Blues Legend Junior Wells’ Estate Entrusted to Cleopatra Records

Los Angeles - The estate of Blues Harp Legend Junior Wells has been entrusted to L.A. based record label Cleopatra Records in a newly announced arrangement.  

The deal was made between Cleopatra owner Brian Perera, represented by the law offices of Evan S. Cohen, and executor Martin Salzman, on behalf of Junior Wells’ daughter Regina Brown and includes sound recordings as well as publishing from Wells’ wide ranging catalog between his first recordings in the 1950s until his death in 1998.  

In addition to the sound recordings and publishing which includes unreleased masters, Cleopatra also purchased a variety of personal artifacts from the Blues legend, including his harmonicas, performance outfits, hats, canes, notes, photos and  personal  journals.

“We’re very excited to enter into this deal and be a part of the one of the all time icons in American Blues history, “ said Perera.  “We intend to keep the Junior Wells legacy alive with a variety of releases as well as merchandise and branding partnerships in the years to come.” Look for releases from Junior Wells and other blues artists such as Eric Gales, Shuggie Otis, and Harvey Mandel on the newly launched Cleopatra Blues imprint.

Junior Wells, real name Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. (December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998), was an American Chicago Blues vocalist, harmonica player and recording artist.  In addition to his many solo recordings on labels such as States, Chief, Profile, Delmark, Vanguard and Telarc, Wells was also known for his collaborations in  performances as well as recordings with artists such as Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Earl Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison and the Rolling Stones.

Junior Wells is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame.  His albums, Hoodoo Man Blues (1966), It’s My Life Baby (1966) and Blues Hit Big Town (1977), as well as his single “Messin’ With The Kid (1960),” are in the Blues Hall of Fames in the Classics of Blues Recording category.  He has also received several honors and awards from the Blues Hall of Fame including, Best Historical Album and Traditional Blues Album of the Year.

C-Train Records artist: Christian Collin - Spirit Of The Blues - New release review

I just received the newest release, Spirit Of The Blues, from Christian Collin and it's got flare! Opening with One And Only, a blues rocker featuring Collin on vocal and lead guitar , Alex Evans on bass, Chris Monroe on drums, Jen Williams on backing vocals and Johnny Iguana on B-3 this track has good radio potential with a catchy melody and flashy guitar. Player's Game has a cool boogie line with grinding guitars, a driving bass by Evans and features Matthew Skoller on harp. A Woman Like You has a kicker beat that gets you going. I particularly like Collin's vocals on this track and Skoller lays down a nice harp line. Chuck Berry influenced riffs give the track a nice bit of heat over a Lynyrd Skynyrd kind of heat. Very cool! Dance The Blues Away has a conventional 12 bar format and a real nice piano roll by Iquana. Collin takes a nice and easy guitar solo that is all about style and compliments the track nicely. Ballad, Without You, has a solid R&B feel and is well suited to the vocals of Collin and Williams. With an almost Atlanta Rhythm Section kind of feel, the band lays down a real sweet track with rich harmonies, a melodic guitar solo and backing key work by Iquana and Brian Leach (clavinet )makes this the best radio track on the release. Title track, Spirit Of The Blues, has some real fire with hot guitar riffs and and a walking bass line that hits the spot. I find Collin's vocals on this track nicely matched to the gritty nature of the track making it my personal favorite. Excellent! Loping shuffle track, Highway Song, has a real bopping groove and Collin rides it high with clean, tasty succinct riffs. Blues For You takes the pace down to a nice easy roll with an almost Jeff Healey feel. I particularly like the guitar sting on this track. Collin spanks it pretty good on this track but without and pyrotechnics to make it sound plastic. Real nice! Dead Man Walking features Collin on slide along with his vocal and it has a bit of an eerie sound. This track, which has the lease amount of pop value, is really nicely constructed and interesting with a swampy feel. Old 109 has just a boot full of country but no more than say Highway 61 by Johnny Winter. This is a cool blues rocker pairing Peter Gallanis on slide with Skoller on harp and still allowing Collins to drive the train vocally and riff out on lead guitar. Hot rocker! The River is an easy going acoustic number featuring Collin on vocal and acoustic guitar Evans on bass, Chris Morrow on drums and Billy Branch on harp. Wrapping the release is Forever Friends, a soulful ballad with Rodney Brown on sax, Kenny Anderson on trumpet and Bill McFarland on trombone. This is a really smooth track putting me in mind of some of the classic work by Billy Price. Collin takes a real nice melodic solo in the track but maintains it to it's general soulful construction. Very nice conclusion.

