KM Williams Medical Emergency

Texas Country Blues Preacher KM Williams was to perform at the Rhythm Room this Friday. He is unable to make the trip due to a medical emergency. KM became disoriented at his gig on Friday night, and thankfully his wonderful wife Yollie was with him and recognized his unusual behavior. She immediately took him to a Dallas area hospital where he underwent emergency surgery early Saturday morning. The surgery was successful in correcting the issue.

His wife Yollie has conveyed that she appreciates everyone's prayers and kind words.

If you would like to send a card or a note, it would be much appreciated. Please send it to:

KM Williams
c/o Blue Lisa
PO Box 721384
Dallas, TX 75372

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers. He hopes to do a make-up performance at the Rhythm Room later this year. So The Dave Riley / Bob Corritore Juke Joint Blues Band will be covering the full night and will perform down home blues in KM's honor.

M.C. Records artists: Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi - Sonny & Brownie's Last Train - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sonny & Brownie's Last Train, by Guy Davis &  Fabrizio Poggi. This is a full helping of traditional style acoustic blues featuring Guy Davis on vocal and guitar and Fabrizio Poggi on harmonica. Opening with the Davis penned title track, Sonny & Brownie's Last Train, Davis sets a snappy guitar rhythm, singing and accompanying himself on guitar. On Robert Pete Williams' Louise Louise, Guy slips into Williams' shoes and sings one of my favorite tracks on the release, with underlying harp and guitar. Very nice. On Sonny Terry classic, Hooray Hooray These Women Is Killing Me, Davis really captures the spirit of Sonny with his enthusiasm and Poggi's soulful harp.  On Big Joe Williams' Baby Please Don't Go Back To New Orleans, Davis really digs in for a super guitar intro and Davis and Poggi's work are tops.  On Elizabeth Cotten's Freight Train, Davis and Poggi stay with the theme of this release performing a tight rendition of Cotten's trademark tune. On Brownie McGee original, Evil Hearted Me, Davis delivers on vocal and Poggi harp  for another of my favorites on the release.  Written by Sonny, Brownie and Brownies wife Ruth, Walk On is Brownie and Ruth's tune and a perfect track to cement the cohesion of the pair. Wrapping the release  is Midnight Special, well known track performed by many performers. Davis's vocals and guitar is tight and Poggi's harp work is vibrant giving this track the perfect feel as a closer.

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J Geils has passed - My thoughts are with his family

John Warren Geils Jr., the founding guitarist behind the ’70s and ’80s rock powerhouse J. Geils Band, died at his longtime home in Massachusetts on Tuesday. He was 71.
Donald Palma Jr., the chief of police in Groton, Mass., confirmed Geils’ death on Tuesday night, saying in a press release that an early investigation suggested Geils died of “natural causes” and that “foul play is not suspected at this time.”

Geils founded his eponymous band in 1967, when he attended the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. The band -- with singer Peter Wolf -- was known for its deft, bluesy guitar work. After touring with the Byrds and the Allman Brothers, the band achieved its breakout success in the ’70s and early ’80s with the release of hit singles like “Must of Got Lost,” “Give It to Me” and “Love Stinks.”
“We were a rock, blues, R&B, rootsy band until we developed our own sound," Wolf told The Times in 1994. "[I]t's always cool to rediscover the masters like Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson. I still feel like a student-pilgrim."

But in 1982, its album “Freeze-Frame” was an even bigger smash on the strength of the hit single “Centerfold.” That track spent six weeks atop the pop charts in the U.S., with “Freeze-Frame” atop the album charts for four weeks. The band would go on to land 10 top-40 singles in its career.
The group recorded 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985. Though it occasionally reunited, Geils broke with the band when it toured under his name without him. The group was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

Trudy Lynn and Steve Krase Set Euro Tour Dates in May and June

Trudy Lynn and Steve Krase Set Euro Tour Dates in May and June

HOUSTON, TX – Connor Ray Music artists Trudy Lynn and Steve Krase announce a series of European dates that will take the blues singer and harmonica player to Germany, France, Spain and Norway on a two-week tour during May and June. Lynn and Krase will perform at a combination of outdoor festivals, concert halls and showcase venues that will give blues fans a chance to hear the two artists up close and personal. They’ll be  performing songs from Lynn’s current CD, I’ll Sing the Blues for You, which helped garner her a Blues Music Award nomination for Best Traditional Blues Female Performer (aka the Koko Taylor Award) as well as  Krase’s new album, Should’ve Seen It Coming, which is set for release on April 21. Both artists make special guest appearances on each other’s new albums.

