:: Saturday, February 26, 2005 ::

26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards, e-voting

Vote online in the 26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards

Get your ballot here to vote for the W.C. Handy Blues Awards. Voting is open until March 1. That means you must vote by 11:59:59 pm on February 28. If you are not an individual member, you must first join the Foundation.

The 2005 nominees include the return of Blues notables Jessie Mae Hemphill and Guitar Shorty, as well as some celebrated names looking to take home their first Handy Award including Mavis Staples, Gary U.S. Bonds and Hubert Sumlin. Many artists racked up multiple nominations including The Holmes Brothers with three band nominations and three individual nominations, followed by harp player Paul Oscher with four. W.C. Clark, James Harman, Charlie Musselwhite, Pinetop Perkins, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush, Mavis Staples and Kim Wilson each received three nominations.

"We were thrilled with the results of last year's event, and think it reflects the growing popularity and diversity of the genre," noted Kevin Kane, Blues Foundation President. "We look forward to a bigger and better show May 5, 2005 and encourage everyone to go online to participate in the voting process and to purchase tickets before they are gone," he added. Online voting opened December 16 for Blues Foundation members.

If you are not a member, join now and then vote. Voting, ticket and host hotel information can be found at www.blues.org.

Click here for a full list of nominees.

Handy's Balloting Procedure
Each year, The Blues Foundation recognizes Blues artists, musicians, and recordings through the annual presentation of The W.C. Handy Blues Awards. The Handy Awards are the highest recognition bestowed on Blues artists in the music industry.
In order to be considered for a Handy Award, an artist must have been actively performing or recording during the eligibility period. Recorded material considered for a Handy Award must have been released during the eligibility period.

Three rounds of voting are held for the Handy Awards. Both the initial and second rounds of Handy ballots go to 183 individuals identified by The Blues Foundation who receive or review Blues recordings. This group consists of Blues programmers and writers, as well as festival promoters and talent bookers. Any individual who would benefit financially by having an artist or label win awards are excluded from this group.

The final ballots are audited by an independent accounting firm and the winners are announced during the Annual W. C. Handy Blues Awards.


The W.C. Handy Awards are produced by:

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On the Web:
Register to vote
26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards Nominees

See also the Tokyo-Blues Specials on the Handy Awards:
W.C. Handy Blues Awards Balloting Procedures
25th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Award Winners & Nominees

:: Les Coles Saturday, February 26, 2005 [+] ::

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Corey Harris, Chris Smither explore boundaries

I had the pleasure of hanging out a bit with Corey Harris last year at the 2nd Intl Blues Symposium in Oxford, Miss. He's a great guy. He'll be playing Japan late May, early June (see below). This will be an event you will not want to miss.


In order to play the real-deal blues, an artist must go back and study the music's roots, according to Corey Harris, who will perform tomorrow night at the 18th Annual Black History Month "Big Gig" blues concert in Monroe.

Also featured will be finger-picking guitarist Chris Smither, who plays a musical style that crosses boundaries between blues, folk, and bluegrass.

Rounding out the lineup are Detroit gospel-steel guitarist Calvin Cooke, and singer, guitarist, and blues historian the Rev. Robert B. Jones of Detroit.

"I don't think an artist can play the blues without dealing with the culture it comes from, and the history," Harris said in an interview this week.

Historians trace the origin of the blues to music performed by slaves on southern plantations around the turn of the 20th century.

Although he grew up in Denver, where he played blues, R&B, funk, and reggae, Harris, 35, said he was always interested in the African foundation of what he considered "black music."

As a student at Bates College majoring in anthropology, he took two trips to Cameroon, West Africa, in the early 1990s, and became convinced that he should focus on playing the blues.

"Blues was what I understood deepest in myself," he said.

He released his debut disc, Between Midnight and Day, in 1995, with songs that harked back to the raw, stark blues of rural Mississippi.

He said such American blues greats as Skip James, Junior Kimbrough, and Jack Owens have helped build a bridge between the U.S. and African forms of the blues.

Harris' sixth and latest Rounder Records release, Mississippi to Mali, features songs recorded both in Mississippi and the West African nation of Mali.

He said he went to Mali "to learn something and deepen my understanding of what I do and why I'm doing it."

His visit to the Saharan Desert town of Niafunke, where he met African blues legend Ali Farka Toure, was featured in Martin Scorsese's movie, Feel Like Going Home, and also helped Harris establish a connection with the Mali music scene.

A few months after the visit captured by Scorsese, Harris returned to Niafunke to collaborate with Toure.

"Ali Farka Toure is a magical individual, a giant among men. He inspires us all," Harris said.

"I wanted to go back because I felt like it was important to get with the music from over there, and to bring what little I know from our short tradition here as black people in America, and to put it back together and make a document of it."

Through his association with Toure, Harris said, "I have become a better guitar player and I also have a deeper understanding of African history and culture."

He said it remains difficult for many Americans to explore the musical connection between their nation and Africa.

"I think that America cannot yet truly admit to the reality of slavery, so the African roots are misunderstood and disrespected," Harris said.

He continues to study the cultural links and plans to visit West Africa again soon.

Smither was born in Miami in 1944 and moved with his family to New Orleans when he was 3. In a review of his 11th and most recent disc, Train Home, on Hightone Records, a critic for the Associated Press described Smither as "a wandering Zen troubadour with a blue guitar, a hot finger-picking style, and a gravelly voice that could make any material sound deep and cool."

Smither said he surprised himself with Train Home, most of which was recorded in his home studio near Boston.

"It is by far the most 'acoustic, rootsy' feel I've ever had on a produced record. … To me, it sounds surprisingly spontaneous and unrehearsed—like people who know what they're doing and are having a good time doing it."

Cooke, known as "the B.B. King of gospel steel guitar," has been playing the 10-string electric pedal steel guitar in church services since he was a teenager and has toured with Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph.

Jones, pastor of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, has been performing roots music at Monroe's Black History Month blues events since 1988.

The 18th Annual Black History Month Blues Series' "Big Gig" starts at 6 p.m. in the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe St., Monroe. Admission is free. Information: 734-241-5277 or www.monroe.lib.us.

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On the Web
Corey Harris
Chris Smither

:: Les Coles Saturday, February 26, 2005 [+] ::

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Ford pulls plug on Detroit Dazz Festival

DETROIT (Feb. 25)—Ford Motor Co. no longer will be the major sponsor of the Detroit International Jazz Festival, a decision that places the future of the festival in jeopardy.

Ford said it won't renew its $250,000 sponsorship, which made up 21 percent of the proposed 2005 budget. Ford has sponsored the 22-year-old festival since 1995.

Ford cited concerns about the Music Hall's festival budget and plans to expand the festival from Hart Plaza into Campus Martius Park and add music beyond jazz. Music Hall produces the festival.

Ron Thomas, manager of corporate alliance for Ford, said the company had asked for changes that weren't made but wouldn't be more specific. In the past, Ford has complained about poor marketing, missed deadlines and inadequate parking passes for Ford executives.

Music Hall president Sandy Duncan said a replacement sponsor must be found within 30 days to give the festival enough time to plan for 2005. Duncan said the festival will look for a new sponsor or group of sponsors.

"It's our intention to keep the festival alive," she told the Detroit Free Press for a story published Friday.

General Motors Corp. already has said it won't sponsor the festival this year. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group already sponsors the popular Arts, Beats and Eats street fair in Pontiac over Labor Day weekend, an event that has hurt attendance at the jazz festival.

Planners at Music Hall have recommended moving the jazz festival from Labor Day to early August to avoid competing with the Pontiac festival.

The festival could consider selling tickets, but would have to get the city's permission.

Source: Detroit Free Press

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On the Web:
Ford Detroit Jazz Festival

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young to Induct 2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

For 20 years the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has honored musical artists across all genres for their contribution to the music industry.

Now fans can watch the historic celebration of Buddy Guy, Percy Sledge, the O'Jays, the Pretenders and U2 as these artists take their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The "2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony" will take place at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on March 14. This year's show will honor blues guitarist Buddy Guy, the Golden Voice of Soul, Percy Sledge, the smooth sounds of the O'Jays, modern rock pioneers The Pretenders and the influential Dublin quartet, U2.

Frank Barsalona, founder and president of Premier Talent Agency, and Seymour Stein, chairman of Sire Records will be inducted in the Lifetime Achievement in the non-performer category. Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and Neil Young are among the special guests currently scheduled to present to this year's inductees.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Historic Muscle Shoals studio closes

City of Muscle Shoals, "World Recording Capital" sign near the airport


Muscle Shoals, Ala. (Feb. 25)—The historic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon all made classic records, has closed.

