Bobby Rush garners second consecutive Grammy nomination plus Blues Music Award noms

BLUES LEGEND BOBBY RUSH GARNERS SECOND CONSECUTIVE BEST BLUES ALBUM GRAMMY NOMINATION   Rush’s Decisions, recorded with funk band Blinddog Smokin’ and special guest Dr. John, continues to grab accolades with four Blues Music Award nominations

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —Twenty years in the making, Decisions, the first collaboration between blues legend Bobby Rush and Southern California band Blinddog Smokin’, featuring six-time Grammy winner Dr. John, is being rewarded with end-of-the-year music industry honors including a recent Grammy nomination in the Best Blues Album category.  Also this week, Bobby Rush picked up four Blues Music Awards from the Blues Foundation, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year. Decisions secured a Best Soul Blues nod and Best Song nom for “Another Murder in New Orleans,” written by Carl Gustafson and Donald Markowitz, performed by Rush and Dr. John w/Blinddog Smokin’. Gustafson, the band leader, vocalist, and harmonica player of Blinddog Smokin,’ says, “I’d really like to see people in the United States take a look at [Bobby Rush and Dr. John] and see what they have before they’re gone, and feel their power, feel their love . . . Who knows how long Bobby or Mac are going to last? Now we have a chance. We have the two of them together for the first time in their careers, and they’re two of the rarest characters in American music culture.” “Just to be in the running and to be involved is meaningful,” says Rush on receiving his third Grammy nod. “It makes me feel like a winner already. I want to thank everyone in the category, the voters, and anyone that had anything to do with helping me get to where I am right now. I want to thank everyone from a fan standpoint and from a voter standpoint for everything they have done for Bobby Rush. I’m happy to be an old man but this makes me feel young again.” In October, Decisions won Best Soul Blues Album at the Blues Blast Music Awards, where Rush was also singled out with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Decisions is the first-ever teaming on record of three unlikely friends united by their love of the blues — Rush and Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack were both born in the same town of Homer, Louisiana.   Rush, 80 years old, continues his late-career emergence from the Chitlin’ Circuit underground to music mainstream. His crossover arguably began after achieving a Grammy nomination in 2000 for his album Hoochie Man, being featured in the “Road to Memphis” segment of the 2004 Martin Scorcese documentary The Blues, and last year’s Grammy-nominated record Down in Louisiana, which recently won Soul Blues Album of the Year at this year’s Blues Music Awards.  Rush performed in July on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with Dan Aykroyd and The Roots, as a part of the promo for the film Get On Up. Dan Aykroyd noted, “Okay, so like James Brown is gone, eh, and Richard Penniman a.k.a Little Richard … he’s not going to tour no more, and B.B. King is slowing down. Bobby Rush is the last one left of that generation.” In September the documentary Take Me to the River came out in theaters nationwide, with a soundtrack on Stax Records/Concord Music Group. The film is about the soul of American music and follows the recording of a new album featuring legends from Stax Records and Memphis, mentoring and passing on their musical magic to stars and artists of today. Rush co-stars alongside Terrence Howard, Snoop Dogg, the late Bobby “Blue” Bland, Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, among others. Rush, born Emmett Ellis, Jr., started playing music in his early teens, changing his name out of respect for his preacher father and fronting, for a time, a band that featured a young Elmore James on guitar. In his 20s, Rush landed in the booming Chicago blues scene where he bumped up against Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and, most notably, a back-alley neighbor, blues harmonica great Little Walter, whose example inspired Rush to master the instrument. In the ’80s Rush relocated to his current home of Jackson, Mississippi, where he embarked on the hard-touring career that has earned him the title of King of the Chitlin' Circuit. Meanwhile, about the time Rush was making his name in Chicago, Blinddog Smokin’ leader Carl Gustafson was learning the blues in, of all places, Laramie, Wyoming. He ran away from home at 16, making it as far as the railroad tracks and the Pic-A-Rib Café. Through the owner, Miss Peggy, and her son Ricky, Gustafson learned about African-American culture and through the establishment’s jukebox he discovered the sounds of American blues and R&B, an experience detailed in Gustafson’s 2010 memoir Ain’t Just Blues, It’s Showtime: Hard times, heartache, and glory along Blues Highway. In 1964, Gustafson started his first band, a James Brown-inspired 13-piece revue called Ali Baba & the Thieves. In 1993 he founded Blinddog Smokin’, which has become a force on the blues scene, playing 200-320 dates a year at juke joints, clubs, and festivals around the world, including the Snowy Range Music Festival (which Gustafson directs) in Laramie, and the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, where in 1995 he met Bobby Rush.  “Bobby was performing, and I was just mesmerized with his show,” Gustafson recalls. “I met him afterwards, and it’s a weird thing: we just had a connection and struck up a friendship. We started calling each other and checking in on each other, and over the years started touring together. One thing led to another, and we just got this strong bond between us.” Nineteen years later that friendship finally spilled over into the recording studio, with Gustafson and his band — including drummer “Chicago” Chuck Gullens, bassist Roland “Junior Bacon” Pritzker, keyboardist/vocalist Mo Beeks, guitarist Chalo Ortiz, and backing vocalists Chris White (nephew of folk singer Josh White) and Gustafson’s wife Linda — backing Rush on ten songs plus a bonus song on Decisions. The leadoff track, “Another Murder in New Orleans,” paired Rush with another longtime friend, New Orleans music legend Dr. John. Two of the most colorful figures in the blues, Rush and Dr. John — whose real name is Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr. — have known each other for more than 50 years, first meeting as young men in their 20s on the early 1960s R&B circuit and remaining good friends ever since. “When they’re telling stories it’s hilarious because they’re talking about bluesmen so ugly they had to turn their backs to the audience to play guitar,” says Gustafson, a mutual friend of both men. “And in some cases running from the same women.” Despite their decades-long relationship, Rush and Dr. John had never recorded together until “Another Murder in New Orleans.” Written by Gustafson and Decisions producer Donald Markowitz (an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy winner for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack smash “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”), the song addresses in graphic terms the street violence that has ravaged that city post-Hurricane Katrina, offering a message for change. The track was cut in New Orleans in 2012 around Mardi Gras. The setting inspired Gustafson to ask if Rush’s old friend might want to guest on the song, which the 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer eagerly did. “We come up as kids together, man, but I never even thought about recording together before,” says Rush. “How great is it that this late in the game we can do something together while we can still talk about it and smile about it and laugh about it? It came to pass, and I’m so proud I did this with Dr. John.”  “Another Murder in New Orleans” and Rush’s morals-seeking title track “Decisions” are the rare serious notes on an otherwise light-hearted blues romp that is rooted in Rush and Gustafson’s friendship. Other songs include the autobiographical “Bobby Rush’s Bus,” about the singer’s constantly-moving tour vehicle, “Funky Old Man,” the rap-flavored “Dr. Rush,” the acoustic jam “Too Much Weekend,” and “Skinny Little Women,” which tackles an issue Rush has been preoccupied with for some time. “Little bitty woman why you always in the mirror talking ’bout how good you look/You ought to be doing like that fat woman in the kitchen seeing ’bout how good you cook,” sings Rush, who had one of his biggest successes in the ’90s with the album Lovin’ a Big Fat Woman. “It’s a joke-y thing. But if you notice that little skinny ladies all the time they look cute and good and smell good and look good. All that’s good but the big lady has got somebody, too. She needs some lovin’, too.” Bobby Rush continues to perform more than 200 concerts a year and into 2015 will do so in support of the latest Grammy nominated album Decisions, see his upcoming announced dates below. On the horizon, be on the lookout for a definitive anthology of Bobby Rush. BOBBY RUSH on tour December 19 – JACKSON, MS – Christmas Party December 20 – MEMPHIS, TN – Minglewood Hall December 23 – NEW ORLEANS, LA – Loyola University Hospital Holiday Party December 27 – LULA, MS – Isle of Capri Casino January 10 – TALLAHASSEE, FL - BCC January 17 – Robinsonville, MS – Sam’s Town Casino January 18 – 25 – Blues Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, FL March 13 – DETRTOIT, MI – Detroit Opera House March 14 – MERRILVILLE, IN (CHICAGO metro) – The Blues is Alright Tour April 17 – CHICAGO, IL – Buddy Guy’s Legends April 16 – JACKSON, MI – UAW Hall (7pm & 10pm) April 25 – SARASOTA, FL – SunCoast Blues Festival September 10-12 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender (specific date TBA) # # # Music video for "Another Murder in New Orleans" by Dr. John and Bobby Rush with Blinddog Smokin’ from the Grammy nominated album Decisions: http://youtu.be/UYOB5HW8gAc Watch Dan Aykroyd talk about Bobby Rush on The Tonight Show: http://youtu.be/AqZDI2iNQrE Watch Bobby Rush and Dan Aykroyd with The Roots perfrom on The Tonight Show: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21qgsa_hd-dan-aykroyd-i-ll-go-crazy-ft-bobby-rush-jimmy-fallon_people Watch the trailer for the film Take Me to the River with Bobby Rush: http://youtu.be/RFmULZOFaIM Watch Bobby Rush with Blinddog Smokin' live here: http://youtu.be/Iq2KsjaHads Bobby Rush and Blinddog Smokin’ on the Web: www.bobbyrushbluesman.com www.facebook.com/bobbyrushbluesman www.blinddogsmokin.com www.facebook.com/blinddogsmokin www.SilverTalonRecords.com

