Bman's Blues Report

Luther Dickinson Born:  Western Tennessee January 18, 1973 Genre Style:  Rock Blues Luther Dickinson is an incredible guitarist, singer, and producer who really channelled the spirit of the Deep South when he co-founded the North Mississippi Allstars. Growing up as the son of the legendary Memphis producer and musician Jim Dickinson, music was practically in Luther's DNA. He spent his formative years soaking up the raw, hypnotic hill country blues vibe directly from local icons like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. In 1996, he and his brother Cody hitched up to form the Allstars, blending those old-school acoustic blues traditions with a heavy dose of psychedelic rock, jam-band energy, and funk. They instantly shook up the roots music scene, landing multiple Grammy nods and turning their live shows into legendary, high-octane celebrations. Outside of the Allstars, Luther has been all over the rock and roots world as a go-to collaborator. He spent a killer four...

ALBUM REVIEW Ron Vincent - Ray's Hat Trick Label: Origin Records Released: October 23, 2026 DR: TBD R on Vincent is a seasoned veteran of the New York jazz scene, widely respected for his smooth feel and tasteful control behind the kit. A Rhode Island native, he started carving out his musical path at the Berklee College of Music back in the early seventies. After graduating, he hit the highway to pay his dues across the country, spending a few formative years gigging around Kansas City before making the definitive move to New York in 1982. He quickly became a go-to sideman in the city's competitive club circuit, eventually tracking on roughly one hundred records alongside jazz royalty like Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, and Art Farmer.  Vincent’s profile jumped to the next level in 1989 when he locked down the drum chair for the legendary baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. He spent seven years anchoring both Mulligan's ...

ALBUM REVIEW Gerry Hundt Trio - One More For Me Label: Steady Groove Music Released: September 18, 2026 DR: TBD G erry Hundt is a total musical shape-shifter who’s been tearing up the Chicago and Midwest blues circuits for over twenty years. Most blues fans first caught wind of him back when he was the secret weapon in Nick Moss & The Flip Tops, touring hard and proving he could play pretty much anything with strings or keys—switching seamlessly between guitar, harmonica, bass, and Hammond organ. He’s got a massive respect for old-school acoustic styles and post-war electric grooves, which even scored him a couple of Blues Music Award nods for his crazy good mandolin playing. These days, he’s running things out of Northwest Indiana, putting out raw, unpolished roots music on his own terms under his Steady Groove Music label.  Add this Record to Your Collection Available in CD and Digi...

Special Video The New Orleand Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jass Band The Skip James was easily one of the most haunting, brilliant, and uniquely eerie figures in the entire history of the Delta blues. Born near Bentonia, Mississippi in 1902, he didn't sound like anyone else of his era. While other bluesmen were stomping their feet and playing driving rhythms, James was casting musical spells. He tuned his guitar to a moody, minor-key open D, picked the strings with a lightning-fast three-finger technique, and sang in a ghostly, high-pitched falsetto that could give you chills. In 1931, he recorded a handful of absolute masterpieces like "Devil Got My Woman" and "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues." But bad luck struck hard: the Great Depression hit right as his records dropped, sales tanked, and a frustrated James walked away from music entirely. For the next 30 years, he lived a completely quiet life, working in lumber camps, doing some bo...

ALBUM REVIEW Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band - What's Next? Label: RussAnixter.com Released: August 7, 2026 DR: TBD R uss Anixter's Hippie Big Band isn't your standard, straight-laced jazz ensemble. It’s an unconventional, hard-grooving 11-piece New York collective that takes the wild, improvisational freedom of late-1960s counterculture rock and smashes it together with the sophisticated horn charts of large-ensemble jazz. Formed in 2019, the band treats classic tracks from the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Little Feat, and Miles Davis like raw canvases—stretching them out with massive horn arrangements, unexpected rhythmic shifts, and plenty of room for heavy jamming. The group keeps a tight, dedicated lineup of killer musicians who are regulars in New York’s elite studio, Broadway, and jazz circles. The whole project is the brainchild of veteran arranger, orchestrator, and trombonist Russ Anixter. Russ grew up ...