"I’m looking forward to bringing my new music to all my fans over there,” exclaims Trudy Lynn about the upcoming shows. Adds Steve Krase: “Excited to give the European fans a taste of Houston Blues! Watch out!"

On I’ll Sing the Blues for You, Trudy Lynn showcases 10 tracks dripping with blues, soul and R&B, and includes her unique takes on songs from Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulsom, Memphis Minnie and Johnny Copeland, among others, as well as the funky original, “Thru Chasin’ You.  It is Trudy’s 12^th solo album and her third release on the Connor Ray Music label, following up on 2014’s Royal Oaks Blues Café, which hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart; and 2015’s Everything Comes with A Price, which spent four months on the Living Blues Radio Chart. Trudy is a six-time Blues Music Award nominee and was inducted into the Houston Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Blues harmonica ace Steve Krase lays it all out on his new album, Should’ve Seen It Coming, which also includes special guest appearances from guitarists Mark May and Bob Lanza. Krase is well-known as the harmonica player behind Trudy Lynn’s three incredible blues albums on Connor Ray Music. To those in the know, Krase is a powerhouse in his own right as a performer, whose high energy shows are legendary around the Houston scene. Krase has been recognized in multiple categories over the years by the esteemed Houston Press Music Awards in several categories, and most recently -and perhaps most suitably - in 2016 as “Best Player.” Steve was also a semi-finalist at the recent 2017 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Trudy Lynn – Steve Krase 2017 European Tour Dates

May 18                                 Eutin, Germany                                                BluesFest

May 19                 Le Thor, France                                                                 Sonograf

May 20                 Tournon D’ Agenais, France                                        Blues Station

May 23                 Lleida, Spain                                                                       Café Del Teatre

May 24                 Valencia, Spain                                                                  16 Toneladas

May 25                 Zaragoza, Spain                                                                 Las Armas

May 26                 Santiago, Spain                                                                 Outdoor Event

May 27                 Pilona, Spain                                                                      AMC Pepe Bocanegra

May 28                 Santander, Spain                                                              Summum

May 29                 Seville, Spain                                                                      Sala X

May 30                 Estepona, Spain                                                                Louie Louie

May 31                 Bejar, Spain                                                                        La Alquitara

June 1                   Madrid, Spain                                                                    Clamores

June 3                   Heringsvaer, Norway                                                     Codstock Festival

Trudy Lynn photo credit: Ron Fontenot; Steve Krase photo credit: June Juarez

www.connorraymusic.com                                                         

New Release - Monster Mike Welch & Mike Ledbetter "Right Place, Right Time"