Lead Foot Music - Mark T Small - Smokin' Blues - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (January 28, 2014), Smokin' Blues, from Mark T Small and it really is smokin! Opening with Blind Boy Fuller's guitar boogie, Step It Up And Go, Small is cooking right out of the gate. A straight simple acoustic guitar boogie with vocals its a great start. Next Up is Tampa Red's Sell My Monkey, a slow acoustic blues with really clean walking bass line and blues riffs. Cool track. My Daddy Was A Jockey is right out of John Lee Hooker's songbook and Small gets the feel of Hooker with his relentless vamp and 2 note solos. Very cool. Jimmy Oden's Going Down Slow has really expressive vocals and exceptional acoustic blues riffs. Really really nice. Gary Davis' Buck Rag is really well executed. Davis was one of my favorite acoustic players and Small has done an excellent job of playing tribute to a great player. Rufus Thomas' Walkin The Dog is always a fun track and Small gives it a new run. He coaxes himself on in a calling style as he plays cool guitar riffs. Howlin' Wolf's Moanin' At Midnight finds Small joined by Walter Woods on harp. Woods is a nice addition playing some smokin riffs and Small lays down some cool slide to boot! Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning, another Gary Davis tune but played on a resonator and with slide giving it more of a delta feel. Elmore James' Early In The Morning is up next and given a walking blues sound but with some slick James riffs thrown in. Again very nice. Sam McGee's Railroad Blues is one of the most meomorable tracks on the release with some exceptional flatpicked guitar runs. Whew! Charlie Patton's Stone Pony Blues has a real authentic feel with thick delta vibe. Wrapping up the release is Americana Medley, a ragtime style arrangements of America The Beautiful/Take Me Out To The Ballgame/Yankee Doodle Dandy sounding not unlike Chet Atkins. This is a real nice conclusion to a really clean release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Your Mind Keeps Ramblin' - SMALL BLUES TRAP

Small Blues Trap is a Greek blues band formed in August 2004. The band members are: Paul Karapiperis /vocals, harmonica, steel guitar Panagiotis Daras /guitar Lefteris Besios /bass Stathis Evageliou /drums INFLUENCES S.B.T. is a band with multiple influences: classic rock, jazz and of course the blues. Artists such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Albert King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson (1&2), Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker, Elmore James, Tampa Red, Son House, Robert Johnson, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Campbell, Paul Butterfield, Peter Green, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Led Zeppelin, The Doors...and many more! PARTICIPATION AND CD RELEASES -In October 2004 S.B.T. recorded a CD containing known songs that were arranged to express their very personal style and common influences. In addition, the CD includes three original SBT compositions. ("Small Blues Trap") -From December 2004 until April 2005 S.B.T. recorded 12 new songs in a new CD with the general title ''Our Trap''. This album was presented by the cultural radio of ERT3 (95,8FM) in Thessaloniki.(Elias Zaikos/ “Stories From Vinyl”) -The S.B.T.'s participated with 2 songs in the music competition sponsored by the Virtual Studio Magazine and received the first prize. -The Summer of 2006 found S.B.T. in a studio recording the album ''Crossroad Ritual'' which is distributed by ANAZITISI RECORDS . -In May 2007, “Diapason”, a noted Greek music magazine released a CD containing two of S.B.T. 's compositions. -In September of 2008 S.B.T. participated with 3 songs in a blues collection CD called "Magic Bus Sessions'' distributed by Universal Music. -In April of 2010 the S.B.T. presented their new album titled: “Red Snakes and Cave Bats”. The new release contains 12 new songs and an arrangement of the song “Buy a Dog” that was firstly written and sang by the front man of the BLUES WIRE the oldest and most popular Greek Band, Mr. Elias Zaikos. Nowadays , S.B.T. continue to work on new material.... The band has played in some of the biggest clubs in Greece such as ATHINA LIVE, PLANET MUSIC, STON AERA, SYRMOS, BLUES, PARAFONO, VINILION, TSAI STI SAHARA, SMALL MUSIC THEATRE, LAZY, IN VIVO, LIFE JAZZY BAR, CAMELOT, NOSOTROS, BARAKI TOU VASILI, DOUBLE TROUBLE, BOOZE COOPERATIVA, CAFÉ AMERICAIN, CAFODEIO, MAD, CYBER’S, CAFETHEATRO, COKATLAN, ROADHOUSE BLUES, 140 LIVE, DAVOS, LA BOHEME, ATLADIS… Furthermore, they have taken part in the every blues-rock festival in Greece.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Walter “ Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters – Live at dba New Orleans - New Release Review - Stilladog - Guest Writer

As soon as I heard that Walter “Wolfman” Washington had a new live album out I had to get a copy. I have been a fan of his ever since Bman turned me on to him back in 1991. But back in October I met and made friends with him out on Duval Street in Key West. This album was recorded shortly after and was released on November 21, 2013 at the dba music club on Frenchmen Street in the Marginy. The Roadmasters consist of Jack Cruz, bass; Wayne Maureau, drums; Antonio Gambrell, trumpet; and the hardest working tenor man I know of, Jimmy Carpenter, sax. This is exactly the same band he had with him on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise when I last saw him. The horns of Gambrell and Carpenter are a frequent feature on nearly every song and they are fantastic. Better on this record than I remember on the cruise. The album starts off with an instrumental introduction, Funkyard, from the Funk Is In The House album. It’s a tune that features solos by both horn men as well Walter himself including his familiar Wolfman howl. It is quickly followed by a classic Wolfman number, I’m Tiptoeing Through, which was originally recorded for his Wolf Tracks CD in 1986 and re-released on his 2000 On The Prowl album. Walter and the band ease seamlessly into more of a Soul groove with a 6 ½ minute version of When The Answer Is Clear followed by At Night In The City. Both contain the understated tasteful picking for which Walter is famous. After that, the tempo picks up a bit with Girl I Want To Dance from his Sada album –which I just recently picked up and also highly recommend. Walter lays down some fantastic licks on this number as well along with a sprinkling of some hot trumpet. It’s at this point I got the feeling I was right there in the club the night these tracks were recorded. Walter slows the pace a bit for the next number a Bill Withers-esque, You Got Me Worried. The horn arrangements over top of the funk groove on this tune are really great. But the band quickly changes gears to nearly bossa beat with I’m In Love. Jimmy Carpenter takes a beautiful solo on this song that accentuates how diverse a sax man he is. Blue Moon Risin’, the slowest number –and closest to real blues– follows. So, at 45 minutes into the set the band then goes into somewhat of a structured jam on Tweakin’ from his Doin’ The Funky Thing release. This one injects a little hip-hop into the set as if jazz, soul, funk, and blues weren’t enough!

