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April 10, 2009
Volume 4 Issue 13



CD or DVD Releases
News Flash
Blues Society News
House of Blues Radio Hour
Roots Blues Airplay Charts
Blues Festivals
About Us
TOMMY TALTON : : LIVE NOTES FROM ATHENS

Live Notes from Athens, the highly anticipated new live CD by Tommy Talton on Hittin' the Note Record, was released on April 4, 2009. The CD was recorded live at the Melting Point, one of the southeast's premier live music venues, on June 7, 2008.

... Almost thirty-four years after "The Gregg Allman Tour" release, Talton has rolled tape on another epic live recording, The Tommy Talton Band, Live Notes From Athens . Live Notes From Athens will delight new music fans hungry for an extraordinary, original artist whose sound is dynamite burning with a short fuse.
- Hittin' the Note Magazine, March 2009

Talton has taken the southern music scene by storm in recent years with a new band, a new determination, and exceptional new music. Live Notes From Athens is Talton's sophomore release on Hittin' the Note Records, following the critically acclaimed Tommy Talton in Europe, Someone Else's Shoes. Talton's songs are cliché-free, completely original, and burn with an undeniable sexual tension. Even Talton's covers are unmistakably his. The dreamy laid-back grooves, punchy guitar-driven jams, and hook-laden melodies on Live Notes from Athens hint of 1970's-era Van Morrison, Allman Brothers, and Little Feat, but are not throwbacks as much as they are powerful, intelligent, thought-provoking contemporary compositions.

Talton is one of the best songwriters and guitarists of our time. He is best known for his smokin' slide guitar licks, distinct vocals and prolific songwriting with Capricorn Records' group Cowboy, founded by Scott Boyer and Talton in the 70s, and his undeniable guitar work on Gregg Allman's "Laid Back" album. Live Notes from Athens is released on the heels of Talton's guest performance with The Allman Brothers Band on March 17 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, and there is no doubt that Talton continues to deliver!

For more: CLICK


KELLY CARMICHAEL : : QUEEN FAREENA
The heavyweight prewar solo guitarists Charlie Patton, Son House, and especially Robert Johnson, receive the lion's share of attention from contemporary fans. However, string bands with fiddles from the twenties and thirties were enormously popular "back in the day," with the legendary Mississippi Sheiks the reigning potentates of the form. Their expansive styles are still a joy to hear while also providing a misty window back to the pastoral roots of American music. Multi-instrumentalist and singer Kelly Carmichael embraces both genres with equal facility and boundless enthusiasm, while creating recordings that are likewise relevant and vital in the modern era.

Charting new territory, Queen Fareena winds down a lazy river of ragtime, roots & country blues, to dixieland with hints of cajun. Obscure revamped oldies from the 20's and 30's of artists like Reverend Gary Davis, John Hurt and Robert Johnson, along with Carmichael's original compositions, which are all laced with instrumentation comparable to Springsteen's "Seeger Sessions". Queen Fareena takes you back to an era of the whiskey drenched brothel steamboats with Kelly Carmichael on vocals, guitars and six string banjo, Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch) on drums, along with upright bass, squeeze box, and a top notch brass section.

For more: CLICK

THE INSOMNIACS : : AT LEAST I'M NOT WITH YOU
The Insomniacs seemed to literally explode onto the scene out of nowhere in 2007 as a fully formed and functional unit delighting audiences with their joyous, yet highly contagious musical sound and irresistible sense of swing. Their self-produced debut release "Left Coast Blues" recorded in the living room of bassist Dean Mueller's house was quickly snatched up and issued on Delta Groove Music, hitting a peak position of No. 5 on the national Living Blues radio charts. Critical praise and industry recognition from the blues community soon followed garnering the band a 2008 Blues Music Award nomination for Best New Artist Debut, as well as a 2007 Muddy Award presented by the Cascade Blues Association for Best Contemporary Blues Act.

Since the release of "Left Coast Blues," the band has been racking up the miles on their Sprinter van and introducing their fresh take on West Coast Blues to festivals and clubs up and down the coastline and into the Mid-West, continually expanding their reach as they conquer new towns and add to their ever growing list of adoring fans. The Insomniacs have in the process stylistically filled a void left by many of the pioneers and practitioners of this uniquely left coast music who are either no longer with us, or have decided to move on and explore other avenues within the musical realm.

In October 2008, The Insomniacs were once again caught off guard as they were whisked into the studio by Delta Groove to record the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut on what was thought to be just another routine pass through town. Unbelievably the album was recorded in only two days! The band led by 27-year old vocalist/guitarist Vyasa Dodson, together with bassist Dean Mueller, keyboardist Alex Shakeri and drummer Dave Melyan, laid down an astounding set of material that had been finely tuned night after night out on the road over the last two years; only this time the band had the benefit of utilizing a professional recording studio for superior sound with access to a grand piano and Hammond B-3. Joined by special guests Al Blake, Mitch Kashmar, Joel Paterson and Jeff Turmes, The Insomniacs expand on their original intoxicating formula and deliver what is sure to become an instant classic. A recipe guaranteed to provide the band with many more sleepless nights as they now must answer the call and respond to the demands of fans waking up everywhere with those left coast blues!

