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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blue Muse, from Music Maker Relief Foundation. This cd will accompany a photography book of the same name by Tim Duffy coming out on March 28th. Opening with an acoustic jam, The Grotto Sessions, featuring Simon Arcache on guitar, Dr. Burt, Ironing Board Sam, Etta baker, Captain Luke, Rufus McKenzie, Alabama Slim and Guitar Gabe on vocal, plus a sea of others this is raw and adventurous. Taj Mahal is up next on John Hurt's Spike Drivers Blues with his distinctive vocal and guitar styling. Very nice. Eddie Tigner is up next on vocal and piano with a great boogie, Route 66 with Matt Sickles on bass, Ron Logsdon on drums, Paul Lindon on harp and with really nice guitar runs by Felix Reyes. Excellent! No question that my favorite track on the release is Robert Finley's Age Don't Mean A Thing, the title track from the spectacular release of the same name. Dom Flemons' Polly Put The Kettle On is a great country blues with Flemons on lead vocal and harp, Ben Hunter on fiddle, Guy Davis on guitar and Joe Seamons on backing vocals. With great vocal style Algia Mae Hinton is featured on acoustic guitar and vocal performing Snap Your Fingers. Raw and pounding, I Am The Lightning, is a great track. With Willie farmer on vocal and guitar, Will Sexton on mellotron, Mark Stuart on bass, and George Sluppick on drums, this track is hot. Sweet Valentine features the beautifully harmonized vocals of Martha Spencer and Kelley Breiding, both who contribute acoustic guitar. Very nice. Eric Clapton pairs with Tim Duffy for some real fine finger picked acoustic blues on Mississippi Blues. Guitar Gabriel's solo, Landlord Blues, is the polished edge of raw blues with solid vocals and cool guitar work. Very cool. Dripping in southern gospel, The Branchettes sing I Know I've Been Changes totally acapella. Powerful. Wrapping the release is Something Within Me featuring Theotis Taylor on vocal and piano in a very nice spiritual track with plenty of soul. This really is a super release with plenty of diverse flavor for all to savor.
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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I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Red Dirt Boogie by Jesse Ed Davis newly released by Real Gone Music and it's a real nice slice of early 70's rock. Davis was on the who's who list of musicians with Clapton, Leon, George Harrison, Taj Mahal, the Dominoes, you name it. This release opens with Every Night Is Saturday Night from his self titled solo release. With it's communal party feel, it could easily be a part of the Mad Dogs with it's driving drum beat, New Orleans style trumpet and clarinet. Red Dirt Boogie has the swampy sound of Dr John and the vocal styling of Leon Russell. Further On Down The Road was co written by Taj Mahal and it definitely has his flavor (Think Ain't Gwine To Whistle Dixie). Davis sets up some of his best vocals on the release and has solid warm backing vocals Merry Clayton, Gloria Jones and Bobby Jones as wekk as sweet sax by Jerry Jumonvlle. Reno Street Incident has influences of both Mahal and Leon and is a strong track also from his first solo release. George Harrison's Sue Me Sue You Blues has great feel and a taste of Davis' slide work. Taj Mahal's take on Statesboro Blues featuring Davis on slide was influential on Duane Allman and his own take on the track. Another track with strong Leon features is You Belladonna You of course featuring Leon on piano. Excellent! Leon Russell's Alcatraz is great sounding so much like Leon's band...with a twist. Great! Another terrific track is My Captain with spiritual overtones featuring Jesse on vocal, slide guitar and Leon on piano. Wrapping the release is unreleased Kiowa Teepee which certainly features a vibrant Clapton on guitar. This is a cool release that warrants a solid listen.
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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DVD and Blu-ray Accompanying 2-CD Set Features 90
Minutes Of Live Concert Footage
Alongside An In-Depth Interview With Cray And His
Band, and Testimonials From Legends
Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Jimmie
Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt
New York, NY --- Open ears and an open mind are the essence
of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray, whose career spans from the
roots of the blues to the pinnacles of rock, from the 80s to this moment. He
grew up listening to the gospel of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Bobby
Bland's soul, Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar and the Beatles pop sounds. Those
influences and the signature sound Cray has imprinted on modern popular music
are brought together in the Robert Cray Band's double CD and video package 4
Nights of 40 Years Live.
