Bman's Blues Report

Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne Is Jumpin’ & Boppin’ on New Stony Plain Records CD Out June 3 EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces a June 3 release date for Jumpin’ & Boppin’ , the new CD from Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, who was named “Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboards)” for 2015 by Living Blues magazine. Produced by the “Blues Boss,” himself, Wayne’s third CD for Stony Plain is firmly rooted in the joyful jump blues style of Louis Jordan and Amos Milburn. Special guests on Jumpin’ & Boppin’ include award-winning guitarist and labelmate Duke Robillard, as well as Russell Jackson, B.B. King’s long-time bassist, who locks-in the rhythm section. The new disc showcases 12 original songs and one cover (“You Don’t Know Me”) that clearly illustrate Wayne’s way with a keyboard, as well as his soulful vocals.   “I’ve really been looking forward to this record and I’m very excited to share it with you,” exclaims Kenny in the album’s liner notes. “Th...

I just received the newest release, Turn Up!! , from the Mike Wheeler Band , and it cranks! Opening with high energy R&B style blues number, Sweet Girl , Wheeler leads the way with his silky vocals on call and his guitar on response. Brian James on organ lays out a real nice solo and Wheeler follows with a energetic solo, backed by Larry Williams on bass, Cleo Cole on drums and great horn work by Kenny Anderson on trumpet and Hank Ford on sax. Another modern fusion of R&B and blues follows on You Won't Do Right , showing that Wheeler's vocals are every bit as solid as his guitar work. Funky, Yeah! , has a real nice feel with James' keyboard work and a lot of punch from the horns. Wheeler takes a real nice ride on his strat with just a minimal amount of wah on his sound. Very cool! Heavy bottomed, Brand New Cadillac , is one of my favorites on the release with a lot of rhythmic swagger and powerful blues rock guitar riffs. Excellent! Shuffle track, Talking To Myse...

I just received the newest release from the Golden State Lone Star Blues Review , and it's terrific! This all-star band opens with Gatemouth Brown's loping Texas style blues, Midnight Hour , featuring Mark Hummel on lead vocal, Anson Funderburgh and Little Charlie Baty on guitar, RW Grigsby on bass and Wes Starr on drums. This track is a great opener with reinforcements by Eric Spaulding and Jack Sanford on sax. Billy Boy Arnold's, Here's My Picture , is up next and Hummel takes a super sweet harp break during a break in the primarily Latin rhythm track. Prove It To You is a cool swing blues track with Hummel driving the train on vocal, a nice walking bass line by RW Grigsby and tight drums by Wes Starr. Little Charlie hits the strings with a slick guitar solo and Hummel's phrasing is top notch. Slow NO style blues, Cool To Be Your Fool , features beautiful piano interplay by Jim Pugh and a solid bass line by Grigsby. Very nice! Lowell Fulsom's, Check Yourse...

I received some very sad news this week. My blues friend and dynamic singer Karen Carroll has passed. Karen had been working in Europe for quite some time and we became friends.  In 2014 Karen became ill and moved back to Atlanta to recuperate. I spoke with her a few times and she was making progress but unfortunately on March 9th after years of trouble with her health in the hospital she went peacefully. This week I spoke with Ronnie Templin, her manager/promoter, who had a very special relationship with Karen. "The most special thing I can think of is how selfless she was and how music moved her in a way that moved other people into a place of fun and all in a spiritual way. I appreciate that she was a dear friend of mine who I called my sister and she was my best friend in the world and I miss her much "  Karen was nominated for a German Grammy for singing Vicksburg Blues that her mother, Jean Carroll, started in the family with Little Brother Montgomery. She pla...

I just received the newest release, Blood Moon , from Too Slim & the Taildraggers and it's gritty, bluesy and a modern guitar stiff arm in the chest. Opening with Evil Mind , a funky rocker, lead vocalist and guitar man, Tim "Too Slim" Langford, sets the track on fire with ripping pace backed by Jeff "Shakey" Fowlkes on drums and Robert Kearns on bass. Title track, Blood Moon , has a really nice drone bass line and a early Robin Trower feel with spacial guitar qualities and timing. A real cool track with serious guitar phrasing, this is one of my favorites on the release. Twisted Rails has a Jimi Hendrix kind of vibe but with modern delivery and adaptation and cool vocal harmonies. Guitar variations on the central theme give the track a varied texture and crisp drumming by Fowlkes drives the track home. Get Your Goin' Out On has traces of southern rock and Keith Richards. I know that this sounds like an odd pair, but in reality it's a really c...

