made the first high-quality field recordings of Hemphill in that year and soon after produced her first sessions for the High Water label.

Hemphill then launched a recording career in the early 1980s, a period which which be her heyday. In 1981 her first full-length album, She-Wolf, was licensed from High Water and released on France's Vogue Records. In the early 1980s, she performed in a Mississippi drum corps put together by Evans composed of herself, Abe Young, and Jim Harper on Tav Falco's Panther Burns' Behind the Magnolia Curtain album; she also appeared in another drum group with Young and fife-and-drum band veteran Othar Turner in a televised appearance in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Other recordings of hers were released on the French label Black and Blue, and she performed concerts across the United States and other countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada. She received the W. C. Handy Award for best traditional female blues artist in 1987 and 1988.

In 1990 her first American full length album, Feelin' Good, was released, which also won a Handy Award for best acoustic album. Hemphill suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side in 1993, preventing her from playing guitar, resulting in her retiring at that time from her blues career. However, she did continue to play, accompanying her band on the tambourine.

In 2004 the Jessie Mae Hemphill Foundation released Dare You to Do It Again, a double album of gospel standards, newly recorded by the ailing vocalist singing and playing tambourine with accompaniment from Steve Gardner, DJ Logic, and descendants of the late musicians Junior Kimbrough, R. L. Burnside, and Otha Turner. The release, her first recordings since the 1993 stroke, also included a DVD. Also in 2004, Inside Sounds released Get Right Blues, containing material recorded from 1979 through the early 1980s; Black & Blue released Mississippi Blues Festival, which included seven live tracks by her from a Paris concert in 1986.

On July 22, 2006, Jessie Mae Hemphill died at The Regional Medical Center in Memphis, after experiencing complications from an ulcer.
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Sweet Home Chicago - Johnny Shines

Johnny Shines (April 26, 1915 – April 20, 1992) was an American blues singer and guitarist. According to the music journalist Tony Russell, "Shines was that rare being, a blues artist who overcame age and rustiness to make music that stood up beside the work of his youth. When Shines came back to the blues in 1965 he was 50, yet his voice had the leonine power of a dozen years before, when he made records his reputation was based on".
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Louise - Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell

Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972) known by his stage name; Mississippi Fred McDowell, was a blues singer and guitar player in the North Mississippi style.McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, near Memphis. His parents, who were farmers, died when McDowell was a youth. He started playing guitar at the age of 14 and played at dances around Rossville. Wanting a change from plowing fields, he moved to Memphis in 1926 where he started to work in the Buck-Eye feed mill where they processed cotton into oil and other products.He also had a number of other jobs and played music for tips. Later in 1928 he moved south into Mississippi to pick cotton. He settled in Como, Mississippi, about 40 miles south of Memphis, in 1940 or 1941, and worked steadily as a farmer, continuing to perform music at dances and picnics. Initially he played slide guitar using a pocket knife and then a slide made from a beef rib bone, later switching to a glass slide for its clearer sound. He played with the slide on his ring finger.

While commonly lumped together with Delta Blues singers, McDowell
actually may be considered the first of the bluesmen from the 'North Mississippi' region - parallel to, but somewhat east of the Delta region - to achieve widespread recognition for his work. A version of the state's signature musical form somewhat closer in structure to its African roots (often eschewing the chord change for the hypnotic effect of the droning, single chord vamp), the North Mississippi style (or at least its aesthetic) may be heard to have been carried on in the music of such figures as Junior Kimbrough and R. L. Burnside, while serving as the original impetus behind creation of the Fat Possum record label out of Oxford, Mississippi.[citation needed]

The 1950s brought a rising interest in blues music and folk music in the United States and McDowell was brought to wider public attention, beginning when he was discovered and recorded in 1959 by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins.McDowell's records were popular, and he performed often at festivals and clubs.McDowell continued to perform blues in the North Mississippi blues style much as he had for decades, but he sometimes performed on electric guitar rather than acoustic guitar. While he famously declared "I do not play no rock and roll," McDowell was not averse to associating with many younger rock musicians: He coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique, and was reportedly flattered by The Rolling Stones' rather straightforward, authentic version of his "You Gotta Move" on their 1971 Sticky Fingers album.

McDowell's 1969 album I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll was his first featuring electric guitar. It features parts of an interview in which he discusses the origins of the blues and the nature of love. (This interview was sampled and mixed into a song, also titled "I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll" by Dangerman in 1999.) McDowell's final album, Live in New York (Oblivion Records), was a concert performance from November 1971 at the Village Gaslight (aka The Gaslight Cafe), Greenwich Village, New York.

McDowell died of cancer in 1972, aged 68, and was buried at Hammond Hill Baptist Church, between Como and Senatobia, Mississippi. On August 6, 1993 a memorial was placed on his grave site by the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. The ceremony was presided over by Dick Waterman, and the memorial with McDowell's portrait upon it was paid for by Bonnie Raitt. The memorial stone was a replacement for an inaccurate and damaged marker (McDowell's name was misspelled) and the original stone was subsequently donated by McDowell's family to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
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Tupelo - The Real Deal!!

I just love the early JL Hooker stuff. Few were close.

Milk Cow Blues - Eddie Cochran got the blues?

Eddie Cochran (October 2, 1938 – April 17, 1960), was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else" and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the words of Lester Bangs, writing in Rolling Stone in 1972, "Eddie may have imitated Elvis vocally even more than a dozen or so other stalwarts of the day such as Conway Twitty, but his influence on pop consciousness of the magnitude of The Beatles and The Who was deep and profound". He experimented with multitracking and overdubbing even on his earliest singles, and was also able to play piano, bass and drums. His image as a sharply dressed, rugged but good looking young man with a rebellious attitude epitomized the stance of the Fifties rocker, and in death he achieved iconic status.

