Big Muddy Blues Festival Announces 2014 Artist Line-up

Big Muddy Blues Festival Announces 2014 Artist Line-up

Local acts compliment regional and national touring artists   St. Louis, MO – The Big Muddy Blues Festival is St. Louis’ largest Blues festival, with 24 renowned acts + more to be announced from across the nation and around St. Louis, filling three stages on historic Laclede’s Landing, August 30 and 31, 2014. This year, Big Muddy not only has more national, regional and local artists, the festival also offers a wider variety of artists than recent years. Festival goers will experience a full range of Blues styles, from Louisiana, Chicago, St. Louis and more throughout the newly rebuilt cobblestone streets of the Landing. National, regional and local acts in 2014 will include: Saturday, August 30th Main Stage 4:30 p.m.         Steve Scorfina’s Soul Steel 6:30 p.m.         Nashville, TN artist Goodbye June 8:30 p.m.         Chicago, IL. artist Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials 10:30 p.m.       Kansas City, MO. artist Samantha Fish  Morgan Stage 3 p.m.              Hudson and the HooDoo Cats 5 p.m.              Melissa Neels 7 p.m.              Everett Dean 9 p.m.              Trip Daddy’s Lucas Stage 3 p.m.              Miss Jubilee & the Humdingers 5 p.m.              Eugene Johnson & Co. 7:30 p.m.         Billy Barnett Blues Band 9:30 p.m.         Atlanta, GA artist Tinsley Ellis Sunday, August 31st Main Stage     3 p.m.              The Brothers 5:30 p.m.         Kim Massie 8 p.m.              Baton Rouge, LA artist “American Bluesman”                          Kenny Neal 10 p.m.            Houston, TX artist Guitar Shorty Morgan Stage 3 p.m.              Wrath of Khan 5 p.m.              Tony Campanella 7:30 p.m.         Steve Pecaro 9:30 p.m.         Marsha Evans and the Coalition Lucas Stage 3 p.m.              Blue Bayou (Tribute to Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville) 5 p.m.              Tommy Halloran’s Guerilla Swing 7 p.m.              Big Mike 9 p.m.              Tupelo, MS young artists Homemade Jamz Blues Band In total, this stellar line up of 24 acts + more to be announced, lighting up three stages, will offer St. Louis a weekend full of all things “Blues.” Big Muddy will take place from 3 p.m. to midnight. Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31 on Laclede’s Landing. The Main Stage will be located at North 1st & Lucas, the Lucas Stage will be located at North 2nd & Lucas St., and the Morgan Stage will be located at North 2nd & Morgan St. The Morgan and Lucas stages are both free, while Main Stage tickets will be $10 General Admission (Chairs welcome, sorry no umbrellas or tents), $50 for a single day VIP (Seat in the VIP area right in front of the stage, premium open bar, festival t-shirt), and $90 for two-day VIP per person. Parking ranges from $10 to $20 in public garages throughout the Landing. More information on what to bring, transportation, concert times and ticket prices can be found at www.bigmuddybluesfestival.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BigMuddyBluesFestival or on Twitter @BigMuddyBlues

St. Louis blues: But not that St. Louis - Kate Voss - Guest Writer

At first glance, it might not seem all that odd that Minard Shattuck is building a growing blues following and carving out a niche for his favorite genre in an historic theater in downtown St. Louis.

But Shattuck’s St. Louis isn’t that St. Louis.

He’s in the middle of farm country, in St. Louis, Michigan, smack-dab in the center of the mitten.

Melding his love of blues music with his entrepreneurial spirit drove Shattuck’s ambitious effort to transform a vacant movie theater into a popular nightspot back in 2007. Inspired by the greats, like B.B. King and Buddy Guy (the latter of whom just performed an excellent set for DirecTV’s Guitar Center Sessions; more details are on his homepage) Shattuck is perhaps not wildly unique, but he’s an inspiration to similar spirits across the country who love blues music but live far-removed from the hotbeds like Chicago and Detroit and that other St. Louis that have traditionally driven the genre.

The fact that Shattuck has made a decent living and successful go at it, though, is pretty impressive.

St. Louis, Mich., is as milquetoast as a town can get – a tiny enclave of just over 7,000 people where the local livestock auction attracts crowds far bigger than those for live music of any kind.

Perhaps best known as the place that made and distributed PBB that was accidently mixed with cattle feed – as depicted in the 1981 Ron Howard film Bitter Harvest – St. Louis, Mich., is still struggling with contaminated water, an EPA Superfund site and a forever-polluted river.