Pop superstar Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57. His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press that the music icon died at his home in Chanhassen. No details were immediately released. The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist broke through in the late 1970s with the hits "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover," and soared over the following decade with such albums as "1999" and "Purple Rain." The title song from "1999" includes one of the most widely quoted refrains of popular culture: "Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."  The Minneapolis native, born Prince Rogers Nelson, ...

I just received the newest release, My Obsession , from Shari Puorto and she's still slamming it. Opening with funky rocker, It's A Damn Shame , Puorto's vocals are tight and her phrasing is super. Johnny Hawthorn knows how to make it hot on guitar and Bob Glaub's bass lines are smokin. Backed by Kenna Ramsey, Julie Delgado and Mike Finnigan, this is my favorite track on the release. On Home of the Blues , Jimmy Vivino and Steve Fister step up on lead and slide guitar (respectively) and Mike Finnigan's B3 work is super. Rock and roller, Six Months Sober is square down the middle with Jim Pugh's piano and B3 and slide soloing by Hawthorn is smooth. Sugar Daddy is a slower sure stepper with a drone bass line and slap snare from Tony Braunagel. Title track, My Obsession , opens with a subdued niteclub feel but kicking into a solid rocker with Vivino and Finnigan trading lead riffs under Puorto's cool vocals. Old Silo Road is a quiet ballad, primarily the...

I just received the newest release, Angel's 11 , from Angel Forrest and it's got a special feel. Opening with Hangman , a solid blues rocker, Forrest shows that she's serious business and ready for anything. With Johnny Flash on guitar, Dennis Coulombe on bass, Sly Coulombe on drums and Bernard Quessy on B3, this track could easily see a lot of radio play. All The Way has a real cool rhythm and perfect timing from Coulombe on percussion. Forrest has a special voice and this track is perfect for her. Rob MacDonald lays in a nice guitar solo rounding out this track. Spoil Me Up is a real cool, jazzy track featuring beautiful guitar work from Steve Strongman and nice horn work from Frankie Thiffault on tenor sax, Mathieu Mousseau on bari sax, and Nicolas Boulay on trumpet. Excellent! Hold On Tight has a bluesy rock/ country sound with a real cool bass line from Alec Mc Elcheran. Ricky Paquette steps up with some searing guitar lead and I particularly like Sly Coulombe, ...

      (Austin, Tex.) Strangest Things is the new release co-written by Austin’s David and Anne Ducharme-Jones (doo-sharm).  Strangest Things is 13 lyrically driven rock songs accented by David’s strong melodic blues/jazz/rock guitar riffs. In celebration, the husband-wife team will perform at the One-2-One Bar April 22 at 8 p.m.   The show begins at 8 p.m. and with the $10.00 cover you receive a complimentary copy of the new CD. ( www.ducharmejones.com )      Strangest Things  features the songwriting husband-wife team, David and Anne Ducharme-Jones. It was produced and recorded at The Track Shack in South Austin.      Highlighted tracks to listen to and play include: Strangest Things (rock) Red Roses (country rock) Wherev...

  THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES TO CELEBRATE THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW SINGLE "CRAZY MACY"/"LET ME ROCK" VIA BURGER RECORDS! THE GROOVIES ON TOUR IN EUROPE NOW! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES' RAUCOUS VIDEO FOR THEIR NEW SINGLE "CRAZY MACY" (PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST AND SHARE!) The Flamin' Groovies are in full swing as part of their 50th Anniversary this year. The legendary band are currently on an agressive tour of Europe this month and next, and are also gearing up for a new studio album and documentary film. And tomorrow (April 16th) they'll be dropping a new single from their forthcoming LP via Burger Records. This new single features two Cyril Jordan/Chris Wilson penned tracks - the recently written "Crazy Macy" and the first track ever written by Jordan & Wilson, "Let Me Rock" recorded here for the first time!  The first-pressing of the 7" vinyl single has al...