Hear Jeff Jensen talk about his new CD I’m Coming Home.

.

.

The Jeff Jensen Band’s CD I’m Coming Home is some of the most enjoyable and fun blues I’ve heard in awhile.  This is a five peace band with trumpet, trombone, and sax added to give it a larger sound with a bit of a swing to it.  The CD kicks off with the B.B. King song “Ask Me No Questions” which Jeff said the band has been doing this for years.  They do it a little faster than BB and add horns, makes it work really good as the opener.  “Good Morning Judge” is a Wynonie Harris hit that Jeff and the band really do a good job of.  This is one of the songs you will play over and over because it really swings.  About half of the songs were written or co-written by Jeff.  Two of the more out standing ones are “Skinny Girls” and “She’s Evil”.  Both have somewhat funny lyrics with the latter having strong vocals not to mention good guitar work.  The real stand out (this has been going through my head a lot) is “Living In Los Angeles” with good hooks with fun lyrics. You will really like this song, well really the whole cd I’m Coming Home.

Songs on this week’s show:
Living In Los Angeles
I’m Coming Home
Skinny Girls
She’s Evil

Jeff Jensen Band Website (check out the videos)

Jeff Jensen Band MySpace (some nice videos there too)

Buy Jeff Jensen Band’s CD at CDBaby.Com

Thanks to Jeff Jensen for giving such a fun interview it was like talking to an old friend.
Thanks to Michael McClune Media & Mktg. set everything up

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

.

Episode # 3 The Early Artists on Alligator Records

This week you will hear Bruce Iglauer continue his interesting story about the founding of Alligator Records and about some of the early artist that were on the label.
Big Walter Horton, Son Seals, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins were some of the early artists to record with this young record label. Now almost forty years latter many of these are considered the big names in the blues world.

Below is just a few of the great CD’s that Alligator Records put out in their early years.

Songs heard in this week’s show:
Big Walter Horton “Have A Good Time” from Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell
Son Seals “Help Me, Somebody” from Live & Burning
Koko Taylor “You Ain’t Worth A Good Woman” from Old School
Albert Collins “Master Charge” from Ice Pickin’

Be sure to go by Alligator Records to buy all these records and the many many other blues classics.  You should also check out NEW cd’s by The Holmes Brothers and Guitar Shorty.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

]]> http://a1artistspotlight.com/2010/03/04/bruce-iglauer-the-story-of-alligator-records-episode-3-the-early-artists-on-alligator-records/feed/ 40:14 . . Episode # 3 The Early Artists on Alligator Records This week you will hear Bruce Iglauer continue his interesting story about the founding of Alligator ... . . Episode # 3 The Early Artists on Alligator Records This week you will hear Bruce Iglauer continue his interesting story about the founding of Alligator Records and about some of the early artist that were on the label. Big Walter Horton, Son Seals, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins were some of the early artists to record with this young record label. Now almost forty years latter many of these are considered the big names in the blues world. Below is just a few of the great CDrsquo;s that Alligator Records put out in their early years. Songs heard in this weekrsquo;s show: Big Walter Horton ldquo;Have A Good Timerdquo; from Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell Son Seals ldquo;Help Me, Somebodyrdquo; from Live #38; Burning Koko Taylor ldquo;You Ain't Worth A Good Womanrdquo; from Old School Albert Collins ldquo;Master Chargerdquo; from Ice Pickin' Be sure to go by Alligator Records to buy all these records and the many many other blues classics.nbsp; You should also check out NEW cd's by The Holmes Brothers and Guitar Shorty. . Blues Music and Interviews A1Blues.Com formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com by A1 Mark Podcast A1 Mark no No http://a1artistspotlight.com/2010/02/25/128-john-primer-%e2%80%93-all-originals/ http://a1artistspotlight.com/2010/02/25/128-john-primer-%e2%80%93-all-originals/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:08:59 +0000 A1 Mark http://a1artistspotlight.com/?p=846

This week you will hear Grammy Nominated John Primer talk about his solo record All Originals as well as some songs from that record.
.

.

John Primer was born in 1945 in Camden, Mississippi, USA. He grew up with music all around, from family and friends playing to listening to old 78s. John said he always wanted to be a musician, a guitar player.

In 1963 John moved to Chicago and played guitar on Maxwell St. with a band called The Maintainers which also had Arthur Adams on guitar. John played in the house band at Theresa’s Lounge for eight years. In the show John talks about some of the artists he got to play with there as well as some of the different bands he played in like Willie Dixon’s, Muddy Waters’ and Magic Slim’s.

This weeks show will be focusing on his solo record All Originals. This is a record of good old blues, no screaming rock guitars just blues music. John Primer is a man that has played with some of the biggest names in blues and has walked away with the understanding of what makes a good blues song. This is evident by the fact that he has been nominated for two 2010 Blues Music Awards. One for Best Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year. The other one is for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.

Judge for yourself, these are the songs played on this weeks show. If you like them be sure to go to The Blues Foundation and vote for John Primer.
Other Man
Bad Child
Keep on Loving the Blues
At Home Alone

One more thing, John Primer along with Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Branch, and Lurrie Bell have put out a record called Chicago Blues: A Living History. This record was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album 2009.

Go to John Primer’s Website

See videos of John Primer playing

Buy All Original from John Primer’s Website

Buy John Primer All Original from Amazon.Com

A big thanks goes out to John Primer for letting me interview him and to Lisa Becker from Becker Booking & Promotion for setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

This week you will hear Shane Dwight talk about his CD Plays the Blues as well as some really good music from this CD.
.

.
Shane Dwight is doing something I’ve only heard the “Boss” (Bruce Springsteen) and Guns N’ Roses do. He is releasing two records at the same time. Shane described Give Me Back the Money as more of an overview of his different influences. It has R&B, some kind of country stuff, as well as alternative rock. Shane feels this is some of his best studio music yet. The other CD is the one we will be talking about and playing songs from in the show. The name of the CD is Plays the Blues which starts out with five really good studio tracks. The last five tracks are live and they are great.

Shane’s guitar playing is really good on all the tracks. As you will hear in the show he has a unique sounding voice that’s really cool. “Standing” starts off with a really good lead guitar introduction as it goes into a solid blues rocking number. “Have Some of That” has hit written all over it with good hooks, good guitars, nice horns and clever lyrics. “She’s So Sweet” is another song that really gets you rockin.

Shane tells an unbelievable story in the show about how the live tracks came about. You will get a real kick out of his story. The Allman Brothers are know for Eat A Peach, B.B. King is known for Live at the Regal, for better or worse Shane Dwight will probably be known for the five live tracks on Plays the Blues. The only thing I don’t like about these tracks is I really don’t think he will ever be able to top these five songs. These five tracks are over the top. Shane’s guitar playing is great, the band is playing great and tight, the jamming is excellent, and Danny Whole’s saxophone playing is great too. The song “Ode To Albert” (of course Albert King) is six minutes of the best Albert King style music you may ever hear, this is a grand slam home run. The last song “Boogie King” is eight minutes of about the best boogie music you may ever hear. Plays the Blues is a great CD. The studio songs are really good, a few of which could be hits on blues or rock radio stations. You should call your local radio station and request “Have Some Of That”. If your radio station will play longer songs, you know beyond three minutes ask them to play “High Times”, “Ode To Albert” or “Boogie King”. You may like to warn the radio station their phones will be ringing off the hooks after these songs.

Shane Dwight’s Plays the Blues is a must have CD. Below are some links to where you can buy perhaps the best CD you buy this year.

Thanks to Kool Breeze at KCOR Kansas City Online Radio who does the show Kool Breeze & Sizzlin Blues for turning me on to Shane Dwight. I’ve really had a great time listening to Plays the Blues over and over again, Thanks Breeze.

Songs played on this week’s show
Have Some of That
Standing
High Time
Pretty, Young and Mean
Ode to Albert

Shane Dwight Website

Shane Dwight MySpace

Shane Dwight Facebook

Buy Shane Dwight’s CD at his Website

Buy Shane Dwight’s CD Plays the Blues from Amazon.Com

Thanks to Shane Dwight for taking the time to do this fun interview and to Rob Zolezzi for his help in setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Lil’ Dave is survived by Susan White, his wife of 15 years; his children: David Jr. (20), Danielle (19), Shequeena (18), Shirleiah (16) and Destiny (13); sisters Patricia, Barbara Denise, Jennifer and Pasty Thompson, Zenovia Henderson and Rose Marie Richmond; and brothers John, Sam, Elijah Allen and Tyrone Thompson. Please keep them and his band members in your prayers.

When I interviewed Lil Dave Thompson back in December he was in good sprites and looking forwarded to working on a new live record.  Dave will be greatly missed.

This week you will get to hear Tail Dragger talk about what the real blues are as well as songs from his new CD Live at Rooster’s Lounge.
.

.

Tail Dragger was born James Yancey Jones in 1940 in Altheimer, Arkansas, USA. He moved to Chicago in 1966 where his idol Howlin’ Wolf let him get on the bandstand with him. In this show Tail Dragger talks a lot about working with Howlin’ Wolf and how Wolf not only gave Tail Dragger his name but was also a mentor to Tail Dragger.

Even though his history will be interesting to listen to, the real thrill is to hear this blues man and his music. This is raw music from the heart of Tail Dragger. He told me his job is to get out there and entertain the people. He said he never uses a playlist because he wants to see and feel what his audience will want to hear next. He also explains on the show why he never has rehearsals for the songs they are going to be playing. Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, the guitarist, seems to know where the song is going all the time even without rehearsals. Harp player Martin Lang does a really fine job on all the songs. Our old friend Jimmy Dawkins sets in one song called “Wander”.

Besides this being a really good old school blues CD there is also a DVD available of the concert. You really get a better idea of what it’s like to be in a club with an old time blues man that really wants his audience to have a good time. There is no rock n’ roll here it’s all low down gritty blues. Just like with the Byther Smith DVD Blues On The Moon from 2008 one of the real treats is the bonus track. It’s only an audio track with Tail Dragger and some band members talking about all sorts of things. Sometimes Tail Dragger is a little hard to understand and could maybe have used a little more of guidance on what to talk about. However, when it’s over you really feel you have stepped in to Tail Dragger’s world. I liked watching the DVD of the concert and the bonus track was really nice. Depending on how or what you listen to music on the DVD may be a better choice because you still hear all the songs and today’s TVs have really good sound quality. Whatever your choice is, run by Delmark Records and pick up a copy of Tail Dragger,
Live at Rooster’s Lounge. They also have a short video at Delmark Records website of Tail Dragger, check that out too.

The songs heard on this week’s show:
Wander
She’s Worryin’ Me
Stop Lying
Bought Me a New Home

Tail Dragger MySpace

To buy Tail Dragger’s CD\DVD or see the free video at Delmark Records

Check out other great CDs on Delmark Records like Quintus McCormick, Shirley Johnson, Zora Young, Eddie C. Campbell or Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues.
All these artists are up for Blues Music Awards this year with the exception of Quintus who’s CD is too new to be on the list. It better be next year because it’s one of the best.
Thanks to Tail Dragger for taking time to do this interview.
Thanks also to Kevin Johnson for all his help in getting everything set up.

.

.

Episode # 2 Bruce Iglauer & Hound Dog Taylor

This week you will hear Bruce Iglauer talk about why he thought Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers was such a good band even though the first time he saw them he didn’t get into what they were doing. Bruce talks a bit about what went into the recording of that first record in order to making it sound so full of energy like you were really there at a concert with them.

