| |
WINTER TIDINGS FROM THE 'CAT HEAD' BLUES STORE IN HISTORIC CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI!
(PHOTO COURTESY of Lou Bopp. Blues legend CEDELL DAVIS photo'd with yours truly. One of us is a badass. I'll let you guess who...)
WELCOME to a new and predictably-sporadic edition of the CAT HEAD UPDATE e-newsletter, coming at you live from the Mississippi Delta. (Receive this from a friend? Email "add me to list" to roger@cathead.biz, and join the free e-list.)
FIRST OFF... Things have been busy, busy, busy in Clarksdale. New renovations and business openings downtown. Blues musicians like Watermelon Slim and blues fans like St. Louis Frank moving here... Blues Music Award nominations for residents like James "Super Chikan" Johnson and Vincent Productions... Big time plans underway for the most amazing Juke Joint Festival ever in April... Even the co-owner of Ground Zero Blues Club is preparing to run for Mississippi Governor! Again, it's been busy in Clarksdale. (There's plenty 'in the works' around here as well that's just too new to confirm, but 2010 is lookin' good.) Also, since its been a bit since my last e-newsletter, I should tell you that the International Blues Challenge in January was fabulous as always, and our New Year's Eve happenings in Clarksdale were as big as ever as we run in 2010.
SOME SAD NEWS... Our thoughts go out to the families of blues and roots-music supporters/musicians James Alford (longtime Sunflower River Blues Fest volunteer), Jim Dickinson, Willie Mitchell, Lil Dave Thompson, Wilroy Sanders (of the Fieldstones), Dale Hawkins (Mr. Susi Q, who played OxAmerican's party at Ground Zero Blues Club a year ago) and others who have passed recently. The message here is to get out there and support live music when and where it happens. If an older, veteran blues performer comes to your town -- even on a week night -- get up and go. (If there's a problem with your boss the next morning when you arrive deaf and drowsy, just blame Cat Head.)
IN OTHER NEWS... The most recent issues of Blues Revue mag interviewed Senatobia, MS bluesman Mark "Mule Man" Massey in a special two-part Down in the Delta column. (The next issue features Mr. Cedell Davis as he undergoes yet another 'comeback'.) In radio news, the super-knowledgeable-and-nice Bill Wax continues his weekly 'on-air' call to Cat Head most Thursdays at 4pm Central; also, Clarksdale's historic WROX radio station and its Cat Head Delta Blues Show (Sat/Sun nights) can now be heard at 105.7 FM as well as 1450 AM and wroxradio.com. Oh yeah... and the Mississippi Blues Trail (marker system, etc.) has a new web site at its same ole address -- www.msbluestrail.org. Check out the BB King video, marker info and web calendar there.
SOME MORE SHAMLESS SELF-PROMOTION... Yours truly is doing more and more marketing, advertising and PR work for blues labels, bands and events. I'm very affordable, enjoy great connections and have nearly 20 years experience in the promotion field. If you need help with anything from print ads to web banners, press releases to liner notes, media contacts to [insert marketing need here], please drop me an email at roger@cathead.biz, and we'll see if we can do some business. Oh, I'm also available for project consultation (eg. films, CDs) and music coordination (eg. festivals, documentaries).
Thanks and best regards, y'all...
ROGER STOLLE
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art
252 Delta Avenue
Clarksdale, MS 38614
662-624-5992
roger@cathead.biz
http://www.cathead.biz
CAT HEAD DELTA BLUES & FOLK ART
- "1 of 17 Coolest Record Stores in America" (Paste magazine)
- "Keeping Blues Alive Award" & "Blues Music Award" recipient (Blues Foundation)
- "1000 Places to See Before You Die" (Workman Publishing)
CLICK for a tasty CAT HEAD greeting (thx to Charlie Musselwhite for the cool link idea!).
|
|
| |
| |
WRISTBANDS ON SALE NOW!
**** 2010 JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL TO BE "BIGGEST AND BEST EVER"
Clarksdale, Mississippi -- A decade into the 21st Century, Mississippi's juke joints are still the stars of Clarksdale's annual Juke Joint Festival & Related Events this April 16-18. Pre-sale wristbands are now on sale for the world-famous event at www.jukejointfestival.com.
"We're the only festival in the world where some raggedy old blues clubs are as important as the festival's big headliners," explained Roger Stolle, music coordinator for the festival and owner of the Cat Head blues store. "We offer the music, culture and history that no other blues event outside of the Delta can match. Honestly, you could say it's one of the world's most authentic blues fests."
Now in its seventh year, Juke Joint Festival regularly draws attendees from over 15 foreign countries and nearly all 50 US states. Still, the homegrown event holds a special place in the hearts of locals festival-goers as well.
"Juke Joint Festival truly lives up to its tag line," said Nan Hughes, president of the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association that puts on the popular festival. "It's half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta. From a student art show and racing pigs to a mini film fest and plenty of blues music, it's got it all -- something for everyone."
The Juke Joint Festival itself is Saturday, April 17th, with related events on that Friday and Sunday. Kicking off on Saturday with a 5K/8K run at 8am, the vendor booths and live music fire up at 10am. With the exception of music and education events on the Delta Blues Museum's outdoor main stage, most of the daytime entertainment will wrap up around 5pm. The main stage runs till 7pm.
At 9pm, the juke joints themselves become part of the action.
"This year, we anticipate having as many as 17 nighttime juke joint stages," according to Stolle. "From big clubs that hold 250 people to tiny jukes that hold 30, we've got it all."
At press time, official festival nighttime venues include Ground Zero Blues Club, Red's Lounge, Sarah's Kitchen, Delta Amusement Cafe, Tricia's, Bluesberry Cafe, Stone Pony, Hambone Gallery, Club 2000, Messenger's, Pete's Grill, Delta Blues Room, Anniebelle's, Hopson Commissary (front stage and back porch), Juke Joint Chapel at Shackup Inn and Hick's Tamales.
Musical acts performing in Clarksdale during festival weekend include Honeyboy Edwards, Big George Brock, Super Chikan, Big Jack Johnson, Watermelon Slim, Jimbo Mathus, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm, Johnny Rawls, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, Blind "Mississippi" Morris & Brad Web, Pat Thomas, Eddie Cusic, Gearshifter, Guitar Mikey, Stacy Mitchhart, James "T-Model" Ford, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Terry "Big T" Williams, Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, The Scissormen, All Night Long w/Mary "Ann" Action Jackson & RL Boyce, Josh "Razorblade" Stewart, Guitar Mikey, Robert "Bilbo" Walker, Cedell Davis, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Cadillac John & Bill Abel, Stax Music Academy, Ol' Skool Revue, Delta Blues Museum students and dozens more. In total, over 50 blues acts will play in town as a result of festival events.
As always, the price is right for Juke Joint Festival.
"We want everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities," said festival co-organizer Goldie Hirshberg. "The official daytime events are free once again, and the nighttime wristband is still only $10 -- the same price it was seven years ago when the festival started."
Pre-sale wristbands are now on sale exclusively at www.jukejointfestival.com. The web site also features additional festival information. To become a vendor, sponsor or donor, contact Nan Hughes at pba@cableone.net or 662-624-4066.
**** NEW NEWS AND UPDATES ABOUT JUKE FEST WEEKEND:
More exciting 'public transportation' info than ever before...
An actual train (engine and two passenger cabooses holding over 30 people each) will run between the downtown Clarksdale Train Depot and historic Hopson Commissary (and Shackup Inn). Details are on the Juke Fest web site, but basically, there will be special excursions Friday night and Saturday lunchtime... Then, it will run as a shuttle on the half hour from the start of nighttime juke venue festivities till the end of the music -- included in the price of our Saturday night festival wristband!
We will still be running our nighttime bus shuttles, of course, also for the price of that same Sat night wristband. We started with one, went to two, grew to three... and now, this year, we will have FOUR nighttime bus shuttles running between the Clarksdale hotels (and Expo Center camping) and 15+ designated nighttime festival venues on that Saturday. Very cool and very fun.
That's not all... The Isle of Capri Casino (an excellent sponsor of our festival; "thanks") will also be running its own bus shuttle between its Lula Hotel and downtown Clarksdale during Juke Joint Festival. Contact the Isle of Capri for details, but if you can't find a hotel in Clarksdale, please consider staying at their very nice accommodations just half an hour away in Lula.
**** JUST A SAMPLING OF FESTIVAL AND RELATED EVENTS:
FRIDAY, APRIL 16:
- 12noon - Blues Trail Marker Dedication at historic WROX Radio Station site (200 block of Delta Ave.).
- 12noon - Juke Joint Festival wristband sales out front of Cat Head store (252 Delta Ave.).
- 1pm - Bill Ferris "Give My Poor Heart Ease" book signing at Cat Head.
- 2pm - Live blues music TBA out front of Cat Head.
- 3pm - "Conversations with Honeyboy Edwards" at Delta Blues Museum (1 Blues Alley).
- 4pm - Bill Ferris "Give My Poor Heart Ease" speaking presentation at Delta Blues Museum.
- 5pm - Fish Fry at Care Station w/live music on Delta Blues Museum's outdoor stage.
- 9pm - Live blues at multiple venues (separate cover charges).
SATURDAY, APRIL 17:
- NOTE: There is waaaaayyyyy too much stuff going on Sat to mention here, so this is a tiny, tiny sampling; see www.jukejointfestival.com for a ton more info!
- 7am - 5K/8K Run registration (8am run).
- 10am - Juke Joint Festival Parade through downtown.
- 10am-5pm - Daytime festival activities; street vendors; DOZENS of blues acts at OVER HALF A DOZEN STAGING areas; see www.jukejointfestival.com for updates.
- 2:30pm - Delta Blues Museum Students perform on outdoor stage by museum.
- 3pm - Berklee College of Music Winner Announcement.
- 5pm-7pm - Performances on Blues Museum stage by Ol' Skool Revue and Stax Academy.
- 7pm - Ceremony for first-ever "MISS SARAH AWARD" at Sarah's Kitchen w/Honeyboy Edwards performance to follow!
- 8pm - Rev Peyton's Big Damn Band at Ground Zero Blues Club (opener).
- 8pm - Juke Fest Bus Shuttles start rotating between hotels/venues.
- 9pm - JUKE JOINT CRAWL BEGINS! (cheap $10 wristband gets you into over 15 designated blues venues!)
SUNDAY, APRIL 18:
- 9am - Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art (252 Delta Avenue) opens.
- 10am till... - Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (free out in street with Rev Peyton, Big George Brock, Honeyboy Edwards, Bilbo Walker and more). BBQ by Big Red.
- 11am-2pm - Ground Zero Blues Club's Blues Brunch with live blues at noon.
- 7pm - Red's Lounge hosts its annual Juke Fest Blues Jam
- More stuff TBA...
**** THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL DEDICATIONS AND A NEW AWARD DEBUTS:
This year's Juke Fest is dedicated to our friends and neighbors Wesley "Junebug" Jefferson, Sam Carr and Miss Sarah Moore -- all of whom were supporters and participants in our past festival editions. All three passed away in 2009. Gone but never forgotten. (Last year's edition was dedicated to the late bluesman Michael "Dr. Mike" James.)
On a brighter note, on Saturday, April 17th at 7pm inside Sarah's Kitchen, we will debut a brand new Juke Joint Festival award. Starting in 2010, the MISS SARAH AWARD will awarded to one living and one deceased member of the Clarksdale community who have 'given back' notably in the areas of blues, tourism and/or community support. The award is named for the late Miss Sarah Moore -- a long-time blues supporter and founder of world-famous Sarah's Kitchen.
Immediately following the 7pm award presentations, bizillion-year-old Delta Blues legend and Grammy winner David "HONEYBOY" Edwards will perform. Don't you dare miss this wonderful event.
MORE INFO: http://www.jukejointfestival.com
HOTELS & MORE: http://www.cathead.biz/guide.html
BUY WRISTBANDS today at the official JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL web site (CLICK).
|
|
| |
GENERAL BLUES MUSIC, ART AND (mostly) MISSISSIPPI NEWS
(PHOTO: The famous "Crossroads" monument at what was formerly Hwys 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi.)
ONE NOTE ON THE WEB LINKS PROVIDED BELOW:
Due to the formatting of this e-newsletter 'boilerplate', the links in this "General Blues...News" section may not appear as clickable. If they do not, then please just copy and paste into your web browser... and hit 'return' to go to the appropriate web pages or sites. Enjoy, Roger.
HOME FOR SALE IN CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI -- BLUESTOWN, USA:
Blues fans looking for a vacation home, rental property or primary residence in the "Land Where Blues Began" can go to http://www.middletonrealtyinc.com to check out 111 Catalpa Street under "New Listings" or simply click the web link found after this "General...News" section below. This is a spacious home that's so close to the action, you can just walk across the bridge into the historic downtown and enjoy live music 4 or 5 nights a week! Affordably priced at $79,900 (somewhat negotiable), you can live in this craftsman-style home during festivals and such... and rent it out the rest of the time if you like... or better yet, move here full-time like so many other blues fans and musicians. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, plenty of storage, huge front porch, convenient side deck, open living room/dining room area, etc. Includes washer/dryer, front porch swing, mini fridges, deep freeze and more. Approx. 2,000+ sq. ft. Mostly fenced backyard. Long driveway runs along side the house, accessing two streets. To tour this property or learn more, please contact Joe or Brett Middletown today at middletonrealty2003@yahoo.com, cell 662-902-1678, office 662-627-7311.
CLARKSDALE'S SUPER CHIKAN HOLDS CD RELEASE PARTY AT GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB:
Blues Music Award nominee James "SUPER CHIKAN" Johnson is held his "Chikadelic" CD Release Party on Feb. 6th at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale to a large, enthusiastic audience. The rockin' new blues CD features a backing band from Norway; Chikan befriended the musicians while playing festival dates in Notodden.
NEW BMA-NOMINATED SUPER CHIKAN CD:
- "Chikadelic" CD featured on NPR-affiliate at http://www.prx.org/pieces/44101-blues-beyond-186-super-chikan-s-chikadelic
- CD available (of course) at Cat Head store; call 662-624-5992 to order it!
BAREFOOT WORKSHOPS FILM STUDENTS CURRENTLY WORKING IN CLARKSDALE:
If you're in Clarksdale over the next week or so, be on the look out for the Barefoot Workshops film workshop students prowling around town in search of fascinating scenes and stories. For more info or to attend their next workshop in Clarksdale, go to www.barefootworkshops.org. Here are the next two in Clarksdale: Sept 19th-Oct 2nd, 2010 AND February 13th-26th, 2011.
MEMPHIS' LEGENDARY FIELDSTONES BAND LEADER DIES:
Courtesy of Commercial Appeal (thx Brad)... One of Memphis' most beloved and inimitable blues figures, Wilroy Sanders, has died. Sanders, founder and leader of Memphis blues outfit the Fieldstones and owner of the late lamented Green's Lounge, died from complications of lung cancer on Tuesday. He was 76. Born Willie Roy Sanders in Byhalia, Miss., his family, farmers by trade, relocated to rural Memphis in 1930s. Sanders began playing guitar at an early age. "He actually started building his own instruments as a young boy..." FULL ARTICLE AT http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/19/memphis-bluesman-wilroy-sanders-dies-76/?partner=yahoo_feeds
100TH MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL MARKER DEDICATED RECENTLY:
In Jackson, Mississippi on January 7th, blues-influenced jazz singer Cassandra Wilson was on hand for the Blues Commission's 100th Mississippi Blues Trail marker dedication which honored Wilson. More markers are in the works, including one for the historic WROX blues/gospel radio station in Clarksdale during Juke Fest weekend. More on the wonderful Blues Trail program at the newly upgraded web site, http://www.msbluestrail.org.
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI HONORED DURING PRE-GRAMMY AWARD EVENT:
(NOTE: This should all be in 'past tense' at this point...) "The State of Mississippi's continuing 'Birthplace of America's Music' campaign gets a big boost next week with Mississippi Night at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. The evening of Thursday, January 28th is a preamble to Sunday's GRAMMY Award ceremonies, and will be highlighted by a program featuring performances from some of the state's brightest musical lights, a reflection of the great diversity of Mississippi music. The artists participating in Mississippi Night at the GRAMMY Museum underscore the broad spectrum of Mississippi’s musical legacy. They include four-time GRAMMY nominee Dorothy Moore... Jackson-based blazing blues vocalist/guitarist Eddie Cotton who will be joined by the legendary Hubert Sumlin... and as part of the blues segment of the program is David "Honeyboy" Edwards, the 94-year-old blues icon from Shaw, MS who was first recorded by Alan Lomax in 1942 for the Library of Congress. Edwards is, in fact, a GRAMMY Award winner in his own right, having won in the Traditional Blues category in 2009. This year Honeyboy Edwards will be the recipient of the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award..."
COUNTRY-POP STAR FILMS VIDEO AT BLUES SPOTS IN CLARKSDALE, MS:
Ok. Several folks sent me this video, and my hair dresser (sorry, but she is, and I like my hair; it's plenty manly) says this guy Randy Houser is 'pretty big'; he's 'Country,' so I wouldn't know. Fun video, regardless, since it features Mr. Tater, Red, Puttin' Hatchet, Dingo and other C'dale favs!!! Enjoy, Roger at Cat Head... See it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAqWRT4ekq4
BENTONIA, MISSISSIPPI BLUES RETURNS TO NEW YORK VIA 651 ARTS:
651 ARTS 2010 performance season is upon us and we are honored and excited to be presenting a new live performance/interview series featuring artist-to-artist conversations between some of our favorite innovators in contemporary dance, theater, and music, including: Tuesday, April 27, when award-winning choreographer Ralph Lemon interviews Mississippi bluesman Jimmy "Duck" Holmes in the home of Emmy Award-winning producer, Tom Fontana. More information about this and other exciting 651 Arts programs and events at http://www.651arts.org (More about Duck Holmes at http://www.brokeandhungryrecords.com )
THE UK'S GUARDIAN RUNS SERIES ON AMERICAN MUSIC (INCLUDING BLUES):
The giants, pioneers and survivors from a century of American music as recalled by the stars they influenced... Go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/series/american-legends
BLUES BY THE 'BBC' IN THE UK (VARIOUS DELTA STORIES):
1. "Mr Tater comes from Clarksdale, Mississippi, a town that now finds itself firmly on the blues trail, as one of the possible location for the famous 'crossroads' where, according to the myth, bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in order to be able to play the guitar with uncommon skill..." - http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/guitars/video/mrtater/
2. "When writer Will Hodgkinson went in search of a real guitar man, he thought he found it down in Greenville Mississippi, in the character of T Model Ford..." - http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/guitars/video/tmodelford/
3. "Resident of Clarksdale, Mississippi, one of the several places that lay claim to the crossroads at which Robert Johnson supposedly made his pact with the Devil, Super Chikan can make a guitar out of just about anything..." - http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/guitars/video/superchikan/
WROX -- 'CLARKSDALE'S HOMETOWN STATION' -- GROWS LISTENERSHIP:
There are now three ways to listen to Clarksdale's historic WROX radio station -- 1450AM, 105.7FM and http://www.wroxradio.com. The Cat Head Delta Blues Show (sponsored by 1st National Bank and Tricia's Restaurant of Clarksdale) airs on WROX every Saturday night from 7pm-9pm (Central) with an encore presentation on Sunday from 10pm-midnight. Host Roger Stolle from the Cat Head store downtown promises to deliver "nothing but the real-deal blues; the music that made Mississippi famous." Recent shows have highlighted the music of the recent Blues Music Award nominations, the 'best of 2009' blues releases, holiday blues, etc. The Cat Head show is also a Roots Music Report reporting program. ALSO... Listen to Bill Wax on XM Radio (ch. 74) most Thursdays at 4pm (Central) for the Cat Head Update with Roger Stolle; they chat about upcoming blues events in the Delta; note that due to the holidays, this conversation will take place on Wednesday for the next two weeks.
'LIVE BLUES WORLD.COM' MEMBER VISITS CLARKSDALE, MS (excerpt):
From 'Patrick's Blog'... "Last month, I spent a week in Clarksdale, MS, widely considered to be the 'epicenter' of the Delta blues. Many of the big names in blues and R&B were either born there or spent lots of time there, like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Ike Turner, "Pinetop" Perkins, Howlin' Wolf, and many more. I stayed in a sharecropper's shack, called the " 'Pinetop' Perkins Shack", at the Shack Up Inn (www.shackupinn.com) for four nights. During the days, I visited various museums in the area, including the Delta Blues Museum, and traveled around the town and environs checking out famous sites, like the Riverside Hotel, where Bessie Smith died in 1937, as well as the town of Tutwiler, where W.C. Handy first heard a man playing guitar by sliding a knife blade along the strings in 1903. Nights were spent at the Ground Zero Blues Club at the end of Delta Avenue watching various musicians and bands perform. Check out a movie called "M for Mississippi" and the TWO accompanying soundtrack CD's. It was a co-production of Broke & Hungry Records' Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle, owner of a great music/Delta art store called "Cat Head", right on Delta Avenue. (www.cathead.biz) I bought my DVD and CD's from Roger at Cat Head. All in all, a spectacular week! If you can get down there, do yourself a favor and go! Full story at http://www.livebluesworld.com/profiles/blogs/my-trip-to-clarksdale-ms-and
SUPPORT 'GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB' OWNER'S QUEST FOR GOVERNOR'S OFFICE:
"Dear Friend, For the last year I have traveled throughout Mississippi listening to people share the hopes and dreams for their families, their communities, and this state. Those hopes and dreams are the same no matter where you go: better jobs, better schools, and a state government that serves all the hard working people of Mississippi. After listening to those people, I am convinced now more than ever that making those dreams a reality requires a new era of leadership. Your contribution of $5, $50, or $500 will go a long way towards supporting that much needed change. I look forward to updating you on the ongoing efforts of Progress for Mississippi as we move into 2010, and sincerely appreciate your support. (Make contribution at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/22376)" -- Thank you, Bill Luckett
HELP OUT THE 'BB KING MUSEUM' IN INDIANOLA, MISSISSIPPI:
1. Are you interested in becoming a volunteer or docent at the B.B. King Museum? If so, please join us for an information session on Monday, February 22 at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The B.B. King Museum has docent (trained tour guide) opportunities available as well as volunteer opportunities in areas such as education, special events, administration and customer service. Staff members and docents will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about becoming involved at the B. B. King Museum. For more information, contact Erin Mulligan, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator, at 662-887-9539 ext. 228.