Cochran was born in Minnesota, then moved with his family to California in the early 1950s. He was involved with music from an early age, playing in the school band, and teaching himself to play blues guitar.[5] In 1955, he formed a duet with the unrelated guitarist Hank Cochran, and when they split the following year, Cochran began a song-writing career with Jerry Capehart. His first success came when he performed the song "Twenty Flight Rock" in the movie The Girl Can't Help It, starring Jayne Mansfield. Soon after, Liberty Records signed him to a recording contract.

Cochran was 21 when he died in April 1960, in a road accident during his British tour. Though his best known songs were released during his lifetime, more of his songs were released posthumously. In 1987, Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His songs have been much covered, by bands such as The Who, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Dick Dale & his Del-Tones, Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Teenage Head, Tiger Army, UFO, The White Stripes, Stray Cats, Tommy and the Guns and Sex Pistols.

Deep River Blues

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (born March 3, 1923) is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded. He performed with his son Merle for over 15 years until Merle's death in 1985, in an accident on the family farm.

Super Chikan - Interview - Building Guitars - Talkin' Chicken

James "Super Chikan" Johnson is a Blues Music Award winning American blues musician, artist and guitar maker based in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He is the nephew of fellow blues musician Big Jack Johnson.

James Louis Johnson was born in Darling, Mississippi on February 16, 1951. He spent his childhood moving from town to town in the Mississippi Delta and working on his family's farms. He was very fond of the chickens on the farm, and before he was old enough to work in the fields, he would walk around talking to them. This led his friends to give him the nickname "Chikan Boy". At an early age, Johnson got his first rudimentary musical instrument, a "diddley bow", which was simply a piece of wood with a piece of baling wire stretched from end to end. As he grew up, he came up with new ways to improve and vary the sounds he could make with it, and finally, in 1964, at the age of thirteen, he bought his first guitar, an acoustic model that had only two strings, from a Salvation Army store in Clarksdale.

As an adult, “Super Chikan” began driving a truck for a living. During the long stretches on the road, he began composing his own songs. When he showed some of the songs to his friends, they convinced him to go a studio and record them. He then started playing with some renowned local musicians, but he decided he would rather perform on his own than try to conform his style to that of his band-mates.

He did so, and in 1997 “Super Chikan” released his debut album, Blues Come Home to Roost, influenced by such musicians as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Chuck Berry. He went on to release What You See in 2000, Shoot That Thang in 2001, Chikan Supe in 2005, Sum Mo Chikan in 2008, and Chikadelic in 2009, which was awarded the 2010 Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Album.

Welcome To Sunny Bluesville, Super Chikan's latest CD, was recorded at XM / Sirius Satellite Radio's state-of-the-art performance studio in Washington, DC. It features both Chikan solo and with his band, The Fighting Cocks.

In the Clarksdale area, "Super Chikan" is probably best-known for performing regularly at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero blues club, and for being Freeman's favorite blues performer. “Super Chikan” has toured and performed at festivals in Africa, Iceland, Japan, UK, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, Finland, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia and Switzerland, and has performed for the President of the United States. He was recently nominated by the Blues Foundation, for his second year in a row, the Blues Music Awards for BB King Entertainer of the Year and Traditional Male Blues Artist.

Last year, he was honored with four nominations, including BB King Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year for "Fred's Dollar Store", Traditional Blues Male Artist, and he won the BMA for Traditional Blues Album of the Year for Chikadelic. He was previously nominated for the Best New Artist Blues Music Award in 1998, and has received five Living Blues Critics Awards. In 2004, “Super Chikan” received the Mississippi Governorʼs Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Just Got Paid

ZZ Top the way you like it...raw and wild!

Rio Grande Mud is the second album by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, released in 1972 (see 1972 in music).

The Rio Grande, from where the album name derives, is the river that forms the border of Mexico and Texas. In Spanish its name means "Big River".

In 1987, this album was remixed for CD release. The full album is currently unavailable on CD in its original mix. Tracks "Francine" and "Just Got Paid" are available in their original versions on the CD release of The Best of ZZ Top. All tracks except "Mushmouth Shoutin'," "Apologies to Pearly," and "Down Brownie" are available in their original mix on 2003's Chrome, Smoke & BBQ boxset. On January 11th, 2011 Rhino released a remastered version from the original 1972 mix on vinyl only.

Sittin On Top Of The World

Robert Cray (born August 1, 1953, Columbus, Georgia) is an American blues guitarist and singer.
Cray started playing guitar in his early teens. At Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia, his love of blues and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. Originally, he wanted to become an architect, but around the same time he began to study architectural design, he formed a local band "Steakface", described as "the best band from Lakewood you never heard of". Cray's guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Steakface's set list of songs by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Fleetwood Mac, The Grease Band, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull, Spirit and The Faces.

By the age of twenty, Cray had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King and Muddy Waters in concert and decided to form his own band; they began playing college towns on the West Coast. After several years of regional success, Cray was signed to Mercury Records in 1982. His third album release, Strong Persuader, produced by Dennis Walker, received a Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition.

By now, Cray was an opening act for such major stars as Eric Clapton (who remains a friend to this day), and sold out larger venues as a solo artist. Cray has generally played Fender guitars (Telecasters and Stratocasters) and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocasters models available from Fender. The Robert Cray Custom Shop Stratocaster is made in the U.S. in the Fender custom shop and is identical to the guitars that Cray currently plays, while the Robert Cray Standard Stratocaster is a less-expensive model made in Fender's Ensenada, Mexico plant.