Not the kind of place that lends itself to a rocking blues scene, and, for that matter, not the kind of town with a thriving downtown climate at all, let alone nightlife.

But Shattuck’s venue – known as Center Stage at the Gem – hosted its first summer blues festival in 2007 and now in the midst of its first-ever Winter Blues Series, which features weekend performances by noted regional acts from January through April.

Shattuck’s Winter Blues Series kicked off Jan. 4 with Kev Nichols and Blue Tuesday, the Jackson, Michigan-based blues band that recently made it to the semifinals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 2007 series continued with eight more acts, ending with an April 5 appearance by Louisiana-based bluesman Larry Garner and an April 19 show featuring the Chicago-based Biscuit Miller and the Mix.

A pretty solid blues mix for a tiny town in the middle of Michigan’s farm country.

"It doesn't seem possible that was five years ago," Shattuck told the local newspaper, the Morning Sun, back in 2012. "Larry McCray played and put on a great show. He's been back a number of times since then and we've been pleased to host many other fine blues artists over the years. Five years is a pretty short history, but it's been very rich in talent.”

This summer’s annual St. Louis Blues Festival, slated for July 5-6, features Willie Dixon, the Chicago bluesman, composer and bassist.

Beginning as a one-day event in the midst of the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, the St. Louis Festival is now a highly-anticipated two-day festival taking up an entire downtown city block.

For more information about the St. Louis Winter Blues Series or this summer 2014 St. Louis Blues Festival, visit: http://www.saintlouisbluesfestival.com.


Kate Voss is a blogger in an entertainment blogger in Chicago with directstartv.com. Her favorite blues musicians include John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy.

I'm Hurting - Billy Gales

Billy Gales, d April 8, 1993, drummer and singer with Ike Turner band. Not much more info on this guy. 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 favorite band!

Clarinet blues - Gene Sedric, Mezz Mezzrow, Red Richards, Kansas Fields

Gene Sedric (June 17, 1907, St. Louis, Missouri – April 3, 1963, New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He acquired the nickname "Honey Bear" in the 1930s because of his large camelhair coat. Sedric's father played ragtime piano. He played with Charlie Creath in his hometown and then with Fate Marable, Dewey Jackson, Ed Allen (1922), and Julian Arthur. He joined Sam Wooding's Orchestra in 1925, and toured Europe with him until 1931, when the unit dissolved; while in Europe he recorded with Alex Hyde. He returned to New York City and played with Fletcher Henderson and Alex Hill, then joined Fats Waller's Rhythm in 1934, remaining in Waller's employ until 1942. When Waller went on solo tours Sedric found work gigging alongside Mezz Mezzrow (1937) and Don Redman (1938-39). Sedric put together his own group in 1943, then played with Phil Moore in 1944 and Hazel Scott in 1945. He put together another ensemble from 1946-51, playing in New York. Later associations include time with Pat Flowers (1946-47), Bobby Hackett (1951), Jimmy McPartland, Mezzrow again (1953), Conrad Janis (1953), and Dick Wellstood (1961). Sedric recorded sparingly as a leader, in 1938, 1946, and with Mezzrow in 1953.

  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 favorite band!

FANNY MAE - THE ED EARLEY BAND

EDWARD J. EARLEY, JR. - Ed is the "trombone player's" trombone player. He has played with just about everybody in the blues world from Albert King to John Lee Hooker. In addition to his own band, Ed is currently performing with Elvin Bishop, as well as teaching and writing music. With his charismatic stage presence, he is a true professional...

  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 favorite band!

