Noted Bluesman Signs with Connor Ray Music

Bluesman Bob Lanza Signs with Connor Ray Music The Bob Lanza Band expands beyond the horizon If you know Bob Lanza, (shown in the white suit above) then you know one of the coolest, together bluesmen in the business.  A home grown New Jersey boy that shares the stage with the likes of folks like James Cotton, Tom Holland, Trudy Lynn, and Darrel Nulisch just to name a few.  This cat gets it done. Bob recently signed with Connor Ray Music (Houston, Texas) and was in Rock Romano's Red Shack recording studio and met with Paul Heath, CEO, of Radio X Belgium.  Paul had this to say, "I'm often impressed by the talented people who I meet and interview on my travels,  and then,  there I was one day chatting with Bob... A most humble man,  great sense of humor,  and totally focused on nothing but the music.  It just oozed out of him - natural all-round talent at it's best." When I asked Bob what's the difference to an artist between being self released or with a label Bob had this to say,  "I made the move to Connor Ray after realizing that the business side of the blues was hampering my creative time.  You simply cannot do everything in this business, you need others.  It's much better to be an artist only. I find I perform better with less worries and I enjoy being free of that stuff.  I feel like I did when I first started laying down the blues.  I didn't get into this to get caught up in the business side. I got into this because there's nothing like the blues and a blues audience.  I enjoy creating it, delivering it, and when an audience gets in the groove with you man nothing compares to that feeling brother, nothing.  It was time to make a move and Connor Ray brings a lot to the table."  Connor Ray Music CEO John Abbey shared this, "New Jersey has always turned out marvelous musicians, Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springstein come to mind immediately and there are many others as well.  Bob Lanza and Steve Krase had shared the stage on more than occasion and each had noted the other guy's performance abilities.  That started it.  As they got to know each other each realized the other had something of value and that formed an alliance between them.  Today, we have surrounded Bob with a complete team of business people: press, bookings, studio, distribution, and more.  Bob is right - now he can do what he wants to do, create, record, and play his music.  We are really excited to have Bob on board."

From left: Paul Heath, Rock Romano, Bob Lanza The Bob Lanza Band keeping it real performing at the Alzheimer's Benefit at Arbour Terrace Assist Living Gentleman Bob Lanza laying it down at Smokin' Jazz & Blues Fest @ Mountain Creek From right: James Cotton, Darrel Nulisch, Bob Lanza Bob with recording star Trudy Lynn Jimmy Pritchard on bass Shown: Blues vocalist Nicole Hart with Bob Lanza

"John, I want to say something about Steve Krase.  Through participating with me on the road Steve and I became great friends.  The camaraderie developed because Steve wants to push the blues to more and more people just like I do. People can feel Steve's energy on stage and our performances together were received with high praise.  But it's not only that, it's the continual collaboration after the gigs.  As I say the man wants to push the blues big time and that's exciting." Bob Lanza The Bob Lanza Blues Band on Facebook The Bob Lanza Blues Band Official Website

Lynyrd Skynyrd re-issue 6 albums on 180g vinyl / promo CDs and hi-def audio available

With signature tunes like Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird, endless jams on stage, defiant Southern image and rock ‘n’ roll swagger, Lynyrd Skynyrd is best known for popularizing the southern hard-rock genre during the 1970s. At the peak of their success however, three members including Ronnie Van Zant, the founding member, lead vocalist and main songwriter, died in an airplane crash in 1977, putting an abrupt end to the band's most popular incarnation.

Now available on 180 gram heavyweight audiophile vinyl are all of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s live and studio albums released between 1973 and 1977, with exact reproductions of original artwork, including (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), Second Helping, Nuthin' Fancy, Gimme Back My Bullets, One More From The Road, Street Survivors.

Upfront of the vinyl reissues comes Southern Surroundings in High Definition Audio, featuring eleven classic songs including the ten-minute extended version of Free Bird plus Sweet Home Alabama live from The Fox Theatre in 1976.

