:: Saturday, April 10, 2004 ::

Blogger Blues Over

The Blues Blog be back, Blogger.com link from Japan has just been reestablished.

It's bgood to be back.

Les

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues

SEATTLE (April 9)—"The blues is just having the courage to speak what's in your heart, without consulting your head," states actor and blues singer "Mississippi" Charles Bevel.

In the Seattle Repertory Theatre musical "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues," Bevel and his compatriots sing out their feelings. And in this 40-song revue spanning a century of American blues music, they cover a lot of territory.

Their repertoire ranges from a capella field-hand songs and acoustic Delta blues, to such urban electric standards as "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Wang Dang Doodle." And it covers the development of blues from a rural folk art, to an electric phenomenon exploding in the Southside clubs of Chicago.

Bevel is one of the originators of "Blues," which blossomed from a 45-minute educational concert for the Denver public schools, to a Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical that's also played in Washington, D.C.; Phoenix; St. Louis; and other cities.

The cast of blues crooners, wailers and pickers in the Rep's mounting of "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues," includes two well-honed Seattle musicians: blues troubadour Chic Street Man, and multi-instrumentalist and singer Dan Wheetman, another of the show's original creators and its musical director.

"It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues" previews tonight through Sunday, opens Monday and runs through May 8 at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center. $16-$46. 206-443-2222 or www.seattlerep.org.

So how did a no-frills, no-stars rundown of the blues, performed on a nearly bare stage and with little dialogue, come so far?

"We never needed a big star," says Bevel, a soft-spoken New Jersey performer pushing 70. "The people in this show understand something about the blues that a big star might not."

Bevel certainly has a blues pedigree. He grew up in tiny Itta Bena, Miss., where B.B. King also was raised. Though he didn't start singing until his mid-30s ("My mother thought you were doing the devil's music if you whistled around the house"), Bevel soaked up the blues by osmosis, and got involved in music during the 1960s folk-protest music after moving to Chicago. One of his songs, "I'm a Lover," became a hit for The Staple Singers.

Wheetman comes to the blues from another direction. Steeped in bluegrass, the versatile string player-vocalist grew fascinated by the connections between African-American blues and country sounds.

"I've always been interested in roots music," says Wheetman, a former sideman for John Denver and part of the long-running band Marley's Ghost. "As a teenager, I first heard a recording by (blues singer) Robert Johnson, and I just said, whoa! It totally stopped my world. Wherever you find the truth, it's very attractive. It just rings inside you."

The first edition of "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues" was concocted in 1994 for the Denver Center Theater Company's school outreach program. The concept came from the late Ron Taylor, who performed with Wheetman in the 1980s musical "Lost Highway," which paid homage to country great Hank Williams.

Taylor was struck by how many popular white musicians (including Williams, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Rodgers, Maybelle Carter) were influenced, even tutored, by black blues artists. "Ron said to me and Dan, 'So when is there going to be a show where the story of the blues gets told?' " recalls Bevel.

A few years later, the school version of "Blues" was born in Denver. It went over so well that Taylor, Wheetman and Bevel joined with writer Lita Gaithers and director Randal Myler to concoct a two-hour main-stage production for Denver Center, that wended its way to Broadway, wowed critics and garnered four 1999 Tony nominations.

The Seattle Rep's "Blues" is still a tunesome but unvarnished songfest, directed by Myler. Original Broadway cast members, including blues crooners Eloise Laws and her sister, Debra Laws, Wheetman (who plays fiddle, banjo, Dobro guitar, harmonica, you name it) and Bevels (who solos on such standards as "I Can't Stop Lovin' You") are featured.

And the singing ensemble is rounded out by Chic Street Man, Kingsley Leggs, Jewel Tompkins and Tamra Hayden. (Ron Taylor, acclaimed for his role in the Broadway "Blues," passed away in 2002.)

"It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues," like traditional blues festivals around the country, tends to draw patrons who are mostly white and middle-aged.

But Bevel doesn't despair that so many younger music-lovers would rather immerse themselves in modern rap and hip-hop sounds. In fact, he considers those trends just the latest manifestations of the blues.

"To me the blues is not a matter of sticking with the old 12-bar, three-chord progression," he reflects. "It's a matter of hearing someone express what is deep in their heart. That's the enduring thing about the blues, and that's what I hear in rap too — the pain, the anguish, the joy of living."

Source: Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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These blues are killing them

Blues Musicians Get Help Overcoming Hard Times

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — No one ever said the blues was any way to make a living.

Beverly (Guitar) Watkins knew that, and returned to cleaning offices in Atlanta when the Holiday Inn lounge gigs dried up. (And to add insult to injury, Beverly had he guitar stolen recently, see April 8 post.)

Broke even in good times, Little Freddie King survived by playing juke joints in New Orleans until old age left his body broken. Deprived of a steady income, he went without dentures or glasses, and one night, a heavy rain brought down the ceiling of his bedroom.

Without an audience for his quirky style of music, Haskel (Whistling Britches) Thompson ended up in a Winston-Salem homeless shelter.

From the Appalachian highlands to the Mississippi Delta, musicians who got by on drink house tips and street corner busking have found themselves living in decaying mobile homes, formerly nimble fingers twisted with age, their homespun repertoires lost with their deaths.

"These people are our culture, our folk musicians, and no one is looking after them," said the bluesman Taj Mahal. "We're always putting our hands over our heart and saying the Pledge of Allegiance and honoring Davy Crockett, yet we're allowing these people and their music to fall through the cracks."

In the 1980's, while recording old-time mountain musicians in North Carolina, Tim Duffy came to a similar realization. As a student studying folklore at the University of North Carolina, he grew obsessed with preserving the sounds of these unheralded musicians. But as he traveled the rural South with recording equipment, he grew even more troubled by the poverty that left many artists without instruments and too strapped for heating oil or medicine.

"Their music ended up in archives but the problem is no one gets to hear it," said Mr. Duffy, who lives in Hillsborough, N.C. "And the recordings don't put food on their table, it doesn't get them a gig."

Over the last two decades, Mr. Duffy, 41, has turned his passion into a nonprofit organization, the Music Maker Foundation, which is part recording company, part artist management service and part social welfare agency. For those able to perform, the foundation he and his wife, Denise, run from their converted wood shop promotes roots music and offers artists a touring career; for those too old or sickly, he sends monthly checks that average $100.

When unexpected hardships strike, as in the case of Little Freddie King's collapsing ceiling, Mr. Duffy provides emergency cash. When he learned that Mr. Thompson was living in a shelter, he arranged for him to stay with another Music Maker artist, Captain Luke Mayer, a smoky-voiced baritone who lives in a Winston-Salem housing project. Mr. Duffy also helps Mr. Mayer keep the van that ferries a half-dozen musicians to the grocery store, to doctors' appointments and to gigs around the state.

More than 100 musicians are served by the foundation, which has arranged whirlwind tours for musicians like Ms. Watkins, who still performs on the streets of Atlanta, and has appeared at blues festivals across the country and in Europe.

The foundation also puts CD's into the hands of men like Cootie Stark, a blind guitarist from Greenville, S.C., who had never had his music recorded until he met Mr. Duffy at age 68. Mr. Stark, now 77, one of the last surviving purveyors of the Piedmont Blues, has since taken to the stages of Lincoln Center, the Rockport Rhythm and Blues Festival at Newport and other concert venues around the world. He earns about $8,000 a year selling his CD's.

"It should have happened 45 years ago, but I finally got a break," he said.

In the process of helping the musicians, Mr. Duffy has helped cultivate new audiences who eagerly await the next Music Maker recording. Mr. Duffy has produced 45 CD's, and many of his artists can be booked for appearances through the foundation's Web site. A dozen artists recently had their work added to Apple Computer's iTunes site, which allows customers to download songs.

William Ferris, author of the "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture," said popular interest in roots music had grown in recent years, especially after the PBS series produced by Martin Scorsese, "The Blues," and films like "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain."

"It's an exciting time for indigenous music," said Mr. Ferris, who is the associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Still, the bulk of these musicians, he said, live in anonymity, their lives dominated by the struggle to survive. "The blues has always been the stepchild in the family of American music."

On his front porch in the morning cold, John Dee Holeman cradled his steel guitar and plucked out a mournful tune. Although slowed by a recent stroke, Mr. Holeman, 76, can still produce nearly 100 songs, many his own creations.

"Fingers aren't as swift as they used to be," he complains, but they easily glide across the neck of Big Boss, the name he has given his guitar. He recalls how he taught himself to play as a child, stealthily grabbing a few moments on his half-brother's Silvertone during breaks from working the tobacco fields. "I'd come in for water and steal a tune and put it back just like it was."

Mr. Holeman got his first guitar at 15, a $15 Sears, Roebuck model. As a teenager, he honed his style with Blind Boy Fuller, considered the father of the Piedmont Blues, a more buoyant version of the Mississippi Delta blues. Despite his talent, Mr. Holeman worked most of his life as a heavy machinery operator, with nights spent stripping the wood out of tobacco leaf at the Liggett Meyers factory up the street from his home in Hayti, Durham's historically black section. On weekends, he would play local drink houses, or birthday parties. In the 1970's, he began appearing at a blues festival in Durham.