Cray had the opportunity to play alongside John Lee Hooker on his album Boom Boom, playing the guitar solo in the song "Same Old Blues Again". He is also featured on the Hooker album, The Healer; he plays a guitar solo on the song "Baby Lee".

Cray was invited to play at the "Guitar Legends" concerts in Seville, Spain at the 1992 Expo, where he played a signature track, "Phone Booth". Albert Collins was also on the bill on this blues night of the "Legends" gigs.

Cray continues to record and tour. He appeared at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and supported Eric Clapton on his 2006-2007 world tour. In Fargo, North Dakota, he joined Clapton on backup guitar for the Cream song "Crossroads". In 2011, Cray was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.

In the film Animal House, Cray is the uncredited bassist in the house party band Otis Day and the Knights. He also had a small role as himself in 2002's Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat.

Cold Cold Feeling - Albert Collins

Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993) was an electric blues guitarist and singer (and occasional harmonica player) whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the U.S.A., Europe, Japan and Australia. He had many nicknames, such as "The Ice Man", "The Master of the Telecaster" and "The Razor Blade".

Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011), better known simply as Gary Moore, was a musician from Belfast, Northern Ireland, best recognized as a blues rock guitarist and singer.

In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the heavy metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.

Moore died of a suspected heart attack[2] in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, in February 2011.
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Devil Got My Woman - Skip James

Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969[2]) was an American delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. Born in Bentonia, Mississippi, he first learned to play guitar from another bluesman from the area, Henry Stuckey. His guitar playing is noted for its dark, minor sound, played in an open D-minor tuning with an intricate fingerpicking technique. James first recorded for Paramount Records in 1931, but these recordings sold poorly due to the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity. After a long absence from the public eye, James was "rediscovered" in 1964 by three blues enthusiasts, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 60s. During this period, James appeared at several folk and blues festivals and gave live concerts around the county, also recording several albums for various record labels. He died in 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His songs have influenced several generations of musicians, being adapted by Kansas Joe McCoy, Robert Johnson, Cream, Deep Purple, Chris Thomas King, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Beck, Big Sugar, and Rory Block.
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The Dying Crapshooter's Blues (1935) - Blind Willie McTell

Blind Willie McTell (May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was an influential African-American blues musician and songwriter who sang and accompanied himself on the guitar. He was a twelve-string finger picking Piedmont and country blues guitarist who recorded 149 songs between 1927 and 1956.Born William Samuel McTier (or McTear)) in Thomson, Georgia, blind in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood but became an adept reader of Braille. He showed proficiency in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as soon as he could. His father left the family when McTell was still young, and when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta.

In the years before World War II, he traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under many different names, including Blind Willie McTell (Victor and Decca), Blind Sammie (Columbia), Georgia Bill (Okeh), Hot Shot Willie (Victor), Blind Willie (Vocalion and Bluebird), Barrelhouse Sammie (Atlantic), and Pig & Whistle Red (Regal).The "Pig 'n Whistle" appellation was a reference to a chain of Atlanta Bar-B-Que restaurants, one of which was located on the south side of East Ponce de Leon between Boulevard and Moreland Avenue. Blind Willie frequently played for tips in the parking lot of this location, which later became the Krispy Kreme. He was also known to play behind the nearby building that later became Ray Lee's Blue Lantern Lounge. His style was singular: a form of country blues bridging the gap between the raw blues of the early part of the 20th century and the more refined east coast "Piedmont" sound. He took on the less common and more unwieldy 12-string guitar because of its loudness. The style is well documented on John Lomax's 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress, for which McTell earned ten dollars (the modern equivalent of $154.25).


McTell is unusual, if not unique, among country bluesmen for his ability to play the guitar in both a complex, fingerpicking ragtime style similar to Blind Blake or Blind Boy Fuller (see, for example, his recording of "Georgia Rag," a cover of Blake's "Wabash Rag") and a heavier bottleneck blues style ("Three Women Blues"). His playing in both idioms is masterly, fluid, and inventive; based on multiple recordings of the same song (for example, "Broke Down Engine"), he never played a song the same way twice. His style could almost be called "stream of consciousness," as he would vary the bar pattern and sometimes even the rhythm and chord progression from verse to verse. McTell was also an excellent accompanist and recorded many songs with his longtime musical companion, Curley Weaver; their recordings are some of the most outstanding examples of country blues guitar duets. See, for example, "It's a Good Little Thing" or "You Were Born to Die."

In 1934, he married Ruthy Kate Williams (now better known as Kate McTell).[3] She accompanied him on stage and on several recordings before becoming a nurse in 1939. Most of their marriage from 1942 until his death was spent apart, with her living in Fort Gordon near Augusta and him working around Atlanta.

Postwar, he recorded for Atlantic Records and Regal Records in 1949, but these recordings met with less commercial success than his previous works. He continued to perform around Atlanta, but his career was cut short by ill health, predominantly diabetes and alcoholism.

In 1956, an Atlanta record store manager, Edward Rhodes, discovered McTell playing in the street for quarters and enticed him with a bottle of corn liquor into his store, where he captured a few final performances on a tape recorder. These were released posthumously on Prestige/Bluesville Records as Last Session.

McTell died in Milledgeville, Georgia, of a stroke in 1959. He was buried at Jones Grove Church, near Thomson, Georgia, his birthplace. A fan paid to have a gravestone erected on his resting place.

He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1981.