A local film production company is in the process of purchasing the 30,000-square-foot facility, said Tommy Couch, president of Malaco Music Group, the Jackson, Miss.-based record label and publishing company that has owned the studio since 1985. The last recordings were made in December and the studio closed down in January.

"Cypress Moon has signed a contract, and we hope to close the sale by the middle of next month," Couch told the TimesDaily of Florence.

Couch said Malaco tried selling the facility as a recording studio for more than a year and a half but couldn't find a buyer.

Cypress Moon Productions produced an award-winning short film called "The Mirror" and is currently filming location footage for its first feature film.

Filmmaker Tonya Holly, the company's president and founder, said Cypress Moon plans to modify the studio to accommodate a wide array of movie and music projects, installing state-of-the-art film, video and audio technology. Malaco has sold its 24-track recording consoles to a separate buyer.

"Our focus will be on film and video production, but we'll be equipped for audio recording - you could still cut an album down there," Holly said. She said the company plans to name the facility Cypress Moon Studios at Muscle Shoals Sound.

"We want to keep that identity with the history that's been made there," she said.

Muscle Shoals Sound was originally formed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section when it left FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shaols in 1969. Section members - guitarist Jimmy Johnson, keyboardist Barry Beckett, drummer Roger Hawkins and bassist David Hood - opened their own recording facility at 3614 Jackson Highway.

The group moved to the current Muscle Shoals Sound site nine years later. The Alabama Avenue studio hosted sessions by Bob Dylan ("Slow Train Coming"), Bob Seger ("Against the Wind"), Dire Straits ("Communique"), Jimmy Buffett ("Coconut Telegraph") and Delbert McClinton ("Givin' It Up for Your Love").

Malaco bought the studio in 1985 and recorded a variety of blues, soul and gospel artists, including Bobby "Blue" Bland, Z.Z. Hill, Johnnie Taylor, Denise LaSalle, Little Milton and the Mississippi Mass Choir. The studio also hosted outside sessions by Etta James, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Glenn Frey, Sawyer Brown, Melissa Etheridge, John Hiatt, Shenandoah, Tony Joe White and Widespread Panic.

Couch said the label has not yet decided what will become of memorabilia and other items still located at the site.

"There's a lot of history there, that's for sure—and nobody likes to see it come to an end," he said. "We're not sure at this point what we're going to do with all the gold and platinum records and all the other memorabilia down there. That's still up in the air."

Holly said she hopes to begin shooting the feature film at the site by March 15. She wrote the script for the movie—titled "When I Find the Ocean"—and plans to produce and direct the family drama, set during the civil-rights era in Alabama. The cast is set to include Oscar winner Louis Gosset Jr. and country singer Naomi Judd.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Pip Edward Patten dies age 65

ATLANTA (Feb. 25)—Edward Patten, a member of Gladys Knight & The Pips, died early Friday at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital in Livonia, Mich. He was 65.

Patten, an Atlanta native, died from a stroke he had suffered a few days before, said William Guest, another member of the group.

Patten had been living in Detroit and was staying at St. Mary Mercy.

"Edward was my best friend and all through thick and thin, we always stuck together," Guest said by phone from Detroit.

Gladys Knight & the Pips formed in Atlanta with Knight joined by her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Guest and Patten. The group became a prominent part of the Motown music scene in Detroit in the mid-late 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Neither One of Us" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." But the group eventually disbanded to pursue solo careers.

Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The group has won four Grammys.

The group's string of pop soul hits from 1967 to 1971 also included "Everybody Needs Love," "I Heard It through the Grapevine," "It Should Have Been Me," "Friendship Train" and "I Don't Want to Do Wrong."

Patten, known for his high-tenor style, joined the group in 1959, Guest said. Patten's father was a band leader from Atlanta and he, along with the rest of the family, grew up around music.

"He was 100 percent an all right guy - 100 percent a good member of the group," Guest said.

No funeral plans had been made, but it is expected to take place in Detroit with a memorial service in Atlanta, Guest said.



Edward Patten, lower left, a member of Gladys Knight & The Pips, died early Friday at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital in Livonia. He was 65. Patten is shown with Singer Gladys Knight, right, and the other members of her former back-up group "The Pips," William Guest, left, and Merald "Bubba" Knight in New York's Motown Cafe in this Jan. 16, 1996 file photo.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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THE O'JAYS to be INDUCTED into the ROCK n' ROLL HALL OF FAME

TOKYO (Feb. 26)—While up at the Legacy/Columbia Records site getting info for the lats post, "New Johnny, June Carter Cash CDs on way", I came across the following info:

Who can resist the soulful sounds of the chart-topping O'Jays?

Combining the smooth vocal harmonies of Walter Williams and William Powell, lead singer Eddie Levert's assertive vocal stylings, and the production juggernaut of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, The O'Jays yielded a seemingly endless stream of hits that virtually define the term "Philly Soul."

Starting in 1972 with such monster performances as "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train," The O'Jays broke through with their brand of danceable message songs that drove the "sound of Philadelphia" across America, into the language itself. Few recording artists will ever match the output of The O'Jays.

Listen now at legacyrecordings.com/theojays

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On the Web:
Columbia/Legacy

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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New Johnny, June Carter Cash CDs on way

(Feb. 25)—Columbia/Legacy has set a June 7 release date for separate box sets compiling the music of late country artists Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.

The Johnny Cash set, dubbed The Legend, is a four-disc, 107-track collection that includes "every major Sun and Columbia recording, as well as 12 unreleased tracks," according to a press release.

The collection will also be available in a limited-edition deluxe version of the set that will include a hardcover coffee table book with over 1,000 rare photos, a bonus CD featuring Cash's first ever radio appearance in 1955 and a DVD of the 1980 CBS television special "Johnny Cash--The First 25 Years."

The two-disc June Carter Cash set, titled Keep on the Sunny Side--Her Life in Music, represents the first comprehensive overview of the singer's career. It features 50 tracks recorded over a 64-year span.

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On the Web:
Columbia/Legacy

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Inside the Handy Awards---The Bo-Keys & 'The Royal Sessions'

It doesn't come mo Memphis than Beale Street, Stax Records or Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio over on South Lauderdale. Put these three things together and you have the Bo-Keys' The Royal Sessions



It's always nice to pick a winner, back in 2003—June 11 to be exact—I reviewed the Bo-Keys' The Royal Sessions for The Daily Yomiuri's In Your Ear colume. (Hey boss, I've picked several CDs—more than anyone else in the office—for reviews that have gone on to be nominated for Grammys and Handys—how about a transfer to Features?)

It wasn't just that I was deeply impressed by the standard of musicianship on the recording—that's a given from ex-Stax session men—it was also the choice of material and the arrangements. The album is one of the best I've heard.

Since then, the Bo-Keys and The Royal Sessions have been garnering acclaim from all quarters. And rightly so.

They've played BB King's in Times Square. Appeared on NPR's 'All Songs Consider'.
The Bo-Keys have also been nominated in the "Best New Artist Debut" category, for The Royal Sessions.

Whether you vote for the album or one of the other four artists. The important thing is that you vote. So click here.

Below is a reprint of my review:

It doesn't come more Memphis than Beale Street, Stax Records or Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio over on South Lauderdale. Put these three things together and you have the Bo-Keys' The Royal Sessions.

The Bo-Keys, assembled by bassist Scott Bomar are steeped in the traditions of Memphis and Stax instrumentalist groups such as the Mar-Keys and Booker T. and the MGs.

The story of the Bo-Keys goes back to 1998, when Stax sideman Bomar was asked to put a band together to back Sir Mack Rice. This planted the idea in Bomar's head of forming a souljazz-funk combo. But like all seeds, it takes a while for the tree to bear fruit, and it took Bomar a few years to assemble the perfect lineup, which comprises fellow Stax vets Ronnie Williams (Hammond organ) and Willie Hall (drums), Marc Pranklin (trumpet) and Jim Spake (tenor sax), who like Bomar are young players on the Memphis scene, Charles "Skip" Pitts (guitarist) who laid down the funky wah-wah on the intro to "Theme t'rom Shaft," and Hector Diaz (percussion).

Put all this Memphis talent together in a setting like the Royal, add Stax mastering engineer Larry Nix and youngblood sound engineer Archie Mitchell, and you are creating new Memphis history. There is an incredible live feel to Sessions, due in part to Pitts declining to rehearse with the group beforehand, preferring instead to deliver his guitar riffs instinctively and on impulse.