 For more: CLICK



NEW GOLDEN GATE BLUES SOCIETY
"It's about time!"

The greater San Francisco Bay Area is blessed with a great blues community - a phenomenal collection of blues fans, a plethora of gifted blues musicians, and some of the finest venues for live blues to be found anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, the entire community struggles to thrive. Missing are those elements that can bind the community together, that cohesively support the artists and venues that support the blues, that seek to build a wider appreciation for the genre we love and to educate a younger generation in both the rich tradition and the wonderful diversity of blues today. While it has been incredibly gratifying to witness the tremendous growth of the blues audience on the Peninsula, what could happen if our entire community lent its collective efforts to really supporting the blues in and around San Francisco?

We think quite a bit!

Introducing The Golden Gate Blues Society

It is with great excitement that we announce the formation of The Golden Gate Blues Society, or as we'll come to know it, TGGBS. TGGBS is a non-profit society, and an affiliate of The Blues Foundation, whose purpose is to enhance the appreciation and understanding of the Blues in the greater San Francisco Bay Area through:


Sponsorship and promotion of Blues performances
Educational programs and publications on the performance, interpretation, preservation, and growth of the Blues as an American art form. Our goal is to be a comprehensive resource for all Bay Area Blues lovers: fans, musicians, club owners, media, promoters, retailers, professional, educators, etc.

TGGBS is based on participative membership. By that we mean that much of the society's work will be based on the input, and efforts, of its members. Through regular society meetings, member forums, and our Barbary Blues Bites newsletter, we'll keep you informed on what we are up to and seek your feedback on ways to best support the Bay Area Blues community.

Please visit our website, www.tggbs.org, to see some of what we have planned for our community and, most importantly, take the next step in supporting the Blues community by becoming a member. Your membership dollars and your participation will directly support the growth of Bay Area Blues.


A key element of TGGBS's efforts will be blues performances, and we are proud to announce our Membership Drive Concert on May 29th at 8:00 PM at The (Big) Fox Theater in Redwood City, featuring three incredible bands representing our diverse Bay Area Blues at its best.

E.C. Scott and Smoke
Mark Hummel and The Blues Survivors
w/Rusty Zinn
The Daniel Castro Band


www.tggbs.org/

2009 LEAD BELLY BLUES & FOLK FESTIVAL
Coming soon to Shreveport LA, The 2009 Lead Belly Blues And Folk Festival

Come and celebrate the life and legacy of Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter "King of the twelve string guitar". "Lead Belly" developed his own style of music after exposure to a variety of musical influences on Shreveport's Fannin Street. His now 87 year old niece, "Tiny", always had a dream of having a blues festival in his honor. After living with Lead Belly and experiencing first hand his legendary talent and because of family ties to his Louisiana birthplace, "Tiny" has chosen Shreveport to serve as the host city for the 2009 Lead Belly Blues Festival. The festival is being coordinated by "Tiny" and several of "Lead Belly's" family members.

This one day event will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2009, and will no doubt bring thousands of Lead Belly fans from across the country. Fans will be entertained by award winning, Blues greats Bobby Rush, Ruthie Foster, Kenny Neal Family Reunion, Johnny and Destiny Rawls, Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, and James Robinson (Lead Belly relative) and more!

Located on the banks of the majestic Red River, Shreveport's Festival Plaza will host this outdoor festival. With great music, food and fun, festival participants will get the chance to walk the trail of Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter's music appreciation and success from Shiloh Baptist Church Shreveport to Fannin Street. There will be an exhibit held in Riverview Hall.

From the Beach Boys to Perry Como and Johnny Cash, there's no doubt that Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter has made a tremendous impact on the music industry from Blues, Rock & Roll to Country. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of celebrating the life and legacy of the "King of the twelve string guitar"

 For more information about Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, the Lead Belly Foundation and more, visit : http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/ 
or call 1-877- 7LBELLY (1-877-752-3559) 
Email :mailto:info@leadbellybluesfestival.com
Lead Belly's Myspace page : http://www.myspace.com/leadbellybluesfestival



JOIN ELWOOD'S BLUES BRETHERN AT THEBLUESMOBILE.COM
Looking for a place that's got everything Blues?
Want to learn about new music and win cool stuff?

Join me at TheBluesMobile.com and become a member of the Blues Brethren. You can win cool guitars, harps, CDs, DVDs, signed merch, and other prizes. So far Brethren have won signed guitars from Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa and even had the chance to dance on stage with me and the Blues Brothers!

Blues Brethren are the first to receive news about Blues artists, new contests, and the Blues industry, you know, basically everything happening at TheBluesMobile.com. You also get exclusive access to "Elwood's Briefcase Full of Blues" which features the House of Blues Radio Hour audio stream, set lists, and sneak previews; Blues podcasts, videos and interviews; TheBluesMobile.com merchandise; as well as original Blues music, the Top 10 Blues Chart, and the Blues Breaker, my favorite new song of the week.