2. Do you have any musical instruments that are in good condition but not getting used? The B.B. King Museum will take them! Many children in our community would like to participate in the music classes the Museum offers; however, they do not have the instruments required to participate. Our immediate need is acoustic guitars for our new class beginning soon, but any and all instruments are welcome. If you would like to share, you may contact Erin Mulligan, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator, at 662-887-9539 ext. 228 or emulligan@bbkingmuseum.org.
MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION -- ALWAYS A GOOD CONTRIBUTION:
"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." Read more, buy CDs or donate at www.musicmaker.org
CLARKSDALE WELL-REPRESENTED IN 'BLUES MUSIC AWARD' NOMINATIONS:
The recent Blues Music Award (BMA) nominations featured Clarksdale-native James "Super Chikan" Johnson in 4 categories as well as Clarksdale's Vincent Productions in the DVD category for its George Thorogood/Eddie Shaw film shot at Ground Zero Blues Club. Other area acts nominated include Miss Eden Brent of Greenville. More on the BMA nominations in the Blues Foundation news section later on in this very same e-newsletter or by going to http://www.blues.org. (CAT HEAD NOTE: Congrats to y'all! Thanks for making C'dale proud. By the way, the brand-new Super Chikan CD 'Chikadelic' that was among the nominations is only available as a Norwegian import at this point... but Cat Head, of course, already has some copies of this rockin' new blues release for $20 plus s/h. Just call us this week at 662-624-5992.)
CAT HEAD'S 'YEAR IN BLUES' PHOTOS/BLOGS ON FACEBOOK:
- Blues Music Awards (May 2009), http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=254864&id=668255573
- Blues tour to Norway (July 2009), http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=293406&id=668255573
- Cat Head Mini Blues Fest III (Oct 2009), http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=668255573
RECENT REVIEW OF REBA RUSSELL BAND AT GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB:
"Direct from Memphis, TN, the Reba Russell Band brought their brand of high-energy, smokin' Blues on Saturday night to the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. ... I had seen Reba & the band many times at the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival in Helena, AK, but I have longed to hear this band in a club atmosphere. Her vocals can blow you away on a festival stage, but to hear her do those slow, silky, sultry ballads in an intimate setting really shows what she can do. What an incredible night..." -- (C) 2009, Gary W. Miller, BluesSource.com.
UPDATE FROM CENTER FOR SOUTHERN FOLKLORE IN MEMPHIS, TN (excerpt):
"For more than three decades you've helped us create a place that has employed the folk artists and musicians who educate and entertain Memphians and tourists from around the world. We would like to ask you to sustain the Center for Southern Folklore's growth and development with a 2010 contribution. Your contribution allows our work to continue and become a cultural resource for generations of people from across the Memphis/Delta region. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement of our work. Go to http://www.southernfolklore.com" -- Center Director Judy Peiser.
BB KING MUSEUM MOURNS LOSS OF AREA MUSICIAN:
"We are sad to report that David Paul Burchfield died December 26, 2009 following a car accident near Leland, MS. David was the leader of the band "The Electric Mudd" and he played professionally throughout the region. David taught classes at the B.B. King Museum."
NEW BLUES ARTICLES/REVIEWS AT BLUESSOURCE.COM:
Excerpts below; FULL ARTICLES at http://www.BluesSource.com ...
1. Honeyboy Edwards concert review... "The last living direct link to Robert Johnson, David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, continues to tour constantly at the age of ninety-four drawing adulation and acclaim along the way. His two shows were sold out on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at Biscuits & Blues where he proudly referred to upcoming tributes. Edwards will be honored with a Special Merit Award by the Recording Academy on January 30th and a formal acknowledgment made during the GRAMMY awards telecast the next evening. On February 25th, he will be presented with the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, Lifetime Achievement Award in Jackson, MS... Edwards still delivers Delta blues with supreme authority in a distinctive style which he had already developed when Alan Lomax recorded him in Clarksdale, MS for the Library of Congress in 1942." - Dorothy L. Hill.
2. Super Chikan concert review... " couldn’t wait for this show at the local Ground Zero Blues Club, here, in Clarksdale, MS on New Years Eve. James Super Chikan” Johnson brought together a fantastic and interesting roster of Blues people to play with, and the house was PACKED! ... Chikan had his whole band – the Fighting Cocks – with him, which included La La on Keyboard, Jamiesa 'Pinkie' Johnson on Drums, and Tory Todora on Bass. Clarksdale’s own Bill 'Watermelon Slim' Homans came on later and sat in on a couple of rollicking sets with Chikan, playing harp & singing 'Auld Lang Syne'... If you would like to experience the Ground Zero Club, go to their live stream and check the schedule for upcoming shows, direct & live on the internet at http://www.groundzerobluesclubmusic.com..." - Gary W. Miller.
'BLUES REVUE' MAGAZINE'S CURRENT/UPCOMING DELTA COLUMNS:
Blues Revue magazine continues to showcase the state of the blues in Mississippi through Roger Stolle's regular "Down in the Delta" interview column. The past two issues have included a two-part interview with Senatobia, MS' Mark "Mule Man" Massey as he chronicles his time at Parchman Farm and his rise on the blues club/festival scene. Coming soon is an interview with the elusive AR bluesman Cedell Davis and his resurrection at the hands of Brethren -- a band of Cedell fans. http://www.bluesrevue.com
JIMMY PAGE ALSO PART ON NEW GUITAR TRIO DOCUMENTARY (excerpt):
It Might Get Loud - DVD (Length: 98 min; starring Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White; directed by Davis Guggenheim; review by Nick Venable) -- "Without meaning to incite hate, I must say that while I understand and admire the colossal and über-inspiring careers of Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White, their musical catalogs are far from the forefront of my interests. I have a passive liking for a few of White's 70 or so projects, but The Zep bore me, and I downright hate U2. Of course, none of that stilted my anticipation for a viewing of It Might Get Loud, a multi-faceted documentary centered around why the guitar is so emblematic of rock music. ... The three above-mentioned guitarists offer their deeply personal histories with the instrument, both as an idealistic talisman and a physical, modifiable implement. And it's directed by Davis Guggenheim, the guy behind An Inconvenient Truth. It doesn't ever get as loud as the title teases, but it definitely hits on all frequencies. ... I believe there is enough in this documentary to sate someone not particularly interested in rock music, or music in general, but it's so much more rewarding if you are. There is tons of archival footage of Page and The Edge from their younger days. ... I consider this almost a must-see, unless you really hate everything I just described. ... Rock will never die, my friends, no matter how hard Nickelback, Creed, and the label 'indie' try to kill it. ... Party on. ... The rest of the story at http://www.cinemablend.com/dvds/It-Might-Get-Loud-4378.html
LITTLE JOHNNY KANTREED HONORED FOR CIGARBOX GUITARS:
He's a regular at Juke Joint Festival and a real nice guy. And... Winner of 2009 Nashville Blues Award for "Best Specialty Instrumentalist" for his cigar box guitar work.
AT MADIDI RESTAURANT IN CLARKSDALE:
At Bill Luckett (running for Gov.) and Morgan Freeman (yep, the actor) owned Madidi, they offer up some wonderful live music during Happy Hour every Wednesday (usually blues). PLUS, they have a special event coming in March... TUESDAY, MARCH 2nd @ 6:00pm - Food and Wine Tasting (Tasting: a sensory examination and evaluation of food coupled with wine), featuring Guest Wine Sommelier - GEORGE LAPIDES. www.madidires.com
THACKER MOUNTAIN RADIO RETURNS TO DELTA MUSIC INSTITUTE IN CLEVELAND, MS:
"The acclaimed Thacker Mountain Radio show is returning to the Delta for a live broadcast on Saturday, March 6 at 3 p.m. from Delta Music Institute's (DMI) Studio A in the historic Whitfield building on the Delta State University campus. Thacker Mountain Radio, in its 11th year, is a live, unrehearsed broadcast that features author readings and a wide array of musical performances. The free show is normally recorded and broadcast weekly from Off Square Books in Oxford , but will relocate for this special show in Studio A at the Delta Music Institute as part of the DMI Anniversary Celebration. Thacker Mountain's house band, the Yalobushwhackers, features the Delta’s own Duff Dorrough. Joining the band that day will be former Tangents keyboard player and Delta native Jim 'Fish' Michie. They will be backing soon to be announced special musical guests on the show as well as playing featured performances of their own. www.dmi.deltastate.edu."
ARTIST (A CAT HEAD FAV) JD SIPE AND FRIEND PLAYING BLUES:
JD Sipe and Joe Daddy playing some swamp fried blues at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Daddy-Warner/175291352938
NEW FILM BY DAUGHTER OF ACCLAIMED BLUES/MUSIC WRITER, ROBERT PALMER:
"Thought you might be interested in my new film, The Hand of Fatima ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTZ5-YOG0BA ). The film is about The Master Musicians of Jajouka, who my dad, Robert Palmer, thought were the square root of the blues... Best, Augusta Palmer, Cultural Animal LLC, 347-581-0369."
'DELTA RENAISSANCE' TV SEGMENT BROADCASTING FROM GREENVILLE, MS:
"A new weekly cultural arts talk show that focuses on Mississippi artists and historic preservation efforts underway throughout the region. The entire community now has the opportunity to tune in at one time and one frequency to spend quality time with their host Sade Turnipseed, as she and others discuss the works of wonderfully talented people creating art throughout the state of Mississippi. DELTA RENAISSANCE Cultural Arts Update segments air on WABG-TV every Thursday during Good Morning Mississippi at 6:00am; and, every Friday during ABC News at 5:00pm, both Delta Fox 10 and WABG are Commonwealth Broadcasting Group Inc. Networks."