When Mr. Holeman met Mr. Duffy in the early 1990's, his world opened up. Mr. Duffy arranged for him to get his $1,200 guitar, made sure he had a steady supply of nutritional supplements and helped him record two CD's. Over the past decade Mr. Holeman has appeared at festivals in Washington, Turkey and Japan. He performed at the Library of Congress, and he took part in a State Department-financed cultural tour of Africa. "Sometimes people stop me on the street and say, `Aren't you famous?' " he said. "Now that's real nice."

Another of Mr. Duffy's proud discoveries is Ms. Watkins, 64, whom he met a at a shopping mall in Atlanta.

"She was prowling the sidewalk like Jimi Hendrix, flailing, playing the guitar behind her head, falling to her knees, as if she was performing for a packed concert hall," Mr. Duffy said. "She was on fire. I couldn't believe my eyes."

Mr. Duffy gave her a $20 tip and said he wanted to help her reach a wider audience. "I'm ready," she says she told him. "Let's rock on." She was soon booked on a 42-city tour sponsored by Winston cigarettes that included a dozen other Music Maker acts. She has been to Italy, Portugal, France and Switzerland.

"There are no lack of artists we could be helping," said Mr. Duffy, who said he raised about $500,000 last year in grants and donations. He pointed to a rack of digital audio tapes he said contained the raw material for 45 recordings.

"I can't get them out fast enough," he said, adding that every year, three or four musicians die before he can get their music out. "I feel like I'm racing against time."
###
Source: By: Andrew Jacobs | First published: March 21, 2004, NY Times


To see how you can make a difference, visit the Music Maker Relief Foundation

strong>See related post. April 3

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Not Blues, but...

More blue waters than blues music, biut I liked the guy...

Brian Wilson To Be Honored As BMI Icon

Legendary Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson will be honored by songwriting organization BMI in at a gala dinner in Los Angeles on May 11.

Wilson will join a select list of writers who have previously received the award including Isaac Hayes, Bill Anderson, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, Dolly Parton and Little Richard.

BMI previously honored Wilson in 1995 with the President's award. He will become the first person ever to receive both the Icon and Presidents Award.

BMI was founded in 1939 and represents 300,000 songwriters.

Wilson formed the Beach Boys with his brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine in the early 60s. He is recognized as one of the greatest songwriters of all-time for songs such as "Good Vibrations," "Heroes and Villains," "God Only Knows," "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice".

Wilson is best known for the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds which inspired The Beatles to create Sgt Pepper. He recently resurrected the work 'Smile', an album which was to follow-up Pet Sounds but was shelved 35 years ago.

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Urban Gospel Industry Awards Nominations End Soon

Oakland, CA ,PRWEB, (April 10)—Cut-off dates are drawing near for both the open nomination process for the Urban Gospel Alliance sponsored Urban Gospel Industry (UGI) Awards and early bird registration for the conference. The general public has until April 15th to go online and vote for the artists they think should win in categories ranging from holy hip hop to contemporary gospel, and from clean comedy to inspirational jazz. Any urban gospel artist can be nominated, from seasoned artists on major labels with distribution deals to new artists that distribute solely online.

Sponsored by Streaming Faith (http://www.streamingfaith.com), the official online ballot can be accessed by going to http://www.urbangospelalliance.com and clicking on “Nominations” from the UGI Conference popup. For those that have pop-ups disabled, you can still reach the ballot through the “UGI Conference” link in the main navigation bar that’s on every page. While the nominee process is open to the entire Gospel community, final voting to decide the UGI Award winners will be solely by UGA members.

Additionally, potential conference attendees have until May 1st to get in at the early bird rate. Current UGA members who don’t qualify for free registration can still register for $35, and non-UGA members for $65. After May 1st, registration goes up to $45 for members and $75 for non-members.

Registration is available online at http://www.urbangospelalliance.com by clicking the “REGISTRATION” link at the bottom of the UGI Awards & Conference pop-up window.

About the Urban Gospel Industry Awards & Conference
Held in Riverside, CA from July 14th - 17th, the UGI conference will be bridging the gap between churches and urban gospel ministers, empowering those who bring light to the streets with education, networking, and performance opportunities. The conference culminates in the first annual UGA Industry Awards Show celebrating the best in alternative Christian entertainment, including neo-soul, rhythm & praise, comedy, jazz, spoken word, and holy hip hop.

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Bobby's Secret—Part Deux

Bob Dylan has admitted the song that brought him worldwide fame was originally a Scottish folk tune.

Dylan, 62, shot to fame in the 1960s when his song ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ became an anthem for a generation of hippies. It was adopted by millions of anti-war campaigners protesting against America’s involvement in Vietnam and established Dylan as the greatest songwriter of his generation.

But now Dylan, who is set to play in Scotland this summer, has revealed that the song was copied from other songs.

He said: "‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ is probably from an old Scottish folk song. That’s the folk music tradition. You use what’s been handed down. My songs are either based on old Protestant hymns or variations of blues music. What happens is I’ll take a song I know and simply start playing it in my head. At a certain point, some of the words will change and I’ll start writing a song.

"I wrote ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ in 10 minutes when I just put words to an old spiritual tune I learned from some records. ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ is from the Chuck Berry song ‘Too Much Monkey Business’ and some other songs from the 1940s."

Last week it was revealed that Dylan had made his first TV commercial appearance. The rocker appeared alongside model Adriana Lima in an advert for a brand of lingerie.

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Test

Got called into work at 5 a.m. to get out a special on the three japanese being held hostage in Iraq.

Thought I could catch up with some posts for The Blues Blog, but having severe publishing problems (with Blogger, not the printing presses downsatis)

Please stand by....

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Indianola proposes statue of BB King

INDIANOLA, Miss. (April 10)—Indianola, the Delta town in which BB King, who was born near the town that sits between Greenville and Greenwood, spent his formative years in the town and to which returns every summer to give concerts, is to erect a statue to the blues ambassador to the world..

The town, which is located about 40 miles west of Interstate 55, already has B.B. King Park, and last year the Legislature approved a B.B. King museum for Indianola with money coming from a local tourism tax. King, who recently was made an honorary professor of the University of Mississippi, gave his blessing to the museum.

King, 74, performs about 200 shows a year. Married twice and now divorced, King has 14 living children, two of whom help manage his shows.

Now, Indianola wants to raise a statue to the international blues singer.

The city is selling engraved $25 bricks and $300 business slates to finance the statue.

Carolyn O'Neal, with the city's public works department, said three artists have been asked to submit proposals - one with King sitting, another with King standing and a third with King playing the guitar.

O'Neal said if the city can raise the money, the statue will be located at the entrance to B.B. King park with a special walkway.

The city wants the statue ready for the museum opening, now set for 2005.

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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3rd Annual Ponderosa Stomp—April 27-28

2-day festival promises cavalcade of unsung blues, R&B, Rockabilly, Swamp Pop and Garage Rock Legends

NEW ORLEANS, La.—Unsung creators of rock 'n' roll, R&B, rockabilly, blues and swamp pop — ones who made influential vintage recordings, maybe scored a hit, and have been long forgotten by today's pop mainstream ­ will be once again celebrated as Ponderosa Stomp announces the lineup for its third annual music festival.

The two-night music festival, scheduled for April 27-28, 2004, again will take place at the Rock 'N' Bowl Mid City Lanes in New Orleans.

Tickets sell for $35 per night through the festival's Web site, http://www.ponderosastomp.com and through Ticketweb.com, http://www.ticketweb.com.

Prospective attendees are advised to purchase tickets well in advance as both nights are expected to sell out.

Billed as "two nights of insane rock 'n' roll," this year's fun begins on Tuesday, April 27th, 2004 with Toussaint McCall, Billy Boy Arnold, Homesick James, Ray Sharpe, Matt Lucas, Dennis Binder, Alvis Wayne, Jimmy Lee Fautheree, Deke Dickerson and the EccoFonics, Hi Rhthym Section with Wille Cobbs, Lady Bo, James Burton, King Lloyd Band, Henry Gray, Joe Clay, Jay Chevalier and John Ellison

The craziness will continue on Wednesday, April 28th, 2004 with Bobby Charles, Phil Phillips, Barbara Lynn,Long John Hunter, Lazy Lester, Fillmore Slim, Ernie "Dapwalk" Vincent, Lil Buck Sinegal and his Buckaroo Allstars, Rockie Charles, Lil Bob, Guitar Gable, King Karl, Swamp Pop Extravaganza with CC Adcock and the Mau Mau Playboys, Tommy McLain, Gene Terry, Zigaboo Modeliste, Willie Tee, Warren Storm, Roy "Boogie Boy" Perkins, Classie Ballou, Carol Fran, Eddie Bo, The Bad Roads, Little Freddie King, Phil Phillips, Oliver "Who Shot the La La" Morgan, and Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.

