Canada's Top Touring Bluesman, JW-Jones is moving up with a boundary breaking CD.

On his 7th release, aptly titled 'Seventh Hour', Jones has teamed up with multi-Juno award winning artist/producer, Steve Dawson, to mix the album.

Previous releases have featured legendary guests Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters) and David "Fathead" Newman (Ray Charles); heavy-hitters Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Charlie Musselwhite; two of the most innovative guitarists of our time, Little Charlie Baty and Junior Watson; and Canadian billboard favorite, Colin James. Jones has cut records from Hollywood to Sun Studios in Memphis.After performing in 17 countries, 4 continents, and releasing 6 critically acclaimed discs, it's time for a change. No famous guests. No fancy studios. This is JW-Jones and his band doing what they do best - right at home, recorded in J-Dub's living room.

Tracked on a crisp fall weekend, this cool release is sure to stir up some discussion about where his music is going as he soars in a vibrant new direction.While keeping one foot firmly planted in the roots he came from, this Maple Blues Award winner believes that appealing to a younger audience is the most important way to ensure the evolution of blues-based music.

Musicians that tour with Jones, Jeff Asselin (drums) and the heavy grooves of James Rooke (bass) always add a powerful energy to the stage.

Charlie Musselwhite says "JW has done it again. Another fine CD of great tunes, guitar playing and arrangements. He sings his blues with authority."

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From Seattle to Paris Wendy spreads the gospel of Chicago based blues piano and boogie woogie. She’s well steeped in the stylings of Otis Spann, Memphis Slim, Sunnyland Slim and Albert Ammons - the greats of boogie and blues, and honed her skills working with contemporary artists Steve Freund, Otis Rush and the late Hank Ballard who’s love of the blues showed in all of his rock classics.

Wendy has appeared with Charlie Musselwhite, Otis Rush, and Etta James and has been featured at Berkeley’s historic venue, Freight and Salvage. She performed at the Cincinnati Blues Fest at the internationally acclaimed Arches Piano stage, headed to Boston with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters for a performance at the Boston Symphony Hall and played before a sold out audience at the San Diego Museum of Art with Hadda Brooks in what proved to be one of Hadda’s last shows. Wendy has performed at many major festivals including Peer in Belgium, San Francisco Blues Fest, and Monterey Blues, and Jazz Fests. 

Kirk Harwood plays traps with a passion, precision and creativity that only comes from training, experience, and inherent soul.  His early bands include Huey Lewis and Clover, Norton Buffalo and Roy Robgers and tours of major venues while opening for Steve Miller. Kirk is a veteran of West Coast blues, rock and soul and for 30 years accompanied Western Swing Hall of Famer Tommy Thomsen.

Solo or with her band Wendy puts on a high energy show. Material is either written by Wendy or reinvented in her style and delivered with passion. Wendy is afraid of no guitar player and has opened solo for Jimmy Thackery and the drivers and Deborah Coleman. 

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JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL CELEBRATES MISSISSIPPI LIVING DELTA'S BLUES HERITAGE

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(Clarksdale, Mississippi) – Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Juke Joint Festival & Related Events may only be on its 9th edition, but it is already the stuff of blues legend. 

“Last year was the biggest Juke Joint Festival yet, and this year looks to top it,” according to co-organizer Roger Stolle. “There were attendees from at least 21 foreign countries, 45 US states and 53 Mississippi counties... and not a hotel room to be found.”  

This year's main event is Saturday, April 14th -- all day and all night -- with official related events kicking of Thursday and continuing on through Sunday. The official line-up of events can be found on-line at www.jukejointfestival.com.

MULTIPLE STAGES PLUS RELATED EVENTS  

“We’ll feature over a dozen daytime stages and 21 nighttime juke joint venues on Saturday,” according to co-organizer, Nan Hughes. “Plus, we there will be tons of wonderful related events all weekend long -- for both familes and music fans. Then, there are all the nighttime juke joint venues as well.”  

Tonight, Thursday, April 12th, the festival weekend kicks of early with just such a related event in the Delta Cinema lobby at 6pm. It's the annual Juke Joint Festival poster signing by artist Cristen Barnard plus free live blues by KM Williams. At 7pm, Grammy Winner Jimbo Mathus performs his iconic "Songs for Rosetta Patton" album live on the cinema’s main stage.

