Brad Wilson has been in the business of the Blues, Country Blues, and Blues Rock for quite a while now and perhaps more than anyone else, he has shown nothing but an undying dedication, commitment, and love of those genres. This dedication, commitment, and love are what you will find first and foremost in Brad Wilson's album, "Blues Alive".
"Blues Alive" consists of 11 Tracks, all recorded live in Los Angeles at the world famous Blues Club Cozy's, of which 7 are covers. This of course can make or break an Artist, but it doesn't seem to faze Brad whom burns through them with an intensity and expertise that shows he has learned his craft well with 30+ years of musicianship under his belt.
From I'm Tore Down to Born Under A Bad Sign, and from Pride And Joy to Sweet Home Chicago, Brad doesn't miss a beat doing nothing less then paying homage to the greats that originally wrote the songs and doing so in a fashion that would make them proud.
4 of the tracks on "Blues Alive" are written by Brad and are titled Last Call, I'm Still Breathin', Somethin' Goin' On and All Kinds of a Fool. These four tracks comprise a good mix of Soulful Blues, (Last Call and I'm Still Breathin') and straight ahead Blues/Rock, (Somethin' Goin' On and All Kinds of a Fool), with my personal favorite being Somethin' Goin' On. All these four tracks show off another side of Brad and that is his ability to not only play a mean guitar, but to also write solid and very catchy songs.
Behind every great Artist there is of course the rest of the amazing musicians that bring it all together. This album is absolutely no different in that regard and include the following:
Keys - Kirk Nelson, Sax - Joe Robb, Bass - Oscar Huguet, and Drums - Thaxter Daggs
I have always loved live albums, ever since first hearing Frampton Come Alive!, and I especially love those that make you feel that you are sitting right there in the audience, with everyone else, Brad Wilson's "Blues Alive" gives you exactly that feeling.
Whether this is your first introduction to Brad Wilson or if you have been following him for years, "Blues Alive" is must have CD and a testament to what happens when you truly believe in and love what you doing.
Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Blues CD Review - Brad Wilson "Blues Alive"
Catfish Keith - finger picker
See the full interview here
I started playing in the mid 1970's. I was born in East Chicago, Indiana, in 1962. When I was six or so my family moved to Davenport, Iowa. That's where I grew up, mostly. None of the other kids at school were into what I was; you may remember this was the era of disco and heavy metal, nobody I knew was really into blues or folk music. I was always fascinated by acoustic finger-style guitar. I just loved the sound of it! Artists such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and especially Leo Kottke and John Fahey fuelled my interest in early blues, ragtime, and all kinds of roots music styles. When I discovered Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Blake, Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Barbecue Bob, Charlie Patton, Bukka White and so many others, a great treasure trove of music was revealed... and I just went deeper and deeper into it. It is still very exciting to me how so much music and quirky, individual, improvisational delight can be made in the hands, voice and heart of one person.
Catfish Keith at The Pleasance, Edinburgh
Source and More Catfish Keith Here http://squeezemylemon.blogspot.com/2009/11/catfish-keith-finger-picker.html
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Simply The Blues And A Little More 6...