The only cover on the album is next with the Jimmy Reed classic, Ain’t That Lovin’ You? It is done completely Walter-style, which is to say, very tastefully. The horn heavy numbers Tailspin and Stop and Think conclude the album except for the typical Wolfman Washington exit instrumental, Wolfman Outro, complete with Wolfman howl. It’s clear that this album was recorded in front of an audience familiar with Walter’s music. He has a weekly gig at dba and obviously played the crowd favorites. I would almost call it a “greatest hits” style of live album (as many are). The only reason I would not is that it does not contain many of my favorite Walter “Wolfman” Washington tunes such as, It Was Fun While It Lasted, Crescent City Starlight, and Use Me. If you can handle the kind of musical diversity Wolfman Washington brings to the stage then this album is for you. As a side note, Walter celebrated his 70th birthday Friday night with a star studded gig at the Maple Leaf Bar out on Oak Street in New Orleans. The band included both Cyril and Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, and Stanton Moore. So happy birthday Wolfman! This is a great album. Stilladog says, “Woof!” 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

Now We Are Strangers - Small Blues Trap

Paul Karapiperis /vocals, harmonica, steel guitar Panagiotis Daras /guitar Lefteris Besios /bass Stathis Evageliou /drums S.B.T. is a band with multiple influences: classic rock, jazz and of course the blues. Artists such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Albert King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson (1&2), Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker, Elmore James, Tampa Red, Son House, Robert Johnson, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Campbell, Paul Butterfield, Peter Green, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Led Zeppelin, The Doors...and many more! -In October 2004 S.B.T. recorded a CD containing known songs that were arranged to express their very personal style and common influences. In addition, the CD includes three original SBT compositions. ("Small Blues Trap") -From December 2004 until April 2005 S.B.T. recorded 12 new songs in a new CD with the general title ''Our Trap''. This album was presented by the cultural radio of ERT3 (95,8FM) in Thessaloniki.(Elias Zaikos/ “Stories From Vinyl”) -The S.B.T.'s participated with 2 songs in the music competition sponsored by the Virtual Studio Magazine and received the first prize. -The Summer of 2006 found S.B.T. in a studio recording the album ''Crossroad Ritual'' which is distributed by ANAZITISI RECORDS . -In May 2007, “Diapason”, a noted Greek music magazine released a CD containing two of S.B.T. 's compositions. -In September of 2008 S.B.T. participated with 3 songs in a blues collection CD called "Magic Bus Sessions'' distributed by Universal Music. -In April of 2010 the S.B.T. presented their new album titled: “Red Snakes and Cave Bats”. The new release contains 12 new songs and an arrangement of the song “Buy a Dog” that was firstly written and sang by the front man of the BLUES WIRE the oldest and most popular Greek Band, Mr. Elias Zaikos. Nowadays , S.B.T. continue to work on new material.... The band has played in some of the biggest clubs in Greece such as ATHINA LIVE, PLANET MUSIC, STON AERA, SYRMOS, BLUES, PARAFONO, VINILION, TSAI STI SAHARA, SMALL MUSIC THEATRE, LAZY, IN VIVO, LIFE JAZZY BAR, CAMELOT, NOSOTROS, BARAKI TOU VASILI, DOUBLE TROUBLE, BOOZE COOPERATIVA, CAFÉ AMERICAIN, CAFODEIO, MAD, CYBER’S, CAFETHEATRO, COKATLAN, ROADHOUSE BLUES, 140 LIVE, DAVOS, LA BOHEME, ATLADIS… Furthermore, they have taken part in the every blues-rock festival in Greece.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Speakin' Evil - Hot Monkey Love

Hot Monkey Love are a blues band with a rock edge that combines the heart and soul of blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, with the groove and vocals of British blues-rock bands like The Rolling Stones and Free. Band members have performed, recorded and toured with Bryan Adams, David Johansen, Noel Redding, Bon Jovi, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Founded by the late, great Frankie "Spider" LaRocka in the Fall of 2003, the Love is being sustained by vocalist extraordinaire, Jack "Beau Jack" O'Neill, and groovemaster "Jumpin'" Jordan Lee on the Fender bass. Since Spider's untimely ascent to rock-n-roll heaven, these two original Monks have been supported by an array of outstanding pro-guitarists (incl. Earl Slick, Arthur Neilson, Anthony Krizan, Jimmy Bennett, Dee Meyer & Mike Krizan) and ace-drummers (incl. Ray Grappone, Nat Seeley, Dan Hickey, Eddie "the Elf" Piotrowski & Steve Merola).  

If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Early Morning Lover - John Ellison and Jean Jacques Milteau