Tech Talk - Gibson GA-6 (1954)

GA-6 (tweed)

10-14W 2x12" Guitar Combo (identical to the GA-14 Titan except for the 12" speaker)
Speakers: 2x12"
Inputs (instr. + mic.): 2+2 (tweed)
Channels: 2
Volume Controls: 2
Tone Controls: 1
Tremolo: No
Tubes: 5 (2x12AX7, 2x6V6, 5Y3 or (newer version) Pre (2x7025), Pow (1x6V6 PAIR + 5Y3))
Watts Output: 10-14
Shipping Totals: See GA-6 (two-tone)
Harmony Central Review GA-6
Schematic with 2x12AX7, 2x6V6, 1x5Y3

For info on and pics of the Gibson GA-6 Interim Model see Miles O'Neal's web-site.

This amp replaced the BR-6. The circuit is identical to that of the GA-14. (www.drtube.com, March 28, 2003)

Push-pull 6V6s; like a Fender 5D3/5E3 Tweed Deluxe; cross between the two Fender circuits

Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey Part 4

This is a definitive history of the Blues, hosted by Rolling Stones founder member and highly accomplished all-round musician Bill Wyman. The two-part programme examines the development of the songs, that characteristic 12-bar pattern, the writers, the performers, and the way that blues was reborn within rock music.
There is rare archive film footage the great blues artists speaking candidly - did they ever do otherwise? - about their lives and their music, and many newly recorded interviews including contributions from names such as Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Taj Mahal, Albert Lee and Bruce Johnston.
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You Shook Me - Beth Hart - Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck did a number of old blues tunes on his first solo cd back in 1968. This is a modern update on his original take of the Willie Dixon tune featuring Beth Hart.

While playing the Los Angeles clubs, she enlisted bassist Tal Herzberg and guitarist Jimmy Khoury. In 1993, Hart appeared on Ed McMahon's Star Search several times.
"Beth Hart and the Ocean of Souls" was recorded in 1993. It includes "Am I the One" (re-worked on later albums) and a pop-rock cover of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
Hart released her album Immortal with her band Beth Hart Band in 1996.
Her next album, Screamin' for My Supper (Atlantic, 1999), featured "LA Song (Out of This Town)," a top-5 Adult Contemporary Chart hit.
At the same time, Hart was singing the lead role in "Love, Janis," an Off-Broadway musical based on Joplin's letters home to her mother.
Hart's Leave the Light On was released in 2003. European releases of the album include extras such as the ballad "Learning to Live" and a duet with Barry Hay, "I Don't Want to Be."
Hart released "Live at Paradiso" in 2005. The DVD version includes a bonus documentary covering "a day in the life" of Hart.
She has also recorded with Born ("It Hurts"), Les Paul and Neal Schon ("I Wanna Know You"), and released a number of music video singles not available on CD, including "Shine," "Boogeyman," and "Setting Me Free."
Her album 37 Days was released in Europe July 2007.
Beth Hart did a song with Slash called "Mother Maria." That song is on the iTunes version of Slash's solo album, Slash.
Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American singer who became famous with the hit "LA Song (Out of This Town)." Her musical influences include rock, blues and gospel.

Beth Hart is married and currently resides in Los Angeles. Her band includes lead guitarist Jon Nichols, bassist Tom Lilly, and drummer Todd Wolf. Her manager is David Wolff.



Beth's new single was released in May 2010, the track, "Learning to Live," is from an upcoming album of the same name and will be used as the theme song to "Losing It with Jillian" on NBC. this album marks Beth's first new American studio release since 2003.



2011 finds her working with Joe Bonamassa. First providing vocals for the track "No Love On The Street" on his forthcoming album DUST BOWL (March 2011) They are also reported to be working on entire album together of soul classics.







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Love In Vain" - The Real Willie Mae

John Hammond interview with Willie Mae who was Robert Johnsons girlfriend and Honey Boy Edwards who is of course robert Johnsons cousin.

Enjoy

Robert Johnson - my grandad the legend.

A good interview with Steven Johnson, Robert Johnson's grandson.

Delta Blues

New Blues Club for Mississippi Delta

Johnny Billington Blues Academy is an outreach

Program from Boys & Girls Club of Northwest MS,

Blues Education Program

Mr. Johnny Billington, a World Renown Blues Master Musician,

Makes his home in Lambert MS.

Ragtime Blues Guitar in Mississippi - George Worthmore

Really Nice pickin'

George Worthmore, a star in the New York City music scene for over twenty years, began with a one-year stint as a guitarist with Kinky Friedman. He's played backup guitar for Bo Diddley, Ben E. King, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lou Christy, and The Platters. He's also played shows as a second guitarist with Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy in Hot Tuna.

Performing with own his band, The Divebombers, he was joined on stage by such stars as Billy Idol and Paul Schaffer, (band leader on the Letterman show) and Chris Spedding. Guitar monster Rick Derringer was a frequent guest artist, as well as producing George's early work.

George studied with Dave Van Ronk and Ian Buchannon, both students of the Rev. Gary Davis. He had the honor of playing with Johnny Shines and Robert Jr. Lockwood when they were in New York City. He has also played as a regularly featured act at both Manny's Car Wash and Dan Lynch's Blues Bar, New York City top venues.
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Love Like a Man - Ten Years After

As you know...one of my top 10 of all time!!
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Alvin Lee and Ten Years After

Enjoy!!

Your Feets Too Big - Fats Waller

Fatz Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943), born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. He was the youngest of four children born to Adaline Locket Waller, wife of the Reverend Edward Martin Waller.
Fats Waller started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father's church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem's Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller's first piano solos (Muscle Shoals Blues and Birmingham Blues) were recorded in October 1922 when he was only 18 years old.

He was a skilled pianist, and master of stride piano, having been the prize pupil and later friend and colleague of the greatest of the stride pianists, James P. Johnson. Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Squeeze Me". Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant dubbed Waller "the black Horowitz".[1] Waller composed many novelty swing tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller.