Ponderosa Stomp is presented by the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, a group of rock 'n' roll fanatics who are obsessed with celebrating the overlooked pioneers of country, swamp pop, blues, jazz, soul and New Orleans r&b. In the past three years, the Mystic Knights have presented more than 30 shows featuring a combined roster of more than 120 musical legends which reads like an impossible dream lineup of American roots music.

Ponderosa Stomp has won numerous citations in the media. The New York Times' Jon Pareles wrote, "The Ponderosa Stomp plunges into the obscure byways of rock 'n'roll past—regional hits and eclectic combinations—a dream!" Added Gambit magazine, "For roots aficionados, the Stomp was nirvana; you almost had to pinch yourself to make sure it wasn't a dream." And CNN, advancing the event, proclaimed, "History will be in the making at the Stomp." In addition, the festival has been covered by MSNBC, Associated Press, Mojo, Christian Science Monitor, Offbeat, Living Blues and more.

The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau (MKMM Charities, Inc) is a 501(c)(7) organization, seeking to recognize the forgotten and unsung pioneers of blues, rock 'n' roll, country, jazz and soul by presenting those pioneers to today¹s audiences through an annual series of live, intimate house party settings in New Orleans. Their shows have helped resurrect the careers of two lost music legends soul singer Howard Tate and blues guitarist Jody Williams — both of whom played their first shows in 30 years for the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau.

See related Blues Blog post-March 9

:: Les Coles Saturday, April 10, 2004 [+] ::

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Japan Blues Carnival 2004 Update

From L to R: Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band

Japan Blues Carnival 2004
MAY 17 - 23
HEADLINERS:
Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band
Support:
Sons of Blues, Fusanosuke & His B&O, The Black Bottom Brass Band
KANSAI DATES
May 17
Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band
Namba Hatch, Osaka, Tel: 06-6362-7301
Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m.
Tickets: ¥6,8000
May 18
Mavis Staples
Taku Taku, Kyoto, Tel: 075-351-1321
Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m.
Tickets: ¥6,5000
May 18
Otis Rush, The Derek Trucks Band
Bottom Line, Nagoya, Tel: 052-741-1620
Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m.
Tickets: ¥6,8000
May 19
Mavis Staples
Tokuzo, Nagoya, Tel: 052-733-3709
Doors open: 6:30 p.m., Show starts: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: ¥6,5000

KANTO DATES
May 20
Derek Trucks Band
Club Quattro, Tokyo,
Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. ¥6,000
May 21
Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band
Club Citta, Kawasaki
Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m.
Tickets ¥6,800
May 22
Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, Sons Of Blues
Hibiya Park, Tokyo
Gates open: 4:45, Show starts: 5:30
Tickets ¥6,800
May 23
Otis Rush, The Derek Trucks Band, Fusanosuke & His B&O, Black Bottom Brass Band
Hibiya Park, Tokyo
Gates open: 2:45, Show starts: 3:30
Tickets ¥6,800

Two-day tickets: ¥12,000

Ticketing: M&I (the promoter) : >click here; Pia Code: 164-677, Lawson's Code: 36381

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Casey Rankin

Here's a message from friend Casey Rankin over at Pure Records in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo:

Bye Bye Goodbye charted at #20 within the first week on Casey's new site.

Not bad for a song in Japanese.

Today it's #21 but with all of our help it'll rebound.

Our goal is 10,000 hits within a month and #1 on the charts which you can also view from the artist page if you click on 'chart'

Please let as many people know about this site as possible.

DREAMS ARE ONLY REALITIES IN THE WORKS ...

Don't forget to hit on Only Time Will Tell and Big Big Love too ...

Casey starts the annual Spring Tour this month on the 18th in Shibuya then a road tour and will be back in Shibyua on the 16th of May at Plug.

So, hop on over to http://www.audiostreet.net/artists/001/565/casey_rankin.html and vote already.

Casey Rankin Audio Street Profile

Song Plays: 68 since Mar 31, 2004
Home Town: Tokyo, Japan
Genre: Folk Rock

Albums: 34 to date

Similar Artists:
Neil Young / Dylan / Bing Crosby - You tell me

Group Members:
Depends on what I'm doing

Instruments We Use:
Guitars - Piano - Keyboards - Bass - Percussion -- Vocals

Influences:
You couldn't ignore The Beatles, still can't.
Lennon the singer/songwrter & human being,
Dylan the poet - Buffaloe Springfield - CSNY
Woody Guthrie, Little Richard and my dad, who said anything is possible and proved it time and time again.

On the Web:
http://www.audiostreet.net/artists/001/565/casey_rankin.html

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Eric Clapton at 59

Tom Watson, the editor over at stratcollector.com, put together an interesting piece to mark Eric Clapton turning 50 on March 30.

Here's a couple of interesting quotes from Clapton:

I see myself as kind of being like a lone guy on a quest.
—Eric Clapton

... at the age of 18 I didn't expect to live beyond 25, you know, and when I did I was very surprised...
—Eric Clapton

Nostalgia is actually Latin for "return to pain".
—Eric Clapton

David Frost: Why the blues? Was it the cry of pain in the music?

Eric Clapton: I can see that that's probably what it was. It was some kind of... it was me identifying with some, some kind of cry of suffering, yes - pain, because I had a very confused, tumultuous childhood. I mean no one has a perfect childhood but mine...

Read on ...

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Blues Commission bill heading to gov.

JACKSON (April 9)— The Mississippi Blues Commission bill is taking its last steps to enactment as it heads to the governor's office.

The bill creates a Mississippi Blues Commission to market the state's musical heritage — a cultural contribution that attracts fans from as far away as Europe and Asia (Ed: That would be me).

Clarksdale has a blues museum and several cities have festivals celebrating the music that helped form rock 'n' roll. But, tourism officials say Mississippi should do more to capitalize on the legacy of Robert Johnson, B.B. King and Muddy Waters.

"I think it's tremendous for an area trying to claim the center of blues, and justifiably so. Blues is all over the Delta, and the larger we can make the pie, the better it is for all of us," said Coahoma County Supervisor Hugh Jack Stubbs, who helped create the county tourism commission 11 years ago. "This group can draw attention to this particular branch of tourism. But we have to have a local, regional and state effort to promote it too."

The House voted 119-1 Thursday to give final approval to the Blues Commission bill sponsored by Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood.

"I'm very grateful," Jordan said as he gave a thumbs-up sign at the Capitol.

House Tourism Committee Chairwoman Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian, said the commission will not receive state money but is authorized to accept grants.

The commission will work with the state Department of Transportation to put up roadside signs for a blues trail marking significant sites, something Coahoma County Tourism Commission manager Kappi Allen said will help draw tourists to the area.

"I'm pleased that the state recognizes tourism in the Delta in such a big way," Allen said. "I look forward to working with this group to further tourism in the Delta and especially in Clarksdale and Coahoma County."

The blues measure was one of several bills passing the House or Senate on Thursday — but it was one of the few headed directly to the governor.

Most of the other bills are likely to go to House-Senate conference committees for final negotiations before the legislative session ends in early May.

A bill that cleared the House Thursday would add another $10 to the fees that banks can collect against people who write bad checks, raising the fee from $30 to $40.

Rep. Bennett Malone, D-Carthage, said the increase would hurt people who make minimum wage or slightly more.

"I don't think this is the time, with gasoline prices being like they are, everything you can think of going up," Malone said. "I just don't think we need to make life any harder on them."

Rep. Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn, said business owners are hurt by uncollectible checks. He said when he sold two businesses, he wrote off $180,000 from bad checks
.
"As a businessman, I can tell you this is not a cruel charge," Turner said of the proposed $10 increase.

Related Blues Blog posts: Feb. 22, Jan 21

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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New Orleans Jazz Fest to sell live recordings online

NEW ORLEANS (April 9) — Can't make it to this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival? A few clicks of a computer mouse will make up for that this year, the festival's organizers said on Thursday.

Jazz Fest announced it will be selling live recordings of performers within days, sometimes hours, over the Internet this year.

Computer users will be able to download recordings using several music file formats or order compact discs of shows. The recordings will be available on a new Web site, www.jazzfestlive.com

"This new method of recording and distributing music suddenly makes our presentation of Louisiana culture, along with our one-of-a-kind Jazz Fest performances, available to a vastly expanded audience," said Quint Davis, the festival director.

The festival is working on the project with Munckmix, which distributed live recordings of the 2003 summer tour of the Grateful Dead.

Davis said the musicians who will participate in this venture will be announced soon.

See Blues Blogs posts below for details including full line-up.

Visit the Official New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Site

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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They're Red Hot!

Looking for a little excitement? Then get ready for a burst of good time energy from the bayou country! Shake off those winter doldrums, fire up the gumbo, and put on your zydeco dancing shoes!

Be one of the first 100 lucky people to order zydeco master C.J. Chenier's Too Much Fun for the incredible price of $8.98 each (U.S .shipping included), and you'll receive a copy autographed by C.J. himself!