Monster Mike Welch & Mike Ledbetter "Right Place, Right Time" With Special Guest: Laura Chavez With over 25 years under his belt, Boston-based blues guitarist Monster Mike Welch is handily considered a seasoned veteran of the international blues scene at just a mere 37 years old. Adorned with the nickname “Monster Mike” by actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd at the tender age of 13, Welch has since carved out a successful living as a highly accomplished and in-demand guitarist. To date, Welch has released six albums under his own name and in 2001, he joined the ranks of one of New England’s most beloved blues institutions, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones. In addition, Welch has performed and recorded with Duke Robillard, Nick Moss, Johnny Winter, Darrell Nulisch and more recently, the Knickerbocker All-Stars, which has featured among others, Jimmie Vaughan and the aforementioned Robillard. No stranger to the Delta Groove family, Welch also appears on recordings by the Mannish Boys, Sugaray Rayford and the Igor Prado Band, as well as playing a central role in the critically acclaimed album, Fifty Shades of Blue, by Anthony Geraci and the Boston Blues All Stars. Welch has received two consecutive Blues Music Award nominations by the Blues Foundation for Instrumentalist-Guitar beginning in 2016. Chicago's own Mike Ledbetter has had nothing short of a rich and multi-dimensional musical journey thus far. Before making a home in West Side Chicago and Memphis style blues, Ledbetter set his feet in various genres ranging from soul, gospel, pop, jazz, and even spent the better part of a decade performing on Chicago opera stages. Spending eight years under the tutelage of his mentor, Nick Moss, Ledbetter recorded and toured the world with Moss as his lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. In this short time, he has made more than a lasting impression and developed a legion of fans. He's also worked with and earned the respect of many of his heroes and influences (Anson Funderburgh, Barrelhouse Chuck, Billy Flynn, Curtis Salgado, Jimmy Johnson, Lazy Lester, Ronnie Earl) as a member of the new school of blues/soul musician whose style is cemented in its Golden Era. On Sunday, June 12, 2016, Welch and Ledbetter took part in a special tribute to the legendary Otis Rush at the 33rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival. The chemistry between these two was so instantaneous and such a natural fit, that it became readily apparent that an album together must soon follow. Right Place, Right Time is the result of this inspired collaboration, born out of a mutual love and respect for the classic blues era of the ‘50s and ‘60s and artists such as Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Elmore James and B.B. King. Accompanying Welch and Ledbetter is an all-star cast featuring pianist/organist Anthony Geraci, bassist Ronnie James Weber and drummer Marty Richards, along with special guests Laura Chavez on guitar and saxophonists Doug James and Sax Gordon. For Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter this album is not just about being in the right place at the right time, but knowing what to do with it when you find yourselves there. “Welch is becoming an all-around guitar master…” – Living Blues Magazine “An ass-kicking, axe-picking bluesman with a wide range of mood and colour.” – Mojo (UK) “…Michael Ledbetter is an inventive and charismatic singer. One vocal note uttered by him and he has got the audience in the palm of his hands.” – Chicago Blues Guide “(Michael Ledbetter’s) operatic training has given his voice a tone and timber that is unmatched.” – Blues Blast Magazine LEARN MORE MONSTER MIKE WELCH & MIKE LEDBETTER - TOUR DATES: 05/10/17: Memphis, TN – The Warehouse “Big Llou’s 5th Annual Blues Hall of Fame Tribute Show” 05/11/17: Memphis, TN – Blues Music Awards 05/12/17: Memphis, TN – Hard Rock Café “Pay It Forward Fundraiser for HART” 05/12/17: Memphis, TN – B.B. King’s Memphis “Bobby Blue Bland Tribute Show” 05/13/17: Clarksdale, MS – Ground Zero “5th Annual Pinetop Boogie and Crawfish Boil” 05/20/17: Dana Point, CA – 20th Annual Doheny Blues Festival 08/12/17: Gloucester, MA – Gloucester Blues Festival 08/27/17: Edmonton, Canada – Edmonton Blues Festival (with Anthony Geraci’s Boston Blues All-Stars) 09/07/17: Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender 09/08/17: Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender 09/09/17: Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender 09/10/17: Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender RECENT RELEASES FROM DELTA GROOVE MITCH KASHMAR “West Coast Toast” Featuring: Junior Watson, Fred Kaplan, Bill Stuve & Marty Dodson “What you have with West Coast Toast is a keeper of a recording that you’re going to want to place next to all your favorites. It’ll grow consistently on you with each listen and you’ll easily feel it belongs among the best go-to discs in your collection. Hands down, Mitch Kashmar has created a remarkable album that is sure to stand the test of time.”  – Cascade Blues Association “This one hits right from the git go…” – Mark Thompson / Blues Music Magazine “…Californian Kashmar bursts out…drawing intensity out of original material about women and drink as skillfully as anyone emoting through Marine Bands today.”  – Downbeat “This toast goes out to Mitch Kashmar and company for making an album that sits comfortably next to the finest recordings ever made on the west coast or anywhere else for that matter. West Coast Toast receives my highest recommendation and is an obvious contender for BLUES JUNCTION album of the year.”  – David Mac / BLUES JUNCTION Productions LEARN MORE JOHN LONG "STAND YOUR GROUND" Featuring: Fred Kaplan, Bill Stuve and Washington Rucker "Long doesn't sample the old country blues; he inhabits it." - All Music Guide "John Long is a NATIONAL TREASURE."  - Al Blake / Hollywood Blue Flames “If you wanted to make an argument for reincarnation, John is it.” – Zach Zunis LEARN MORE BIG JON ATKINSON & BOB CORRITORE “House Party at Big Jon's” With Guests: Willie Buck, Alabama Mike,Dave Riley, Tomcat Courtney & more! “Nobody gets it done better than Bob Corritore.” – No Depression "Big Jon is truly the future of the blues.” – Kim Wilson LEARN MORE