Getting the money to start Alligator Records was one thing. Getting radio stations to play an artist they’d never heard of could be a real problem but Bruce had a plan for selling Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers LP, boy did it work out good. He loaded his car with a bunch of LP’s and drive to all the radio stations asking them to play this record he had just made of his favorite artist and they did. Warning: to all you blues artists out there today don’t try this at home till you’ve listened to the show and understand how Bruce got radio stations to play his record and how he sold out of all the records before he got back home.

One of the things I liked so much about this episode is that besides hearing about how Alligator Records was started it’s also partly a show about Hound Dog Taylor, someone I’ve wanted to do a show on for quite awhile.

Bruce Iglauer will be back with us the first Thursday of next month to talk about the early years of this struggling record label and how they started getting well known blues artists to sign up.

Songs in this week’s show:
“She’s Gone” from Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers
“Give Me Back My Wig” from Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers
Elvin Bishop – “Let’s Get Funky” from Hound Dog Taylor A Tribute
“Gonna Send You Back to Georgia” from Release the Hound

Be sure to go by Alligator Records’ Website where you can read about all the artists that have been on the label, see when their tours comes near you, buy your favorite CD’s, DVD’s, T-shirts, or just enjoy the music on the Alligator Steaming Radio.

If you missed part one of the interview with Bruce Iglauer click here.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

This week you will hear Henry Gray telling us about his rich blues history and about his new record Times Are Getting’ Hard.
.

.

Henry Gray was born in 1925 in Louisiana, USA. He started playing piano when he was around seven or eight years old. His father was the deacon of the church and after some lessons from an elderly woman by the named of Mrs. White, Henry started playing piano and organ in church. Because many people in those days thought the blues was the devils music Henry was not allowed to play the blues in their home. Henry had to sneak to find places he could go to play the blues like to Mrs. White’s house. When he was 16 he got a job playing blues in a club. He served seven years during World War II in the south Pacific. After getting out of the army he returned home for a brief time them moved to Chicago. In the show Henry talks about getting to work in Chicago with Big Maceo Merriwether. Big Maceo was a big name in those days and he took Henry Gray under his wing. In 1956 Howlin’ Wolf asked him to join his band which is where Henry stayed till 1968. Over the years Henry has played with a who’s who of famous blues artists like Little Walter (whom he knew before moving to Chicago), Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush and many more.

Henry Gray does not have too many solo records considering how long he has been around and playing. Most of them are available through his website as well as a DVD. What I liked so much about Henry’s music the very first time I heard it is its old time Barrelhouse Blues sound. Seems like the only time you hear this style of music nowadays is on an old scratchy record with poor sound quality. Times Are Getting’ Hard was recorded in 2009 and the sound quality is real good. The music has a very strong beat similar to what would eventually become rock & roll. This however is led by the piano as the lead instrument instead of the guitar. This show is a great chance to hear one of the last blues men that played from the mid-forties to the mid-sixties talk about what it was like in those days. The music of course speaks for itself. If you only own one CD of Barrelhouse Blues Times Are Getting’ Hard by Henry Gray would be a really good one to have.

Blues Music Awards has nominated Henry Gray for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award this year.

Songs in this week’s show by Henry Gray & The Cats:
Times Are Getting’ Hard
How Could You Do It
Katrina Katrina
Come On In
Goin’ Downtown
Barack Obama Boogie

Henry Gray’s Website

Henry Gray’s MySpace

Henry Gray’s Facebook

Buy Henry Gray’s cd Times Are Getting’ Hard from his Website

Thanks to Henry Gray for doing the interview and to Andy Cornett for all his help in setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Debbie Davies talk about her new instrumental CD Holdin’ Court.
.

.

You probably recall we talked to Debbie Davies about her last CD Blues Blast not all that long ago (click here to hear that show). Blues Blast had a lot of special guest on it like Coco Montoya and Charlie Musselwhite. Past recordings have had guest appearances by people like Albert Collins, Ike Turner, Duke Robillard, James Cotton, Mick Taylor, and Peter Green. This time out Debbie has decided to do something different. The band you will be hearing is her touring band that consists of Debbie Davies on all the guitars, Casandra Faulconer on bass guitar and Don Castagno on drums. Paul Opalach plays organ on some tracks but is not part of the touring band. The other big difference in this new record is that it is an all-instrumental adventure in different styles of 1960’s blues artists that inspired Debbie to play guitar. This is a fresh change in what we have been hearing from most blues artists. In the past, people like Kenny Burrell and Albert Collins have done many instrumentals. Freddie King’s biggest hit was the instrumental “Hide Away”. Getting a whole record of blues instrumentals should not seem like an unusual thing however I cannot think of any that have come out in the last few years.

Debbie Davies’ Holdin’ Court starts with the Duke Robillard song “Fishnet”. This was not an instrumental on Duke’s New Blues for Modern Man but hearing Debbie do it you can’t imagine it any other way. Debbie said over the years she has been playing the Clarence Gatemouth Brown song “Oike Dokie Stomp” in her shows and a lot of fans have asked her to record that song. The fans know best because this is a really cool fast jazzy-blues song that is bound to put a smile on your face. There is also the John Lee Hooker song “I Wonder Why” that Debbie said she is doing more in a slow blues style of Otis Rush when he had done the song. As you probably remember from the last interview Debbie played guitar in Albert Collins band early on. “If You Love Me Like You Say” was a song she remembered playing in his band many times so she decided to recorded it herself this time. She also said her song “So What” is kind of based on the real funky blues style she got to play with Albert Collins.

In the show this week you will get to hear five songs Debbie wrote. She said some of the songs had appeared on her other records but got re-recorded for Holdin’ Court by her touring band. “Tryin’ to Keep It Real“ was on the 2005 record All I Found but appears here as a very nice instrumental. “Atras De Tus Ojos” was on the 1999 record Tales from the Austin Motel. This was redone even more beautiful than the last time with more Spanish flavor too. Holdin’ Court has been enjoyable to listen to as a regular record but also found it very refreshing to just hear music with no words, it really lets your mind follow the instruments more. Holdin’ Court is well on it’s way as my favorite CD to play while reading. Below are some links to buy Debbie Davies CD’s please pick one or two up and help keep the blues alive for another year.

The songs on this weeks show:
Tryin’ to Keep It Real
Atras De Tus Ojos
Percolatin’
Zoom-in’
Holdin’ Court

Debbie Davies Website

Debbie Davies’s MySpace

Debbie Davies on You Tube

Buy any of Debbie Davies CD’s at her Website Plus some exclovice Live ones ONLY at this website

Debbie Davies’ Live CD ONLY at her Website

Debbie Davies Tour Dates

Buy Debbie Davies Holdin’ Court at Amazon.com

Buy Debbie Davies Blues Blast at Amazon.com

Buy Debbie Davies All I Found at Amazon.com

Buy Debbie Davies Tales from the Austin Motel at Amazon.com

Buy Debbie Davies I Got That Feeling at Amazon.com

Thanks to Debbie Davies for taking the time to do this interview also thanks to Harley Erickson for setting everything up. You may want to listen to Harley Erickson’s MySpace page too she has some very good music.

.

.

This week you will get to hear Duke Robillard talk about his Grammy nominated CD Stomp! The Blues Tonight.

Very little needs to be said about Duke Robillard because everyone knows him and respects him very highly. He was the founder of Roomful of Blues when he was still a teenager. In 1979 he left to work with Robert Gordon, then Legendary Blues Band then, just solo till about 1990 when he replaced Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Duke will be asked about all of these bands he was in on this weeks show. After the Fabulous Thunderbirds he went back to being a solo act and has worked with just about everyone and has had his songs recorded by just about everyone too.

His newest record Stomp! The Blues Tonight was released by Stony Plain Records in June of 2009. This record is more of a jump blues style than his other records. Since not many people do this style of blues anymore it is very nice to get to have someone of Duke’s caliber doing this. He also has Sunny Crownover sing on some of the songs, which is a nice change of pace.

Besides being nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Traditional Blues” category, Duke has been nominated by the Blues Music Awards for “Band of the Year”, “Album of the Year”, “Instrumentalist-Guitar”, and “Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year”.

As you listen to this weeks show on Duke Robillard you will understand why he is up for so many awards, enjoy.

As Duke announced in the show he also has a new CD coming out February 2nd called Tales from the Tiki Lounge. You can order an advance copy of it from his website.

Songs played this week:
Swinging with Lucy Mae (is from 2008 -A Swingin’ Session with Duke Robillard)
Jumpin’ the Bone
Look But Don’t Touch
Stomp the Blues Tonight

Duke Robillard’s Website

Duke Robillard’s MySpace

But any of Duke Robillard’s CD from his Website (ask for it to be autographed free)

Check out other blues artists at Stony Plain Records like Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Ronnie Earl and Jeff Healey.

Thanks to Duke Robillard for talking time do this interview and to Mark Pucci for setting everything up again.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

.

Episode # 1 Bruce Iglauer Way Laid By The Blues

This week hear Bruce Iglauer the founder of Alligator Records talk about how he got interested in the blues.

Alligator Records is one of the largest, if not the largest independent blues labels around today. Alligator is the status symbol of the blues record labels. An artist knows they have made it or at least well on their way when they are asked to record on Alligator Records. Just look at the names of some of the artist that have recorded one time or another for Alligator Records. Luther Allison, Lonnie Brooks, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, Roy Buchanan, Michael Burks, Tommy Castro, Albert Collins, Shemekia Copeland, James Cotton, Robert Cray and that’s only getting us through the A, B and C’s of the artists last names. Even with this I skipped big artists like Marcia Ball, Elvin Bishop and Cephas & Wiggins. There’s just way to many to list here. Check out a full list at Alligator Records Website.

To see a full list of artists signed to Alligator Records it’s truly amazing.

Bruce Iglauer, the founder of Alligator Records has agreed to be on the show the first week of the month for the next few months. This will be a very interesting and informative show since Bruce has worked with so many outstanding blues artists in the past 39 years. Put down that dry blues history book, step up to the speaker, and listen to Bruce tell you just how it was when he first heard Mississippi Fred McDowell playing the blues. How he got Luther Allison to play at his college and promoted it so good Luther stayed to play a second show. Bruce also got to work for Bob Koester, the head of another great blues label Delmark Records, where he got to see first hand Junior Wells and Buddy Guy record the 1970 record Southside Blues Jam. He saw many others recordings made and got ideas on how he would soon record his artists.

Be sure you take time to go to Alligator Records’ Website where you can read about all the artists that have been on the label, see when their tours comes near you, buy your favorite CD’s, DVD’s, T-shirts, or just enjoy the music on the Alligator Steaming Radio.

Songs in this week’s show:
Mississippi Fred McDowell “You Gotta Move” from You Gotta Move
Luther Allison “Cherry Red Wine” from Live in Chicago
Junior Wells & Buddy Guy “Blues For Mayor Daley” from Southside Blues Jam

Alligator Records Website

Thanks to Arhoolie Records for permission to play Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “You Gotta Move”. Click here to find out more about Mississippi Fred McDowell at Arhoolie Records website. They have some hard to find blues CD’s, LP’s and 45’s. Down Home Music Since 1960.

Thanks to Delmark Records for their continual support of this show as well as permission to play the Junior Wells & Buddy Guy song “Blues For Mayor Daley”. Be sure to go by Delmark Records’ website for the finest in Jazz & Blues since 1953. By the way if Junior Wells & Buddy Guy are not enough of a reason to buy this CD it is also the last studio appearance of Otis Spann.

To hear part two of the interview with Bruce Iglauer click here.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

.

This like last week will be some of the best songs from artists that have been on the show this past year.

January 7th I’ll be back with a new interview and great music.
The first show will be about someone who has had more to do with keeping the blues alive for the last forty years than probably any one else. This will be at least a four-part show airing the first Thursday of each month. You will love the stories he’ll be telling this is a must hear show.

