Announcing the Blind Lemon Peel Pop-Up Blues Festival

ANNOUNCING THE... BLIND LEMON PEEL "POP-UP BLUES FESTIVAL" DEBUTING AT HARVELLE'S IN LONG BEACH, CALIF. Thursday, June 9 - Doors 8pm/Showtime: 9 pm   (LONG BEACH, CA) - Announcing the Blind Lemon Peel "Pop-Up Blues Festival," making it's debut on Thursday, June 9 at Harvelles Blues Club, 201 E. Broadway. Showtime: 9 pm. $10. Info: (562) 239-3700, or http://longbeach.harvelles.com/; also https://www.facebook.com/The-Blind-Lemon-Peel-Pop-Up-Blues-Festival. In addition to the bands, there will be a variety of vendors selling arts and crafts, music memorabilia, etc. at each Pop-Up Festival.  Rising Long Beach r&b/blues/soul vocalist-singer-songwriter Shy But Flyy (pictured) performs at the first Blind Lemon Peel Pop-Up Blues Festival on Thursday, June 9.   Performing on June 9: Long Beach-based music acts, Shy But Flyy (r&b/blues/soul vocalist); The Regular Guys (blues); and the Blind Lemon Peel Blues All-Stars.   Subsequent Pop-Up Blues Festivals are scheduled for Harvelle's/Long Beach (July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15); Rusty's Surf Ranch in Santa Monica (July 8); and the Blue Beet in Newport Beach (July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6, November 3, December 1).     "The Pop-Up Blues Festival is to promote, feature, and give exposure to local artists. We had been offered to do a monthly third-Thursday at Harvelle's in Long Beach, which I didn't want to be just about (our band), explains Blind Lemon Peel front-man David Hale, on how the Pop-Up Blues Festival concept was conceived. "I saw it as an opportunity to really reach and focus on local musicians and give them the opportunity to play on that stage. That, to me, was my dream come true. When I mentioned it to my publicist, he said, "why don't you position it as a pop-up blues festival?  You can tweak it around and it can pop up in different places." Confirmed to perform at upcoming Pop-Up Blues Festivals: New Blues Revolution; Bluespower; SoCal Blues Club; Betty Rose; Mark Wein; The Hurricanes; BullDawg Band; Celso Salim; Shure Thing Band; and more.   Blind Lemon Peel All-Stars put on a high-octane blues show second to none.               Blind Lemon Peel All-Stars: Some Background   "This ain't no sittin' around cryin in your beer blues band", insists front-man/lead vocalist, Blind Lemon Peel. "We're a kick-a**, funky, get up and shake your love thang, boogie-woogie blues machine". Blind Lemon Peel All-Stars have recently headlined some of the top blues rooms in L.A., including Harvelle's, Catalina Jazz Club, and The Mint.   The sextet consists of the aforementioned Blind Lemon Peel, self-described as "an old black man trapped in an ever older white man's body", a brawny-voiced blues shouter in the same tradition as his heroes, Big Joe Turner and Howlin' Wolf. Bassist Ray Brundidge toured for eight years with the legendary James Brown and, says Peel, "is the glue that holds it all together. He puts the bass in its place and the jump start in your soul". Guitarist Lucky Lloyd plays a Detroit/Chicago style of blues, with a taste of Mississippi thrown in. Lloyd attributes his music style to the influences of Albert king, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and BB King, among others. "His live performances and killer vocals are authentic and energized", says Peel. "Lucky is an All-Star among All-Stars".  Renowned drummer Craig Kimbrough "brews up his own blend of magic while keeping the beat with his fatback grooves", asserts Peel. Kimbrough has played with greats including Solomon Burke, Swamp Dogg, Jimmy McCracken, and Lowell Fulson, to name a few. Lead guitarist D.J. Ison is "the masters of guitar stylings - some Stevie Ray Vaughn here, a little Billy Gibbons there, a pinch of BB King for spicin' and a whole lotta his bad old self all over the place", explains Peel. "You never heard nuthin' like D.J. before; doubt you ever will again". Regarding vocalist Alyssa Baron, Peel says, "this little fireball brings the stage to life, embodying influences such as Etta James and Janis Joplin. Don't let her size fool you - she may be petite, but her voice is like a hard right jab to your solar plexus".

blindlemonpeel.com facebook.com/The-Blind-Lemon-Peel-Blues-All-Stars Los Angeles Beat - Pop-Up Blues Festival Preview

14th Annual Blues From The Top Festival: Trampled Under Foot Reunion, Much More!