Lauren Mitchell - Desire - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Desire, from Lauren Mitchell and it's a fine blend of rock, blues and soul. Opening with I Don't Need Nobody, a light R&B number, Lauren Mitchell is backed by Jim Pugh on keys, Reggie mcBride on bass, Tony braunagel on drums with Darrell Leonard on trumpet, Joe Sublett on sax and Johnny Lee Schell, Josh Sklair and Jose Ramirez on guitar. Pop track with a jazz edge, Soul Music allows Mitchell to show off her vocal skills with Maxanne Lewis, Kudisan Kai, Leslie Smith and Mellodye Perry on smooth backing vocals. Title track, Desire, has a warm country soul feel with deep rich vocals. Steve Fister is featured on slide guitar giving the track a crisp edge. McBride lays down a real nice bass line on Jump Into My Fire with a cool R&B style. Bluesy guitar riffs and sassy vocals give this track real traction. With a basic gospel structure, Good To Me As I Am To You, is an excellent track. Pugh's piano work and super horn work on top of soulful vocals by Mitchell make this the absolute best track on the release. Another track with strong R&B appeal is Feels So Good. Mitchell shows strong vocal richness and with a snappy drum riff and super backing vocals, this track floats. Hi stepper, I Ain't Been (Licked Yet) has real spunk with a tight bottom and punchy horns. Mitchell does a great call and answer with Lewis, Kai, Smith and Perry and a clean guitar solo makes this another tight track. Anti-Love Song is another stand out with a great bass riffs and great vocal style. Nicely woven instrumentals by Braunagel, Pugh and McBride make this another of my favorites on the release. Shuffle track, Bridge Of My Dreams, has a great swing. With tight backing vocals and super bluesy guitar riffs, and a slick piano solo by Pugh, Mitchell really hits the mark on this one. Wrapping the release is a plucky, R&B track, Brown Liquor with it's driving secondary rhythm. Mitchell sings this track like she knows a little about the stuff and uses it as a great closer for a real solid 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”

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Johnny Mastro & Mama's Boys - Never Trust The Living - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Never Trust The Living, from Johnny Mastro & Mama's Boys and it's really good! Opening with early blues style rocker, Snake Doctor, Johnny Mastro is really digging in the wood pile and coming up with a great sound. On vocal and harp, Mastro sounds like the early British bands with hooded vocals and pace and Smoke isn't called Smoke for nothing. His guitar is on fire with an extremely fat slide guitar sound. Excellent! Whiskey has a super Texas style lope and Mastro's vocals and harp are spot on. With a driving guitar rhythm backed by Dean Zucchero on bass and Rob Lee on drums, this is a great sound. Smoke really has his sound dialed in on the intro on Judgement Day, a lumbering blues rocker. On the clean channel he again breaks loos with a frenzy giving this track even more kick and Mastro's harp work adds a strong blues flavor. Monkey Man has strong Chicago roots but again with incredibly fat guitar tones giving the track a great dirty feel. Mastro's vocals are tight and his harp work soulful and cool. Slow and clean is how they deal on Don't Believe with just the right sensitivity by Mastro on vocal and his harp really sings. Smoke plays ultra clean jazz like guitar chords showing a totally different side of the band. On House Of The Rising Sun, Mastro takes the melody on harp and after a somber intro, the band is in blues jam mode with Lee and Zucchero kicking it bringing out the heads up rockin feel of the band. Very nice! On Walking, another Chicago style number, Mastro still has a lot of the characteristics of the early British blues bands and I got to tell you...I love it! Smoke hits the slide hard and Mastro sails on harp. Very cool. On title track, Never Trust The Living, Smoke lays down a gritty boogie riff and Mastro rides high on the wave on vocal and blues harp. Great sound. Driving blues, Bucksnort Annie is a kick ass track with an early rock n roll feel. Smoke sets a super rhythm and Mastro delivers on lead vocal but it's Smoke that "smokes" this track with a hot hot solo and mastro wraps it with a solo of his own. This release is relentless! Slowing down the pace on Freddie King's The Sad Night Owl, Mastro plays an extremely soulful melody on harp. Really nice. Wrapping the release is Indrid Cold, another driving blues rocker with heavy dirt. mastro plays a low fret solo on guitar and then the band breaks into a frenzy with Mastro playing a wild harp solo before returning to driving blues rock to conclusion. This is an album with vitality that I haven't heard in a long time. These guys have a sound of their own and I hope they keep doing it!