WANG DANG DOODLE - MS. SILKY SO L

WHO IS “MS. SILKY SOL” If you love Etta James, Tina Turner, Chaka Kahn, Jill Scott, Aretha Franklin and Koko Taylor, “You’ve got to experience” Ms. Silky Sol the RED AFRO QUEEN After serving as a PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND SINGER for major recording labels, artist and producers for over 27 years, sharing the stage Head Lining with or as a Background Singer to name a few such artists as: The O Jays The Whispers Chrisette Michele Frankie Beverly & Maze, Tina Marie R-Kelly Narda Michael Walden India Arie, Pebo Bryson Jeffery Osborn The Mighty Clouds of Joy Andrea Couch Gladys Knight Barbara Mandrel Mary j Blige Death Row Records Epic Records Warner Brothers Records As an Independent Solo artist, her quest is to “Bridge the Gap” between traditional and new generational SOULFUL BLUES listeners with her “Bluesy/Gospel tones and Neo- Soul Funky Style that captures the ears and sights of both Young and Old while “KEEPING SOULFUL BLUES ALIVE”! TESTIMONIALS: • THE LATE GREAT SOLOMON BURK: (opening act 2009 New Orleans Jazz Festival) “That lil lady brings the “ HOT SAUCE TO THE STAGE” • JAZZ GREAT AND MR. NEW ORLEANS ALLEN TOUSSAINT: “POWERHOUSE – ELECTRIC – SOULFUL BLUES DIVA” I look forward to her performance every year! • KEVIN JOHNSON Music Critic St. Louis Post Dispatch: Ms. Silky Sol is “REFRESHING”, “ HOT”; “ HER MUSIC AND DELEVERY TELLS IT LIKE IT IS” Ms. Silky Sol’s musical roots run extremely deep beginning with the love of gospel music. Born as Felicia Summerville, daughter of the late great gospel artist, promoter and radio announcer Ruby Summerville Dickson & her late father & quartet singer Deacon Elmer Jones; her uncle Deacon Willie T. Summerville, music professor at the University of Illinois & and the minister of music for 43 years of the National Baptist Convention her grand- father, the late Deacon Moses Summerville, Silky spread her wings early at the age of three in her church choir. 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 favorite band!

I Ain't Got Nobody - Red McKenzie & His Mound City Blue Blowers

Red McKenzie (William McKenzie) (Oct. 14, 1899, St. Louis, Missouri - Feb. 7, 1948, New York City) was an American jazz musician. He was the best-known, and one of the only, comb players in jazz history. McKenzie played the comb by placing tissue paper over the tines and blowing on it, which produced a sound similar to a kazoo. McKenzie also played the kazoo proper, and occasionally sang. He was a co-founder, with Jack Bland, of the Mound City Blue Blowers, who released a number of titles between 1924 and 1925 and were, for a time, a sensation. At the same time, McKenzie also recorded solo as Red McKenzie & the Candy Kids. In 1928, he fronted a group called McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans for a few sides on Okeh Records. He returned to the Mound City name again in 1929, 1931, and 1935-36. Beginning in 1931 (no doubt due to the popularity of crooners like Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo), he started recording as a singer, processing a very warm crooner style as a solo for Columbia and with Paul Whiteman in 1932. He sang again with the Spirits of Rhythm in 1934 and the Farley-Riley group in 1935. He made two swinging vocal records for Variety in 1937. Between 1939 and 1943 he went into retirement, moving back to his birthplace of St. Louis and working in a brewery, but appeared with Eddie Condon between 1944 to 1947 as a vocalist. Known as heavy drinker, he died of liver cirrhosis in 1948. 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 favorite band!

Night Train - Jimmy Forrest with Count Basie

Jimmy Forrest (January 24, 1920 – August 26, 1980) was an African American jazz musician, who played tenor saxophone throughout his career. Forrest is famous for his first solo recording of "Night Train". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in March 1952, and stayed at the top for seven weeks. "Hey Mrs. Jones" (#3 R&B) and "Bolo Blues" were his other major hits. All were made for United Records, which recorded Forrest between 1951 and 1953. He recorded frequently as both a sideman and a bandleader. Born Jimmy Robert Forrest Jr., in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, he played alongside Fate Marable as a young man. He was with Jay McShann in 1940-42 and with Andy Kirk from 1942–48, when he joined Duke Ellington. During the early 1950s, he led his own combos. He also played with Miles Davis, in early 1952 at The Barrel Club. After his solo career, he played in small combos with Harry "Sweets" Edison and Al Grey, as well as appearing with Count Basie. Late in life Forrest married Betty Tardy, and settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he died in August 1980, aged 60. 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”

Hello Harvelle's (Long Beach)!: Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band In Concert

Hotter Than St. Louis BBQ!
Larry "Fuzzy" Knight Presents... 

Blowin' Smoke  - St. Louis-Style Rhythm & Blues Revue
Saturday, February 2@Harvelle's/Long Beach  

            

Larry "Fuzzy" Knight (pictured above, second from left; and below) fronts high-energy eleven-piece ensemble, Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band, with hot, sultry and sassy, female singing trio, The Fabulous Smokettes. They're in concert Saturday, February 2 at Harvelle's in Long Beach.   

                       

  (LONG BEACH) - The Blowin Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band is hotter than St. Louis BBQ and twice as tasty! Catch the acclaimed longtime eleven-piece R&B/Blues/Soul ensemble in concert at Harvelle's Downtown Long Beach, 201 E. Broadway, Saturday, February 2. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $10. Info: (562) 239-3700 or http://longbeach.harvelles.com/.  

