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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
New Pinetop Perkins & Karp/Foley titles from Blind Pig!
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
Luther Johnson (born April 11, 1939, Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States) is an American Chicago blues singer and guitarist, who performs under the name Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson.
Johnson moved to Chicago with his family in 1955. During the 1960s, he performed with Magic Sam. He also performed in Muddy Waters's band from 1972 to 1980. In 1980, four of his songs were included on an anthology by Alligator Records.
Johnson moved to the East Coast and began fronting his own band, the Magic Rockers. His "Walkin' The Dog," was recorded live at the Montreux Festival's Blues Night. Johnson won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Traditional Blues Album for his part in Blues Explosion.
Johnson appeared on three albums by The Nighthawks. He now lives in New Hampshire.
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"Mr. Johnnie" Billington
Johnnie "Mr. Johnnie" Billington is the primary teacher and artistic director of the DBEP. A master guitar player & singer, he returned to his Delta roots twenty years ago after playing with Chicago Blues greats Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and Earl Hooker (also natives of the Delta). He wanted to be closer to his aging mother and family, and dedicated himself to teaching children. An automobile mechanic by day, he used to open his shop at night apprenticing neighborhood children. He was awarded Master Folk Artist Status by the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) in 1993, and in 1995 received the W.C. Handy "Keeping the Blues Alive in Education." In 1999, Mr. Johnnie was honored with a Governor's Award by the State of Mississippi.
It is not by coincidence that the other three musicians (Michael James "Dr. Mike," Harvell Thomas and Dione Thomas) were themselves once apprentices of Mr. Johnnie's. He has instilled in them not only the Delta Blues tradition, but also the ability to teach others. Mr. Johnnie is responsible for quality control in the teaching, and the authenticity of the music tradition being taught.
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Hugh Cornwell unveils 'Totem and Taboo' album & 'No More Heroes' UK tour
Hugh will perform his new album
‘TOTEM AND TABOO’
followed by ‘NO MORE HEROES’
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898
Book Online: www.hughcornwell.com www.thegigcartel.com
Hugh Cornwell is pleased to confirm a nationwide UK tour in October 2012. The concerts will be divided into two sets. The first will feature his eagerly anticipated new studio album ‘TOTEM AND TABOO’ (released August 2012). The second set will see Hugh playing The Strangler's seminal 1977 second album ‘NO MORE HEROES’ in its entirety with keyboards added to the lineup.
A ticket pre-sale will be launched on Wednesday 11th April via www.ents24.com, followed by a general on-sale from Friday 14th April. Tickets can be ordered from the 24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898, and booked online via www.hughcornwell.com and www.thegigcartel.com.
£50 VIP Ticket Packages for all shows includes sound check entry, meet and greet, exclusive Totem and Taboo demo album, and a free poster signed on the night by Hugh.
"Cornwell remains a hugely popular and prolific performer
whose songwriting retains its fiery eloquence and
whose gigs still crackle with electricity"
– Classic Rock
Hugh Cornwell is one of the UK's finest songwriting talents and accomplished live performers. The original guitarist, singer and main songwriter in the British punk rock band The Stranglers, he’s enjoyed massive UK and European success with 10 hit albums and 21 Top Forty singles, with classic songs including Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown, Always the Sun, Grip, Nice N Sleazy, Duchess and No Mercy.
Cornwell’s forthcoming new album Totem and Taboo will be released in August 2012. Recorded at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, it was engineered and mixed by Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies). Visit www.hughcornwell.com for further details.
Cornwell’s last studio album, the critically acclaimed Hooverdam produced and mixed at Toe Rag Studios in London by Liam Watson (White Stripes), is available as a free download from his official website.
AUTUMN 2012 UK TOUR
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898
Book Online: www.hughcornwell.com www.thegigcartel.com
Carlisle - The Brickyard
Wednesday 3rd October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 8pm
14 Fisher Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8RN
www.thebrickyardonline.com
Aberdeen - The Lemon Tree
Thursday 4th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors 7pm
5 West North Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5AT
www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
Glasgow - The Arches
Friday 5th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL
www.thearches.co.uk
Newcastle - Northumbria University
Saturday 6th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
Northumbria Students Union, 2 Sandyford Road, Newcastle, NE1 8SB
http://mynsu.northumbria.ac.uk
Nottingham - Rescue Rooms
Wednesday 10th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5JT
www.rescuerooms.com
Leeds - The Cockpit
Thursday 11th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
Swinegate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4AG
www.thecockpit.co.uk
Manchester - Academy 3
Friday 12th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
UMSU, Oxford Rd, Manchester. M13 9PR
www.manchesteracademy.net
Birmingham - O2 Academy 2
Saturday 13th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 7pm
16-18 Horsefair, Bristol Street, B1 1DB
www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk
Bristol - The Fleece
Wednesday 17th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 8pm
12 St Thomas St, Bristol, BS1 6JJ
www.thefleece.co.uk
Southampton - The Brook
Thursday 18th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 8pm
466 Portswood Road, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
www.the-brook.com
London O2 Academy - Islington
Friday 19th October
Tickets: £20.00, Doors: 7pm
N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, Islington, London, N1 0PS
www.o2academyislington.co.uk
Tavistock - The Wharf
Saturday 20th October
Tickets: £18.00, Doors: 8pm
Canal Road, Tavistock, PL19 8AT
www.tavistockwharf.com
Hugh Cornwell - Official Website
www.hughcornwell.com
Hugh Cornwell- Official Facebook
www.facebook.com/hughcornwellofficial
Hugh Cornwell - Official Twitter
https://twitter.com/hughcornwell
Lord, Look Down On Me - Bessie Griffin
Bessie Griffin (July 6, 1922 – April 10, 1989) was an African American gospel singer.