  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”

 

The Peterson Brothers - Self Titled - New Release Review

I just received the newest self titled release from The Peterson Brothers and it's pretty cool. Opening with Albert King's, You're My Woman, a blues rocker with a light funk, Glenn Peterson takes the microphone and shows what he's all about. With selective guitar punctuation he is joined by Alex Peterson on bass, Brady Blade on drums and rich keyboard work from James Pace. On Little Johnny Taylor's If You Love Me Like You Say, that band lays down a bit of Texas style funky blues. Glenn rips a couple of real nice guitar riffs and Pace rides high on the organ. On shuffle track, Hey Baby, the band develops a real nice groove. Pace hits it hot on piano and Glenn cooks it hot for a real nice toe tapper. R&B track, I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me), shows the best of Glenn's voice and I particularly like Blade's drums riffs that hit this track just right. Pace again comes through with a nice organ solo setting up Glenn for a clean extended guitar solo. Alex keeps the groove moving nicely with tight bass lines. Classic blues track, Don't You Lie To Me has been covered by just about everyone but these guys with Alex leading the way with a solid bass line gets a groove of it's own. Glenn has the lead vocals and Pace lays out a real nice keyboard solo. Loping shuffle track, I Gotta Go really benefits from a great walking bass line from Alex and a vocal duet with Glenn. Pace is back on it with warm organ work and Glenn plays some of his nicest guitar work on the release. Tell Me Everything, an easy shuffle track, is up next and Glenn shows a different side of his guitar prowess. With a few Chuck Berry like double stops, this is a real cool track. On Earl King's Come On (Baby Let The Good Times Roll), the gang takes a softer approach from both the rock and blues side but Alex really blows it out on bass with a smokin' solo. Pace follows back with a nice key solo but this track is all Alex's. Very very nice! Feelin' Like Home is a real nice jazzy instrumental with good balance. Alex steps up with another real nice solo on this one. Traditional track, Amazing Grace, is a nicely arranged instrumental featuring Alex on violin and Pace on keys. Nicely done. Rocker, I Gotta Go, is a tight little number with a fluid key solo and a nicely aggressive solo by Glenn as well. Vocal harmonies and a tight bottom make this a cool conclusion to the Peterson Brothers first outing. 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”

 

Silver Talon Records artist: Blinddog Smokin' - High Steppin' - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (July 17, 2015), High Steppin', from Blinddog Smokin' and it is funnnkkky! Opening with a real high stepper, Pimp Shoes, vocalist Carl Gustafson lays down one vocal riff after another with Roland Pritzker driving the bass, Mo Beeks riding the keys and Chicago Chuck Gullens keeping it tight on drums. Backing vocals from Linda Gustafson, Chris White and Chicago keep it real and really hot guitar soloing from Chalo Ortiz and sax work from Rex Amend blow the top off! Bayou Lady is swampier and sticky funky with a definite voodoo sound. I really like Carls vocals on this track and bursts of guitar by Ortiz are hotter than lightning! Don't Put No Money On Me is a cool track with a cool falling down the stairs rhythm style and a story telling style of vocals. This is a gritty track and I really like it. I Caught Her Lyin' has a easier country blues sound with cool story telling with dynamics by Beeks on keys and Matt Rhody on violin. Tell "Em Shuffle is a cool Chicago style blues track led off by Billy Branch on harp. A simple blues number with cool organ work by Beeks and Branch taking control on harp, it's one of the swinginest track on the release. Slow soulful blues track, If I Died Today, really shows the richness of Gustafson's voice complimented by Branch on harp and with soft background vocals. Probably my favorite track on the release. Big Behind is a clever country comedy style track. This track has a a group vocal part but not like in harmony. More just togetherness. The track has a country format with Tommy Broderick on steel guitar and could easily make a strong cross airways appeal with it's clever lyrics and catchy melody. Lady's Playin' returns to the funk with some poppy funky bass work by Pritzker. Vocal mostly done in a soft rap style, and with a George Clinton like backing delivers with Eric Bernhardt on sax, Travis Blotsky on bari sax, Mike Fulton on trumpet and David Phy on trombone. Fun! Wrapping the release is a gospel style redo of Tell 'Em (Reprise). Beeks really has the gospel styling down on organ and the vocals are rich. Nice closer.