 

   For nearly two decades, Blues/R&B/Soul group Blowin' Smoke has been one of the most in-demand, successful bands on the Southern California live music circuit. Front and center in Blowin' Smoke is its creator, bandleader/bassist/vocalist, Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - whose impressive musical resume' includes a decade-plus stint as bassist for one of the great SoCal bands to emerge from the psychedelic era of the Sixties, Spirit.  Knight has also recently launched a new band project, Sky King, featuring some top-name musicians, all the while keeping Blowin' Smoke going strong. 

    In a recent review of the band's Beyond the Blues Horizon CD, BMans Blues Report writes, 'lead vocalist and bass player Larry 'Fuzzy' Knight delivers the goods..."C.O.D." is a hot R&B track featuring Michael Murphy on Hammond and Jimmy Delgado rippin' a great lead guitar...this is the kind of recording you can put on while you're working and driving and it will make the day fly...great tracks, great instrumentation, great vocals and great energy." In another review of the same album, the L.A. Music Examiner states, "this eleven-person act emphasizes electric rhythm and blues with a touch of funk, rock, and Southern soul...the Fabulous Smokettes are a tuneful trio of ladies."  

   Here's the Blowin' Smoke Rhythm And Blues Band performing Aretha Franklin's "Won't Be Long" recently at Harvelle's/Santa Monica. 

               

 

                                            www.blowinsmokeband.com 

                    https://www.facebook.com/blowinsmokeband?ref=ts&fref=ts  

Beyond The Blues Horizon - CD Review - BMans Blues Report     

Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - All Access Magazine -  Interview

Beyond The Blues Horizon - CD Review - L.A. Music Examiner 

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 favorite band!

You Know I Love You Baby - The Soulard Blues Band

ART DWYER Born in 1946 and raised in St. Louis, Art Dwyer grew up on the city's north side. "Rufus, the Dells, T-Bone Walker, Otis Redding, and of course, Albert and B.B. King were my music. It fit in with everything my friends and me did. "Art drifted around for quite some time, working as a union organizer, a Maritime employee and a ditch digger, but he never lost the music. "There was always a dance party or jam session going on somewhere. That's how the Soulard Blues Band came together."Art has performed with the great Henry Townsend, J.B. Hutto, Little Johnny Taylor, Fernest Arceneaux and the Thunders, the Zydeco Farmers, Larry Davis, the legendary Billy Gayles, Chuck Berry, Doc Terry, Tommy Bankhead, Albert Collins and many others. In 1978, Art organized the Soulard Blues Band. Since 1987 Art has been a disc jockey on St. Louis' number one community radio station, KDHX 88.1 FM, hosting the weekly blues program, "Blues in the Night". MARTY ABDULLAH Bio coming soon TOM MALONEY Tom Maloney has been playin’ the blues for a long time. During that time he has entertained blues lovers all over these United States, Europe, (Germany w/the Soulard Blues Band) and South America. Tom is a musician’s musician. In his younger days he was known to get out on the highway with his guitar and his amp and his thumb, sometimes hitchhiking 150 miles just to get to the “gig”. Being a session man in St. Louis may not garner great riches but it brings a special honor to those who get the call to play with the venerable world class musicians that have made St. Louis, Missouri their home. Men like piano player Johnnie Johnson, who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Oliver Sain, and Benny Smith, who gave guitar lessons to Ike Turner . These days you could count Tom Maloney among that esteemed group. Tom first joined the SBB for four years back in the early 80’s and has always been there to help out over the years. He has done stints in the Johnny Johnson Band and The Benny Smith Band and has been the musical director for groups in Las Vegas and Arizona. Look for a re-release of the 1982 SBB album “ Nothing to Lose” with Tom on guitar. BRIAN CASSERLY Bio coming soon KIRK “Dr. Drum” GRICE Kirk Grice, a native St. Louisan, played with Soulard Blues Band from’81 to ’95 and rejoined the band in the 21st century. During an eight year hiatus Kirk pursued a career as a professional boxing referee while performing with a number of local and national artists. Performances with national touring acts include Fred Wesley, Chuck Berry, WyntonMarsalis, Maceo Parker, Little Johnny Taylor and Jimmy Smith. Recordings with local artists include Soulard Blues Band, C. Felton, The Unity ArtEnsemble, and the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble. With many early years under the tutelage of the great Sonny Hamp, Kirk has never stopped growing as a drummer and percussionist. Thirty-five years worth of playing has taken him to a variety of ensembles and musically- related work, including twenty years as a percussion accompanist for dance schools and professional dance organizations among which are Washington University dance department, Dance St. Louis, COCA and Parkway School District’s Dance Discovery Project. The title “Dr.Drum” was affectionately given to Kirk by devoted students and dancers.Recent performances with Mojo Syndrome, Bob Case and the Wild Accusations, Bennie Smith and Urban Blues Express, and hometown jazz groups like the Bosman Twins, Ptah Williams, Mae Wheeler, and Bill Tucker keep Kirk current and in demand on the St. Louis Blues and Jazz scene in St. Louis.Kirk continues to referee professional and amateur boxing in his spare time while continuing his education. “I got a calling to return toschool.”Kirk is a dedicated musician and is always in pursuit of knowledge and development as a person. “I believe in the healing power of music” is a favorite quote of Dr. Drum’s. 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 favorite band!