The set will be available in a variety of formats - 2
LPs with digital download card, 2 CDs + DVD, Blu-Ray + 2 CDs and digitally. 4
Nights of 40 Years Live will be released August 28 on the Netherlands-based
Mascot Label Group.
The first CD is fresh, live recordings from four nights
recently recorded at four venues in the LA area. With his current band
--longtime bassist, collaborator and friend Richard Cousins, keyboardist Dover
Weinberg (who was in Cray's first band) and drummer Les Falconer (O'Jays, Keb
'Mo) – Cray fronts a group that is solid, seasoned and vital. The playing is in
the moment, and the sound is singular.
The thirteen cuts are selected from the Cray Band's
recording library of 20 releases. Among them are rock radio favorites
“Bad Influence” and “Right Next Door (Because of Me),” the soul searing “Love
Gone to Waste,” and “These Things,” a bluesy ballad that features one of Cray's
string-bending and mind-blowing guitar solos. The live CD is the fourth
Cray Band release produced by Steve Jordan, who plays drums on several cuts.
Also guesting are vocalist Kim Wilson and harmonica player Lee Oskar, tenor
saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, trumpeter Steve Madaio and saxophonist Tom Scott.
The bonus CD is a revealing glimpse of Cray's early career
and the promise of a future that would reward fans for decades. Selected
from the band's set at the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and a 1987
appearance on the Dutch TV Show “Countdown,” the music captures the band's
youthful presence and its ability to revive the blues without abandoning it.
Included are favorites from the Cray's Band 80s set lists; “Smoking Gun”
and “Too Many Cooks.”
The 94 minute video in 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a Cray
Band convergence. Coming together are a mesmerizing blend of clips from the San
Francisco Blues Festival, the Dutch TV show and the four concerts featured on
the first CD. Between clips Cray comments on the band's history and his
personal philosophy of music. There is also behind the scenes footage of
the band collaborating with producer Jordan. And putting the Cray Band in
perspective are interviews with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt,
Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy each giving their personal response to the music
and the man.
It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four
decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, extraordinary. The group has
won five Grammy Awards, put 15 studio albums on the Billboard Charts, sold
millions of records and toured the globe, playing clubs, concert halls,
festivals and large arenas. Whether opening for John Lee Hooker or Eric
Clapton, the band has captured audiences with music that is original, a sound
that is distinctively rootsy and a performance style that keeps fans flocking
back to see the Robert Cray Band headlining. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a
testament to the band's past success and proof that the Robert Cray Band is as
live as ever.
The track listing of 4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE
features on Disc One: "Shiver," "I'll Always Remember You,"
"Poor Johnny," "Won't Be Coming Home," "On The Road
Down," "Sittin' On Top Of The World," "Wrap It Up,"
"Love Gone To Waste," "Bad Influence," "These
Things," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "The Forecast
(Calls For Pain)," and "Time Makes Two." Disc Two presents
"I Guess I Showed Her," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me),"
"Smoking Gun," "Still Around," "Too Many Cooks,"
and "T-Bone Shuffle." For detail on the DVD track listing
visit: http://mascotlabelgroup.com/www.robertcray.com/
Robert Cray begins the North American leg of his global
tour on July 30 in Paso Robles, CA at the California Mid-State Fair.
Confirmed appearances include:
7/30 Paso Robles,
CA
California Mid-State Fair
7/31 Agoura Hills,
CA
The Canyon
8/01 Stateline,
NV
Harrah's Lake Tahoe
8/02 Mammoth Lakes,
CA
Mammoth Lake Festival of Beers
8/04 Roseburg,
OR
Music on the Half Shell
8/08 Lebanon, OR
Guitar Under The Stars (Cheadle Lake Park)
8/09 Snoqualmie,
WA
Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom
8/11 Boise,
ID
Egyptian Theatre
8/13 Breckenridge,
CO
Riverwalk Center
8/15 Boulder,
CO
Chautauqua Auditorium
8/16 Deadwood,
SD
Deadwood Mountain Hotel & Casino
8/18 Apple Valley, MN
Weesner Family Amphitheater @ MN Zoo
Audio Fidelity To Release B.B. King
& Eric Clapton “Riding With The King” On Limited Edition Numbered Hybrid
SACD
Two Masters Produce a Contemporary Blues
Gem!