It started with me and Jake, and now the Mission continues... with you.

Your Blues Brother,

Elwood

THEBLUESMOBILE.COM






BLUES CRUISE REUNION PARTY
Knuckleheads Saloon - Show Starts @ 8PM
$15 advance tix / $20 @ door
(816) 483-1456
2715 Rochester, KCMO

Buffet Dinner @ 7PM. Price is $15 and includes:
BBQ: Ribs, Beef Brisket & Pulled Pork
Fish: Trout & Catfish
Sides: Mixed Greens, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Spaghetti


For more info and tickets: CLICK



DIVING INTO DEEP BLUES

Ramblin' Jack Elliott, last musical partner of Woody Guthrie, mentor and model for young Bob Dylan, and sonic grandfather of just about every scruffy-voiced folksinger in the Western world, is now 77 and has just undergone some needed hip-replacement surgery. Unlike most people at that point in life, and well past 50 years in a performing career, he not only has a new CD, "A Stranger Here," out today on Anti-Records, but it's a release that marks a whole new turn in his repertoire -- toward the hard, "deep" blues of the Depression era.

"This is the first time I really tried to do something like Blind Willie Johnson," Ramblin' Jack noted in a recent phone interview. "I was always in awe of his music, and never even thought to try it, really, but when they suggested it to me I thought, 'Well, give it a shot.' I've always loved the blues, and especially the type on the new record -- but some of them were so tough that I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do them."

The suggestion that the veteran singer of cowpoke ballads and protest songs, and teller of rambling, often hilarious personal stories that gave him his nickname, take up darker, bone-cutting acoustic blues came from performer and producer Joe Henry. Mr. Henry has recently produced notable CDs that brought new 21st-century audiences to Solomon Burke, Bettye LaVette and Allen Toussaint. While Jack Elliott has always sung lighter, blues-related songster numbers of the "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Don't You Leave Me Here" variety, hillbilly blues like "Salty Dog" and "East Virginia," he has never before ventured into the realm of Lonnie Johnson, Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Tampa Red, as he does on the new release. And that is despite having shared stages with so many central, even legendary blues singers during the folk revival.

"Yes, I'd hung out with Mississippi John Hurt, the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet," he recalled in typically picaresque style, "and played a couple of tunes with him . . . and Jesse Fuller, and I met Lead Belly one time, in 1948, when I was only 17. I met Big Bill Broonzy, and Muddy Waters, the first time they each played in England. . . . And when I opened for Reverend Gary Davis at the University of Indiana, we stayed overnight in the same room. He got back from the party afterwards before I did, and he was sleeping sitting up on the bed -- in a suit and tie! I loosened his necktie and laid him down, covered him with a blanket, and he slept -- fully dressed. I'd been honored to describe the scenery out the window for him on the plane ride there." (Davis was blind.)

"I also played with Brownie McGee and Sonny Terry in Felton's Lounge in Harlem when I was 19 or 20. But I wasn't really picking up on the blues that intricately. I remember Brownie scolding me one time because I played a wrong chord. He said: 'Hey, Jack. That's a cowboy chord!'"

While the bluesmen whose songs were taken up for this project were mainly either solo acoustic guitar players and singers, as Jack Elliott usually has been himself, or notable singing piano players (Leroy Carr, Walter Davis), the essential sound of the new record, captured in a series of sessions in South Pasadena, Calif., last summer, is that of a small blues combo. Producer Henry assembled a stellar group of supporting musicians for the back-up, including Greg Leisz on guitar, mandolin and slide Dobro, Van Dyke Parks on piano and vibraphone, and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos on guitar and accordion, and Ramblin' Jack credits their finesse for making the adventure in new territory easier than he'd expected:

"All I had to do was sing my part; I'm usually a rhythm guitar player. On some of these, I didn't play guitar at all, and I actually played a little lead on John Hurt's 'Richland Women Blues' and 'Ramblers Blues' from Lonnie Johnson -- who I'd also met and done a show with. He was the first guitarist that I was aware of before I even started playing; I used to listen to Lonnie Johnson records on the radio when I was listening to jazz, back before I got into cowboy music and ran away from home in 1948.


Zina Saunders."It felt like a jam session, done live, with very few repeats. I've done very little playing with other musicians throughout my whole life, and I hardly ever have gone and jammed with people, even when I could have. I'm known to avoid that. But these guys were so good, and they played so beautifully, and it was so tasty, that everything just worked out very sweetly. We worked about nine hours a day, and took about three hours to get each song -- in the basement of a very nice house that used to belong to the widow of the assassinated President James A. Garfield."

The result, some critics were already saying before the album's release, is another "career record," likely to be added to the Jack Elliott titles that have lasted decades, the likes of his live recordings in England in the 1950s, his cowboy-song recordings, and his salutes to Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers. Nicely recovered from the hip surgery, Ramblin' Jack is scheduled to perform his new blues repertoire at some select West Coast shows (including San Diego and Los Angeles) in mid-April, and back East (including New York and Cambridge) in mid-May. (For more information, go to www.ramblinjack.com.)