Born Arlette B. Broil in New Orleans, Louisiana, she was steeped in church music as a child. She sang for a while with the Southern Harps, had her own radio show in New Orleans, and later appeared in night clubs, on Broadway and in 1962 on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Griffin performed briefly with "Queen of Gospel" Albertina Walker and The Caravans in 1953-1954 but spent most of her career as a solo artist. While often compared to Mahalia Jackson, Griffin had a lighter contralto that allowed her to achieve more vocal pyrotechnics — holding a note for long periods of time, continuing a song for as long as twenty minutes and ranging through three octaves.
Griffin began her known recording career with the Gospel Consolators, an a cappella group in New Orleans, in the late 1940s. They issued several 78 rpm shellac records with her billed as lead vocalist.
After moving to Chicago in 1951, she worked briefly with The Caravans, a gospel group led by Albertina Walker, making a session with them for States in 1954. She left the group later that year, recording as a soloist for Al Benson's Parrot label. After moving to Los Angeles she was signed in 1956 by Art Rupe of Specialty Records. After collaboration with Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, she recorded an album on the Decca label with an orchestra: "It Takes a Lot of Love"; she made "Portraits in Bronze" on Liberty; and joined the lucrative night club circuit singing and recording gospel albums in night clubs in the 1960s. She recorded a solo album for Savoy which was unremarkable except as a great example of her voice, and an album with the Gospel Pearls entitled "Gospel Soul" on Sunset, a subsidiary of Liberty. The Nashboro label released an album recorded live in concert in stereo and Griffin continued to tour and record as her health allowed, up to her death. There is an album on the Spirit Feel label which samples her four-decade long recording career.
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
See See Baby - Sean Costello and the Soul Shakers
Sean Costello (April 16, 1979 – April 15, 2008) was an American blues musician, renowned for his fiery guitar playing and soulful singing. He released five critically acclaimed albums before his career was cut short by his sudden death at the age of 28. Tinsley Ellis called him ‘the most gifted young blues guitarist on the scene... he was a triple threat on guitar, vocals and as a songwriter’
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Costello moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of nine. Obsessive about the guitar from a young age, he got hooked on the blues after buying Howlin’ Wolf's 'Rockin' Chair Album'. At 14 the young prodigy created a stir in a Memphis guitar shop, where an employee tipped his father off about a talent contest sponsored by the Beale Street Blues Society, which Costello duly entered and won. He formed his first band shortly after.
Costello honed his skills through almost constant performing, playing over 300 gigs a year and touring widely in the USA and Europe. His reputation as a brilliant live performer enabled him to play alongside blues luminaries such as B. B. King and Buddy Guy (Ma Rainey House benefit concert, Columbus, Georgia, June 1997), James Cotton (Cotton's 64th birthday concert in Memphis) and Hubert Sumlin (South by Southwest, Austin, Texas, March 2005). When not touring, Costello made a living playing small venues in his home town of Atlanta, Georgia, such as the Northside Tavern. Richard Rosenblatt, former President of Tone-Cool Records, recalls Costello's performances:
As a guitarist he was astounding, but for Sean it was never about showing off monstrous chops or stroking his own ego. His playing always fit the song; he would work the tone and phrasing, sometimes with an economy of notes that let the empty spaces hang achingly for what seemed like hours. When he did take off on the occasional blazing run, he was the ultimate tightrope walker, flirting fearlessly with danger before bringing it all back home with the unlikeliest of phrases that was still, somehow, perfect.
Sean Costello was found dead in his Atlanta hotel room on April 15, 2008, one day before his 29th birthday. A medical report later determined that he died of an accidental drug overdose. Posthumously, Costello's family revealed that he had suffered from bipolar disorder, and set up the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research in his honor.
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Jimmie Lee Robinson
Unlike many of his Chicago blues contemporaries, Jimmie Lee Robinson (Apr 30, 1931 in Chicago, IL - Jul 6, 2002 in Chicago, IL) wasn't a Mississippi Delta emigre. The guitarist was born and raised right in the Windy City -- not far from Maxwell Street, the fabled open-air market on the near West side where the blues veritably teemed during the 1940s and '50s.
