Hot Blues - The Billy Walton Band

In the history of rock n roll there is a long tradition of guitarists trading in their jobs as sidemen to become virtuoso frontmen in their own right. Early on Jimi Hendrix played in Little Richards' band and Eric Clapton worked with numerous groups like John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominos before starting his legendary career as a solo artist. Even Stevie Ray Vaughn had a stint as a member of David Bowie's touring band before going solo. There seems to be something about apprenticing with another artist that brings out the best in some guitar players. After spending years honing their craft it becomes impossible for their unique style and personality to be held back. Such is the case with Billy Walton. Since the age of 15, Walton has plied his craft in the Asbury Park/New Jersey shore music scene – most notably as the guitarist/vocalist for Boccigalupe & the Bad Boys which features Tony Amato a veteran of the Asbury scene since the 70s (the nickname ... Boccigalupe was actually given to him by Bruce Springsteen & Little Steven Van Zandt). During his time with Boccigalupe, Walton has played countless gigs in both the United States and Europe and sat in with numerous of rock luminaries including Springsteen, Gary US Bonds and Stevie Ray's backing band, Double Trouble. The 30-year old Walton's talents are no secret among everyone in the Jersey shore music scene and with the founding of the Billy Walton Band there's little doubt his reputation will grow far beyond the Garden State. The Billy Walton Band's sound is a combination of hard blues reminiscent of Hendrix, Clapton and Vaughn mixed with a healthy dose of Warren Hayes and Derrick Trucks. Live, Walton has always been an explosive performer with jaw dropping talent but with the addition of bassist William Paris, Richie Taz on sax, and drummer Johnny D'Angelo the Billy Walton band churns out a singular brand of funky blues that has deep roots in both the jam band musical tradition as well as the Jersey shore Walton has cut his teeth on. Walton's connection to his heroes is not just through his record collection. Over the years he has developed a close friendship with Roger Mayer, the well–known British guitar effects guru whose devices have played such a pivotal part in rock'n'roll for nearly every major player since Hendrix. But regardless of his influences or where he's from, the Billy Walton Band's ultimate appeal lies in the unique musical gifts of its founder, Walton himself, who, like his forebears is poised to join the long and storied list of sidemen whose time has come to step out front. 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!

Golden "Big" Wheeler

Golden "Big" Wheeler (December 15, 1929 – July 20, 1998) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer, harmonicist and songwriter. He released two albums in his lifetime, and is best known for his recordings of the songs "Damn Good Mojo" and "Bone Orchard". He worked with the Ice Cream Men and Jimmy Johnson, and was the brother of fellow blues musician, James Wheeler He was born Golden Wheeler in Baconton, Georgia. Wheeler left Georgia in 1941 and settled in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1954, where he befriended Little Walter. His enthusiasm for playing the harmonica began when he was working as a taxicab driver. One of his regular customers was the harmonica player Buster Brown, who later went on to have a hit record with "Fannie Mae" in 1960. Wheeler fronted his own band by 1956, although he was a part-time musician, having to work for years as a auto mechanic to help raise his family. In 1993, Wheeler released his first album, Bone Orchard, where he was backed by a local outfit, the Ice Cream Men. Released by Delmark Records (Delmark 661), it recreated a 1950s feel with a double guitar and drum backing, with no bass guitar. The Ice Cream Men comprised Johnny Burgin and Dave Waldman (guitars), plus Steve Cushing (drums). The album was produced by Robert G. Koester. His next issue was Jump In (1997), where his backing included a fuller sound incorporating his brother, James Wheeler, on guitar. As well as the Wheeler brothers, other musicians utilised on the album were Baldhead Pete (drums), Allen Batts (piano) and Bob Stroger (bass), with Koester again producing the overall set. Golden "Big" Wheeler died of heart failure in Chicago in July 1998, at the age of 68. 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 You - Sugar Blue

Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso Sugar Blue is not your typical bluesman... Born James Whiting - he was raised in Harlem, New York, where his mother was a singer and dancer at the fabled Apollo Theatre. He spent his childhood among the musicians and show people who knew his mother, including the great Billie Holiday, and decided that he wanted to be a performer. Blue received his first harmonica from his aunt, and proceeded to hone his chops by wailing along with Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder songs on the radio, he was soon to be influenced by the jazz greats such as Dexter Gordon and Lester Young. Sugar Blue has used this background to his advantage, though, creating an ultra-modern blues style and sound that is instantly recognizable as his own. Blue began his career as a street musician and made his first recordings in 1975 with legendary blues figures Brownie McGhee and Roosevelt Sykes. The following year, he contributed to recordings by Victoria Spivey and Johnny Shines before pulling up stakes and moving to Paris on the advice of pioneer blues pianist Memphis Slim . While in France, Blue hooked up with members of the Rolling Stones , who instantly fell in love with his sound. The Stones invited Blue to join them in the studio. Besides his work on the Some Girls album, he can be heard on Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You . He appeared live with the group on numerous occasions and was offered the session spot indefinitely, but he turned it down, opting instead to return to the States and put his own band together rather than became a full-time sideman. Before returning to the U.S. in 1982, Blue cut a pair of albums, Crossroads and From Paris to Chicago. Blue's decision to return home, despite his growing renown as a session player, was spurred by his desire to work with and learn from the masters of blues harmonica. Thus he came to Chicago and proceeded to sit in with the likes of Big Walter Horton , Carey Bell , James Cotton and Junior Wells . Blue went on to spend two years touring with his friend and mentor Willie Dixon as part of the Chicago Blues All Stars before putting his own band together in 1983. With his own band, Blue's star continued to rise. He received the 1985 Grammy Award for his work on the Atlantic album, Blues Explosion, recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He recorded on Dixon's Grammy-winning Hidden Charms album in 1989, has performed on festival stages with classic artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King , Art Blakey and Lionel Hampton and has also set his sights on television and the big screen. He sat in with Fats Domino, Ray Charles, and Jerry Lee Lewis for the Cinemax special, Fats Domino and Friends, and has appeared on screen and in the musical score of Alan Parker's acclaimed 1987 thriller Angel Heart, starring Robert De Niro. Blue has played and recorded with musicians ranging from Willie Dixon to Stan Getz to Frank Zappa to Johnny Shines to Bob Dylan , he is perhaps best known for his signature riff and solo on the Rolling Stones' hit Miss You from their Some Girls album. Blue performs his own version of the song on his 1993 Alligator debut BLUE BLAZES. With his second release IN YOUR EYES Sugar Blue emerges as a singular, profound songwriter as well as a harmonica wizard. He has appeared across America, Europe and Africa at many prestigious festivals - Chicago, Zurich, Den Haag, Antibes, Nice, Cannes, Montreal, Pistoia, Bern, Rapperswil,... Blue continues to appear in clubs and festivals around the world. In 2008 following the release of "CODE BLUE " Sugar Blue received two nominations as Best instrumentalist - Harmonica at the Blues Awards and as Outstanding Performer at the Junior Wells Harp Award. in Memphis. He is also featured in the Spike Lee film production "The Perfect Age of Rock'n'Roll" along with Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin . The film is starring Jason Ritter, Kevin Zegers, Ruby Dee and Peter Fonda. Sugar Blue appeared in the tribute video "We Are One" that played before the massive all-star Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, in front of the millions that came to witness the historical presidential inauguration on Jan 20, 2009. Blue comes back in 2010 with his newest recording effort: of the "THRESHOLD" album, Blue says, "I believe that the greatest threshold of all is love because it is the fount from which all human life springs. Life echoes the sounds of our interactions: joy, sadness, heartache, passion, loneliness, intimacy, celebration or solemn occasion. We have tried to give voice to these feelings in this musical offering." RAW SUGAR is the new live project that fans have been clamoring for and it is hot, sweet and ready to satisfy your sweet tooth with a spoonful of pure Sugar Blue! It features the blazing guitar of Rico McFarland, the keyboard virtuosity of Damiano Della Torre, driving bass by Ilaria Lantieri and the powerful drive of James Knowles on drums! Release set for late summer 2012. Sugar Blue incorporates what he has learned into his visionary and singular style, technically dazzling yet wholly soulful. He bends, shakes, spills flurries of notes with simultaneous precision and abandon, combining dazzling technique with smoldering expressiveness and gives off enough energy to light up several city square blocks... And sings too! His distinctive throat tends to be overlooked in the face of his instrumental virtuosity - he's got a rich, sensual voice with a whisper of huskiness which by itself would be something out of the ordinary. But oh, there's that harmonica again... !! 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!

Garbage Man Blues - Buddy Guy & Billy Gibbons

Along with the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons is unquestionably one of the finest blues-rock guitarists to ever emerge from Texas. Born on either March 4 or December 16, 1950 (both dates have been given in the past), and raised in Houston, TX, Gibbons grew up in a home that favored both classical and country sounds, but upon discovering Elvis Presley via an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Gibbons became transfixed by rock & roll. It wasn't long before he discovered other early rock & rollers (Little Richard) as well as bluesmen (Jimmy Reed) via a local radio station. Soon after receiving a Gibson Melody Maker electric guitar and a Fender Champ amp for Christmas in 1963, Gibbons began emulating his heroes -- forming his first band when he was 14 (the Saints). The guitarist later joined a group around the mid-'60s called the Coachmen, who specialized in more psychedelic-based sounds, inspired by the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and the local Texas outfit 13th Floor Elevators (led by a young Roky Erickson). Gibbons' band eventually changed their name to the Moving Sidewalks, issuing a lone album in 1968, Flash, although an early single, "99th Floor," would later receive attention when included years later on the Pebbles: Vol. 2 compilation. While the Moving Sidewalks never made a splash outside of Texas, Gibbons must have been pleased when Jimi Hendrix (with whom the Sidewalks toured with around this time) began endorsing the guitarist as one of his favorite new players to the media. Rio Grande Mud When the Moving Sidewalks folded in 1969, Gibbons sought to form a more straight-ahead, boogie/blues rock-based band, and after hooking up with a pair of other fellow Texans, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard, ZZ Top was born. The power trio slowly but steadily built up a solid following, largely due to Gibbons' tasty guitar playing and muscular riffs (especially evidenced on such renowned tracks as "La Grange" and "Tush"). Over the course of five classic albums over a six year's span (1970's self-titled debut, 1972's Rio Grande Mud, 1973's Tres Hombres, 1975's Fandango, and 1976's Tejas), ZZ Top became one of the country's top rock bands before taking a three-year break. When they returned, the musical climate had changed considerably, and ZZ Top opted to change with the times -- as a more modern, electronic sound was merged with their blues rock roots on such albums as 1979's Deguello and 1981's El Loco. But with the release of 1983's Eliminator, the new approach came together for the group, while both Gibbons and Hill happened to come across a gimmick that will be forever associated with the group -- long and stringy beards that grew down to their chests. It didn't hurt that the group was responsible for some of MTV's most popular video clips of all time (which always seemed to primarily focus on good looking girls and a snazzy 1933 Ford three door coupe, rather than the bandmembers) - "Give Me All Your Loving," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs." Gibbons and Hill also became known for their assortment of matching and outlandish guitars, which were also always on display in their videos. Feel This But the trio's newly acquired commercial direction caused some consternation amongst longtime fans, and by the mid-'90s, new ZZ Top's albums failed to sell as well as their earlier titles had, although a large and loyal following still flocked to their shows. A long-time vintage guitar collector, Gibbons owns some of the world's most cherished and rare guitars, including a particular instrument that he's become synonymous with, a 1959 Sunburst Les Paul Standard (which he dubbed "Pearly Gates"). In addition to music, Gibbons supposedly owns several automotive-related patents in his name, is an avid painter, and collects rare African art and artifacts, amassing so many that he was forced to store them in a warehouse in Houston. Besides recording with ZZ Top, Gibbons has been known to go by the alias Justis Walkert -- appearing on recordings by Jeff Healey (Feel This) and the Rainer & Das Combo (The Texas Tapes). But it's obviously Gibbons' exceptional playing with ZZ Top that he's best-known for, as the guitarist has influenced a wide variety of players over the years, including the Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood and Pantera's Dimebag Darrell, to name but a few. 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!