This classic Alligator release was Chenier's first for the label and remains one of his very best.

Hurry and order now as these will go fast, and once they're gone, they're gone!

Click on the link below and get the party started:
http://www.alligator.com/artists/album.cfm?AlbumID=al4830&ArtistID=009

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Lap-steel, Robert Randolph & Sage Harmos

"What went through your mind when Robert Randolph played the guitar you designed?"

For the answer to this, and other details on Boulder luthier T. Sage Harmos, who makes lap-steel guitars, click here

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Harleys for Horses

NOLA—Harleys for Horses, the sixth annual motorcycle run to benefit the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center in LaPlace, will be held April 17.

The NOTRC is a nonprofit organization that provides horse-assisted activities to children and adults with disabilities.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the Cool Times Cyclery at 3013 U.S. 51 in LaPlace.

The run will take off to Smuggler's Cove in Prairieville at 11 a.m. and finish at the St. Rose Travel Center on Airline Highway in St. Rose for the post run celebration and live blues music. The public is invited to the free post run celebration from 3 to 7 p.m.

The entry fee is $25 for a single rider and $35 for a rider with a passenger. For information on the run, visit the Web at <www.harleysforhorses.com

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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U.K. Easter Blues Bash

Stroud Easter Blues & Beyond Festival 2004

This Easter sees the start of a new Blues & Beyond Festival to be held at the Subscription Rooms, Stroud. The two-day event will have concerts, dances, workshops and lectures.

Friday night sees award winning Martin Simpson who is one of the worlds premiere guitarists and songwriters, Christine Collister with her unique blend of soul, blues and jazz and a voice to die for, and the wonderful wit and talent of Dave Sutherland.

There will be workshops for all budding blues fans throughout Saturday Starting with Martin Simpson at 10 a.m., and continuing with Rick Payne, Michael Roach and Dave Sutherland.

International eminent blues writer Bob Tilling will be giving a very interesting lecture on the Rev. Gary Davies at 6 p.m.

Saturday afternoon's concert is not one to be missed as it will contain a fabulous line up including Michael Roach, Rick Payne, Bridget and the Big Girls Blues and Emma Peters and Martin Brown will be joining Dave for the Dave Sutherland Trio.

To round the festival off on the Saturday night will be The Climax Blues Band who is sure to get all on to the dance floor for a great night of top class music. Support band for the night will be Blues Anorak.

Tickets are £26 for a weekend pass, £12 each for the Fri eve, Sat afternoon and Saturday night events, with workshops £5 each.

Tickets are available from Stroud Tourist Information Centre on 01453 760900

For further information:
Access: http://www.gloucesterblues.co.uk/
or call: 01452 741522

Artist thumbnails:
Christine Collister—One of the most powerful and distinctive of the contemporary British folk and soul singers who went solo in 1992 after working for many years with Clive Gregson.

Martin Simpson—Awesome guitar player who has performed with The Albion Band and Richard Thompson, and who succeeds in bridging the gap between Mississippi-style slide guitar and English folk ballads. Winner of the 'Best Album' and 'Best Instrumentalist' at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Dave Sutherland—London-based singer songwriter.

Climax Blues Band—After thirty years of virtually continuous gigging and recording, the Climax Blues Band remains one of the most consistently entertaining of all the outfits to emerge from the British blues boom of the late sixties.

Rick Payne—Widely recognised as one of the new generation Blues guitar players, Rick is renowned for his authentic acoustic styles, and master of the slide guitar leading to comparisons with early Ry Cooder and Bert Jansch. He is an experienced performer and his work has taken him to BBC TV, Channel 5 TV, on tour to USA, Europe and Scandinavia and the main stage at blues, folk, jazz and classical festivals.'

Bridget and her Bigger Girls Blues—Six-piece jazz band, who recreate the favourites of Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Lil Green etc.

Michael Roach—An acoustic bluesman of international standing.

:: Les Coles Friday, April 09, 2004 [+] ::

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Pop Jazz Quiz

What do the following have in common?
Jelly Roll Morton
Louis Armstrong
Duke Ellington
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker

Although this is cross-genre for The Blues Blog, you get no points for answering "jazz musicians." That was a given in the title, but:

Award yourself a cigar or an all day sucker if you correctly guessed none of them had what could be called a "formal" musical education—unless you count OTJ training with some of the best in the business. In particular, none of them went to the Berklee School of Music.

Now let's get one thing straight, I ain't got anything against "formal" musical education in general, or Berklee in particular. I even know a cat went to Berklee—a drummer, which sort of makes nonsense of the old "What do you call a drummer at a school of music?""A visitor" (for more, and equally bad, musician jokes see http://www.tokyo-blues.com/jokes.html)

What I do have something against is the way the Japanese press latch onto the phrase "Berklee School of Music," in the same unthinking (don't know if "unabletothinking" is a word) way that they do "Tokyo Univeristy." Or Louis Vuitton. Brand-name recognition instead of thought is the refuge of mental midgets.

So what has the Berklee School of Music got to do with it, or anything for that matter? Simply that I see a pattern emerging in a Japanese newspaper not a thousand yards from where I sit. Yesterday (Thursday), it ran an article on some embryo in a skirt whose only possible claim to the half-page awarded to her is that she: isn't actively ugly, is Japanese, can afford to hire big-name musicians, and went (drum roll) to the Berklee School of Music. Honestly, I think the Japanese press scours the rolls of studenbts there looking for Japanese names.

I am particulary peeved when I either can't get space for copy, or worse still have stories spiked, on some of the great musicians in Japanirrespective of race or nationalitywho have paid their dues and have talent.

Enough of the infatuation with brand-name jazz already. Let's hear, or read about, the real deal.

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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Deion Sanders, Yolanda Adams to Host GMA's 35th Annual Music Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn., PRNewswire (April 8)— Former NFL great and current CBS Sports personality Deion Sanders and gospel music sensation Yolanda Adams will serve as the hosts for the Gospel Music Association's 35th Annual Music Awards on April 28th in Nashville, John Styll, president of the GMA and executive producer of the awards show, announced today. UPN has also been announced as the award show's national broadcast outlet. UPN will televise the music show, on May 28th at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

GMA's Music Awards is gospel music's biggest night of the year, where top artists from every style of gospel music come together for a national night of music and celebration as the GMA bestows gospel music's highest honor —the Dove Award.

NorthStar Studios will produce GMA's awards show. Announcements about performers and presenters for the show will be made in the coming weeks. Switchfoot, Stacie Orrico, Smokie Norful, CeCe Winans, Steven Curtis Chapman, Robert Randolph (of Robert Randolph and the Family Band), Darwin Hobbs, Randy Travis, Third Day, MercyMe, and KJ-52 lead the diverse list of nominees. A complete list of nominees for can be found on the Web at <>www.gmamusicawards.com

Tickets for the Regal Entertainment Big Screen Premiere event are $10 and are now available at event location box offices and at www.RegalCM.com

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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Clarkesdale's got the blues—3 times

Clarkesdale certainly got a big dose of the blues, for on April 10, a week before the inaugural Clarksdale Juke Joint Fest being held April 17, the town's hosting the Sunflower River Blues Association's Benefit Concert in advance of the 17th annual Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival being held Aug. 13-14.

Sunflower River Blues Association's Benefit Concert April 10

CLARKSDALE Ms.&mdash Taking a cue from John Lee — one of its quintessential supporters — the Sunflower River Blues Association is issuing an invitation to Boogie Chillen' April 10 at Ground Zero.

"The goal is to get us in good shape for the blues festival in August," says Roger Stolle, owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art and, as a member of the nonprofit Sunflower River Blues Association, the chairman of the free festival's booking committee.

"Sometimes we wonder if we'll have enough entertainment, but so many people have donated their time to play," Stolle says of Saturday's fund-raiser, which will begin at 6 p.m. at Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Clarksdale. "With a $10 ticket price, we hope to make enough money to pay for a few local acts and kick off our membership drive for volunteers at the blues festival this year," he says, pointing out that the free festival depends on private and corporate donors as well as grants and merchandise and beer sales to survive.

"The festival — our 17th annual &mdash is just six months away," Stolle says, adding that the Sunflower River Blues Association plans to announce the headliners for this year's festival &mdash to be held August 13th-14th &mdash during the benefit.

The Saturday night Blues Jam will feature a party full of super-talented musicians performing to keep the Sunflower Fest free on Aug. 13-14.
Included in the lineup are "Super Chikan" Johnson wearing his laurel-wreath crown from the Mississippi's Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts; Terry "Big T" Williams; and hometown hero Jimbo Mathus, a member of Buddy Guy's "Blues Singer" Grammy Award-winning album.

On stage also will be Wesley "Junebug" Jefferson and the Southern Soul Band, John Weston, the Deep Cuts, Jacqueline Gooch, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Bobby Rutledge, John Ruskey, "Tater the Music Maker," and other surprise guests.
"We're excited about the party; it should be loads of fun, and a positive kick-off for our 17th annual festival," said festival cochairman Jonathan Masters.

