Bman's Blues Report

Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries. His lazy, slack-jawed singing, piercing harmonica and hypnotic guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the 1950s and 1960s, and had a significant impact on many rock and roll artists who followed, such as Elvis Presley, Billy Gibbons and the Rolling Stones. Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi, in 1925, learning the harmonica and guitar from Eddie Taylor, a close friend. After spending several years busking and performing in the area, Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943 before being drafted into the US Navy during World War II. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved back to Mississippi for a brief period, marrying his ...

Ida Cox (February 25, 1896 – November 10, 1967) was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings. She was billed as "The Uncrowned Queen of the Blues" Cox was born in February, 1896 as Ida Prather in Toccoa, Habersham County, Georgia, United States (Toccoa was in Habersham County, not yet Stephens County at the time), the daughter of Lamax and Susie (Knight) Prather, and grew up in Cedartown, Georgia, singing in the local African Methodist Church choir. She left home to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often appearing in blackface into the 1910s; she married fellow minstrel performer Adler Cox. By 1920, she was appearing as a headline act at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia; another headliner at that time was Jelly Roll Morton. After the success of Mamie Smith's pioneering 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues", record labels realized there was a demand for recordings of race music. The classic female bl...

HAK was born in 2002 in drummer Andy Coldwell’s bedroom. Coldwell’s schoolmate, Kyle Strohmaier, had brought over his new Epiphone for an attempted jam session. The two boys, 13 years old at the time, managed a couple recognizable verses and choruses of Purple Haze, and were subsequently addicted to the idea of forming a band. Shortly thereafter, Strohmaier contacted Hugh Gilmore, bassist and former bandmate from a short-lived jazz sextet. It was after the addition of the third member that the first-name acronym HAK was chosen as the band name..... Gilmore, Coldwell and Strohmaier quickly became loyal friends; HAK was, and remains, secondary to their friendship. The band underwent rapid musical development, playing cover songs at small gigs when possible, but truly began to experiment with originality and more complex musical texture after the addition of keyboardist Mark Bates in 2004. Led by Strohmaier, the band began to compose and arrange its own music. By 2005, the band had accumu...

BLUES GERMAN AWARDS 2012! BLUES COLOGNE CLUB plays BLUES GERMAN CHALLENGE 2012! „ Authentic Großstadt-Blues with a pinch Motown/Stax. Cool voice, organic sound, elegant arrangements and persuasive soloists. " (Marcel Anders, music journalist, music express train, guitar bass, radio) with "Our Streets" the debut - CD of the Cologne blues club comes on the 25th February to the stores. The tape has signed recently a five year contract with the famous label ZYX/Peppercake. Twelve songs are on "Our Streets", six own titles and select cover versions. "Our Streets" was played in in May, 2010 and is for the musicians a location regulation, a snapshot and the first important step on her musical way. They want her kind to play blues develop constantly and refine the sound the volume constantly. „ Finest Groovin blues " call them her music what they with it mine one can hear on "Our Streets" wonderfully: Grooving, urbane, song-oriented blues, stra...

"Hollywood's Burning Hot Blueswomen," The Scorch Sisters , In Concert @L.A.'s Premiere Music Venue, House Of Blues , Sat. Sept. 1 (WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.) - "Hollywood's Burning Hot Blueswomen," the Scorch Sisters , perform at L.A.'s premier live music venue, House Of Blues , this Saturday, September 1 , in the Voodoo Lounge . 7:30-10 p.m., and no cover charge! Info: (323) 848-5100 or www.houseofblues.com/sunsetstrip . What The Press Is Saying About The Scorch Sisters "Scorch Sisters wowed the Real Blues Festival 2 audience....be ready for these Hollywood hipsters because they'll 'blue' you away. I really dig these gals and I think you will too." Casey Reagan/ AMERICAN BLUES NEWS "The Scorch Sisters seize the blues as their own and subseq...

I have been listening to the new Paula Harris recording, Turning On The Naughty . Paula has a strong vocal style and is surrounded herself with a strong band of musicians including Simon Russell (piano), Mike Eppley (Hammond B3), Nate Ginsberg (organ), Joey Fabian (Bass), Derrick Martin (drums), Al Diaz (percussion), Terry Hiatt (guitars), Steve Gurr (rhythm guitar), Mic Gillette (brass), Tom Politzer (sax) and Tom Poole (trumpet). Paula sings 14 tracks including a number of standards and some originals. The recording has a distinctive styling built for a full orchestra and solo vocalist. On the opening number, A Nick of Too Damn Late , Hiatt ripps a really cool guitar solo. On Touch Of The Blues the horn section is turned up a little and there is a bit of funk added to the mix. On Learn From My Mistakes , Ginsberg lays down some pretty cool organ work. On Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore , the band falls back to the shuffle and there are a number of interesting instrumental...