SEE the Clarksdale 'home for sale' mentioned above in the News (CLICK).
|
|
| |
STAY CLOSE TO THE BLUES ACTION AT THE HISTORIC 'CLARK HOUSE' INN
THE CLARK HOUSE -- A RESIDENTIAL INN IN CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI
"For business or blues -- affordable comfort and convenience!"
Originally constructed in 1859 by Clarksdale founder John Clark. It was the first home built in Clarksdale, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Clark House has just been extensively refurbished and beautifully redecorated as a residential inn.
The Clark House offers four elegant bedrooms in the main house, and three bedrooms in the cottage, just behind the main home. Each room features a private bath, desk and sitting area. All rooms enjoy the use of the beautiful parlor, library and dining room. A continental breakfast and internet access is included.
The Clark House is located in the historic residential area, just two blocks from Downtown Clarksdale's government, business and entertainment center.
Rooms are available from $75, and reservations can be made online at http://www.clarkhouse.info or by calling the Innkeeper at 662-621-1632.
(CAT HEAD NOTE: Stay close to the music and the history... in complete comfort. Book your rooms now for festival season... before it's too late!)
GO TO The Clark House Residential Inn's official web site (CLICK HERE).
|
|
| |
BLUES NEWS EXCERPTS COURTESY OF WWW.BLUESWAX.COM
GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI BLUESMAN LIL DAVE THOMPSON DIES:
Andrew Galloway of Electro-Fi Records has reported the passing of Lil' Dave Thompson at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 14 as the result of an automobile accident outside of Augusta, Georgia, while touring with his band. The other band members were not seriously injured. "A dynamic artist, widely acknowledged as one of the very best of the current generation of Mississippi Blues Artists, Lil' Dave will be sadly missed by his family, friends and Blues music lovers world wide." Bob Corritore reports: "His van overturned, and Dave was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene by the paramedics. Other members of the group were reportedly not seriously injured." David Lonzo Thompson was born in Hinds County, Mississippi May 21, 1969. Lil Dave's exposure to music came early and was always a way of life. His father, the late Sam Thompson played with Willie Foster, Asie Payton, Paul Wine Jones, Eddie Cusic, James Son Thomas and others. He began playing guitar at the age of nine, and was playing in local bands in his early teens. At the age of 14 he formed his first band. He, along with drummer Dell Cusic and bass player Allen Hite called themselves The Delta Blues Band. As a teenager, Thompson played with various Blues, Rand B, Reggae, and gospel bands in the delta area until he met and toured with the late Booba Barnes in 1990. Thompson made his recording debut in 1995 with the release of Little Dave and Big Love on the Fat Possum label. Although he would literally disappear from the Blues scene for better than six years, Thompson reappeared in 2002 with his album C'mon Down To The Delta. It was with a pair of albums for the Electro-Fi Records label, however, that Thompson became better known. Thompson's Got To Get Over You (2006) and Deep In The Night (2008) were accompanied by constant touring and critical acclaim, and earned the guitarist a loyal and growing audience. Thompson is survived by his wife of fifteen years, Susan White, and by five children.
"MR. SUZI Q," DALE HAWKINS, DIES AFTER CANCER BATTLE:
Rock & Roll Pioneer Dale Hawkins passed away in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, February 14, after a battle with colon cancer. He was seventy-three. He had been undergoing treatment at the Arkansas Hospice Center at St. Vincent's Doctors Hospital in Little Rock. Dale was best known for his 1957 classic "Susie Q", which would later be covered by both the Rolling Stones and by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Dale's band was a training ground for many amazing guitarists including James Burton, Scotty Moore, Joe Osborn, Roy Buchanan, Fred Carter, and Kenny Paulsen. Dale was inducted into both the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame, and the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
FOR EVEN MORE blues news, go to BluesWax.com today (CLICK).
|
|
| |
"M FOR MISSISSIPPI: A ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE BLUES"
(PHOTO: Thanks to 'Il Blues' magazine's Marino and his son Davide for the nice photo of Roger, Jeff and Kari on tour in Norway with the "M for Mississippi Revue".)
MISSISSIPPI BLUES MARATHON & EXPO:
Jeff, Kari and I had the pleasure of hosting an "M for Mississippi" booth at the 3rd annual Mississippi Blues Marathon & Expo in Jackson, MS, back in January. We got to meet tons of fine folks -- from blues fans and runners to our friends at the Mississippi Film Office and Mississippi Public Broadcasting -- plus hear some awfully tasty live blues from M FOR M movie stars like Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Bill Abel and Lightnin Malcolm. If you run or like real-deal blues, check out http://www.msbluesmarathon.com
"M FOR M" SCREENS IN DENMARK (a.k.a. my fav review of year!?):
"Yesterday was the day, we had our last blues-gig of the year, and your fantastic documentary spiced up the whole event. The reactions were so positive and enthusiastic that I wish you'd been there. But let me bring you the rounds of applause, the giggles, the laughing and the praising via cyberspace all the way over the Atlantic right into your arms, you (and your film partners) and the film deserve it!!! Only one person in the audience found it boring and walked out to get a beer (no bad purpose, after all!!)) after half an hour, but 'Big Dull' as his friends call him, suffers from ADHD and can't sit still for more than 5 minutes, then he has to move, so half an hour is perhaps the finest praising you could get from him, really! I promise to show him the last hour at a later occasion, or maybe I should say occasions." -- Thanks, Eskil in Denmark
SCREEN "M FOR M" AT YOUR LOCAL THEATER OR FOR BLUES SOCIETY:
The movie "M for Mississippi" is available at very reasonable rates for screening at your local theater, blues society meeting or home 'house party.' Just contact us at roger@cathead.biz or jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com to set it up. (A FEW UPCOMING EVENTS: The Long Island Blues Society will screen M FOR M on March 8th at 7pm; details at http://libluessociety.org. The Tupelo Film Commission will screen it on March 25th; details soon at http://www.tupelo.net/film-festival/. Also, we are planning now for a screening w/music in Pensacola for early April; details TBA.)
NEW REVIEW OF "M FOR M" MOVIE (excerpt from jazzandblues.blogspot.com):
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2010
"I had thought the tension between secular and religious music was a relic of the past, but not so according to The Mississippi Marvel, who refused to give his identity or allowed his face to be filmed because he didn't want members of his church to see him playing the blues. It is fascinating to hear "T-Model" Ford discuss his rough and tumble life which was filled with as much violence as music. Terry "Harmonica" Bean talks about growing up and how he turned to the blues after losing a chance to be a major league pitcher. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes plays a solo set in his own juke joint and discusses how long the music can last in its native land. This may be the most important facet of this documentary, to capture these wonderful musicians in a live and raw state. Many of the musicians were advanced in age, and are a living link with the blues of the past which is fading fast. Definately a must see for fans of blues and roots music."
NEW INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS OF 2ND "M FOR M" CD SOUNDTRACK:
- Juke Blues mag (issue #68) in the UK says, "The film shot on location in the spring of last year has been a major talking point ever since... so this [2nd] soundtrack release can be nothing but welcome..."
- Rhythms mag (Dec. '09) in Australia calls the 2nd CD "a virtual road trip through the birthplace of the blues." "[Highlights include] Miss Gladys and the Wesley Jefferson Blues Band delivering the most soulful reading of 'Walking the Back Streets and Crying' since Little Milton's..."
PUBLIC RADIO/PRX REVIEWS 2ND CD:
"Music from the second soundtrack CD issued for the film 'M For Mississippi' including a song that was legally barred from the film." Hear the podcast at http://www.prx.org/pieces/38754-blues-beyond-162-m-for-mississippi-more-music
NOW AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOAD PURCHASE OR A NETFLIX RENTAL:
You can now legally download the "M for M" movie on-line for half the hard-copy price at http://www.filmbaby.com/films/3455 . OR, you can simply rent it through NetFlix.com if you are a member; if you do, and you like it, please add a review there. (5-star review on NetFlix says, "Engaging and especially inspiring since you can see it was just a handful of people making the film. Loved the music, the reverence and even the drive from place to place.")
"M FOR MISSISSIPPI" updates and DVD/CD on-line sales (CLICK HERE).
|
|
| |
BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE E-NEWSLETTER EXCERPTS
- FOR BLUES NEWS UPDATES, subscribe to the Blues Festival Guide e-newsletter by going to their web site at http://www.bluesfestivalguide.com
ARKANSAS HERITAGE DELTA MUSIC TRAIL:
Five 4-by-5 foot signs marking points on the new Arkansas Heritage Delta Music Trail: Sounds from the Soil and Soul went up last Friday, providing photos and information on the radio show King Biscuit Time at Helena, Southern Tenant Farmers Union supporter John Handcox at Tyronza, saxophonist Louis Jordan at Brinkley, drummer and singer Levon Helm at Turkey Scratch and blues songwriter John Weston at Marianna. Four more of the six-foot-tall signs, a project of the Arkansas Delta Byways Regional Tourism Association, will be installed in January to recognize Albert King at West Memphis, Johnny Cash at Dyess, KWEM radio station at West Memphis and KVSA at Dermott. The first sign was installed earlier at the old Plantation Inn in West Memphis, where many blues musicians got their start.
DELTA BLUESMAN JOHNNY SHINES HONORED IN ALABAMA:
Tuscaloosanews.com - Caroline Shines arrived home Thursday to find what she says "is the best Christmas present I can think of." Her street off Crescent Ridge Road had a bright new sign designating it Johnny Shines Street, after her father, the late and great blues musician who lived in Holt for the last 20 years of his life before his death in 1992. ... Johnny Shines, a member of the Blues Hall of Fame, played slide guitar and was inspired by Robert Johnson, the great and tragic blues man of the 1930s with whom Shines often traveled. Shines was born in Frayser, Tenn., and like many black musicians of his era he eventually migrated to Chicago where he cut some classic blues records in the 1940s and 1950s. He moved to Holt in the early 1970s and was still playing locally when he died at the age of 76, less than a week before his 77th birthday. ... [N]ow we have a Johnny Shines Street we can show blues tourists."