Cheating and Lying Blues - Doctor Clayton

Doctor Clayton (April 19, 1898 - January 7, 1947) was an American blues singer and songwriter. Peter Joe Clayton was born in Georgia, though he later claimed he had been born in

Africa, and moved to St. Louis as a child with his family. He had four children and worked in a factory in St. Louis, where he started his career as a singer (he could also play piano and ukelele, though he never did so on record). Clayton recorded six sides for Bluebird Records in 1935, but only two were ever issued. Clayton's entire family died in a house fire in 1937; following this Clayton became an alcoholic and began wearing outsized hats and glasses. Moving to Chicago with Robert Lockwood, he received attention from Decca Records but ultimately returned to Bluebird, recording with them again in 1941-42. He also recorded for Okeh Records at this time. Among the songs he wrote were "Cheating and Lying Blues", frequently covered by other blues artists; "Pearl Harbor Blues", written after the Pearl Harbor bombing of 1941; and "Moonshine Woman Blues", which became a chart hit for B. B. King under the name "The Woman I Love" in 1968. He recorded again in 1946, recording the tunes "Hold That Train, Conductor" and "I Need My Baby" which were also both covered by King.[1] Most of his later recordings featured Blind John Davis on piano. He was a regional sales success and played regularly in Chicago nightclubs with Lockwood and Sunnyland Slim. Clayton died of tuberculosis in January 1947, in Chicago, shortly after his second recording session. Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red attended his funeral. Document Records has released all of Clayton's output recorded between 1935 and 1942 on one CD; Old Tramp Records released the remaining 1946 recordings. 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 favorite band!

Can't Make Another Day - Edith North Johnson

Edith North Johnson (January 2, 1903 – February 28, 1988) was an American classic female blues singer, pianist and songwriter. Her most noted tracks were "Honey Dripper Blues", "Can't Make Another Day" and "Eight Hour Woman". She wrote another of her songs, "Nickel's Worth of Liver Blues". Born Edith North, in 1928 she married a local record producer, Jesse Johnson. She originally worked at her husband's Deluxe Music Store as a sales person. Although not a professional singer, between 1928 and 1929 Johnson recorded eighteen sides. She started on QRS Records in 1928, later switching to Paramount. Her output tally included those from a recording session in Grafton, Wisconsin, for the Paramount label with Charley Patton. Oddly, it is now reckoned that Patton did not play on any of her recordings. During World War II, Johnson managed a taxicab operation in St. Louis, as well as later running Johnson's Deluxe Cafė after her husband's death in 1946. By 1961, she had returned to recording when Samuel Charters tracked her down. She was accompanied by Henry Brown on Charters' set entitled, The Blues in St. Louis. It was released by Folkways. Using pseudonyms such as Hattie North (on Vocalion) and Maybelle Allen, Johnson also earlier waxed additional tracks for other small labels. Under the Hattie North name, she recorded "Lovin' That Man Blues" with Count Basie. Her recording of "Honey Dripper Blues" was the inspiration for the nickname used by Roosevelt Sykes. In her later life, Johnson spent time undertaking social work in her hometown. Johnson died in St. Louis in February 1988, at the age of 85. Four of her songs appeared as part of the boxed set, Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2001). 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”