Camarillo, CA - In honor of the recent
passing of blues guitar legend B.B. King, Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity
will be releasing B.B. King & Eric Clapton “Riding With The King” on Limited
Hybrid SACD. This SACD should satisfy fans of King, Clapton and blues purists
alike. “Riding With The King” was Eric Clapton's and B.B. King's first
collaborative recording and it went on to win the 2000 Grammy Award for Best
Traditional Blues Album. The album reached #1 on Billboard's Top Blues
Albums.
They first performed together in 1967 when
Clapton was 22 and a member of Cream. Clapton looked up to King and had always
wanted to make an album with him. At the time of recording Clapton was 55 and
King 74. Clapton arranged the session using many of his
regular musicians, picked the songs, and co-produced with his partner Simon
Climie. While this would appear to be a Clapton album recorded with King,
Clapton gave King center-stage.
The set list includes lots of
vintage King specialties, “Ten Long Years,” “Three O'Clock Blues,” “Days of
Old,” “When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer,” as well as standards like “Hold On
I'm Coming” and “Come Rain or Come Shine,” with some specially written and
appropriate new material. King takes Clapton deeper into blues territory than he
has ever gone alone and these two artists play the blues with conviction. There
may never be another album that links the Delta Blues to modern rock with such
style, grace, enthusiasm, and honesty.
Tracks
1 Riding With the King
2 Ten Long Years
3 Key to the Highway
4 Marry You
5 Three O'Clock Blues
6 Help the Poor
7 I Wanna Be
8 Worried Life Blues
9 Days of Old
10 When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer
11 Hold On, I'm Coming
12 Come Rain or Come Shine
Produced by Eric Clapton, Simon Climie
Mastered by Steve Hoffman at Stephen Marsh
Mastering
Cream Albums To Be Re-Released In Full 180gm
Heavyweight Vinyl Boxed-Set
May 18th On USM
USM are pleased to announce the release of the
band's complete studio and live albums between 1966 - 1972.
Cream were a
1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack
Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was
characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock,
combining psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack
Bruce's operatice voice and prominent bass playing and Ginger Baker's
jazz-influenced drumming.
Cream's music included songs based on
traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as
"Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew",
"Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Their third album (included in this set),
Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double
album.
The full set includes "Fresh Cream" (1LP), "Disraeli
Gears" (1LP), "Wheels Of Fire" (2LP), "Goodbye" (1LP), and live albums "Live
Cream" (1LP), and "Live Cream Volume II" (1LP).
Bonnie Bramlett is at full throttle and the vocal engine that propelled her into musical history books is as fine-tuned as ever.
Bonnie was born in Alton, Illinois, and grew up in East St. Louis. At 14, she was allowed to sing on Gaslight Square, a St. Louis nightclub area much like the French Quarter in New Orleans. She was groomed by the best - Jazz greats Stan Getz, The Quartet Tres Bien, Herbie Mann, Miles Davis, and Nat and Cannonball Adderly gave her a musical foundation par excellence. But it was her love for rhythm and blues that brought her to the attention of Albert King and Little Milton. She made musical history as the first white Ikette for Ike and Tina Turner.
When she expanded her career and moved to Los Angeles in 1967, she met Delaney Bramlett and married him seven days later. Delaney & Bonnie & Friends shared the stage with "Friends" that included Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, George Harrison, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, Gram Parsons and John Lennon to name just a few. A complete list of collaborations both in songwriting and performance reads like a history of Rock and Roll. Delaney & Bonnie released five outstanding albums, their first recording being "Home" on Stax Records. Hit singles such as "Soul Shake," "Never Ending Song of Love," and "Only You Know & I Know" kept them on the charts. The duo broke up personally and professionally in 1973. Bonnnie's songwriting credits include "Superstar" (nominated for a Grammy in 1972), and "Give Peace a Chance," both co-written with Leon Russell.
Bonnie then moved to Georgia and embarked upon a solo career. She enlisted a little known backup band from Scotland, The Average White Band. On the Southern Rock label, Capricorn, she issued solo LP's in 1974, 1976, and 1978. Bonnie was also the number one "gotta have" backup singer on albums by Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Gregg Allman, Little Feat, Jimmy Hall, Steve Cropper, Jimmy Buffett and Dwight Yoakam, just to name a few. Her harmonizing with Delbert McClinton in the 1980's launched the award-winning "Givin' it Up for Your Love" that has become a rock standard.