Now Available For Listening
Highlight Tracks From CD's Submitted To The Blues Underground Network... Great Stuff... Present Playlist features music by Bullfrog Brown, Davis Coen, Hills and Lemelin, The CSL Jr. Band, and Maloya Blues Sensation Malouz
Listen Here: http://8tracks.com/bluesunderground007/simply-the-blues-and-a-little-more-6
Enjoy
To Submit Your CD For Consideration, Click Here
Tantramarsh Blues Society Winter Blues Lineup
Dear All,
We have a wonderful lineup of blues for you this winter at George's:
The Joe Murphy and the Waterstreet Blues Band, Friday January 15, 9 PM
Joe Murphy is a maritime blues legend who has held court at My Father's Mustache for nearly 20 years. Joe is touring to support his brand new album "She Moves Me", which features the harmonica playing of Montreal's traditionalist par excellence, Bharat Rajajumar. He brings with him a crack band and an ability to keep the room hopping all night long with a warm energy that is as much Chicago as it is Halifax. For more on Joe and band, please visit: http://www.bluestube.com/joemurphy/index.php?fpageid=002&ftargetjoemurphy
The Lil Dave Thompson Band (Mississippi), Saturday, Feb. 6, 9 PM
A fourth generation bluesman from Mississippi, Dave has the soulful accessible sound of a Robert Cray, and the greasy down-home burn that comes from playing the jukes in the backcountry. Dave will be out touring to support his album, Deep in the Night, on the Canadian label Electro-fi Records, which Living Blues calls one of the last traditional blues recording labels in the world. This show will be part of the Black History Month celebrations as well as part of the Town's Winter Carnival. For more on the band and label, please see: http://www.lildavethompson.com/ and http://www.electrofi.com/
The Debbie Davies Blues Band (Connecticut), Saturday, March 6, 9 PM
A member of the Albert Collins band who has recorded with such greats as John Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite, and Ike Turner, Debbie is an established member of the upper echelons of the contemporary blues world. Her guitarwork has been described in terms of a wand rather than an axe--melodious, inventive and magical. She will be touring with her crack band to support her brand new album Holdin' Court. For more on Debbie, please visit: http://www.debbiedavies.com/
Corey Harris with the 5x5 Band (Louisiana), Friday, April 9 PM
Corey Harris is a musical adventurer and master...he is as comfortable with all the blues styles as he is with reggae and West African styles of music, which is one of the many reasons why he was one of 27 recipients worldwide of the MacArthur genius grant (worth $500,000). Corey has just released an album on Telarc, blu.black, which is garnering much attention. This should be a great way to welcome Spring and end the academic year. For more on Corey, please visit: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Corey-Harris/
Please note that there will be no blues jam in December, though we plan to restart the jam in the new year...
Thanks again for all your support and we hope to see you at the shows...
Regards, the TBS Team http://www.mta.ca/tbs/
R.L. BURNSiDE: 1998 French TV Show
Originally Viewed Here: http://realdeepblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/rl-burnside-1998-french-tv-show.html
Saturday, November 21, 2009
SA Roots And Blues Podcast 106. Nov's edition of 'BLUES TIME'.
Opening Podcast 106 are Joe Filsiko and Eric Nodenfrom their new release “I.C. Special” which draws on American music from the 1920’s & 30’s. All 15 tunes were written by either Joe or Eric and each represents a different branch of American roots music.
Artist - Album - Track
1 Joe Filisko & Eric Noden - I.C. Special - Gridlock Blues.
2 Motor City Josh Forty Four - A Tribute To Howlin' Wolf - Forty Four.
3 Dallas Frasca - Not For Love Or Money - Break The Mould.
4 Stacia Petrie - Ruby Blues - Detroit Women.
5 Malcolm Holcombe - For The Mission Baby - Short Street Blues.
6 Seasick Steve – Man From Another Time - Big Green And Yeller.
7 Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'em What Your Name Is! - Gunpowder.
8 Darrell Nulisch just for you - You don't know me.
9 Eddie Hinton - Letters from Mississippi - Letters From Mississippi.
10 Victor Wainwright and The WildRoots - Beale st to the Bayou - Mighty Man.
11 The Streamliners - Signs - T Rex Blues.
12 Mick Kidd - These Old Shoes - Every hour every day.
13 Bondi Cigars - Universal Stew - Out of my head.
14 Ashley Cleveland - God Don't Never Change - You got to move.
15 Joe Louis Walker - Between A Rock And The Blues - If There's A Heaven.
http://www.sablues.org/sablues_podcasts/sablues_podcast106.mp3
Wood Stomp Blues Show 14: Hard Core Hill Country (November 1, 2009)
............In the latest show we feature some Hardcore Hill Country songs by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Raine Burnette, Johnny Woods, R.L Burnside, Garry and Cedric Burnside, Jesse Mae Hemphill, and Rosa Lee Hill. Could ya imagine all these legends in the same juke at the same time? Well get click'n on that mouse of yers and download an order of Stompin' In the Woods !!