  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”

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Provogue Records artist: Ronnie Baker Brooks - Times Have Changed - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Times Have Changed, by Ronnie Baker Brooks and it's terrific! Opening with Joe Tex number, Show Me, Ronnie Baker Brooks (on vocal and guitar) is kicking ass and taking names right out of the chute featuring Steve Cropper on guitar, Steve Jordan on drums, Willie Weeks on bass, Felix Cavaliere on Hammond, Ben Cauley on trumpet, Lonniie McMillan on tenor sax and Jack Hale Sr on trombone. Big Head Todd sits in on Doing Too Much, a cool blue rocker with Leroy Hodges on bass, Charles Hodges on Hammond and Turner on piano. Recently passed and sorely missed, Lonine Brooks, sits in on Twine Time, a cool, sixties style surf rocker. Rapper, Al Kapone  sits in on traditional blues style track, Times Have Changed, with Weeks setting a great bass line and Brooks' solid vocals and guitar riffs. The addition of Jessie Munson and Wen-Yih Yu on violin, Beth Luscome and Jennifer Puckett on viola, and Mark Wallace and Jonathan Kirkscey on cello add a refined note to the short Kapone rap. Curtis Mayfield's Give me Your Love, a cool jazz infused soul track featuring Angie Stone on vocal has a true Mayfield smoothness. Robert Cray track, Old Love has great style and featuring Bobby Blue Bland on vocal and his own stylistic guitar work makes this a true favorite. On high stepper, Wham Bam Thank You Sam, Brooks really struts with cool vocals, great guitar accents, a solid bass line from Hodges and super R&B style horns. Very cool. Closing the release is When I Was We, featuring Hubby Turner on piano supporting Brooks' warm vocals.

Very nice conclusion to an exceptional 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”

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Provogue Records artist:Eric Gales - Middle Of The Road - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Middle of the Road from Eric Gales and it may be my favorite yet! Opening with revival style track, Good Time, Eric Gales is really upbeat with Aaron Haggerty on drums, Dylon Wiggins on B3 and LoDonna Gales on backing vocals. Bringing down the heat with reggae rhythmed blues number, Change In Me with a super bass line under fiery lead guitar riffs. Very cool. Carry Yourself is a nicely stylized radio blues track with a solid melody, cool vocals and crisp lead guitar. With it's jazzy bottom, Boogie Man bops along with soulful blues guitar riffs giving the track an almost Johnny Guitar feel. Very cool! Been So Long again has a bit of a reggae beat but with scorching guitar riffs and super bass lines under Gales always solid vocals. Very nice. Help Yourself follows a cool acoustic blues format but building into electric guitar riffs. Gales' tone both on rhythm and lead are super and his riffs are hot but not overplayed. On I Can't be Deceived lets the dog off the leash a bit more with scorching lead soloing and cool backing vocals. On funky, Repetition, Gales creates a dark sound with a nice bass line and Maxwell Drummey adds mellotron to backing vocals assembling the perfect bottom for his lead vocal and electrified guitar lead. Super! Another track with a super groove is I Don't Know with another rumbling bass line, super rhythm guitar, tight drums, nicely blended backing vocals and really cool lead work. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Swamp!, with more of a upbeat, almost jazz influenced, southern rock feel. I really like this release and think it is among his best works to date.




  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”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE