Blind Pig nabs major blues awards!

"REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER," SHAWN HOLT AND THE TEARDROPS WIN MAJOR BLUES MUSIC AWARDS Remembering Little Walter, the live tribute to the blues harmonica genius, won two major Blues Music Awards  – “Traditional Blues Album of the Year” and “Album of the Year,” as announced by the Blues Foundation at their annual awards show on May 8th in Memphis. The recording, which features five of the top harmonica players in the field – Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman, received a Grammy nomination earlier this year for “Best Blues Album.” Musselwhite, who also won a BMA that evening for "Best Instrumentalist - Harmonica," said, "The best part about winning the awards for Remembering Little Walter is that Little Walter is honored for his huge contribution to blues so many years after his passing. He was my friend and a great inspiration to me. He gave me lots of encouragement when I was starting out in Chicago."  To watch Charlie performing a song from the Little Walter tribute CD show, please click HERE. "REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER":     CD INFO              iTUNES Hummel, who produced the album, said, "I'm so thrilled and shocked we won these two major awards!!  It was so wonderful to be able to record this as a tribute to the iconic genius of the harmonica, Little Walter Jacobs, whose sound I've been chasing for over 40 years!  Plus, to have two idols of mine on the CD who knew Walter well, Billy Boy & Musselwhite, makes it even more special. Top it off with James Harman & Sugar Ray, plus the best band money could buy backing everyone up and we have a CD I'm probably more proud of than anything in my career so far." Shawn Holt and the Teardrops won the Blues Music Award for “Best New Artist Debut” for their debut recording on Blind Pig Records – Daddy Told Me.  Shawn is the son of the late legendary bluesman Magic Slim.   Said Holt, “I want to thank everybody that gave me an opportunity to carry on my father’s great blues tradition and front one of the best blues bands of the last thirty years.  I want to thank my father for putting a guitar in my hands at 16 and insisting that I develop my own sound.   I also want to thank Michael Blakemore and Marty Salzman for their confidence in recognizing that we could carry on the unique Magic Slim sound and tradition and also put my own “Shawn Holt” trademark in the mix. Thanks also to Blind Pig Records and Piedmont Talent for getting us out there and giving us the opportunity to be heard, and to everyone who, in their recognition and appreciation that Magic Slim lives on, voted for us.” "DADDY TOLD ME":    CD INFO         iTUNES Two other artists associated with Blind Pig Records also received Blues Music Awards: John Nemeth, who came to national prominence with the release of his three albums on Blind Pig, was named the winner of the “Soul Blues Male Artist” award. "NAME THE DAY!":    CD INFO       iTUNES Victor Wainwright, a principal member of the critically acclaimed roots blues “supergroup” Southern Hospitality, won the prestigious “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player” award for the second year in a row. SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY    CD INFO      iTUNES Or, take advantage of our 5 CDs for $50 offer HERE. (Photos courtesy of Marilyn Stringer)

Grammy Nomination for "Remembering Little Walter"!

GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR "REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER" Blind Pig Records' Remembering Little Walter release received a Grammy nomination for "Best Blues Album," as announced Friday night by the Recording Academy.  The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles.   Remembering Little Walter is a tribute to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and blues icon Little Walter Jacobs from five of the greatest harmonica players currently on the blues scene - Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Mark Hummel, James Harman, and Sugar Ray Norcia. On this one-of-a-kind live harp showcase, each artist performs two tracks from Jacobs' discography, then they collaborate on a spirited, jamming finale of Walter's signature tune, "My Babe." Backing throughout is crisp and solid, featuring Little Charlie Baty, world renowned guitar slinger and former bandleader of Little Charlie and the Nightcats. The virtuosic Little Walter is without doubt one of the most influential blues harmonica players of all time. AllMusicGuide said, "The fiery harmonica wizard took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions that were unimaginable prior to his ascendancy. His daring instrumental innovations were so fresh, startling, and ahead of their time.  His influence remains inescapable to this day -- it's unlikely that a blues harpist exists on the face of this earth who doesn't worship Little Walter." Said Hummel, "Walter changed all the rules and raised the bar so high that nobody has yet surpassed him either in innovation or technical prowess.  Walter's original sides have become the holy grail all other harpers are still trying to aspire to."   Regarding the nomination, he said, "I was so proud of both the performances that everyone gave on this disc and the mixing that Kid Andersen accomplished that the Grammy nod was simply icing on an already delicious cake but tasty frosting it is! I can't express how happy I am for this great Blind Pig project." Two of the artists on the recording, Charlie Musselwhite and Billy Boy Arnold, actually knew and played with Little Walter. Charlie recalls that Walter "started phrasing on harmonica like a saxophone. This phrasing combined with his creativity and amplification really took harmonica playing to a whole new level that hadn't been heard before." Arnold adds, "He was miles ahead of all the other harp players on the scene. No one could touch him. He was creative, innovative, and spontaneous. Little Walter is still the top and most influential harp player that ever played." Musselwhite had this to say about the nomination, "It feels real good to be able to show Walter this respect. It's such a shame that he didn't live to see the respect he earned and get the payback he deserves, but at least now I hope with 'Remembering Little Walter' we can spread the word to more folks and help keep his contribution to blues alive. I can see Walter's smile now." Musselwhite and Arnold are joined here by three other harpists, each renowned in his own right. Producer Mark Hummel has toured and recorded with Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Charles Brown, Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Rogers and many other blues legends. James Harman has been a mainstay on the scene for forty years, having played with everyone from Canned Heat to ZZ Top. Sugar Ray Norcia is best known for his lengthy tenure with the acclaimed Roomful of Blues and with the Bluetones. Living Blues magazine said of the release, "With a veteran lineup like this and such rich source material to pull from, the live album sounds just as good as one would expect," while No Depression magazine called it "an unequaled evening of reed-bending ecstasy." To see a series of videos from the Little Walter tribute show, please visit the Blind Pig YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