We want yer blues, signed or unsigned, from your garage to ours you send 'em we'll play 'em.
Direct download: show14.mp3
In The Mailbox - CD's Recently Submitted To The Blues Underground Network
Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam"Coming Up For Air"
One of the season s most compelling debuts, ROLL AWAY finds Back Door Slam displaying its powers of what has been described as "Back To The Future Blues" on a diverse program of tough rockers, moving ballads and cleanly executed blues. Highlights include the guitar-driven opener Come Home, the dark Albert King-styled Heavy on My Mind, rock-funk groover Takes a Real Man, and the album s one cover song, the highly-charged Outside Woman Blues. Too Good for Me is a quiet, change-of-pace piece featuring mandolin and guitar; it is more folk than blues, more Bruce Springsteen than Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stay is a powerful paean to a fallen comrade (the band s original rhythm guitarist, Brian Garvey, killed in an auto accident in 2004), while the title song, a reflective, largely acoustic track with Celtic overtones, deals with a young man s love of his safe, idyllic home and his need to break away for the uncertainties of the world beyond.
Boasting some of the dirtiest blues you're likely to hear outside of Mississippi, Meantooth Grin's Debut album "before the devil knows you're dead" is a rare thing in a genre that is not so progressive these days.
Review Coming Soon....
New Buddy and Hopkins Strip For This Week
New Buddy and Hopkins Strip For This Week
Click here to view http://www.bluesundergroundnetwork.com/ near bottom of page.
Enjoy
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Feds Raid Gibson Guitar!
By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com Guide to Blues
Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service dropped by the Gibson Guitar manufacturing plant in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal sale and use of exotic imported woods. The feds served a search warrant on the factory, which produces Gibson-branded electric and acoustic guitars, but nobody is saying anything about what they might have been looking for, or if they removed anything from the premises.
At issue is the importing of hardwoods like rosewood and ebony from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil. Under the U.S. Lacey Act, the trade in exotic woods is a federal offense, punishable by civil and criminal penalties and/or the seizure of property. Here's where it all gets a bit dicey, however...although Gibson has led the industry in pushing for the use of sustainable wood products in the manufacture of musical instruments, the people on the other side of the supply chain aren't always following the same principles. Guitar manufacturers have not stopped using rosewood, ebony and other woods, but have been sourcing the wood from certified renewable suppliers.
By all accounts, Gibson has been extremely aware of environmental concerns in their use of exotic hardwoods. Along with fellow instrument manufacturers like Martin and Taylor, the company is a member of the MusicWood Coalition, formed by Greenpeace to combat the destructive harvest of hardwoods. Until the recent raid, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz sat on the board of the Rainforest Alliance (he has taken a "leave of absence" in the wake of the investigation). Gibson is a "chain of custody certified buyer," meaning that the wood products they're buying are supposed to be tracked from harvest to arrival in their factory. But unscrupulous suppliers could slip illegally-harvested wood into a shipment, and Gibson would be the one holding the bag and forced to forfeit the wood.
Gibson guitars have long been a staple of blues music, and a veritable "who's who" of blues and blues-rock musicians, from B.B. King, Albert King, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown to Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, have favored the company's instruments for their rich tone and playability.
Source with Links and Photo's here: http://blues.about.com/b/2009/11/19/feds-raid-gibson-guitar.htm
Calgary Blues News - Midwinter Bluesfest, Annual Holiday Sale & more!
The 3rd annual Midwinter Bluesfest features a full week of events and a headline roster of world-class artists such as Alvin Youngblood Hart, Keith Hallett Band, Carson Downey Band, Sonny Landreth Band & more.
to read more about the artists click here
to view the festival schedule click here
New! Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest Passes
Thursday, Friday & Saturday events $30/ea or pay $75 + GST for 3 Events!
CLICK HERE to buy now!
A full week of blues concerts, dance parties, workshops & more!