The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new tunes, many of which co-written with his closest collaborator Andy Razaf. After Waller's death in 1943, Razaf described his partner as "the soul of melody... a man who made the piano sing... both big in body and in mind... known for his generosity... a bubbling bundle of joy."[citation needed] Gene Sedric, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller's recording technique with considerable admiration. "Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio," he said, 'and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we'd just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number."

Leadbelly's "Midnight Special" Prison in Sugar Land Closing (Although It Might Not Be the Prison He "Wrote" It in)

Thanks to the Houston Press Blog for this story:

Texas legislators are likely to agree to closing the century-old Central Unit prison in Sugar Land, mostly because it sits on land near the airport that can be developed.

It's one of several Texas Department of Criminal Justice units in the area; a compound of four units is nearby in unincorporated Fort Bend County.

One question to be considered: Is the Central Unit the prison where Leadbelly "wrote" "Midnight Special," his epic ode to being arrested in Houston? Some signs point to yes.

TDCJ spokesperson Michelle Lyons tells Hair Balls there aren't really any unit histories that would list "celebrity" inmates, but various historians say Leadbelly spent time in both the Central and what became one of the Jester units in the county.

Wikipedia says the Central Unit is where he "learned" the song (he didn't write it; it was an old folk standard) and put his Houston lyrics in it:

In 1918 he was incarcerated in Sugar Land west of Houston, Texas, where he probably learned the song "Midnight Special". He served time in the Imperial Farm (now Central Unit) in Sugar Land.

As authority, it cites Robert Perkinson's Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire and Alan Lomax's Folk Song USA.

As it happens, our John Nova Lomax comes from the Lomax family. Alan Lomax, perhaps the most famous of the family, is his grand-uncle. In the video up above (which John describes as "cringe-worthy" for its Boss Hogg aspects) is his great-grandfather John A. Lomax Sr.

And he says, as with many aspects of Leadbelly's pre-fame life, no one can be sure of the details.

He does note that the song's co-writing credits include Lomax, something for which he has gotten shit through the years.

"I always tell people I spend the royalties on booze and gambling, just like Leadbelly would," he says.

One more point: Some people think the Central Unit was the location for some of the scenes in Steven Spielberg's The Sugarland Express. The arbiter of all such things, imdb.com, says scenes were actually shot at the Jester Unit's pre-release facilities.

Mike Bloomfield Interview

The disappearance of Bloomfield's fabled '59 Les Paul Standard is the stuff of legend. Accounts vary from teller to teller, but the most likely scenario was recalled by Mark Naftalin. Michael had been hired by a Vancouver club for a week-long gig with Michael Bloomfield & Friends. Naftalin said in an interview for Wolkin & Keenom's "If You Love These Blues ..." that Bloomfield played the first few shows and then left, leaving one of his terse notes of apology behind. The club owner kept Michael's guitar as compensation for his losses, and Bloomfield did nothing to try to get it back. Mark could offer no reason for Michael's abrupt departure.

One scenario for the Les Paul's disappearance takes place in the winter of 1974. It's possible that Michael abandoned his prize instrument during a five-day run from November 12-16, 1974, at an upscale night club in Vancouver called The Cave. The venue was an odd choice for Bloomfield's loosely structured, blues-based repertoire (the performer who appeared the following week was Playboy Bunny Barbi Benton), and Michael may have been put off by the reception the band received from the Cave's patrons. He may also have wanted to see the PBS Soundstage tribute to Muddy Waters that he had recorded in Chicago in July; it was set to air the second week in November but was not being carried by Canadian television.

In an article in the June 2011 issue of Vintage Guitar, guitarist and researcher John Picard confirms that The Cave was indeed the club where Bloomfield ditched the '59 and the rest of his equipment. Club owner Steve Grozina kept the instrument when Michael quit, and a week later sold the Les Paul for $980 to Canadian guitarist Chris Okey. Okey used it in performance for several years before selling it to a Canadian collector. That person had much-needed repair work done on it and eventually sold it to a third party who reportedly brought it back to the United States.

Since that time the Sunburst's provenance is uncertain. A guitar collector reported having the opportunity to buy the Bloomfield Sunburst from the second owner in Toronto in 1980 for $4,000. He later regretted passing up the chance to acquire a formidable piece of American music history, but did confirm that the eventual purchaser brought the guitar back to the States. Some sources say a collector in Florida has it, while others claim a woman in Chicago now owns it.

The year of the '59's loss also remains in question. While 1974 seems the likely date, producer Toby Byron, who was living with Michael at the time, recalls that the '59 Sunburst was not gone until sometime after the fall of 1975. He can't say precisely when it disappeared, but he is certain Michael had it for much of 1975.
Whatever the date for the guitar's abandonment, after the winter of 1974-75 the '59 Sunburst was never to be seen again. And, interestingly enough, not only the Sunburst was lost when Michael failed to fulfill his gig contract, but the Blue Telecaster as well. Where that guitar is today is anyone's guess.

Pressure Cooker - Now This Is Hot!!

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 — September 10, 2005) was an American musician from Louisiana and Texas. He is best known for his work as a blues musician, but embraced other styles of music, having "spent his career fighting purism by synthesizing old blues, country, jazz, Cajun music and R&B styles"

He was an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, who played an array of musical instruments such as guitar, fiddle, mandolin, viola as well as harmonica and drums. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1982 for his album, Alright Again!
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You Can't Loose What Your Never Had

Always dignified... Mud is the king of the Chicago blues!!

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913[1] – April 30, 1983), known as Muddy Waters , was an American blues musician, generally considered the Father of modern Chicago blues. Blues musicians Big Bill Morganfield and Larry "Mud Morganfield" Williams are his sons. A major inspiration for the British blues explosion in the 1960s, Muddy was ranked #11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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Don't Laugh at Me

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player.