Commenting also on the fund-raiser, cochairman Melville Tills added, "Although the Sunflower is six month away, we have been meeting every two weeks to plan a special event with music on a main stage, two acoustic stages, and a gospel stage."

Advance tickets for the April 10 Blues Jam are $8, and $10 at the door. Ticket locations are Ground Zero, the Delta Blues Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, and Cat Head.

With its mission to showcase Clarksdale's unique cultural heritage and to make it free and accessible to everyone, the Sunflower is a non-profit organization composed of volunteers and is funded by grants and donations.

In the July 2003 issue of Big City Blues magazine, celebrity bluesman Charlie Musselwhite named the Sunflower his favorite, "Because it's free...you go there and see that blues is alive and well in the Delta. It's another part of the South – where blacks and whites are all together and having a great time. It's real down home!"
Since its first year in 1988 when Mississippi Educational Television (ETV) filmed the festival, the event has grown to last year's crowd of 20,000 fans from 17 countries and 37 states, says Masters.

During last year's national celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of blues, the Sunflower was picked as the outstanding event for August by the Year of the Blues Organization.
The litany of celebrities performing at the Sunflower is long, but includes Koko Taylor, Ike Turner, Little Milton, Charlie Musselwhite, Bobby Blue Bland, Denise LaSalle, Otis Rush, James "Son" Thomas, John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Band, Otis Clay, Bobby Rush, Big Jack Johnson, Sam Carr and Frank Frost, Bob Margolin, Honeyboy Edwards, and Super Chikan Johnson.

In addition to the April 10 fund-raiser the association is auctioning its rare Clarksdale edition Peavey guitar autographed by John Lee Hooker on the Internet.

Click here for a .pdf download on your chance to own "Big Henry"

For more information about the festival as it develops, check out its Web site: http://www.sunflowerfest.org/
Mailing address is Post Office Box 1562, Clarksdale, MS 38614.

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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Clarksdale Juke Joint Fest —Update

"We are excited and a little overwhelmed right now," said Roger Stolle, music coordinator for the event. "It's something we are really looking forward to, and we hope everyone in Clarksdale will enjoy."

Also attending the meeting were Bubba O'Keefe, president of the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association, which is sponsoring the first ever event; Nan Hughes, the event's media coordinator; and Carrie Ledbetter, who is in charge of the Web site and marketing for the event.

Stolle said the purpose of the event is to bring everyone who visits Clarksdale together. He said the event is a combination of a blues festival for tourists and a town fair for the community.

"We want there to be something for everyone," Stolle said.
The festival starts at 9 a.m. at the Clarksdale Visitor's Station with an arts-and-crafts exhibit, a petting zoo and a kid's train ride, clowns and street musicians. Kids can also get their face painted and have some airbrush tattoos put on and dine on food. All of these daytime events are free except for a $1 charge for kids to ride on the train.

Clarksdale Station, the renovated passenger train depot, then opens up at 10 a.m. with an art exhibit from both private and public local elementary, junior and senior high schools.

At 11 a.m. the pig races begin on John Lee Hooker Lane. The pigs will compete in at least three races each show with four pigs each race. Hughes said the pigs are "professional" racers who travel all over the country. The pigs will race around an oval, sometimes over obstacles, to get to an Oreo cookie.

At 4 p.m. Delta Amusement Blues Cafe will have a crawfish boil.

Of course, event goers will also have a chance to catch some music all day long. There will be street musicians playing around old downtown for most of the day, and live blues music playing at Cat Head (10 a.m. until 5 p.m.), Delta Amusement (5 p.m. until 7 p.m.) and the Delta Blues Cafe (7 p.m. until 9 p.m.).

The Juke Joint Festival and Planter's Celebration will be rocking through the night as well. With a $10 wristband, music lovers get access to seven Clarksdale establishments which will have blues and other rock 'n' roll music playing until 1 a.m. Bands will be playing at Clarksdale Station, Club 2000, Ground Zero Blues Club, Hopson Commissary, Jacqueline's Blues Bar, Red's Lounge and Sarah's Kitchen.
A Blues Bus will also be available to transport attendees between venues, the hotels and the Visitor's Station in an effort to prevent drinking and driving.

Stolle said he has no idea about how many people will come to the first ever Juke Joint Festival and Planter's Celebration, but, whatever the turnout, the success of the event will not just be based on numbers, he said.

"Financially, we would be happy if we broke even," Stolle said. "We are doing this to help music in the clubs and hopefully to put a little bit of money in the pockets of these owners. We will be happy if 90 percent of the people in Clarksdale are happy with how the event turned out."
Pre-sale wrist bands for the event can be charged by phone at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, 662-624-5992. They can be purchased in person at the Clarksdale Visitors Station, Cat Head, Bluestown Music or Miro's Music. In addition, festival posters, T-Shirts and caps of the event will be sold.

Source: Clarkesdale Press Register

See: See Mon Mar 29 post for more...

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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Here's Eric's U.S. Tour Dates

Although he said he was through spending months at a time on tour, Eric Clapton continues to be visible on stages throughout the world. The guitarist has confirmed a two-month North American tour of arenas and outdoor amphitheaters, kicking off June 9 in Oklahoma City and wrapping Aug. 2 in Los Angeles.

Beforehand, Clapton has European dates on tap through a May 11 show at London's Royal Albert Hall. After a short break, he will then host and perform at the previously announced Crossroads Guitar Festival, set for June 4-6 in Dallas. The event will feature myriad legendary axemen, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Queen's Brian May, Carlos Santana and Joe Walsh.

On June 24, famed New York auction house Christie's will host the Crossroads Guitar Auction, featuring 50-plus guitars from Clapton's collection as well as instruments donated by Pete Townshend and Steve Vai. Fans can see select items up for sale at the Crossroads Festival, in Los Angeles (June 8-12) and New York (June 19-24). Proceeds from the concert and auction will benefit Clapton's Crossroads Centre Antigua chemical addiction treatment facility.

Clapton will be touring in support of his just-released Warner Bros. album Me and Mr. Johnson, which debuted yesterday (April 7) at No. 6 on The Billboard 200. The set features new interpretations of songs immortalized by late blues legend Johnson.

Clapton's North American tour dates:
June 4-6: Dallas (Crossroads Guitar Festival)
June 9: Oklahoma City (Ford Center)
June 11: Little Rock, Ark. (Alltel Arena)
June 12: New Orleans (New Orleans Arena)
June 14: St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Pete Times Forum)
June 15: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Office Depot Center)
June 16: Jacksonville, Fla. (Veterans Memorial Arena)
June 18: Atlanta (Phillips Arena)
June 19: Greenville, S.C. (Bi-Lo Center)
June 21: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
June 23: Albany, N.Y. (Pepsi Arena)
June 26: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
June 28-30: New York (Madison Square Garden)
July 3-4: Mansfield, Mass. (Tweeter Center)
July 7: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
July 9: Buffalo, N.Y. (HSBC Arena)
July 10: Cleveland (Gund Arena)
July 12: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
July 13: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
July 15: Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
July 17: Chicago (United Center)
July 18: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
July 20: Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
July 22: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
July 24: Denver (Pepsi Center)
July 27: Seattle (Key Arena)
July 28: Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden Arena)
July 30-31: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Aug. 2: Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl)

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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The blues had a baby

Here's a snippet from an interesting artile in The Chicago-Sun Times:

The folk-blues boom that transported the blues from buckets-of-blood urban and Southern clubs to college campuses and huge festivals in the 1960s shows signs of a revival. Artists such as Otis Taylor, Corey Harris, Guy Davis, Rory Block and Alvin Youngblood Hart are respectful of traditional country blues traditions, while building on the African-American narrative heritage.

The sons and daughters of blues stars are incorporating their cross-cultural musical interests into the music their parents taught them. Kenny Neal, Shemekia Copeland, Mavis Staples, Big Bill Morganfield, Lurrie Bell, Bernard Allison and the North Mississippi Allstars and their offshoots are just a few of the sons and daughters of the blues who are spreading their roots in exciting new directions.

Read on...

:: Les Coles Thursday, April 08, 2004 [+] ::

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Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples is booked to play this year's Japan Blues Carnival in May.
Below is the intro and link to an article on her.

A sermon from her grandmother didn't stop young Mavis Staples from singing the blues, writes Patrick Donovan.

When she was a child, singer Mavis Staples believed all music was divine. But she found out society's distinction between God's music and the devil's the hard way.

"We were brought up in the church. When I was seven-years-old, I was staying in Mississippi with my grandmother and Ella and Buddy Johnson had this song called Since I Fell for You, and I would walk down this gravel road on the way to school and I would hear this song come out of the juke boxes.

"It stuck with me and I learnt it and one day I sang it in a variety show at school and it got back to my grandmother. I came home and she had these little switches. She said, 'You come in here youngun', and she hit my little legs, saying, 'You been in school singing the blues, huh? You don't sing the blues in this family. You sing church songs'.