'DUST TO DIGITAL': REDISCOVERING FORGOTTEN MUSIC:
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- There are burglar bars on the windows of Second Mount Olive Baptist Church. It takes a good shove to open its rusty metal door, identical to all the other offices in this rundown strip mall just off the highway in south Atlanta. A fan whips up pages of a mildewed Old Testament lying open on one of the pews. An overturned Culligan water tank, Mount Olive's donation jar, is empty except for some change and a wadded buck. The Rev. Johnny L. Jones, 73, looks out at his congregation of about 15. He slips in his dentures. And then the old man disappears. In his place is the Rev. Hurricane, pounding a Hammond organ, ignoring the sweat that's pooling at his temples, letting whoever wants to get up and take the mic for a solo. Holding their elaborate hats in place, two elderly ladies defy their hips. They are singing hard: "This old building keep a-leakin'/I gotta move to a betta home/these old bones of mine keep on achin'/I gotta move to a betta home!" And then the Rev. Hurricane does his Thing. He is on his tippy toes, spinning. He's spinning and singing, arms up, voice higher, spinning, spinning. Lance Ledbetter is on his feet, too. Small, pale, hair impeccably combed, seeming transported from some black-and-white movie, he low-humming it and grinning. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he turns to his wife, April: "Are you getting this?" A human Google of folk, gospel and blues music, Ledbetter, a Grammy-winning ethnographer, recorded the Rev. Hurricane for the better part of 2009. Ledbetter's record label, Dust-to-Digital, released an LP of the Hurricane's most stirring sermons, "Jesus Christ From A to Z," featuring a sermon called "The Devil Made Me Do It." Old-school Atlantans, 20-something hipsters and music lovers of every genre were at the release party. The LP, released shortly before Christmas and available online and nationwide in stores, is a personal revival for the Hurricane, who was once a national gospel superstar signed with Jewel Records, which produced John Lee Hooker. The record also suggests once again that Ledbetter and Dust-to-Digital can do what no one else can: Make old (like, really old) time music cool again. On Sunday, Ledbetter will find out whether he's won a second Grammy, this time for "Take Me To The Water: Immersion Baptism In Vintage Music And Photography 1890-1950," a CD (compiled from old 78-rpm records) and 96-page hardcover book with 75 spooky sepia photograph reproductions. Dust-to-Digital's critical success, and its praise among varied music lovers, has much to do with another long-lost art: packaging. His first project, 2003's "Goodbye, Babylon" -- "the greatest anthology of antique Southern sacred song and oratory ever assembled," raved Rolling Stone magazine -- is a six-CD set of hymns, sacred harp, choirs, jug bands, a cappella and blues, some more than 100 years old, which comes in a hand-made pine box with a silk-screen of the Tower of Babel painting on the cover. The box slides opens to reveal inlaid raw Georgia cotton and a thick book "by authors of wide reputation" containing rare photos, lyrics and anecdotes about the singers. For $100, it can be found online -- and in art galleries. The project took Ledbetter four years as he sought rare private collections around the world. He compiled the work at considerable expense while holding down a full-time IT job. ARTICLE CONTINUED AT http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/28/atlanta.dust.to.digital/index.html (CAT HEAD NOTE: The Ledbetters are fine, fine folks who really 'get' the music and he musicians. Go to http://www.dust-digital.com and pick up some awesome music and cool packaging. We also carry a selection of their projects at Cat Head, of course.)
GIBSON GUITAR PICKS 'TOP BLUES PLAYERS':
Got the blues? Well, the blues got Gibsons. Gibson takes a look at some of the pioneering guitarists who have used their instruments while helping shape the history of rock and roll.
- Albert King - Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix all studied King's sharp tones and deep bends. Having picked up the first Korina model of the Flying V, he became synonymous with the guitar that encouraged his experimental, mind-blowing solos on classics like "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "(I Love) Lucy."
- B.B. King - Is there a more famous blues guitar than Lucille? King, ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the third greatest guitarist of all time, has kept some incarnation of the ES-355 at his side since 1949. Gibson started manufacturing a custom-built model in 1980, allowing everyone to experience the sound that inspired guitarists from Eric Clapton to Keith Richards. Even Aerosmith's Joe Perry got a customized model decorated with his wife's visage, naming it Billie.
- John Lee Hooker - He could do anything – sing, write or play. Using hollow-body electrics including Gibson ES-125s, ES-135s and Epiphone Sheratons, the Mississippi bluesman became known for his timeless one-chord stomps like "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom."
- Robert Johnson - The name most people associate with the Delta blues played an L-1 acoustic guitar - the original, which allegedly appeared at auction a few years back, going for $6 million. Fortunately, the reproduction model is much more affordable, and not just for Johnson disciples like Led Zeppelin, Cream and the Stones. His life was brief and his death was mysterious, but his legacy – just 29 songs – is momentous.
- Hubert Sumlin - This fingerstyle player served as Howlin Wolf's sideman for more than 25 years. Sumlin is recognized as one of the originators of Chicago blues, using a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. Hendrix often claimed Hubert was his favorite guitarist, which makes sense if you've ever had the chance to study his push-pull rhythms and blasts of noise on blues standards like "Smokestack Lightning," "Back Door Man" and "The Red Rooster."
Click for classic "Crossroads" feature in past BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE magazine.
|
|
| |
CAT HEAD DELTA BLUES & FOLK ART... YOUR DELTA BLUES HEADQUARTERS!
TREAT YOURSELF TO SOME COOL 'CAT HEAD' OR DELTA BLUES STUFF...
1. 'CAT HEAD' LOGO MERCHANDISE
- "Cat Head logo/Crossroads art" T-shirts for (adult white or black for $20 each; youth size heather gray for $15) and hoodies (adult brown for $30). High quality shirts feature our famous "Cat Head" red square logo on the front and artist Grego's killer 'Crossroads' folk artwork on the back. Please call for current in-stock size selection, 662-624-5992.
- "Cat Head" logo caps (hats) w/"Clarksdale, Mississippi" on back if it fits; various colors/styles; please call for selection; $20 each plus s/h.
- "Cat Head"/"Clarksdale, Mississippi" logo beer glasses, reg. $10, SALE $5 !!! (Plus s/h -- must be specially packed since glass.)
- "Cat Head" logo shot glasses, $5 plus s/h.
- "Cat Head" bumper stickers or postcards, $1 each plus s/h.
- "Cat Head" logo rubber drink coasters, $2 each plus s/h.
- "Cat Head"/"Clarksdale, Mississippi" logo guitar picks (M), $1 each plus s/h.
2. BLUES CDs
- Recommended newer/local blues CDs include titles from Pat Thomas, T-Model Ford, Big George Brock and Jimmy "Duck" Holmes -- for $15 each plus s/h.
- Other recommendations include Super Chikan import "Chikadelic" ($20), LC Ulmer "Long Ways From Home" ($16) or Jimbo Mathus country CD "Jimmy The Kid" ($16) -- plus s/h.
- "M For Mississippi" CD soundtracks, Vol 1 and 2 -- just $15 each plus s/h.
- We also carry most of the Fat Possum Records and Broke & Hungry Records blues titles, of course...
3. BLUES DVDs
- Blues Music Award/Living Blues Award-winning "M For Mississippi -- A Road Trip Through The Birthplace Of The Blues" (of course) for $20 plus s/h.
- "Hard Times" (the story of bluesman Big George Brock) DVD, reg. $20, SALE $15.
4. BLUES BOOKS
- "Give My Poor Heart Ease -- Voices Of The Mississippi Blues" is a fabulous new hardcover book by William Ferris that features an excellent blues DVD and companion CD; all that for just $35 plus s/h.
- "Memphis & The Delta Blues Trail" by Melissa & Justin Gage is a new, comprehensive guide for visitors to Memphis and the Mississippi Delta; the listings and directions are totally up to date and quite expansive; a bargain at just $19.95 plus s/h.
- "R. Crumb's Heroes Of Blues, Jazz And Country" book w/bonus CD inside... in HARDCOVER for only $19.95.
- "In Search Of The Blues" by Marybeth Hamilton in soft ($15.95) or hard ($24.95) cover, plus s/h.
5. 2010 WALL CALENDARS
- "R. Crumb's Heroes Of Blues, Jazz And Country" wall calendar (includes bonus postcards inside)... ON SALE!
- "Blues Images' Classic Blues Artwork" wall calendar (includes bonus blues CD inside)... ON SALE!
TO ORDER, please call 662-624-5992 during regular business hours (Mon-Sat, 10-5 Central) with a credit card and your address info, etc. For more information about sizes/availability, you can also email at roger@cathead.biz.
CLICK HERE... for the official CAT HEAD web site with store, town and music info.
|
|
| |
NEWS FROM THE 'ROCK & BLUES MUSEUM' OF CLARKSDALE, MS
(PHOTO: Robert "Bilbo" Walker next to his display in the The Rock'n Roll & Blues Heritage Museum By Theo Dasbach.)
"Clarksdale's native Robert 'Bilbo' Walker returned to Clarksdale in October and made a surprise visit to the Rock 'n Roll & Blues Heritage Museum Walker brought his daughter and some of her friends to see his new display in the museum. In December last year he donated his suit which is pictured on his CD 'Rock the Night' to the Museum together with a pair of his designer shoes, an autographed and stage played guitar and his wig. Ironically just in time, as his house in Bakersfield, California burned down to the ground a few months ago. Unfortunately his house was not insured. Walker informed us that he is going to auction off his mobile home in order to raise money. Walker is known in the blues music world for showmanship and flamboyant Chuck Berry imitations. He also plays guitar with one hand, while dancing around. Walker told us that he will be playing a lot in and around Clarksdale to recoup his losses. If you want to see part of the living Clarksdale music heritage next year, you might have a chance to see this 71-year-old energetic bluesman play his heart out in one of Clarksdale's juke joints and blues clubs. I am sure Bilbo will be back in town." -- Theo Dasback, www.blues2rockcom
(CAT HEAD NOTE: Be sure to visit Theo's museum next time you're in Clarksdale. Also, catch Bilbo Walker live at the Juke Joint Festival and Cat Head Mini Blues Fest, April 17 and 18. You'll be glad you did.)
Theo and Cindy's ROCK/BLUES MUSEUM web site (click here).
|
|
| |
WEST VIRGINIA'S CHARLESTON GAZETTE TRAVEL PIECE ON THE MS DELTA
December 5, 2009 - Living, loving and laughing along the Mississippi Blues Trail
By Kelly Merritt and Ginger Stanley; Photo by Kelly Merritt - For the Sunday Gazette-Mail (ARTICLE EXCERPTED)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Music lovers looking for a different and authentic vacation experience might consider a visit to Mississippi to enhance their knowledge and enjoyment of a uniquely American genre of music that ultimately gave birth to rock 'n' roll. The Mississippi Blues Trail is an assortment of markers, museums and landmarks throughout the Magnolia State, but mostly in the state's fertile Delta region along old U.S. Route 61. The trail "offers an unforgettable journey into blues history, from the street corners and juke joints were musicians played, to the places they called home, to their final resting spots. Travelers are invited to walk where they walked, dance where they danced, and play in the land where it all began," says literature from the Mississippi Travel Commission. While one could simply read the text of trail markers from the Blues Trail Web site (msbluestrail.org), visiting sites along the trail gives the experience of seeing the land and the conditions that created the blues, feeling the hardship and hearing live blues in the place where the music originated. With more than 100 established sites, the trail offers interest for most anyone from the casual blues listener to the most dedicated fan. The casual fan might be content to visit the Delta Blues Museum in downtown Clarksdale and enjoy a catfish dinner and concert in the Ground Zero Blues Club next door. Whereas the hardcore blues fans might also invest the windshield time to visit such places as the amazingly remote outpost of Friars Point, where B.B. King's favorite guitarist Robert Nighthawk played, stop at points along the old Peavine Railroad, stay in a refurbished sharecropper's cabin at Hopson Planting Co. and see the gravesite of Charlie Patton, who was a strong influence on blues' primary influencer Robert Johnson. ... Any traveler with a love for the blues won't want to miss the cities of Clarksdale and Indianola.