If you have been wondering who to vote for in this years Blues Music Awards be sure to check the links at this website under “Past Shows”. Many of the artists have been interviewed here and more are coming in the next few months.

Have a happy New Year and always keep the blues alive.

A1 Mark

.
This week and next will be some of the best songs from artists that have been on the show this past year.

January 7th I’ll be back with new interviews and great music.
The first show will be about someone who has had more to do with keeping the blues alive for the last forty years than probably any one else. This will be at least a four-part show airing the first Thursday of each month. You will love the stories he’ll be telling this is a must hear show.

If you have been wondering who to vote for in this years Blues Music Awards be sure to check this website many have been interviewed here and more are coming in the coming months.

Have a merry Christmas, a happy New Year and keep the blues alive.

A1 Mark

This week hear David Gerald talk about his new record Hell and Back.

.

Recently Breeze who also does a blues show on KCOR Kansas City Online Radio called Kool Breeze & Sizzlin Blues (7pm CST USA time) was telling me about this new cd she was getting good response on by an artist named David Gerald. I had never heard of David but always on the lookout for good blues artists for the show I went to his website. There David has videos of five songs he is performing live. All five songs are covers of pretty much standard blues songs. What got me was how good he did these songs. I was not hearing someone just doing a good copying of a song. It was someone who was feeling the emotion of the songs. It was like you were hearing the songs for the first time. The first one is “I’ll Play the Blues for You” which most people know by Albert King, David’s version is right up there with the King’s. Most of you will remember Taj Mahal or The Blues Brothers doing “She Caught The Katy”. Then “Cold Shot” you will know from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1984 record Couldn’t Stand The Weather. David’s version of “Red House” is good but it’s when he does “The Thrill Is Gone” you really get to hear some wonderful music. It’s nine minutes of joy you’ll love. David does some really hot guitar solos on this song.

In this weeks show David Gerald talks about growing up in Detroit and how he started out loving the music of Prince, Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen. After having his heart broken over a girl or girls he started understanding the blues more. It was also people like Z.Z. Hill and remembering the artists his parents listened to that got him listening to the blues more and more.

David Gerald’s CD Hell and Back not only has those good live covers I was telling you about but really good studio tracks too. Like “My Guitar” an upbeat blues rockin’ song that will get people out on the dance floor. “Postman” has a steady thumping beat that delivers all the goods to your door. David will tell you about “Hell and Back” in the show but you should know this is a dark and haunting song that will get you wanting to play it over and over again. So the best solution is to go to one of the links below and buy David Gerald’s CD Hell and Back.

Songs on this weeks show:
My Guitar
Stay
How I Feel
Postman
Hell and Back

David Gerald Website

David Gerald MySpace

David Gerald Facebook

Buy David Gerald’s CD Hell & Back from his Website

Buy David Gerald’s CD Hell & Back from Amazon.Com

Thanks to David for taking the time to let me interview him.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Mac Arnold’s new record Country Man is just his latest accomplishment in a life of accomplishing good things. In Mac’s home of South Carolina, USA he and his brother Leroy made his first guitar out of an old gas can when he was only ten years old. Later in high school he played in a band that had James Brown as the piano player. Mac talks in the show about what James Brown was like way back then and about working in Muddy Waters band. Mac is also on John Lee Hookers Live At Café Au Go-Go, most people consider it John Lee Hookers’ best record ever.

In the 70’s he lived in West Hollywood while going to college to learn about working in television. Mac worked on the Soul Train television show and did some work with Quincy Jones as well as Bill Withers (“Lean On Me”). Mac decided to retire to South Carolina in 1989 but as he says in the show “Retirement is not all it’s cracked up to be with me, I couldn’t stand not doing anything ” so he started driving a truck. Mac keep running into Max Hightower (mechanic & harp player ) who for the next ten years keep asking Mac to start a blues band. In 2005 they put out their first record. Backbone & Gristle followed in 2008 and now in 2009 we have Country Man.

This is a man who is truly down to earth. In his slow reflective song “Farmer” he talks about living on the land. “This Old Tractor” is a upbeat song about working on his farm and driving by his baby’s house on the tractor. “Country Man” again has that rural theme plus it shows off Max Hightower’s harmonica playing. “If Walls Could Talk” is a fun song that almost makes you feel your in some small bar listening to the band and having a good time. “Holdin’ On To Lettin’ Go” is a pretty song with a nice guitar solo, you’ll hear this in the show. In the song “I Ain’t Sugar Coatin’” Mac does a little preaching about what people are doing wrong. He sings
“Some folks lean to the left, some lean to the right,
some lean to for keep truth out of sight,
we gotta to stop fighting, fussing and hate,
we need to come together before it’s to late,
I ain’t sugar coatin’
I ain’t sugar coatin’
I ain’t sugar coatin’
just telling you like it is”
Good job Mac thanks for telling it like it is. The record ends with a fun jazzy-blues instrumental called “Swing Me Back Home”. Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues have made a very enjoyable down home country-blues-rockin’ record. Below are some links to where you can buy this CD as well as some of their others. The CD Backbone & Gristle has a wonderful song about kids staying in school called “I Can Do Anything”

Country Man was produced by another Muddy Waters alumni Bob Margolin. Bob said of Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues
“Crafting an album can be a very artificial process but Mac and his band are truly a musical family. Each player contributes and cooperates. They came in prepared enough to know what they wanted to play but still open to inspiration in the moment and changing arrangements. I enjoyed that very natural creative process and I think the results are very evident and audible in their music.”
11-07-09

Songs heard on this weeks show:
I Ain’t Sugar Coatin’
This Ol’ Tractor
Holdin’ on to Lettin’ Go
Too Much
Mule for a Chevrolet

Go to Mac Arnold’s Website

Go to Mac Arnold’s MySpace

Buy Mac Arnold’s CD’s at his website

Buy Mac Arnold’s CD Country Man at Amazon.Com

Buy Mac Arnold’s CD Backbone & Gristle at Amazon.Com

Buy Mac Arnold’s CD Nothin’ To Prove at Amazon.Com

See more photos of Mac Arnold taken be Brian S. Kelley

Thanks to Mac Arnold for taking to talk with me.
Thanks to Max Hightower for setting everything up.

Thanks to Brian S. Kelley for letting us see some of his wonderful photos.
Thanks to Bob Margolin for giving the nice quote to use.
You can hear an interview Bob Margolin click here.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

.
Hear Lil’ Dave Thompson talk about his history and his CD Deep In The Night.

.

Lil’ Dave Thompson’s name starts with Lil’ but there is nothing little about Dave’s sound. If you love Albert King like I do you’re in luck, Deep In The Night is like getting a brand new Albert King record with all new songs. Dave’s sound is big, bold and heartfelt.

The CD leads off with the title track “Deep In The Night”. Dave’s powerful blues guitar leads off with a little bit of a horn accompaniment. Dave described the song as a soulful blues song. You will make no mistake in knowing that everything is based around the guitar. “You’re Going To Need Me” brings in more horns with some nice organ work done by John Lee. “Standing At The Bus Station” is blues with a very nice jazzy feel to it. Wish there was one or two more of these because he does such a good job on “Standing At The Bus Station”. On “I Need Your Love” Dave really pulls out some good long guitar solos. “She Didn’t Say Goodbye” is a slower blues song but with the same story as all the rest. I even joked with Dave about how all his songs are about losing in love. Hoped this wasn’t how your life is he assured me it was just a blues theme. The last song is “Dave’s Groove” a pretty instrumental with a nice flow of music. A good ending for a powerful blues guitar CD. Albert King would have been proud to know that people like Lil’ Dave Thompson are still making good blues in a style he helped make popular.

When I saw Lil’ Dave Thompson a few months ago he was playing a lot of good guitar solo’s. There was only a three-peace band, no horns. The bass player did a good job of keeping the groove going so Dave could go off on his solos. You could tell the audience was there to hear his playing because in the middle of the solo’s there was a lot of applause and cheering. If he is playing somewhere near you, you really owe it to yourself to go hear Lil’ Dave Thompson. Bring a friend too, they will love you for it.

The songs played are:
You’re Gonna Need Me
No Good Woman
Standing at the Bus Station
Deep in the Night

February 14, 2010

It is with immense regret that we inform you of the passing of Lil’ Dave Thompson at 7am this morning (Feb. 14, 2010) as the result of an automobile accident outside of Augusta, Georgia, while touring with his band. The other band members were not seriously injured. A dynamic artist, widely acknowledged as one of the very best of the current generation of Mississippi Blues Artists, Lil’ Dave will be sadly missed by his family, friends and blues music lovers world wide.

Andrew Galloway Electro-Fi Records

Lil’ Dave Thompson Website

Lil’ Dave Thompson on YouTube

Check out Electrofi Records, they have some other good blues artists like Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones, Harrison Kennedy, Harmonica Shah and Enrico Crivellaro

Buy Lil’ Dave Thompson Deep In The Night from Amazon.Com

Buy Lil’ Dave Thompson CD Got to Get Over You

Thanks to Lil’ Dave Thompson for taking the time to do this interview.
Thanks to Andrew Galloway at Electro-Fi Records for his help.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

This week we are digging deep down into the blues for a talk with Marquise Knox. Marquise explains in the show that he has been surprised by some of the old blues artists he has spoken with that think they are related to each other. Marquise also talks about how he got to join St. Louis blues legend Big George Brock’s band. Big George is 77 years old he and worked the cotton fields with another boy named McKinley Morganfield aka. Muddy Waters. Big George owned a club that Ike & Tina Turner were the opening for Albert King every Sunday and had made plenty of good records himself. (To hear my show with Big George Brock click here.)

So why would someone like Big George Brock want Marquise Knox to play in his band. It’s simple, Marquise is young, eager to learn, and has proven he really knows the blues and only wants to play just the blues. Having someone like Big George Brock as your mentor has to be really good for a new blues artist. Another blues artist that has stepped forward to work with Marquise is Michael Burks. Whenever Michael comes to St. Louis the whole blues community turns out. A lot of people have told me they think some day Michael Burks’ name will be up there with BB & Albert King as one of the figure heads of the blues world (hear the interview Michael Burks click here).

In this weeks show Marquise talks about how he and Michael, well really the whole band are good friends. They have talked about working together for a long time and Man Child is the result of that desire. As more and more artists are moving away from blues into blues rock Marquise Knox is planting his feet firm on the ground of deep southern blues. Marquise is working with a blues artist of the past, Big George Brock, a blues artist of the present, Michael Burks, and Marquise is the future of the blues.

As you will hear in the show Marquise Knox’s Man Child is truly a wonderful blues record. Keep the blues alive, buy a blues CD, Marquise Knox’s Man Child.

Songs played in this week’s show:
She’s the One
Clock on the Wall
Living to Die
Juke Joint Blues

Marquise Knox Website

Marquise Knox MySpace

Buy Marquise Knox Man Child from Amazon.Com

Check our APO Records for other great pillars of the blues world like Big George Brock, Jimmy D. Lane, Jimmy Rogers, Henry Townsend & many more.

I’d like to thank Marquise Knox for taking the time to talk to me.
Thanks to Michael Dyson for setting everything up for us, check out his Blues Shoe Project.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Blues Music Award Winner for 2008 Entertainer of the Year was Tommy Castro. You will be hearing Tommy talk about how he got started in music as well as songs from his new Alligator Record Hard Believer.
.

The first day I was to interview Tommy Castro he was just getting ready to go pick his kids up from martial arts classes. Tommy apologized for not being able to do the interview so we rescheduled for another day. He was in a very happy fun mood and talked like we were old friends. Tommy said his kids really liked taking martial arts classes and were doing real good in it. He joked that this was going to pay off because his daughter was getting near her teens and those boys won’t know what hit them. So my first interview went a little short but boy what a cool guy I thought as I hung up the phone . Our phone interview ended up being a few days later while Tommy was at a blues festival. As he walked around he told me about what was going on there till some rain started and he went inside. One thing I really noticed about Tommy is how much he enjoys life. I don’t remember interviewing anyone who laughed so many times while we were talking.