After touring with Stephen Stills, Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman invited her on the Allman Brothers tour, and she became known as the only "Allman Sister" to the acclaimed Southern rock group.
Bonnie returned to LA in the 1980s. A chance to act lured her into a guest role on the TV series "Fame", followed by a role in Oliver Stone's film, "The Doors," with Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan and Billy Idol. While working with Tom Arnold on a theater production, Roseanne Barr asked Bonnie to be on her #1 Hit TV series "Roseanne" as Bonnie Watkins, her fellow waitress at the Mall. 1991-92 proved to be a fun two years, with David Crosby appearing as her husband and an outstanding episode of backyard singing of "You've Really got a Hold on Me" that capped her appearances on the popular show. She also appeared on stage in the musical, "Cowboy Café."
Bonnie moved to Idaho with her family to write and regroup and then in 1999, she moved to Nashville, TN. She signed with Corlew Music Group and Blue Hat Records released the critically acclaimed "I'm Still The Same" in 2001. Jerry Wexler stated, "Her vocals are stunning in every respect; intonation on the money; dynamics intense; phasing lyrical and logical, and above all, burning with the feeling that we have come to recognize as deep soul."
In 2005, Bonnie signed with Zoho Records. George W. Harris reviews her March 2006 release, "Roots, Blues & Jazz":
"Some artists change with the times. Others simply refuse to grow. Praise God for the queen of 'hazel eyed soul', Ms. Bonnie Bramlett, for sticking to her guns for all of these years… this rousing disc… puts to shame every wanna be female rocker. There is nothing like a lady who roars like a female lion, and means it.
Backed by a burning "Mr. Groove Band", Ms. Bramlett growls, shouts and wails with abandon only dreamed of by the present crop of youthful darlings. In complete contrast to today's whiney and whispering groaners, Bramlett lays down the law with authority on the soul jazz classic "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". She takes Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" and breathes fire into this anthem. Even Chuck Berry's ironic 50's teenage anthem of angst, "No Particular Place To Go" is given a hilarious rendition, with a completely modernized and rearranged groove.
With her world weary voice, Bramlett's ode to enduring the turmoil of the '60s "I Can Laugh about it Now," leaves the listener wondering whether to applaud or console the winner of the attrition that betook her peers. This is the sound of a lady that has lived through it all, and still has a smile on her face. Defiant, brash and brazen, Ms. Bramlett still has a few lessons to teach the innocents abroad and at home. This CD will clean out the clogs in your ears caused by synthetic sounds like a musical Drano."
In addition to touring, writing and the new CD, Bonnie participated in the 25 year cast reunion for the Roseanne Show on Larry King Live. She also completed shooting her role in an Touchstone movie "The Guardian" featuring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. The film was released in the fall of 2006.
Bonnie's latest album, "Beautiful" on the Rockin' Camel label, keeps the standards right up there with another engaging mix of American roots music, delivered with customary musicality and passion.
"I am a singer who writes songs," Bonnie says. But she is really much more: a musical legend, a national treasure and a classic beauty of a rocker in every sense of the word.
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”
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born 19 August 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image Ltd.
Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson during his days with Duke Ellington). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as "Rock's first superstar drummer", he prefers being called a jazz drummer. Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham, Peter Criss, Bill Ward, Ian Paice, Nick Mason, and John Bonham. AllMusic has described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s" and stated that "virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker's playing."
While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer, he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the five minute drum solo "Toad" from Cream's debut album Fresh Cream (1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam, a drum rudiment in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound. Baker gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation and then as a member of the rock band Cream from 1966 until they disbanded in 1968. He later joined the group Blind Faith. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion rock group Ginger Baker's Air Force.
Baker formed and recorded with Ginger Baker's Energy and was involved in collaborations with Bill Laswell, jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, and pioneering afro beat musician Fela Kuti. He was also member of Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster and Public Image Ltd.. In 1994 he formed The Ginger Baker Trio and joined the bassist known as Googe in Masters of Reality formed by producer, singer and guitarist Chris Goss.
Baker sat in for Kuti, during recording sessions in 1971 and these were released by Regal Zonophone as Live! (Fela Kuti album) (1971)' Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious (1972) alongside Bobby Gass,a pseudonym for Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group. Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976.