At Clarksdale, the blues fan will find:
Muddy Waters' home site a few miles north of town. The building is no longer there, but the sight of the wide open cotton fields helps one understand the feel of life for an aspiring young musician stuck in the role of cotton-plantation tractor driver. The Crossroads. Again, not much to see other than a lighted sign, but the legendary location made famous by Robert Johnson's alleged alliance with the devil is a place any blues fan should visit. Downtown, featuring a marker for Sam Cooke, the Riverside Hotel and numerous small museums and record stores. Delta Blues Museum, an eclectic collection of memorabilia, including Muddy Waters' log cabin, a 'Muddywood' guitar commissioned by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, old album covers and other fascinating items. More is on the way as the museum plans a $10 million expansion. The Ground Zero Blues Club, a refurbished cotton warehouse featuring lunch, dinner and live blues music five nights a week. Stay upstairs in one of the nicely equipped rooms of Delta Cotton Co. Have a wholesome breakfast down the street at Delta Amusement Cafe. Hopson Plantation, where blues pianist Pinetop Perkins drove a tractor and helped research new technology that allowed for mechanization of cotton farming and forever changed the economics and daily life in the Delta region. Get a partial feel for what a sharecropper may have felt by staying overnight in a restored sharecropper's cabin. Shack Up Inn cabins are refurbished to include indoor plumbing, electricity and running water, niceties the old sharecroppers didn't have. ... Potential Blues Trail travelers have plenty of sources to learn more to plan their trip. Start with www.msbluestrail.org. Also try www.visitmississippi.org or call 866-SEE-MISS (733-6477).
(CAT HEAD NOTE: I guess we fell under the generic "record stores" mention above. Oh well, hopefully readers will come seek us out anyway... www.cathead.biz.)
FULL ARTICLE at http://www.wvgazette.com/Life/Travel/200912040931?page=1&build=cache
Read the FULL ARTICLE on-line or share it with a friend (CLICK HERE).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CLARKSDALE'S "BIG T" TO RELEASE BRAND-NEW BLUES ALBUM IN MARCH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Matt Blumert
Matt The Scat Records
mblumert@comcast.net
NEW LABEL RECORDS AWARD-WINNING MISSISSIPPI BLUESMAN; INAUGURAL "BIG T" ALBUM SLATED FOR MARCH 2010 RELEASE
Clarksdale, Mississippi -- On the heels of his 2009 "Best Guitar Player of the Year" award from the Bay Area Blues Society, Mississippi bluesman Terry "Big T" Williams is slated to release a brand-new album on a brand-new label in late March. Entitled "Jump Back, Big T's in the House," the CD will signal a new phase in Williams' storied musical career.
"Big T is a phenomenal musician and unforgettable performer," says Matt Blumert, founder of Matt The Scat Records and executive producer of the upcoming CD. "I met him during a visit to Clarksdale last year, and from the first note I heard him play at Ground Zero Blues Club, I knew I just had to get him into the studio. He is a living link to the rich history of Delta blues, but he's managed to update the sound for 21st Century ears. He really has to be seen and heard to be believed."
More information about the new album as well as photos from the recording session can be found at www.terrybigtwilliams.com. A bit of his personal and professional history can also be found on the new web site.
A veteran of both stage and studio, Williams began his blues career as one of "Mr. Johnnie" Billington's now legendary students in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
"Mr. Johnnie didn't stand no fooling around," remembers Williams, laughing. "He was all business when it came to blues music, and I really learned from that."
Eventually, Williams toured with the infamous Jelly Roll Kings and became a regular in the North Mississippi blues band scene -- performing with recording artists Big Jack Johnson, Wesley "Junebug" Jefferson, Big George Brock and many others. He also scored occasional spots backing such blues luminaries as Albert King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Cedell Davis.
"I've been lucky to have learned from the best," Williams admits.
In summer 2009, his luck continued. After a successful season of club and festival gigs, the Bay Area Blues Society's West Coast Hall of Fame came calling on Terry "Big T" Williams. His West Coast concert dates in recent years had brought him to the attention of the area's movers and shakers, and he was presented with the blues society's prestigious "Best Guitar Player of the Year" honors.
Following up on the attention garnered by this award, Matt Blumert chose Williams as the first recording artist for his newly founded record label, Matt The Scat Records.
Aiming to capture Williams in his hometown, just five minutes from the "Crossroads" of Highways 61 & 49, Blumert booked a recording session at the recently completed, state-of-the-art Clarksdale Soundstage recording studio.
"I've seen Big T play for years in and around Clarksdale," notes Gary Vincent, the studio owner and sound engineer on the session. "He's a local guitar hero and a favorite of the tourists who visit the Delta from all around the world. We were very pleased that Matt chose our facilities to capture such a true blue talent."
Vincent's recently released George Thorogood DVD is currently nominated for a Blues Music Award (BMA), and other recent projects he is involved with include sessions with Elvin Bishop, Jimmy Thackery and Smokey Smothers. John Magnusson, formerly of Electric Lady Studios, co-engineered the Williams CD.
"Jump Back, Big T's in the House" was mastered by Motown legend Bob Ohlsson, known for his past work with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Grateful Dead and Rare Earth.
"Look, Big T has played festivals from Clarksdale to St. Louis, Chicago to Seattle. He is a force to be reckoned with," says Blumert. "Our hope is that this album will help take him to the next level. The talent, fire and drive are there. 2010 should be the 'Year of Big T.'"
Williams' new CD, "Jump Back, Big T's in the House," will hit the streets on March 23rd. Clarksdale's Ground Zero Blues Club will host a special CD Release Party three days earlier on Saturday, March 20th. More information at www.groundzerobluesclub.com.
(CAT HEAD NOTE: Pre-release copies of the new CD can be purchased through http://www.terrybigtwilliams.com . Also, Cat Head will be carrying early copies the release by next week... courtesy of Matt The Scat Records... thanks.)
NEW WEB SITE for award-winning Delta bluesman Terry "BIG T" Williams (click). |
|
|
|
| TWO MUSICAL ICONS: MPB Radio on ROBERT JOHNSON... Memphis Flyer on WILLIE MITCHELL...
RESTORING ROBERT JOHNSON'S BIRTHPLACE
Published by Ron Brown (radio transcript) - PHOTO: Robert Johnson Birthplace
Blues fans the world over travel to the Mississippi Delta to see where their heroes once lived. And as MPB arts reporter Ron Brown reports, a new attraction is being restored to honor one of the music’s most enduring and mysterious legends. When Hugh Jenkins goes back to visit his boyhood home in Hazelhurst, he sees a dilapidated house so neglected and in need of repair it's nearly falling in on itself. In fact, in some areas it has. "Not much left is there?" The house was built in three stages in the early 1900's. The main part has been salvaged. And Copiah County plans to restore the home at a cost of 250-thousand dollars or more. "We got four rooms. This was originally a seven room house… got four rooms left…. We're gonna build it all back." The home is of significant historical interest, but not because Hugh Jenkins grew up here. It is believed to be the birthplace of one of the most elusive of all the early Delta blues legends and unquestionably the best known. Court and family records show that the home in Hazelhurst is the birthplace of the legendary Robert Johnson. Born in 1911, Robert Johnson recorded a scant few records in 1936 and 1937, then died after drinking poisoned alcohol, said to be a jealous husband's revenge. He was just 27 years old. Johnson's haunting blues were elevated to myth when friends suggested that Johnson's considerable guitar playing and songwriting ability were obtained by making a deal with the devil. Mystery has surrounded his legend ever since. "It's Robert Johnson He was one of the greatest blues musicians who ever lived." Janet Schriver is the executive director of the Copiah County Office of Cultural Affairs which is now the owner of the Robert Johnson home. "And unlike some blues musicians, there are really so few things that are left of his. To my knowledge, there are three photographs. And then his recordings and that's all we have of his. So the fact that we have a birthplace, actually gives folks an opportunity to come and pay homage to a great musician." The house has been on the list of endangered historical places since 2004. And Schriver insists the historical documentation is solid, including an eyewitness account from Johnson's half-sister. "She had come into town and she verified that yes, this was the place where Robert Johnson was born and she was there. So that sort of sealed the deal, as they say." Now that the house has been found and documented, Schriver says the next step is the hardest part. The Copiah County Office of Cultural Affairs needs to raise a quarter of a million dollars for the restoration. She's hoping fans the world over will make significant contributions or want to buy pens made with wood from scraps of the historic home for $60 apiece. "It should bring tourists in, and hopefully it will bring in folks that want to live in that area. And I think it can really attract some international traffic. So it's not only good for Copiah County, but it should be good for the state of Mississippi." And the expected world-wide attention on the blues giant's history might add to the legend of Robert Johnson who could be poised to make a comeback, seventy one years after his death. For MPB News, I'm Ron Brown.