Robinson learned his lessons well. He formed a partnership with guitarist Freddy King in 1952 for four years (they met outside the local welfare office), later doing sideman work with Elmore James and Little Walter and cutting sessions on guitar and bass behind Little Walter, Eddie Taylor, Shakey Jake, and St. Louis Jimmy Oden. Robinson cut three singles for the tiny Bandera label circa 1959-1960; the haunting "All My Life" packed enough power to be heard over in England, where John Mayall faithfully covered it. Another Bandera standout, "Lonely Traveller," was revived as the title track for Robinson's 1994 Delmark comeback album.
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New Tweed Funk CD
Upcoming Shows and News
Tweed Funk has some great shows starting out this Saturday night at the Horny Goat Hideaway in the BFT. BFT stands for the Big Fun Tent and if you have not seen it, you are missing one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern, Upper-Midwest, Engineering World. Indoor volleyball courts, bar, stage, a giant TV screen made up of 20 smaller TVs, and it feels a balmy 75/80 degrees in the BFT. No cover charge, great food, and one of Milwaukee's hottest spots.
Then Tweed Funk returns to the House of Blues next Tuesday in Chicago where we have joined the regular rotation of some of the top blues bands from Chicago (and national touring blues acts) playing at this fine establishment.
Friday, April 13th we are The Hamilton in Milwaukee. This upscale wine salon and craft cocktail lounge is located just off of Water Street by the Gallun Tannery. Lots of parking in their lot and no cover charge.
Saturday, April 14th we will be part of the Downtown Alive - WAMI Showcase playing with The Sandcarvers at The Bar on College Ave in Appleton. All day long top bands from Wisconsin will be participating in the WAMI Downtown Alive Series on College Ave. So come out and enjoy some of the best music our state has to offer. Sunday we will be attending the WAMI Awards Show where Tweed Funk has been nominated in the Best R&B/Soul Band Category (our 2nd nomination) and Frontman Smokey has been nominated for Best Male Vocalist. We hope to bring home some hardware and wish all of our WAMI Nominees good luck!
Eric Madunic on bass and vocals played his first shows with us this past weekend and was well received by the Tweed Funk fanbase at Mo's Irish Pub in Tosa (many of his former bandmates showed up) and the Rock-n-Blues Haus in Manitowoc. Eric began performing at the age of 12 with his dad's oldies band and played with his dad for 7 years. His dad taught him to sing harmonies and Eric focused on keyboard and guitar. Eric switched over to bass as a short-term fill-in for a band he was in who lost their bass player - and the rest was history. Most recently Eric spent 8 years playing with one of Milwaukee's top cover bands, Old Mil. It is great having Eric on-board, his harmony vocals compliment Smokey and his passion is playing old school soul in the style of Booker T & the MGs!
Spotlight on Greg Koch
So who is this "Twisted Guitar Genius" aka the Gristleman that is working as Tweed Funk's producer and contributing some fretboard mayhem to the CD? We are not sure that we know. However, Fender Musical Corporation recently named him as one of the Top 10 Unsung Guitarists and they are real impressed with his comedy routine! Check out the article from Fender and look at the fine company Greg is keeping on the list!
Most of you in the Milwaukee/Wisconsin area know Greg for his band the Tone Controls in 90s. Greg then ascended to national/international status via his Fender Clinics and Hal-Leonard DVD Instructional Series. Catch him traveling the world doing clinics as he gets his passport stamped or in Milwaukee with his trio at Shank Hall or sitting in with Leroy Airmaster at a club gig.
| Upcoming Shows | ||||
| Horny Goat Hideaway | Milwaukee, WI | Sat Apr 07 12 | 09:00 PM | |
| House of Blues - Chicago | Chicago, IL | Tue Apr 10 12 | 09:00 PM | |
| The Hamilton | Milwaukee, WI | Fri Apr 13 12 | 09:00 PM | |
| THE BAR ON THE AVENUE | APPLETON, WI | Sat Apr 14 12 | 07:00 PM | |
| Music on The Couch | Olive Branch, MS | Mon Apr 30 12 | 09:00 PM | |
| WMSE 91.7 FM | Milwaukee, WI | Wed May 09 12 | 05:00 PM | |
| Shank Hall | Milwaukee, WI | Fri May 11 12 | 07:00 PM | Tickets |
| > See More / Details | ||||
Delmark Records artist: Eddie C. Campbell - Spider Eatin' Preacher - New Release Review
Eddie C. Campbell is back with his new recording, Spider Eatin' Preacher. Campbell has a unique blues style that incorporates the ingredients of a stew of Blues, R&B, Soul, and a number of other other flavors. Campbell wrote 12 of the 15 tracks on this release and is joined by his partner, Barbara Mayson on bass and his Godson, Lurrie Bell on guitar. A particularly interesting song early in the recording is Call My Mama with some type of loose chant or call followed by a slick guitar solo. Soup Bone (Reheated) is a cool Albert King style blues and one of my favorites on the cd. Darryl takes a solo run on the keys on this one. I Don't Understand This Woman is a loping blues with some cool guitar riffs. Again Campbell's vocal styling is a strong component. Boomerang gets the swing moving and the use of guitars by Alexander Mejia with Campbell on this particular song are quite cool. Starlight is a smooth instrumental played in a Gatemouth swing style. Lurrie Bell plays some tasty riffs kicking this thing along just off beat...brilliant. There is also a great use of the echo and delay to create a cool ambiance. All My Life, a Jimmie Lee Robinson track, is really nicely executed by Campbell on vocal and guitar. Brownout has that funky R&B blues, Walter Wolfman Washington style with horns plentiful and I really like it. Playin' Out These Blues is a little ditty crafted between Campbell and Bell (with Bell on harp and vocal) and it's just like father and son sitting around the living room. A nice casual way to wrap up the release.