Miles, Spoon, Joni and Me - Robben Ford

Robben Ford is one of the premier electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A five-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, Bob Dylan, John Mayall, Greg Allman, John Scofield and many others. (See Discography) Born in 1951 in Woodlake, California, and raised in Ukiah, Robben was the third of four sons in a musical family. His father Charles was a country and western singer and guitarist before entering the army and marrying Kathryn, who played piano and had a lovely singing voice. Robben?s first chosen instrument was the saxophone, which he began to play at age ten and continued to play into his early twenties. He began to teach himself guitar at age thirteen upon hearing the two guitarists from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. In the late 1960?s, Ford frequented the Fillmore and Winterland Auditoriums in San Francisco to see Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Albert King, B.B. King and all of the progenitors of blues. “It was an incredible time for electric guitar,” Robben recalls. On his interest in jazz, Robben says,” I fell in love with the sax-playing of Paul Desmond and The Dave Brubeck Quartet, and before long found Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and of course, Miles Davis.” These influences have stayed with Robben, playing a large part in his particular blend of jazz and blues that define him as a guitarist and allow him to play in a wide variety of settings. After high school, Robben and his brothers Patrick (a blues drummer) and Mark (a blues harmonica player) formed The Charles Ford Band (named after their father), and recorded for the Arhoolie label. Robben (on sax and guitar) and Patrick went on to tour the U.S. with Chicago harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, again recording for Arhoolie. Robben?s first attempt at forming his own jazz quartet was picked up by legendary blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon, which brought Robben to L.A. He toured the U.S. and Europe with Witherspoon and was seen by Tom Scott and members of The L.A. Express, who were about to begin a promotional tour with Joni Mitchell for her recording “Court and Spark.” Robben was invited to play guitar on the tour and played on two recordings with Mitchell and The L.A. Express. “The two years I spent with Joni were the most formative of my musical life. Joni was just brilliant and very accessible, and the members of The L.A. Express became good friends and teachers. It was great.” Beatle George Harrison invited Robben to join him on his “Dark Horse” tour of the U.S. and Canada, raising his musical profile even further. Shortly after the two month stint with Harrison, Robben moved to Colorado to take a much-needed break from music and to study with Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa. In 1977, he was approached by Elektra Records, which produced his first solo recording “The Inside Story” with a group of musicians who went on to become The Yellowjackets. Elektra closed their doors in the early 1980?s, leading to a time of uncertainty. Robben moved to San Francisco to be close to family and his early musical history. Soon his career would take another upward swing, recording and touring with Michael McDonald, securing a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records, and meeting his soon-to-be wife, actress Anne Kerry. After moving to New York with Anne, he was called to play with musical icon Miles Davis. “Producer Tommy LiPuma played Miles my work with the Yellowjackets, then three days later, Miles called me personally to join his band. Shocking!” Robben lamented having to leave Miles after only six months because of recording commitments with Warner Brothers, but was told by Miles that if he ever wanted to come back, “just come back.” Robben?s 1988 release for Warner Brothers, “Talk to Your Daughter” brought his first Grammy nomination (Best Contemporary Blues Recording) and he started touring the world under his own name. Still based in New York, he backed David Sandborn on the television show “Night Music,” in which Sandborn hosted a variety of musical acts. Robben toured with Sandborn in 1990, then moved back to southern California shortly thereafter to be closer to his own band. After leaving Warner Brothers, Robben signed with Stretch/GRP records, where he finally found a real home for his creativity, recording three CDs for them with his band “The Blue Line” (Tom Brechtlein on drums and Roscoe Beck on bass). After a very fruitful eight years, Robben disbanded the group and recorded two more CDs for the label which had then become Stretch/Blue Thumb: “Tiger Walk” (an instrumental recording produced in New York with Keith Richard?s rhythm section) and “Supernatural,” his most accomplished work up to that point as a songwriter. In 2000 Robben was invited to tour with Phil Lesh and Friends on a co-bill with Bob Dylan, reuniting him with Billy Paine and Paul Barrere of Little Feat, as well as drummer John Molo. “This experience gave me new respect for Jerry Garcia as a musician and songwriter. The songs and musical context were pure pleasure--real guitar music!” When his contract expired at Stretch/Blue Thumb, Robben signed with Concord Records, the largest independently-owned record company at the time. In 2002, he released “Blue Moon” and in 2003 “Keep on Runnin,” a recording full of the 60?s blues/R&B feeling with which he grew up. His third release for Concord was entitled “Truth." “I feel this is the best work I have done in terms of a solo recording. It is my most realized work as a songwriter, and I feel like I am reaching higher ground as a guitarist. “Truth” represents the blues as they are today; some of the songs are sociopolitical in essence, but not without humor, and the musical setting is fresh.” In 2007 Robben toured with the legendary guitarist, Larry Carlton, resulting in “Live in Tokyo” and an “unplugged” DVD, “The Paris Concert 2008.” Robben’s fourth release for Concord, Soul on Ten” is a “live” recording performed in San Francisco (2009). “People had been requesting a live recording for years and I had the right band, music, and venue to pull it off.” The CD also includes two studio tracks which feature Larry Goldings on B3 organ and John Button on bass. In 2010, Robben and a group of musical friends who have played in different combinations and contexts over the years decided to focus on a project together recording for Mike Varney’s Shrapnel label. The result was the formation of “Renegade Creation” with a self-named album. This is a rock band, Robben’s first, and the results have people talking: “Dare I say everyone who hears it, loves it!” says Robben. The other members are guitarist Mike Landau, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Gary Novak. After much critical acclaim for “Renegade Creation” RC returned to the studio and produced “Bullet” which was released in June, 2012. In the past year Robben has also played internationally with the Miles Davis tribute band, “Mile Smiles,” featuring past Miles’ alums, Omar Hakim, Darryl Jones, Wallace Roney and Joey DeFrancesca, as well as touring with Bill Evans and Randy Brecker’s group, Soulbop. Robben also collaborates with his wife Anne on various musical projects including her CD “Weill" which Robben produced on their own Illyria label. 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!