Then, on Friday, April 13th, related festival events include a Clarksdale Blues Hero marker dedication for the bluesman late Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley, “Conversations with Big George Brock & Gearshifter” at the Delta Blues Museum, and a special free movie premiere of We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads at Delta Cinema (11 Third St., downtown Clarksdale).

"It is the follow-up to 2008's M for Mississippi blues documentary and features Clarksdale's Red's juke joint prominently as well as several of the Delta's surviving, real-deal bluesmen," according to Stolle, also one of the film's producers. "We'll offer a free reception starting at 5:30pm along with live blues performances by some of the film's stars. Then, the free screening starts at 7pm." More information is at www.wejukeupinhere.com.

HALF BLUES FESTIVAL, HALF SMALL-TOWN FAIR  

Saturday’s Juke Joint Festival itself will offer up more than just blues, notes the event’s third co-organizer, Goldie Hirsberg.  

“Oh, we’ve got something for everyone – from visiting tourists to area families,” she explained.  "Most of the daytime fun is free, and the nighttime 'Juke Joint Crawl' is just $15." 

After Saturday’s Juke Joint Festival itself, a Sunday of additional related events will cap off the weekend – including the annual free Cat Head Mini Blues Fest from 10am till out front of the Cat Head blues store at 252 Delta Avenue.  

“We want to thank all of the sponsors, volunteers, attendees and performers in advance for all of their contributions that make this event happen every year,” said Hirsberg. “The local community support in particular continues to amaze us. Clarksdale is not only a great place to live, it’s also a great place to hold a festival. Thanks to everyone, and see y’all there!”  

Full music line-up, event schedule, pre-sale wristbands and much more available on-line at www.jukejointfestival.com. Festival hotline (Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm), 662-624-5992.

Torch Tones by Mark Nomad

"Three Chords and the Truth" captures the essence of Torch Tones, Mark Nomad's seventh CD in a decades-long career that began in 1973 with the regionally acclaimed rock band Little Village.

Hooked by the personal and intense emotion of the blues, Nomad got a close up view of his influences when his band shared the stage with many of the blues masters, including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King…

Those influences converge in Torch Tones, a collection of love songs depicting 30 years of living a passionate life... You'll find it in the rocking sounds of "Love U Truly," the funky blues and screaming guitar of "Don't Say It," the laid-back blues shuffle of "Gemini Blues," and the blistering, gritty sounds of Nomad's slide in "Poetry in Motion." Nomad bears his soul in "Took More Than You Gave" and "Cactus Flower" and creates a timeless ethereal mood in "The Waiting."

Blues, unlike rock, is a genre where musicians tend to reach their stride and get better as they get older. Torch Tones reinforces that old adage with Nomad's mastery of the slide and blues guitar coming through on every cut.

                                  -Mary Lou Sullivan, author of “Raisin’ Cain The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter”.

“Nomad proves again to be a consummate singer, songwriter and player, and a qualified bluesman of the highest order…”                                

                                 -Blues Revue, Nov-Dec 2011

“…his vocals show real emotional engagement…The high value of Nomad’s guitar playing is no more obvious than when he aggressively furrows the rich soil of his cranked-up Delta blues, ‘Poetry in Motion.’ Texture and nuance aren’t lost to sheer force.”

                                  -Downbeat, April 2012

Available from http://marknomad.com/ or http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MarkNomad

Also available on Amazon or itunes or send $12 to Blue Star, PO Box 985, Easthampton, MA 01027

Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival

PERFORMERS SPOTLIGHT:

THE MUDDY WATERS TRIBUTE

Featuring James Cotton, Mud Morganfield, Darrell Nulisch, Bob Margolin, Paul Oscher, Johnny Dyer, Bob Corritore and more!

James Cotton

Bob Margolin

 Paul Oscher

Muddy Waters was king of Chicago blues, and he chose only the best for his top-notch band.† Headlining an all-star lineup of musicians performing as part of the Tribute is Waters alumni James Cotton. Joining the legendary Cotton on the bill is the guitarist who shared many a stage with him alongside Muddy in the 1970s, Bob Margolin.† Rounding out the alumni is multi-instrumentalist Paul Oscher, who toured and recorded as Muddy's harmonica player in the '60s and '70s.† Joining them are Mississippi native Johnny Dyer, who has been performing Muddy’s music since the 1950s, and Muddy's oldest son, Mud Morganfield, who as vocalist embodies the essence of Muddy's sound like virtually no one else on earth.