On the resulting 10 tracks, the Bo-Keys touch on classics such as "Funky Good Time" and "Back to the Chicken Shack" as well as originals like "Onder the Table" and "Comin' Home Baby." "Spanish Dance" showcases the Bo-Keys' Latin side, while tunes like "Deuce and a Quarter" and "My Country Loves Me" are a fusion of R&B and hip-hop.

From South Lauderdale to your stereo, the Bo-Keys deliver The Royal Sessions with a stylish swagger and plenty of sultry Memphis soul. So kick off your shoes and party

Les Coles




The Royal Sessions


Track Listing / Samples
1. Coming Home Baby
2. Deuce and a Quarter*
3. Seven and 7
4. Spanish Delight*
5. Under the Table*
6. Back at the Chicken Shack
7. Doing it to Death
8. I Remember Stax
9. My Country Loves Me
10. Bling Bling*

* Listen to MP3 sample




Performers:
Scott Bomar - Bass & Percussion
Willie Hall - Drums, Percussion &Vocals
Charles "Skip" Pitts - Guitar & Vocals
Ronnie Williams - Hammond B-3 Organ & Vocals
with
Mark Franklin - Trumpet
Jim Spake - Tenor & Baritone Sax
Hector Diaz - Percussion

Production Credits:
Recorded and mixed at Willie Mitchel's (Hi Records, Al Green) Royal Studios, Memphis.

Mastering Engineer - Larry Nix
Sound Engineer - Archie Mitchell
RRP: ¥2,381
Release Date: Oct. 25, 2003 (Japan); MAY 4, 2004 (USA);
Label: Buffalo Records BUF-502 (Japan); Yellow Dog Records (USA)



Yellow Dog Records - 99 South Second Street, Suite A-277 - Memphis TN 38103

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Yellow Dog Records Newsletter

We're well into February and many New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside... our resolution for this year was to send more frequent news updates! Here's what's new at Yellow Dog Records:



Handy Award Voting in Final Days
We're thrilled to have been recognized with two nominations for W.C. Handy Awards this year. The Bo-Keys are nominated in the "Best New Artist Debut" category, while Big Joe Duskin is nominated for "Comeback Blues Album of the Year". Voting closes at midnight on Feb 28, so please visit http://blues.org before then if you'd like to vote!



Now online:
We're pleased to announce the launch of YDR Radio! Streaming tracks from our entire catalog, YDR Radio opens in its own player to provide you with hours of listening enjoyment. Over time, we'll add artist interviews, unreleased outtakes, and more to the rotation. Visit http://yellowdogrecords.com/radio to get started.



Bo-Keys in "Hustle and Flow"
The film Hustle and Flow, directed by Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer and Executive Produced by John Singleton ("Boyz N the Hood") debuted at the Sundance film festival to rave reviews. It won the American Dramatic Audience Award and the American Excellence in Cinematography Award, and was purchased for a record $9M for wider distribution by Paramount / MTV (rumor has it we'll see a July 4 national release.)

Could it have been the music? Yellow Dog Records artists play prominent roles in the film's score (although we suspect the acting and directing had something to do with it as well.) The music score was composed by Scott Bomar and performed by the Bo-Keys, and songs by Mark Lemhouse and Calvin Newborn also appear in the film. Singleton enthused: "To have these classic musicians is the icing on the cake to shooting a little movie in Memphis. You couldn't do it anywhere else in the world."



Big Joe at Borders
Fresh from his Handy nomination (and his 84th birthday earlier this week) Big Joe Duskin learned that his album "Big Joe Jumps Again!" was chosen by Borders Books & Music as a featured title for the months of March and April. The disc will be in listening stations at all 350 Borders stores from March 8th - May 10th.

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There's plenty more to tell you about, including details of upcoming releases by Chris Cotton, Calvin Newborn, Terry Robb, and Mark Lemhouse. We'll save those for another update in a few weeks!
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Yellow Dog Records - 99 South Second Street, Suite A-277 - Memphis TN 38103

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Celebrate B.B. King's 80th birthday

Celebrate the King of the Blues' 80th Birthday with New "Best Of" Album B.B King: The Ultimate Collection, Featuring "The Thrill is Gone," "Rock Me Baby" and Performances with U2 and Eric Clapton

LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Feb. 23—In 2005, B.B. King celebrates his 80th birthday and the music world celebrates with him. This auspicious milestone for the King of the Blues, the man who brought the blues to mainstream popularity and is its most beloved ambassador, will be marked by the 2005 groundbreaking of the B.B. King Museum in his birthplace of Indianola, Mississippi, and the release of a new single-CD "best of" compilation, B.B. King: The Ultimate Collection (Geffen/UMe), released March 15, 2005.

Featuring 21 digitally remastered classics, including 14 of his R&B Top 40s, The Ultimate Collection offers his most recognized recordings from each decade of his career, from 1951's "Three O'Clock Blues" and 1969's immortal "The Thrill Is Gone" to the 1988 U2 duet "When Love Comes To Town" and 2000's "Ten Long Years" with Eric Clapton. The package also boasts an essay by Charles Sawyer, author of The Arrival Of B.B. King, The Authorized Biography Of The Greatest Blues Singer And Guitarist Of Our Time.

Born September 16, 1925, this child of sharecroppers was left to survive at age 14 by raising cotton. Introduced to the guitar by a preacher, he formed a gospel group but also sang the blues on street corners. A radio show led to fame in Memphis before "Three O'Clock Blues" reached #1 R&B and brought national attention. The Ultimate Collection also includes two other '50s R&B #1s: "Please Love Me" and "You Upset Me Baby."

More R&B hits followed in the '60s, beginning with the #2 "Sweet Sixteen, Parts One & Two." Mainstream America then joined in thanks to the homage paid the blues and B.B. by bands of the British Invasion: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Animals, Yardbirds and Bluesbreakers. In 1964, "Rock Me Baby" became his first pop Top 40. The decade also yielded "How Blue Can You Get?," the #2 R&B "Don't Answer The Door," the pop Top 40 "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss" (R&B Top 10) and one of the most lauded live albums ever issued, Live At The Regal, which included "Every Day I Have The Blues" and "Sweet Little Angel."

Then came his signature song, "The Thrill Is Gone," which reached R&B #3 and pop Top 20 in 1970. The '70s also brought "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother," Top 10 R&Bs "Chains And Things" (with Carole King) and "I Like To Live The Love" (also Top 30 pop, with Stevie Wonder), Top 30 R&B "Ain't Nobody Home" and albums with members of The Crusaders which showcased the R&B Top 30s "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" and "Better Not Look Down."

After teaming with Dr. John for 1980's "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere," B.B. introduced the blues to a new generation when he toured with U2 and recorded "When Love Comes To Town" with them. From the '90s, The Ultimate Collection culls "I'll Survive" and from the '00s "Ten Long Years" from his multiplatinum Riding With The King partnership with Clapton.

Today, B.B.—and his guitar Lucille—remain the enduring symbols of the blues.

See The Blues Blog story on Lucille

:: Les Coles Friday, February 25, 2005 [+] ::

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Whitney rushed to hospital

Feb. 25)—Whitney Houston has been rushed to hospital in Paris, after being struck down with food poisoning on a flight.

The singer was on a US flight bound for France when she started to show signs of illness, according to her publicist Nancy Seltzer.

She said: "Whitney Houston was rushed to a hospital in Paris because of severe vomiting. She was sick on the aircraft. She is doing well. She has gastroenteritis."

Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and the intestines.

Seltzer doesn't know the source of the food poisoning reports IMdb.com.

Houston, 41, was treated in the casualty department of the, undisclosed, Paris hospital. Seltzer insists the singer will not need to be admitted to the hospital.

:: Les Coles Thursday, February 24, 2005 [+] ::

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Tahlequah students get crash course in the Blues

Tahlequah High School students were treated to some "down-home blues" music Friday afternoon, performed by legendary blues musician D.C. Minner, of Rentiesville, along with his wife, Selby. The show was one stop in the band's "Blues in the Schools" nation-wide tour. Photo by April Stone


Tahlequah, OK. (Feb. 21)—Tahlequah High School students got the blues Friday afternoon, but not the down-and-out kind of feeling.

Students were treated to a lesson in history by legendary blues musician D.C. Minner and his wife, Selby, in the couple's national "Blues in the Schools" (BITS) tour. The Minners captured the audience's attention by performing popular tunes on stage in the Performing Arts Center, mixed with some interesting facts about how "The Blues" influenced several other forms of music.

Students had a hard time keeping still in their seats when the band opened with "Route 66," and followed it with "Ain't Nobody's Business." Students clapped, tapped their feet and danced while they listened to music that was written before they were born.