"But no one had ever told me what to sing," says the 64-year-old, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 ... These days, no one tells Staples what to sing. Whether she is belting out gospel numbers, or purring the blues, she sings to make people feel happy. Just don't expect her to rap.

Read on...

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Beverly "Guitar" Watkins' ax stolen

On April 2, 2004 one of my guitars was stolen in Atlanta, Ga. It is a '72 Mustang with a dark honey sunburst, black pick guard, silver around the knobs and BW on the back of the neck. If anyone has any info regarding my guitar please call (404) 522-3740.
Thank you, Beverly Watkins.

Beverly "Guitar" Watkins is a fan of the low-down, hard-stompin', railroad-smokin' blues. Her feel-good sessions in the late 50s and early 60s may have ignited the spark that fueled the British Invasion. She'll tell you, "People are impressed to see a black woman play like a man." A guitar slinger from birth, she performs on the streets of Atlanta by blowing the crowds away with her unadulterated brand of blues.

On the Web:
Beverly "Guitar" Watkins Web site

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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They've got the blues in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University's School of Social Work will be singing the blues later this month in its second annual music fundraiser.

This year's fundraiser will again be held at The Union, located at 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo. The event is from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 18, and will again feature the Blue Moon Blues Band of Kalamazoo. The band features two graduates of the school, Dale Hein on harmonica and Bill LaValley on bass.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward the capital campaign for the College of Health and Human Services' new building, which will house all college departments, including the School of Social Work. The building is now under construction along Oakland Drive.

The event will provide an opportunity for social workers and the general public to come out and listen to some quality blues music, while at the same time support the fund-raising effort. It also will provide an opportunity for attendees to socialize and network with old friends. The restaurant will serve food and drinks during the performance.

A $10 suggested donation will be collected at the door. For more information, call John P. Mellein, instructor in the School of Social Work, at his office, (269) 387-3193, or home, (269) 673-8226.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, 269 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Eric Clapton Sets Digital Sales Record

Me And Mr. Johnson Album Also Debuts at #6 on Billboard 200

LOS ANGELES, BUSINESS WIRE (April 7)—Me And Mr. Johnson, Eric Clapton's brilliant tribute to the music of blues pioneer Robert Johnson, broke records when it was offered for sale at digital music stores late last month.

The 14-song collection, produced by the artist and Simon Climie, and featuring such Robert Johnson classics as "Kind Hearted Woman Blues," "Come On In My Kitchen" and "Hell Hound On My Trail," was made available on March 23, a week before its official release at retail on such digital outlets as applemusic.com, napster.com, musicmatch.com, listen.com, buymusic.com. and liquidaudio.com, as well as the Warner Bros. Records Digital Music Store.

As a result, Me And Mr. Johnson racked up more pre-sale digital orders than any other artist release in Warner Music Group history. It's a trend that continues with high demand for the album at retail outlets following its March 30th release, resulting in a debut at #6 on Billboard's Top 200 album sales chart this week.

In other Eric Clapton news, the guitarist will perform a series of U.S. dates this summer with a full itinerary to be announced as available. The tour will kick off with the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas on June 4, 5 and 6.


Read my review in The Daily Yomiuri

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Willie King to play in Tuscaloosa

Willie King and The Liberators are to perform in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Sponsored by the South Eastern Conference on Linguistics, the Language and the South Symposium, and the Alabama Blues Project, the free show will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday April 15 at the Jupiter Bar & Grill.

Alabama bluesman and W. C. Handy nominee Willie King will be honored and presented with awards by the Alabama Blues Project and the University of Alabama African American Studies Department. Willie King will also be presented with the keys to the city of Tuscaloosa and April 15 will be proclaimed Willie King Day in the City of Tuscaloosa!

Come out and help celebrate and honor blues musician and community builder Willie King and get down to some great blues!

The Alabama Blues Project won the Blues Foundation's 2004 Keeping the Blues Alive award for education

I'd also like to give a shout-out to my 'Bama blues buddy Ben Windham!

On the Web:
The Alabama Blues Organizationhttp://www.alabamablues.org

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Motown 45

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) — Gladys Knight's searing version of "Neither One of Us" and Smokey Robinson and newcomer Joss Stone's cover of the Miracles R&B/pop classic "I Second That Emotion" are among the highlights of the upcoming ABC television special "Motown 45."

Taped Sunday night at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the special celebrates Motown Records' hit-filled legacy, pairing the label's original artists and contemporary singers with timeless Motown songs.

Co-hosted by Lionel Richie and Cedric the Entertainer, the event sported such notables as Dick Clark, the Backstreet Boys, comedian George Lopez and 'N Sync's Joey Fatone introducing the various segments.

Though such key Motown players as Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Rick James were missing, the taping still managed to serve as a mini-family reunion. Acts such as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and Thelma Houston were able to catch up with former labelmates the Four Tops, Commodores and original Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, as well as formidable backing band the Funk Brothers.

Performances taped on Sunday included Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland teaming with Wilson and Birdsong on a Supremes medley and with Richie on "Endless Love," and Michael McDonald covering Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." Nick Lachey and Jermaine Jackson dueted on "I'll Be There" and the Funk Brothers supported "American Idol" finalist Kimberley Locke on "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and Gerald Levert on "Do You Love Me."

Brian McKnight and Macy Gray were on hand to celebrate Marvin Gaye, with the former performing "What's Going On" and the latter interpreting "Let's Get It On." Ashford & Simpson took part in the grand finale, joining McDonald, Knight, Robinson and Stone to perform "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

"I was there from day one," Robinson said backstage. "To be here celebrating the 45th anniversary of Motown goes beyond all our wildest dreams." ABC plans to air "Motown 45" in May.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Got them healthcare marketing blues

Ads highlight struggle faced by emerging brands

ATLANTA, PRNewswire (APRIL 7)&MDASH; In a tribute to its southern roots, Adair-Greene Healthcare Communications has adapted the music of the blues in a campaign, unveiled this week, designed to characterize the marketing dilemmas faced by product managers of emerging companies, technologies and brands.

The agency teamed up with professional musicians in the local blues community to produce the music, consisting of six songs. The collection, called The Cure for the Young Brand Blues, offers a musical journey through the struggles of healthcare marketing. Lamenting some of the obstacles that line the road to success, the singers, backed up by guitar, bass and harmonica, give voice to songs like "Mean Regulatory Blues," "Ain't Got No Data" and "Devil Took My Concept," among others, matching the music to lyrics written by Tom Maples, Adair-Greene's vice president and associate creative director.

The music is the centerpiece of a broad campaign including print advertisements, direct mail and a revamp of the corporate Web site, all focusing on how the agency's know-how can help to overcome the struggles faced by today's healthcare marketers.

According to Mark Perlotto, executive vice president and general manager, the agency chose the blues because the music epitomizes the struggle for success. "The difficulty of reaching the professional audience, combined with the vicissitudes of clinical trials, the seeming whims of regulatory bodies and the fiercely competitive market," he said, "all contribute to making the business of healthcare promotion one of the toughest around."

Pointing out that the blues are songs of experience, songs that transform hardship into joy and struggle into success, he added, "That's what we do best. We help clients to overcome marketing challenges through the kind of strong creative thinking that gives a brand the best possible chance to succeed."

Artists:
Slim Fatz, The Mudcat Band, Trina Meade, Casey Fearon, Asar McClendon, Dan Grayshock, Ray Hemms, Roberto Ruscitto

To hear and download the music from the Young Brand Blues project and learn more about the agency, visit the Adair-Greene Web site:
www.aghealthcare.com

:: Les Coles Wednesday, April 07, 2004 [+] ::

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BMA Festival News

This in from the Blues Music Association:

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival
The lineup for this year's Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, scheduled for July 4th weekend, has been announced. Artists include Renee Austin,Eric Sardinas, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Ann Rabson, Guy Davis, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Taj Mahal and Hula Blues, Kenny Neal and Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite and Bob Margolin's All Star Blues Jam featuring Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Mookie Brill; More info at http://www.mvbs.org.

Crossroads Guitar Festival
Eric Clapton has announced a three-day Crossroads Guitar Festival to take place Friday, June 4 through Sunday, June 6 at Fair Park in Dallas. This one-time event, created for music enthusiasts around the globe, will raise money for Crossroads Centre Antigua, the treatment and education center founded in 1997 by Clapton and now an independently run entity . The festival begins at 1 pm on June 6 and features Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II, J.J. Cale, Larry Carlton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, David Hidalgo, Eric Johnson, B.B. King, Sonny Landeth, Brian May, Pat Metheny, Robert Randolph, Otis Rush, Carlos Santana, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmie Vaughan and other. The 'house bands' will be Booker T & The MGs, Jimmie Vaughan's band and Clapton's band. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

MerleFest 2004
"Philadelphia" Jerry Ricks will replace Alvin Youngblood Hart in the line-up for MerleFest 2004. Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2004, the 17th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, on its campus in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on April 29-May 2, 2004. More info at www.merlefest.org

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
B.B. King, Ray Charles and Bonnie Raitt are among scores of acts set for this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Others set for appearances during the festival's 35th anniversary run from April 23-May 2 Other acts include the Neville Brothers and Irma Thomas. Most of the acts take place on any of a dozen stages during the festival's Louisiana Heritage Fair, held at the Fair Grounds Race Course (Friday-Sunday, April 23-25, and Thursday-Sunday, April 29-May 2). The Heritage Fair also includes three important crafts fairs (folk, contemporary and African/African-influenced), and booths serving more than 100 different kinds of Louisiana foods. There are also concerts scheduled at various venues in New Orleans during the entire run of the festival. Info at www.nojazzfest.com.