For Her 40 th Album, Maria Muldaur Presents a Loving Tribute to a Blues Pioneer on .… First Came Memphis Minnie , Coming October 9 from Stony Plain Records New CD Also Features Special Guests Rory Block, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor, with Del Rey, David Bromberg, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund EDMONTON, AL – Stony Plain Records, Canada’s roots music label, announces an October 9 release date for ….First Came Memphis Minnie, a loving tribute to the pioneering blues woman produced by multiple Grammy-nominee Maria Muldaur , featuring special guests including Rory Block , Ruthie Foster , Bonnie Raitt , Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor . Other musicians appearing on the new CD are Del Rey , David Bromberg , Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund. Stony Plain is distributed in the U.S. by ADA, in Canada by Warner Music and in foreign territories by a variety of well-established dist...

Charles Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), also known as "Yardbird" and "Bird", was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career and the shortened form, "Bird", which continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise." Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop,a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Many Parker recordings demonstrate virtuosic technique and complex melodic lines, sometimes combining jazz with ...

Gene Allison (August 29, 1934 – February 28, 2004) was an American R&B singer. Born Versie Eugene Allison in Pegram, Tennessee, he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks. Record producer Ted Jarrett signed Allison to Calvert Records to record secular music; soon after Jarrett got him a recording contract with Vee-Jay Records along with Larry Birdsong. Allison's debut single was "You Can Make it If You Try", released in 1957; it became a hit in the U.S., where it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1959. Allison would go on to score two more hit singles at the end of the 1950s, and the success of "You Can Make it If You Try" allowed him to open a 24-hour soul food restaurant called Gene's Drive-In in Nashville.[1] Allison continued to perform well beyond his brief period of fame. He died of renal fail...

Sonny Blake: Harp and vocal - Mose Vinson: piano - L.T Lewis: drums Memphis TN, January 19th 1976 Alan... have you got anything on this guy? If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

Stacy Jones has had the opportunity to share her cut-loose harp riffs and sultry chops with some of the most well known blues musicians around. Born and raised in Seattle, Stacy began playing the piano at four years old. At seven she picked up the guitar and at eight her father, Tom, started bringing her up on stage to sing Hank Williams tunes with his band -- she hasn't been able to stay away from the stage since. Stacy met up with Beth Wulff at fourteen and that's when she was truly introduced to the blues. At sixteen she started learning how to rip on the harmonica and became a regular at The Scarlet Tree blues jams where she met Annieville and had the opportunity to trade riffs with Alice Stuart, Mark Dufresnes (Roomful of Blues), Mark Whitman, Dave Conant and many other incredible musicians. A few years later Stacy got the opportunity to play with "The Seattle Blues" headed by Tim Sherman and John Hodgkin. This experience opened several doors for her and after me...

NACHO LADISA: Su primera formación musical lo acerca al Blues y al rock, participando en varias bandas hasta el año 2000 donde se une a la banda de blues tradicional "La Caterva", con esta agrupación ha tocado en lugares como: Blues Special Club, Jazz & Blues, Honkers Club, participando también en el programa de cable Jazz & Blues y en programas radiales de Blues como el de Adrián Flores. Con Brotzman y Torres Blues Band participó dos años consecutivos del festival de Jazz en el Subte. Además se sumó a la Blues Special Band como guitarrista ocasional y acompañó a distintos armonicistas de la escena local. En el 2003 perfecciona sus estudios en el SADEM como músico interprete de música popular. A partir del año 2006 se suma a las Ranas Criollas, banda formada por el legendario Javier "ciego" Gofman a quien acompaña por mas de tres años. Desde el 2007 se desempeña como profesor de guitarra en la Escuela de Blues. Es integrante del equipo de Blues En Movimiento...

I just put Raw Sugar Live , the newest release from Sugar Blue on my player and it blasted me like a double barrel shotgun! This is an energetic band with a lot of power. The double live recording opens with Red Hot Mama which is literally a strong show opener that gets your attention. One More Mile comes on with a light jazzy funk beat and the band is in the groove. Sugar really lights this track up with his notorious harping. tracks like this really tell you if the band is tight or not and this band is tight featuring Rico McFarland on guitar, James Knowles on drums, Ilaria Lantieri on bass and Damieno Della Torre on keys. McFarland plays a real screamer of a guitar solo on this track. Next the band takes on Willie Dixon's Hoochie Coochie Man and Sugar's singing and harp work are stellar. The band starts off with the traditional interpretation but adapts it to more of a slow shuffle which really gives the band a chance to stretch and show their talents. Again, McFarland a...

$10 Summer Sale Ends Monday, 9/3 at Midnight CDs and LPs are $10. Double LPs and Picture Discs are $15. Visit the Fat Possum Store to begin shopping.