"What is 'the blues?'" asked Selby, as she finished one song and went into the next. "The blues changed rock-and-roll and helped create jazz."

Even though some people think the blues just express sad feeling, Selby said "blues music is about expressing all the feelings, not just when you have the blues."

The couple has been doing its BITS tour since the '70s, and has been on the roster of the Oklahoma Arts Council since 1990 as Touring Artists and Artists in Residence.

Some schools request their company for a 20-hour program over one week which puts kids on the stage with them. At the D.C. Minner Web site, they describe their efforts in education to provide experiences for students that help "build confidence and courage which cross over from music to any new thing they may later try."

D.C. is an Oklahoma blues man who was born and raised in Rentiesville, a few miles south of Muskogee. He was inducted into three different Halls of Fame, including the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2003 that he won by popular vote.

After a 25-year career on the road touring with his band, D.C. returned to his birthplace in 1998. He re-opened his grandmother's corn-whiskey house, once known as "The Cozy Corner" and re-named it as the "Down Home Blues Club," and operated it as an after-hours club for seven years.

The club serves as the site for his internationally respected annual "Dusk 'til Dawn Blues Festival," that was founded in 1991. The festival continues to grow each year with more musicians and guests attending each year. Their "true-juke-joint-for-the-nineties" club in Rentiesville continues to this day as a festival Site, preservation hall and Blues Hall of Fame.

The couple describes their music as similar to the "Oklahoma-Texas style of T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Lowell Fulson, with singing that is relaxed and ingratiating, funky and live."

D.C. kept the student's attention Friday with his talent on the electric guitar, all while wearing his traditional 12 rings on his right hand, and with humor that he uses to help make points while educating students.

"You know, most of us blues singers got our start singing in church," said D.C. "We figured out that if we replaced all the 'Oh Lord's' with 'Oh baby,' we could take this song down on the corner to the juke joint and make a little money. We got to pay for these guitars somehow."

He played one of the songs that had been taken from the church and turned into a blues song, titled "Don't Let the Devil Ride."

"Now think about that; don't let the devil ride, because if you let the devil ride, he's going to want to drive," said D.C. as he went into playing the song.

They played some rock-and-roll in the mix, when Selby sang "Magic Man," and gave an example of how a blues song could cross over and make it to the Top 40 pop charts, when she sang "Give Me One Reason."

The performance Friday was included in the THS events during February's Black History Month.

Source: APRIL STONE, Tahlequah Daily Press

:: Les Coles Thursday, February 24, 2005 [+] ::

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26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards, e-voting

Vote online in the 26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards

Get your ballot here to vote for the W.C. Handy Blues Awards. Voting is open until March 1. That means you must vote by 11:59:59 pm on February 28. If you are not an individual member, you must first join the Foundation.

The 2005 nominees include the return of Blues notables Jessie Mae Hemphill and Guitar Shorty, as well as some celebrated names looking to take home their first Handy Award including Mavis Staples, Gary U.S. Bonds and Hubert Sumlin. Many artists racked up multiple nominations including The Holmes Brothers with three band nominations and three individual nominations, followed by harp player Paul Oscher with four. W.C. Clark, James Harman, Charlie Musselwhite, Pinetop Perkins, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush, Mavis Staples and Kim Wilson each received three nominations.

"We were thrilled with the results of last year's event, and think it reflects the growing popularity and diversity of the genre," noted Kevin Kane, Blues Foundation President. "We look forward to a bigger and better show May 5, 2005 and encourage everyone to go online to participate in the voting process and to purchase tickets before they are gone," he added. Online voting opened December 16 for Blues Foundation members.

If you are not a member, join now and then vote. Voting, ticket and host hotel information can be found at www.blues.org.

Click here for a full list of nominees.

Handy's Balloting Procedure
Each year, The Blues Foundation recognizes Blues artists, musicians, and recordings through the annual presentation of The W.C. Handy Blues Awards. The Handy Awards are the highest recognition bestowed on Blues artists in the music industry.
In order to be considered for a Handy Award, an artist must have been actively performing or recording during the eligibility period. Recorded material considered for a Handy Award must have been released during the eligibility period.

Three rounds of voting are held for the Handy Awards. Both the initial and second rounds of Handy ballots go to 183 individuals identified by The Blues Foundation who receive or review Blues recordings. This group consists of Blues programmers and writers, as well as festival promoters and talent bookers. Any individual who would benefit financially by having an artist or label win awards are excluded from this group.

The final ballots are audited by an independent accounting firm and the winners are announced during the Annual W. C. Handy Blues Awards.


The W.C. Handy Awards are produced by:

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On the Web:
Register to vote
26th Annual W.C. Handy Awards Nominees

See also the Tokyo-Blues Specials on the Handy Awards:
W.C. Handy Blues Awards Balloting Procedures
25th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Award Winners & Nominees

:: Les Coles Thursday, February 24, 2005 [+] ::

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'I guess that's why they call it the blues...'

Minnesota State University (Feb 22)—The musical repertoire of some of blues' best artists—Bessie Smith, Ray Charles and B.B. King—detail vivid sadness or depression.

"They are singing of a whole history—the down and out hard times and trying to make it," Minnesota State Director of Jazz Studies Doug Snapp said. "Music is a form of communication. It creates emotion like beauty, exhilaration, happiness and sadness."

It's natural, however, for humans to experience sadness in some form or another, according to staff counselor for the MSU Counseling Center Richard Jazdzewski, who gave a presentation on depression Wednesday.

"To tell someone that you cannot have sadness, well, it's unfortunate," Jazdzewski said. "It is like telling someone that you cannot fall in love: "they are normal human emotions."

Jazdzewski opened the presentation Wednesday with an overall summation of the talk.

"Today's discussion is depression and ways to make you feel better when you are down," Jazdzewski said.

"Everyone has experienced depression in some form, [especially] when something unexpected happens," said Richard Le, a rehabilitation counseling graduate student.

Jazdzewski said there is a difference between clinical depression and just having the blues.

Jazdzewski said the blues, or short-term sadness, lasts up to several weeks when clinical depression can last for months or years.

Several symptoms are outlined in the "Understanding and Treating Depression" pamphlet from the Counseling Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The symptoms include, but are not limited to, a significantly depressed or absence of mood, inability to experience pleasure or be interested in daily activities, insomnia or hypersomnia, substantial weight loss, fatigue or energy loss and suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviors. The pamphlet is available at the MSU Counseling Center in CSU 245.

Whether someone is experiencing the B.B. King blues or clinical depression, everyone is looking for a solution.

According to Jazdzewski, "exercise is a major offset for the common blues and clinical depression."

He said there are studies showing the effectiveness of exercise to be similar to pharmaceutical drugs given to patients with clinical depression such as Prozac, Efexor and the widely debated Zoloft.

"Exercising brings an endorphin release to the body," Jazdzewski said.

Jazdzewski said that this endorphin release could greatly improve a person's mood and begin to change his or her outlook on life.

According to "Understanding and Treating Depression," other strategies for coping include reducing or eliminating the use of alcohol or drugs, eating a proper well-balanced diet, obtaining adequate amount of sleep, seeking emotional support and focusing on the positive aspects of your life.

"When you begin the cycle, remoralization and hope begin—it is a very powerful thing," Jazdzewski said.

The MSU Counseling Center is available to help people trying to figure out the "changes" in their lives in response to a variety of personal and social issues they may be enduring.

Source: Jamie Koerner, The MSU Reporter.

:: Les Coles Thursday, February 24, 2005 [+] ::

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50 Years Of The Dells

CHICAGO (Feb. 23)—NBC5 will air a special documentary featuring one of Chicago's musical gems—The Dells.

The Dells are among the finest and longest-lived R&B vocal groups in history and they began their careers in Chicago's south suburbs. They got together as a singing group while attending Thorton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois in 1953. The were coached after school by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Harvey Fuqua and the Moonglows.

In 1956, the Dells recorded what many have deemed one of the turning point songs that defined the rock & roll era, and their first million seller, "Oh What A Night."

The rest is music history as The Dells still perform today.

The original lineup featured lead baritone Marvin Junior, lead tenor Johnny Funches, tenors Verne Allison and Lucius McGill, second baritone Mickey McGill, and bass Chuck Barksdale. Initially called the El-Rays, the group recorded their first single, "Darling I Know," for Chess Records subsidiary Checker that year. It flopped.