With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful"—have become blues and blues rock standards.

At 6 feet, 6 inches (198 cm) and close to 300 pounds (136 kg), he was an imposing presence with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. This rough-edged, slightly fearsome musical style is often contrasted with the less crude but still powerful presentation of his contemporary and professional rival, Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Little Walter Jacobs, and Muddy Waters are usually regarded in retrospect as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #51 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

Oreo Cookie Blues - Lonnie mack with SRV

If you've never seen Stevie Ray play acoustic slide and you don't know Lonnie Mack this will be a double treat. I know I really enjoy it.

Lonnie Mack (born Lonnie McIntosh, 18 July 1941, Dearborn County, Indiana) is an American rock and blues guitarist/vocalist.

In 1963 and early 1964, he recorded a succession of full-length electric guitar instrumentals which combined blues stylism with fast-picking techniques and a rock 'n' roll beat. The best-known of these are "Memphis", "Wham!", "Chicken Pickin'" and "Suzie-Q". These instrumentals established the standard of virtuosity for a generation of rock guitarists and formed the leading edge of the "blues-rock" guitar genre. Reportedly, the tremolo arm commonly found on electric guitars became known as the "whammy bar", following Mack's singularly aggressive use of the device in 1963's "Wham!".

In 1979, music historian Richard T. Pinnell, Ph. D., called 1963's "Memphis" a "milestone of early rock guitar". In 1980, the editors of Guitar World magazine ranked "Memphis" first among rock's top five "landmark" guitar recordings.

Mack is also renowned for his early "blue-eyed soul" ballads. Crediting both Mack's R&B vocals and his guitar solos, music critic Jimmy Guterman ranked Mack's first album, 1963's The Wham of that Memphis Man!, No. 16 in his book The 100 Best Rock 'n' Roll Records of All Time.

Mack released several singles in the '50s and '60s, as well as thirteen original albums spanning a variety of genres between 1963 and 1990. He enjoyed his greatest recognition as a blues-rock performer, with productive periods during the '60s and the latter half of the '80s. However, an aversion to notoriety led him to switch musical genres and sporadically withdraw from the public eye for years at a time. Despite a modest all-career recording output as a rock artist, he is widely regarded today as "one of the great rock guitarists of all-time", as well as an innovative and pivotal figure in expanding the role of the electric guitar in rock.

Beyond his career as a solo artist, Mack recorded with The Doors, Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Brown, Freddie King, Joe Simon, Ronnie Hawkins, Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan, Dobie Gray and the sons of blues legend Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, among others.
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The Wind Cries Mary... the Real Deal!!

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix, November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in musical history, and one of the most influential musicians of his era across a range of genres.

After initial success in Europe with his group The Jimi Hendrix Experience, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. He often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback. Hendrix, as well as his friend Eric Clapton, popularized use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock which he often used to deliver an exaggerated pitch in his solos, particularly with high bends, complex guitar playing, and use of legato. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas. He was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic phasing effects for rock recording.

Hendrix was influenced by blues artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King and Elmore James, rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper, and the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Hendrix (who was then known as 'Maurice James') began dressing and wearing a moustache like Little Richard when he performed and recorded in his band from March 1, 1964 through to the spring of 1965. In 1966, Hendrix stated, "I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice."

Hendrix won many of the most prestigious rock music awards in his lifetime, and has been posthumously awarded many more, including being inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. An English Heritage blue plaque was erected in his name on his former residence at Brook Street, London, in September 1997. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut US album, Are You Experienced, was inducted into the United States National Recording Registry, and Rolling Stone named Hendrix the top guitarist on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all-time in 2003.He was the first person inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame

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Little Wing

Again...I think one of Jimi's best songs!!

Bob Culbertson is an influential Chapman Stick player. An early adopter of the instrument, he is notable for his many recorded albums and extensive touring.

Bob Culbertson has opened and performed with many popular musicians, including Robben Ford, Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth, and members of Santana amongst others. He has taught hundreds of players and released a set of instructional Stick videos titled Lessons on the Stick.

Culbertson is famous not only for his technique, which allows him to play three to four parts simultaneously (e.g. bass line, chords and melody), but also for his compositional talent. His official discography lists seven albums to his credit. Furthermore, a DVD of Bob Culbertson live (recorded in studio, in front of blue screen) is available. According to his official site, Bob Culbertson has sold over 100,000 albums, most of which sold during live concerts, seminars, and through his website.

Around 2002, Bob Culbertson together with Emmett Chapman and luthier Craig Anderson created the AcouStick, the first acoustical Stick instrument. It is featured on Culbertson's CD AcouStick Dawn and DVD Un Viaje Classico.

Stormy Monday Funky Blues

Haven't seen the stick used in blues much. Here we go.

Ron is a multi-instrumentalist from Gouda/The Netherlands. He plays bass, guitar and organ. After playing and teaching these instruments for many moons, he finally discovered the Stick. The Chapman Stick is an invention of Emmett H. Chapman of California. Playing this instrument felt like coming home and Ron started using (and abusing) it solo as well as in bands.

Ron plays the 12-string Grand Stick/Grid in a 6/6 configuration using heavy gauge strings in standard tuning. The 6 melody strings are midi’d by a Roland GK2a pickup connected to a GR-1 synth. He also uses a "Patch of Shades", a pressure sensitive wah/volume pedal which crossfades to a Ibanez Tubescreamer. Ron’s new CD "Galaxy Gypsy" is now available directly from Ron or Stick Enterprise

Light Bulb Blues - Russian Delta Blues

I just found this really interesting. Hopefully someone else does as well!
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Tech Talk - Dynacord KV-6 (1954)

Another cool little amp.

