VOTE NOW for BLUES MUSIC AWARDS!

Final Week!!! VOTE NOW for BLUES MUSIC AWARDS!   OUR NOMINEES...   Ann Rabson w/Bob Margolin / Not Alone - Acoustic Blues Album Bob Margolin- Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year Phantom Blues Band - Blues Band of the Year Tony Braunagel (Phantom Blues Band, Robert Cray Band) - Drums Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band) - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Diunna Greenleaf (Vizzable Music Artist) - Koko Taylor Award          Click the CD to listen or buy at VizzTone.com   ;-)   Voting ends at 07:59:59 (CST) Friday, March 1, 2013! Blues Foundation members can vote HERE. If you're not yet a Blues Foundation member or you need to renew your membership You can do that HERE before you vote.   The 34th Blues Music Awards will be Thursday May 9, 2013 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.  It's the biggest night in the Blues, and we hope to see you there!!!     Goodbye to Ann Rabson   Our dear friend, Blues Legend Ann Rabson passed on January 30. Beloved by many around the world, Ann was known for her 25 years with Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women, as well as her solo projects.  She was also known for her exceptionally good humor, big heart and generosity of spirit.  She will be deeply missed.     VizzTone is proud to present Ann's recent CD Not Alone with Bob Margolin.    From Bob:      "Ann is one of my closest friends. In 2012 Ann's health told us we should not wait to record together. This recording seemed blessed, every plan and song right. Last April Ann recorded some of her best Blues ever and was exhilarated from it. My guitar was the frame around Ann's masterpiece. We gigged together as much as she could in 2012. Ann loved to play Blues onstage more than anyone. Last Sunday, we had a bittersweet musical memorial for Ann in Fredericksburg, VA, where she lived — smiles, tears and music. Sirius Radio's Bill Wax was there and told me that her CD will be moving UP from #3 Sirius "Pick to Click" this week. The Blues World is appreciating Ann Rabson and we are all Not Alone."   From Ann's Family:      We are asking that donations in Ann's memory be made to your local humane society or animal shelter, or to the Pinetop Perkins Foundation to support scholarships for music education.  Please specify Ann Rabson in the "In Memory Of" box on the donation page.  Also promise us that you will keep the blues alive by supporting your local blues society and the national Blues Foundation.  Support blues music by going out to listen to live music or by attending blues music camps such as Blues Week in Elkins, WV, Centrum, or Fur Peace Ranch .      Basically what we're saying is: Play music and think often and fondly of our dear mother/wife by living the life you sing about in your songs.     VizzTone proudly welcomes the James Montgomery Band!     NEW ON VIZZTONE / OPEN E ENTERTAINMENT - CLICK ON THE CD COVER TO CHECK IT OUT!   The VizzTone label group is proud to welcome the James Montgomery Band, and their new CD - FROM DETROIT TO THE DELTA - featuring special guests Johnny Winter, James Cotton, Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer, the Uptown Horns, and seminal rapper DMC!   While growing up in Detroit, James Montgomery learned first-hand from the masters — James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells. Over the years, he’s carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of its most dynamic performers. In the late 60s James moved to Boston and formed the James Montgomery Band.  Incredibly energetic live shows placed them among the hottest acts in New England alongside the J. Geils Band and the budding Aerosmith (who opened two shows for the Montgomery Band), and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn Records.  Since that time, James has recorded eight albums. His releases have hit the Billboard Top Ten and included members of the David Letterman Band, the Uptown Horns, producer Allen Toussaint and other luminaries. James spent four years playing with Johnny Winter, and recorded on his Grammy-nominated “Bluesman” CD.  He has also recorded with Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker. James has toured with many major artists, including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and others, and performed onstage with B.B.King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Laverne Baker, and Peter Wolf among many others, including an impromptu session with Mick Jagger at New York’s “Trax”. FROM DETROIT TO THE DELTA finds James and his great band once again in the company of well-known friends: Johnny Winter plays some blazing slide guitar, James Cotton joins James in a lowdown country blues, Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford power up a couple tracks, the Uptown Horns add their special flavor, and rapper DMC (Run DMC) takes “Who Do You Love” to a whole new place.   mmm, mmm, mmMemphis!   We had SUCH a good time in Memphis during IBC week!  It was so great to see so many friends and VizzTone family members, old and new, and the VizzTone Blues Party on Beale was a HUGE success!  DAVE GROSS and GINA SICILIA were amazing as hosts and house band for the night, and what a pleasure it was to witness killer performances from Dave, Gina, Big Bill Morganfield, Bob Corritore, Austin Young, Long Tall Deb, Big Llou Johnson, Greg Nagy, Dennis Gruenling, Tony Braunagel, T. Blade, Janiva Magness, Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, Phil Pemberton, Doug Woolverton, Clay Swafford, Scissormen, Dave Keller, Gracie Curran, Tom Papadatos, Matt Raymond, and more!!!   Memphis was also the perfect backdrop for signing up VizzTone's newest family members - Austin Young and Long Tall Deb!  And yes, we managed to keep the BBQ sauce off the paperwork!              Congratulations to this year's KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE Award recipient in the field of journalism... BOB MARGOLIN! Bob's eBook is available in the iTunes Store, also on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble & Sony   Unfortunately Bob couldn't join us in Memphis to blow the roof off the Rum Boogie or accept his KBA award - he's been a little bit busy.  