Lucius McGill departed not long after, and wasn't replaced, cutting the group down to a quintet. Newly christened the Dells, they got another shot in 1955 when they signed to Vee Jay. They had a minor R&B hit with the ballad "Dreams of Contentment" that year, but really scored big in 1956 with the doo wop classic "Oh What a Nite," which featured Funches singing lead and went Top Five on the R&B charts.

NBC5 has teamed together with The Dells to tell their story. NBC5's Marion Brooks wrote and produced this fascinating special that will cover their 50 years in the music industry.

This half-hour special will air twice on the weekend of Feb. 25; Saturday, Feb. 26, at 2 a.m. and Sunday, Feb. 27, at 11:30 a.m.

In addition, on Wednesday, Feb. 23, NBC5 will host a special screening of this special at NBC Tower. A special group of friends, community leaders and The Dells themselves will see the special for the first time at this invitation only event.

"NBC5 is proud to be able to work with The Dells and to have all the founding members here together", said Larry Wert, President and General Manager of NBC5. "It is particularly special to tell their extraordinary story and to air this program during Black History Month."

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Related Blues Blog stories:
The Dells (12/26/2003)

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inducts 2004 Class (3/17/2004)

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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'Genius Loves Company' goes to No. 1

(Feb.23, 2005)—Riding the wave of its eight Grammy wins earlier this month, the Ray Charles duets album Genius Loves Company shoots to the top of the U.S. album chart, up from No. 15 the previous week.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Verve Vault Celebrates Black History Month

In honor of Black History month, these releases feature exceptional African-American artists, spanning every era of jazz, who have made integral contributions to defining jazz as we know it today. From the heartfelt vocal stylings of Betty Carter to the keyboard magic of McCoy Tyner, these musical masterpieces are not to be missed. As these releases are available exclusively through iTunes, the vitality and innovation of these artists will live on well into the digital age.

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Click for the entire Verve Vault list

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Dirty Dozen Japan Tour opens tonight

TOKYO (Feb. 24)—The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with special guest the Benevento/Russo Duo kick off their tour of Japan in Kyoto tonight.

Let your friends know with a Blues Blog e-card! For a preview of the tour, see my article on Page 13 of today's (Feb. 24) Daily Yomiuri, or check it out on The Daily Yomiuri On-line. Alternatively, see the Dirty Dozen Japan Tour Preview





Send a Dirty Dozen Japan Tour 2005 e-card


Tour dates
February 24th - Takutaku - Kyoto
February 25th - Club Quattro - Osaka
February 26th - Club Quattro - Nagoya
February 28th - Club Quattro - Tokyo
March 1st - Club Quattro - Tokyo
Tickets ¥6,000. Tel: Smash 03-3444-6751

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Miss. Allstars, Umphrey's McGee Lead Jammy Noms

The North Mississippi Allstars, who are booked to play the 20th Japan Blues Carnival in summer are joint-favorites for the 5th Jammy Awards

The North Mississippi Allstars and Umphrey's McGee scored a leading three nominations each for the fifth Jammy Awards, to be handed out April 26 at the Theater at Madison Square in New York. The Dead's Phil Lesh will host the ceremony; performers will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

The Allstars are nominated for best live album for Hill Country Revue Live at Bonnaroo, while that set is up for live performance of the year. The group's tour with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (who open their Japan Tour tonight in Kyoto) and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band is up for tour of the year.

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On the Web:
Jammy Awards

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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PINETOP CANCELS HARVARD GIG

The National Heritage Museum in Lexington reports that Pinetop Perkins's March 5 concert had to be canceled because of illness. Museum officials said the 91-year-old was "unable to travel to the area at this time."

A new date has not been scheduled.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival

JAKARTA, 18 February 2005—Peter F. Gontha (credited by many with bringing Jazz to Indonesia) and A Mild Productions are proud to confirm the forthcoming Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival (JIJJF), the largest music festival ever held in Indonesia. 80 bands and some 300 musicians from the United States, Japan and Brazil, as well as Indonesia, will perform at eleven separate stages at the Jakarta Convention Center, from 4 to 6 March 2005.

Soul legend James Brown leads a line up of international stars that includes the Earth, Wind and Fire Experience featuring the Al Mackay All Stars, Eric Benet, George Duke, Incognito, Michelle Collins, Jeff Kashiwa, Tania Maria, Amp Fiddler, Angie Stone, Giles Peterson, Jeff Lorber, Lizz Wright, Laura Figy, Deodato, Tiempo Libre and Vinny Valentino. The local line up includes Indonesia's 'Art Tatum', the veteran pianist Bubi Chen, the renowned Krakatau and several other widely acclaimed stars including Ruth Sahanaya, Elfas Choir, Humania and many many more.

The Festival, the first in a planned annual series, has been warmly welcomed by both the Culture and Tourism Minister and the Governor of Jakarta, both of whom have given their full support to an event that provides a portal to the richness of local arts and culture.

Two Big Festival Additions:
1. Java Jazz on The Move, to be held at the University campuses of Trisakti, Atmajaya, and the University of Indonesia starting on February 28, supported by international musicians including Jeff Kashiwa and others.

2. A gospel style service to remember and acknowledge the suffering and devastation in Indonesia's northernmost provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. International artist Jeff Kashiba will join famous local performers in what promises to be an enriching experience.

Chairman of the Festival Committee, Peter F. Gontha, describes the ground breaking festival as a medium to not only enhance appreciation of the great musical genre of jazz, but also to celebrate the new spirit of Indonesia with its people.

"I hope that those experiencing the great synergy and sense of community between musicians and jazz lovers here in Indonesia with those from other countries will also be encouraged to spread the message of peace and understanding through music " he says.

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On the Web:
For further information regarding the festival or for the full schedule of events visit Jakarta Jazz Festival

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Songwriters Hall welcomes Fogerty, Cropper, Hayes, Porter, Withers

NEW YORK (Feb. 23)—Steve Cropper, John Fogerty, Issac Hayes and David Porter, and Bill Withers will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year, Chairman/CEO Hal David announced in a statement today. The organization, which is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, returns for its highly anticipated 36th annual induction and awards dinner, scheduled for Thursday, June 9 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Special award honorees will be announced at a later date.

"The Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards is very special because it's a time when premier songwriters come together to honor their own," commented SHOF Chairman and songwriter extraordinaire, Hal David. "We're proud of the growing impact of our event, which is now one of the high points of the year. We are looking forward to another terrific and memorable evening where we spotlight the accomplishments of those who have provided us with the words and music that form the soundtrack of our lives!"

As a founding member of the legendary Booker T and the MG's, as well as an A&R man, producer and songwriter, Steve Cropper was involved in virtually every record issued by the seminal Stax recording label from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970. Some of his songwriting credits include the classics "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Knock on Wood" and "In the Midnight Hour." Cropper produced and played on sessions by the likes of Poco, Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano, Yvonne Elliman, John Prine, Dreams and Tower Of Power. As a member of the original incarnation of the Blues Brothers, he recorded three albums with them, including the number one Briefcase Full of Blues. Over the past 20 years. Cropper has continued to be an in-demand musician and producer. His string-bending talents are showcased on CDs by Elton John, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Steppenwolf and Johnny Lang.

John Fogerty's enduring songs like "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Who'll Stop The Rain," "Lodi," "Looking Out My Back Door," "Run Through The Jungle," "Centerfield" and "Fortunate Son" are now so firmly engrained in our collective consciousness they seem to have come to us from the American soil as much as from any one man. John Fogerty recorded many of his great songs as the leader of the now legendary band Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR released nine Top Ten singles between 1969 and 1971, beginning with the classic "Proud Mary," and scored eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972. As a solo artist, Fogerty released an critically acclaimed eponymous album in 1975, and in 1984 released a Top Ten single, "The Old Man Down the Road," and a number one album, Centerfield. CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and in 1997, Fogerty released the Grammy Award-winning Blue Moon Swamp and the live album Premonition a year later. His most recent album, Déjà vu All Over Again, was released in 2004. To this day, John Fogerty remains a genuinely great artist, one of the defining songwriters of our time.


Isaac Hayes and David Porter were one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 1960s. After playing on several sessions for Otis Redding, Hayes was tapped to play keyboards in the Stax house band, and eventually established a partnership with songwriter David Porter. Under the name the Soul Children, the Hayes-Porter duo composed some 200 songs, reeling off a string of hits for Stax luminaries like Sam & Dave (the brilliant "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," "Soul Man," “I Thank You” and "Hold On, I'm Comin'"), Carla Thomas ("B-A-B-Y,") and Johnnie Taylor ("I Got to Love Somebody's Baby," "I Had a Dream"). As an individual artist, Isaac Hayes went on to become the first African American composer to win an Oscar for "Best Score" for his soundtrack to the film "Shaft," the theme song of which became a #1 hit. David Porter went on to engineer the relaunch of the Stax label and is a current member of th Board of Trustees of The Recording Academy.