Manufacturer/Brand: Dynacord (Pinternagel)
Year: 1955–1960 Type: Audio Amplifier
Valves / Tubes 3: ECC83 EL84 AZ41
Principle Audio-Amplification
Wave bands - without
Power type and voltage Alternating Current supply (AC) / 110; 220 Volt
Loudspeaker Permanent Magnet Dynamic (PDyn) Loudspeaker (moving coil)
Power out 6 W
from Radiomuseum.org Model: KV6
Material Leather / canvas / plastic - over other material
Shape Tablemodel, Mantel/Midget/Compact but not a Portable (See power data. Sometimes with handle but for mains only).
Dimensions (WHD) 230 x 120 x 160 mm / 9.1 x 4.7 x 6.3 inch

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”

On The Road With Joe Bonamassa- Ep.3: Costume Director

3rd Installment of Joe on the road...enjoy!

Let It Go - Alice Avenue

Alice Avenue are a blues fusion trio from Southampton. Their sound is a creative mix of Hendrix-esque guitar solos, soulful vocals and funky, bluesy backing rhythms. Although heavily influenced by blues legends, each band member brings their own personal influences into the mix, including John Mayer, Paolo Nutini, Jimi Hendrix and Jamiroquai.

.................

Although fairly new to the scene, Alice Avenue have been busy. Their latest E.P "See It Through" has been released on iTunes, and they are currently booking shows around London and the South.

For more information and bookings, please contact:

alice.avenue@yahoo.co.uk

.








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Problem Child - Doyle Bramhall Jr.

Eric's current lead guitar player... Doyle Bramhall II.

Doyle Bramhall II was raised in a home filled with the blues and rock and roll sounds that are indigenous to his birthplace - Austin, Texas. His father, Doyle Bramhall Senior, was the drummer for blues legend Lightning Hopkins and a regular collaborator with Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
When Doyle was 16 years old, he toured as second guitarist with Jimmy Vaughan's band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Shortly thereafter he and fellow Texan, Charlie Sexton, co-founded the rock band Arc Angels. Doyle and Charlie enlisted the rhythm section from Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band, Double Trouble, to complete the lineup. The group enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success.
Following the release of "Jellycream," Doyle's 1999 RCA debut recording, he received phone calls from both Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Doyle ended up joining Roger Waters for a summer tour while Clapton, along with fellow blues great B.B. King, chose two of Doyle's songs - "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" - for their collaborative recording entitled "Riding With The King." Upon completion of the "Riding..." project, Doyle, his wife - Susannah Melvoin, and Clapton co-wrote and performed "Superman Inside" for Clapton's album, "Reptile." Doyle's playing is also heavily featured on the album.
The latest offering from Doyle Bramhall II, entitled - "Welcome" - is the purest sampling of Doyle's talents to date. Doyle entered the studio with Smokestack, the band he put together a couple of years ago, and co-producers Benmont Tench and Jim Scott to record the 12 - song set. Joining Doyle in Smokestack is J.J. Johnson on drums and bassist Chris Bruce. Susannah Melvoin contributed background vocals, Benmont Tench pulled keyboard duty and Craig Ross played second guitar.
The album, "Welcome" showcases the diversity of Bramhall's talent; from his songwriting to his intense, soulful vocals and virtuoso guitar playing. Doyle's gravity explosion can be readily heard on such tracks as the driving "Green Light Girl" and the uptempo "Soul Shaker." His dedication to the blues can be felt on tracks like "Life," "So You Want It To Rain" and "Send Some Love."
Doyle and his band are set to open for Eric Clapton on the first leg of a worldwide tour this year.

Lightnin' Boogie = Andy Fairweather Low

Yup...another one (Eric Clapton workhorse)...check the unplugged sessions for a quick glimpse

Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Wales
) is a Welsh guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. He was a founding member of 1960s British pop band, Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.

Fun Ranch Boogie - Eric Clapton and Albert Lee

Another of Erics workhorses was Albert Lee.

Albert Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his finger-style and hybrid picking technique.Albert grew up in Blackheath, London. His father was a musician, and Albert studied piano, taking up the instrument at age seven.[1] During this time, he became a fan of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. He took up guitar in 1958 when his parents bought him a second-hand Höfner President which he later traded in for a Czechoslovakian Grazioso, the forerunner of the Futurama. Albert left school at the age of 16 to play full-time.

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Allman Brothers Band

Apologies... It's really hard to find good video of Duane Allman. Yes, Duane Allman played second fiddle to Eric on Derek and the Dominos - Layla album. Now it's my humble opinion that Eric directed a great band and played some tasty licks...but Duane brought the life to the band. He is sorely missed. Duane Allman introduced me to the blues.



Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band. He is best remembered for his brief but influential tenure in that band, his expressive slide guitar playing and improvisational skills.



A sought-after session musician both before and during his tenure with the band, Allman performed with such established stars as King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Herbie Mann. He also contributed heavily to the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos.



In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Allman at #2 in their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, second only to Jimi Hendrix. His tone (achieved with a Gibson Les Paul and two 50-watt bass Marshall amplifiers) was named one of the greatest guitar tones of all time by Guitar Player.



He died in October 1971 in a motorcycle accident.



He is still referred to by his nickname "Skydog," which may be a reference to his signature guitar sound and tone. Many consider "Skydog" a variant of the nickname "Skyman" given to him by Wilson Pickett during the recording of Pickett's cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." Jim Dickinson was quoted in Keith Richards' autobiography Life as saying he was given the name because he was high much of the time.

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Everybody Loves a Winner

When Eric first left the Yardbirds he had a short stint with John Mayall and then into Delaney and Bonnie.