I’m not going to give you a history of Tommy Castro here because all you have to do is listen to the show. Tommy does a good job of explaining how he got to where he is today. The new Tommy Castro record Hard Believer is his first one for Alligator Records. It starts off with horns blowing then you hear Tommy’s soulful voice and an all too short scorching guitar solo from Tommy. “The Definition of Insanity” starts you off with a bit of an upbeat soulful Latin sound. Followed by another upbeat song called “It Is What It Is”. It is the song all radio stations should be playing. The title track “Hard Believer” slows things down a bit with Tommy doing a soulful blues song. Tommy co-wrote five of the twelve songs with “Monkey’s Paradise” being the only one he wrote by himself. It may not have you swinging from tree to tree but you will probably be singing along with Tommy. Fellow Alligator Record’s artist Rick Estrin from Rick Estrin & the Nightcats co-wrote the song “Backup Plan” with Tommy. It kicks off with a cool intro then moves into a smooth blues with Tommy giving a good vocal delivery. Tommy Castro’s version of Bob Dylan’s Grammy award winning song “Gotta Serve Somebody” is the best cover of a Dylan song I’ve heard. Oh wait, Jimi Hendrix did “All Along the Watchtower” ok let’s just say Tommy does a really, really good job on “Gotta Serve Somebody”. The songs “Trimmin’ Fat” and “Make It Back To Memphis” are both good songs and covered in the show. Like most of what Tommy has done in the past this is a very good record that you should be hearing a lot of on the radio these days. Actually this is a record you should be hearing a lot on your CD player or iPod, hint hint.

Songs played in this weeks show:
Backup Plan
Trimmin’ Fat
Make It Back To Memphis
It Is What It Is

Tommy Castro Website

Tommy Castro MySpace

Buy Tommy Castro’s Hard Believer from his website

Check out some of the other fine artists on Alligator Records
like Tinsley Ellis, JJ Grey & Mofro, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats,
Buckwheat Zydeco, Eric Lindell & Michael Burks

Thanks to Aigars Lapsa for the use of all his great photos of Tommy Castro.

Thanks to Tommy Castro for taking the time to do the interview during his Blues Festival.  Thanks to Bruce Iglauer for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Sandy Mack’s brand new record, as well as Sandy talking about the songs.
.

Ever sense Dennis Gruenling turned me on to Sandy Mack about a year ago. I’ve wanted to do a show on Sandy Mack unfortunately his last record That’s What I’m Talkin’ About came out in 2001. In trying to do shows on newer records I waited and hoped he would come out with another record soon. Of course Sandy teased me about this because the record I used for the Dennis Gruenling show was a year older than Sandy’s last record. Up All Night is a Dennis Gruenling record that featured Sandy Mack on vocals. If after you hear this show and would like to listen to why I liked Sandy so much on Up All Night, click on this to hear that show.

Sandy Mack’s new record Still Going Strong surisingly starts off with a slow grove called “Drunken”. Now, you and I know you never start a record off with a slow song. You start it off with a bang. Someone at Blue Leaf Records must have thought if you start it off with a really strong slow grove you can save your hard hitters for latter. They were absolutely right! “Drunken” is a wonderful song. Sandy said they had the song recorded when Kid Ramos showed up at the studio to add in his part on guitar. The Kid said just play the song and he added his part flawlessly. Sandy, who likes to have a good time, added some humorous lines that make “Drunken” seem a bit drunken. That is the first track and the first reason to buy this record, the second reason is the next track “Never Enuff Rockin”. You’ll hear that in the show. “Let’s Work” is an old cover of a song by tenor sax player Big Jay McNeely, with some fine piano work by John Pittas. It’s a good uplifting song. “It’s My Life, Baby” is the same song Junior Wells did on his second solo record. It’s well done, but the Little Walter song “Shake Dancer” is even better. Sandy on harp and Ron Rauso on guitar really makes Sandy’s song “Turn My Luck Around” sparkle. Again, Sandy adds some of his humor into this song about turning his luck around after seeing some infomercials. This is a really cool song and one more reason you need to buy this record, in fact you can add in all the songs played in the show as good reasons why you will want to own this record. The record ends with another Sandy Mack song called “Love Explosion”. This is the type of song most records would start off with, but hey it’s nice to end on a real high note.

Sandy told me he feels he is just an ok singer, harp player, and songwriter, and that his real strength is his ears in hearing how the songs should sound. While I think he is much better than he gives himself credit for he is probably right about knowing what sounds right in a song. There is no real band here Sandy has pulled different musicians to play on the songs he felt they would work best on and has done a very good job of this. The real strength of Still Going Strong is the incredible musicianship and music. Some of the artists play on only a few songs while others play on most of the songs. Below is a list of some of the artists that made Still Going Strong so wonderful.
Sandy Mack – lead vocals and harmonica
Ira Kaye - drums
Kid Ramos – guitar
Andy Reidel – guitar (was also on the CD Up All Night)
Rod Rauso – guitar
John Pittas – piano
Jumpin’ Jack Strobel – organ
Dave Post – bass
Angelo Mancuso – bass
Wilbo Wright – bass

Jason Ricci says of Sandy Mack : “Sandy’s a great player and a super guy he’s responsible for not only playing some of the best blues in New Jersey but also nurturing local talent and bringing in the best Nationals.”

Songs played this week:
“Never Enuff Rockin’”
“Life Boat”
“Get Right”
“Ghost Stories”
“That’s Not Right”

Sandy Mack’s MySpace

Buy Sandy Mack’s Still Going Strong at Amazon.Com

Check out other blues records like Albert Castiglia, Todd Wolfe, Nicole Hart, Anni Piper, Steve Guyger, and our friend Jon Paris at Blues Leaf Records

Thanks to Sandy Mack for such a fun time in our interview.
Thanks to Rick Lusher for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Larry McCray talk about his self titled CD Larry McCray. If you like Albert King you will love Larry McCray.
.

This record of Larry McCray’s came out in August of 2007. Normally I don’t do a show on a record this old but after hearing it there was no way I could wait till Larry puts out another record to do a show on him. Even though this is his seventh record it is simply titled Larry McCray. As Larry says in the show after hearing the three Kings and Albert Collins he just wanted to learn more more and more about playing the guitar. He then started listening to every Blues artist he could find.

Larry’s voice is solid and full of emotion as is his guitar playing. The band is just Larry on guitar and vocals, Noel Neal on bass, Steve McCray on drums and backing vocals and Tony Z. on keyboards. I was surprised because it sounds like a bigger band than what it really is. The lead off track “Run” is a good hard hitting song. “Get My Blue’s On” is more of a R&B song with a bit of a reggae sound mostly due to Larry’s use of the wah-wah pedal on the guitar. Larry does some fine soloing on “Don’t Need No Woman”. “Broken Promise” and “No More” are both in the show so you’ll hear those. Then comes “Big Black Hole”, this was one of the songs I really had trouble leaving out of the show. It’s a good hard-hitting tough song with Larry giving a good emotional performance. “Buck Naked” is an instrumental that works well at showing of Larry’s guitar abilities. It also has some nice keyboard accompaniment from time to time. “Really Knock Me Out” has more of a funky sound with Larry working good leads over a wah-wah rhythm.

Some artists tend to do their guitar solos out in front of everything to be noticed. Larry tends to mix it in with the music more. You’re listening to the songs as a whole and he is just one part of the song. This is not to say he does not have a lot of solos on this record he most certainly does but they are not in your face they are a very important part of the whole song.

The night I saw Larry McCray play he had a different band than on this record but this didn’t matter at all because they were great. The bass player (sorry I don’t remember his name) used a five string bass and was as much fun to watch as Larry was. He was all over that bass laying down some great sounds. The keyboard player was real new to the band and the bass player would give him cues as to when changes were coming up. All the time Larry is standing in front pouring out waves of great guitar licks. If you never saw Albert King or would like to see him again, and who wouldn’t. This is one of closest chances you will ever get. This show went over so good that a few weeks later Larry McCray was asked to come back and be one of headlining acts at the Big Muddy Blues Festival. Please get out and see Larry McCray in concert, it will well be worth your time and until then buy his CD Larry McCray.

If you like the show please go to iTunes store type in A1Blues.Com and write a revue for the show.

Songs in this show:
Somebody Watching
Broken Promise
No More
Run

Larry McCray Website

Larry McCray MySpace

Buy Larry McCray from Amazon.Com

I’d like to thank Larry McCray for letting me interview him.
Thanks also to Paul Koch for setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Quintus McCormick talk about his new Delmark record Hey Jody plus hear songs from the CD.
.

Delmark Records has been releasing some very well received records this year. As you recalled we spoke to Bob Koester the founder of Delmark Records back in May about their release of 55 Years Of Blues (click here to hear that show). This was a great overview of just some of the great artists that have been on Delmark in the last 55 years. It Ain’t Over: Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues was another version but this time from a live concert celebrating Delmark Records 55 years in the business. Both cds also have DVD’s available to go with them. Eddie C. Campbell came out with the popular Tear This World Up, Zora Young came out with her blend of Chicago blues, gospel, jazz, deep Mississippi blues and country music on The French Connection. Last week they released the much anticipated cd by Tail Dragger called Live at Rooster’s Lounge. I know you haven’t forgotten the great show we had on Shirley Johnson’s record Blues Attack (click here to hear that show). Well now, Delmark Records has outdone themselves with the release of the Quintus McCormick Blues Band’s first record Hey Jody! This is a record that should be on everyone’s play list. With beautiful melodies, fine arrangements, heart felt vocals by Quintus, as well as his beautiful guitar playing this is a CD you will not be able to stop playing. He also wrote or co-wrote fourteen of the fifteen tracks on Hey Jodie. Quintus told me that you have to play from the heart. If you don’t feel it, if you don’t believe what you’re singingabout, people can tell you’re a phony. Quintus is no phony he is the real deal. He has a degree in music and really knows how music works but I really think it’s his loving heart that is speaking more than his knowledge of music theory.

Most of this cd would be considered R&B, with blues and soul influences but what ever category it falls into it’s just beautiful music. The song “Get You Some Business” is about someone fooling around where they shouldn’t be but it’s really just a backdrop to some wonderful music. “All Goes Around Comes Around” has some of Quintus’ most wicked raw guitar playing on the whole record. Hopefully when he plays it live he extends this even more. “Fifty Fifty” is a funky rock song with horns and the lyrics are about a couple who split everything fifty fifty. Quintus’ manager is from Plano, Texas and asked Quintus if he could write a song about the place he was from and that’s how he come up with “Plano Texas Blues”. “I Wasn’t Thinkin” is more of a gospel style song that is very enjoyable to hear. Speaking of enjoyable the record ends with “Let The Good Times Roll”. A fun ending to another wonderful Delmark record.

In this weeks show you will be hearing some of the real gems on Hey Jodie! but there are many more on the record we just didn’t have time to play. Please call your local radio station to request the song “Hey Jodie!” or better yet buy the CD from Delmark Records.

Songs you will hear from the record Hey Jodie!
Get That Money
I’m a Good Man, Baby
You Should Learn from This
You Got to Do Me Better Than That
Hey Jodie! (Take Good Care of My Baby)

Quintus McCormick MySpace

Buy Quintus McCormick’s CD from Delmark Record’s record store Jazz Record Mart

Buy Quintus McCormick’s CD from Amazon.com

I would like to thank Quintus McCormick for taking time to do the interview with me.
Thanks to Kevin Johnson for all his help in setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Laurie Morvan will be talking about her new record that just came out two days ago called Fire It Up. You will also be hearing some of the fiery tracks from the record.