Listening to one of Sonny Terry’s albums touched Jean-Jacques Milteau to the core, although he did confess, “I’d already heard a bit of harmonica...”. So we can just imagine this young Parisian born in 1950 and living in the 13th arrondissement, not far from the Porte d’Italie, and how his childhood and youth must have been lulled by one of the chromatic instruments of someone like Albert Raisner. The latter, once past the golden age of his second trio (i.e. 1947 – 1953) had now become a radio and TV star, and had been broadcasting bravura pieces such as Le Canari since 1959. Or maybe Milteau, like most of his fellow-countrymen, didn’t even know Jean Wetzel’s name but been nourished, perhaps even to excess, on his mouth organ – Jean was that enigmatic performer (1954) of Jean Wiener’s theme specially composed for the film Touchez Pas Au Grisbi. Here indeed was stuff to render the ears of a young man more sensitive, forge them even, but from there to inspiring a true vocation, there’s a whole world! And that world is the Blues. We can imagine Jean-Jacques Milteau much more sensitive to the You’re No Good that opens Bob Dylan’s first revolutionary album (March 1962) – and what do you bet he used to listen over and over again to the new Dylan version of the famous Freight Train Blues? Then in October 62, Milteau fell under the spell of The Beatles’ first single Love Me Do, a Paul McCartney composition given extra polish by John Lennon with a riff on harmonica inspired by Delbert McClinton (who’d recently scored a hit with Hey Baby! by Texan Bruce Channel [February 62]). Like most of his contemporaries, he only discovered recordings made by Cyril Davis and Paul Butterfield much later, yet as early as 1963, they were taking up position as real ambassadors for the instrument. But in February 1964, one thing our hero didn’t miss was the Rolling Stones’ first single, Not Fade Away, suffused from beginning to end with Brian Jones’ flaming harmonica, true to his own nature. “I bought a harmonica because there was some kind of rock-folk fashion at the time on the part of blokes like Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Donovan, John Mayall...” John Mayall was on the scene from 66 and before that, in 1965, there’d been Sonny Terry and his breathtaking Lost John. From that moment on, this was the music, with that special sound, that form of expression that by common accord “could only come from the blues”. That title comes from a 1954 Folkways recording; the label founded by Moses Asch in 1948 proposed recordings by the heroes of the folk scene at the same time – people such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronck (all Bob Dylan’s idols)... and some survivors of the golden age of Country Blues such as Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Willie Johnson, Brownie McGhee, Jazz Gillum, LeadBelly, Josh White, Big Joe Williams, Reverend Gary Davis... Outside the USA the label was distributed by Le Chant du Monde – and this would be Jean- Jacque Milteau’s first producer. Surprisingly enough, the harmonica was put aside or remained unknown to all those who took part in the Rock ‘n Roll revolution started by Elvis Presley, with one noteworthy exception: Bo Diddley, who took Billy Boy Arnold on board, whose incisive and decisive style on (most notably) Bring It To Jerome, Diddley Daddy and Pretty Thing struck home. When a so-called rocker wants a “blower” with him, he ‘s usually more likely to take a saxophone! So it’s not the least of the merits we can credit Dylan with, as we can many of the early idols of English pop, who all worshipped the likes of Presley, Cochran, Berry, Holly and Jerry Lee, but didn’t forget to bring their other heroes lurking in the shadows to our attention too – Sonny Boy Williamson, for example (the real one, n° 1, John Lee Curtis d. 1948 and the fake, n° 2, Rice Miller), Bill Jazz Gillum, Howlin’ Wolf, Peg Leg Sam, Sonny Terry, Walter Horton, Slim Harpo, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Junior Wells, James Cotton... Like Bob Dylan, Brian Jones, Keith Relf, Cyril Davis, Paul Jones, John Mayall in England, Don Van Vliet and Alan Wilson in the USA, were all hammering out the same message through their records, and the Rolling Stones’ first album was typical of what groups such as the Pretty Things, the Yardbirds, The Blues Incorporated, Manfred Mann and so many others were doing at the time... Some famous names and titles are recalled or evoked on their albums: Little Walter, I Just Want To Make Love To You (a Willie Dixon theme first sung alongside Muddy Waters in 54); Jimmy Reed Honest I Do; Billy Boy Arnold Mona – I Need You Baby (by and with Bo Diddley); James Moore (ex Harmonica Slim) alias Slim Harpo I’m A King Bee. Jean- Jacques Milteau received the message loud and clear and, fired with delight and passion, he took a new, exciting turn to set him on his personal “road to Damascus”. Soon he knew before many others who DeFord Bailey, Jaybird Coleman and Noah Lewis were... His first harmonica cost him the small fortune of 8.50 FF. No question of lessons or teaching; like the Jew’s harp, the harmonica always responds to self-teaching. Jean-Jacques Milteau concluded his autodidactic period in autumn 1970 by taking a trip to the USA. This immersion in the home of the blues allowed him to drink at the source and tap into the true roots of this music that was his personal obsession. He got to know of contemporaries who were already fine marksmen on the scene: Charles Musselwhite who’d been recording since 67, and Carey Bell, since 69. There was also talk about a certain Charlie McCoy in Nashville working as a sideman since 61 under Chet Atkins’ leadership, though he’d recorded a promising first album in his own name in 1967. Once back home, Milteau was aware he was ready to start a professional career, though for the moment he lived off odd jobs (some say he was a cook and a record dealer!). “It was pure chance, I was playing for sheer pleasure. Certain people needed what I could do and I happened to meet them”. (Standing at the crossroads bending on his knees? History doesn’t tell us). For the moment, one day in 1977, our humble servant met Eddie Mitchell just back from Nashville, where, incidentally Charlie McCoy had become the star not to be missed on any account. In Milteau, Monsieur Eddy found his own McCoy; it turned into an adventure that lasted till 1987. “I was playing with Eddy Mitchell in the late seventies. He’d had Charlie McCoy come to the Palais des Congrès and we’d played some harmonica duets. I still considered myself a beginner at the time and for me this was hugely exciting.” Jean-Jacques’ fate was sealed, whether he liked it or not, and from now on he was a professional musician. The offers of jobs weren’t in short supply – concerts, music for advertising, film scores, recording sessions all lined up. In France it was clear as spring water for everyone – he was the one and only! Recently a commentator called our attention to the fact that it would be easier to list the artists Milteau hasn’t accompanied than try and draw up a list of those he has. In 1973 his first recording for Le Chant du Monde was released, an album devoted to the harmonica in the Instrumental Special series. Then Blues Harp was released in 1980 and Just Kiddin’ in 1983. (The Blues Harp CD released in 1989 brings together pieces selected from both these albums). In 1991 Explorer does as it names suggests, going into all the potential areas for diatonic accordion except the blues. The following year Jean-Jacques Milteau was awarded a Victoire de la Musique (national music awards) for this same album. Meantime, he went on to record another album in 1992 with the Grand Blues Band before appearing as first part of Michel Jonasz’s and Eddy Mitchell’s shows. He was a member of the Enfoirés collective for the show Regarde les riches! [Look At The Rich!], staged at the Garnier Opera House in Paris. His next album Live (1993) is evidence of his intense work for stage and theatre. In 1994, again with the Enfoirés, he went onstage at the Grand Rex with Eddy Mitchell, Paul Personne and Renaud for the show La route de Memphis [The Road To Memphis]. In 1995 he added texts to of 15 of his own compositions (sometimes penned jointly with Jean-Yves D’Angelo or Manu Galvin) for another album Routes. Then in 1996 came the deliberately chanson-oriented Merci d’être venus; many of the guest stars here had once been his boss - Francis Cabrel, Maxime Leforestier, Charles Aznavour, Florent Pagny, Eddy Mitchell, Richard Bohringer, Michel Jonasz and Claude Nougaro. In 1997 he worked with the organisation Enfance et Musique by leading a workshop for sick children at the Bullion Rehabilitation Centre in the Yvelines. His assistant on this project was one of his pupils and another harmonica player, Greg Szlapczynski. In 1998 came Blues Live, a double album with 22 titles recorded at the Petit Journal Montparnasse club during a particularly “hot” evening. Bastille Blues came out in 1999, and consisted almost entirely of his own new compositions, sometimes signed together with producer Michel-Yves Kochmann. This new programme plus his most bravura pieces were his arms for his forthcoming appearance at the Olympia. A new short-lived album of live music entitled Honky Tonk Blues appeared in 2000 as the record of this event. In 2001 another new album, Memphis, produced by Sébastien Danchin and recorded with some of the great names of American blues such as Mighty Mo Rodgers, Little Milton and Mighty Sam McClain, earned him another Victoire de la Musique, followed the next year with a major Sacem award, their Grand Prix du Jazz, the crowning honour for his whole career and his artistic itinerary. In 2003, Milteau went to New York to record the material for his new album Blue 3rd; his fellow-musicians and guests this time were such notables as Gil Scott-Heron, Terry Callier, N’Dambi and Howard Johnson. In 2006, with a smaller gathering, he recorded Fragile, of much more intimate nature. 2007 saw the release of quite the opposite, Live, hot ‘n Blue, a return to music with a bit more muscle and flesh! In 2008 he recorded Soul Conversation with singers Michael Robinson and Ron Smyth. Jean-Jacques Milteau has travelled many different roads in both the geographical and musical sense of the term. From China to South Africa, from Nashville to New Orleans, or Ireland to Mexico, he is a musician whose curiosity knows no limits; he’s forever searching for new encounters, open to others, ready for every new musical experience that might cross his path. And what about that question on everyone’s lips? How far is he responsible for France’s annual sales figure of 20 000 harmonicas?! Maurice Bernard Translation Delia Morris