Depression Blues - Melvin Taylor and The Slack Band

Melvin Taylor was born in 1959 in Jackson, Mississippi. His musical roots however have always been in Chicago, where he moved with his music-loving, guitar playing family when he was just three years old. Melvin started playing guitar himself at a very young age and was inspired and influenced by some of the world's greatest blues players - many of whom lived in or near his Chicago neighborhood. By the time he was a teenager, Melvin's incredible ability and unique style was already grabbing attention on Maxwell Street. And indeed when Joe Willie Pinetop' Perkins needed a great guitarist to play his European tour, he invited Melvin to join the Legendary Blues Band. Melvin made an immediate impact on the European circuit, and while he was in France, he cut two albums - Blues on the Run in 1982, and Plays the Blues for You in 1984. Following his return to the United States, Melvin recorded four additional CDs through Evidence Music - Bang That Bell in 1999, Dirty Pool in 2002, Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band in 2003, and Rendezvous With the Blues in 2004. Melvin's recent burst of creativity has resulted in two new CD's, Beyond the Burning Guitar 2010 and Sweet Taste of Guitar 2012. Beyond the Burning Guitar contains 23 original, instrumental guitar songs plus Melvin's arrangement and adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth. Melvin's 2012 release, Sweet Taste of Guitar is a splendid accomplishment for this virtuoso - he composed, arranged, produced and recorded 10 songs. What really makes this project unique is that Melvin plays all of the instrument on the CD. Both of these are available on iTunes and other digital sites. With new management now in place, Melvin Taylor continues his musical journey into the 21st century. His unique sound and outstanding performance skills continue to thrill and entertain audiences around the globe. 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!

Marshall Drew Band,

Marshall Drew was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, a town whose contributions to blues music many decades ago sealed its musical legacy. Drew himself became interested in music at a young age, learning his first guitar chords at age 5 and writing his first song at 8. “I guess I was a fairly normal kid,” Drew says. “The only thing that set me apart was that I really loved music. I’d invite my friends over to play and just put on one of my dad's old Beatles albums! To me, that was a good time, but they were probably bored out of their minds...” Drew’s dedication to music eventually paid off, and he became a renowned young guitarist around his hometown, playing with several local bands throughout his teens and early twenties. He logged countless miles playing blues music in bars and festivals around the Mississippi Delta. 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 Joint Is Jumping - Fats Waller

Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943), born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. Thomas Wright Waller was the youngest of four children born to Adaline Locket Waller and the Reverend Edward Martin Waller. He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father's church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem's Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller's first piano solos ("Muscle Shoals Blues" and "Birmingham Blues") were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old. He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson. Fats Waller was the son of a preacher and learned to play the organ in church with his mother. Overcoming opposition from his clergyman father, Waller became a professional pianist at 15, working in cabarets and theaters. In 1918 he won a talent contest playing Johnson's "Carolina Shout", a song he learned from watching a player piano play it. Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Squeeze Me". Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant dubbed Waller "the black Horowitz". Waller composed many novelty swing tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller's son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money. He even made a recording in which he played the tune but made fun of the lyrics. Likewise he noted his father's objections whenever he heard Sunny Side Of The Street played on the radio. The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new songs, many of which co-written with his closest collaborator Andy Razaf. Razaf described his partner as "the soul of melody... a man who made the piano sing... both big in body and in mind... known for his generosity... a bubbling bundle of joy".[citation needed] Gene Sedric, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller's recording technique with considerable admiration. "Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio, and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we'd just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number." Waller played with many performers, from Nat Shilkret (on Victor 21298-A) and Gene Austin to Erskine Tate to Adelaide Hall, but his greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo, "Fats Waller and his Rhythm". His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips. In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos "St. Louis Blues" and his own composition, "Lenox Avenue Blues". Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris's Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller's Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: "Handful of Keys", "Smashing Thirds", "Numb Fumblin'", and "Valentine Stomp" (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks's Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John "Bugs" Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey. Waller wrote "Squeeze Me" (1919), "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929), "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (1929), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1929), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as "Handful of Keys", "Valentine Stomp" and "Viper's Drag".[citation needed] He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s. He appeared in one of the first BBC broadcasts. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI on their Compton Theatre organ located in their Abbey Road Studios in St John's Wood. He appeared in several feature films and short subject films, most notably "Stormy Weather" in 1943, which was released July 21, just months before his death. For the hit Broadway show, "Hot Chocolates", he and Razaf wrote "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue" (1929), which became a hit for Ethel Waters and Louis Armstrong. Waller performed Bach organ pieces for small groups on occasion. Waller influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists; Count Basie and Erroll Garner have both reanimated his hit songs (notably, "Ain't Misbehavin'"). In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances. Between 1926 and the end of 1927, Waller recorded a series of pipe organ solo records. These represent the first time syncopated jazz compositions were performed on a full sized church organ. Waller contracted pneumonia and died on a cross country train trip near Kansas City, Missouri on December 15, 1943, after making a final recording session with an interracial group in Detroit that included white trumpeter Don Hirleman. He was on his way back to Hollywood for more film work, after the smash success of "Stormy Weather". Coincidentally, as the train with the body of Waller stopped in Kansas City, so stopped a train with his dear friend Louis Armstrong on board. 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!