Don't You Ever Leave Me All Alone - Andrew "Voice" Odom

Eminently capable of serving up spot-on imitations of both Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King, Andrew Odom was also a man of many interrelated nicknames: Voice, Big Voice, B.B., Little B.B., B.B. Junior. Perhaps his chameleonic talents held him back; Odom was a journeyman Chicago singer who recorded relatively sparingly. Like the majority of his peers, Odom started out singing spirituals but fell in with Albert King and Johnny O'Neal on the St. Louis blues scene of the mid-'50s and began plying his trade there. He made an unobtrusive recording debut in 1961, singing "East St. Louis" with the band of one Little Aaron for the highly obscure Marlo imprint. He arrived in Chicago around 1960, hooking up with Earl Hooker as the slide guitar wizard's vocalist. A single for Nation Records in 1967 (as Andre Odom) preceded his debut album for ABC-BluesWay (cut in 1969, it remained in the can for quite a while before the label finally issued it). A guest spot on Jimmy Dawkins' encore Delmark LP, All for Business, was a highlight of the '70s for the singer. He cut his own album for the French Isabel label in 1982 in the company of Magic Slim & the Teardrops (reissued by Evidence in 1993), but it was a 1992 set for Flying Fish, Goin' to California (co-produced by guitarist Steve Freund), that probably captured his considerable vocal charms the best. Odom was a popular attraction on the Windy City circuit right up until the fateful night when he suffered a heart attack while driving from Buddy Guy's Legends to another local blues mecca, the Checkerboard Lounge. He's been missed ever since. 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 favorite band!

Top R&B/Blues Ensemble Blowin' Smoke Return To Harvelle's For Pre-Christmas Concert/Dance Party

Hotter Than St. Louis BBQ!
Larry "Fuzzy" Knight Presents... 

Blowin' Smoke  - St. Louis-Style Rhythm & Blues Revue
Saturday, December 22@Harvelle's   

            

 Larry "Fuzzy" Knight (pictured below) fronts high-energy eleven-piece ensemble, Blowin' Smoke, along with the hot, sultry and sassy, Fabulous Smokettes. They're in concert this Saturday night, December 22 at long-renowned blues club Harvelle's in Santa Monica.   

                      

    (Santa Monica) -   Blowin' Smoke is hotter than St. Louis BBQ and twice as tasty! Catch the acclaimed eleven-piece R&B/Blues/Soul ensemble in concert this Saturday, December 22 at Harvelle's, 1432 4th St., Santa Monica. 9 p.m.-till? Info: (310) 395-1676 or https://www.facebook.com/harvelles?ref=ts&fref=t

    For nearly two decades, Blues/R&B/Soul group Blowin' Smoke has been one of the most in-demand, successful bands on the Southern California live music circuit. Front and center in Blowin' Smoke is its creator, bandleader/bassist/vocalist, Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - whose impressive musical resume' includes a decade-plus stint as bassist for one of the great SoCal bands to emerge from the psychedelic era of the Sixties, Spirit.  Knight has also recently launched a new band project, Sky King, featuring some top-name musicians, all the while keeping Blowin' Smoke going strong. 

    In a recent review of the band's Beyond the Blues Horizon CD,  BMans Blues Report writes, 'lead vocalist and bass player Larry 'Fuzzy' Knight delivers the goods..."C.O.D." is a hot R&B track featuring Michael Murphy on Hammond and Jimmy Delgado rippin' a great lead guitar...this is the kind of recording you can put on while you're working and driving and it will make the day fly...great tracks, great instrumentation, great vocals and great energy," the review concludes. 

   Check out Blowin' Smoke's terrific live rendition of 2013 Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Albert King's song, "Let's Have A Natural Ball."

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 favorite band!

Feel So Good - Andrew 'Big Voice' Odom

Eminently capable of serving up spot-on imitations of both Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King, Andrew Odom was also a man of many interrelated nicknames: Voice, Big Voice, B.B., Little B.B., B.B. Junior. Perhaps his chameleonic talents held him back; Odom was a journeyman Chicago singer who recorded relatively sparingly. Like the majority of his peers, Odom started out singing spirituals but fell in with Albert King and Johnny O'Neal on the St. Louis blues scene of the mid-'50s and began plying his trade there. He made an unobtrusive recording debut in 1961, singing "East St. Louis" with the band of one Little Aaron for the highly obscure Marlo imprint. He arrived in Chicago around 1960, hooking up with Earl Hooker as the slide guitar wizard's vocalist. A single for Nation Records in 1967 (as Andre Odom) preceded his debut album for ABC-BluesWay (cut in 1969, it remained in the can for quite a while before the label finally issued it). All for Business A guest spot on Jimmy Dawkins' encore Delmark LP, All for Business, was a highlight of the '70s for the singer. He cut his own album for the French Isabel label in 1982 in the company of Magic Slim & the Teardrops (reissued by Evidence in 1993), but it was a 1992 set for Flying Fish, Goin' to California (co-produced by guitarist Steve Freund), that probably captured his considerable vocal charms the best. Odom was a popular attraction on the Windy City circuit right up until the fateful night when he suffered a heart attack while driving from Buddy Guy's Legends to another local blues mecca, the Checkerboard Lounge. He's been missed ever since. 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 favorite band!