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Lover Man - Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt Alto Sax, Walter Bishop Piano. Tommy Potter Bass, Kenny Clarke Drums. Edward "Sonny" Stitt (born Edward Boatner, Jr., February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums. He was nicknamed the "Lone Wolf" by jazz critic Dan Morgenstern, in reference to his relentless touring and devotion to jazz. Edward Boatner, Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts,and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He had a musical background; his father, Edward Boatner, was a baritone singer, composer and college music professor, his brother was a classically trained pianist, and his mother was a piano teacher. Boatner was soon adopted by another family, the Stitts, who gave him his new surname. He later began calling himself "Sonny". In 1943, Stitt first met Charlie Parker, and as he often later recalled, the two men found that their styles had an extraordinary similarity that was partly coincidental and not merely due to Stitt's emulation. Stitt's improvisations were more melodic and less dissonant than those of Parker. Stitt's earliest recordings were made in 1945 with Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. He had also played in some swing bands, though he mainly played in bop bands. Stitt was featured in Tiny Bradshaw's big band in the early forties. Stitt replaced Charlie Parker in Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1945. Stitt played alto saxophone in Billy Eckstine's big band alongside future bop pioneers Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons from 1945 until 1956, when he started to play tenor saxophone more frequently, in order to avoid being referred to as a Charlie Parker imitator. Later on, he played with Gene Ammons and Bud Powell. Stitt spent time in a Lexington prison between 1948–49 for selling narcotics. Stitt, when playing tenor saxophone, seemed to break free from some of the criticism that he was imitating Charlie Parker's style, although it appears in the instance with Ammons above that the availability of the larger instrument was a factor. Indeed, Stitt began to develop a far more distinctive sound on tenor. He played with other bop musicians Bud Powell and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, a fellow tenor with a distinctly tough tone in comparison to Stitt, in the 1950s and recorded a number of sides for Prestige Records label as well as albums for Argo, Verve and Roost. Stitt experimented with Afro-Cuban jazz in the late 1950s, and the results can be heard on his recordings for Roost and Verve, on which he teamed up with Thad Jones and Chick Corea for Latin versions of such standards as "Autumn Leaves." Stitt joined Miles Davis briefly in 1960, and recordings with Davis' quintet can be found only in live settings on the tour of 1960. Concerts in Manchester and Paris are available commercially and also a number of concerts (which include sets by the earlier quintet with John Coltrane) on the record Live at Stockholm (Dragon), all of which featured Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb and Paul Chambers. However, Miles fired Stitt due to the excessive drinking habit he had developed, and replaced him with fellow tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. Stitt, later in the 1960s, paid homage to one of his main influences, Charlie Parker, on the album Stitt Plays Bird, which features Jim Hall on guitar and at Newport in 1964 with other bebop players including J.J. Johnson. He recorded a number of memorable records with his friend and fellow saxophonist Gene Ammons, interrupted by Ammons' own imprisonment for narcotics possession. The records recorded by these two saxophonists are regarded by many as some of both Ammons and Stitt's best work, thus the Ammons/Stitt partnership went down in posterity as one of the best duelling partnerships in jazz, alongside Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, and Johnny Griffin with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Stitt would venture into soul jazz, and he recorded with fellow tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin in 1964 on the Soul People album. Stitt also recorded with Duke Ellington alumnus Paul Gonsalves in 1963 for Impulse! on the Salt And Pepper album in 1963. Around that time he also appeared regularly at Ronnie Scott's in London, a live 1964 encounter with Ronnie Scott, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, eventually surfaced, and another in 1966 with resident guitarist Ernest Ranglin and British tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey. Stitt was one of the first jazz musicians to experiment with an electric saxophone (the instrument was called a Varitone), as heard on the albums What's New in 1966 and Parallel-A-Stitt in 1967. Later life In the 1970s, Stitt slowed his recording output slightly, and in 1972, he produced another classic, Tune Up, which was and still is regarded by many jazz critics, such as Scott Yanow, as his definitive record. Indeed, his fiery and ebullient soloing was quite reminiscent of his earlier playing. He also recorded another album with Varitone, Just The Way It Was - Live At The Left Bank in 1971 which was released in 2000. Stitt joined the all-star group Giants of Jazz (which also featured Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kai Winding and bassist Al McKibbon) and made albums for Atlantic Records, Concord Records and Emarcy Records. His last recordings were made in Japan. In 1982, Stitt suffered a heart attack, and he died on July 22 in Washington, D.C.  

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Chicago Bob Nelson

"Chicago" Bob Nelson ( July 4, 1944, Bogalusa, Louisiana January 17, 2013], United States) was an American blues musician. Chicago Bob Nelson was a harmonica player and singer who is known for amalgamating Louisiana and Chicago blues styles. He was singular in being mentored by traditional rural southern blues harmonica practitioners and melding their approach with urban Chicago playing, thus creating his own distinctive sound. Nelson died on January 18, 2013. His family was a musical family. Bob's father, Versie Nelson, played upright bass and harmonica. From an early age Bob accompanied Versie to house parties, backyard barbecues and Saturday night fish fries around Bogalusa where cajun music, zydeco and blues were performed. Nelson recalled, "It was just people eating, jamming and having a good time!"[citation needed] Nelson began playing the harmonica at age 8. As a youngster he was encouraged and instructed by Versie's musical cohorts, Louisiana blues legends (and Excello recording artists) Slim Harpo (James Moore) and Lazy Lester (Leslie Johnson). Nelson credited Harpo, Lester, Sonny Boy Williamson II (Aleck Miller) and Jimmy Reed (all of whom he knew) as his primary influences, as well as Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson whose recordings he studied.[citation needed] Through listening to these artists, Nelson learned to use his instrument as a "second voice" to interpret and elucidate the emotion and themes of a song. Trips to Chicago to visit family were a major part of Nelson's childhood. By the early 1960s he had taken up residence in Chicago. There he met and performed with Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Earl Hooker and Muddy Waters. The latter, having run into Nelson at nearly every blues venue in Chicago, bestowed upon him the moniker that continues to identify him today. Nelson later performed with Muddy Waters at the Newport Folk Festival. Throughout his career Nelson has toured extensively with Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson, Tinsley Ellis and John Lee Hooker.  

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Delmark Records artist: Tail Dragger - Stop Lyin' - New Release Review

I just received the newest release of Tail Dragger's work, Stop Lyin' which was recorded in 1982 but never released, and I have to say I believe that it his best work to my ear. Opening with So Ezee, with Jimmy Dawkins on guitar and Little Mack Simmons on harp. A classic Chicago track, Burks really plays some nice riffs on harp and TD is in good form. Lafayette Leake is also a standout on piano on this track. Where Did You Go is a strong slice of "Smokestack Lightning" and a terrific track with solid vocals from TD. Ain't Gonna Cry No Mo is a terrific slower blues track featuring Johnny B Moore and Jesse Lee Williams on guitars, Willie kent on bass, Larry Taylor on drums and Eddie Jewtown Burks on harp. Solid harp and guitar work punctuate this track. Don't You Want A Good Man follows along the lines of Trouble No More and Moore shines nicely on this track. On classic TD track, My Head Is Bald, Jimmy Dawkins and Leake are again present with Little Mack Simmons on harp. Alabama Bound has a Elmore James feel featuring Moore on slide guitar. TD again shows how he got his reputation as a singer with a strong vocal outing. Another of my favorites on the release is Don't Trust Yo Woman, another track strongly affected by Wolf ... the strong rhythmic structure being accented by stinging guitar riffs. Please Mr Jailer has solid roots to Muddy and Moore again steps forward with some real nice guitar riffs. Stop Lyin', with a Muddy style gets a really great groove going and cool slide work from Moore. The release is capped by an interesting description of the immediate blues environment at the time. This is a cool release and certainly the most enjoyable Tail Dragger release that I have heard in a few years. If you like TD as a vocalist and you like Chicago blues, this is more than just another collectors only edition but a strong set to hear.  

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Omar Dykes Runnin' With The Wolf To Be Released July 9

OMAR DYKES' RUNNIN' WITH THE WOLF

TO BE RELEASED ON JULY 9 VIA MASCOT

LABEL GROUP'S PROVOGUE RECORDS

New York --- The Mascot Label Group has announced a July 9 release date for Omar Dykes' Runnin' With The Wolf via the company's Provogue Records.  Dykes, and his dynamic Austin-based ensemble, has recorded 14 classics immortalized by Howlin' Wolf alongside an original that is the title track.  The band leader shares, "I do my little versions of the songs.  If Howlin’ Wolf was a 500-pound steel anvil, then I’m a little piece of steel wool that fell out of the pack.”

Dykes has been making swaggering, celebratory electric blues rock out of  America’s live music Mecca, Austin, Texas since 1976.  He was born from the Blues rich heritage of McComb, Mississippi in 1950, and formed the band Omar & the Howlers in 1978.  He enjoys a worldwide following that stretches both coast to coast in North America, and across the European continent.  Dykes reveals, "We’ve done good over there (Europe) for about 30 years.  They can listen to Madonna followed by Bo Diddley and it’s just fine. They also like their Howlin’ Wolf over there too.”  This release is the tenth with Provogue, and follows Blues Bag (1991, solo album), Live At Paradiso (1992), Courts of Lulu (1993), Muddy Springs Road (1994), World Wide Open (1995), Southern Style (1996), Swing Land (1998), The Screamin' Cat (2000), and Big Delta (2001).  Following his debut Big Leg Beat (1980), Dykes' breakthrough release was I Told You So in 1994.  Through the years, he has recorded for multiple record companies, and with the release of his 23rd album Runnin' With The Wolf, he returns to the label where he spent the majority of the 1990s.