"I'm trying to learn the words better right now," he admitted. "I was just reading them off a paper in the studio -- after listening to them about a thousand times. I don't really know how well I can do without that wonderful band backing me up, but I can't afford to hire them all the time."

The striking vocals on "A Stranger Here" suggest that getting a handle on these blues won't really be a problem.






A HALF DECADE OF FRONT PORCH BLUES
Montana Radio Café celebrates five-year anniversary


CRESTON - In the Flathead Valley, music was asked to take a number and it chose 101.9. And it needed a home, so it nested in a century-old farmhouse east of Kalispell.

Over the past five years, the Montana Radio Café has emerged as both a distinctive voice and a keen set of ears for the local music scene. When an aspiring artist shows up at the Radio Café's front door with a guitar, chances are owner Scott Johnston will put him on air. In fact, Johnston might pick up a guitar and play along. But first things first: a cup of coffee is always in order.

In Flathead's interconnected arts culture - where painters are blues singers by night and fiddle virtuosos are guitar teachers by day - music lovers look out for each other. Christian Johnson, one of the most active and well-known musicians around, said Johnston is the embodiment of that philosophy.

On a recent Wednesday morning, Johnson and guitar player Billy Powell stopped in at the Radio Café to jam on air and field a few questions.

"He's opened his door to any musician who has a record coming up, a show coming up, or maybe a party," Johnson said. "Radio doesn't usually do that. It's just great."

In March, Johnston celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Radio Café, which can be heard locally at KXZI 101.9 FM or anywhere in the world at http://www.montanaradiocafe.org. The FM station is touch and go, as it originates from a low-power, 78-foot antenna tower in Johnston's yard. But the warmly fuzzy connection often feels like part of the station's charm - and it has plenty of charm.

Driving between Kalispell and Creston on Montana Highway 35, you may notice a neon sign that says "On Air." If you turn there, you've made it to the Radio Café, also Johnston's home. Johnston and his wife have lived in the quaint farmhouse for 22 years. It has served well as the stomping grounds for their six children and now is serving equally well as the control station for the Radio Café.

The house's front porch is adorned with microphones, computers, guitars, a photo of a young Johnston with Louis Armstrong, and enough miscellaneous memorabilia to prove Johnston's point: He loves music and cares deeply about it. The Radio Café is his tribute.

"We're trying to keep the music alive as best we can here on the front porch," Johnston said at the end of his live show with Johnson and Powell.

The Café's menu is diverse, but follows along the veins of blues, bluegrass and jazz, with plenty of rock- and folk-inspired variations interspersed. Some of it is unclassifiable. For these songs, Johnston has a "miscellaneous" category. The Café's database has more than 20,000 songs and growing.

One can listen to the station everyday for weeks and not hear a repeat song. It's a one-stop station for musicians and serious listeners alike, lacking in popular hits but full of lesser-known gems. Striving to keep the music nonstop as possible, Johnston doesn't ever name the songs on air. But they can all be found, with their exact play time, on a continuously running list on the station's Web site.

Johnston operates the station through a series of computers and servers, along with an operating system called OTS-DJ, which he said has far more features than he'll ever need. With all of this new technology, Johnston realizes he possesses powers better left unused.

"I can scratch bluegrass - it sounds weird," he said. "I don't think I'm too good at it."

Johnston gets his music from friends, local artists, music labels and through word of mouth. If a musician brings in a CD, Johnston will add it to the rotation. If a musician brings an instrument, Johnston might put him on air.

Dozens of artists have played live shows at the Café's front-porch studio. Some are lesser-known locals, while some are nationally acclaimed artists like John Gorka, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, and Michael Martin Murphey. One time The Samples parked their giant tour bus in Johnston's yard and jammed for awhile. As Christian Johnson says: "I've heard some magical things happen in here."

But Johnston's contributions to live music don't stop at the farmhouse. He and painter Marshall Noice organize a concert series at the KM Theater that brings in big-name groups from around the country. Johnston also runs the popular "Picnic in the Park" series in the summer at Kalispell's Depot Park.

The Café is non-commercial and the music flows mostly uninhibited all day and night. Laws prohibit non-commercial stations from using traditional advertisements, such as saying the word "sales" or other similar promotional tools, Johnston said.

So when he does make reference to his sponsors, he does so through stories that he calls "mentions." He might tell a story about the friendly owner or a good experience he had at the sponsor's business or any tidbit he finds interesting. He has the advantage of being a good storyteller.

"There's no contracts, just relationships," Johnston said. "We're all in this community together."

Having been in the commercial radio business for years prior to starting the Radio Café, Johnston said he prefers stories as a more intimate method of introducing listeners to sponsors. There are no gimmicks or catchy jingles - just Johnston. For every hour of music, there's an average of five minutes of sponsor mentions. Some commercial stations have more than 20 minutes of advertisements per hour, he said.