In 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus, yielding the top-ten hit "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)".
In 1994 Baker joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the lineup of Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore. On 3 May 2005, Baker was reunited with Eric Clapton and Bruce for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005), In a Rolling Stone article written in 2009, Bruce is quoted as saying: "It's a knife-edge thing between me and Ginger. Nowadays, we're happily co-existing in different continents [Bruce lives in Britain, Baker in South Africa]...although I was thinking of asking him to move. He's still a bit too close."
In 2008 a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding him of almost one-half million Rand ($60,000). The bank clerk claimed that it was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Not so, insisted Baker, who explained, "I've a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It's there and she doesn't know it's there."
Baker's biography Hellraiser was published in 2009 If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
Winwood was just a teenager when he rocketed into the international spotlight as the prodigious singer of the Spencer Davis Group (which also featured his brother Muff on bass). The blues and R&B-influenced rock of “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m a Man” stood among the leading hits at the peak of the British Invasion, Winwood’s singing drawing comparisons to that of his idol Ray Charles - despite his tender age. Looking for a wider artistic palette, in 1967 he headed to the countryside with friends Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason, forging the collective spirit into Traffic, producing some of the most inventive and durable works of the psychedelic-tinged late-”60s.
In 1969 he and Clapton, having worked together briefly in the short-lived Powerhouse project, formed Blind Faith with Clapton’s Cream-mate, drummer Ginger Baker, and bass player Rick Grech, though the “supergroup” lasted just one acclaimed album and tour. Intending to mix English folk styles along with jazz and rock, Winwood started work on what was meant as his first solo album, but ultimately enlisted Capaldi and Wood in a reconvened Traffic for the landmark John Barleycorn Must Die album. An expanded Traffic lineup (including African percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah) went on to make two of the most arresting albums of the early ’70s in The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory, expanding on the jazz and world music elements. A scaled-back line-up brought the Traffic era to a close with 1974’s When the Eagle Flies. With 1977’s Steve Winwood, a rich solo career launched in earnest. Arc of a Diver (1980) featured the hit “While You See a Chance”, and subsequent solo albums Talking Back to the Night (1982), Back in the High Life (1986), and Roll With It (1988) produced era-defining songs including “Valerie,” “Higher Love,” “Back in the High Life,” and “Roll With It."
Following 1990’s Refugees of the Heart, Winwood and Capaldi reunited as Traffic for the 1994 Far From Home album and tour, the latter documented in the CD/DVD release The Last Great Traffic Jam. In 1997, Winwood teamed with producer Narada Michael Walden for Junction 7. In 2003 the critically acclaimed About Time was released which saw Winwood returning to the free-flowing spirit of some of his most enduring music. The 2008 follow up titled Nine Lives saw Winwood gain one of his highest billboard chart entries.
Currently, Winwood can still be found touring, predominantly keeping himself to the US and Europe but, most recently he has completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Steely Dan. When he's not touring with his own band Winwood is still regularly collaborating with ex Blind Faith band mate Eric Clapton. Having completed a landmark 3 night stand at Madison Square Gardens in New York in 2008 they have subsequently gone on to tour the wider US, Europe and now Japan.
Along the way, Winwood has also collaborated with and accompanied musicians from around the globe, including Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland), Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, James Brown, Muddy Waters, Toots & the Maytals, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, salsa greats Tito Puente and the Fania All Stars, Japanese innovator Stomu Yamashta and African percussionist Remi Kabaka, just to name a handful of dozens. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
BLUES HARMONICA ICON JAMES COTTON TO JOIN ERIC CLAPTON, KEITH RICHARDS AND OTHERS IN A TRIBUTE TO HUBERT SUMLIN AT NEW YORK'S APOLLO THEATER
Blues harmonica master James Cotton will join Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland and many other musicians live at New York's famed Apollo Theater to pay tribute to the late guitarist Hubert Sumlin. The event will take place on Friday, February 24 and is a benefit for the Jazz Foundation Of America.
Other artists scheduled to appear are Doyle Bramhall II, Gary Clark, Jr., Billy Flynn, Barrelhouse Chuck Goering, David Johansen, Steve Jordan, Danny Kortchmar, Dr. John, Keb Mo, Todd Mohr, Ivan Neville, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Larry Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Jimmie Vaughan, Jimmy Vivino, Willie Weeks, Jody Williams, Kim Wilson and special surprise guests.