Fire It Up is Laurie Morvan’s fourth record and third with the Laurie Morvan Band. As the title implies this is a record that is ready to catch fire. It should do so both in popularity as well as with the good old blues rockin’ sound it provides. Nothing this good happens with out lots of hard work and Laurie has sure paid her dues. Growing up in Illinois in the US her father walked out on her and her mother when she was only five years old. They struggled for many years till her mother remarried. The new family bought some property in rural Illinois where they built their own home with their own hands. Laurie played flute in the high school band, drums in the marching band, and managed to earn twelve varsity letters during her four years there. This is the same time she took up the guitar which she thought was the greatest thing ever. Laurie went to college to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. She also went to the Institute of Aviation and got a license for private, commercial, instrument, and a multi-engine pilot’s license. She also got a full scholarship for playing volleyball. As Laurie says in the show after college she moved to Los Angeles to take a job in the aerospace industry or to play in a rock band. Well, she moved there to do one of them and the other just happened to be there too.

Eventually playing in bands became a full time job with all the spare time being used to practice the guitar. She decided it was time to record a record but needed money to do it right. Laurie went back to school to get her Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and taught math in college until she had enough money to make her first record. The band was call Backroad Shack and in 1997 they put out their first record called Out In The Woods. The band changed the name to Laurie Morvan Band and released Find My Way Home in 2004. Cures What Ails Ya come out in 2007 to great acclaim with articles about her appearing in Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar and Blues Revue, among others. The CD made it into the top five of the Blues Foundation’s Best Self-Produced CD.

Now this week the Laurie Morvan Band has released their fourth CD called Fire It Up.
Laurie described the first track “Nothin’ But The Blues” as a front porch twinge country blues feel. She said a friend called her and one day to tell her he had a dream and she needed to quit doing blues and start playing stadium rock. Laurie laughed and went on to explain how much she loves the blues, how passionate she is for the blues, and how she will be grinning on stage because she loves what she is doing so much. For Laurie “Nothin’ But The Blues” is not just a song, it is a great passion that comes through in her songs. Laurie said she likes walking around the house with her guitar unplugged, practicing this helps her to think. One day while doing this she came up with the main riff of “Come On Over To My BBQ” then had fun adding in a bunch of double entendres. She said this song was made to have fun listening to and that is very true. “Good Girls Bad Girls” is another fun song about how people talk about someone else’s problems but in the end they too have skeletons in their closets. “Let Me Carry Your Troubles” is a very nice acoustic ballad about one of her friends who was diagnosed with breast cancer, luckily she is ok now and we have this beautiful song. All the songs on Fire It Up were written by Laurie Morvan. As you will hear in the show these songs are just the start of a very good record that should be getting even more attention than her last record. It takes a lot of hard work to break out from the rest and get noticed but as you have seen hard work has never stopped this passionate blues rockin’ guitar loving’ player from accomplishing what she wants. There is one thing left for you to do, go to Laurie Morvan’s Website and buy this new CD then Fire It Up.

Songs in the show are:
Skinny Chicks
Cafe Boogaloo
I Speak The Blues
Livin’ In A Mans World

Laurie Morvan Band Website

Laurie Morvan Band MySpace

Buy Laurie Morvan Band’s Cd’s at their website store

Buy Laurie Morvan Band’s Cd’s at Amazon.Com

Thanks to Laurie Morvan for taking time to be on the show.
Thanks to Mark Pucci for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Sean Chambers talk about his new album, Ten Til Midnight, as well as the songs from it.
.

Sean Chambers grew up in Tampa Bay, Florida, which is about 30 minutes from where he is currently living in Florida. When he was around ten years old he got his first guitar and would play with a bunch of his friends. Sean also liked sports. He played baseball but his real thing was football. After the first half of his freshman year in high school he found football was taking up too much of his time. That is, too much of his guitar time. Sean played in several cover bands, doing songs by different blues-rock artists. In 1998 he released his first record called Strong Temptation. In this week’s show Sean talks about being Hubert Sumlin’s musical director and guitarist. This lasted from 1998 to 2003 and took Sean and his band around the world as Hubert’s backup band. In 2005 Sean put out his second record called Humble Spirits. He’s also been the opening act for blues artists coming through Florida like Robert Cray, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy. In a few weeks he will be opening for Johnny Winter, and then for Robin Trower.

This past Tuesday Sean Chambers’s third record came out called Ten Til Midnight. As you will hear in the show this is a raw blues-rock record with a lot of guitar. This is no slick record it’s just the raw and real blues-rock.

The band is simple just:
Sean Chambers on guitar & vocals
Paul Broderick on drums
Tim Blair on bass
A couple keyboard players drop in on a few songs as well as Garry Keith who blows harp on one song. The band travels as a trio although Garry does show up some times to plow harp on a few songs.

Sean wrote all but three of the songs on Ten Til Midnight. The song “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is a fast pace fun rocker written by Guitar Slim but Sean and the boys really take it up a notch or two. Then “In the Winter Time” is a powerful slow blues that really shows off Sean’s guitar playing, as you will hear in the show. The Luther Allison song “All the Kings Horses” is covered on this record too. I played the songs back to back and it’s pretty much a tie as to which version is the best but hey if you can tie with Luther Allison you’re a winner in my book. The sound quality is better on Ten Til Midnight it’s a little fuller and stronger. Luther’s was recorded about fifteen years ago. “Make It Go” and “When I Get Lonely” are both very good as you will hear in the show. One song I really wanted to play but just couldn’t kick any of the other songs out to make room for is “I Don’t Know Why”. This is the last song on Ten Til Midnight, and it’s just Sean playing an acoustic slide guitar and Garry Keith blowing harp. Boy what a nice way to end this all-electric blues-rockin record. Sean said the title of the record Ten Til Midnight was the time most of the record seemed to get recorded but it will probably be the time you’ll be staying listening to it.

If you like what you hear in the show you will love all the other songs on Sean Chambers’ Ten Til Midnight please buy the CD.

Songs in this week’s show:
Blues & Rock ‘N’ Roll
Make It Go
When I Get Lonely
Ten Til Midnight
In the Winter Time

Sean Chambers’ Website

Sean Chambers’ MySpace

Buy Sean Chambers’ Ten Til Midnight Amazon.Com

Buy Sean Chambers’ Ten Til Midnight iTunes

Thanks to Sean Chambers for taking time to be on this show.
Thanks to Mark Pucci Media for setting everything up.
Thanks to Rick Lusher for turning me on to this great CD.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Hear songs from Tinsley Ellis’s new CD Speak No Evil, as well as hearing Tinsley talk about how he got started and the new record.
.

If you’re new to Tinsley Ellis you have some real catching up to do. With over a dozen records out, spanning from the early eighties to the newest one Speak No Evil that came out on Alligator Records just two days ago. Tinsley Ellis is a proud southern blues-rock artist that has had some very well received records like the critically acclaimed Storm Warning, Moment of Truth, and Live! Highwayman. Live! Highwayman was made even better by the fact that he let his fan pick the songs for the record by way of the internet. Now that’s a man that really wants to please his fans.

In the show Tinsley talks about his first time meeting B.B. King as a young teenager, and then later getting to know B.B. much better. Like many of us the British blues-rock bands like The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, The Animals, and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac moved him. As he dug more into the blues he found B.B. and Freddie King as well as many more blues string binders, as he likes to call them. After playing in several bands, including the Alley Cats and The Heartfixers, Tinsley found himself as the only original member of The Heartfixers by the time their fourth record came out. Wisely he decided to change the name of the band to Tinsley Ellis. This way there would be no confusion on who was the boss and what music they would play. Right about this time Tinsley was signed to Alligator Records for whom he has recorded almost all the records for over the past twenty some years for.

Tinsley Ellis said Speak No Evil is a “guitar driven southern blues-rock” record, because it is on Alligator Records and Bruce Iglauer, the founder, likes to capture a vibe, a house rockin sound. Speak No Evil definitely has that house rockin vibe. The record kicks off with “Sunlight of Love” a hard-hitting blues-rocker with a lot of wah-wah guitar that lets you know this will be a good time. This is followed by the song “Slip and Fall” with good hooks and lead guitar this should be the song the radio stations will be playing. “It Takes What It Takes” is a well done slower southern blues song. Tinsley said his song “The Other Side” is kind of like a Peter Green “Oh Well” type of song. “Cold Love, Hot Night” was almost left off the record but we got lucky and it was added. He describes it as being kind of like a Robert Cray song. It’s nice because it comes in at about the middle of the record and adds a different style to what you have been hearing. The title track “Speak No Evil” was written for Guitar Shorty to do, but Bruce talked Tinsley into recording the song. They liked the song so much that this became the title of the record.

Tinsley has written songs for other artists. One that impressed me was “Easy Come, Easy Go” on Michael Burks’ latest record Iron Man. Tinsley said that Michael nailed the song so good he didn’t even want to try doing it on Speak No Evil, this is now Michael’s song.
He went on to praise how wonderful an artist Michael Burks is. If you have not heard my show on Michael Burks here is a link to that.

If you go to Alligator Records they have an autograph copy you can buy of Tinsley Ellis’s Speak No Evil, while supplies last. If you like the four songs played in the show you will love the whole CD. Tinsley will also be doing an extensive tour. Check tour dates out at Alligator Records and go see his show, my calendar is marked.

Songs played in this week’s show:
“Slip & Fall”
“Loving For Today”
“Amanda”
“Sunlight of Love”

Tinsley Ellis’s Website

Tinsley Ellis’s MySpace

Buy Speak No Evil from Alligator Records

Buy Speak No Evil from Amazon.Com

Check out other artists on Alligator Records
Like Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Buckwheat Zydeco, or how about Michael Burks

Thanks to Tinsley Ellis for taking time to do this interview.
Thanks to Bruce Iglauer for setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Joe Louis Walker released Between A Rock & The Blues two days ago. Now you will hear Joe talk about this new record and hear some new tracks from it.

.

As you may recall at the beginning of this year I spoke to Joe about his last record Witness to the Blues (To hear that show click here) which came out on September 30, 2008. One year later Stony Plain Records blesses us with another great Joe Louis Walker record Between A Rock & The Blues. As you will hear in this weeks show Joe was in an up beat and fun mood. He jokes about how rock artists go out to find their blues roots, but he went out to find his rock roots. From the opening track of “I’m Tide” with a it’s wonderful scorching guitar solos to the back porch sound of the last track “Send You Back” everything is first class, with a band that can make every song a special treat. Bruce Katz is back again on piano and organ. Duke Robillard is also back as the producer, as well as playing guitar on one of the songs he wrote called “Tell Me Why”. Joe explains in the show why Duke is so important to have as a producer. Two of songs “I’ve Been Down” and “If There’s A Heaven” are done with a different band but you would never know by listening. They fit in just right with all the other songs. “Eyes Like A Cat” is a fun jazzy-blues dance song with Bruce Katz laying down great piano, while Doug James on saxophone and Carl Queforth on trombone make the song swing. Joe’s playing on “Hallways” is just beautiful. This is one of the songs you really need to buy the CD for. Its seven minutes long so the radio stations will probably not play it, but wow it really is a good example of why Joe Louis Walker is at the top of his game. “Blackjack” the old Ray Charles song is another example of Joe showing how talented he is. In blues its not about how many notes you can play but the feelings you can draw out of those notes. Joe as well as his band has this down pat. Joe’s vocals always sound good, but on “Black Widow” he takes it to new highest. Though there are many songs on this record that deserve airplay like “Eyes Like A Cat”, “Black Widow”, or “Way Too Expensive,” which the band really goes to town on. For me “I’m Tide” should be the hit off this record. As you will hear in the show this really is a great song. Please call your local radio station to request songs from this record if you’re not hearing them already. Joe Louis Walker has had a long career of putting out great blues records, and this new one on Stony Plain Records is no exception.