But Johnston is the first to admit money is getting tight. Sponsors and potential sponsors, like everybody else, have been hit by the economy. Johnston speaks with genuine appreciation of the supporters he does have and is happy to take whatever they're able to provide to keep his station alive.

Andre Floyd, a renowned Kalispell musician whose career has spanned decades and numerous geographical regions, said Flathead's music scene would have a large void to fill without the Radio Café.

"I love that guy and I love the station," Floyd said. "It's in the tradition of freedom - the freedom to play the records you want to and the access to music that the community doesn't always have access to."

Floyd added: "He's an awesome community spirit."

Johnston doesn't want the music to stop. He's making due with limited funding and will continue to do so as long as possible. But no matter what happens, he's thankful for the run he's already had.

"It's been pretty darn good, these five years on the front porch," Johnston said. "That's why I have that sign up there that says, ‘It's a wonderful life.' Because it has been a wonderful life."



DELTA/ELECTO GROOVE ALL-STAR BLUES REVIEW
On Friday, May 8th, the Delta/Eclecto Groove All-Star Blues Revue returns to the New Daisy Theater in Memphis, Tennessee - the venue where the concert series was originally established on May 12, 2006. This annual tradition which follows what is considered to be the blues' biggest night of the year, The Blues Music Awards, has now blossomed into a bona fide blues lovers phenomenon with fans eagerly anticipating the announcement of the lineup each and every year. And despite our country's difficult economic times, Delta Groove Music is out to prove once again that the value of the U.S. dollar is still intact!

The evenings' line-up includes:
The Soul of John Black, The Mannish Boys Revue & guests (Jackie Payne / Steve Edmonson, Candye Kane, Lynwood Slim, J.T. Lauritsen), Jason Ricci & New Blood, Los Fabulocos with Kid Ramos, Hollywood Blues Flames with Junior Watson & Johnny Dyer, and
SPECIAL GUESTS!

TICKETS:
$30 (ADVANCE) $40 (AT THE DOOR)

DON'T MISS OUT ONTHE DISCOUNT & BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

For more info or to buy tickets: CLICK




NEW CLUB DESIRE GETS A BLUES TRAIL MARKER

Canton Mayor Fred Esco remembers when he was a young man in the 1960s, New Club Desire was the happening place for blues, R&B and dancing in Canton. "The New Club Desire was a place of entertainment," Esco said. "It was the place to be back in the day." "I recall the 'Battle of the DJs.' They would spin music, and everybody would get on the dance floor and dance to the beat."

The club was one of Mississippi's premier blues and R&B night clubs in the 1940s through the '60s, hosting top acts like B.B. King, James Brown, Bobby Blue Bland and Ivory Joe Hunter. Owned by local businessman Clarence Chinn, the venue also served as a meeting place for civil rights workers.

To honor the club's historical significance, the Mississippi Development Authority's Tourism Division last week recognized New Club Desire with a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker.

This is the second marker for Canton and the 65th in Mississippi. The marker was unveiled among local and state dignitaries at the Canton Welcome Center, near the site where the club once stood.

Wanda Clark, Mississippi Blues Trail project coordinator, said the club was chosen for the designation because of its impact on blues music in Mississippi. "The group of scholars, historians, and ethnomusicologists who were tasked with choosing sites to be included on the Mississippi Blues Trail selected ones that would represent specific artists, places, and themes that reflect the importance and lasting impact of blues in the state," Clark said.

"New Club Desire's owner Clarence Chinn was not only committed to running a club with first-class entertainment, he understood the need during the era of segregation to offer his musicians a place to stay, so he had a space attached to the club that acted as a hotel room for traveling artists."

The club, for most of its tenure, was known as New Club Desire, named after the original Club Desire that succumbed to fire.

Blues fans came from Memphis, New Orleans and elsewhere to enjoy the elegant atmosphere with strict dress codes. The music was of a more polished, uptown nature than the raw blues heard in Canton's juke joints.

Canton also received a Blues Trail Marker in 2007 to honor blues guitarist Elmore James.

Jo Ann Gordon, executive director of the Canton Convention & Visitors Bureau & Film Office, said Canton is honored to have received two markers to commemorate the city's rich musical and cultural history.

"It is imperative that Canton celebrates an era of the African-American experience that is fondly remembered," Gordon said. "The Visitors Bureau along with their Black Heritage Committee feels so very honored to have been chosen for a second site for a Mississippi Blues Marker."



DELTA BLUES TOURS
Delta Blues Tour Announced--May 8

The Blues Foundation has learned that Sweet Magnolia Tours is to offer guided Delta Blues Group Tours. For details, click here. Tours are offered on Friday May 8. A guided tour is offered on Friday May 8. The tour has an ultimate destination of the new B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, in Indianola, more than 2 hours south of Memphis, but also feature other informative and entertaining features. Trust us, this is the way to see important Delta landmarks.




HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO AND BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE CONTEST PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITY
Attention Blues Festival Promoter:

CONTEST PARTICIPATION AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY. PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING TO FIND OUT HOW YOUR EVENT WILL BENEFIT FROM FREE PUBLICITY!