Blues Got Me Again - Jackie Brenston

Jackie Brenston (August 15, 1930 – December 15, 1979) was an African American R&B singer and saxophonist, who recorded, with Ike Turner's band, the first version of the proto-rock and roll song "Rocket 88". Brenston was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States. Returning to Clarksdale from army service in 1947, Brenston learned to play the tenor saxophone, linking up with Ike Turner in 1950 as sax player and occasional singer in his band. The local success of Turner’s Kings of Rhythm prompted B. B. King to recommend them to studio owner Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee, where the band made several recordings in early March 1951, including "Rocket 88", on which Brenston sang lead and which he was credited with writing. Phillips passed the recordings on to Chess Records in Chicago, who released "Rocket 88" as by "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", rather than under Turner's name. The record soon reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and stayed at that position for over a month. Phillips' later claimed that this was the first rock and roll record, this has often been repeated by others, although there are numerous other candidates. Phillips used the success of the record to start Sun Records the following year. After one further recording session, Brenston and Turner parted company, and Brenston went on to perform in Lowell Fulson's band for two years. He returned to play in Turner's band from 1955 to 1962. Although he occasionally sang with the band, Turner apparently barred him from singing "Rocket 88". By now an alcoholic, Brenston continued playing in local bands. After a final recording session with Earl Hooker in 1963, he worked occasionally as a truck driver before a fatal heart attack in Memphis at the age of 49 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!

Don't Start Me Talkin' - James Cotton & Mark Hummel

The past two decades have seen the emergence of young harmonica-led blues bands. In California, groups that draw their inspiration from the Chicago school but add elements of jump blues and rock 'n' roll into the mix have come up with an exciting new style of West Coast blues. In Oakland, the northern capital of California blues, resides the incredibly powerful harmonica player and vocalist Mark Hummel, leader of The Blues Survivors, who has been a major force in shaping and defining this musical genre. Mark Hummel is a road warrior - a true Blues Survivor. Along the way, he has crafted his own trademark harmonica sound - a subtle combination of tone, phrasing and attack combined with a strong sense of swing. While Mark is new to Electro Fi Records, his earlier albums, constant touring and appearances at the major blues festivals have firmly established his solid reputation around the US and Europe. Born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mark absorbed the music of such Chicago based harp blowers as Little Walter, James Cotton, and Sonny Boy Williamson, before settling in Berkeley, California in 1972. There he played with local bluesmen such as Cool Papa, Boogie Jake, Mississippi Johnny Waters and Sonny Lane. In 1980, he took the helm to lead the popular Blues Survivors Band. In 1985, the Blues Survivors released Playing in Your Town, on Rockinitus Records, and immediately went out on the road. Earning their name, they toured virtually non-stop throughout the United States, Canada and Europe often playing alongside such blues greats as Charlie Musselwhite, Brownie McGhee, Lowell Fulson and Eddie Taylor. While on tour with his band in 1988, Mark was introduced to Canadian guitarist and vocalist Sue Foley. After several tours that year, Mark and Sue released Up & Jumpin', which also features piano legend Charles Brown. Eager to revive the Blues Survivors, though, Mark hit the road again in 1990, before releasing Hard Lovin' in 1992 on Double Trouble Records. He has been on the road constantly since then, stopping only to record Feel Like Rockin' in 1994 and Married to the Blues in 1995 on Flying Fish Records. He has performed at numerous festivals across the country, including the San Francisco Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and has performed and judged at the Hohner Harmonica World Championship, held in Germany. For Heart of Chicago, Mark's sixth release and first on Tone-Cool, Mark traveled to the Windy City to record with some of the city's most legendary players and pay tribute to his Chicago blues influences. Featuring former Muddy Waters sidemen Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Bob Stroger on drums and bass, guitarist Dave Myers from Little Walter's band, and others. In 1998 Mark released Lowdown To Uptown,his 7th cd, a mix of Chicago blues & uptown jazz. This cd featues great guests such as Jr. Watson, Mike Welch, Brenda Boykin & the last piano recording of the late, great Charles Brown. Mark's most current CD is called "Ain't Easy No More" on the Electro Fi label. A mixture of Hummel's originals and some choice rearrangements of previously recorded blues. It's receiving extended radio play at the moment. Since 1991 Mark has been both producing & performing at his Blues Harmonica Blowout™ series. These shows have grown to be a much heralded event & continue to draw sellout crowds wherever they appear. The list of participents is a Who's Who of Blues harp history: John Mayall, John Hammond, Norton Buffalo, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Huey Lewis, Curtis Salgado, Kim Wilson, Watermelon Slim, Sugar Ray Norcia, Kenny Neal, James Harman, Fingers Taylor, Snooky Pryor, Dave Earl, Rod Piazza, Magic Dick, William Clarke, Rick Estrin, Paul DeLay, Billy Branch, Lazy Lester, Carey Bell, Little Sonny, Paul Osher, Lee Oskar, Cephas and Wiggins, Gary Primich, Paul Rischell and Annie Raines, Carlos Del Junco, Sam Myers and many more! 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!