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Steamy Windows - Shemekia Copeland
At only 19, Shemekia stepped out of her father’s shadow with the Alligator release of 1998 debut recording, Turn the Heat Up!, and the critics raved. The Village Voice called her “nothing short of uncanny,” while the Boston Globe proclaimed that “she roars with a sizzling hot intensity.” A year later, she appeared in the Motion Picture Three To Tango, while her song “I Always Get My Man, was featured in the film Broken Hearts Club.
Her second album, Wicked, released in 2000, scored three Handy Awards (Song of the Year, Blues Album of the Year, Contemporary Female Artist of the Year) and a GRAMMY nomination. Two years later, New Orleans R&B legend Dr. John stepped in to produce her third recording, Talking To Strangers (2002), which Vibe called “a masterful blend of ballsy rockers and cheeky ballads.”
Copeland released The Soul Truth in 2005. The album was produced by legendary Stax guitarist Steve Cropper (who also played on the CD), and featured generous doses of blues, funk and Memphis-flavored soul.
She joined Telarc International for the February 2009 release of Never Going Back. This new chapter in the Shemekia Copeland story represents a crossroads on her ongoing artistic journey – a place where numerous new avenues are open to her. While she will always remain loyal to her blues roots, Never Going Back takes a more forward view of the blues, and in so doing points her music and her career in a new direction.
“I’ve had success in my career, and I’m happy with that,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to continue to grow. In order for an artist to grow – and for a genre to grow – you have to do new things. I’m extremely proud to say I’m a blues singer, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I’m capable of singing, or that’s the only style of music I’m capable of making.”
She adds: “I want to keep growing. My main goal when I started this was that I was going to do something different with this music, so that this music could evolve and grow. I got that idea from my father. He didn’t do the typical one-four-five blues. He went to Africa and worked with musicians there. He was one of the first blues artists to do that. I want to be the same way. I want to be innovative with the blues.”
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”
Blind Pig Records: Heaven - Pinetop Perkins- New Release Review
On April 17 Blind Pig Records will offer a previously unreleased set of 1986 "after hours" recordings by Pinetop Perkins called Heaven. Typically I think of posthumous recordings as a bunch of remastered junk that has been put together by a record company to squeeze ever last dime out of a deceased artist but this cd is terrific! The 12 track set finds Pinetop at top form performing solo on all but 4 tracks. It is a very intimate listen to Pinetop at his peak at only 73. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith contributes to Sitting On Top Of The World prior to his passing in September and Otis Clay compliments the jazz standard Since I Fell For You.
The cd (also available on 180g audiophile vinyl) opens with 44 Blues and it is solid as a rock. If this doesn't get your attention, you likely won't like the recordings. This is great! Perkins finger articulation on Relaxin' is right on. The feel is all there. I'm a sucker for Sittin' On Top Of The World and Perkins does a masterful job. Of course Pinetop's Boogie Woogie is present and jammin'. One of my favorite tracks is Ida B with Mike Markowitz on harp. Pinetop's Blues is strong and heartfelt demonstrating not only Perkins abilities on piano but also his effectiveness vocally. Pinetop's instumentl take on Willow Weep For Me converts it from an old Jazz vocal standard to a New Orleans blues track. That's All Right is a great summation for the recordings. Perkins sings with clarity and his playing is crisp and strong. This album is not only a must for those who have to have everything that Pinetop has ever done...but those who don't have any.
Great recordings and a great tribute to a great blues man!
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”
I looked had to try to find the right video but this is the best I could do. When these recordings were cut Pinetop was 73. In this recording he's 95, but most of the film that I could find of him that was time appropriate was featuring him with Muddy Waters.
MAGGOT BRAIN - EDDIE HAZEL
Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel (April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992) was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic. Hazel was a posthumous inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1950, Hazel grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey because his mother, Grace Cook, wanted her son to grow up in an environment without the pressures of drugs and crime that she felt pervaded New York City. Hazel occupied himself from a young age by playing a guitar, given to him as a Christmas present by his older brother. Hazel also sang in church. At age 12, Hazel met Billy "Bass" Nelson, and the pair quickly became close friends and began performing, soon adding drummer Harvey McGee to the mix.