The Jeremiah Johnson Band w/The Sliders

Don’t be fooled by the baby boy good looks. With lyrics like “I was born in a tavern on the banks of the Mississippi” and a horn section that hammers the groove, Jeremiah Johnson is the new face of Mississippi River blues. Walk into a gin joint in St. Louis and you’ll likely hear the familiar “blues” sound that made the area famous. It’s lyrics about the struggles of daily living with the hallmark blues style guitar that rips at your soul and soothes the spirit.Johnson takes that rich heritage but also blends influences that shaped his rugged youth like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, BB King, Albert Collins, Albert King, Johnny Winter, Alvin Lee from Ten Years After, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, and Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., to name just a few. On top of a rich gumbo of solid songwriting, Johnson kicks it up a notch with The Sliders, Jim Rosse (trumpet) and Stuart Williams (sax). In their 25-year tenure together, The Sliders have toured with Little Feat, Johnnie Johnson, Bob Weir of Rat Dog, and have played with too many great players to mention them all. Paired together with The Jeremiah Johnson Band, you get an energized entertainment experience that will put the honky tonk in major venues to come. 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 favorite band!

Mary Had A Little Lamb/Texas Flood - Aaron Griffin

Only 16 years of age, he's already been a professional musician since the age of 13, and possesses a guitar style far beyond his years! His dad is a 35-year veteran of the Blues bands in St. Louis, and Aaron grew around all the great St. Louis Blues musicians, names like Arthur Williams, Boo Boo Davis and Tommy Bankhead. As he's developed his own style, he’s channeled all the Blues guitar greats into his playing. Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and the 3 Kings - Albert King, Freddy King and B.B. King - are just a few he pays tribute to. Currently a senior at Webster High School, it's no surprise he plays guitar AND also plays drums. Come witness the next generation of St. Louis Blues, as Aaron Griffin and the Mojo Risin band take the stage at the Saint Louis Art Fair presented by Sterling Bank! Aaron Griffin - Guitar, Vocals Larry Griffin - Guitar Eric McSpadden - Harmonica 15 year old Stephen Cole - Drums Derek Morgan - Bass 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 favorite band!

Sweet Patootie - Doug Suggs

Regarding Doug Suggs (b Dec 3, 1894) “… one of the most exhilarating discs of 50s blues piano you'll ever hear.” Kenneth Bays Blues Revue November 2003 “First released in 1957 on Tone Records, this small trove of St. Louis and Chicago boogie-woogie and blues piano stomped by house rent party favorites Speckled Red, James “The Bat” Robinson and Doug Suggs is now supplemented with rescued-from-cold storage performances highlighting the gifted 10 fingers of New Orleans eclectic Billie Pierce and Suggs again. Suggs also talks about comrades Jimmy Yancey and Albert Ammons on the interview track.” 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”

The Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band - Beyond The Blues Horizon - New review