Dykes and his Howlers have approached the repertoire in a manner that is true to the original compositions, but they steer clear of replicating the tracks.  Raw emotion, and his signature gruff vocals make the songs feel original without losing the essence of what has made them so special for decades.  He offers, "We’re not going to play a Howlin’ Wolf song just like it was played back in the day because we can’t.  Nobody can do it since for one thing, nobody can play the guitar like Hubert Sumlin, who must have come here from a hovercraft. When I first heard Hubert play, I swore he was from outer space because there is no one like him. The same goes for Howlin’ Wolf.  Hubert was the perfect guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf."  Dykes continues, “My intent was not to copy the songs but to stay close to the spirit.  I tried to modernize the songs. I didn’t want to do what some guys do, which is poke holes in the speakers and get that exact guitar sound.  Why copy something note for note and follow every little detail, when it’s already available in the original form?  That’s exactly how I feel.  I wanted to have fun with songs that I’ve loved ever since I was a kid.”

Dykes and company nail the sensual rhythm of "Do The Do."  They approached "Wang Dang Doodle" inventively adding a rockabilly guitar line for a twist making it their own.  With "Little Red Rooster," they approached it as a trio.  He offers, "I always loved that song.  It’s been covered to death but how can you not do ‘Red Rooster’ if you’re recording a Howlin’ Wolf album. That was song number one for me. I didn’t take it too far away. I just thought it would be cool to try it as a three-piece. It worked going spare. I had so much fun with it.”

Fun is an apt adjective to describe the project. It’s certainly a labor of love for Dykes, who doesn’t have to record a covers disc. The burly charismatic figure has already made a Jimmy Reed record, but he’s not an interpreter first and foremost.  The prolific Dykes, who sounds like no other singer, has plenty of original material in the can. But he chose not to go in that direction, and opted to honor one of his heroes.  He states, "I still have songs.  I’ll have them out sooner or later. I’ll do my own stuff anyway and this is just something on the side.  I did Jimmy Reed, who I  love and adore. Now it’s time for Howlin’ Wolf.  There was never anyone like him.”

Big Jake Records artist: Paul Filipowicz - Saints & Sinners - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Saints & Sinners, from Paul Filipowicz and I really like it. This cd doesn't have pretty singing and it doesn't have perfectly manicured guitar riffs... but what it does have is great! Opening with Hound Dog Shuffle, and plodding blues instrumental, I know right away I'm gonna like this guy. Simple, straight forward, not perfect but raw and interesting. Spontaneous riffs, driving drums and grit! Bluesman, has a more distinct Albert King style blues funk and the guitar maybe sounds a little like Albert Collins... but this is great stuff. Filipowicz knows how to tell the story and lack or over production to me is a thing of beauty on something like this. Your True Lovin' has a bit of a lope to it and a lot of feel...this is the real deal. If you have been reading my reviews for a while you know I don't so much like "purty" and do like dirty and gritty... this is it! Hootin' and Hollerin' has a great bass by Dave Remitz and Filipowicz sounds scarily like my man Jimbo Mathus on vocals. With a Mustang Sally groove this is a great track. This is pure party stomp music! Filipowicz rips the fretboard up on this track ... I mean the guy isn't Joe Satriani... he's really good and playing blues! Excellent! Good Rockin' is a real driver with a walking bass line and Harris Lemberg on keys. ... did I mention Jimmy Voegell on drums. This is an excellent rock n roller with the drive of Alvin Lee but with the pace of a traditional blues man. Oh, and I have to mention his guitar tone... it's absolutely outrageous!! Filipowicz slows things down a bit on "Fat Richards" Blues. This is a great ripping slow instrumental. If you love slow guitar blues..and who doesn't, this is a terrific heartfelt dagger! Just sit back and let it tear you to shreds! Where The Blues Comes From has a little tint of Jimi added in but it is subtle. Raggedy ass vocals add to the real human nature of this track and I wouldn't change a thing. Everyday - Everynight is a bit of a swing blues more typical of Ronnie Earl and Filipowicz once again shows that he is up to the task. Such raw grinding blues playing I haven't heard in a long long time. I don't know where I've been but this guy is hitting me like a meteor from light years away. Hey Bossman is a great boogie track again keeping the raw texture but not losing any of the tightness of the band as a unit. Think La Grange but with a bit more drive and a little less BDG. Another great track. There are 3 bonus tracks included on this release including Clarence Carter's Back Door Santa, a more polished funky blues track with Will Smokey Logg on guitar, Fat Richard Drake on sax, Randy Joe Fullerton on Bass, Rob Strupka on drums and Chuck Solberg on piano. This band also plays on the next two tracks as well. These tracks are a bit more polished and recorded back in 1982. Drake plays a killer sax on this first track. Wolf's How Many More Years is hard bass driven and displays almost 7 minutes of machine gun guitar riffs. Great track. This release finishes up with Original Texas Strut, a fast mover that Stilladog would be struggling to keep up with. Rippin guitar solo and sax playing complete this short outro. Don't know what to make of this review? Make your way to the closest place selling this cd and buy it! If this guy comes to my town...I'm not missing it!! This captures the spirit of Hound Dog Taylor, ZZ Top, Johnny Winter and Buddy Guy but doesn't sound like any of them. This thing will grow on you... I warned you!

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Bob Margolin meets Mike Sponza Band

I was born in Boston in 1949 and was brought up in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts. Inspired by Chuck Berry, I started to play guitar in 1964 and began playing in Rock bands right away. I soon followed the path of Chuck Berry’s inspiration back to the Blues. I was especially taken by the music of Muddy Waters and listened to as much of it as I could find. I worked in Blues or Blues-Rock bands in the Boston area, including with Luther “Georgia Boy” “Snake” Johnson, and The Boston Blues Band. In August, 1973, I went to see Muddy at Paul’s Mall in Boston. He had seen me in opening bands and had been very encouraging to me because I was trying to play his style of “Old School” (Muddy’s term) Chicago Blues. He had just lost long-time guitarist Sammy Lawhorn and he hired me to play in his band. While most musicians in modern times learn from listening to recordings, Muddy put me on his right side on the bandstand so I could watch him play guitar. I sure appreciated that opportunity while it was happening, and tried to use it to learn to give Muddy what he wanted on the bandstand, and for myself. Bob and Muddy, 1978 Bob and Muddy, 1978 Muddy’s band toured the world and jammed with many great Blues and Rock musicians, but the biggest thrill was playing Muddy’s blues with him. He brought me with him to special shows and recordings too, when sometimes he didn’t use his whole band, to give him a familiar sound when he worked with other musicians: In 1975, we recorded Grammy® Award-winning Muddy Waters Woodstock Album, his last with Chess Records, featuring Paul Butterfield, and Levon Helm and Garth Hudson from The Band. Throughout the last half of the ‘70s, when I had time off from Muddy’s band, I would add on to Washington D.C.’s The Nighthawks and The Charlottesville Blues All-Stars, playing Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll and making life-long friends. In ‘76, Muddy brought me with him to San Francisco to perform at The Band’s The Last Waltz concert. Martin Scorcese filmed the concert for the movie of the same name. As it happened, only one camera was operating during our performance, zooming in or out, and since I was standing right next to Muddy, I was in every shot while he sang a powerful “Mannish Boy.” Now, when the movie is shown on TV, everyone I speak to tells me, “I saw you on TV!” for a few days. Then they tell me I looked scared, happy, mad, excited, or bored, or however they would have felt in my place. I also played on the four albums that Muddy recorded for Blue Sky Records, which were produced by Johnny Winter, and with Johnny on his Nothin’ But The Blues album. Three of those albums won Grammy® Awards. Bob, Johnny Winter, Muddy - London, 1979 Bob, Johnny Winter, Muddy In 1980, Muddy’s band left him over business problems, though we all remained personal friends with him until his death in 1983. It is sometimes presumed that I worked with Pinetop Perkins, Jerry Portnoy, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith in The Legendary Blues Band, which they formed, but actually Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson and I each started our own bands at that time. I was living in Washington, DC then and in 1985 moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, a beautiful college town in the mountains. All through the ‘80s I ran up and down the highways, mostly in Virginia and North Carolina (to where I moved in ‘89) and played Blues in bars for soulful folks having fun. I was able to make a living without the pressures of the music business, and didn’t even feel any need to make an album -- I was playing most nights, and with total musical freedom and no commercial considerations. Sometimes I’d make a live recording of my band off the mixing board, and make up cassette copies for my friends. Bob Margolin Blues Band, 1980 In ’82 and ‘83, I did some gigs with my neighbor in Springfield, Virginia, Rocakbilly musician Tex Rubinowitz, who taught me the language of that music. We did a show backing original Rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers, and worked with fine players like Danny Gatton and Evan Johns. Occasionally, I would do a “high-profile” gig, based on my Muddy Waters connection. In ‘84, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, we did a tribute to Muddy where Pinetop and I added on to The Fabulous Thunderbirds, with Etta James singing, and Taj Mahal and James Cotton opening. With my band, I opened shows for Stevie Vaughan, George Thorogood, Johnny Winter, and The T-Birds. These years of playing many styles of Blues, as well as some Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rockabilly, Funk, and favorite oldies were important to my musical development, just as my Chicago Blues experience was. And beyond the music, being at home onstage, improvising on the moment, and treating the audience like friends in all kinds of performing situations helps me break down the barriers that are often found between musician and audience. We all have a better time than if I was playing a show AT them. Though I can’t mark my progress in the ‘80s by recordings, folks who were at my shows then come out now and let me know how much they enjoyed my band in places like Desperado’s in D.C., The Nightshade Cafe in Greensboro, North Carolina, or The South Main Cafe in Blacksburg, Virginia. Those clubs, and many more like them, are gone now. I worked with some wonderful musicians over hundreds of gigs in the ‘80s – Jeff Lodsun, Clark Matthews, Steve “Slash” Hunt, Rev. Billy Wirtz, Doug Jay, Terry Benton, Jeff Sarli, Tom Principato, Steve Wolf, Steve Jacobs, Rick Serfas, Big Joe Maher, John Mooney, Ben Sandmel, Dave Besley, Matt Abts, David Nelson, Mike Avery, Billy Mather, Nappy Brown, Fats Jackson, Sweet Betty and many more. By the end of the ‘80s, it didn’t take a psychic to see that the Blues Scene was going to change a lot in the ‘90s. People were not going out to clubs as much for their entertainment but there were many new Blues bands emerging, all wanting to work. I realized that in order to continue making a living playing Blues, I would have to record and get back out on the world-wide Blues Scene and tour more widely. In 1989 I recorded my first solo album The Old School for Powerhouse Records, which is owned by Tom Principato, a Washington D.C. guitar wizard who started the label to release his own albums and those of his friends. The Old School features Mark Wenner, harp player for The Nighthawks, Big Joe Maher on drums, and Jeff Sarli on bass. I began 1990 doing a 10-week cross-country tour playing guitar with James Cotton, who was taking a break from his high-energy Blues-boogie to feature more traditional Chicago Blues. A big highlight of that tour for me was getting to work with and learn from the late Luther Tucker, a great Blues guitar player who had worked with Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Lockwood Jr., and of course, Cotton. My second album for Powerhouse, Chicago Blues, released in ‘91, features songs from three different recording sessions. One had Chicago Blues legend Jimmy Rogers on guitar and harp master Kim Wilson, with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums. I did a few songs with Willie on drums, along with Pinetop Perkins and Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, all from Muddy’s band, and Kaz Kazanoff on sax and harp and co-producing. I also did some with my band at the time, Mookie Brill on bass and harp, and Clark Matthews on drums. The Powerhouse albums are out of print. Also in the early ‘90s, I began a second career as a music magazine writer. Local friends from the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society in North Carolina asked me to write a story for their newsletter about Chicago harp legend Carey Bell, a friend of mine who was coming to town for a concert. Soon, I began to write stories and Blues album reviews for a local entertainment weekly, ESP. After doing that in ’91 and ’92, I was interviewed for the new Blues Revue Quarterly magazine. It occured to me that my local Blues writing might be even more at home in this growing Blues magazine, and I contacted founder/publisher/editor Bob Vorel and submitted some of my stories. Since then, I have been a regular contributor, writing articles from my personal experience, profiles of musicians I know, and some Blues Fiction stories. In August, ‘92 I began working on my third solo album in my hometown of Boston with help from friend and guitar star Ronnie Earl, and his band. Kaz was co-producing again, and I did some additional songs with my own band back in North Carolina. I also did a couple of songs with just my acoustic guitar and the vocals of legendary R&B singer Nappy Brown, whom I worked with occasionally. Another special guest was Chicago Blues legend John Brim, with whom I’d cut a Handy Award-nominated album for Tone-Cool Records, Tough Times, in ‘92. I sent a rough tape to Bruce Iglauer, president of Alligator Records, the premier independent Blues record label. Bruce was not ready to pick up my album, but he made some very constructive suggestions about performance and mix. I appreciated the benefit of Bruce’s perspective and experience and reworked the songs and re-submitted them. Finally, in July ‘93, Bruce committed to finishing the album with me and releasing it on Alligator. The album is called Down In The Alley. This was certainly the biggest “break” I’d had in music since Muddy took me into his band 20 years before, for Alligator is without peer for promoting their artists. At the same time, I signed with Piedmont Talent, a fine Blues booking agency based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Down In The Alley and Piedmont’s strong booking took me all over the world and helped me re-connect with the Blues audience that hadn’t seen much of me in years. At the end of ‘93, I did a gig at B.B. King’s club in Memphis with Billy Boy Arnold, a Chicago Blues harp legend who also had a new release on Alligator. Our success together led to a lot of bookings over the next few years with Billy Boy and my band, and we backed him on his next Alligator album, Eldorado Cadillac. 