  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”

 

KEITH RICHARDS RELEASES CROSSEYED HEART

FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN OVER 20 YEARS OUT SEPTEMBER 18^TH

July 9, 2015 – New York – Keith Richards will release his eagerly anticipated CROSSEYED HEART, his third solo album and his first in over 20 years, September 18^th on Republic Records.

CROSSEYED HEART, a fifteen track masterclass encompassing everything that makes Keith Richards one of the 20^th century’s most celebrated talents, is a 5* musical journey that takes in reggae, rock, country and the blues.

The first taste of CROSSEYED HEART will be unveiled on July 17^th with the explosive first single, “Trouble,” a taut guitar based slice of heaven featuring Richards on electric and acoustic guitars, bass, lead and backup vocals. He is richly supported by old friends, drummer Steve Jordan, guitarist Waddy Wachtel and Bernard Fowler on backup vocals. The song was written by and produced by Keith and Steve Jordan.

“I had a ball making this new record and working with Steve Jordan and Waddy Wachtel again. There’s nothing like walking into a studio and having absolutely no idea what you’re going to come out with on the other end. If you're looking for ‘Trouble,’ you've come to the right place.”

Keith wrote or co-wrote the majority of the tracks on CROSSEYED HEART, many with co-producer Steve Jordan.Highlights include the country tinged ache of “Robbed Blind”, the reggae flavored “Love Overdue,” and the aptly named “Blues In The Morning.” Richards collaborates with several artists including a captivating duet with Norah Jones on the soulful ballad “Illusion” which she co-wrote.

Keith Richards, who plays electric and acoustic guitars, bass, piano and vocals on the album, is also joined by guitarist Waddy Wachtel, keyboardist Ivan Neville and background singer Sarah Dash, part of the X-Pensive Winos, who accompanied Richards on his previous solo records.

Shemekia Copeland's OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE Set For September 11 Release

SHEMEKIA COPELAND'S OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE

SET FOR SEPTEMBER 11 RELEASE

Shemekia’s a ball-of-fire vocalist with a voice that’s part Memphis, part Chicago and all woman… devastatingly powerful. She’s a great singer, period.

--Chicago Sun-Times

Shemekia captures the timelessness of the blues while spinning it forward with remarkable maturity.

--USA Today

Alligator Records has set a September 11 street date for Outskirts Of Love, the genre-smashing new release from trailblazing vocalist Shemekia Copeland. With a voice that is alternately sultry, assertive and roaring, Shemekia’s wide-open vision of contemporary blues, roots and soul music showcases the evolution of a passionate artist with a modern musical and lyrical approach. Whether she’s belting out a raucous blues-rocker, firing up a blistering soul-shouter, bringing the spirit to a gospel-fueled R&B rave-up or digging deep down into a subtle, country-tinged ballad, Shemekia Copeland sounds like no one else. The Chicago Tribune said Copeland delivers "gale force singing and power" with a "unique, gutsy style, vibrant emotional palette and intuitive grasp of the music." NPR Music calls her “fiercely expressive.”