New Sugar Ray Norcia "Remembering Little Walter" video

NEW SUGAR RAY NORCIA VIDEO FROM LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE - "UP THE LINE" Last December, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter. Blind Pig Records has released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - Sugar Ray Norcia's performance of Little Walter's "Up The Line," which also features a sterling guitar solo by Little Charlie Baty.   To watch the video, please click HERE. In addition to Little Charlie, Sugar Ray is accompanied by Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE.

New Sugar Ray Norcia video - Remembering Little Walter

SUGAR RAY NORCIA VIDEO FROM LITTLE WALTER TRIBUTE On December 6th, five of the finest harmonica players on the current blues scene - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman - gathered to pay tribute to harp virtuoso and innovator Little Walter Jacobs.  All are featured on the tribute recording entitled Remembering Little Walter. Blind Pig Records has released another in a series of videos from that memorable evening - Sugar Ray Norcia's performance of Little Walter's "Mean Old World."  To watch the video, please click HERE. Sugar Ray is accompanied by Little Charlie Baty on guitar, Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on upright bass. To hear more from the album, or to learn more about it, please click HERE.

Blind Pig Records artists: Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia and James Harman - Remembering Little Walter

I just received a new Blind Pig release, Remembering Little Walter and it's great! Featuring 5 of today's greatest harp players, Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia and James Harman this live recording gives each of the featured artists a chance to perform 2 of their choice little Walter tracks and then of course a collaboration. Opening with Mark Hummel on I Got To Go, the band featuring Nathan James on guitar, June Core on drums and RW Grigsby on bass really gets it going. Charlie Musselwhite steps up next with Just A Feeling. James plays some great guitar riffs under the lead and Musselwhite really does a nice job delivering the goods. Billy Boy Arnold has a great sound coming right out of the chute on You're So Fine. James Harman is next in line with It's Too Late Brother. Keeping it tight on his solos and presenting his fine vocals Harmon has the crowd hopping. Sugar Ray Norcia does a terrific version of Mean Old World getting just the right amount of distortion on harp to push the track into the ozone. Norcia also has a great voice and James again shows nice guitar chops on this track. Musselwhite is back with One Of These Mornings, a great Chicago groove. Charlie really does a super job on this track playing creative runs and unique phrasing. Mark Hummel returns on instrumental, Blue Light, a real deep track. His feel and sensitivity really shine through on this track. Again James is delivering really nice guitar runs that nicely compliment the lead player. On Crazy Mixed Up World, Harman keeps his vocals subdued but grabs a hold on the track and literally blows the top off with his harp. Norcia steps back to the mic for Up The Line. This time with less blow and more voice, Norcia trades riffs with James for a clean track. Arnold is the final soloist up and does a dynamite job on Can't Hold Out Much Longer. His vocals are rich and he blows some real mean riffs on this track. On the finale, My Babe, each of the players takes his turn at the mic and also added is Little Charlie Baty on vocal and guitar. This really is a great track featuring the players exchanging rather than competing and it is nicely done. This is a great tribute to Little Walter and the people in the crowd of this recording at Anthology in San Diego saw a super show.

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