Heritage Music BluesFest
The Heritage Music BluesFest in Wheeling, West Virginia will be held August 13, 14 and 15 and will feature EG Kight; Nick Moss and the Fliptops; Sonny Landreth; Bob Margolin's Blues All Stars featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Pinetop Perkins and Jerry Portnoy; Renee Austin; Robert Lockwood Jr.; Tim Gonzales; Jimmy Thackery & Tab Benoit; Kim Wilson's Blues Revue; Anders Osborn; Mark Lemhouse; Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings; and many more. Info at www.heritagemusicfest.com

Playing with Fire
The "Playing with Fire" concert series will be held in Omaha on the Missouri River front at the Lewis and Clark Landing Park this summer near the Old Market. Each show will include two national blues-rock acts and one local band. Admission is free. Scheduled acts are: May 22-- Bernard Allison, Debbie Davies and the Satellite Blues Band; June 4--Joe Bonamassa, Anthony Gomes and Blue House and the Rent To Own Horns; July 3--Savoy Brown, Eric Sardinas and the Kris Lager Band; August 21--Water Trout, Deborah Coleman and John Crews Blues; September 18--Coco Montoya, Ana Popovic and the Prairie Cats.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Indigo Girls add 3rd leg to ongoing tour

April 06 —Indigo Girls , who are due to kick off the second leg of their Perfect World Tour next week, have now added a third leg to the run.

Singer/songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers launch the previously announced second leg in Houston on April 15, and are scheduled to remain on the road through early May.

The duo then breaks for most of May and early June before launching the tour's third leg in Boston on June 11; the new batch of shows stretches through the end of that month.

The Indigo Girls' Web site features the setlists from most of the shows that the Girls have played so far this spring.

The tour supports Indigo Girls' February release, All That We Let In. The set features Ray and Saliers along with their longtime backing band: bassist Clare Kenny, keyboardist Carol Isaacs and drummer Brady Blade. Joan Osborne also appears on the album; the singer/pianist contributed back-up vocals to three tracks.

On the Web:
Indigo Girls Web site: http://www.indigogirls.com/

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Who to tour Australia

1st tour down under since '68

The Who are coming back to Australia for the first time since 1968.

After the '68 tour, Pete Townshend said he would never set foot back in Australia after the Prime Minister of the time, John Gorton, wrote to him and told him never to come back.

The band was on tour with the Small Faces when an incident broke out en route to Melbourne from Adelaide on their way to New Zealand. (In those days, you had to travel from Adelaide, to Melbourne and then to Sydney to fly to Auckland). One of the roadies was caught drinking a can of beer on the morning flight. The crew refused to serve the entourage and an argument broke out mid-flight between the bands and the flight crew.

Police were at Melbourne's Essendon Airport to "greet" the bands and arrest them for the disturbance but in the end no charges were laid. However, the pilot of the connecting flight refused to take them and they were stranded. In the end, The Who and the Small Faces had to charter a flight to get back on their way.

It would have ended there had the Prime Minister not added his two cents.

Daltrey has been back on a number of occasions, most recently in 1999 for the Ultimate Rock Symphony with Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Dates are expected to be officially announced soon for:

July 28, Sydney, Sydney Entertainment Centre
July 31, Melbourne, Vodafone Arena, Melbourne

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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New Life for Inn On The Blues

YORK, Maine—Large blue tarps hide the activity inside 7 Ocean Ave., but not for much longer.

The new owner promises the complete renovation of the historic Inn On The Blues building will restore its grandeur and continue the tradition of operating an inn and restaurant that exceeds 100 years.

Scheduled to open the last weekend in May, the inn will feature opening entertainment by with James Montgomery, Randy McCallister and the Matthew Stubbs Band.

General manager Joseph Lipton said, "I believe the building has been here since 1897. It was built by the Cobbs family as the Algonquin Hotel, with 13 guest rooms and a restaurant."

The building was purchased last year by Christopher Crane of Cape Neddick, under the company name of 7 Ocean Avenue LLC.

Crane said the renovated inn still has 13 rooms, but they are going to be split into seven guest suites. The suites offer bedrooms, a living room and a bathroom. One is a full two-bedroom luxury penthouse apartment that features a complete kitchen and a fireplace. Most of the suites will have private decks and for the first time, the entire building will be handicapped-accessible.

"In the early 60s, it was The Ancient Mariner, but I知 not sure who the owner was," said Lipton. "In the 80s there was Bogart's, owned by Brian Volo. That was a hopping place, packed every night. There were tuxedoed men greeting guests at the door and it specialized in live entertainment. Next was Marlin's Restaurant and in 1997, Jackie Redmond made it the Inn on the Blues. We bought it last year and decided to keep the name."

Lipton said, "We see York as a growing town. I've been here for 24 years and I see it picking up the pace. There are more year-round people and it's becoming a suburb of Boston. We want to be the hot night spot between Boston and Portland."

Lipton said the owners will restore the building but keep the history intact.

"The Purple Palace is being rebuilt, Pop's Shell Shack soon. More and more year-round people are here, so this could become much more than the current traditional season," Lipton said.

In addition to keeping the tradition of blues music, Lipton said management plans to "mix it up" offering jazz, salsa, reggae and comedy. Soundproofing has been added in the ceiling to keep the upstairs rooms quiet. Bands will have a separate entrance and access to the restaurant's built-in sound system.

The restaurant will look much different. Lipton said they found the building's original columns so decided to gut the inside and go for a more open feel. There will be a brand new 42-foot bar, more bathrooms, an outside deck and a new kitchen.

All work was done by local contractors.

This is not the first building in York that Crane and Lipton have restored. Crane bought the Cragmere in Cape Neddick (circa 1895). It was the York decorator show house in 1992, then sat empty until he bought it. The house received the Maine Preservation Award in 1999 from Gov. Angus King.

People are invited to check out the restoration progress on the Web at www.innontheblues.com. The site promises "The blues you are looking for: blue water, blue sky and blues music ... just the thing to keep the blues away!"

Information about the suites and an entertainment calendar are already posted.

"We want to be the extra spark that brings people here all the time," said Lipton. "We are excited and we want everyone else to come and see what we'e created here."

Source: Portsmouth Herald

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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House of Blues, PlayStation2 tours

FOSTER CITY, Calif., PRNewswire (April 6)—Following the success of the first three club tours, Sony Computer Entertainment America and House of Blues are once again bringing back PlayStation2 Dual Play and the music of world renowned DJs to intimate club settings with 24 dates in 17 cities across the country.

The fourth national PlayStation 2 Dual Play tour consists of two legs, each headlined by in-demand DJs including gamer and world-class house DJ Mark Farina (Om Records), club favorite Donald Glaude (Eden Records/Jacked), and rising star of underground house music, Scarlett Etienne (Netwerrk). Produced and promoted by House of Blues and Spundae, the PlayStation 2 Dual Play tour kicks off in Chicago at House of Blues on April 9 and runs through June 18.
Tickets are available at www.hob.com

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Not Blues, but...

A documentary on the late Joe Strummer will debut next month at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film was shot by Strummer's friend, actor/filmmaker Dick Rude, during the promotion of Strummer's 2001 album Global-a-Go-Go. Entitled Let's Rock, it includes live footage shot in Japan in 2002.

The Dead have announced a massive summer tour. The former members of The Grateful Dead will kickoff the tour at the Bonnaroo Festival on June 12 in Tennessee and wrap up in Atlanta on August 19.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Bobby's Secret

Bob Dylan appears in a new series of commercials for lingerie maker Victoria's Secret, his grizzled face intercut with shots of model Adriana Lima cavorting though Venice in a bra, panties and spike heels.

Don't worry. The 62-year-old Dylan keeps his clothes on. Dylan's song Love Sick , from his Grammy-winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind ' provides the musical backdrop for the spot, which airs in 15-, 30- and 60-second versions.

It promotes the Angel ' lingerie collection -- which explains the wings on Lima's back as she prances near a Venetian canal.

‘‘It's weird,'' said disc jockey Dennis Elsas. ‘‘I would be hesitant to say it's awful or wonderful. It's just strange.''

The commercials began airing a week ago and will run for the next two weeks. The company experienced an immediate uptick in sales once the spots ran, he said. Dylan was not a hard sell when approached about the campaign, Razek said.