Bill Withers' music and lyrics have phenomenal accessibility and universal appeal. Withers was awarded his first Grammy award as a songwriter for "Ain't No Sunshine," in 1971. His classic composition "Lean On Me" went to #1 in 1972. Withers' other classic compositions include the soulful "Use Me," the hit song "Lovely Day" and the infectious "I Want To Spend the Night," and the still-vibrant "Just the Two of Us" with Grover Washington, Jr. Withers was nominated for four Grammy's for "Just The Two of Us" in 1981 and won the Grammy for songwriting for it. Withers received his ninth Grammy nomination and third Grammy as a songwriter in 1987 for the re-recording of "Lean On Me" by Club Nouveau. As evidence of their undeniable appeal, Withers' songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists including Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Will Smith, Lionel Hampton, The Temptations, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger and Crystal Gayle just to name a few.

The stars came out last year for the 35th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards event at the Marriott Marquis' Grand Ballroom. Inductees Charles Fox, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Don McLean, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and special award recipients Stevie Wonder (Johnny Mercer Award), Rob Thomas (first ever Starlight Award recipient), Neil Sedaka (Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award), Les Bider (Abe Olman Award), Michael Goldstein (Patron of the Arts Award) and Hal David/Burt Bacharach (Towering Song Award for "What The World Needs Now Is Love") mingled with presenters and performers India.Arie, Garth Brooks, Cedric The Entertainer, Bill Cosby, Jamie Cullum, Macy Gray, Jimmy Jam, Mick Jones, Jonny Lang, Michael McDonald, Brian McKnight, Moby and Regis Philbin in a mutual admiration society of many outstanding moments. Garth Brooks, presenter and performer for Don McLean, in Brooks’ first public performance in over two years, sang a gorgeous rendition of McLean's "Starry, Starry Night." Jonny Lang performed a blistering version of Stevie Wonder's "Livin' For The City;" Brian McKnight did justice to Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," in a soulful performance of the classic song; Roberta Flack drew one of many standing ovations of the night for her Charles Fox-penned Flack classic "Killing Me Softly," and Don McLean brought everyone to their feet to sing along on his epic song "American Pie." The evening concluded with Dionne Warwick presenting the Towering Song Award to Hal David for his timeless classic "What The World Needs Now Is Love," which the incomparable songstress also sang. Warwick and David were then joined onstage by the entire group of artists who sang along in a rousing finale.

About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF not only celebrates songwriters and educates the public on their great achievements, but is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Over the course of the past 35 years, some key Songwriters' Hall of Fame inductees have included Carole King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Jim Croce, Phil Collins, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison and Cy Coleman among many, many others. Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at www.songwritershalloffame.org.


Ticket Information: Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame begin at $800 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

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On the Web:
Songwriters Hall of Fame

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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Gospel Music Hall of Fame adds 7 artists, nonperformers to fold

(Feb. 23)—The GMA Foundation welcomed the newest inductees into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame yesterday, including recording artists Walter Hawkins, Mylon Le Fevre, Evie Tornquist and The Lewis Family, and new nonperforming members Ron Huff, Don Light and Lou Hildreth.

A ceremony honoring the 2005 Hall of Famers was held at Trinity Music City in Hendersonville and taped as an hourlong television special for Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Performers at the ceremony included family bluegrass act the Isaacs, gospel pianist and composer Richard Smallwood, Christian rock acts Newsboys and Rebecca St. James, as well as inductees Le Fevre, Hawkins and Tornquist, with appearances by Amy Grant, CeCe Winans and The Oak Ridge Boys, among others. Comedian Chonda Pierce was host.

In announcing inductees yesterday, GMA President John W. Styll said, "Each is deserving, not only for their individual artistic contributions to gospel music but for the profound influence they had on artists that followed them. Their contributions to gospel music will be forever remembered by this honor."

More than 140 members have been welcomed into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame since its inception in 1971, including Elvis Presley, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mahalia Jackson and The Blind Boys of Alabama. Rev. Al Green, Sandi Patty, Frances Preston and Vestal Goodman were inducted in 2004.

Here's information about each of the 2005 inductees:

•Walter Hawkins: Hawkins has recorded a number of successful records alongside the Love Center Choir (from the Oakland, Calif., Love Center Church he founded in 1973). With that choir and other collaborators, including younger sister Lynette and former wife Tramaine, he has garnered both Dove and Grammy awards. But his career began singing in his brother Edwin's Edwin Hawkins Singers group, whose song Oh, Happy Day was a major crossover gospel hit.

•Mylon Le Fevre: A 17-year-old Le Fevre had his first song, Without Him, recorded by Elvis Presley. More than a hundred different artists committed his songs to record the next year. His first album was recorded at age 19. Throughout a career that brought him into the secular music world and then back to Christian music with his now-defunct band Mylon Le Fevre and Broken Heart, he's achieved successes that include both Grammy and Dove awards.

•Evie Tornquist: An enormously popular contemporary Christian voice in the 1970s, Norwegian singer Tornquist—known as a performer simply as "Evie"—recorded dozens of albums and was awarded Female Vocalist of the Year honors at the Dove Awards in both 1977 and 1978, before officially retiring from performing in 1981.

•The Lewis Family: Dubbed the "first family of bluegrass gospel music," The Lewis Family has been recording and touring since patriarch Roy "Pop" Lewis organized his family members into the group in 1951. The group now encompasses three generations of the Lewis clan.

•Ron Huff: Known for publishing several books of hymns and as former pops conductor for the Nashville Symphony, Huff is also a successful arranger. His resume includes arrangements for secular and Christian artists, including Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Amy Grant, Jewel, Keith Urban, George Strait and a host of others.

•Don Light: Light's behind-the-scenes contributions to the music business included work as general manager of Billboard magazine's Nashville office, launching the Don Light Talent booking agency for gospel artists and producing, as well as artist management for the likes of The Oak Ridge Boys, Delbert McClinton and Jimmy Buffett, among others.

•Lou Hildreth: Over a 50-year career in gospel music, Hildreth has been part of the gospel-singing Wills Family, a gospel artist booking agent, TV show host and 20-year member of the GMA board

Source: The Tennesseen

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On the Web:
Gospel Music Hall of Fame

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 23, 2005 [+] ::

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8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005

Click on image above to send a Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 she-card


This in from sister Helen Northeast:

WOMENFEST 2005
Mark your calendars for the 8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005 on Sunday
March 13 in Ebisu at What the Dickens!

WOMENFEST 2005 showcases local female talent in music, dance and comedy as a way of celebrating International Women's Day.

Doors open 3:00 PM, shows start at 3:30 PM and continue until around
11:30 PM. Everyone is welcome -- men, women and kids.

Tickets are available for ¥1,500 at the door and re-entry is OK.
Kids free!
Smoking section on the upper level and outside.
Lower level non-smoking.
Vegetarian and regular pub food is available.

Performers include:
  •AKAONIDAIKO—Taiko Drums
  •ANNA MACKIE & MIEKO YAGI—Jazz vocals/keyboards
  •CAFE CREME TOKYO—French chansons
  •LENNE HARDT—Cabaret
  •MATAMA TAKAHASHI—Violin
  •MICHELINE—Fusion Dance
  •MOMOSEN—Improvisational Dance
  •TOKYO COMEDY STORE'S SPONTANEOUS CONFUSION—Improv
  •ZILLI—Belly Dance
  •THE INSISTUZ—R & B/pop/rock
    featuring
    PAULA TERRY—vocals
    HELEN NORTHEAST—bass & vocals
    CLAUDIA—vocals
    SHION LEE—keyboards & vocals
    JAMES BALDWIN—harmonica
    BILL BENFIELD—guitar/mandolin
    STEVEN COLEMAN—guitar
    ANDY MATSUKAMI—drums & vocals
with SPRING DAY as emcee


To have your talent considered for WomenFest or for more information about the show, please contact: Helen Northeast. Tel: 0422-41-6258 (Tel/Fax) Mobile: 090-8744-9598 Email: helen@gol.com<

All proceeds of WomenFest 2005 go to pay the talent and sound crew at the show as a means to support female artists. This is a non-profit event organized entirely by Helen Northeast and a small volunteer staff.