Kansas City - Guy Forsyth and Miss Lavelle White

Lavelle White (born July 3, 1929) is an American Texas blues and soul blues singer and songwriter. After performing most of her adult lifetime, White released three albums, the first of which was issued in 1994 when she was aged 65. White was born in Amite City, Louisiana, United States, the daughter of sharecropper parents. She started to write poetry at the age of 12, which led her to song writing, and singing gospel songs. White relocated to Houston, Texas, at the age of 15, and started to perform in that city's blues clubs with the guitarist Clarence Hollimon. Her break came when Johnny Copeland recommended her to Don Robey, the owner of the Duke and Peacock record labels. She was then billed as 'Miss La-Vell'. White recorded fourteen tracks, released as a number of singles on Duke, between 1958 and 1964. These included "If I Could Be with You," "Just Look at You Fool," "Stop These Teardrops," and "The Tide of Love." Several of her songs were self penned, a process of writing that has lasted most of her lifetime. Under the pseudonym of Deadric Malone, White also wrote Bobby Bland's "Lead Me On", which was a hit in 1960. She appeared in local revues up to the late 1960s. She toured across the United States when her recording contract expired. In the 1960s White shared musical stages with many musicians including Bland, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Junior Parker, Aretha Franklin and Jerry Butler. White moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1978, where she appeared at various clubs and worked with Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks and Buddy Guy, before returning to Houston eight years later. White was later voted Houston's Blues Artist Of The Year. She relocated again and became a regular performer around the Austin, Texas area, including a residency at Antone's. However, her debut album was not released until 1994, when Miss Lavelle was issued on the Antone's label. It was her first recording for almost 30 years. White appeared at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1995. She has also performed at the Houston International Festival. Her second album was It Haven't Been Easy (1997). Both albums featured guitar work from her former performing colleague, Clarence Hollimon. The same year, White appeared with Delbert McClinton on the television program, Austin City Limits. Her third album, Into the Mystic, was released in 2003. She has been nominated four times for a Blues Music Award, and in 2006 was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame. The same year her ensemble was voted the Best Blues Band in The Austin Chronicle Music Awards. White recently appeared at the Ponderosa Stomp music festival 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!

Get Low Down - Curly Moore

June 'Curly' Moore b December 14, 1985 in new Orleans, LA a funky singer with Huey Piano smith among others. 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 Home Chicago - Blues Cousins

In 2000 the Blues Cousins was awarded the best blues band at “Blues Sur Seine” festival in France among 57 bands from all over the globe. Few weeks later Levan Lomidze (lead guitarist and the singer ) was awarded by the Moscow government for the gig –“Blues Against the Drugs” In 2003 and 2004 the band made two big (three month) tours in USA performing more than 70 gigs and took part in 15 blues festivals in Washington , Idaho , Montana and other states. In the summer of 2004 Blues Cousins singed contract with “Jazz Stream Records” ( USA ) and recorded and released live CD in USA . In January 2005 the Blues Cousins made another tour in Washington and Montana . This way The Blues Cousins became the first Russian blues band recognized and demanded in US - the homeland of blues and jazz. 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!

1 Hand Blues - U.P. WILSON

U.P. Wilson (September 4, 1934 – September 22, 2004) was an African American electric blues guitarist and singer who performed Texas blues. He recorded five albums for JSP Records, the first being Boogie Boy! The Texas Guitar Tornado Returns!, and was known for playing a style of deep Southern soul blues that was gospel inflected Huary Perry Wilson was born on a farm in Catto Parish, Shreveport, Louisiana, to parents Carrie Lee and Tommy Wilson. Raised in West Dallas, Wilson learned the blues from ZuZu Bollin, Cat Man Fleming, Frankie Lee Sims, Mercy Baby and Nappy "Chin" Evans. Wilson later relocated from Dallas to Fort Worth and formed a duo, the Boogie Chillun Boys, with the drummer and vocalist, Robert Ealey. Later he worked with Cornell Dupree before Dupree left to become a session musician. The Boogie Chillun Boys provided inspiration to fellow Texan singer and guitarist Ray Sharpe. From 1967 onwards he raised his family, and worked in Fort Worth during the day as a school janitor. At night, Wilson performed as a sideman in local nightclubs. By the late 1970s, Wilson and Ealey played at a Fort Worth club named the New Bluebird, where they attracted crowds of Texas blues fans. By 1987, Wilson had began solo recording, and touring around Texas. However, he subsequently rejoined Ealey in his new band, The Lovers, the following year. Music journalist, Tony Russell, noted that Wilson put on a show, playing one-handed while drinking, smoking and greeting his fans, but behind the tricks and the hyped language used in his billings ('Texas Tornado', 'Atomic Guitar' etc.,) Wilson was a musician with a talent for more than just getting boys to boogie down. His peculiar decision to sing in falsetto flawed his 1995 release This Is U.P. Wilson, but subsequent releases re-discovered his blend of Texas shuffles and low-down blues. For most of the last decade of his life, Wilson toured both the European blues circuit and throughout the United States. Activities included appearances at the Chicago Blues Festival, and playing accompaniment to Albert Collins. Wilson was imprisoned for six months in the John R.L. Jacksboro State Penitentiary for cocaine possession between 1997 and 1998, and on his release moved to live in Paris, France. Wilson went to hospital in Paris for surgery, and he died there on September 22, 2004, at the age of 70. His wife Rosie, predeceased him, and he was survived by two daughters and a son 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!