Cotton's latest CD is the Grammy Award-nominated Giant.
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The Yardbirds, one of the early British purveyors of American blues music done in a contemporary fashion has a distinction of being the band that fostered the careers of three of the modern blues greatest guitar players, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Eric Clapton working numerous bands including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream with jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, Blindfaith with the addition of Steve Winwood and Ric Gretch replacing Bruce, Delaney and Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos, a band formed without the fame of the Clapton name and with featured guest Duane Allman and of course his own self named band. Jeff Beck had the Jeff Beck Group with undiscovered Rod Stewart (who was to headline the original Woodstock Festival (until Jeff decided it wasn't worth the trip), a second formation of the band with Max Middleton and Bobby Tench, Beck, Bogart and Appice formed with the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge and then various band members formed under his own name. Jimmy Page of course took what was left of the Yardbirds and the tunes they had been working on and formed super group Led Zep. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I will not relay senseless nonsense. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here
The Yardbirds, one of the early British purveyors of American blues music done in a contemporary fashion has a distinction of being the band that fostered the careers of three of the modern blues greatest guitar players, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Eric Clapton working numerous bands including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream with jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, Blindfaith with the addition of Steve Winwood and Ric Gretch replacing Bruce, Delaney and Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos, a band formed without the fame of the Clapton name and with featured guest Duane Allman and of course his own self named band. Jeff Beck had the Jeff Beck Group with undiscovered Rod Stewart (who was to headline the original Woodstock Festival (until Jeff decided it wasn't worth the trip), a second formation of the band with Max Middleton and Bobby Tench, Beck, Bogart and Appice formed with the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge and then various band members formed under his own name. Jimmy Page of course took what was left of the Yardbirds and the tunes they had been working on and formed super group Led Zep.
This is a nice little documentary showing the Yardbirds history. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I use Facebook to spread the word about my blog. I will not hit you with 50 posts a day. I will not relay senseless nonsense. I use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on my blog each day. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. (born November 21, 1940), better known by the stage name Dr. John (also Dr. John Creaux), is an American singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.
Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider prominence in the early 1970s with a wildly theatrical stage show inspired by medicine shows, Mardi Gras costumes and voodoo ceremonies. Rebennack has recorded over 20 albums and in 1973 scored a top-20 hit with the jaunty funk-flavored "Right Place, Wrong Time," still perhaps his best-known song.
The winner of five Grammy awards, Rebennack was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend on Monday, March 14, 2011.
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Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining the psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's voice and blues bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. Cream are widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup. In their career, they sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Cream's biggest hits were "I Feel Free" (UK, #11), "Sunshine of Your Love" (US, #5), "White Room" (US, #6), "Crossroads" (US, #28), and "Badge" (UK, #18).
Cream made a significant impact upon the popular music of the time, and, along with Jimi Hendrix, they popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. The band's live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush, jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Phish and heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.
Cream was ranked #16 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Rolling Stone named them the sixty-sixth greatest artist of all time. In 2010 VH1 also ranked them #61 on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE
Otis Rush is a tremendously underrated bluesman.... check it out!
Otis Rush (born April 29, 1935 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes. With similar qualities to Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and became an influence on many musicians including Michael Bloomfield and Eric Clapton.
Rush is left-handed and, unlike many other left-handed guitarists, plays a left-handed instrument strung upside-down with the low E string at the bottom. He played often with the little finger of his pick hand curled under the low E for positioning. It is widely believed that this contributes to his distinctive sound. Other guitarists who restrung upside down include Albert King, Doyle Bramhall II, and Dick Dale. He has a wide-ranging, powerful tenor voice. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock,combining the psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's voice and blues bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. Cream is widely regarded as being the world's first notable and successful supergroup. In over two years, they sold over 35 million albums.
Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Cream's biggest hits were "I Feel Free" (UK, #11), "Sunshine of Your Love" (US, #5), "White Room" (US, #6), "Crossroads" (US, #28), and "Badge" (UK, #18).[
Cream made a significant impact upon the popular music of the time, and along with Jimi Hendrix, they popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. The band's live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush, jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Phish and heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.
Cream was ranked #16 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Rolling Stone named them the sixty-sixth greatest artist of all time. In 2010 VH1 also ranked them #61 on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE
This is a particularly good job by Eric or I wouldn't post it.