Join House of Blues Radio and Blues Festival Guide magazine in a fun contest called:  ELWOOD'S GUEST LIST CONTEST
 
Blues fans enter the contest on http://www.thebluesmobile.com, the official website of Elwood Blues and the House of Blues Radio Hour!
 
Prizes are tickets to Blues Festivals in U.S. and Canada (two tickets per winner only, no ground transportation, airfare, accommodations, food, alcohol, etc). We will have about 100 winners.

You provide a set of tickets as the prize.
 
What do you receive?
You receive: your festival name on HOUSE OF BLUES website which receives millions hits per month, also your festival name with link on Contest section of Blues Festival Guide magazine with 20,000 unique visitors per month/1 million hits per month. Additionally, the contest will be announced on House of Blues Radio show and in the Blues Festival E-Guide.

The contest will also be marketed in The Blues Festival Guide magazine.
 
Your festival is aligned with Elwood Blues (Dan Akroyd) and TheBluesmobile.com

Free advertising for your event!

If you want to participate (U.S. And Canada events only), please send this info:


Name of Festival
Date of Festival
City, State of Festival
Your name
Contact number
Festival Website

ADDITIONALLY, ELWOOD BLUES IS LOOKING FOR FOUR FESTIVAL PROMOTERS TO INTERVIEW ABOUT BLUES AND ABOUT THEIR FESTIVAL

If you think you would provide an interesting interview, please send me the following info:

Name of Festival
Date of Festival
City, State of Festival
Your name
Contact number
Are you male or female
Area of United States or CAnada
Festival Website

Size/attendance of your event:

What makes your event stand out from others:

Unusual or unique features:

How many years has your festival been running?:

I expect to get a lot of interview requests but HOB can only do 3-4 interviews so get your info in here by Friday pm to be considered.

Thanks friends.



Kaati
BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE
P.O. Box 50635
Reno, NV 89513
775/337-8626
Fax: 775/337-6499
<mailto:kaati@bluesfestivalguide.com>
<http://www.bluesfestivalguide.com>





BLUES FOUNDATION'S HART FUND HELPS BLUES MUSICIANS IN NEED

BLUES COMMUNITY PULLS TOGETHER TO HELP ITS OWN THROUGH POVERTY, HEALTH
TROUBLES, AND KATRINA AFTERMATH

 

The Blues Foundation's HART Fund (Handy Artists Relief Trust) helps Blues musicians and their families in financial need. Here are some examples of the HART Fund in action:

When Koko Taylor's band was in a serious van accident, The Blues Foundation, the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, local blues societies, and the larger community raised funds for their medical bills. The Fund, along with the Cascade Blues Associated, also helped Curtis Salgado with the funds to overcome cancer. "The whole community pitched in," says Blues Foundation executive director Jay Sieleman. The HART Fund assisted with funeral expenses for Chicago harmonica man Carey Bell and North Carolina blues houter Nappy Brown.

In late 2005, contributions were earmarked to provide some financial relief for blues musicians impacted by Hurricane Katrina, including Irma Thomas, who will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2009. Recently deceased New  Orleans legend Snooks Eaglin said in 2008, "After Katrina, the help from The Blues Foundation gave me a hand while I was down."

The Blues Foundation has also supported the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which aids elderly southern musicians living in poverty and also records their music for additional subsistence income and posterity.

BLUES MUSIC AWARDS SET FOR MAY 7 IN MEMPHIS


The entire blues community will come together when the Blues Music Awards
will celebrate their 30th anniversary May 7 in Memphis.

WHAT: The Blues Music Awards
WHEN: Thursday, May 7, 2009
WHERE: Cook Convention Center, 255 N. Main, Memphis, TN
TICKETS: $125, at  www.blues.org or 901.527.2583 x10. (Tables of 10
are $1200.)

 

BERKLEE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
This summer, two Mississippi teens will spend five weeks in Boston, learning how to take their musical ability to new heights. Berklee College of Music, the world's largest college of contemporary music, is collaborating with the Delta Blues Museum, in Clarksdale, and the Robert Johnson Blues Museum, in Crystal Springs, to award full summer scholarships worth more than $7,000 each to talented and deserving teens from music programs offered by each institution. This is the second time that Berklee and its cohorts are collaborating to engage young musicians who represent Southern music tradition but aim to define their sound with contemporary music education.

One teen from each institution will receive a full scholarship to Berklee's Five-Week Summer Performance Program, July 11 - August 14. They'll be among 900 high school students from all over the world who will sharpen their playing or singing skills in private lessons, ensembles, and concert performances of jazz, rock, funk, pop, and r&b. They will be immersed in musicianship and theory courses, and attend lectures and demonstrations in songwriting, music synthesis, and music business, among other choices.

Teens from the Delta Blues Museum's after-school arts and education program will audition for one scholarship on April 16, at the museum. The winner will be announced on April 18 at 4:30 on the Delta Blues Museum stage during Clarksdale's annual Juke Joint Festival. Instructors at the Museum's program teach students to play the blues on instruments of their choice, utilizing the oral tradition, recorded music, video, books, and handouts. Students progress from basic playing to working as a band and to mentoring younger classmates.