Johnny Dyer

Mud Morganfield

Keeping with Muddy's tradition of surrounding himself with the only the finest accompanists, we have assembled an all-star band including Darrell Nulisch and Bob Corritore, the rhythm section of Jimi Bott and Bill Stuve, guitarists Kirk Fletcher and Frank Goldwasser, and Otis Spann disciple Rob Rio on piano.†

This show promises to be the next best thing to taking a time machine back to a 1955 Muddy Waters gig at a south side Chicago club, and is not to be missed by any fan of the blues!

EVENT INFO:

The 23rd Annual Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend,May 26th & 27th, 2012. 2012 promises to continue our tradition of bringing fans a full weekend of nonstop award-winning entertainment, more food choices than you can sample in two days, and activities to keep kids of all ages entertained too.

The The Cajun & Zydeco Stage will feature 9 hours of continuous music each day.† Featured will be international and award winning Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music acts.

The Blues Stage will feature the 7th Annual Delta Groove All-Star Blues Revue in addition to world class Blues & Roots acts both Saturday and Sunday.

Both stages feature lots of viewing space plus large dance floors. In addition, this family friendly event has a giant kids area featuring bouncers, rock walls, specialty acts, crafts and talent shows. There are also food booths and many crafts and merchandise booths.

Tickets available now at: www.cajun-blues.com

‘A Night of Blues II’ will benefit theater and food bank

ILWACO, Wash. - The River City Playhouse will "jump, jive and wail" Saturday, April 14, as Peninsula Players hosts its second annual "A Night of Blues" fundraiser with popular local band North Coast Blues and Friends. "A Night of Blues II" will start at 7 p.m.

North Coast Blues was founded on the idea of having different guest performers at their shows. From Portland comes Lucy Hammond, an electrifying singer/songwriter with a "soulful, rockin' blues" style all her own. Hammond spent her teens touring with performance choirs and gospel groups, then shortly after joining the Portland music scene performed with The Cobalt Blues Band and Loose Talk and now fronting her own band, she continues to wow audiences wherever she goes.

Vocalist Maggie Kitson cut her coastal teeth with the Bond Street Blues Band, but it was the music clubs in New Orleans where she began singing the blues, paying her dues and discovering her talented affinity to the great American music genesis. Through the ‘90s Kitson shouted out the powerhouse blues with Bond Street's big band ensemble, generating fans and inspiring blues lovers to get off the couch. Her dynamic stage presence and vocal energy are a testament to the unique and soulful sound of "Maggie the Cat."

Patrick "P.L." Lines learned to play the harmonica from other soldiers while in the Army. Receiving a blues education in Chicago, New Orleans and Memphis, Tenn. before settling down on the coast, Lines has played with Second Wind and The Rhythm Rockets, and more recently, North Coast Blues.

John Arevalo brings his Texas roots to the Northwest after playing in many bands, among them the Righteous Brothers band where he was the lead guitarist for seven years. More recently, Arevalo has played with the Buoy 10 and Angel Bouchet bands, and of course, North Coast Blues.

Richard Thomasian has been playing guitar and singing many styles of music in many diverse bands and as a solo act for the past 40 years all over the West Coast, most extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Oregon Coast, and even a bit in London, England. It's a safe bet you'll see him and Arevalo trading some guitar "licks" at the April 14 show.

Ken "The Reverend Honeybucket" Johnson puts a twist on the traditional blues by adding a touch of folk, a pinch of funk, a dollop of rockabilly and a shaker of New Orleans to every song. He calls his one-off brand of blues "Oregon hillbilly music." The former drummer and band leader of the Hudson Rocket Band, he has been nominated for more than 20 Muddy Awards and has won two. Whether playing guitar, drums or his washboard, Johnson is another versatile entertainer who gets into his music and has a great time doing it.