ANNUAL HOLIDAY SALE NOW ON!
Calgary International Blues Festival
August 5-8, 2010
Super-Earlybird Passes
(transferable)
$99 + GST
1st Headline Artist Announced!
We are pleased to announce the first of many headline artists for the 2010 Calgary Bluesfest.
Legendary singer David Clayton Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears fame will be making an appearance during the August festival!
4 days of the best in blues for one incredible price!
FINAL NOTES
It's with a heavy heart we say goodbye to our dear friend and champion of the blues, the Reverend Ron, who left us last Thursday, Nov. 12th.
The Rev's weekly program 'The Blues Witness' ran Wednesday nights on CJSW Radio for nearly two decades. Be sure to tune in to The Blues Witness at 90.9FM tonight (6:30-8pm) for a special tribute show.
The Reverend Ron was inducted into the CBMA Blues Hall of Fame in 2009 in honour of his enormous contributions.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
More Blues & Roots at The Silver Dollar Room
TORONTO`S PREMIER BLUES NIGHTCLUB & LIVE MUSIC VENUE
THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM
486 SPADINA AVE.(@COLLEGE ST.)
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
416-763-9139
http://www.silverdollarroom.com
Nothin`But The Best, Real Music Since 1958
JUST ANNOUNCED!!!!!
THE TERRY BLERSH BAND
DOCTOR NICK & THE ROLLER COASTERS
SATURDAY, NOV.21ST, 8PM, $12
Dinner reservations available at thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com doors at 6pm
http://www.terryblersh.com
http://wwwmyspace.com/doctornickandtherollarcoasters
THE RIZDALES
SWAMPERELLA
SATURDAY, NOV.28TH, 8PM, $10
Dinner reservations available at thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com doors at 6pm
http://www.therizdales.com
http://www.myspace.com/rizdales
http://www.swamperella.com
LUCKY PETERSON
SATURDAY, DEC.5TH, 8PM, $16adv. $18door
Advance tickets at the club or online at www.ticketpro.ca
Dinner reservations available at thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com doors at 6pm
MADAGASCAR SLIM
SATURDAY, DEC.12TH, 8PM, $12
Dinner reservations available at thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com doors at 6pm
Toronto Blues Society Christmas Party
http://www.madagascarslim.ca
http://www.torontobluessociety.com
THE TWISTERS
SATURDAY, JAN.16TH, 8PM $10adv. $12door
Advance tickets at the club or online at www.ticketpro.ca
Dinner reservations available at thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com doors at 6pm
http://www.twisters.ca
http://www.myspace.com/thetwistersband
Info coming soon on The Silver Dollar Room`s Big New Years Eve Blues Party with Fathead & Curley Bridges, stay tuned, you won`t want to miss it!!!!!!
Media Contact: Bluestime Productions 416-467-1453 gary_kendall@rogers.com
Thank Funk It`s Friday, The Ambassadors w/ Special Guests, The Silver Dollar Room, every Friday at 8pm
"Toronto`s Premier Blues Nightclub & Live Music Venue
THE SILVER DOLLAR ROOM
486 SPADINA AVE.(@ COLLEGE ST.)
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
416-763-9139
"Nothin` But The Best, Real Music Since 1958
THANK FUNK IT`S FRIDAY
THE AMBASSADORS
with special guests..............
Every Friday 8pm $5
dinner reservations available thesilverdollarroom@hotmail.com
doors open at 6pm, dine & dance
"The Ulitmate Afterwork Hang and Weekend Kickoff"
The Ambassadors are a live funk ensemble from Toronto, Canada collectively making music since 2008. Currently holding court at their popular weekly Friday funk workout 'Thank Funk It's Friday' at The Silver Dollar Room, The Ambassadors love laying down slabs of infectious, energetic dance-floor grooves drawing heavily from the 70's funk era. Their taste for their particular brand of hard, break-beat heavy funk is plenty evident in their main influences: James Brown, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Stevie Wonder, The New Mastersounds, Breakestra, Quantic Soul Orchestra, Manzel, Herbie Hancock and The Budos Band. The Ambassadors feature the talents of Joanne Morra (vocals), Voltaire Ramos (guitar), James Robinson (keys), Jeff Muir (bass), Doug Melville (drums), Karen Hack (percussion), Matthew Smithies (saxophone/flute), Ben Burke (sax) and Mark Jarvis (trumpet).