Delaney Bramlett's musical history spans three decades making it difficult to pinpoint in such a short space his contributions to the world of music. Known as a great songwriter, singer and musician, he has also been a mentor to some of the very best: Eric Clapton, George Harrison, J.J. Cale and Bobby Whitlock to name just a few.

From modest beginnings in Pontotoc, Mississippi, Delaney worked his way to the top, but not before a few side adventures. Life in his hometown wasn't for the budding music man and the only way to survive was to pick cotton or join the Armed Services. Delaney joined the Navy for three years and said goodbye to Mississippi. After his release from the Navy with Mississippi in his heart and his feet in Los Angeles he moved his family to be with him, where he has remained ever since.

Cliffie Stone recalls a young kid hanging around the studio watching everything. Delaney had already done demos for another Mississippian, Elvis Presley and played a cardboard box as a drum on a George Jones record. Living in Los Angeles now, he became a regular on the TV show Shindig as a Shindog, the house band. He was already busy writing with the likes of Joey Cooper, Mac Davis and Jackie DeShannon. Over the years, some of his songs have reached "standard" status such as "Superstar", "Never Ending Song of Love" and "Let It Rain, among others.

After Eric Clapton joined Delaney on tour he produced and co-wrote songs for Clapton's first solo LP. Due to contractual obligations he relinquished the writer credit to his then wife, Bonnie Bramlett enabling him to keep them in the family. Clapton still credits Delaney for pushing him to sing and teaching him the art.

George Harrison had his first slide bottle placed in his hand by Delaney who quickly taught George how to play slide and write a Gospel song. Out of that lesson came "My Sweet Lord".

Alberta, Alberta - Eric Clapton - George Terry

Everybody knows Eric Clapton but how about the guys who have been his lead guitar players? Now that's not to say Eric can't play...he's great! But he's always had great support. Here's one of the guys in the background... George Terry.

George Terry is an American blues rock and rock and roll guitarist most known for his live and studio work with Eric Clapton during the 1970s and studio work with a long list of artists. Prior to joining Clapton's band, George was already a well-known South Florida guitarist and session musician and had played with several notable bands including "GAME" who released two albums in 1970 and 1971. George was the featured lead guitarist, bassist, and writer of several tunes on both.

Coming from a studio background, Terry was hired by Eric Clapton for the recording the 461 Ocean Boulevard album. It was Terry who intriduced Clapton to Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" which became a huge success for Clapton. Clapton recorded three of Terry's songs, "Mainline Florida", "Lay Down Sally", "Don't Blame Me". Terry was a member of Clapton's studio and touring band until 1979 when it was dissolved.

Terry's song "What'll I Do" with the Bellamy Brothers received heavy radio airplay. Terry released a solo album in 2004, entitled Guitar Drive.

Man Trouble Blues

Playing an old Jaybird Coleman tune. New cd coming on on May 21. Check back for review.

One of New York’s most original bands, HAZMAT MODINE delivers a rustic, deliriously Dionysian blend of whorehouse Blues, Reggae, Klezmer, Country and Gypsy-tinged music. The band features the dueling harmonicas of front-man Wade Schuman and his sparring partner Bill Barrett, funky tuba powerhouse Joseph Daley, guitarists Michael Gomez and Pete Smith, trumpeter Pam Fleming and drummer Rich Huntley. HAZMAT holds down a smoldering groove behind Schuman’s raspy, bluesy voice and passionately energetic stage presence. (Schuman is one of the most dynamic performers on the New York scene). Their playful blend of genres also extends to their use of instrumentation, including the sheng (the ancient Chinese mouth organ), the unique and odd claviola, and sometimes the cimbalom (the Romanian hammered dulcimer). While they play mostly originals, their cover versions are choice and eclectic, including songs by Slim Gaillard, Jimmy Rogers, Jaybird Coleman, and Irving Berlin. Their live show frequently features guest artists from the creme de la creme of the New York music scene, including cult-favorite singer/accordionist Rachelle Garniez, Moonlighters steel guitarist extraordinaire Henry Bogdan and the great cimbalom player Alex Federiouk. With their sly musical wit, expert musicianship and completely unique sound, HAZMAT MODINE has built a wide and devoted following, drawing crowds to shows at venues as diverse as the Knitting Factory, Terra Blues, the Fez and Galapagos Art Space.” ~ Alan Young, Trifecta, NYC

Rumble +Rare Interview

Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer.

Wray was noted for pioneering a new sound for electric guitars, as exemplified in his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble", by Link Wray and his Ray Men, which pioneered an overdriven, distorted electric guitar sound, and also for having "invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarist," "and in doing so fathering," or making possible, "punk and heavy rock". Rolling Stone included Link at number 67 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

The Stumble - Gary Moore

Gary Moore's take on a classic Freddie King number.
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011), better known simply as Gary Moore, was a musician from Belfast, Northern Ireland, best recognized as a blues rock guitarist and singer.

In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the heavy metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.

Moore died of a suspected heart attack in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, in February 2011.

Half Ton Piano Boogie Woogie

We got a viewer submission here for you to enjoy.

New cd release:

Power-house blues, Memphis soul, and roots rock’n’roll. Featuring the high-octane boogie piano and big soul sounds of vocalist and blues man Victor Wainwright, backed by one of the tightest smokin’ bands on the scene; the WildRoots.

Victor, along with producer/bassist/co-writer Stephen Dees have teamed up once again to deliver a blues and American roots ‘tour de force’. In short, they have scored another musical Bull’s Eye! On the heals of their critically acclaimed debut release “Beale Street to the Bayou”; their new CD “Lit Up” is poised to ignite blues fans with a freshness and flair that’s infectious and impossible to ignore.

“Lit Up” Pure dynamite, set to explode, highly combustible, and ready to roll!

Hope you like it.