Copeland’s return to Alligator Records with Outskirts Of Love (she recorded four albums for the label from 1998 through 2006) finds her at her most charismatic, performing roots rock, Americana, and blues with power and authority, nuance and shading. Produced by The Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood, Outskirts Of Love is a musical tour-de-force, with Copeland rocking out on the title track, taking charge in Crossbone Beach, honoring her father, the late Johnny Clyde Copeland with her Afrobeat-infused take on his Devil’s Hand, tackling homelessness on Cardboard Box and showing off her country swagger on Drivin’ Out Of Nashville. She puts her stamp on songs made famous by Solomon Burke (I Feel A Sin Coming On), Jesse Winchester (Isn’t That So), Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (The Battle Is Over), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Long As I Can See The Light), ZZ Top (Jesus Just Left Chicago), Albert King (Wrapped Up In Love Again) and Jessie Mae Hemphill (Lord Help The Poor And Needy). Friends including Billy F Gibbons, Robert Randolph, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Will Kimbrough and Pete Finney all add their talent with unbridled enthusiasm. The result is Copeland’s most decidedly contemporary and musically adventurous album of her still-evolving career.

When Shemekia first appeared on the scene at age 18 in 1998 with her groundbreaking debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, she instantly became a blues superstar. Critics from around the country celebrated her music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. News outlets from The New York Times to CNN took note of Copeland's talent, engaging personality, and true star power. She followed up with 2000's Grammy-nominated Wicked, 2002's Talking To Strangers (produced by Dr. John) and 2008’s The Soul Truth (produced by Steve Cropper). In that short period of time, she earned eight Blues Music Awards, a host of Living Blues Awards (including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist Of The Year) and more accolades from fans, critics and fellow musicians. Two highly successful releases on Telarc (including 2012's Grammy-nominated 33 1/3) cemented her reputation as a singer who, according to NPR's All Things Considered, "embodies the blues with her powerful vocal chops and fearless look at social issues." USA Today says, "Copeland is a singer with fervor and funk, power and range.”

Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She is a mainstay on countless commercial and non-commercial radio stations. She's sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her “f*cking amazing.” Santana says, “She’s incandescent…a diamond.” At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois officially declared Copeland to be “The New Queen Of The Blues.” In 2012, she performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Afterward, Jagger (with whom she sang) sent her a bottle of champagne.

With Outskirts Of Love and a packed tour schedule, Copeland has her eyes fixed firmly on the future as she continues to break new musical ground. "I want to keep growing, to be innovative," she says. “I’m a lifer, singing about things that bother me, using my music to help people. My dad always said ‘we’re all connected.’ I’m an old soul marching to the beat of my own drum,” she continues, “And right now I’m making the most exciting music of my career.”

New video from dynamic roots artist!

NEW VIDEO FROM VICTOR WAINWRIGHT! "Stop Bossin' Me Baby" first release from the new Boom Town CD Blind Pig Records has released "Stop Bossin' Me Baby" as the first video from Boom Town, the new CD from Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots.  The Nashville Blues Society called the song "the tale of an overbearing lover right out of the Little Richard canon, a frenzied-pace stop-time rocker." To watch the video please click HERE. Wainwright, two time winner of the prestigious Blues Music Award as "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year," is a raucous, high-octane dynamic performer and a crowd pleaser with soul to spare. Boom Town is a tour de force of progressive roots music - high-octane boogie piano, big soul sounds, powerhouse blues, roadhouse rock, and stirring gospel  - highlighted by excellent songwriting and a unique and edgy sound that captures the energy of the band's live shows.  Upcoming Tour Dates: July 16 Panama City Beach, FL Panama City Beach Summer Music Series July 17 Birmingham, AL Ranelli's July 18 Merigold, MS Crawdad's July 19 Memphis, TN Levitt Shell at Overton Park July 23 Martinsville, VA Rives Theater July 24 Durham, NC Blue Note July 25 Washington, DC Madam Organ's July 26 Lake Harmony, PA Pennsylvania Blues Festival July 27 Ellicottville, NY Balloon's July 29 Tuscarawas, OH Canal House July 31 Woonsocket, RI Chan's Aug. 1 Damariscotta, ME Dam Blues Festival Aug. 2 Kingfield, ME Sunday Blues in the 1827 Barn Aug. 3 Rockland, ME Time Out Pub Aug. 6 Magnolia, DE Jonathan's Landing Aug. 7 Ellicottville, NY Balloon's Aug. 8 Ellicottville, NY Balloon's Aug. 9 Wheeling, WV Heritage Music Bluesfest Oct. 11 Daytona Beach, FL Daytona Blues Festival Oct. 24 Beverly, MA The Larcom Theatre