Visit them at www.myspace.com/ambassadorsfunk.
Special Guest Line Up:
Nov.20-Adam Beer-Colacin0 & The Joyful Sinners
Nov.27-Harbour Sharks
Dec.11-Jamesking
**The Ambassadors will not be appearing on Dec.4th**
Media Contact: Bluestime Productions 416-467-1453 gary_kendall@rogers.com
Delta Groove releases Stomp The Floor, the diverse new set from veteran guitar-slinger, Arthur Adams
“I love the spirit in your guitar playing,” B.B. King told Arthur Adams at the beginning of their long musical association and friendship. Deep soul and a life force blazing with intensity yet inherent sweetness radiate in layer upon layer of the talents and musical genres through which Adams weaves his magic. Singer, songwriter, guitar-slinger and dynamic performer, Adams’s diverse life experiences and musical history have merged and matured into a unique style that expresses universal emotions through a highly individual lens.
Arthur Adams entered the world on Christmas, 1940 in Medon, Tennessee, making his singing debut in church at the age of six. He started playing guitar on his front porch with a few chords his mother taught him — initially on a guitar his uncle had tuned to an arcane, barely-used scale. Adams copied songs he heard on the radio, adding licks as he toured Tennessee and Arkansas as a teenager in a short-lived gospel group. By 1959 he was playing in Nashville, where he joined tenor saxophonist Jimmy Beck’s band. They toured with Gene Allison , who was still coasting on his 1957 hit, “You Can Make It If You Try.” However, Allison ditched the band in Dallas following a dispute with a promoter. With customary resourcefulness, Adams remained in Dallas for several years, cutting some R & B singles and adding complex jazz melodies and rhythms to his prodigious guitar chops.
Simultaneously, since early adolescence Adams had been nurturing his natural song-writing talent, seeing the first pressings of his efforts emerge during the Nashville years. In 1961, Sam Cooke recorded his song, “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Me.”
Adams moved to Los Angeles in 1964. “I came out to play a few songs, some blues, some R & B and go home.” Instead, he became a sought-after session musician in a voraciously competitive work environment, quickly teaching himself to read sheet music while sitting among formally trained musicians. Adams’ horizons stretched to encompass an array of musical styles for movie and television soundtracks, and for musicians as diverse and demanding as Lowell Fulson, Henry Mancini, Nancy Wilson, Hugh Masekela and Jerry Garcia. He continued to record singles and write songs for top artists, including “Love and Peace,” recorded by Quincy Jones in 1969 on the Grammy-winning album, Walking in Space.
The ‘70s saw Adams’ first four albums, It’s Private Tonight, co-produced by Bonnie Raitt and Tommy Lipuma, followed by Home Brew, Midnight Serenade and I Love Love Love My Lady. During that era he also co-wrote “Truckload of Lovin” for Albert King. Adams continued to expand his musical vistas, in 1985 teaching himself to play bass in order to accompany Nina Simone on tour in England.
In 1991 Adams wrote two songs for B.B. King’s album, There is Always One More Time. There would be many more times, with King appearing on Adams’ 1999 CD, Back on Track, and Adams spending a decade as house bandleader at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Universal City, California.
Today, in large festivals and small clubs alike, Adams continues to blow away audiences as he walks among them, revving them up with soaring guitar solos and melting ‘em down with his liquid honey voice. Adams’ versatility, deep soulfulness and wide influences are distilled into a smooth but heady cocktail in the new Delta Groove release, Stomp the Floor. It is also the result of a long relationship with the label and its founder, Randy Chortkoff, whom he met before the birth of the label through their mutual passion for blues. (Adams’ musical presence graces a number of Delta Groove recordings, including the first Mitch Kashmar album. He also toured with The Mannish Boys.)