Info:

Tickets  ¥1,500
What:    8th Annual Tokyo WOMENFEST 2005
When: Sunday, March 13, 3 p.m.
How much: ¥1,500
Where:    What the Dickens!
          4F Roob 6 Bldg.
          Ebisu-Nishi 1-13-3
          Shibuya-ku
          Tel: 03-3780-2099
Map: http://www.eigomedia.com/dickens/

Getting there:
Ebisu West Exit (front of the station, Hibiya Subway Line entrance)
Cross the street and turn up the street between Wendy's and KFC.
Look for the Roob Building on your left.)





Click here to send a WOMENFEST 2005 e-card

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Bonnie Raitt mourns famous dad

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 21) -- Though in his later years he joked that he had become best known as singer Bonnie Raitt's father, John Raitt was famous in his own right as the robust baritone who livened musicals such as "Carousel" and "The Pajama Game."

Raitt died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, said his manager, James Fitzgerald. Raitt was 88. "His life and monumental contribution to the history of Broadway musical theater will be an inspiration always," Bonnie Raitt said in a statement released Monday. She hailed him as "the most loving, wonderful father to us kids, husband to his wife and the greatest singer I've ever heard."

He had become well known on the West Coast for his handsome presence and ringing voice when in 1944 he was invited to New York to try out for the role of Curly in the road company of "Oklahoma!" He was rushed to the St. James Theater and an audition with Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.

In 1995, Raitt recalled: "I hadn't sung since California, so I said, 'Do you mind if I warm up?' I sang Figaro's aria from 'The Barber of Seville.' Then I sang all of Curly's songs.'"

There was silence when he finished. The problem was not his voice, which was both melodic and powerful, but his height. At 6 feet 2, was he too tall for Curly? Hammerstein reasoned: "I'm a tall man. Why can't Curly be tall?" Raitt was hired for the Chicago company of "Oklahoma!"

Rodgers and Hammerstein had been working on their second collaboration, "Carousel," and they chose Raitt for the role of the doomed hero Billy Bigelow.

Raitt astounded the opening-night audience in 1945 with his dynamic soliloquy, which he called "practically a one-act opera which took six and a half minutes to sing." He said Hammerstein had been inspired to write it when he heard the newcomer sing Figaro at the audition.

Raitt's star status on Broadway was assured, and after the long run in "Carousel" he appeared in "Magdalena," "Three Wishes for Jamie" and "Carnival in Flanders." He lacked a big crossover to film until "The Pajama Game" in 1954.

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Branford Marsalis returns to jazz fold

NEW YORK (Feb. 22)—Branford Marsalis has no regrets about casting aside what to many would seem the trappings of a successful musical career - the gigs as bandleader-sidekick on "The Tonight Show" and musical director of Sting's post-Police band, even a contract with a major record label.
He has plugged his ears to the siren call of pop stardom, and shuns the spotlight of the fast-paced L.A. and New York scenes.

"I learned a lot about American pop culture and the entertainment business," said Marsalis, describing the lessons gained from his "Tonight" show experience from 1992 to '95. "What makes entertainment work for everybody is a certain embracing of the blatant superficiality of it, and that's just something that I wasn't able to do...It was the revelation I needed to realize that I'm not an entertainer, I'm an artist."

Today, the 44-year-old Marsalis is living his life and defining success on his own terms. In 2002, he started his own record label, Marsalis Music, and moved his family from the New York City suburbs to Durham, N.C., where he was able to purchase a house large enough to accommodate a basement recording studio. Marsalis, a New Orleans native, said he preferred returning to his Southern roots to raise his family.

Marsalis mostly performs these days with his quartet at jazz clubs, festivals and college campuses. He occasionally appears with symphony orchestras to perform a classical repertoire. His current quartet has been together for nearly six years.

Marsalis, the oldest of six brothers, says his respect for the jazz tradition was nurtured by growing up in a musical household where his father, Ellis, a noted jazz educator, exposed his children to jazz without force-feeding it to them or acting as a stage father.

Marsalis concedes he wasn't really sure about his musical path until he took the "Tonight" post and felt something was lacking.

"My crisis of conscience has always been in, like, leaving jazz to go do other things, because I wasn't really sure about wanting to play jazz," said Marsalis. "Once I decided that jazz was what I wanted to do . . . I realized that this is what I was meant to do and I just set about the task of doing it."

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On the Web:
Branford Marsalis

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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News Lake to host music fest

Edmonton, Canada, (Feb. 21)—Between LibertyFest, the Jazz and Blues Festival and Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Edmond already has a good number of big annual events to draw attention to the city, but there's one more on the way.

The city is hoping this June's AcoustiCadia acoustic music festival out at Arcadia Lake will be the first of many, and with a stacked bill headlined by six-time Grammy Award-winning bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs, there's no reason to doubt the festival's instant success.

Organized by the Edmond Arts and Humanities Council, AcoustiCadia is being modeled after similarly themed festivals, like Guthrie's annual fall Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival and the Old Settler's Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

In addition to the slate of performing artists, there will also be morning clinics before each day's festivities hosted by the performers, as well as a children's tent full of activities like learning how to play instruments, or learning how they were traditionally made.

Proceeds from the show will go to benefit music departments at Edmond schools.

Organizers have set 6,000 attendees and $25,000 to $30,000 raised for school music departments as a goal.

Nellie Green, chairman of the Edmond Arts and Humanities Council, said the reaction so far has been overwhelming.

"We put the word out and so many people in Edmond thought it was a great idea and jumped at the opportunity to be on the committee so now we have 16 or 18 people on the committee that are just representative of all of the areas of expertise," Green said.

So even though this is the first time the EAHC has handled organizing and promoting a major music festival, Green said they are capitalizing on the talents of their employees and volunteers, and that so far, things have been progressing smoothly.

Even so, her expectation was that the stress involved with organizing the event will peak long before the first note is played.

"It's like a wedding," Green said. "Planning a wedding is so stressful, but on the day of it just happens. Whatever happens, happens. On that day, it's either ready or it's not."

EAHC member and Edmond City Councilman Wayne Page said events like AcoustiCadia are necessary to reshape the image people have in their minds when they think of Edmond.

"With as many things as we have going on here, we have become a community where we need to say we are a destination point, we have things to do, come and stay a while," Page said.

AcoustiCadia runs June 10 and 11, rain or shine.

A two-day pass for the festival will cost $40 at the door, or $25 if purchased in advance.

Non-profit organizations interested in selling advance tickets will be able to keep $5 from each ticket sold.

For more information or to sponsor or volunteer for the event, call 359-4683.

Source: Edmond Sun

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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CD releases for Feb. 22

.
Rory Block "From the Dust" Telarc
Ravi Coltrane "In Flux" Savoy Jazz
Blind Boys of Alabama, The "Praying Time" Compendia
George Clinton & Gene "Poo Poo Man" Anderson "Snot Logical" Activate
Andrae Crouch "Soulfully" Compendia
Lonnie Johnson "The Original Guitar Wizard [box set]" (4 CDs, 95 tracks from 1925-52) Proper Box U.K.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers "Then and Now" Sanctuary
Blind Boys of Alabama, The "Go Tell It to the Mountain [DVD]" Eagle Vision
Fleetwood Mac "Classic Albums: Rumours [DVD]" (1977 album) Eagle Vision
Grateful Dead "Classic Albums: Anthem to Beauty [DVD]" (1968 album "Anthem to the Sun," with 1970's "American Beauty") Eagle Vision

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On the Web:
Record Rack
The Tokyo-Blues monthly roundup of new releases

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Long John Baldry—It Ain't Easy

Growing up, Long John Baldry was one of the voices that introduced me to the blues, along with Lee Dorsey and Fats Domino.

So it was a pleasant surprise to hear from Blues Brother Frank Garcia over at LivinBlues that two great Long John Baldry albums: It Ain't Easy and Everything Stops for Tea are finally being reissued on CD by Stony Plain in Canada, around April. There is no U.S. distributor as of yet.



Stony Plain has done a great job on the following Baldry reissues:
Remembering Leadbelly in 2001. Great CD, check out Baldry's renditions of "Rock Island Line," "John Hardy," and "Gallows Pole."

Long John Baldry Trio in 2000. Baldry's second live record, captured at the Downtown Blues Club in Hamburg in September 1999.

Right To Sing The Blues released in 1997, this Juno Award winning album includes in-depth interview with Baldry in which he talks about his early days.

Another Canadian release, in 1995 on EMI, is A Thrill's A Thrill: The Canadian Years, a two-CD collection brings together music from Long John's recordings for Capitol-EMI, Musicline, and Stony Plain Records. There is a good booklet that helps to explain Long John's Canadian recording career.