(CAT HEAD NOTE: Nice story from the always excellent Ron Brown. But... I now realize that Robert Johnson was born into a much larger, nicer home than I was as a kid! How crazy is that?! Now... I wanna get me one of those pens...)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SAYING GOODBYE TO MEMPHIS MUSIC LEGEND WILLIE MITCHELL
by ANDRIA LISLE (courtesy of Memphis Flyer, www.memphisflyer.com)
At 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday, January 5th, 81-year-old producer "Poppa" Willie Mitchell died at Methodist University Hospital. An entire chunk of local music history died with him. Mitchell, born in Ashland, Mississippi, came to Orange Mound in the early 1930s and never left Memphis. "By the time I got to Melrose High School, I was already playing with cats like Tuff Green," he told me in 2004. "I also played in Al Jackson's band back then. Not drummer Al Jackson Jr., you understand, but his daddy, Al Sr. He had a big band back then." Mitchell was working with an instrumental group at Danny's Club in West Memphis when a cover of Bill Black's "Smokie" got the attention of Hi Records president Joe Cuoghi in the early 1960s. "I started running the sessions, working with O.V. Wright and Bobby 'Blue' Bland. I was also doing my own stuff back then, instrumentals like 'Sunrise Serenade' and '20-75,' stuff like that," Mitchell said. Before long, he'd taken over Hi's headquarters, a South Memphis recording studio called Royal. "When I first came in, I listened and listened to that room," Mitchell remembered. "The sound was running all over the place. I wanted to make it stop somewhere. I wanted the air to be dead, and I put up shit every night until I got it right. I swear I can't tell you what I used ... although I will tell you that it was mainly burlap and house insulation. Man, that stuff stuck to me for six months." My interview with Mitchell happened four years after I first walked through the door at Royal, as an emissary of the Rooster Blues record label. I was with Ike Turner, who was cutting Here & Now, and I got to listen firsthand as the two pioneers traded insults, shared war stories, and, finally, rolled up their sleeves and began work on the album. Ever since, I knew I could come to Royal any time and be welcomed by Mitchell, who would sit behind his desk, his shoes off and his feet propped up, and hold court as a revolving cast, ranging from Solomon Burke and Al Green to obscure chitlin circuit deejays and up-and-coming rappers, stopped by. Mitchell was dry, erudite, and witty. With Turner and other insiders, his eyes would sparkle, and he'd talk about the old days, reminiscing about meeting a young Albert Greene, whom he transformed into a soul superstar, dropping gems about O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson, and, once or twice, telling stories about the Beatles, who rehearsed at Royal before their 1964 U.S. tour. "They knew about the studio, because they were carrying Bill Black out on tour," Mitchell said. "Man, we had a big party that day! They went around the corner to Brady & Lil's restaurant and bought up all the barbecue." When Keith Richards arrived to cut Talk Is Cheap in 1987, he tried to get Mitchell's sound. "I don't blame him," Mitchell said. In the control room, Mitchell was all business. As his accomplishments on the pop charts attest, he was an engineering genius who could combine all sorts of recording equipment and, from thin air, build that lush sound that epitomized a Willie Mitchell production. To see him doing it in person was like watching Hemingway stand at his desk in Cuba or witnessing Cronkite as he prepared to file a story on the Vietnam War: With a modicum of movement, Mitchell could, and did, create artwork that defined an era. When he wasn't behind the board, Mitchell would roost in the lobby and, if he deemed you worthy, cue up a song or two on his CD player to give you a taste of his latest project. Despite health problems that plagued his body in recent years, Mitchell worked until nearly the end of his life. Last year, he produced one more album for Solomon Burke, and, in September, he ran his last session, working up a pair of arrangements for Rod Stewart...
(CAT HEAD NOTE: Thanks to Andria Lisle for such a wonderful portrait of Willie Mitchell. About five years ago or so, Andria drove me by Royal Studios to meet Willie Mitchell. We arrived unannounced, and there he was -- just as friendly as you please -- sitting behind the front desk. What a great guy and true legend. He will be missed.)
HEAR Ron Brown's radio story about Robert Johnson by CLICKING here... |
|
|
|
| 3 OTHER BIG UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES DELTA AREA...
(PHOTO CREDIT: Honeyboy Edwards with his well-deserved Grammy Award!!! Photo by Mark J. Terrill, via www.bobcorritore.com.)
HONEYBOY EDWARDS 'HAPPY HOUR' AT BB KING MUSEUM - Feb 27th:
"The B.B. King Museum is thrilled to host Happy Hour with Honeyboy next Saturday, February 27th at 6 p.m.! Honeyboy Edwards is returning to the Delta fresh from the Grammys and the Mississippi Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. As you may already know, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammys in Los Angeles and he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts in Jackson just days before his performance at the Museum. Tickets to the show are $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. Beer will be provided by Mitchell Distributing. I hope you will join us for this event and help spread the word to other blues enthusiasts." -- Lora Bingham, Membership & Development Coordinator, B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, Indianola, MS, www.bbkingmuseum.org
JIMBO MATHUS PRESENTS "MOSQUITOVILLE: MISSISSIPPI SONGS & STORIES" - March 5th:
Musical review to debut March 5th at Panola Playhouse in Sardis, MS... Back by popular demand, Mississippi entertainer Jimbo Mathus—in conjunction with Sardis Mayor Rusty Dye—is proud to present "Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories" at the Panola Playhouse on Friday, March 5th, 2010. Created and narrated by the acclaimed musician, Mathus uses "Mosquitoville" to explore the origins of Mississippi mythology through the vast repertoire of the state's indigenous folk music. Audiences will hear the tales of Mississippi's railroads, levees and floods…of its tragedies and triumphs…and, perhaps most importantly, of its black and white pioneers and how they co-existed to create the Delta and Hill Country culture. Mathus explains his interest in creating this unique musical retrospective, stating, "Mississippi music is revered around the world but largely ignored here at home. I hope this show will deepen people’s appreciation of their heritage as Mississippians." He hopes to repeat the show at playhouses across the state. The Panola Playhouse, one of the longest continually running community theaters in the state, will provide the setting for this engaging historical show of songs and stories fit for all ages. Performances will be at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 5th. Tickets are $10 and are available at http://www.panolaplayhouse.com or at the Playhouse box office in Sardis, Mississippi, on the day of the show.
- For more info on the performance, call the Playhouse at 622.487.3975 or email PANOLAPLAYHOUSE@YAHOO.COM.
- For more info on booking "Mosquitoville" in your community, email Justin Showah at JUSTIN@HILLCOUNTRYRECORDS.COM.
- For more info on Grammy winning, Platinum record-holding musician Jimbo Mathus, go to WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JIMBOMATHUS
HILL COUNTRY HARMONICA: A NORTH MISSISSIPPI BLUES HARP HOMECOMING - May 22-23:
- When: May 22-23, 2010
- Where: Foxfire Ranch, 50 miles south of Memphis in rural Waterford, Mississippi http://www.hillcountryharmonica.com/photos.html
- What: a two-day intensive retreat for blues harmonica students (all levels) and their friends, featuring workshops, jam sessions, and concerts with some of the finest traditional and contemporary players in the world. FREE onsite camping! Plenty of home-cooked soul food available.
- Who: Billy Branch, Adam Gussow (with special guest Charlie Hilbert), Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry, Brandon Bailey, and very special guest Billy Gibson http://www.hillcountryharmonica.com/performers.html
- Hours: 11 AM - 12 midnight Saturday; 10 AM - 12 midnight Sunday
- Cost: $150. $50 for a non-playing spouse, partner, or friend. Kids 12 and under free!
- Housing: In addition to free on-site camping, cabins and campsites with full hookups are available at Wall Doxey State Park (4 miles away). Motel rooms are available in Holly Springs (10 miles away) and Oxford (20 miles away). http://www.hillcountryharmonica.com/motels.html
- Extras: Horse rides available from Foxfire owner Bill Hollowell (30 min. for only $8)......Free bottomless coffee and OJ on Sunday morning......Cold beer for sale all day Saturday/Sunday.....No charge to bring your own coolers!...NYC swing/harp sensation Ron Sunshine will be in residence with a full selection of deluxe vintage harp mics....A "harp amp throwdown" for gear-heads in which we play our way through a series of vintage tube amps while you judge for tone....and more.
- Special Added Event: On Friday May 21, Hill Country Harmonica is taking over Rooster's Blues House on the Square in Oxford and hosting the "Hill Country Harmonica Jam." North Mississippi blues guitarist Jay Lang is putting together a band of local players to help us kick things off in high style. Bring your harps!
- More info at: http://www.hillcountryharmonica.com
CHECK OUT the upgraded blues web calendar for more events (CLICK). |
|
|
|
| BLUES FOUNDATION NEWS AND UPDATES FROM NEARBY MEMPHIS
BLUES MUSIC AWARD (BMA) VOTING ENDS ON MARCH 1ST !!!:
The Blues Foundation will present the 31st Blues Music Awards on May 6, 2010, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN. Performers, industry representatives and fans from around the globe will have the chance to celebrate the best in Blues recording and performance from 2009. Vote today at http://www.blues.org/#ref=bluesmusicawards_vote
Acoustic Album of the Year
David Maxwell & Louisiana Red, You Got to Move
Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy, Good Time Music for Hard Times
Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women, Havin' The Last Word
Samuel James, For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen
Various Artists, Things About Comin' My Way - A Tribute to the music of the Mississippi Sheiks
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Annie Raines & Paul Rishell
Doug MacLeod
Guy Davis
Louisiana Red
Samuel James
Album of the Year
Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue, Stomp! the Blues Tonight
Eddie C. Campbell, Tear This World Up
Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint, Back to the Black Bayou
Various Artists, Chicago Blues A Living History
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
Candye Kane
Magic Slim
Rick Estrin
Super Chikan
Taj Mahal
Tommy Castro
Band of the Year
Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
The Mannish Boys
Tommy Castro Band
Best New Artist Debut
Greg Nagy, Walk That Fine Thin Line
Joanne Shaw Taylor, White Sugar
Marquise Knox, Man Child
Monkey Junk, Tiger in your Tank
The California Honeydrops, Soul Tub!
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Candye Kane, Superhero
Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, Twisted
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Living in the Light
Tommy Castro, Hard Believer
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Bettye LaVette
Candye Kane
Janiva Magness
Ruthie Foster
Shemekia Copeland
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Derek Trucks
Joe Louis Walker
John Nemeth
Michael Burks
Tommy Castro
DVD
Delmark Records, It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends
Eagle Eye Media, Live at Montreux 1993 (B.B. King)
Jo Films & Roadside Productions, Hot Flash - The Documentary (Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women)
Mojo Rodeo Records, A Night in Woodstock (Paul Rishell and Annie Raines)
Vincent Productions, Down to the Crossroads Vol. 1 (George Thorogood & the Destroyers w/ Eddie Shaw)
Historical Album of the Year
Bear Family Records, Taking Care of Business (1956-1973) (Freddie King)
Chess, Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters)
Eagle Records, Essential Montreux (Gary Moore)
Hip-O Select, The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) (Little Walter)
Landslide Records, Sean's Blues (Sean Costello)
Instrumentalist-Bass
Bill Stuve
Bob Stroger
Larry Taylor
Mookie Brill
Patrick Rynn
Instrumentalist-Drums
Cedric Burnside
Jimi Bott
Kenny Smith
Sam Carr
Tony Braunagel
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Derek Trucks
Duke Robillard
Joe Louis Walker
Lurrie Bell
Ronnie Earl
Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Billy Branch
Jason Ricci
Kim Wilson
Mark Hummel
Rick Estrin
Instrumentalist-Horn
Al Basile
Big James Montgomery
Deanna Bogart
Eddie Shaw
Keith Crossan
Instrumentalist-Other
Buckwheat Zydeco (accordion)
Gerry Hundt (mandolin)
Johnny Sansone (accordion)
Otis Taylor (banjo)
Rich Del Grosso (mandolin)
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Bruce Katz
David Maxwell
Eden Brent
Henry Butler
Henry Gray
Rock Blues Album of the Year
Derek Trucks Band, Already Free
Jason Ricci & New Blood, Done with the Devil
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat, Tijuana Bible
Mike Zito, Pearl River
Tinsley Ellis, Speak No Evil
Song of the Year
Cyril Neville & Mike Zito, 'Pearl River' (Pearl River--Mike Zito)
James Johnson , 'Fred's Dollar Store' (Chikadelic--Super Chikan)
Joe Louis Walker, 'I'm Tide' (Between a Rock and the Blues--Joe Louis Walker)
John Hahn & Oliver Wood, 'Never Going Back to Memphis' (Never Going Back--Shemekia Copeland)
Vyasa Dodson, 'At Least I'm Not With You' (At Least I'm Not With You--The Insomniacs)
Soul Blues Album of the Year
Charles Wilson, Troubled Child
Darrell Nulisch, Just for You
Johnny Rawls, Ace Of Spades
Latimore, All About the Rhythm and the Blues
Mighty Sam McClain, Betcha Didn't Know
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Barbara Carr
Denise LaSalle
Irma Thomas
Shirley Brown
Sista Monica Parker
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Curtis Salgado
Darrell Nulisch
Jackie Payne
Johnny Rawls
Latimore
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
John Primer, All Original
Johnnie Bassett, The Gentleman is Back
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint, Back to the Black Bayou
Super Chikan, Chikadelic
Various Artists, Chicago Blues A Living History
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Ann Rabson
Debbie Davies
Fiona Boyes
Shirley Johnson
Zora Young
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
Duke Robillard
John Primer
Johnnie Bassett
Louisiana Red
Super Chikan
2010 BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED
The Blues Foundation has announced the inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010, including Louisiana-born, Chicago-based bluesman Lonnie Brooks, highly-esteemed blues singer and harpist Charlie Musselwhite and singer, songwriter, guitarist and social activist Bonnie Raitt. Among the other individuals that are being recognized by the Foundation this year include "The Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy, jug band pioneer Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, and the writer of many great "drinking songs," including "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," Amos Milburn.