Three collections of unreleased recordings have been released posthumously: The 1994 four-song EP Jams From the Heart (which Rhino Records later added as bonus material to its rerelease of Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs), 1994's Rest in P and 2006's Eddie Hazel At Home.
Other recordings by Hazel have appeared on albums by other musicians. Several albums produced by Bill Laswell, including Funkcronomicon (released under the name Axiom Funk, 1995) have featured Hazel's guitar. Bootsy Collins has also incorporated recordings of Hazel in some of his recent releases, for example, "Good Night Eddie" on Blasters of the Universe. The band Ween recorded a tribute to him called "A Tear for Eddie" on their album Chocolate And Cheese. There is an image of Hazel on the back of Primal Scream's album Give Out But Don't Give Up.
Hazel has been featured on a number of lists of greatest guitarists of all time. He was 43 on the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time
On December 23, 1992, Hazel died from internal bleeding and liver failure. "Maggot Brain" was played at his funeral
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Chicken In The Rough - Roscoe Gordon & The Red Tops
Rosco Gordon (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002) was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1952 #1 R&B hit single, "Booted", and two #2 singles "No More Doggin'" (1952 RPM 350) and "Just a Little Bit"
Born on Florida Street, in Memphis, Tennessee, Gordon was one of the Beale Streeters, a moniker given to a group of musicians who helped develop the style known as Memphis Blues. Gordon used a style of piano playing known as 'The Rosco Rhythm' and made a number of his early recordings for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. This rhythm placed the accent on the off beats, and although other influential R&B pianists such as Professor Longhair (on "Willie Mae" among other songs) recorded in the same off beat style before him, through his influence on the Jamaican pianist, Theophilus Beckford ("Easy Snappin'"), Gordon was cited as the foundation of Jamaican bluebeat and reggae music.
"Booted" (1952) gave his career a sound start, and was followed by "No More Doggin'" the same year.Sam Phillips later sold the master tape of "Booted" to two competing record labels, Chess and RPM, both of whom released it as a single[1] as he had done with some early Howlin' Wolf songs. The RPM release reached #1 on the Billboard R&B record chart. Chess and the Bihari Brothers later settled the conflict with the Biharis getting exclusive rights to Gordon and Chess signing Wolf to an exclusive contract.
In 1960, Gordon released his last charting single "Just a Little Bit", which was both an R&B and pop hit. However there were no further hits despite Gordon's youth, talent and exuberant and oddball personality. In 1962, he gave up the music industry and moved to Queens, New York with his new wife where he purchased a partnership in a laundry business. Following his wife's death in 1984, he returned to performing in the New York area.
In 2002, he was invited by filmmaker Richard Pearce to be featured as part of a documentary film about several blues musicians returning to Memphis for a special tribute to Sam Phillips in conjunction with the May 2002 W. C. Handy Awards. Called The Road To Memphis, the documentary aired on PBS television. Six weeks after filming finished, Gordon died of a heart attack at his apartment in Rego Park, Queens. He was 74 years old. He was interred in the Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.
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”
You Know I Do - Big John Wrencher, SP Leary, Erwin Helfer, John Brim, Tom Buckley
John Brim (April 10, 1922 – October 1, 2003) was an American Chicago blues guitarist, songwriter and singer. He wrote and recorded the original "Ice Cream Man" that Van Halen covered on their first album and David Lee Roth also covered on Diamond Dave. "Ice Cream Man" was also covered by Martin Sexton on his 2001 double album, Live Wide Open.
Brim picked up his early guitar licks from the gramophone records of Tampa Red and Big Bill Broonzy, before venturing first to Indianapolis in 1941 and Chicago four years later. He met his wife Grace in 1947; fortuitously, she was a capable drummer and harmonica player who played on several of Brim's records. She was also the vocalist on a 1950 single for the Detroit-based Fortune Records, that signaled the beginning of Brim's discography.
Brim recorded for Random Records, J.O.B. Records, Parrot Records (the socially aware "Tough Times"), and Checker Records ("Rattlesnake," his answer to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" was pulled from the shelves by Chess for fear of a plagiarism lawsuit). All of his 1950s recordings for the Chess brothers were later included on the compilation LP/CD "Whose Muddy Shoes" (which also included the few recordings Elmore James made for Chess and Checker; because they share this LP/CD, it has sometimes been assumed that they performed or recorded together, but this is not the case.) On some tracks Little Walter played the harmonica, whilst Jimmy Reed, Snooky Pryor, or James Dalton were also featured blowing the harp. Cut in 1953, the suggestive "Ice Cream Man" had to wait until 1969 to enjoy a very belated release. Brim's last Chess single, "I Would Hate to See You Go," was waxed in 1956 with a combo consisting of Little Walter, guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr., bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below.
In between touring, Brim operated dry-cleaning businesses and a record store. When the royalties from Van Halen’s recording of "Ice Cream Man" came through, they enabled him to open John Brim’s House of the Blues Broadway Nite Club in Chicago.