One last thing I’d like to talk to you about is that over the years I’ve always asked you to support the artists by buying their CD’s. Another thing you should think about is when you support the blues artists you support their labels too. These blues labels are small. They don’t have the big million seller artists like the bigger labels do. We all know the blues genre is not very big, and the artists, as well as their labels, are working hard to stay afloat just like the rest of us. From time to time I speak to Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records. This is perhaps the largest of the blues labels, which is still very small compared to Columbia or any of the others labels. Even Bruce says, “Business is a struggle.” With so many people not paying for the music they get, both the artists as well as the small blues labels are getting hurt. When these labels go under we will have far less good music to listen to. The big labels have shown they have no interest in our music. In the end we will be the losers, with very little music to choose from. PLEASE support the artists and their labels BUY their CD’s. Keep the blues alive.

.

Joe Louis Walker’s Website

Joe Louis Walker’s MySpace

Buy Joe Louis Walker’s CD Between A Rock & The Blues

Buy Joe Louis Walker’s last CD Witness to the Blues

Check out Stony Plain Records for some other great artists like Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur, Rory Block, Ian Tyson, Sunny And Her Joy Boys, & Jeff Healey.

I would like to thank Joe Louis Walker for taking the time to do this interview. Thanks also to Dave Jones at Cathouse Music for setting everything up and Stony Plain Records for permission to play the songs. Photos by Robin Poritzky-Walker.

Blues Music and Interviews A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Mike Zito’s new CD came out this week and he will be telling us about it as well as letting us hear some of the new songs from the CD Pearl River.
.

You may remember that last December Mike Zito was on the show talking about his then current CD, Today. Well he’s back with an even better one. If you missed that show you may like to go back to listen to Mike talk about how he got started in music as well as songs from the Today CD. Click here to go to that show.
This week you’re going to hear a really great show. Mike talks about how he and Cyril Neville wrote the title track “Pearl River”. Every time I hear this song and look at the CD cover’s art work it’s like I’m in the deep south. The atmosphere that Mike creates in this song along with the lyrics that Cyril wrote can’t help but make you feel transported to another time in the swampy lands of the south. This is just one of many wonderful songs your going to hear on this weeks show. “Change My Ways” is a beautiful song where Mike demonstrates how in one song he can do some very beautiful guitar work then turn around and do a raw guitar solo that works just as well. Anders Osborne joins Mike for a nice acoustic duet on Anders’ “One Step At A Time” the song’s lyrics could be as much about Mike’s past life as Anders’ life. Then there is another duet but this time it is with Susan Cowsill, yes the same Susan Cowsill from The Cowsill who did “The Rain, the Park and Other Things”, and “Hair.” They do a fun song called “Shoes Blues” besides Mike’s good guitar solo, Reese Wynans plays some good piano. On the George Smith song, “All Last Night,” Mike really gets down to some tasty guitar playing. Wow, great job. Mike even does a good version of the old Sonny Boy Williamson song “Eyesight To The Blind,” which makes The Who’s version on Tommy sound like The Cowsill’s were doing it. Mike decried this as a kind of a New Orleans style version of the song. Then there are the great raw blues songs that Mike does so good, like “Dirty Blonde”, “Natural Born Lover” and “Big Mouth.” The types of songs that draw me to his concerts.

Having heard some of Mike’s older self produced records I can really see how he has grown as a guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. Pearl River is a diverse record with heart-felt vocals as well as touching guitar work. There is something here for everyone and then some. Please buy a copy of Mike Zito’s Pearl River and don’t forget see him in concert.

Be sure to listen to the whole show, because at the very end Mike has a funny story to tell about his fellow Eclecto Groove recording artist Jason Ricci.

Songs heard in this weeks show:
Dirty Blonde
Change My Ways
Natural Born Lover
Pearl River

Buy Mike Zito CD’s at Eclecto Groove Records

Mike Zito’s Pearl River from Amazon.Com

Buy Mike Zito’s Today CD from Amazon.Com

Mike Zito’s Website

Mike Zito’s Myspace

Mike Zito’s page at Eclecto Groove Records

See other great artists on Eclecto Groove Records
Like Ana Popovic and Jason Ricci & New Blood and many others.

Thanks to Mike Zito for such a fun interview and as always thanks to Jody Best for all her help in setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Jimmy was born in a cotton field in Tuchla, Mississippi on October 24, 1936. Jimmy said he was out in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents when he was young but never actually worked in the fields. A short time later the family moved to Pascagoula, Mississippi this is where his father worked in the shipyards. His mother bought him his first guitar when he was 16 years old, but he did not get serious about playing till after he moved to Chicago in 1955. Jimmy had a job working in a box factory, but at night he’d go out to play guitar on the street corners. Some of the people he’d play with were Willie Black (bass), Left Hand Frank Craig (guitar), Eddie King (guitar) and Lester Hinton (harp). Jimmy really liked Guitar Slim a lot but made it very clear that he wanted to have his own sound and not just be a copy of another musician.

Jimmy really liked the raw bone crunching sound of what was refereed to as a West Side Chicago sound. Magic Sam helped to define that sound and was a big influence on Jimmy’s playing. Not surprisingly Jimmy also really liked Lightnin’ Hopkins whom he got to play on stage with a few times. He worked Willie Dixon, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Rush, and Carey Bell. Jimmy said that Carey was always fun to be around, and that he’d always making you laugh and have a good time. He also felt Carey Bell was the best harp player he’d ever seen. One thing I was surprised by was that Jimmy Dawkins was the one who discovered Luther Allison. Wow, what a discovery, Jimmy talks in the podcast about this.

Bob Koester the founder of Delmark Records remembers Jimmy Dawkins coming into the Jazz Record Mart (Bob’s record store) shopping for records, and Jimmy would tell them where all the blues shows would be that week. One night Bob said he went to a concert Jimmy had told him about, and there was Jimmy on stage. Jimmy had never told Bob he played guitar, or that it was his band he should see. Later Magic Sam formally introduced the two of them. Bob signed Jimmy to Delmark Records, it only took two days in September of 1968 to make a record that people are still praising, forty years later. Fast Fingers was the beginning of a wonderful career for a great blues artist. The guitar playing is outstanding with a tuff blues sound similar to Albert King, and at other times it has the flow of B.B. King, and still at other times it’s pure Jimmy Dawkins. The band on this record is first class. Its not just Jimmy’s playing that sells you on this record, it’s everyone. Keyboardist Lafayette Leake is little known but was still a mainstay at Chess Records. Willie Dixon often used Lafayette on records he was producing for Chess records. A few of the artists he recorded with were a very young Chuck Berry, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Little Walter, Buddy Guy, and Koko Taylor. On rhythm guitar you hear Mighty Joe Young, the man that backed artists like Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy Rogers, and Tyrone Davis. Most people will add a harp player to widen their sound, but here you get a real sax player. Not just any sax player, but the talented Eddie Shaw. Eddie was jamming with Ike Turner at 14, then Muddy Waters ask him to join his band. A few years later he joined Howlin’ Wolf’s band. The sax, like the keyboards, is in the background. Always keeping the song going while giving Jimmy the opportunity to play his guitar and play it he does. This is a very guitar oriented recording of original blues tunes. A record that any serious blues lover needs in their collection.

Delmark Records has sweetened the CD even more by adding two previously unreleased tracks. Both are as good, and one is even better than some original tracks. If you don’t have this CD, don’t wait another forty years. Get it now and start enjoying Jimmy Dawkin’s Fast Fingers.

Songs in the show:
It Serves Me Right to Suffer
I Finally Learned a Lesson
You Got to Keep on Trying
Little Angel Child
Back Home Blues

Jimmy Dawkins Website

Jimmy Dawkin’s MySpace

Buy Jimmy Dawkins’ CD from Jazz Record Mart

Buy Jimmy Dawkins’ CD from Amazon.Com

Delmark Records

Delmark Records MySpace

Thanks to Kevin Johnson over at Delmark Records for all his help in putting this together.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

In this week’s show, Innes Sibun talks about growing up in Great Britain listening to the old blues artists like B.B. and Freddie King and how that got him interested in playing the guitar. Later he found Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and more of the heavier blues rock. Wait till you hear Innes explain the similarities between John Lee Hooker and The Sex Pistols. Later Innes played in some jazz bands with some older musicians that took him under their wings. This, he said, really helped him learn to think on his feet, since they played in a lot of odd keys for a guitar player. Innes loved to play guitar so much that he would play in almost any kind of band, as long he could learn from it.

After some punk and reggae bands he started a band called Innes Sibun and the Blues Explosion. This band put out a record that was produced by Mike Varnon called That’s What The Blues Can Do. This led to the band playing a lot of blues festivals and backing up US bands. In 1993 Innes got to be one of the guitarists for Robert Plant’s touring band.
You will hear him talk about some of the cool things he got to do with Robert as well as the time he met Jimmy Page.

Innes Sibun has put out over a half dozen records since 1995, with the latest one being Tail Dragger. If you were ever a Rory Gallagher fan then you’re in for a real treat. It’s raw British blues rock and a lot of guitar soloing. Even Innes voice has that raw sound of Rory Gallagher. Tail Dragger kicks off with an Otis Rush song, “It Takes Time,” but the band takes no time in this fun, fast paced version. For every note Otis played on his version, Innes must be playing two. A keyboard is added, creating a fuller sound. “I Don’t Get Fooled By Tears” follows it with more fast paced blues rock and good rough vocals. The next song slows things down with a nice acoustic guitar, as well as good slide guitar. Innes said “Southbound Train” is a country blues song that came about one day just sitting in a circle with the band playing. He plays mandolin while Tim plays a kind of barrelhouse style piano. It took a little getting used to after all the electric blues, but now I find it a real treat to hear. On “Don’t Stop Believing” Innes also shows his talent for good lyrics. “Someone Like You,” “I Want You Back,” and “Sweet Disposition” are some of the other high points on this record. At one time I thought the masterpiece of Tail Dragger was the Deadric Malone classic “As the Years Go Passing By”. However, as I’ve gotten to know the other songs more and it has some real competition. “As The Years Go Passing By” is the longest song at 6:29, and you can’t help but wish it went on even longer. Innes’s guitar phrasing, along with his emotional vocals, really makes this a must have song.

A while back Innes Sibun and his band came over here to the United States to play a three-city tour. New York City, Kansas City, St Louis, back to New York City, and then back to Great Britain. I was very privileged to see his St. Louis show at BB’s Jazz, Blues, & Soups. Wow, this was one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. I saw Rory Gallagher in the late seventies and this was as close to what Rory did on stage as anyone I’ve ever seen. Four hours of intense, raw blues rock by a man who is giving it everything he possibly could. If you live in Great Britain you owe it to yourself to check out his MySpace page for his upcoming concerts. Here are just a few shows that coming up real soon (in 2009) Carlisle, Devizes, Bristol, and a Rory Gallagher tribute in Corsham.

Songs in this week’s show are:
Don’t Stop Believing
I Want You Back
Someone Like You
Sweet Disposition

Innes Sibun’s Official MySpace

Buy Innes Sibun Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Many thanks to Innes Sibun for taking time out of a very busy week to do this interview.
Hey Jackie, nice talking to you, hope all your photos turned out.

Hear the Shirley Johnson interview this week as well as songs from her
Delmark record Blues Attack.
.