Adams says of Stomp the Floor, “I’ve done it exactly the way I feel it. It’s all me; not all traditional blues, not all R & B, not all jazz, but a little of all of it.” The way Adams feels and plays it is the spirit of a man born to express himself through music that has been forged and shaped by a lifetime of creative ingenuity, vast experience, and most of all, formidable talent.
Stomp The Floor e-Card http://www.deltagrooveproductions.com/music/releases/stompthefloor/ecard/
Critical Praise of Arthur Adams
“His vocalizing has a sweet, soulful quality ala Robert Cray or at times Bobby Bland. And his electric six string takes definite cues from his idol, B.B. King…” – All Music Guide
“Adams fortifies his distinctive, velvety voice with restrained emotional heat. He's strong enough to be gentle, and confident enough to sing from his heart…” – Chicago Reader
"Arthur Adams is one of those guns that lay in the weeds, and when the time is right - smack, he's got you cornered." - Blues On Stage
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Eight Maple Blues Award Nominations for The Maple Blues Revue
The Maple Blues Revue, is proud to announce representation in eight categories at Canada`s national Maple Blues Awards gala which takes place at The Royal Conservatory`s Koerner Hall in Toronto on Jan.18/2010.
John Mays is nominated for Male Vocalist of The Year, Michael Fonfara in the Piano/Keyboard Player of The Year category, the rhythm section of Tom Bona and Gary Kendall for drums and bass respectively and the entire horn section of Al Lerman, Pat Carey, Chris Whiteley and Chris Murphy are all nominated for Horn Player of The Year.
Voting for the MBA`s is open to the public and can be accessed at www.mapleblues.ca until noon on Dec.13/2009. The Maple Blues Revue released their first recording, Live at Twisted Pines on Preservation Music at the end of 2008. That recording is dedicated to the late, Jeff Healey and all profits are donated to his charity of choice, The Daisy Eye Cancer Research Fund.
THE MAPLE BLUES REVUE
http://www.maplebluesrevue.com
featuring: Chuck Jackson, Dawn Tyler Watson, John Mays & The Maple Blues Band
The Maple Blues Revue is a first rate Canadian Blues Show featuring three dynamic vocalists with an 8 piece band. All members of the Revue are multiple Maple Blues Award winners and nominees. They represent the cream of the crop in this country`s Blues elite, drawn from legendary acts like Downchild, Fathead, The Jack de Keyzer Band, The Whiteley Bros., The Johnny Max Band and Raoul & The Big Time.
The Maple Blues Revue has been honored with performances at The Ottawa Blues Fest, The Southside Shuffle, The Wasaga Beach Blues Fest, The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, Omaha`s Playing with Fire Festival, The Twisted Pines Music & Arts Festival and Festival International Du Blues De Tremblant to name a few. Recently The Maple Blues Revue released it`s debut recording, Live at Twisted Pines on the Preservation Music label.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Robert Johnson's Birthplace To Be Restored
By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com Guide to Blues
Monday November 16, 2009
There are a lot of little mysteries that surround the life of Delta blues legend Robert Johnson. The bluesman's final resting place, for instance, is claimed by three different gravesites with markers. The manner of Johnson's death provides another enigma; the generally-accepted story of his demise has the guitarist poisoned by a jealous girlfriend in 1938. Then there's that whole "meeting with the Devil at the crossroads" mythology that has kept blues music chooglin' along like a freight train since the 1930s.
One thing that is certain about Robert Johnson is his birthplace in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Johnson was born in a house built by his stepfather Charles Dodds, a furniture maker that was relatively prosperous for an African-American in the early 1900s. The house had a double-parlor, a long front porch, and a pump that allowed water to flow into the kitchen, a convenience unheard in most Southern homes of the era.