14TH ANNUAL BLUES FROM THE TOP FESTIVAL FEATURES SPECIAL  TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT REUNION, AND FINEST MUSIC LINEUP YET! Two Big Days - Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 At Winter Park, CO PRESENTED BY THE GRAND COUNTY BLUES SOCIETY; PORTION OF PROCEEDS BENEFIT BLUE STAR CONNECTION     (WINTER PARK, CO) - This year's 14th Annual Blues From The Top Festival features its finest music lineup yet, with a reunion by renowned Blues-Americana group, Trampled Under Foot! The festival - presentede by the Grand County Blues Society- takes place Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, at Hideaway Park, 78820 US Highway 40, in Winter Park. A portion of the festival's proceeds benefit Blue Star Connection, now in it's tenth year of providing access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious challenges, as well as providing music therapy departments with instruments. Tickets (now through Sunday, May 15): $20. (1-day Pass) or $35. (2-day Pass), available at the bluesfromthetop.org website, Radio Shack in Fraser; and the Winter Park Visitor's Center. Ticket prices after May 15: General Admission 1-Day Pass (Saturday or Sunday), $28., General Admission 2-Day Pass $49. Kids 13 and under, free. Buy tickets/additional info: http://ezregister.com/events/16739/.            All other Festival information: www.bluesfromthetop.org     Grand County Blues Society Mission Statement is "To support the Blues by bringing National and International Blues Artists to Grand County on a regular basis, and to bring Blues Education into the schools of Grand County."  Trampled Under Foot reunites for the 14th Annual Blues From The Top Festival.  They perform on Saturday, June 25 in the headlining slot.    Each day of Blues From The Top features a star-studded lineup. Saturday it's a Trampled Under Foot Reunion Show, the Albert Castiglia Band (with Josh Smith and Kate Moss), Monkey Junk, Kara Grainger, Josh Hoyer & Soul Collective, and the Austin Young Blues all-Stars featuring Michaela Rae, Michael Hornbuckle and others. Sunday's lineup is headlined by guitarist Eric Gales, Samantha Fish Band, Jimmy Hall with My Blue Sky, Willie K and the Warehouse Blues Band, John Nemeth with Deana Bogart and Jimmy Carpenter, and the High Mountain Gospel Choir with Renee Austin, Tempa Singer, Southern Review, Bart Szop, and more. Both days also feature a "Keeping The Blues Alive" stage with many of today's best young national and regional blues talent.           Colorful blues guitarist Eric Gales (pictured) headlines the Sunday, June 26  star-studded 14th Annual Blues From The Top Festival lineup. About The 14th Annual Blues From The Top Festival Headliners    Trampled Under Foot: The soul blues trio Trampled Under Foot consists of siblings Danielle Schnebelen (lead vocals and bass), Nick Schnebelen (guitars and vocals) and Kris Schnebelen, (drums). They grew up with the blues in Kansas City. Their father, Bill, was a blues guitarist in the band Little Eva and would regularly take his three children to jam sessions. Growing up, the siblings played separately in numerous bands over the years. Danielle was in Fresh Brew (1999-2004), Kris was a staple at blues clubs, and Nick was in Killing Floor (or K-Floor), and briefly, Buddahead. Missing the family camaraderie, the siblings formed Trampled Under Foot in 2000. The band released four studio sessions: Trampled Under Foot (2006), May I Be Excused in (2008), and Wrong Side of the Blues in (2011). They also issued Live at the Notodden Blues Festival in 2010. The combination of those releases and non-stop touring caught the attention of the jazz and blues label Telarc, who signed the band in 2013. They issued their fifth studio album, Badlands, that same year. In 2016 the famed trip reunites to perform at the 14th Blues From The Top Festival.         Eric Gales: Blues guitar phenom Eric Gales was born and raised in Memphis, learning to play at age four from older brothers Eugene and Manuel in imitation of their upside-down, left-handed style (a tradition actually passed down from their grandfather, Dempsey Garrett Sr., who was known to jam with the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf). Winning his first blues contest at 11, four years later Eric signed to Elektra to issue his 1991 debut LP, recorded with Eugene on bass; Picture of a Thousand Faces followed in 1993. Manuel (who previously performed under the alias Little Jimmy King) reunited with his siblings for 1995's Left Hand Band, credited to the Gales Brothers. A newly matured Gales returned in spring 2001 to release his debut for MCA, That's What I Am. Often billed as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix, Gales, an adequate singer at best but a dynamite guitarist, suffered for the comparison. With Gales always influenced by Hendrix and the power trio format, his next albums, 2006's Crystal Vision and 2007's Psychedelic Underground, both released by Blues Bureau Records, seemed like facsimile Hendrix albums, right down to the album art. His next two releases from Blues Bureau, 2008's The Story of My Life and 2009's Layin' Down the Blues, found the Hendrix influence muted somewhat, but Gales, a breathtaking guitarist at times, still seemed to be looking for a way out of the Hendrix shadow and into his own voice. Gales returned in 2010 with Relentless, a collection of 13 originals, and followed it with the passionate Transformation a year later in 2011. The all-instrumental Ghost Notes arrived in the fall of 2013.   bluesfromthetop.org/ facebook.com/bluesfromthetop/

THE BLUES FOUNDATION 2016 BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTION AND 37TH BLUES MUSIC AWARDS SET FOR MAY 4 AND 5

THE BLUES FOUNDATION 2016 BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTION AND 37TH BLUES MUSIC AWARDS SET FOR MAY 4 AND 5  Best in blues recording, songwriting, and performance to be celebrated at the Memphis' Cook Convention Center.  All six living Hall of Fame inductees will be in attendance MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On Thursday, May 5, 2016, the Blues Foundation will present its annual Blues Music Awards at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The Awards are universally regarded as the highest accolade afforded to blues performers, and the awards ceremony is widely recognized as the premier event for professionals, musicians and fans from around the world. The mission of the celebration is to honor the rich cultural tradition of the blues by recognizing the past year’s outstanding achievements in performance, songwriting and recording.  On May 4, at the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts, the Blues Foundation will induct five legendary artists into the Blues Hall of Fame: Elvin Bishop, Eddy Clearwater, Jimmy Johnson, John Mayall, Memphis Jug Band, and Malaco Records' Tommy Couch Sr. and Wolf Stephenson. Elected by a select group of respected blues scholars and industry veterans, Hall of Fame inductees are recognized for their musical achievements and their contributions to blues history.  Leading this year’s award nomination count are James Harman with five, and Anthony Geraci and Sugaray Rayford, who each have four. Harman and Geraci will go head to head in three categories: Best Song, Best Album, and Best Traditional Blues Album. Harman’s gift for musical storytelling, combined with the soulful sound of his newest release, Bonetime, propelled him to a nomination as Best Traditional Male Blues Artist, and his strong musicianship set the stage for his nomination as Best Instrumentalist — Harmonica. Geraci's piano finesse led to a nomination for the prestigious Pinetop Perkins Piano Player award. Vocalist-songwriter Rayford is nominated for Contemporary Blues Album and Contemporary Blues Male Artist, as well as Best Song and the B.B. King Entertainer Award.  Cedric Burnside and Shemekia Copeland, 2016 Grammy nominees, each have three nominations here, as do Doug MacLeod, the Cash Box Kings, Victor Wainwright and Wee Willie Walker (see below for a complete list of nominees).  The five new Blues Hall of Fame inductees have all had long and influential careers that have elevated each to seminal status in the blues world. Elvin Bishop was honored with the 2015 Blues Music Awards for Song of the Year. Bishop and his fellow 2016 inductees Clearwater, Johnson and Mayall all have bodies of work spanning more than half a century, and each continues to create new music and perform for new audiences. The legendary Memphis Jug Band’s music crossed racial divides during the first half of the 20th century, and inspired countless musicians to follow in their footsteps.  For their behind-the-scenes contributions, Malaco Records partners Tommy Couch Sr. and Wolf Stephenson, who founded a Southern R&B empire that continues to be an influential force, are also Blues Foundation honorees this year.  This year’s literature entry into the Blues Hall of Fame is Jeff Todd Titon’s book Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis, which has been widely recognized as one of the most important analytical studies of the blues ever written.  The Blues Hall of Fame is also honoring several historic blues recordings: The classic Big Bill Broonzy/Memphis Slim/Sonny Boy Williamson album Blues in the Mississippi Night (Nixa, 1957: United Artists, 1959), and the vintage singles “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith (OKeh, 1920), “That’s All Right” by Jimmy Rogers (Chess, 1950), Billy Boy Arnold's “I Wish You Would” (Vee-Jay, 1955), “Blues Before Sunrise” by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell (Vocalion, 1934) and “Merry Christmas Baby” by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers (Exclusive, 1947). The last disc, with Charles Brown on vocal and piano, is the first Yuletide song inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.  The Memphis-based Blues Foundation is internationally renowned for its tireless efforts in preserving blues heritage, celebrating blues recording and performance, expanding worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, the Blues Foundation has approximately 4,000 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies, representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world.    The Blues Foundation’s signature honors and events — the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards — make it the international capital of blues music. The recent opening of the Blues Hall of Fame Museum in Memphis, Tenn., now adds the opportunity for music lovers of all ages to interact with the music and its history.   Major funding is provided by ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission. The 37th Blues Music Awards is also sponsored by AutoZone, BMI, First Tennessee Foundation, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Sony Legacy Recordings.  HOF tickets are $100 each, reception at 5:30pm with ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. BMA tickets are $150 each, tables of 10 for $1500; a special pre-party will begin at 5:30 p.m.; the BMA begin at 6:30 p.m.. For more information, log onto http://www.blues.org; tickets and membership details are available at http://blues.org/blues-music-awards/2016-blues-music-awards/ # # # 37th Blues Music Award Nominees  Acoustic Album  Doug MacLeod - Exactly Like This Duke Robillard - The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard Eric Bibb - Blues People Guy Davis - Kokomo Kidd The Ragpicker String Band - The Ragpicker String Band  Acoustic Artist  Doug MacLeod Eric Bibb Gaye Adegbalola  Guy Davis  Ian Siegal  Album  Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars - Fifty Shades of Blue Buddy Guy - Born to Play Guitar James Harman - Bonetime The Cash Box Kings - Holding Court Wee Willie Walker - If Nothing Ever Changes  Band  Andy T - Nick Nixon Band  Rick Estrin & the Nightcats  Sugar Ray & the Bluetones  The Cash Box Kings  Victor Wainwright & the Wild Roots  B.B. King Entertainer  John Németh Rick Estrin  Shemekia Copeland  Sugaray Rayford  Victor Wainwright  Best New Artist Album  Eddie Cotton - One at a Time Igor Prado Band - Way Down South Mighty Mike Schermer – Blues in Good Hands Mr. Sipp - The Blues Child Slam Allen - Feel These Blues Contemporary Blues Album  Buddy Guy - Born to Play Guitar Eugene Hideaway Bridges - Hold on a Little Bit Longer Shemekia Copeland - Outskirts of Love Sonny Landreth - Bound by the Blues Sugaray Rayford – Southside  Contemporary Blues Female Artist  Beth Hart Karen Lovely Nikki Hill  Samantha Fish  Shemekia Copeland  Contemporary Blues Male Artist  Brandon Santini Eugene Hideaway Bridges  Jarekus Singleton Joe Louis Walker Sugaray Rayford  Historical Album  The Henry Gray/Bob Corritore Sessions, Vol. 1, Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest on Delta Groove Records  Hawk Squat by J. B. Hutto & His Hawks on Delmark Records  Southside Blues Jam by Junior Wells on Delmark Records  Buzzin' the Blues by Slim Harpo on Bear Family Records Dynamite! The Unsung King of the Blues by Tampa Red on Ace Records  Instrumentalist-Bass  Charlie Wooten Lisa Mann Michael “Mudcat”  Ward Patrick Rynn  Willie J. Campbell  Instrumentalist-Drums  Cedric Burnside  Jimi Bott June Core Tom Hambridge  Tony Braunagel  Instrumentalist-Guitar  Anson Funderburgh  Kid Andersen  Monster Mike Welch  Ronnie Earl  Sonny Landreth  Instrumentalist-Harmonica  Billy Branch  Brandon Santini  James Harman  Jason Ricci  Kim Wilson  Instrumentalist-Horn  Al Basile  Doug James Kaz Kazanoff  Sax Gordon  Terry Hanck Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)  Diunna Greenleaf  Fiona Boyes  Ruthie Foster  Trudy Lynn  Zora Young  Pinetop Perkins Piano Player  Allen Toussaint  Anthony Geraci  Barrelhouse Chuck  John Ginty  Victor Wainwright  Rock Blues Album of the Year  Joe Bonamassa - Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks Joe Louis Walker - Everybody Wants a Piece Royal Southern Brotherhood - Don't Look Back  Tinsley Ellis - Tough Love Walter Trout - Battle Scars Song  “Bad Feet/Bad Hair” written and performed by James Harman  “Fifty Shades of Blue” written by Anthony Geraci and performed by Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars  “Gonna Live Again” written and performed by Walter Trout  “Southside of Town” written by Sugaray Rayford and & Ralph Carter and performed by Sugaray Rayford  “You Got It Good (and That Ain’t Bad)” written and performed by Doug MacLeod  Soul Blues Album  Bey Paule Band - Not Goin' Away Billy Price & Otis Clay - This Time for Real  Jackie Payne - I Saw the Blues Tad Robinson - Day into Night Wee Willie Walker - If Nothing Ever Changes  Soul Blues Female Artist  Bettye LaVette  Dorothy Moore Missy Anderson Toni Lynn Washington  Vaneese Thomas  Soul Blues Male Artist  Frank Bey Jackie Payne  Johnny Rawls Otis Clay Wee Willie Walker  Traditional Blues Album  Andy T - Nick Nixon Band - Numbers Man Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars - Fifty Shades of Blue Cedric Burnside Project - Descendants of Hill Country James Harman - Bonetime The Cash Box Kings - Holding Court Traditional Blues Male Artist  Cedric Burnside Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin  James Harman Jimmy Burns John Prime