Vizztone's Richard Rosenblatt was glad to accept Bob's KBA in Journalism on his behalf (even though he refused to wear the Chicken Suit that Bob had requested.)  Much of Bob's award-winning Blues writing can be found in his e-Book "Steady Rollin' — Blues Stories, Snapshots, (Intentional) Blues Fiction."  As Rosy was quick to point out in his acceptance remarks, "Intentional" fiction marks the delicate distinction between "storytelling" and "lying."  ;-) So what has Bob been doing?  Well, he's been on the Blues At The Crossroads tour, with Kim Wilson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Cotton, Jody Williams and Tinsley Ellis ... so I guess we'll give him a pass from Memphis this time.           Mitch Woods on Voice Of America Mitch Woods has been getting a tremendous response to Blues Beyond Borders, his CD/DVD chronicle of his triumphant tour of the Republic of Turkey.  Voice Of America Radio recently broadcast a great interview, in which Mitch talks about his travels as well as his influences and beginnings in the gumbo of New Orleans music and Boogie-Woogie piano.  Click HERE for the VOA article and interview, or click HERE to check out the music!             EG Kight - Songwriting Georgia Songbird   The Georgia Songbird has been busy!  EG Kight just got back from Isla Mujeres, a little island in Mexico, where she and some hit songwriters from Nashville performed to raise funds of the Little Yellow School House, a small school on the island for special needs children.  She also performed a concert for Isla Animals, an animal shelter on the island.   One of EG's primary passions has always been songwriting — she wrote her first song when she was sixteen years old. Through the years her songs have helped her express her views on life, love and heartache, and her songwriting savvy has led to invitations to teach songwriting workshops in Italy and Germany. Kight has been honored with six Blues Music Awards nominations, twice for Song of the Year, and she was nominated for two 2012 Blues Blast awards, for Female Artist and for Song of the Year. One of Kight's original compositions won the People’s Choice Award in an international Peace Song Challenge, and that song was used on the Children’s Miracle Network. She has also appeared on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion”, and an original song from her segment was re-broadcast on the Listener’s Choice Program.  Kight has had some of her songs recorded by several artists across the genres. She wrote songs that landed on two of Koko Taylor’s Grammy nominated albums, and one of her songs aired on Nick at Nite. She continues to write relevant songs, and currently has songs on albums that have been nominated for 2013 Blues Music Awards. She co-wrote "No Time For The Blues", which appears on Ann Rabson w/Bob Margolin's NOT ALONE album, and her "Let The Healing Begin" can be found on Dorothy Moore's BLUES HEART album. These albums were nominated for Acoustic Album and Soul Blues Album, respectively.  Her song "Bad Girl" also appears on Shakura S'Aida's TIME album. Shakura has been nominated for a BMA for Contemporary Blues Female Artist.     Greg Nagy Won't Give Up!   Greg Nagy debuted his deeply moving new single, "I Won't Give Up" at the VizzTone Blues Party in Memphis.  In case you weren't there to dig it in person, you can check it out on iTunes by clicking HERE or on the Artwork to the left! Greg has been busy performing, writing, and recording... and there has been some talk of a duo recording with VizzTone label mate EG Kight!  Stay tuned on that one... and just in case you missed Greg's soulful Big O/VizzTone release FELL TOWARD NONE, you can hear it by clicking HERE, or on the CD cover to the Right!   Dennis and Doug at 2:22 A.M.   Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones have been tearing it up on the radio charts and on the road with featured harmonica badass Dennis Gruenling, in support of their new CDs.  Here they are playing a killer slow blues from Dennis's album, called "2:22 A.M."  Harmonica aficionados will note that he's playing a diatonic Bb harp, and that this is a full two hours and thirty-seven minutes later than Little Walter's "Quarter to Twelve"!   ;-) Click the pic to see the video   Getting Social with Amy Brat     SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT: Gina Sicilia FACEBOOK: Are you a fan yet?  Gina Sicilia's Music Page is heading towards 14,000 fans on Facebook! If you haven't "LIKED" her Music Page please go check it out!  It's where you'll get the most up-to-date info on where Gina is and what she's doing.  You'll be privy to Gina's new song lyrics, travels, events, photos and videos from the road and a whole lot more.  You can also hang with Gina on Twitter, YouTube, and ReverbNation.   LIVE INTERNET SHOW: If you haven't had the opportunity to see Gina Sicilia perform, here's a chance for you to see Gina's show live from the comfort of your own home!  Get your ticket for Gina's LIVE acoustic internet show on StageIt airing at 8pm ET March 1st!  There is no set ticket price so just pay whatever you want or can.  Now how easy is that!?  Only a limited number of fans can view so claim your spot now!  Click HERE to purchase your (name your price) ticket!   GINA SICILIA'S NEW CD: If you've spent any time on Facebook or Twitter recently then you probably know Gina Sicilia has a new CD in the works.  Gina just wrapped up a very successful Indiegogo campaign for her soon to be released "It Wasn't Real" which is due out April 30, 2013 with the VizzTone label group, produced by Grammy Award-Winning Producer Glenn Barratt in Philadelphia. Gina strongly feels this new CD is her best work and I agree!   VIDEO PREVIEW: Click HERE (or on the cover) for a peek at the 4 song CD Preview of It Wasn't Real!   ARRIVEDERCI! Gina will be performing in Southern Italy! Watch her Facebook Page for details and photos. She is touring heavily throughout the US so please check her schedule to see when she will be at a venue or festival near you!  You can find Gina Sicilia's 2013 schedule here on the Gina Sicilia website.

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