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.
In the mid sixties, Clapton left the Yardbirds to play blues with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. In his one-year stay with Mayall, Clapton gained the nickname "Slowhand", and graffiti in London declared "Clapton is God." Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton formed with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, the power trio, Cream, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop." For most of the seventies, Clapton's output bore the influence of the mellow style of J.J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley. His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped gain reggae a mass market. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded by Derek and the Dominos, and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded by Cream. A recipient of seventeen Grammy Awards, in 2004 Clapton was awarded a CBE for services to music. In 1998 Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.
Eric's current lead guitar player... Doyle Bramhall II.
Doyle Bramhall II was raised in a home filled with the blues and rock and roll sounds that are indigenous to his birthplace - Austin, Texas. His father, Doyle Bramhall Senior, was the drummer for blues legend Lightning Hopkins and a regular collaborator with Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. When Doyle was 16 years old, he toured as second guitarist with Jimmy Vaughan's band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Shortly thereafter he and fellow Texan, Charlie Sexton, co-founded the rock band Arc Angels. Doyle and Charlie enlisted the rhythm section from Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band, Double Trouble, to complete the lineup. The group enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. Following the release of "Jellycream," Doyle's 1999 RCA debut recording, he received phone calls from both Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Doyle ended up joining Roger Waters for a summer tour while Clapton, along with fellow blues great B.B. King, chose two of Doyle's songs - "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" - for their collaborative recording entitled "Riding With The King." Upon completion of the "Riding..." project, Doyle, his wife - Susannah Melvoin, and Clapton co-wrote and performed "Superman Inside" for Clapton's album, "Reptile." Doyle's playing is also heavily featured on the album. The latest offering from Doyle Bramhall II, entitled - "Welcome" - is the purest sampling of Doyle's talents to date. Doyle entered the studio with Smokestack, the band he put together a couple of years ago, and co-producers Benmont Tench and Jim Scott to record the 12 - song set. Joining Doyle in Smokestack is J.J. Johnson on drums and bassist Chris Bruce. Susannah Melvoin contributed background vocals, Benmont Tench pulled keyboard duty and Craig Ross played second guitar. The album, "Welcome" showcases the diversity of Bramhall's talent; from his songwriting to his intense, soulful vocals and virtuoso guitar playing. Doyle's gravity explosion can be readily heard on such tracks as the driving "Green Light Girl" and the uptempo "Soul Shaker." His dedication to the blues can be felt on tracks like "Life," "So You Want It To Rain" and "Send Some Love." Doyle and his band are set to open for Eric Clapton on the first leg of a worldwide tour this year.
Yup...another one (Eric Clapton workhorse)...check the unplugged sessions for a quick glimpse
Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Wales ) is a Welsh guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. He was a founding member of 1960s British pop band, Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
Albert Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his finger-style and hybrid picking technique.Albert grew up in Blackheath, London. His father was a musician, and Albert studied piano, taking up the instrument at age seven.[1] During this time, he became a fan of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. He took up guitar in 1958 when his parents bought him a second-hand Höfner President which he later traded in for a Czechoslovakian Grazioso, the forerunner of the Futurama. Albert left school at the age of 16 to play full-time.
Everybody knows Eric Clapton but how about the guys who have been his lead guitar players? Now that's not to say Eric can't play...he's great! But he's always had great support. Here's one of the guys in the background... George Terry.
George Terry is an American blues rock and rock and roll guitarist most known for his live and studio work with Eric Clapton during the 1970s and studio work with a long list of artists. Prior to joining Clapton's band, George was already a well-known South Florida guitarist and session musician and had played with several notable bands including "GAME" who released two albums in 1970 and 1971. George was the featured lead guitarist, bassist, and writer of several tunes on both.
Coming from a studio background, Terry was hired by Eric Clapton for the recording the 461 Ocean Boulevard album. It was Terry who intriduced Clapton to Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" which became a huge success for Clapton. Clapton recorded three of Terry's songs, "Mainline Florida", "Lay Down Sally", "Don't Blame Me". Terry was a member of Clapton's studio and touring band until 1979 when it was dissolved.
Terry's song "What'll I Do" with the Bellamy Brothers received heavy radio airplay. Terry released a solo album in 2004, entitled Guitar Drive.