Brim continued to perform occasionally around Chicago, and was a regularly featured performer on the Chicago Blues Festival beginning in 1991, when he was backed by the local Chicago blues band The Ice Cream Men (drummer Steve Cushing, guitarists Dave Waldman and "Rockin'" Johnny Burgin, and harmonica player Scott Dirks; the band name was coincidental - they were not Brim's regular band, but had been using that name because the members had previously worked with Chicago bluesman Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers, who worked as an ice cream man on Chicago's south side.)
He was tempted back into the recording studio again in 1989 to record four songs for the German Wolf label, and renewed interest in him finally led to his recording his first solo CD, Ice Cream Man, for Tone Cool Records in 1994. It received a W. C. Handy nomination as the best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.
Brim also appeared at the 1997 San Francisco Blues Festival.
He recorded again in 2000, 50 years after his recording debut, and continued to tour, playing in Belgium in 2001. One of his final appearances was at the 2002 Chicago Blues Festival.
Brim, who lived in Gary, Indiana remained active on the Chicago blues scene until his death, on 1 October 2003 at the age of 81
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Open Up Your Heart.Shirley - Ray Agee
Known primarily for his tough 1963 remake of the blues standard "Tin Pan Alley" (featuring the moaning lead guitar of Johnny Heartsman) for the tiny Sahara logo, vocalist Ray Agee recorded for a myriad of labels both large and small during the 1950s and '60s without much in the way of national recognition outside his Los Angeles home base. That's a pity -- he was a fine, versatile blues singer whose work deserves a wider audience (not to mention CD reissue).
The Alabama native was stricken with polio at age four, leaving Agee with a permanent handicap. After moving to L.A. with his family, he apprenticed with his brothers in a gospel quartet before striking out in the R&B field with a 1952 single for Eddie Mesner's Aladdin Records (backed by saxist Maxwell Davis' band). From there, his discography assumes daunting proportions; he appeared on far too many logos to list (Elko, Spark, Ebb, and Cash among them).
Ray Agee slowly slipped away from the music business in the early '70s. Reportedly, he died around 1990.
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”
Monday, April 9, 2012
BUS 52 - Alabama Blues Project
"When you feel like you have no way out of a situation that you are in, nine times out of ten, you've heard a blues song that gives you an answer to your situation and you can figure things out." Carroline Shines, singer/songwriter and supporter of the Alabama Blues Project.
Blues Musician Debbie Bond started the Alabama Blues Project in order to help preserve the strong tradition within the state. The Alabama Blues Project's focus is not only the celebration of blues heritage, but also educating a new generation about the style, showing the playing of the blues as an innovative approach to preserving the style.
"Unlike places like Mississippi," Debbie explains, "Alabama really hadn't realized what it had in its own backyard." Soon, the project grew from simply recognizing blues heritage to actively seeking out engagement with young people. "There's nothing like music to build self esteem."
With a group of dedicated volunteers, the project hosts after-school camps where children can learn an instrument from award-winning blues musicians from all across Alabama. Brad Guin is one such artist and remarks how unique and important the project is for the community.
"Teaching kids how to play blues and rhythm and blues - this is one of the only programs like this anywhere around."
Debbie stresses the importance of the program for children and young people from all backgrounds and personal stories. "We have become known as being very good with at risk children."
Each week, children of all ages arrive at the camp ready to pick up where they left off with their instrument. First, everyone gathers together to learn about some Blues history through song from the expert volunteers. They then make bee-lines for their respective classes - drums, guitar, harmonica, bass, vocals, horns. The music starts as fast as kids can take their seats.
The children involved in the camps are not solely taught by your usual music teachers, but by blues professionals. The Alabama Blues Project has participating blues artists that are award-winning and perform across the country. The teaching methods are not traditional either. Sticking to true blues fashion, all students are taught by ear rather than by reading notes.
The camps have been an overwhelming success. Jonathan Blakney, a former student who had never before played an instrument before coming to the camps, is now a harmonica teacher. He says that learning the instrument has allowed him more focus in his everyday life and that The Alabama Blues Project "gives kids who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to learn the opportunity to learn music."
Carroline Shines adds, "This is a positive thing, this is a drug free, educational program. This is what kids need to do. They need to learn." Bands have formed from within the camps and collaborations between teachers and students have evolved.
The Alabama Blues Project has been steadily building its focus and expanding its horizons. Through programs like the after-school camp, the project hopes to excite young people into the world of Blues and to breed the next generation of Alabama Blues musicians. They also hope to soon open an Alabama Blues Museum in the Tuscaloosa area.
"Blues is a dying art. And in order for us to keep it going we have to teach the young ones so they can go on and teach others."
To find out more about the project and the after school camp, visit them online here.