The company had already decided to use the song when its corporate boss, Les Wexner, suggested inviting Dylan. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer agreed, although no one's quite sure why.

‘‘I can't speculate to his reasons, I never talked to him about why he decided to come to the party, but he did,'' Razek said. It's the first time that Dylan has appeared in an ad campaign, although his The Times They Are a Changin' ' was used in a Bank of Montreal commercial in 1996.

A nine-song Dylan compilation will also be sold at Victoria's Secret stores for $10.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Friends, fans remember Marvin Gaye

LOS ANGELES (April 4)&mdas;)Fans and friends of Marvin Gaye gathered at the singer's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay tribute to him 20 years after his death.

"We sang some of his songs, we talked about how his music touched our lives, and had a good time," said Ron Brewington, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Motown Alumni Association.

Brewington said about 250 people attended Saturday's tribute, including Motown Records singers Brenda Holloway and Mable John; songwriter Janie Bradford; and Kitty Sears, Gaye's personal assistant for 15 years.

Betty Kelly, an original member of Martha and The Vandellas, and Claudette Robinson, a former member of The Miracles, also participated.

Gaye died April 1, 1984, when his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., shot and killed him during an argument at their Los Angeles home. He was 44.

Some of Gaye's most famous songs, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "What's Going On" and "Pride and Joy" were played during the tribute.

"We reminisced and talked about how the music he made years ago are still relevant today," Brewington said. "And I thanked Marvin for the fun his music has provided to me."

:: Les Coles Tuesday, April 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Dylan to headline U.K. Fleadh Festival

LONDON— Bob Dylan is to headline the 2004 Fleadh festival, the annual open-air celebration of Irish music in London, according to Fleadh organisers.

The veteran singer will join Californian rock band Counting Crows and 20 more acts in front of 30,000 fans on June 20 in Finsbury Park.

"We have secured a fantastic line-up," said Vince Power, chairman of the show's promoter Mean Fiddler.

Dylan, 62, will be on the latest leg of his neverending world tour, which includes dates across the UK.

Last year's Fleadh was cancelled after promoters said they were unable to find an Irish act big enough to front the event.

The London Fleadh, which means festival in Gaelic and is pronounced "flah", features mainly Irish bands and was first staged in 1990. Previous headline acts include Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Van Morrison and The Pogues.

:: Les Coles Monday, April 05, 2004 [+] ::

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Late Blues Briefs

Blues news that I missed first time around:

Atlanta Blues Society aiding local bluesman Tommy Brown

Atlanta blues vocalist Tommy Brown lost his possessions in a December home fire and does not have insurance.

The Atlanta Blues Society, a 501c3 organization, has established a page on its web site for making donations through the Society by PayPal.

See:
http://www.atlantabluessociety.com/staticpage/specialdonations.html

Tabby Thomas suffers stroke

Louisiana Blues legend Tabby Thomas suffered a stroke on Friday night January 17 at his juke joint, Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall in Baton Rouge. Tabby is making progress and doctors expect him to recover.
Tabby is 75 years old. He is the father of musician and actor Chris Thomas King.

Li'l Ronnie & The Grand Dukes

Li'l Ronnie & The Grand Dukes were recently named Best Blues Band in the Virginia Music Awards.
They have just finished recording their new CD, which is being produced by Texas bluesman Anson Funderburgh.
The CD is scheduled for early summer release

Iowa Blues Hall of Fame

The Iowa Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held Saturday, January 3 at Blues on Grand in Des Moines. This year's inductees were Dartanyan Brown, Ron DeWitte, Gilbert Davis, and Ernie Peniston.

E.G. Kight/Corey Harris

Blue South recording artist, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter E.G. Kight and Rounder recording artist Corey Harris have signed with Blue Mountain Artists of Charlotte, N.C. for booking.

Obits

James Carter, the ex-convict whose 1959 field recording was a key track on the Grammy winning O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack, died November 26 in Chicago of stroke complications. He was 77.
Carter was a member of the Mississippi chain gang that Alan Lomax recorded, leading other convicts on the holler "Po Lazarus."
O Brother producer T-Bone Burnett unearthed the track and used it on the soundtrack and later tracked down Carter in Chicago. Carter received royalties and attended the 2002 Grammys, where O Brother was named album of the year.

Radio personality E. Rodney Jones, 'The Bluesologist,' passed away Friday, Dec. 27, 2003 at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jones was a member of the Black Radio Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame.
His half century of broadcasting included two decades at Chicago's WVON, a station owned by the famous blues and rock 'n' roll record label, Chess, plus many years at Baton Rouge's WXOK-AM.

Los Angeles' J.J. "Bad Boy" Jones passed away on Monday, January 19. The guitarist was a legend on the L.A. Blues scene for many years. He was about 74 years old.

Bay Area bluesman JJ Malone, a singer, keyboard player and guitarist, passed away on Friday, February 20, 2004 in Hawaii after a valiant fight with cancer. He was 69 years old. For more information: http://www.bluesexpress.com/records/br_malonebio.html

Drummer Soko Richardson died on January 29 in his home in Los Angeles from complications due to diabetes. He was 65. His five decade-long career including touring and recording with Ike and Tina Turner, John Mayall, Albert Collins, Terry Reid, PeeWee Crayton and Bobby Womack .

Big John Small, former producer of the Canadian nationally syndicated radio show "Blues North" in Toronto, died recently in Toronto.

:: Les Coles Monday, April 05, 2004 [+] ::

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Graveyard Blues 100th Show Party on 103.9 WRCN

"Graveyard Blues" on Long Island's 103.9 WRCN celebrates show # 100 on Sunday, April 4th at The Velvet Lounge in Setauket, NY.

The 100th show party features some of the hottest blues bands in the Long Island/NYC area and includes a "live" broadcast beginning at 9:00PM. The weekly blues show started, on WRCN, in May of 2002. Recent guests have included Hubert Sumlin, Susan Tedeschi, Jonny Lang and Shemekia Copeland with Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa and The Derek Trucks Band performing "live" in the "Graveyard Blues" studio!

The party kicks off at 7:00 with The Dare Ya Blues Band followed by Black Cat Bone, Phil Varca & the Slamjammers, Andy Aledort, Joe Vicino & the Smokedaddys, Sam "The Bluzman" Taylor and The Kerry Kearney Band!

Mo' info:
graveyardblues.com

:: Les Coles Sunday, April 04, 2004 [+] ::

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Fans petetion for Townshend's inclusion in R&R HoF

PRWEB (April 4)—Fans of Peter Townshend have started a petition to have the Who's guitarist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

The petition is at: http://www.petitiononline.com/garjen/

To: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
We, the undersigned, as consumers and fans of rock music, wish to see Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We believe that Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has earned a spot in the Hall of Fame for reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

--In addition to being the creative force behind arguably the greatest rock band of all time, he has created many albums of brilliant solo material each of which contains classic timeless songs, namely:
1972 Who Came First
1977 Rough Mix
1980 Empty Glass
1982 All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
1985 White City: A Novel
1986 Pete Townshend's Deep End Live!
1989 The Iron Man: A Musical
1993 Psychoderelict

--Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has inspired uncountable songwriters that have follwed him. He continues to write songs for or perform with younger artists.

--Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has consistently put out records that reflect his own artistic growth and change, without compromising his integrity for the sake of sales.

--Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has a huge, worldwide fanbase.

--Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has made his own contributions to the world of rock music, through production, outside musical efforts, guest appearances, and so forth.

--He's been nominated or won Academy, Tony and Grammy awards. A lot of his songs are now used as memorable moments in motion pictures and two of his rock operas have been made into movies or Broadway productions, in which he has written new songs and helped produce.

--Pete Townshend has created or participated with and offered his time, talent and money to the following charities:
The Prince's Trust www.princes-trust.org.uk
Concert For New York
Double O Charity - to benefit youth all over the globe
Auction for Oxfam - relief for Mozambique & Ethiopia
Camden Square Community Play Centre 1974
Kampuchea benefit (Kampuchea 79 concerts)
Bangladesh benefit (Oval cricket show)
Columbian Volcano Appeal 1986
Amnesty International www.amnesty.org
Anti Apartheid (Sun City)
Chiswick Family Rescue Centre 1985
Rock Against Unemployment/Peoples March For Jobs 1981
Live Aid
"Rock The Dock" 1998 Benefit for fired Liverpool dock workers
Rock Against Racism
The Children's Health Fund 1995
Maryville Academy www.maryvilleacademy.org
Teenage Cancer Trust www.teencancer.com
Robin Hood Foundation www.robinhood.org/home/home.cfm
Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk
Bridge School Benefit in 1999 www.bridgeschool.org/
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children www.nspcc.org.uk/
All 2002 Encore Series profits go to benefit young peoples charities www.themusic.com

We believe that Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) has been overlooked. The Hall of Fame was founded to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of rock music. Inducting Pete Townshend (as a solo artist) will legitimize that claim by recognizing one man in particular that has contributed dramatically to the rock genre while continually preserving its integrity.

:: Les Coles Sunday, April 04, 2004 [+] ::

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