The Robert Johnson Blues Museum will host a talent showcase for teen vocalist and instrumentalists in Copiah County and surrounding areas on April 19 at the Crystal Springs High School at 6:00 p.m. Among the judges will be Tyler Bilbo, noted hip-hop/gospel singer. The deadline to enter the showcase is April 16. For applications, call Stephen Johnson, vice president of the Robert Johnson Blues Museum, 601-672-3243. Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 19. A special presentation will be made to the winner on stage at the Foundation's annual Blues Jam in Chatauqua Park on May 9.


Last year's recipients were vocalist Kendra Savage, from Brandon, MS, and a contestant in the Robert Johnson Superstar Talent Showcase; and Travis Calvin, a guitarist from Clarksdale and a member of the Delta Blues Museum's after-school arts and education program. Calvin received a $10,000 scholarship to attend Berklee. He plans on entering in 2010.


Berklee College of Music, for over 60 years, has evolved to support its belief that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through contemporary music education. The college was the first in the U.S. to teach jazz, the popular music of the time. It incorporated rock n' roll in the 1960s, created the world's first degree programs in film scoring, music synthesis, and songwriting, and, in recent years, added world music, hip-hop, electronica, and video game music to its curriculum. With a diverse student body representing over 70 countries, a music industry "who's who" of alumni that have received 175 Grammy Awards, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow. In 2012, Berklee will open its first campus outside of Boston, Berklee Valencia, in Spain.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Blues Festival E-Guide,

 

I was disturbed by your story “Enthusiast Working To Honor The Memories of Late, Great Musicians” in your April 3rd issue.

 

Steve Salter is doing good work by finding the graves of blues musicians which are unmarked and raising money to buy headstones. I honor and respect him for it.

 

However, I need to set the record straight as far as the part of the story concerning Hound Dog Taylor’s headstone In your story, you state that Steve had to ‘hound’ me to buy a stone for Hound Dog, who was Alligator’s first artist, and that I ‘finally’ bought one in 2002. I was unaware until Steve contacted me that Hound Dog’s family hadn’t bought a stone. I’m not one of the fans who visits graves, but I certainly think blues musicians’ (and everyone’s) graves should be appropriately marked. Soon after Steve informed me, I contacted the cemetery. They told me that in order to purchase a headstone I had to have written permission of a relative. I then had to locate Hound Dog’s only living son who was in the Illinois State Corrections system, and get him to write a letter giving me permission to place a stone. I had one custom designed, and it was placed in 1999, not 2002, as Steve stated.

 

I have also contributed to or personally purchased a number of other headstones for blues musicians, and will continue to do so in the future. Again, I totally respect what Steve is trying to do; however, the facts stated in your story are just not correct.

 

Sincerely,

Bruce Iglauer

President & founder, Alligator Records
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Editor's Note: The article to which Bruce Iglauer refers  was originally published March 29 the in the The Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle. CLICK HERE to read the original article.

The Blues Festival E-Guide included the article as originally published. We regret and apologize for the inaccurate information.

TORONTO BLUES SOCIETY
The annual Toronto Blues Society Harmonica Workshop will be held at the Silver Dollar (486 Spadina Ave.) from 2-6pm on Saturday, April 25th. Mark ‘Bird' Stafford hosts Bharath Rajakumar, Jerome Godboo, and Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid This workshop is $10 for TBS members and students, $12 for public.

The Toronto Blues Society will be celebrating its' 24th Anniversary on Monday, May 4th, 7:30pm at The Old Mill with The Maple Blues Revue Live at Twisted Pines CD Release Party. The Maple Blues Revue includes Dawn Tyler Watson, John Mays, and Chuck Jackson. $20 drink and food minimum per person for TBS members. $25 for public. CLICK for more information. 

Mel Brown 1939-2009. The Toronto Blues Society has set up an account to help support the estate of blues legend Mel Brown who passed away on Friday, March 20th. Donations can deposit directly at any TD Canada Trust Bank to the Mel Brown Memorial Trust, Account 1952-6290076. Cheques payable to "Mel Brown Memorial Trust" can also be mailed the Toronto Blues Society.

FOR MORE: CLICK  


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TAX TIME BLUES:






ARE YOUR TAXES DONE AND OUT THE DOOR? DID YOU REMEMBER TO DEDUCT THE FEDORA, AMORTIZE YOUR HARMONICA? AND WRITE-OFF YOUR RIDE? WELL, IF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IS EMITTING FUMES, OR IF YOUR HEAD IS SO FILLED WITH NUMBERS YOU CANNOT REMEMBER YOUR NAME -- SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED SOME BLUES POWER. MUSIC TO DO YOUR TAXES BY, NEXT TIME ON THE HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR.

     visit www.TheBluesMobile.com
     for times and stations in your area




Click on festival name to click through to festival website.
Byron Bay Bluesfest
Thursday-Monday, April 9-13, 2009