To prebook your order for the limited autograph edition, and for tour dates for
the Long John Baldry and The Mississippi Hippies' It Ain't Easy 2005 tour, visit:
Long John Baldry Web site

The IT AIN'T EASY 2005 TOUR kicks off June 23 & 24 at HUGH'S ROOM in TORONTO.
Contact info@hughsroom.com or call 416.531.6604 for tickets

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On the Web:
Long John Baldry Web site
LivinBlues
Stony Plain

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Soul Comes Home: A Celebration of Stax Records and the Memphis Sound

KQED (Feb. 19)—Soulsville, Live is a tribute concert celebrating Memphis Soul music and Stax Records.

In the 1960s, Memphis Soul musicians brought together diverse musical stylesmdash;blues, gospel, country and rhythm & blues—to create a new, captivating sound.

In large part, soul music made in Memphis provided the uplifting soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement. The preeminent Memphis Soul label, Stax Records, was a bulwark of integration at a time when Memphis was segregated. The staff at Stax was racially integrated from top to bottom, from engineers and musicians, to executives and owners. In operation from 1959 to 1975, Stax released more than 240 hit singles, including timeless #1 hits like "Theme from Shaft," "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," and "Respect Yourself." Star artists at Stax included Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Isaac Hayes, Booker T. and the MGs, The Staple Singers, Otis Redding, and Sam & Dave. Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MGs, and Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers all play prominent roles in Soulsville, Live.

Following in the footsteps of Stax, Hi Records, which was located in the same neighborhood as Stax, released a string of unforgettable hits in the 1970s, including "Let's Stay Together," "Love and Happiness," and "I Can't Stand the Rain."

The biggest star at Hi Records was Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Al Green, who provides the crowning performance to "Soulsville, Live." Joining the former Stax and Hi stars in this concert is legendary soul singer Soloman Burke, Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band, and Jimmie Vaughan of The Fabulous Thunderbirds

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Channels and Airdates:
KQED Life
Sun, Feb 27, 2005 -- 5:00 pm
Duration: 1:25:14 CC Stereo TVG

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On the subject of Soulsville, here's one for your collection. I know it was released in Germany on Fantasy/ ZYX Music (Fantasy FANCD 6083-2)



Track List
1 Linda Lyndell:What a man
2 Isaac Hayes:Theme from the "men"
3 Jean Knight:Mr. Big stuff
4 Rufus Thomas:Do the funky chicken
5 Eddie Floyd:Bring it on home to me
6 Isaac Hayes: Soulsville
7 Booker T. & The MGs:Time is tighe (fast version)
8 Staple Singers:Respect yourself
9 Staple Singers:I'll take you there
10 Carla Thomas:I like what you're doing to me
11 Johnnie Taylor:I believe in you
12 Booker T. & the MGs:Melting pot
13 Isaac Hayes:Theme from "Shaft"
14 Albert King:That's what the blues is all about
15 Johnnie Taylor:Cheaper to keep her
16 Booker T. & The MGs:Green onions (alt. track)
17 Dramatics:Whatcha see is whatcha get
18 Otis Redding:The dock of the bay (alt. track)
19 Otis Redding:Try a little tenderness (alt. track)
20 Isaac Hayes:Soulsville (live version / bonus track)

total time: 79:55

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Godfather tells it like it is to Timberlake

The Godfather of Soul James Brown rode Justin Timberlake pretty hard during a pre-Grammy rehearsal for their duet performance of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."

A source says Justin had trouble with the song, and "Brown kept telling him that if he wanted to last in the music business, he had to work harder and perfect his craft."

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 22, 2005 [+] ::

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Bird's sax sells for $260,000

BBC News (Feb. 21)—A saxophone belonging to jazz legend Charlie Parker has been sold for $261,750 (£140,332) at an auction of jazz memorabilia in New York. The alto sax was hidden away by his widow for almost 50 years after the musician's death in 1955.

Other highlights of the auction included items from Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane.

Organisers Guernsey said the auction was the first in the US to be devoted to items belonging to jazz musicians.

Clothing
Among the other musical instruments sold were a clarinet belonging to Benny Goodman, which was auctioned for $25,000 (£13,403), Lionel Hampton's vibraphone, and a Dizzy Gillespie trumpet which fetched nearly $31,000 (£16,620).

Handwritten items were also popular, including three sheets of musical arrangement for Coltrane's song A Love Supreme, which sold for $129,000 (£69,100), and a letter written by Armstrong to his agent which fetched $29,500 (£15,547).

Items of clothing and personal possessions were also auctioned, among them a smoking jacket belonging to Thelonius Monk, and Charlie Parker's gold pocket watch, which was sold for nearly $13,000 (£6,900).

However, a saxophone belonging to Coltrane was withdrawn from auction after it failed to make an opening bid of $500,000 (£268,000).

TS Monk, the son of the jazz legend Thelonius, said the event was "kind of sacred".



Lionel Hampton's vibraphone was sold for $50,000 (£26,800)

Souls
"They are all so alive," he said of the musicians represented. "They are alive in our hearts and our collective souls."

Guernsey's president, Arlan Ettinger, said the auction house first had the idea of a sale of jazz memorabilia 10 years ago but it only became a reality over the past year as the families of the musicians involved began to show their support.

He added that many of the families involved in the sale would be donating the proceeds to various foundations.

"A lot of this has never been seen before and it comes from the greatest provenance you can have—it never left the family," Mr Ettinger said.

"To give up treasures in the hope that something from the past will help something in the future is a wonderful thing."

American Jazz Museum in on bidding
The American Jazz Museum bought 15 items, including cufflinks and a pocket watch belonging to Charlie Parker, on Sunday at an auction of artifacts owned by jazz legends.

"We got some very terrific things and we're very happy with what we got," museum director Juanita Moore said as she left the auction at Lincoln Center in New York.

Moore said the museum spent, with commissions, $64,000 on a pair of cufflinks owned by Kansas City, Kan., native Parker and 14 other items including:

• A pocket watch owned by Parker.
• A payment statement from trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie to saxophonist John Coltrane.
• A tape of a jam session that included Parker, recorded by his common-law wife, Chan Parker.
• Coltrane's Navy dog tags.
• Two handwritten letters to Rep. John Conyers from Coltrane.
• A handwritten arrangement by trombonist J.J. Johnson.

The priciest item the American Jazz Museum won was Parker's pocket watch, which went for $11,000.

The auction, held by Guernsey's, is said to have been the biggest ever devoted to jazz memorabilia. More than 400 lots were offered, some with multiple items. Among them were Parker's fabled King Super 20 alto saxophone; Benny Goodman's clarinet; Lionel Hampton's vibraphone; a smoking jacket owned by Hampton; and saxophones and sheet music belonging to Coltrane.

Moore and museum development director Paul Lerner, a former Sotheby's employee, traveled to New York for the auction.

The museum, in the historic 18th and Vine district, paid about $140,000 a decade ago to acquire a plastic alto saxophone owned by Parker, who is considered the father of bebop.

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Related Blues Blog post
Jazz: The Auction (2/18/2005)

:: Les Coles Monday, February 21, 2005 [+] ::

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Dirty Dozen Brass Band Japan Tour 2005

As I said yester, I'm currently working on an article on the Dirty Dozen Brass Band Japan Tour 2005 that will appear in Thursday's edition of The Daily Yomiuri.

But for Blues Bloggers, there's a profile on the band posted here on the main site, tokyo-blues.com

Tour itinerary:
With special guest the Benevento/Russo Duo.
February 24th - Takutaku - Kyoto
February 25th - Club Quattro - Osaka
February 26th - Club Quattro - Nagoya
February 28th - Club Quattro - Tokyo
March 1st - Club Quattro - Tokyo
Tickets ¥6,000.
Tel: Smash 03-3444-6751

:: Les Coles Monday, February 21, 2005 [+] ::

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Transcription blues

Enjoy this Buddy & Hopkins cartoon as I won't have time to post anything else today as I'm busy doing the worst part of a journalist's job—transcribing an interview tape.

On Thursday, I caught up with Dirty Dozen founder member and saxophonist Roger Lewis as the band rolled into Atlanta on its latest tour. I am now paying the price for chin-wagging and drifting off at tangents during the interview. But with a cat like Lewis and a band with a history like the Dirty Dozen, it's all too easy to do.

Long story short, I gotta get the tape transcribed and craft a story for inclusion of Thursday's edition of The Daily Yomiuri ahead of the band's latest tour of Japan

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On the Web:
Buddy and Hopkins: Music cartoons

:: Les Coles Sunday, February 20, 2005 [+] ::

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