Bman's Blues Report

  JODY WILLIAMS: FEBRUARY 3, 1935 - DECEMBER 1, 2018 photo by Dan Machnik Famed Chicago blues guitarist/vocalist and Blues Hall Of Fame member Jody Williams, who recorded with legends including Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Spann and his childhood friend Bo Diddley, as well as under his own name, died of cancer at the Munster Med Inn in Munster, Indiana on December 1, 2018. He lived in nearby St. John, Indiana. He was 83. One of the last and most accomplished practitioners of the golden 1950s era of Chicago blues, Williams was well-known for his instantly recognizable stinging guitar tone, a keen vibrato and a sensibility that straddled the turf between gutbucket blues, sophisticated jazzy West Coast stylings and even vintage rockabilly, along with solid vocals and thoughtful songwriting. His often-replicated guitar parts were crucial to some of the most iconic songs of the genre, including on Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love and I’m Bad , Howlin’ Wolf’s E...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release by Bob Margolin and it's all Margolin playing, singing, producing and recording every note himself. Opening with One More Day , a stripped down blues rocker, Margolin drives the train and blows the whistle with solid vocals and stylistic guitar soloing. Instrumental track, Detroit showcases not only Margolin's solid song writing but also his command of the slide guitar. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Muddy Waters like, Mercy with it's gritty delta sound and signature slide guitar sound. Leroy Carr's Blues Before Sunrise is up next with Margolin's own soulful wailing over nicely executed blues rudiments. Snooky Pryor's boogie,  Peace of Mind , is up next with some classic slide playing by Margolin backed by simple rhythm and drums. Jimmy Rogers' classic, Going Away Baby is another of my favorites with a perfect boogie pace and nicely articulated guitar li...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nothin' Left To Lose , from Khalif Wailin' Walter and it's aggressive. I love it when an artist takes the threads of music and weaves a fabric all their own and Walter is doing this in a big way. Opening with Reign Down Fire , Walter works a basic blues groove with finger picked blues lines, a deep bass line by Danie Hopf and drums by Daniel Grzelak complimenting his own rich vocals a wailing electric guitar soloing. This is really quite simple yet remarkable. Sliding into a simple R&B track, I've Made A Change with Matt Shevitz and Juergen Wiechin on sax, Walter shows he is just as comfortable laying down a simple pop tune. You like reggae, we got, Why Did I Do It, with hot blues guitar riffs tugging all the way. Very nice. Straight down BB King highway with a blues shuffle, One Last Nerve , Walter hits the blues straight on with his personal blues riff attacks. One of my favorite tracks on the re...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Goin' Gone , from Kat Danser and I really like it. Opening with title track, Goin' Gone , Danser who leads on vocals and guitar has a thick bluesy/country style and has surrounded herself with a tight group of musicians including Steve Dawson guitar and pedal steel, Jeremy Holmes on bass and mandolin, Gary Craig on drums, Jim Hoke on harmonica and sax and Matt Combs on fiddle and mandolin. Voodoo Groove delves even into a country style with healthy guitar riffs and rich vocals. Dawson gets the pedal steel wound up on Memphis Tennessee with light harmonica soloing by Hoke. Danser's vocals are consistently solid track to track and the release is nicely balanced. Sam McGhee's Chevrolet Car has a cool blend of country and blues with country style fiddling by Combs and powerful vocals by Danser over tight drum rhythms by Craig. Haunting slide work by Dawson on Mississippi Fred MacDowell's Train I Ride ...

Photo credit: Daley Hake ( download ) Full-Length Debut To Be Announced Soon Bloodshot Records is excited to announce the signing of Houston, TX-raised/Los Angeles-based artist Jason Hawk Harris . The singer/guitarist – formerly of LA-based indie outfit The Show Ponies – self-describes his sound as "meta-apocalyptic country/Americana grief-grass," a tongue-in-cheek amalgam combining his background in music composition education, impassioned song content, and the influence of growing up listening to traditional country, folk and rock singers. In 2017, Harris released his first solo effort, a five-song EP Formaldehyde, Tobacco and Tulips , and has be...

Blues Hall of Fame Member John Mayall Announces New Album,  Nobody Told Me Featuring Todd Rundgren, Little Steven Van Zandt, Alex Lifeson and Joe Bonamassa. On February 22nd Forty Below Records will release  Nobody Told Me , the new studio album from The Godfather of British Blues, John Mayall. As with his last handful of albums, Mayall again shares production duties with Forty Below Founder Eric Corne who also handles engineering and mixing duties. The album boasts an impressive and diverse list of guest guitarist...

Sugaray Rayford Brings Vintage Soul Vibe to New Album Somebody Save Me  out on Forty Below Records, March 1 st On March 1 st , Forty Below Records will release  Somebody Save Me,  the new studio album from soul blues singer, Sugaray Rayford. On the album’s opening track, “The Revelator”, Rayford forcefully sings, “I’m a freak of nature / I ain’t no honey bee / I’m an unknown creature / The like you’ve never seen” At 6’5” and 300 pounds, this cigar chompin’ ex-Marine with a voice like a force of nature holds court in any room he enters. Possessing a magnetic personality, and an old school vocal style that echoes Muddy Waters, ...