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
www.bluesfest.com.au
+61 2 6685 8310
Coin Acoustic Blues Festival
Saturday, April 11, 2009

Coin, Malaga, Spain
www.myspace.com/coinblues2009
951161195
Delta Music Experience
Wednesday-Sunday, April 15-19, 2009

Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.
www.AGDME.com
888-DME-MUSIC
Juke Joint Festival & Related Events
Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, 2009

Clarksdale, Mississippi , U.S.
www.jukejointfestival.com
662 624-5992
Silvan Zingg International Boogie Woogie Festival
Thursday-Sunday, April 16-19, 2009

Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland
www.boogiefestival.com
+41 76 533550
8th Annual Little Riverfest
Saturday, April 18, 2009

#1 Stage Road, Hornersville, Missouri, U.S.
www.lilrivermusic.com
573-344-6640
Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival
Friday-Saturday, April 24-25, 2009

Barnesville, Georgia, U.S.
www.bbqandblues.org
770-358-5884
Bluesfest at the Garden
Saturday, April 25, 2009

York, South Carolina, U.S.
website: n/a
803-517-5089
Baton Rouge Blues Festival
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
www.BatonRougeBluesFestival.org
225-383-0968
7th Annual Rock'n Blues By the Lake
Saturday, April 26, 2009

Novato, CA, U.S.
www.rnblake.com
415-897-9383
Beale Street Music Festival
Friday-Sunday, May 1-3, 2009

Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
www.memphisinmay.org
901-525-4611
26th Annual Topanga Blues Festival
Friday-Sunday, May 1-3, 2009

Topanga, CA, U.S.
www.socalblues.org
714-209-7347
Chicago Blues Tour
Friday-Saturday, May 1-16, 2009

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
http://festival.chicagobluestour.com
866-LIVEBLUES
Mariposa MicroBrews & Blues
Saturday, May 2, 2009

Mariposa, California, U.S.
www.mariposabrewing.com
209-966-7044
Southern Miss Jazz & Blues Festival
Saturday, May 2, 2009

Long Beach, MS, U.S.
www.usm.edu/gc/jazz-n-blues
228-865-4500
Big Wheel Blues Festival
Saturday-Sunday, May 2-3, 2009

Laxey, Isle of Man, United Kingdom
www.bigwheelblues.com
+441624
The Inaugural Annual Cairns Blues Festival
Sunday, May 3 2009

North Cairns Australian Rules Football Club
MacNamara Street, Manunda,
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
www.cairnsbluesfestival.com.au
(07) 4055 9665
30th Blues Music Awards

Thursday, May 7, 2009
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
www.blues.org
901-527-2583

"Simply The Blues" Blues Festival

Friday-Saturday, May 8-9, 2009

Fort Madison, Iowa, U.S.
www.simplemanenterprises.com
319-470-2082

Kwadendamme Bluesfestival
Friday-Saturday, May 8-9, 200

Kwadendamme, Zeeland, Netherlands
www.bluestown.eu
06-51067089
Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S
www.rockmuseum.biz
901-605-8662

The Lead Belly Blues Festival

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S
www.leadbellybluesfestival.com
1-877-752-3559

The 2nd Annual Pinetop Perkins Blues Festival
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Belzoni, Mississippi , U.S
www.MSDeltaBlues.com
662-836-6148
Robert Johnson 4th Annual Blues Jam
Saturday, May 9, 2009

Crystal Springs, Mississippi, U.S
www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org
601-892-7883
UnTapped Blues Festival
Saturday, May 9, 2009

Kennwick, Washington, U.S
www.untappedblues.com
509-737-7661
Silver Spring Blues Festival

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S
www.silverspringblues.com
202-962-0112

Crossroads Blues Festival

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Rosedale, Mississippi, U.S
www.rosedaleblues.com
662-759-3728 or 6806

2nd Annual Whitelake Blues Festival
Saturday, May 9, 2009

Whitehall, MI, U.S
http://killerblues.net
2318945523
Gator By The Bay
Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10, 2009

San Diego, California, U.S
www.GatorByTheBay.com
619-234-8612
The 6th Annual Mother's Day JAZZ & BLUES Extravaganza
Sunday, May 10, 2009

Hollywood, California, U.S
www.mothersdayjazz.com
310-670-6937
RBA Publishing Inc is based in Reno, NV with a satellite office in Beverly Hills, Florida. We produce the annual Blues Festival Guide magazine (now entering its 7th year), the top-ranking website: www.BluesFestivalGuide.com, and this weekly blues newsletter: The Blues Festival E-Guide with approximately 20,000 weekly subscribers. We look forward to your suggestions, critiques, questions, etc.

Reach the E-Guide editor, Gordon Bulcock, gordon@bluesfestivalguide.com

or contact our home office at 775-337-8626, eguide@bluesfestivalguide.com

 
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Information - both editorial and advertising - in the Blues Festival E-Guide - is believed to be correct but not guaranteed - so check it carefully before you attend any event or send money for anything. We do not write the news... just report it.
 
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