Shirley Johnson grew up in Norfolk Virginia where she was singing
gospel music in the church when she was only six years old. Shirley
loves gospel music and has been singing it all her life. Her family
was very religious and did not approve of secular music. This caused
a problem for Shirley when she found she also loved secular music.
Some of the artists she loved were Etta James, B.B.King, Z.Z.Hill,
Koko Taylor, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Little Milton. In the late
seventies she started singing secular music in her hometown of
Norfolk, as well as being an opening act for artist coming through
town. In 1983 Shirley moved to Chicago to pursue her love for the
blues in the city of blues. As she will explain in this show it was a
lot of work being in different bands, but when you love what you’re
doing it really makes a difference.

In 2002 Bob Koester, President of Delmark Records, released Killer
Diller. It was a wonderful blues record with good helpings of soul,
rhythm & blues, and gospel. The high light of which was her version
of a Nat Foster composition “Not For The Love Of You”. A song you
can’t just play one time, if your blues station hasn’t been
playing it you have been robbed of one of the best songs of 2002.

Shirley Johnson’s new record Blues Attack also on Delmark Records is
much in the same vain as Killer Diller was. It’s blues, soul, rhythm
& blues, and gospel, with a high emphasis on a soulful band that puts
real feelings in their playing as Shirley does in her singing.
Shirley co-wrote three of the songs on this record. Two of them were
with Maurice John Vaughn, who wrote three other songs for Shirley.
The record opens with his song “You’re Reckless” a real nice shuffle
that gets you in the mood. You’ll probably remember the Wilson
Pickett song “634-5789” from the mid-sixties. Shirley does a great
job on this up beat pop/soul song. Shirley said she has been playing
“Unchain my Heart” live now for quite awhile and has changed things
around till the song was just how she liked it. At times when she’s
using a pickup band Shirley said she always tells them “were going to
church from the beginning” another words it has a real gospel
sound to it but without the religious lyrics. Other highlights are
“Just Like That”, “Selfish Kind of Gal” and “I’m Going to Find Me a
Lover” but hey why read this when you can be listening to the show.
Let Shirley tell you all about the songs and you’ll get to hear some
of them too. Like Shirley would say if you like a lot of soul and
feeling in your blues you’ve come to the right place. Please pick up
Shirley Johnson’s Blues Attack you will be very glad you did.

If you’re lucky enough to live in, or are going to be visiting Chicago
you need to check out Shirley Johnson live at Blue Chicago.
You may also want to go by her record labels record store. Jazz
Record Mart at 27 East Illinois. It’s still the world’s largest jazz
and blues record store.

You may also like to hear my show on the history of Delmark Rercords and Jazz
Record Mart as told to me by Bob Koester the founder. You will also
hear a clip in the show of Shirley Johnson doing “Not for the Love of
You,” but remember you won’t be able to listen to it just once.
Click here to hear the show on Delmark Records.

Songs heard in today’s show:
Selfish Kind of Gal
Just Like That
You’re Reckless
Blues Attack
I’m Going to Find Me a Lover

You can always buy the CD from Jazz Record Mart

Find other great blues artist at Delmark Records

Buy Shirley Johnson Cd’s from Amazon.Com

You have to see Shirley Johnson live at Blue Chicago
She is the “Queen of Blue Chicago!”
Blue Chicago Website
She plays at the 536 N. CLARK Club there every Thursday and Sunday.
She plays at the 736 N. CLARK location once a month on Friday and Saturday

Shirley Johnson’s MySpace
Thanks to Shirley Johnson for letting me interview her.
Thanks to Kevin over at Delmark Records for all his help in setting everything up.
Thanks to Bernadette for taking the photo of Shirley last week while she was performing at Blue Chicago.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight.Com
by A1 Mark

Hear Al Kooper talk about his amazing life as well as his amazing record White Chocolate.

Whether you know the name Al Kooper or not you’ve heard his handy work. Al wrote “This Diamond Ring,” which was a huge hit for Gary Lewis & the Playboys. He played keyboards on Bob Dylan’s 1965 record Highway 61 Revisited and the 1966 Blonde on Blonde. Because his keyboard playing was so special on “Like A Rolling Stone” everybody wanted him to play on their records. When Al didn’t want a job he would just say it would be triple scale and they’d still hire him. The funny thing is the keyboard was not the instrument he had been playing at the time, it was the guitar. So with all these keyboard jobs coming in he decided he needed to work on his keyboard playing, so he joined the Blues Project as their full time keyboard player. After three popular records he left that band to start a new band of his own. In the mean time he worked on organizing the Monterey International Pop Festival as well as getting to perform there and meet some interesting artist like Jimi Hendrix whom he became a good friend with. The new band Al Kooper put together was like no other band that was out there at the time it was Blood, Sweat, and Tears. He only stayed for one record, Child Is Father to the Man, but hey, there is only one direction to go after a masterpiece like that. He took an A&R job at Columbia Records where he made a record with Mike Bloomfield & Stephen Stills called Super Session. Al and Mike had been good friends’ since the first time they met at the Bob Dylan Session for “Like A Rolling Stone”. This became the best selling record of Mike’s career. Later they put out a live record called The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. Then Al started a solo career with the record I Stand Alone. He was asked to record with the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison. Oh, did I mention he discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd and produced their first three albums. I could go on and on, but why do this when you could buy Al Kooper’s autobiography and get the whole story right from Al? The autobiography is called Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards. The book goes into far more detail than I’ve been able to. Al has a great way of telling a story that builds interest and throws in funny little comments too. Be sure you buy this from his website because it’s the newest most up to date version (2008), plus Al will autograph the book.

The real reason we’re here today is because Al Kooper has a new follow up to his record Black Coffee it’s called White Chocolate. When someone has made as many monumental records as Al has, it’s got to be hard for him to keep making better ones. Never the less White Chocolate is full of excellent songs written by Al (and a few covers) with great performances. This record came together in about six months but some of the songs were written many years ago. “Cast the First Stone” had been written about the Nixon administration. Al said after seeing how the Bush administration had run things he felt this song was reverent again. A good funky song is the Booker T. Jones song “I Love You More Than Words Can Say”. Al plays all the instruments on the beautiful song “Calling Card”. Al also said he had demos of all the songs he was going to record with himself playing all the instruments. He sent the demos all band members so they could learn the songs. This shows how into the music he really is. Not only can he write these wonderful songs but he already knows how all the parts should sound, work together, and can play them himself. There is also an interesting version of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh (It Takes a Train to Cry),” a cover that he originally played keyboards for on Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited LP. Three years later Al and Mike Bloomfield recorded it on the Super Session LP. This version has some nice horns and a saxophone backing the song. We’ve come a long way from Bob’s harmonica playing. Al is a big fan of song writers Goffin & King so on this record he got to write two songs with Gerry Goffin. “You Make Me Feel So Good” and the lovely “No 1 2 Call Me Baby” Al does a really nice job with some heartfelt vocals. He even does a great job on “I (Who Have Nothing)” Al shows on White Chocolate he still can make great music weather the mainstream radio cares to play it or not. If you like the songs in this show please go by Al Kooper’s Website and buy the CD.

Don’t forget to pick up his autobiography Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards it just may be the most enjoyable book you read this summer. Al will even autograph the book and CD for you.

Songs heard in the show:
I Cried So Hard
(I Don’t Know When But) I Know That I’ll Be There Soon
Love Time
You Never Know Til You Get There
Staxability

Al Kooper’s Website

Buy the CD & autobiography at Al Kooper’s Website

Buy Al Kooper Cd’s from Amazon.Com

There is a Al Kooper MySpace but it is not Al’s

Thanks to Al Kooper for taking time out of his busy day to talk with me.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Ana Popovic (pronounced Ah´nah Pop´o vitch) was born in Belgrade, Serbia; formerly Yugoslavia. Her father had to work hard to get his hands on records by Howlin’ Wolf, Albert Collins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. You probably remember all this from the interview I did back in Oct of 2008 with Ana. At that time Ana talked about her incredible musical journey and her CD Still Making History. Wow, what a story and what a record. If you missed that you really should go back and listen to that also (click here to go to that show).
Ana has done it again with a record of great music, with lyrics of equal value. Ana said her approach on Blind for Love was as if this would be her last record for some reason. What should she make for her fans to hear? The record’s central theme is love. There are some diversions like “Lives That Don’t Exist,” about the crazy world of Hollywood. For the most part the songs are about love relationships.

The title track “Blind for Love” is about how love is all around us, and we need to take the time to love the ones around us, our family and friends. “Part of Me” is about Ana’s son who’s a little over a year old now and travels on tour with her. Ana said this works out very well because during the day she gets to be with him, then at night when she is doing a concert he’s in bed sleeping. She said “Blues for M” is for someone special in her life. The guitar solo was done while the studio was being set up to record. Everyone liked what Ana did so much that she had to leave the song just the way it was, even though the microphones were not all set up just right.

Like Ana’s last record, Still Making History, the new one Blind For Love has many different styles of music on it. Ana’s gift for creating songs, her intense guitar playing, and wonderful voice make this album amazing. This is the first record she has made with her touring band. They did a great job and must be a real treat to see live. In fact they are on tour of the United States right now and will be doing a European tour next.

Ana will also be doing a cameo, along with Mike Zito, in the upcoming movie Spring Break ’83. There is also a Remix single of two songs from Still Making History. “Between Our Worlds” & “Sexiest Man Alive,” and it only costs $1.95 for the download. These were both highlights of the last record, so a remix is very welcomed.
Blind for Love has only been out for a few weeks now but promises to be one of the highs of this year. This CD is available everywhere, so please get out and get your copy so you too can see why everyone is so in love with her music.

Songs in the podcast:
Putting Out the APB
Part of Me (Lullaby for Look)
Lives That Don’t Exist
Blind For Love
Nothing Personal

Ana Popovic’s Website

Ana Popovic’s MySpace

Buy Blind For Love at Eclecto Groove Records

Buy Blind For Love at Amazon.Com

Remix of “Between Our Worlds” & “Sexiest Man Alive” (only $1.98)

Check out other great artists at Eclecto Groove Records

Check out some of the top blues artists at Delta Groove Productions

Thanks to Blues In China for supporting this show

Thank to Dave Jackson for help at the website.
Learn how to podcast from the pro at The School of Podcast.

Thanks to Ana for taking out of her busy day to do this interview.
Thanks as always to Jody Best for all her help in putting everything together, you’re the best.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Stoney Curtis is the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the band. Charlie Glover is the powerhouse drummer and Colby Smith is on bass guitar. There are a few guests on the record with the most notable being Art Groom who does a nice job on the Hammond B-3. Mike Varney who produced their last highly acclaimed record, Acid Blues Experience, is back again on Raw and Real.

The record is hard hitting raw blues-rock with influences by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and George Thorogood to name a few of the obvious ones. The record kicks off with a blues-rocker called “That’s Right”. Stoney described this as a song about spending too much time in Las Vegas. It’s definitely a song that will get you tapping your foot, as will the next song “Sometimes She Likes Me”. “Behind The Sun” is eight minutes long and has that beautiful dreamy Robin Trower style. You will swear this is Robin Trower from his record Bridge of Sighs or Twice Removed from Yesterday. Stoney said he loves music with emotion, and when he writes a song or performs a song live it’s important for him to believe in the song and convey that feeling or emotion to the audience. “Rain Over Me” is a good example of that. It’s a ballad that The Stoney Curtis Band play every night even though it’s not a blues song. The emotional honesty of “Rain Over Me” is apparent. For some of you who grew up with rock music it’s like when you first heard Bon Jovi play “You Give Love A Bad Name,” then turn around and do the ballad “Wanted Dead or Alive”. You’re just wowed that the Stoney Curtis Band is doing all these good blues-rockers can turn around and write a ballad that’s a real gem. Stoney describes the next song “Love & Money” as being like something blues-rocker Pat Travers would do. Besides being musically good it has clever lyricist about someone we’ve all met before. “Black Rose” is an upbeat blues-rocker with a lot of good guitar going on. As you will hear in the show the real masterpiece is “Blues Without You”. It’s a nine-minute slow burning blues track that everyone who hears it should call his or her radio station to request. This is a must have song on Stoney Curtis Band’s record Raw and Real.
One other thing you need to know is the Stoney Curtis Band is going to be doing a lot of shows in the mid-west of the United States in the next month or so (2009). If you live around Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, even Texas, and of course Nevada and California. Be sure to go to their concert. They give it all they’ve got. I know, I saw them raw real and live. Check their MySpace for more information.