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Cold Chills - Hip Linkchain
Cancer struck guitarist Hip Linkchain down before he could shed his status as a Chicago blues journeyman. With a fine album on the Dutch Black Magic logo, Airbusters, to his credit shortly before he died, Linkchain might have managed to move up a rung or two in the city's blues pecking order had he lived longer.
Born Willie Richard (Nov 10, 1936 - Feb 13, 1989 in Chicago, IL) in Jackson, MS, his odd stage name stemmed from being dubbed "Hipstick" as a lad. (White residents of the area gave his seven-foot-tall dad the name Linkchain because he wore logging chains around his neck). Dad and older brother Jesse both played the blues, and Hip followed in their footsteps. He heard Elmore James, Little Milton, and Sonny Boy Williamson while living in the Delta before relocating to Chicago during the early '50s.
Linkchain made inroads on the competitive Chicago circuit during the '50s and '60s, playing with harpists Dusty Brown, Willie Foster, and Lester Davenport. His own band, the Chicago Twisters, was fronted by a very young Tyrone Davis in 1959. Linkchain cut a handful of very obscure 45s for the tiny Lola and Sanns logos prior to the emergence of his debut domestic album for Teardrop Records, Change My Blues, circa 1981. by Bill Dahl
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Hold On I'm Coming - Sam and Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues (R&B) duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Samuel David Moore (born Samuel David Hicks on October 12, 1935 in Winchester, Georgia), and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (May 9, 1937, Ocilla, Georgia – April 9, 1988, Sycamore, Georgia).
Sam & Dave are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and are Grammy Award and multiple gold record award winning artists. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo, and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records. Recorded primarily at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1965 through 1968, these included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin", "I Thank You", "When Something is Wrong with My Baby", "Wrap It Up", and many other Southern Soul classics. Other than Aretha Franklin, no soul act during Sam & Dave's Stax years (1965–1968) had more consistent R&B chart success, including 10 consecutive top 20 singles and 3 consecutive top 10 LPs. Their crossover charts appeal (13 straight appearances and 2 top 10 singles) helped to pave the way for the acceptance of soul music by white pop audiences, and their song "Soul Man" was one of the first songs by a black group to top the pop charts using the word "soul", helping define the genre. "Soul Man" was a number one Pop Hit (Cashbox: November 11, 1967) and has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was featured as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film and also a 1997–1998 television series, and Soul Men was a 2008 feature film.
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave were one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s. They were an influence on many future musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Tom Petty, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Joel and Steve Winwood. The Blues Brothers, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul, R&B, and blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave - their biggest hit was a cover of "Soul Man", and their act and stage show had many similarities to the duo.
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Its Just A Matter Of Time - Brook Benton
Brook Benton (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988) was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.
He made a comeback in 1970 with the ballad "Rainy Night in Georgia." Benton scored over 50 Billboard chart hits as an artist, and also wrote hits for other performers.
Benjamin Franklin Peay was born on September 19, 1931 in Lugoff, South Carolina. When Peay was young he enjoyed gospel music, wrote songs, and sang in a Methodist church choir in nearby Camden, where his father was choir master. So in 1948 he went to New York to pursue his music career. He went in and out of gospel groups such as The Langfordaires, The Jerusalem Stars, and The Golden Gate Quartet. Returning to his home state, he joined a R&B singing group, The Sandmen, and went back to New York to get a big break with his group. The Sandmen had limited success, and their label, Okeh Records, decided to push Peay as a solo artist, changing his name to Brook Benton, apparently at the suggestion of label executive Marv Halsman.
Weakened from spinal meningitis, Brook died of pneumonia in Queens, New York City, at the age of 56 on April 9, 1988.
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Baby Please Don´t Go - The Big Hollers
Daniel Tena and Raúl T-Bonski, from Nasty Boogie, created a old-school blues duo in Valencia (Spain), called Big Hollers in 2009. With different bands, they played at some of the most important blues festivals of Spain as the Rock and River Blues Festival (with Mark Hummel and Igor Prado Band), Ciclo de Blues Centro Octubre en Valencia, Almeriblues Blues Festival, Festival De Blues De Barcelona or III Winter Blues Festival and toured with Lynwood Slim & Igor Prado. They love the masters of the old blues and in 2011 recorded a studio album called "Burn Your Bridges".
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Slow Blues - Eric Bell
Eric Robin Bell (born 3 September 1947 in East Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock musician and guitarist, best known as a founder member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy.
Bell began his career with local groups around the Belfast area, including the last incarnation of Them to feature Van Morrison, between September and October 1966. He also played with a number of other bands including Shades of Blue, The Earth Dwellers and The Bluebeats, before joining an Irish showband named The Dreams. He left in 1969 having tired of the showband format, and at the end of that year he formed a band with local musicians Phil Lynott, Eric Wrixon and Brian Downey. Bell named the group Thin Lizzy, after Tin Lizzie, a robot character in The Dandy comic.