I just got Beyond The Blues Horizon, a hot release from The Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Band featuring the Fabulous Smokettes. This live concert recording opens with C.O.D., a hot R&B track featuring Michael Murphy on Hammond and Jimmy Delgado rippin' a great lead guitar. This is a real foot stomper and Larry 'Fuzzy" Knight, lead vocalist and bass player delivers the goods. Willie Dixon's Built For Comfort is up next and is dropped into a smooth swingin' groove. Again with Knight on strong lead vocal this track is very cool. Delgado, shows he's been around the block a few times laying down riffs that would rival many of the prominent Texas blues players. Murphy, on this track adds significant electric piano riffs that really punctuate Knights guttural blues voice. Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time is a cool R&B/jazz track along the lines of WW Washington. Tenor Sax player the "Count" Yates takes the lead vocal spot on this track. This track has a really nice groove and more prominent horns. Again Delgado really shines with slick funky guitar riffs and Lee Campbell compliments Knight on the bottom nicely with really tight drumming. Carolyn Basley takes over lead vocals on Sam Cooke's Don't Fight It (Feel It). I really like this track as an addition to this bands repertoire. Elvin Bishop did it early in his career and it is a strong track. Turtle Blues takes the pace down real slow and Christiana Vierra does a real nice job. Her delivery is quite "Pearl" like and she takes the track by the scruff of the neck. A slow blues like this of course is always a nice set up for a guitar player with great chops and Delgado steps up and hits it long. You Can Have My Husband But Please, an Irma Thomas track, features Terri Brinegar on lead vocals and the track is done in a bright, uptempo pace. Murphy again plays really slick electric piano riffs and The Count leads up the horn section of Johnny Vandenberg on trumpet, Tom Morgan jr. on tenor sax and Chris Jennings on Bari sax for a full blown blues jam. Screamin' Jay Hawkins' I Put A Spell On You, goes back to the original pace that Hawkins originally had and the vocal interpretation is exciting. The Count blows a great articulated sax solo on this track and the band as a whole is really solid on this track. Willie Dixon/Elmore James track Talk To Me Baby has a really nice Texas lope and Delgado milks it for what it's worth. Knight returns on lead vocals and his delivery is smooth. The Count takes another strong sax solo on this track and leads a strong horn support section on this track as well. It's nice to see an appearance of Ike Turner's I'm Blue. I haven't heard it in a long time and the Smokettes do a great job on it's resurrection lead by Carolyn Basley. Slim Harpo's Shake Your Hips is up next with lead vocals by Brinegar. Instead of the blues or rock treatments that you typically hear, a slick R&B swing takes this track to new places. Luscious harmonic backing vocals and Murphy again on Hammond gives this track a whole new sound. Basley takes the lead on Otis Redding's These Arms of Mine and she delivers a fine cover of this classic soul track. The Temptations, Shakey Ground is the next track up and Vierra takes the lead again with the Smokettes filling out the sound. Jennings gets the chance to play some really memorable riffs and even crosses into some Herbie Hancock with the balance of the band which is a really nice groove. Knight gets a really nice funk going on his bass on this track as well. Larry Williams' Bonie Maronie keeps the original rock n' rhythm but with really hot sax work and featuring the horn section and the Count on vocals. I really like this cd. This is the kind of recording that you can put on while you're working and driving and it will make the day fly. It has great tracks, great instrumentation, great vocals and great energy.

  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”

 

Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan with Gus Thornton

Personnel Albert King : Electric Guitar, Vocals Stevie Ray Vaughan : Electric Guitar, Vocals only on Song 3 Tony Llorens : Piano, Organ Gus Thornton : Bass Michael Llorens : Drums Bassist Gus Thornton has lived a blues musician's dream. In the last 40 years he has traveled around the world recording and touring with blues greats such as Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Katie Webster. He has shared the stage with, and earned the respect of, every St. Louis Blues Musician he has played with. Gus Thornton is the epitome of St. Louis Blues. Thornton, like many rhythm musicians, is over looked by listeners who tend to get wrapped up in screaming guitars, monster harps and raspy vocals. Musicians, however, will readily agree that the key to any blues band is the rhythm section. "Every time one of my fingers moves, someone taps their foot or nods their head. Yeah, people pay attention to the guitar players and singers, but I have the audience attached to my fingers," said Derek Morgan, bass player for Mojo Syndrome. Thornton is known for his fingers. His chops are on the cutting edge of music, whether it‚s his recordings with Albert King or one of his new contemporary jazz compositions. Thornton continues to be a beacon of light and breath of fresh air for those who pay attention to his music. "He is prolific in everything," said Sharon Foehner, bass player for Bennie Smith and the Urban Express. "He is not just a bass player, though. He is an arranger and plays the guitar as well as many other instruments. He is a complete and total musician." Thornton is quiet about his success in the business, but very honest and surprised to know people admire him. He is a self-taught musician who originally began playing guitar, but became the bass player by default when his first band already had a guitar player. As a teenager, he played in popular gospel and R & B bands mostly, but quickly got drawn into the blues. Thornton played with local talents like Oliver Sain, Johnnie Johnson, and Shirley Brown before he started touring with Albert King. He traveled with King for several years and recorded albums like San Francisco '83 and the more recent release, In Session, with King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He also toured with Katie Webster and got to help cut the Two Fisted Mama album, which stands as one of his favorite recording experiences. At one time, Thornton was offered the opportunity to be B.B. King's bass player. He passed it up because B.B.‚s tour schedule of 300 nights a year would keep him away from his family for too long. Thornton's dedication to his family of six children and wife, Charlene, has been a blessing for both him and St. Louis. His obvious compassion and selfless dedication to the music has earned him a large group of people who care deeply for him and his well-being. St. Louis has in many ways become his extended family. 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”