Blues guitarist James Wheeler was born in Albany, GA, on August 28, 1937. His earliest musical influences were the big bands of the time, especially Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and his first idol, Louis Jordan. Following his older brother Golden, Wheeler moved to Chicago in 1956. Golden had started playing harmonica in the clubs, becoming friends with many blues musicians, including Little Walter. It was after the move to Chicago that James Wheeler picked up the guitar and started jamming with local musicians. Wheeler's first big break came when he played guitar with Billy Boy Arnold, which lead to the formation of the Jaguars in 1963, backing up B.B. King, Millie Jackson, O.V. Wright, and Otis Clay. Clay was so impressed with Wheeler's playing that after the Jaguars broke up in 1972 he asked Wheeler to put together his touring band, which lasted three years. Following a brief tour with the Impressions, Wheeler took a non-music day job, picking up weekend gigs here and there ...

I grew up in Stockholm, Sweden in a household filled with music. My dad, a Navy Captain used to play tons of Big Band era Jazz records.. Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong. My mom was totally into Mahalia Jackson, Gospel & Classic Country.. Patsy Cline etc. I was the youngest out of five kids and after my older siblings got older & moved out, they left all their great 60's music behind.. Music I wouldn't normally get exposed to, growing up in the Eighties. So I inherited lots of Rolling Stones, The Who, Donovan, Motown and Beatles! I remember when I was five, I spent nearly everyday at the turntable listening repeatedly to The Beatles 'White Album'.. I couldn't get it through my head how in their later years they were kind of 'spaced out & out of tune' but STILL sounded so good! Four years later I bought a geek classmate's toy-guitar for 50 cents, and with only two strings I eventually figured out a few guitar-melo...

Gary Farmer is a solid blues musician with a great band backing him up (The Troublemakers). He recently released a new album, entitled Under the Water Tower, and hit the road for a tour of the US with 21 dates in New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska Farmer, Cayuga/Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy, is from the Six Nations Reserve in Ohsweken, Ontario. The band’s blues influences are John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Freddie King while also playing the contemporary blues of Keb Mo, Dr. John, Taj Mahal and Robben Ford. Farmer was one of the driving forces behind the launch of the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network and appeared in Dead Man alongside Johnny Depp and Ghost Dog staring Forest Whitaker, among other films. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

My name is Gerry Pearson I'm 60 years young I have been playing harmonica for over 40 years. My greatest influence in music is from my Dad who was very talented and could play anything without even having any previous experience with the instrument. When he first heard me play he said" You'll Never be able to play that thing even the neighbours dog is whinning when you do" Boy reverse Psychology sure worked with me! I finally figured out that to play the harmonica you had to think of it as whistling a tune and from that point on it was Easy. Just before my father passed away he told me "remember when I told you that you would never be able to play? Well son you have come a long way and I have to tell you that I love the way you can play." At my Dad's funeral I played a song in his memory "smile with two harmonicas one in crossharp and the other in straight I only wish he could have heard it. Paul Butterfield, James Cotton, John Mayall, Charlie Musse...

Mud Morganfield Makes a “House” Call on Hugh Laurie in Chicago CHICAGO, IL – Last Tuesday, August 21, Severn Records artist Mud Morganfield met up with actor-turned-bluesman Hugh Laurie at the latter’s Park West show in Chicago and was asked by the House star to join him onstage for some songs during his show. “The show was great, and Hugh was great to me and my family,” Mud Morganfield told Blues Matters writer Darren Weale after the performance. “His music was a little different than what I do, but we had a ball.” The two performed the classic Muddy Waters tune, “Walking Thru the Park” together, and Mud sang the song, “Health,” from his critically-acclaimed new CD, Son of the Seventh Son . “The people loved it,” added Morganfield. “At the end, everyone was gone from inside the theatre, but about 50 people were standing outside. When we left, the people started to clap for me as we got in the car, which was really nice. I think Hugh is a genius. Very cool cat; a...

Master Harpist Dennis Gruenling Continues U.S. Tour With Guitarist Doug Deming (With The Jewel Tones) Both Supporting Their New CDs Perform Locally: Pizza Shoppe Collective in Benson - Wednesday, Aug. 29th (BENSON, NE) - Benson gets the blues as one of today's most compelling duos in Contemporary Blues, harmonica master Dennis Gruenling and guitarist Doug Deming (and his band, The Jewel Tones), perform swinging jump blues rich with gritty shuffles and driving boogies at Pizza Shoppe Collective , 6056 Maple St., Benson, Wednesday, August 29. Harmonica workshop from 5:30-6:15 p.m. (includes performance, $20); CD Release Party from 6:30-8:00 p.m. $5. (if not attending workshop). Info: (402) 556-9090 or visit www.pizzashoppecollective.com . Harpist Gruenling and guitarist Deming (the later who fronts longtime group, the Jewel Tones) have once again joined forces, recently completing an ambitious twenty-eight city tour in just tw...