1994 found me touring hard and playing at many of the major Blues festivals during the Summer season. In August and September, The Muddy Waters Tribute Band, the musicians who were in Muddy’s band when I was, went on a national tour with B.B. King, Dr. John, and Little Feat. In December of that year, we cut an album featuring ourselves and special guests from the Rock and Blues worlds, You Gonna Miss Me, a Tribute to Muddy Waters on Telarc Records. That recording was nominated for a Grammy® Award in ‘96. Also at the end of ‘94, I recorded my second album for Alligator, My Blues and My Guitar which featured special guest Chicago Blues harp legend Snooky Pryor, Kaz Kazanoff playing harp, horn, arranging for a horn section, and co-producing again, percussionist Jim Brock, and my band at the time, Chuck Cotton on drums and Steve “Slash” Hunt on bass. My Blues and My Guitar was released in ‘95 and I was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in the guitar category in ‘96. ‘95 and ‘96 found me touring constantly, doing clubs, concerts, festivals, and overseas tours with my band, sometimes with Billy Boy Arnold or the Muddy Waters Tribute Band. At the end of ‘96 I toured again with James Cotton, this time in a trio with David Maxwell, an old friend from Boston who is one of the world’s greatest Blues piano players, and is featured on all of my Alligator albums. My third album for Alligator, Up & In, was released in March, ‘97. I tried to play some deep Blues, but the song that got the most attention, and airplay on Blues radio, was “Blues for Bartenders.” This song is a string of “this guy walks into a bar...” jokes set to a Blues shuffle. While I was making Up & In, I went out to dinner with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer and Piedmont Talent presidents Steve Hecht, and we were trying to think of a special way to promote the album. Bruce suggested that since Pinetop Perkins was a special guest on the album, that we book lot of shows with Pinetop added onto the band. Great idea. It has been my honor to work often with Pinetop since then. I introduce Pinetop Perkins at our shows together this way, and it should work for you now if you don’t know about him: “Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s Star Time. Please welcome a young man who worked with the original King Biscuit Boys in Helena, Arkansas. He played with great slide guitar players Robert Nighthawk and Earl Hooker, and spent twelve years in Muddy Waters’ band. On his own, he is a living legend of the blues piano and has won 10 W.C. Handy Awards, and was nominated for a Grammy this year...” – and since I originally wrote this for my website, Pinetop’s had more W.C. Handy Awards, Grammy® nominations, and a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award too. Pinetop Perkins and Bob, King Biscuit Festival 2003 Pinetop Perkins and Bob Pinetop was born in 1913, two years before Muddy Waters. When we played in Muddy’s band together, I stood onstage between Pine and Mud, and those times are the deepest Blues music I will ever experience. Though many of my shows are still done with just me and my band, the many times in the last few years that Pine has been our featured guest are a pure pleasure for me. We try to back him up gracefully and to inspire him to play his best, deep Blue and good fun. Pinetop is getting the recognition he deserves now -- when I introduce him as above, fans rush the stage like he was Elvis. Also in ’97, I scripted and was featured in an instuctional video, Muddy Waters’ Guitar Style, for Starlicks Video produced by Dave Rubin and distributed by Hal Leonard Corp. Originally on VHS tape, this video is now widely available on DVD. It gives up what I know about Muddy’s guitar playing for the Blues guitar player. It continues to sell strongly, according to the checks in my mailbox. Eight times between ’95-’05, I played at the Handy Award shows in Memphis, usually leading an all-star band and performing with such fine musicians as Scotty Moore, Joe Louis Walker, Shemekia Copeland, Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson, Reba Russell, Kim Wilson, Snooky Pryor, Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Layton, Pinetop, Rod Piazza, Dr. John, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Willie Kent, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, and bass players Mookie Brill and Tad Walters, who were in my band at the time. In ’97, I appeared on a Kennedy Center Tribute to Muddy Waters, which featured Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, John Hiatt, G.E. Smith, Peter Wolf, Nick Gravenites, Keb’ Mo’, Big Bill Morganfield, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Charlie Musselwhite, Barry Goldberg, and Johnnie Johnson. A DVD, A Tribute to Muddy Waters, King of the Blues, of that show was released the next year. In ’98, I was approached by Blind Pig Records to produce a debut album for Muddy’ son, Big Bill Morganfield. Rising Son won a W.C. Handy Award for Bill, “Best New Artist” in 2000. I was having artistic differences with Alligator Records and left them on friendly terms to make Hold Me To It for Blind Pig Records, released in June ’99. I made the album I wanted to with Blind Pig, and Big Bill Morganfield and I were co-billed on a number of shows in ’99 and 2000 which featured my band backing us. During that time, Bill and I also played some shows which featured Pinetop Perkins. This revue was called “The Rolling Fork Revue,” a joke that musician/comedian Rev. Billy Wirtz made to our booking agents, referring to Muddy Waters’ birthplace and our traditional Blues. I still think it’s strange that the name stuck – I’ve still never even been to Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and I don’t pretend to be an old African-American Bluesman, and most people who hear the name don’t understand the obscure reference to Blues history. The “Rolling Fork Revue” name is retired now, but the idea of old-fashioned revues featuring well-known players is a good one and lives on... As The Blues World grows tighter in the New Millenium, I’ve been putting together revues with my legendary Chicago Blues friends. In the Fall of 2002, I produced a recording of The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam which features Pinetop, Carey Bell, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy D. Lane, and my bass/harp/singer Mookie Brill. This album was released on May 27, 2003 on Telarc Records. In 2004, it brought me two W.C. Handy Award nominations: one for “Blues Band of the Year” and the other for “Traditional Blues Album.” It was recorded at Blue Heaven Studio in Salina, Kansas, known for it’s majestic acoustics and the audiophile dedication of owner/promoter Chad Kassem. It shows off the consummate engineering skills of Mark Williams, who has worked on all of my albums since ’93, and has taught me patiently about the process of recording music. Hubert Sumlin and Bob, Chicago Blues Festival '05 Hubert Sumlin and Bob At the end of 2003, booking agent Hugh Southard left Piedmont Talent to start his own booking agency, Blue Mountain Artists. Believing in Hugh and how he operates in business and friendship, I jumped over to Blue Mountain and have enjoyed the progress that they’ve made booking me on my own, with The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam, and starting in 2005 with Legends of Chicago Blues. This gang features a customizable line-up of with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums and harp, a choice of harp players James Cotton, Carey Bell, or Jerry Portnoy, guitar genius Hubert Sumlin, piano players Pinetop or David Maxwell, and a choice of Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, Bob Stroger, or Mookie Brill. I am also producing and consulting on re-issues of Muddy Waters’ recordings for the Blue Sky Label for Sony/Legacy. I played guitar on these recordings and it’s an honor to make them sound as good as we can, present unreleased recordings for the first time, and write liner notes that reveal the story of the recordings from the inside. The first was released in September, 2003 -- the Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live Legacy Edition. It was remixed, remastered, and featured a new CD of a performance of Muddy and in his band in a small club. In 2004, it won the W.C. Handy Award Best Historical Recording. In May, 2004, the other three albums I did with Muddy for Blue Sky Records were reissued: Hard Again, I’m Ready, and King Bee. Each album features out-takes from the original sessions. The albums were remastered but not remixed, and I wrote new liner notes for each of them. King Bee and I’m Ready were nominated for Handy Awards for Best Historical Recording in 2005. I was particularly surprised and thrilled to win the Handy Award for Guitar in 2005. I will take it as an inspiration to honor all Blues guitar players. In early 2004, Blues Revue magazine was sold by founder/publisher Bob Vorel to Visionation, which publishes the online Blues magazine Blueswax (Blueswax.com). The print and the online magazine exist independently and now I write articles for both regularly. In 2005, I was honored to receive a W.C. Handy Award for Best Instrumentalist, Guitar. I took it as an inspiration to honor all Blues guitar players. I continued to tour worldwide, both with my North Carolina band and in revues which featured Chicago Blues Legends like Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Carey Bell, Pinetop Perkins, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. 2006 brought more of the same, including tours in Finland, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In January of 2007, I released In North Carolina, a CD that I crafted at home, alone. It is a solo album in that nobody else played a note on it, but there are songs where I overdubbed more than one guitar part, and I played electric bass and snare drum on some. I wanted to play the music that was in my heart, beyond the music I make onstage and in recording studios, and take my time recording it,. To release the album, I formed my own record label Steady Rollin’ Records, with partners Chip Eagle (publisher of Blues Revue and BluesWax) and Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt (former President of Tone Cool Records, a great harp player, and an old Boston Blues Scene friend). We soon realized that we could provide the same label services for other Blues musicians with independent labels. We formed the VizzTone Label Group. As of the beginning of 2010, we have 23 releases. VizzTone makes sense in today’s world where the twentieth-century business model of marketing recordings is long gone. It’s a win-win-win situation for VizzTone, the artists, and music lovers. In January of 2007, as my own new CD was being released, I was in California producing and playing on Candye Kane’s Guitar’d & Feathered CD for Ruf Records. In February I produced Breakin’ It Up, Breakin’ It Down for Sony/Legacy. This live album is from concert tapes of a 1977 tour featuring Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, and James Cotton after the release of the legendary Hard Again album. I played in the original concerts, chose the songs for the CD, worked on the sound of the recordings with master engineer Mark Williams, and wrote the liner notes for it. The album won a Blues Music Award in 2008 as Best Historical Recording. In 2008, I continued non-stop touring, but also co-produced and played on Gaye Adegbalola’s Gaye Without Shame and Big Bill Morganfield’s Born Lover. Both were released through the VizzTone Label Group. I also won another Blues Music Award for Guitar. In 2009, I produced and played on Mac Arnold’s Country Man and it was released on VizzTone. In October, 2009, I toured in Argentina and Chile with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Bob Stroger. For 2010, I’m hoping to finish and release a new CD, Steady Rollin’ Live with performances of my North Carolina band, Matt Hill and Chuck Cotton, plus some from the Chicago Blues legends I still work with, Hubert Sumlin, Bob Stroger, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. All the music I’ve listened to and played, all the experience onstage, and all of the fine musicians I’ve worked with have left their mark on me, and are obvious when I play now. On the bandstand, I play what feels right at the moment, whether it’s featuring my original songs, telling stories, joking and talking with he audience, or just playing for the dancers. I like to be “professional” in terms of responsibility and competence, but past that, I am a musician playing for my friends. Thank you for checking me out and getting to know me, but you can get much closer to who I am by listening to my music. I hope this background makes that more interesting for you.

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