American roots music writer Peter Guralnick and the legendary host of the King Biscuit Time program on KFFA radio in Helena, Arkansas Sonny Payne, are the non-performers being inducted this year. Sam Charters' groundbreaking research on the blues in the 1950s and '60s resulted in several books including this year's Classics of Blues Literature inductee - The Bluesmen. The following singles or album tracks will be inducted during the ceremony: "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" by Otis Rush, "Fever" by Little Willie John, "Key to the Highway' by Big Bill Broonzy, "Match Box Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson and "Spoonful" by Howlin' Wolf. These albums are also being honored: Strong Persuader by Robert Cray, Hung Down Head by Lowell Fulson and I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson.
INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE (IBC) WINNERS CROWNED:
The Blues Foundation's 26th International Blues Challenge concluded last month with two packed shows at the Orpheum Theatre. The solo/duo winner was Matt Andersen, sponsored by Harvest Jazz and Blues from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada and second place honors went to Alphonso Sanders and Bill "Howl-n-Madd" Perry from the Crossroads Blues Society, Rosedale, Mississippi. The top prize in the Band competition was awarded to Grady Champion of the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola. Second place honors were earned by Karen Lovely Band, Cascade Blues Association, and the third spot went to Cheryl Renee with Them Bones, hailing from the Cincy Blues Society.
A beautiful blue custom Gibson guitar featuring The Blues Foundation's logo was awarded to Matt Kelley of the Big Boy Little Band (DC Blues Society), as the finals top guitarist. In the Best Self-Produced CD contest, the judges determined that two CDs were the best: Fire It Up! by the Laurie Morvan Band sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society and Crime Scene Queen by The Informants sponsored by the Colorado Blues Society.
The other solo duo finalists were: Becky Boyd & Tim Matson (Cleveland Blues Society); Jimi Lee with PB Shane (Austin Blues Society); Sherman Lee Dillon (Central Mississippi Blues Society); Tom Walbank & Arthur Migliazza (Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation); Ken "The Rocket" Korb (Long Island Blues Society); and Steve Cohen (Grafton Blues Association). The other Band finalists were: Mojo Theory (Pomeroy Blues & Jazz Society); R&K Brew Co (West Virginia Blues Society); Big Boy Little Band (DC Blues Society); Sonny Moorman Group (Columbus Blues Alliance); Jesse Greene Band (Ottawa Blues Society); Jackie Scott & the Housewreckers (Baltimore Blues Society); Labron Lazenby and LA 3 (Smoky Mountain Blues Society); and The Avey Brothers (Iowa Blues Societies).
Michel Germain from Quebec City, Quebec won the Gibson Little Lucille autographed at the 2004 Blues Music Awards. Blues societies all over the world will soon be starting all over again as they begin their own competitions to determine who they will send to the 27th International Blues Challenge, the finals of which will be staged February 5, 2011.
VOTE FOR BLUES MUSIC AWARDS now by clicking this link, please. |
|
|
|
| SAMPLING OF BLUES EVENTS COMING SOON TO THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA!
(PHOTO: South Memphis String Band with Luther Dickinson, Jimbo Mathus and Alvin "Youngblood" Hart.)
FOR MORE 'LIVE BLUES EVENT' INFO
in the Delta, please tune in to Bill Wax's "Bluesville" show on XM Radio (Ch. 74) most Thursdays at 4pm Central/5pm Eastern for the Delta Blues Report with yours truly, Roger Stolle. http://www.xmradio.com. (ALSO, catch the Cat Head Delta Blues Show with Delta blues music and info on WROX 1450AM or www.wroxradio.com every Sat night 7-9 or Sun night 10-midnight Central time.)
Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, MS www.groundzerobluesclub.com
Live blues Wed thru Sat night each week...
2/20 - Rock Night w/Radio Flyer (for BLUES, see Red's Lounge below)
2/24 - Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry
2/25 - BLUES JAM w/Stan Street
2/26 - All Night Long w/Mary Ann "Action" Jackson
2/27 - Big T & the Family Blues Band (NOTE: March 20th is Big T's CD Release Party for "Jump Back, Big T's In The House" ... Plan now to attend!)
3/5 - Delta Highway Blues Band
3/6 - Mark "Mule Man" Massey
Reds Lounge, downtown Clarksdale, MS (Sunflower Ave. & MLK Dr.)
Live blues on weekends, including...
2/20 - All Night Long Blues Band with Mary Ann "ACTION" Jackson
2/26-27 - Live blues TBA
Tricia's Italian Restaurant, Clarksdale, MS (226 Yazoo Ave. • 662-627-3677)
Live blues Fri-Sat each week, including...
2/20 - Charlie "Too Much" Moore Birthday Bash
2/26 - Live Blues TBA
2/27 - EARL THE PEARL w/All Night Long Blues Band
Juke Joint Chapel at the Shackup Inn, Clarksdale, MS www.shackupinn.com
3/6 (Sat) - Delta Groove blues recording artists Cedric Burnside & Lightnin Malcolm, 9pm-1am (...BYOB...)!
Hopson Commissary, Clarksdale, MS www.hopsonplantation.com
Live music TBA
Hambone Gallery, Clarksdale, MS www.stanstreet.com
Live music (usually blues) every TUESDAY, 7pm, including...
2/23 - TBA
Madidi Restaurant, Clarksdale, MS www.madidres.com
Live music (often blues) Wednesdays in bar, 7pm.
Walnut Street Blues Bar, Walnut Street, Greenville, MS (662-378-2254)
2/19-20 (Fri-Sat) - The Mike Holloway Band, 9:30pm.
2/26-27 - Live blues TBA.
BB King Museum, Indianola, MS www.bbkingmuseum.org
2/20 - Book Signing with Chris Myers Asch
2/23 - Taste in Music: Soul Food!
2/26 - High Noon with E.L. Conrod
2/27 - Reflections through Poetry and Music
930 Blues Cafe, downtown Jackson, MS www.jesdablues.com
Thursdays - BLUES JAM!
2/20 - Dr. Dee
2/26-27 - Grady Champion returns -- 2010 IBC WINNER!
3/5-6 - Larry Milton
Carroll County Market
On The Square in Carrollton, MS
www.carrollcountymarket.net
3/6 - Diddley Squat (blues)
3/13 - Jimbo Mathus (blues/rock/country)
3/20 - SOUTH MEMPHIS STRING BAND!!! -- Co-starring Jimbo Mathus, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart and Luther Dickinson.
Bottleneck Blues Bar at Ameristar Casino, Vicksburg, MS www.ameristarcasinos.com
3/12 - The Beat Daddys (blues/variety), free.
2/27 - Robert Cray Band performance at Horseshoe Casino, Tunica, MS www.ticketmaster.com
Blues/R&B/rock concert at Bluesville venue.
3/5 - "Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories" w/Jimbo Mathus
Panola Playhouse, Sardis, Mississippi
www.panolaplayhouse.com
Grammy-winner JIMBO MATHUS in conjunction with Sardis mayor Rusty Dye present "Moisquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories"... a story/song presentation that explores the origins of Mississippi mythology through the vast repertoire of the state's indigenous folk music. Two shows (6:30pm and 8:3pm). More information at 662-487-3975 or on web link above. More on Jimbo at www.myspace.com/jimbomathus.
3/6 - Mississippi Blues Fest
Greenwood, Mississippi
662-453-9197
Music festival.
3/20 - Terry "BIG T" Williams
CD RELEASE PARTY
Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, MS
www.groundzerobluesclub.com
Terry "Big T" Williams has learned from the Mississippi Delta's best: Big Jack Johnson, Mr. Johnnie Billington, etc. etc. He puts on a helluva blues show and has a brand new CD releasing nationwide on Tuesday, 3/23... But don't wait. Buy your pre-release copy of "Jump Back, Big T's In The House" (Matt The Scat Records) at the GZBC show and have Big T sign it!
3/27 - Port Gibson Main Street Heritage
Port Gibson, Mississippi
www.portgibsonmainstreet.com
Annual festival.
4/16-18 - Juke Joint Festival & Related Events (2010), Clarksdale, Mississippi www.jukejointfestival.com
"Half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta." Racing pigs, arts & crafts and lots of live blues -- including music at the juke joints at night. Wristbands on sale now at www.jukejointfestival.com.
4/17 - Crosstie Arts and Jazz Festival (2010), Cleveland, Mississippi; info@crosstie-arts.org
Annual arts & crafts festival w/jazz music.
4/18 - Cat Head Mini Blues Fest I (2010)
near Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Clarksdale, Mississippi, www.cathead.biz. 10am till.
-----
MORE MUSIC INFORMATION AVAILABLE 24/7 AT:
http://www.cathead.biz/livemusic.html - http://www.msbluestrail.org
http://www.jukejointfestival.com - http://www.groundzerobluesclub.com
CLICK for FULL list of upcoming blues in Delta -- from now through 2010! |
|
|
|