Eli Schenk, a senior at Ilwaco High School, gets his mojo working on the keyboard as well as acting in the school plays, the track team and as drum major for the Ilwaco High School Pep/Marching Band. He began taking piano lessons in the first grade, and has played keyboard for the Ilwaco Jazz Band for the past two years. For his senior project, he is giving a presentation to the elementary school students about the history and influence of music. Help welcome this up and coming young musician to the stage for his blues debut with North Coast Blues.

Henry "Groove Master" Gavaldon, yet another musical veteran, is the bassist for Portland blues band Boogie Bone. His solid driving bass skills make him the perfect anchor. Another true professional, Gavaldon also is a versatile musician, having played in various bands, including the ‘80s metal band Alloy.

"Skinny" Lynn Cook plays valve trombone in the Everett, Wash. based Neil Diamond tribute band Cherry Cherry. A true entertainer in every sense of the word, Cook brings an infectious energy to the stage that transfers to his audience. Cook has performed with Sheldon Reynolds of Earth, Wind and Fire, Simon Burke of Bad Company, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Elliot Easton of The Cars, Tom Bowen from Tower of Power, and the list goes on and on.

Clint "Clipper" Carter has played drums for more than 40 years in blues, country, swing and rock bands, and founded the bands Hindsight 20/20 and Buoy 10, but his love of blues music led him to form North Coast Blues. Like some of the other performers at this show, he will perform some of his original music at the April 14 event.

Admission is $15 per person and attendees are asked to bring a canned food item for the local food bank. The River City Playhouse is at 127 Lake Street S.E. For information, call (360) 642-8667, emailbuoy10band@yahoo.com or look for North Coast Blues on Facebook.

Tampa Bay Blues Festival This Weekend

Los Lonely Boys, Jimmie Vaughan, Delbert McClinton headline Tampa Bay Blues Festival

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Beer, Blues and Brats

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Buddy Guy: 'Blues Musicians Don't Retire, They Drop'

Sixty years after picking up his first guitar, blues musician Buddy Guy still jams -- and has no plans of stopping. Jeffrey Brown and Guy discuss his upcoming memoir "When I Left Home: My Story," his childhood in rural Louisiana, what his influences were and how his remarkable career helped shape popular music.

Click here for the PBS video featuring Buddy Guy!

Ray Charles Foundation Sues the Singer's Children

Offspring accused of improperly seeking song copyrights

(rollingstone.com)The Ray Charles Foundation is suing seven of the late singer's children for attempting to obtain copyrights on some of Charles' songs, The Wrap reports.

According to the lawsuit, Charles gave each of his children $500,000 in 2002 under the condition that they would not seek further inheritance claims on his musical estate. The Ray Charles Foundation, which provides funding for research into hearing impairment and educational programs, currently owns all the rights to the intellectual property of Charles, who died in 2002.

The foundation claims that several of Charles' children are now violating their agreement by seeking copyrights for more than 50 songs.

"In complete disregard of the confidence, trust, and belief in his own children that their father reposed in them," the lawsuit says, "by undertaking the actions described below in this Complaint, Defendents have reneged on and are in breach or other violation of this agreement." 

According to the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Central California last week, the offspring in question applied in March 2010 to reclaim the copyrights of the songs, under a provision of the 1976 Copyright Act that is intended to allow artists to renegotiate their royalty rates after a certain number of years if the value of their work has increased.

The foundation claims that, in addition to the prior agreement not to seek any further portion of their father's estate, the "termination of transfer" rule does not apply because Charles had already renegotiated his royalty rates with his publishers in 1980. It also contends that some of the songs were works for hire, in which case the artist cannot claim the same rights.

The foundation's suit seeks to prevent the children from obtaining the copyrights, along with at least $500,000 from each defendant plus court costs, attorneys' fees and interest.

The Ray Charles Foundation argues that it would be particularly hard hit by the loss of those royalties because it is not allowed to solicit or accept any private donations.

"The self-serving attempts on the part of the Defendants to deprive The Foundation of its said intellectual property rights not only is contrary to the express wishes of their father and in breach of the agreement they signed and promises that they made," the lawsuit says, "but it is contrary to the best interest of those innocent parties who would be benefited by the grants made by The Foundation." 

Video Of The Week

Here is a great song that I have always loved. 

The Cadillac Walk by Mink De Ville

Click for video