Martha Davis & Her Spouse

Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid 1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band. In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year. Davis and Ponder also began performing together on stage, developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" which played on their physical characteristics (she was large, he was smaller). The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York. They appeared together in movies including Smart Politics (with Gene Krupa), and in the mid 1950s, variety films Rhythm & Blues Revue, Rock 'n' Roll Revue and Basin Street Revue. Several of their performances were filmed by Snader Telescriptions for video jukeboxes, and they also broadcast on network TV, particularly Garry Moore's CBS show. In 1957, after a break of several years, they resumed recording for the ABC Paramount label, with whom they cut two LPs. Davis died from cancer in New York in 1960, aged only 42, and Ponder died ten years later, aged only 53. 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”

Pan American Blues - DeFord Bailey

DeFord Bailey (December 14, 1899 – July 2, 1982) was an American country music star from the 1920s until 1941. Bailey was both the first performer to be introduced as playing on the Grand Ole Opry and also the first African-American performer on the show. He played several instruments but is best known for his harmonica tunes. A grandson of slaves, Bailey was born near the Bellwood community in Smith County, Tennessee, and learned to play the harmonica at the age of three when he contracted polio (or as it was called at the time 'infantile paralysis'). During his year-long confinement to bed he developed his distinctive style of playing. In 1918, he moved to Nashville performing locally as an amateur. His first documented radio appearance was June 19, 1926 on WSM in Nashville. On December 10, 1927, he premiered his trademark number, "Pan American Blues" on a show then known as the "WSM Barn Dance". At that time "Barn Dance" aired after NBC's classical music show, the "Music Appreciation Hour". While introducing Bailey, WSM station manager and announcer George D. Hay exclaimed on-air: “For the past hour, we have been listening to music largely from Grand Opera, but from now on, we will present ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’” Bailey also had several records issued in 1927-1928, all of them harmonica solos. In 1927 he recorded for Brunswick records in New York City, while in 1928 he recorded eight sides for Victor in Nashville, of which three were issued on several labels, including Victor, Bluebird and RCA. Emblematic of the ambiguity of Bailey's position as a recording artist is the fact his arguably greatest recording, John Henry, was released separately in both RCA's 'race' and 'hillbilly' series. THC marker near Bailey's birthplace in Smith County Bailey was a pioneer member of the WSM Grand Ole Opry, and one of its most popular performers, appearing on the program from 1927 to 1941. During this period he toured with many major country stars, including Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff. Like other black stars of his day traveling in the South and West, he faced many difficulties in finding food and accommodation because of the discriminatory Jim Crow laws. Bailey was fired by WSM in 1941 because of a licensing conflict with BMI-ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best known tunes on the radio. This effectively ended his performance career, and he spent the rest of his life shining shoes and renting out rooms in his home to make a living. Though he continued to play the harp, he almost never performed publicly. One of his rare appearances occurred in 1974, when he agreed to make one more appearance on the Opry. This became the occasion for the Opry's first annual Old Timers' Show. He died on July 2, 1982 in Nashville. and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there. In 2005, Nashville Public Television produced the documentary DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost. The documentary was broadcast nationally through PBS. Later that year, Bailey was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on November 15, 2005. Joining him in the 2005 class were country-pop superstar Glen Campbell and the band Alabama. On June 27, 2007, the DeFord Bailey Tribute Garden was dedicated at the George Washington Carver Food Park in Nashville. The Encyclopedia of Country Music called him "the most significant black country star before World War II. 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”

Pooling Pennies for a Pallet of Ensure

Music Maker's First Donation In 1991, Bluesman Guitar Gabriel and I became inseparable partners - each day playing at drink houses, bars, and meeting up with other blues artists. We were both very broke and worked very hard to keep things going. We would often find ourselves pouring out our bottles of change, counting pennies, nickels and dimes and rolling them up in change sleeves, and using the money to fill the tank, buy lunch, and get to another street corner to sell some tapes and shirts. The biggest and most common need that we were pooling our pennies to purchase was the drink "Ensure" for Guitar Gabriel. Gabe could not consume solid foods very well due to health problems, and Ensure was what kept him nourished. However, Ensure was expensive, and if gigs were scarce Gabe would go without. MMRF was founded in 1994, and the first thing we raised money for was a pallet of Ensure, which provided much-needed nourishment for Guitar Gabriel and Willa Mae Buckner. With this supply, both regained strength, some vigor and felt good. Nearly 20 years later, and thanks to supporters like you, Music Maker is able to go further in our support of these musical pioneers - buying heating oil, fixing roofs and even providing a new mobile home to Precious Bryant. But remembering how much good a donation of Ensure did for our artists, I am always humbled. We are always striving to help them more, and they are eternally grateful just because we care.   Please, support Musician Sustenance this year, and help us keep these deserving artists living in safety and improved health. -- Tim Duffy  Ben Payton in Hillsborough Tonight! Ben Payton is bringing some Mississippi Blues to our neck of the woods! He'll do a show at Hillsborough music venue Billsborough on 12/13 from 8-10pm! Scott Baretta of Living Blues said, "Payton writes many of his own songs but is also keenly interested in exploring - and exposing to new audiences - the music of Mississippi's blues pioneers." Don't miss is - located at 106 South Churton Street in Hillsborough, NC. See you there! Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks Photo of the Week by Tim Duffy Keep up with Music Maker!        Support Music Maker, and help keep the music alive!  Don't Forget  to shop the  Music Maker store for your gifts! Don't miss out on our special deals for all your Roots music needs! It's not too late to send CDs to your loved ones for the Holidays. Use our coupon codes to Buy One CD, Get One 50% Off! Or, get free shipping on an order of one CD! Make sure you order by Noon on Friday (12/14) to ensure delivery via USPS by Christmas! If you're shopping later and need it by the Holiday, please call our office at 919-643-2456 to arrange special shipping. We have great gift ideas - anything from the wildly popular Boo Hanks and Dom Flemons collaboration Buffalo Junction, to the classic Christmas album from Cool John Ferguson, Cool Yule. You can even get the special Cool Yule Membership, to combine a donation with your purchase. It makes a great corporate gift as well! When you purchase from Music Maker, you're supporting the elderly musicians that we work with to keep Roots music alive. Thanks for your support! Diggin: Cootie Stark "Come Home for Christmas" As Aaron puts it "this is the 'We Are the World' of Blues Christmas!" We have to admit, we wrote a Diggin' on this last year, but its worth repeating - if you don't have Cootie Stark's "Christmas with Cootie" album on your rotation this Holiday, you're missing out. The album, featuring Cootie and friends John Dee Holeman, Cool John Ferguson, Macavine Hayes, and Whistlin' Britches, takes a Blues spin on classic Christmas tunes. It's the closest thing to a traditional Christmas Special Music Maker has ever produced, described by Tim as "hilariously uplifting." We think you'll enjoy the Holiday track we have for you from "Christmas with Cootie." There's enough raw, Blues grit in "Come Home For Christmas" that it will delight even the most avowed Grinch. Happy Holidays! -- Corinne Listen:  Cootie Stark - Come Home For Christmas  Leyla's Kickstarter blasts through goal! Music Maker's Next Generation Artist Leyla McCalla reached her $5000 goal to fund her new CD in a record three days! She was a Kickstarter staff pick on the day she launched - out of hundreds of other projects - which helped her expand the Kickstarter's reach and achieve her goal. That means her album Vari-Colored Songs will be a reality in 2013 - but  you can still help! Any Kickstarter funds received after Leyla's goal has been met will help her promote the album - send it to radio stations, gain publicity, and make more people aware of her music. Music Maker does not provide Next Generation artists with financial assistance, so Leyla needs you to ensure her album is not only great, but that everyone knows it's great! Check out her Kickstarter here.

Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events  12/13 - Ironing Board Sam - The Crunkleton, Chapel Hill, NC 12/13 - Ben Payton - Billsborough, Hillsborough, NC 12/14 - Ironing Board Sam - The Depot, Hillsborough, NC 12/15 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Northside Tavern, Atlanta, GA 12/20 - Ironing Board Sam - The Crunkleton, Chapel Hill, NC 12/27 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Steve's Live Music, Sandy Springs, GA 12/27 - Ironing Board Sam - The Crunkleton, Chapel Hill, NC 12/31 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Fatt Matt's Rib Shack, Atlanta, GA 12/31 - Cool John Ferguson - First Night, Raleigh, NC 1/04 - Boo Hanks - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, NC 1/05 - Ironing Board Sam - G2B Gastropub, Durham, NC 1/13 - Ironing Board Sam - NC Museum of History, Raleigh, NC 1/18 - Big Ron Hunter - The Depot, Hillsborough, NC 1/26 - Shelton Powe - NC Museum of History, Raleigh, NC 2/01 - Ironing Board Sam - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, NC   Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain  recognition and meet their day to day needs. We present these musical traditions to the world so American culture will flourish and be preserved for future generations.

ASIA forced to cancel 30th Anniversary UK Tour

ASIA, featuring the original line-up of Geoff Downes (keyboards),  Steve Howe (guitar), Carl Palmer (drums) and John Wetton (Lead Vocal, bass), has been forced to cancel the 30^th Anniversary UK Tour due to drummer Carl Palmer coming down with a severe case of E. coli.  

Tickets are refundable from the point of purchase.

A list of the cancelled dates are as follows –

Tavistock The Wharf (Dec 15)

Holmfirth Picturedrome (Dec 16)

Edinburgh Queen’s Hall (Dec 17)

Salisbury City Hall (Dec 19)

Birmingham Town Hall (Dec 20)

Manchester Royal Northern College of Music (Dec 21)  

London o2 Shepherds Bush Empire (Dec 22)

Death Don't Have No Mercy - Lucky Peterson

Lucky Peterson (born Judge Kenneth Peterson, December 13, 1964, Buffalo, New York) is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards. Music journalist Tony Russell, in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray has said, "he may be the only blues musician to have had national television exposure in short pants. Peterson's father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a nightclub in Buffalo called The Governor's Inn. The club was a regular stop for fellow bluesmen such as Willie Dixon. Dixon saw a five-year-old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and, in Peterson's words, "Took me under his wing." Months later, Peterson performed on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and What's My Line?. Millions of people watched Peterson sing "1-2-3-4", a cover version of "Please, Please, Please" by James Brown. At the time, Peterson said "his father wrote it". Around this time he recorded his first album, Our Future: 5 Year Old Lucky Peterson for Today/Perception Records and appeared on the public television show Soul!. As a teen, Peterson studied at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, where he played the French horn with the school symphony. Soon, he was playing backup guitar and keyboards for Etta James, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Little Milton. The 1990s were a prolific period for Peterson. Two solo Bob Greenlee produced albums for the Chicago-based Alligator Records (1989's Lucky Strikes! and the following year's Triple Play) remain his finest recorded offerings. He then released four more for the record label, Verve Records (I'm Ready, Beyond Cool, Lifetime and Move). While with Verve, Peterson collaborated with Mavis Staples on a tribute to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, called Spirituals & Gospel. Peterson played electric organ behind Staples' singing. More albums from Peterson came after 2000. He recorded two for Blue Thumb Records (Lucky Peterson and Double Dealin'), and one for Disques Dreyfus entitled, Black Midnight Sun. In 2007, he released his latest album on JSP Records, titled Tete a Tete. 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!