In 1974, after a brief period fronting his own Eric Bell Band, Bell was recruited by ex-Jimi Hendrix sideman Noel Redding, along with keyboardist Dave Clarke and drummer Les Sampson, to form The Noel Redding Band. Bell was initially unsure of the musical direction Redding was taking, but went on to record two albums with the group before they split in 1976. A third album of unused tracks was released in 1995. Bell composed the song "Love and War" for the second album, Blowin'.
In 1980, Bell reunited with Thin Lizzy to record a tribute song to Jimi Hendrix, "Song for Jimmy" , which was released as an orange flexi disc and given away with Flexipop Magazine in August 1981. It was later included on the Thin Lizzy Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels box set in 2002. Bell also appeared as a guest on Thin Lizzy's final tour in 1983, and the accompanying live album, Life.
Bell had also reactivated his own band in the late 1970s, and released an E.P. in 1981.
Bell subsequently joined saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith's eight-piece blues rock ensemble Mainsqueeze. They toured Europe, recorded a live album in 1983, and later toured as Bo Diddley's backing group, recording the Hey... Bo Diddley: In Concert album in 1986.
Bell has continued to perform and record with the Eric Bell Band throughout the 1990s and 2000s, releasing several albums. He has also recorded with the Barrelhouse Brothers.
In 2005, he joined Gary Moore onstage to perform "Whiskey in the Jar" at the Phil Lynott tribute concert "The Boy Is Back in Town" in the Point Theatre, Dublin. This was released on a DVD called One Night in Dublin: A Tribute to Phil Lynott. In 2010, Bell moved from London where he had lived for many years to his new home in West Cork, Ireland.
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Borracho - Duca Belintani
Duca Belintani celebrates 25 years of career with new CD "Na Trilha do Blues."
New Work of Guitarist Duca Belintani, turned to the instrumental blues, the album features the maturity of a musician. From 1986 until now, Duca moved by Pop with Controle Remoto Band, by Rock with Kid Vinyl, MPB in his first solo album "MPBlues", by Fusion with the albums "Conduzir" and "Cuíca", and now has his CD Blues, a style that always had been carrying on all the work he has done and which celebrates its 25-year career.
Accompanied by Benigno Jr. (bass) and Ricardo Fernandez (drums), Duca Belintani is a real stroke of his musical career in both the compositions and the names of the songs. Duca was fortunate to get those moments translate into sounds and references of all he could muster in his career until today. In his new disc is possible to enjoy the high spirits of the guitarist in "De Boa", or participate in its origins as the song "Ribeirão", or even his passion for football "Tá Área", moments in his past that rescues and said this in its history.
In their presentations do not lack energy, and fun all these years on stages and studios, and of course, applied for a guitar, the result of his career as a musician and composer. "Na Trilha do Blues" closes a cycle of Duca Belintani, which shows the CD and the shows that followed the teachings of the great masters of the instrument, that "while there is sound, my guitar always have something to say."
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The Blue Wednesday Jam with Gregg Wright @ Maverick's Flat!
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Greetings friends! This Wednesday, it's the weekly Blue Wednesday Jam at Maverick's Flat, hosted by yours truly. We have been having a ball with so many great music artists showing up to play. Maverick's Flat serves the best reasonably priced, quality food and drinks. So come sign up to play the Blues and bring your "A" game! It's gettin' serious up in here! 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”
Delmark Records artist: Studebaker John - Old School Rockin'
Time for the review of the new Studebaker John release Old School Rockin'. If you're looking for John Lee Hooker... look no further....it's not here! What is here is a great rocking blues album. The first track, Rockin' That Boogie is rough, it's raw it's rockin'. It puts you in mind of early ZZ Top or Hound Dog Taylor with the purity of blues and rawness of the groove. Simply perfect. John slides all over the track and it's gets you listening immediately. Disease Called Love is continues in the vein of the rock that emerged out of the early blues. It has a quirky rhythm pattern and well done. Rockin' Hot stays in that ragged blues rock vein with the bass and guitar playing the same melody but with harmonics for a very cool sound. There is something about the simplicity of music that makes it great. Not that it isn't played well...because it is... it is more that the simplicity gives it a purity that is hard for squeeze from something that is overwritten and overplayed.John plays a grimey sounding guitar throughout and then accompanied with a greasy slide sound it just hits the nail. Fine Little Machine again finds that simple rock blues formula and just grinds it out! Old School Rockin' gets that Texas Blues lope going and you wonder what John will come up with next. Throw in the slide and you have everything that you need. Deal With The Devil gets some pretty heavy slide work going and some cool harp licks. I hate to keep repeating it, but this album is consistently great! Mesmerized is a total change from the entire cd with a Latin style beat. It gives John a chance to stretch a bit on guitar in improvisational fashion. Then right back at you with Brand New Rider. This recording is relentless with the driving raw blues rock. If you like this style music... and what's not to like... this cd is really the chit. Tumblin' Down The Road starts with a harp squall and drum driver. John takes the lead with his vocal but his guitar is ever present.
I don't know if you got it but I think that this is a strong recording. Get a copy now!
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