Copiah County, Mississippi officials are attempting to raise $250,000 to restore the 1500-square foot house, which had fallen into disrepair before coming into the county's ownership. They would like to create a museum in honor of Johnson as a way to attract tourist dollars to the area. Benefit concerts, including one featuring Grammy Award-winning pianist George Winston, have been scheduled to help raise funds for the restoration.
The wisdom of a Robert Johnson museum has to be questioned, however. Few artifacts from the musician's short life are known to exist, and only two photos of the blues legend have been unearthed: the first, known as the "studio portrait," was shot by Hooks Brothers Studios in Memphis, while the second is known as the "photo booth self-portrait," and was taken by Johnson himself. A third photo purporting to be Johnson has yet to be historically verified.
Still, Johnson's musical legacy remains one of the most important in the blues. As a singer, songwriter, and guitarist Johnson's music has influenced everybody from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Screenwriter Jimmy White, who wrote the Academy Award-winning film Ray, has been shopping a script on Johnson's life, and his songbook continues to remain among the most covered in modern music. Some 71 years after his mysterious death, the legend of Robert Johnson remains alive and well.
Source with Phot and Links Here: http://blues.about.com/b/2009/11/16/robert-johnsons-birthplace-to-be-restored.htm
In The Mailbox - Recent Arrivals Submitted To The Blues Underground Network
Bullfrog Brown"Moon and Central"
With the addition of Peter Piik on Bass, Bullfrog Brown has continued to grow into one of the finest and truest Blues Bands in the world, calling on what seems to be an inherit ability to show their love for the blues in a fashion that can only increase your love of the blues.
Bullfrog Brown's "Moon and Central", continues to show what commitment and passion can accomplish and offers us yet another fine example of blues played the way it was meant to be played, that being in a simple and clear manner, respectful of it's form and past.
A few years back I dubbed this band, “The new voice and sound of the old blues.” and through out their subsequent new releases, they have only managed to make that statement even more true.
Please do yourself a favor by buying this album, listening to it, and thoroughly enjoying it.
Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Charleston-based singer/guitarist Davis Coen dives deeper into the Mississippi Delta on his brand-new studio album Magnolia Land, a swingin' and deeply soulful 12-song collection recorded over the course of the last two years.
Coen has a strong reputation for being able to pull just about anything from his sizeable mixed bag of traditional blues songs — from lonesome and dusty country blues to urban/Chicago-styled stuff to hillbilly twang. Here, he sings and plays with focus and confidence, picking up where he left off with last year's charming and scruffy Blue Lights for Yours and Mine. He tracked this cool new stuff at Delta Recording Service in Como, Miss., with James "Jimbo" Mathus (of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Knockdown South) at the helm and on occasional bass and guitar.
It sounds like a full-band effort with drummer Darren Dortin and guest timekeeper Kinney Kimbrough laying down beats on every track. Other special guests include assist Justin Showah (of Afrissippi) and organist Lance Ashley. A few covers made it into the set, including Howlin' Wolf "Natchez Burning" and Muddy Waters' "You Gonna Miss Me." Coen's original tunes range in style from old-school boogie (the upbeat "Anna Ann" and "Eyes Like Diamonds") to funky juke-joint soul ("Wrong Side of Town" and the surprisingly romantic "Nothin' to Hold on To").
Coen states in a press release that this album is his first "to stray completely from my much-visited Piedmont acoustic guitar style ... for electrically charged arrangements rooted deeply in the musical environs present around the Hill Country and nearby Memphis." Capturing a healthy sample of that hilly vibe, he renders "Country Girl Blues" — one of several old traditionals on the album — convincingly with his salty, deep-note singing. When he sings, "She started leavin' early in the morning/Didn't get back until the break of day ... I didn't like that!" Davis sounds like some old, lonesome man on the porch scratchin' his head and sipping his bourbon, frustrated and heartsick. His waling slide guitar licks help paint the sad picture. Peppered with bad-ass Hammond B3 licks from Ashley, lead-off track "Tired and Lonesome" is among the many highlights of this impressive blues collection.