Tracklists:

(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)

Side one

I Ain't the One
Tuesday's Gone
Gimme Three Steps
Simple Man

Side two

Things Goin' On
Mississippi Kid
Poison Whiskey
Free Bird

Second Helping
Side one

Sweet Home Alabama
I Need You
Don't Ask Me No Questions
Workin' for MCA

Side two

The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Swamp Music
The Needle and the Spoon
Call Me the Breeze

Nuthin' Fancy 

Side one

Saturday Night Special
Cheatin' Woman
Railroad Song
I'm a Country Boy

Side two

On the Hunt
Am I Losin'
Made in the Shade
Whiskey Rock-A-Roller

Gimme Back My Bullets

Side one

Gimme Back My Bullets
Every Mother's Son
Trust
I Got the Same Old Blues

Side two

Double Trouble
Roll Gypsy Roll
Searching
Cry for the Bad Man
All I Can Do Is Write About It

One More From The Road

Side one

Workin' For MCA
I Ain't The One
Searching
Tuesday's Gone

Side two

Saturday Night Special
Travellin' Man
Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
Sweet Home Alabama

Side three

Gimme Three Steps
Call Me The Breeze
T For Texas

Side four

The Needle And The Spoon
Crossroads
Free Bird

Street Survivors

Side one

What's Your Name
That Smell
One More Time
I Know a Little

Side two

You Got That Right
I Never Dreamed
Honky Tonk Night Time Man
Ain't No Good Life

Wendell Holmes Enters Hospice, Writes Open Letter To Friends And Fans

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WENDELL HOLMES OF ACCLAIMED SOUL/BLUES BAND THE HOLMES BROTHERS WRITES OPEN LETTER AS HE ENTERS HOSPICE Wendell Holmes, vocalist, guitarist, pianist and songwriter of the critically acclaimed soul/blues band The Holmes Brothers, penned an open letter to his friends and fans as he entered hospice care. Wendell recently retired from touring when he was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. Holmes Brothers drummer Willie "Popsy" Dixon died on January 9, 2015 of complications from cancer. Text of the letter in full: As I write this letter, I am preparing to go home on hospice care. One benefit of hospice is the time it allows you to say some of the things you want to say to those you love and care about. I’m grateful for the opportunity to say “thanks” to many friends for your many expressions of love to me and my wife Barbara. Thank you for being my friends in life. You’ve shown me how you care through your many cards, letters, phone calls, home and hospital visits, on line acknowledgements, and more importantly, your prayers. Please know that it is greatly appreciated and I am awed by it all. It means a lot to me. It was Abraham Lincoln who said that “the world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but will never forget what they did here.” Of course, I’m no Lincoln, but I believe there’s an element of truth there, and I do hope my music, whether some song I wrote, sang or maybe some notes I played, will leave a lasting impression. You know that it is my custom to tell everyone who will listen…”don’t go it alone,” and I can tell you that it’s been by God’s amazing grace that I have had a truly enjoyable journey. It's been a great ride and my thanks to you for making it so. I love you, and may God bless you all!   Wendell Holmes    P.S. Thanks too as you continue to support, enjoy and appreciate the gifts in my big brother Sherman as he carries on The Holmes Brothers legacy with his own Sherman Holmes Project along with Brooks Long and Eric Kennedy.         Wendell, the man Entertainment Weekly has called "a timeless original," was born in Christchurch, Virginia in 1943. He and his older brother Sherman were raised by their schoolteacher parents, who nurtured the boys’ early interest in music. As youngsters they listened to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker and B.B. King. According to Wendell, “It was a small town, and my brother and I were about the only ones who could play anything. So we played around in all the area churches on Sundays.” The night before, though, they would play blues, soul, country and rock at their cousin’s local club, Herman Wate’s Juke Joint. “When he couldn’t get any good groups to come from Norfolk or Richmond, he’d call us in,” Wendell recalls. “That’s how we honed our sound. We used to say we’d rock ‘em on Saturday and save ‘em on Sunday.” Once Wendell finished high school he joined Sherman, who had already begun playing professionally in New York. The two brothers played in a few bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. The group lasted only three years, but they often backed up touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. Sherman and Wendell met drummer Popsy Dixon, a fellow Virginian, at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. “After that second song,” recalls Wendell, “Popsy was a brother.” They continued to play in a variety of Top 40 bar bands until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band. The band toured the world, releasing 12 albums starting with 1990's In The Spirit on Rounder. Their most recent release is 2014's Brotherhood on Alligator. The New York Times calls The Holmes Brothers "deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless." In September 2014, The Holmes Brothers were honored with a National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the United States bestows upon its folk and traditional artists. They won two Blues Music Awards including Blues Band Of The Year in 2005. The Holmes Brothers are featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine. ### www.ALLIGATOR.com