Songs heard on this weeks show are all from Raw and Real:
Sometimes She Likes Me
Dirty
Love & Money
Blues Without You

Stoney Curtis Band’s MySpace

Buy Stoney Curtis Band Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Stoney Curtis Band on You Tube

I like to thank Stoney for taking the time to let me interview him.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

In this week’s show you will hear Debbie Davies talk about growing up in California, where her father was a professional musician. He wrote music for Disney productions, as well as being a vocalist. Mr. Davies also worked with people like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. Debbie’s mother was a protégé classical pianist. Needless to say Debbie grew up with a lot of music in the house. When The Beatles came along they got her interested in a different kind if music. At twelve years old her parents got her an acoustic guitar. As you will hear in the show this was not what she wanted. Hearing the British blues-rock bands is what got Debbie interested in the blues. Debbie tried to learn the blues, but it was hard for her with just an acoustic. What made matters worse was the fact that the boys that knew how to play the blues wouldn’t give her any help. In college she finally bought an electric guitar, which she practiced relentlessly, but she still had trouble getting someone to take her seriously.

By the early eighties Debbie was playing in various bands in the San Francisco area. She landed a lead spot in Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs, an all-female band. They were the opening act for Maggie’s husband’s band, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, on his west coast shows. Next in the show you’ll hear Debbie tell about how she got to join the Albert Collins band. Shortly after her time in the Albert Collins band she started releasing solo records. Some of the people that have showed up on past records are Albert Collins, Peter Green, James Cotton, Mick Taylor, Duke Robillard, Coco Montoya, Tommy Shannon and Ike Turner.

Debbie Davies current CD Blues Blast has a strong guest list too. Charlie Musselwhite blows harp while Coco Montoya and Tab Benoit help out on guitar. Besides the four songs you’ll hear in the show, which she wrote or co-wrote, there are some other show stoppers. Coco Montoya and Debbie trade solos on a very good version of “My Time After Awhile”. “Crawling King Snake” is good, but wait till you hear “Sittin’ and Cryin” and “Movin’ & Groovin” both very good, upbeat songs with Charlie Musselwhite giving his all on harp. It’s obvious by hearing this record or most anything else Debbie has done that she is a very under-rated artist that more people should be aware of. Her singing and song writing is good but the guitar playing is really out standing.

One last thing to keep in mind that besides buying this record of Debbie’s you should think about going by her website and buying the two live CD’s she is selling there. Her website is the only place you can buy them and most likely when they are gone they will be gone for ever. These will most certainly become collector items in the very near future.

Songs played in the podcast are:
Where the Blues Come to Dies
Sittin’ and Cryin’
A.C. Strut

.

Debbie Davies’s Website

Debbie Davies’s MySpace

Debbie Davies on You Tube

Buy Debbie Davies Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Debbie Davies’s Live CD only at her Website

Debbie Davies Tour Dates

Thanks to Debbie Davies for taking the time to do this interview also thanks to Harley Erickson for setting everything up. You may want to listen to some of Harley’s song’s at her MySpace page too she has some very good music.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

In this weeks show you will meet Steve Guyger who grew up and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Many call him a harp player’s harp player. Today most people consider Little Walter to be the best and most creative harp player there’s ever been in the blues field. Little Walter worked in Muddy Waters band with Jimmie Rogers. When Jimmie was putting together his band in the summer of 1980 he could have picked just about anyone to be in his band. Steve Guyger got the call to be in Jimmie Rogers band, and it lasted for about 15 years.

Steve talks in the show about growing up and getting in to music as well as working with the late great blues legend Jimmie Rogers. About a year ago I went to see Dennis Gruenling in concert (hear show on Dennis Gruenling). Dennis’ show was going real good, then he had Steve Guyger come up on stage to play. Wow, not only was he a great harp player he also had a strong, deep emotional voice that command your attention. Steve doesn’t waste time jumping around, rolling on the floor, or some other trick to get your attention. He doesn’t have to. His aim is to giving you the best blues music he can deliver, and Steve really does deliver.

Steve Guyger’s CD Radio Blues takes you back to the hay days of Chicago blues, although a few other styles are thrown in there too. Unlike some records that want to present you with a fifties or sixties blues sound by playing mostly covers ten of the fourteen songs on Radio Blues were written by Steve. One of the songs “Little Rita” was written in the mid-eighties. Steve joked that it was his contribution to New Orleans, cajun or Baton Rouge music. “School Is Over” was one of the songs he kept working over and over in his head to get it just right. He said Robb Stupka (drummer) came up with a great beat for the song and Johnny Moeller’s guitar playing was perfect on the song. One instrumental called “Afghan Rumble” was written in honor of his brother who was in Afghanistan before the war. This song is really more of a country song but it is one of my favorite songs, very beautiful. As you will hear in the show the songs are really good. This is a blues artist you need to get to know. Unfortunately Steve doesn’t go on tour much so you better pick up his record Radio Blues in order to hear him. If you are lucky enough to live in Philadelphia or are on a vacation there, one of the top attractions in my book is a Steve Guyger concert.

Songs played on today’s show:
You’re So Fine
School Is Over
Little Rita
Lookie Here
Blues Won’t Let Me Be

Steve Guyger Website

Steve Guyger MySpace

Buy Steve Guyger Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Buy Radio Blues from Severn Records

Thanks to Steve Guyger for letting me interview him and Thomas Radai at Blues Management Group for all his help in getting everything set up?

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Joanne Shaw Taylor has released her first record its called White Sugar and it’s on Ruf Records. This record was cut from the same plastic vinyl as Led Zeppelin I. They have a raw English, blues-rock style that is often copied, but very seldom is done this well.

Joanne grew up in Birmingham, England where Black Sabbath and half of Led Zeppelin are from. At eight years of age she started playing classical guitar, but it wasn’t until around thirteen when she got into her dads blues record collection and picked up his electric guitar that the sparks started fly. First and foremost, Joanne said it was Stevie Ray Vaughan that got her interested in the blues. Albert Collins was another big influence on her. Joanne said it was important for her to go back and study the blues, and listen to blues artists like B.B. King, Jimmie Vaughan, Luther Allison and Buddy Guy. This was a way for her to really understand the genre and become a better player.

Joanne started her own band in high school and was lucky enough to have older musicians around town that would help and encourage her. Then one night a friend of Dave Stewart (formally of The Eurythmics) saw Joanne playing and passed a demo on to him. Dave liked Joanne’s playing so much he had her play in his touring band. In the off time from touring she had her own band to play in. Then there was the time she met Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones but hey, listen to the show and she will tell you all about it.

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s White Sugar is going to be one of these records people are going to be looking back on for years to come as the one that got her career started. This record is full of great raw blues-rock. The song “Going Home”, Joanne said, is her swampy dirty blues song. “Kiss The Ground Goodbye” she said is her homage to Hendrix. Somewhat like “Castles Made of Sand”. This is also her reply to all the record companies that told her you can’t do blues it’s a dead genre. The only song on White Sugar that Joanne did not write is “Bones” it was by a band called The Hoax. She liked their music and wanted to tip the hat to them. The title track’s name comes from an instrumental Joanne had written, but she had never named the song. Coming home from Bill Wyman’s house one day Dave Stewart turned to her and said you should write a song called white sugar as opposed to “Brown Sugar”. No joking, that’s how the name came about. Then there are the four songs I’m going to play for you. They are all great songs, but I bet you can’t play “Time Has Come” just one time.

“Time Has Come” should be a big hit, but Joanne needs your help. When you’re done listening to the show and your all fired up please call your loco radio station. You know the one that plays Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Led Zeppelin. Tell them you hear this great new artist named Joanne Shaw Taylor and you want to hear more of her songs. We both know they will have no idea who you’re talking about but tell them to Google her name and go to her MySpace page or this website to hear what she sounds like. Call them throughout the week and request Joanne Shaw Taylor, (you do have a cell phone with you, right) maybe you will be the one to get the rock radio stations to play her music. Remember when people started asking for Stevie Ray Vaughan? The stations had to play it and there was a blues revival. Joanne Shaw Taylor’s music is the type of blues-rock that radio stations would play if you just don’t use the “B” word.

One last thing please buy Joanne Shaw Taylor’s White Sugar, if for no other reason than that it’s one of the GREATEST blues-rocks records to come out this year.

Songs played in the show:
Who Do You Want Me to Be?
Time Has Come
Blackest Day
Watch ‘Em Burn

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s Website

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s MySpace

Buy Joanne Shaw Taylor’s Cd from Amazon.Com

I’d like to thank Joanne for taking the time in the middle of her quick tour of the U.S. to do this interview. I know she had a lot of things going on in such a short time. Thanks also to Mark Pucci for reading my mind in knowing this was someone I really wanted to do a show on. He did a great job setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Candye talks about working in a church quite early on, then moving on to do country music. In the late seventies Candye was listening to a lot of Linda Ronstadt which turned her on to Hank Williams Sr. This was a very big turning point for her, from the very first time she heard him. Hank showed her that there can really be raw emotion in music. She began to seek out more artists like Hank Williams Sr. This led Candye to having what she describes as a “country-punk” band with the cool name of The Armadillos Stampede.

Candye also talks about how around 1986 she was going through Tom Earls’ record collection and discovered Elmore James. This effected her like Hank Williams Sr. did many years before. From this point on Candye says she became a full-fledged blues fan.

Now after nine records with such well know titles as “The Toughest Girl Alive,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “White Trash Girl,” and “Guitar’d and Feathered” comes her debut record on Delta Groove Music, Superhero. Most of Candye’s songs are very up lifting positive songs with a hopeful message. Still she can have fun on a song like “I Like ‘Em Stacked Like That” in which she shares vocals with Mitch Kashmar. Mitch also does a good job of playing harp on “Till You Go To Far.” Both of those songs also have Kid Ramos on guitar. Laura Chavez plays guitar on all but the last song and co-wrote six of the songs with Candye. While the record doesn’t break any new ground for Candye, this record will surely be played a lot this summer by people who just want to have a good time. Weather you’re an old fan or a new one Candye Kane delivers a lot of joy and hopefulness in a time when the world can really use a Superhero.

The songs you will hear in the podcast today:
Throw It in the Trash Can Love
You Can’t Stop Me from Loving You
I Didn’t Listen to My Heart
I Put a Hex on You
Superhero

Candye Kane’s Website

Candye Kane’s MySpace

More about Candye Kane at Delta Groove Productions.

Buy Candye Kane Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Superhero should be available anywhere you go for music.

Check out other great artists at Delta Groove Productions,
Like the new ones by Rod Piazza, Bobby Jones, Jason Ricci, or The Insomniacs

I’d like to thank Candye Kane for taking time to do this interview, also a big thanks to Jody Best for all her help in setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Nick Moss was with us back in Oct of 2008 talking about his double CD, Play It Til’ Tomorrow. At that time Nick gave us the background on how he got started in music, so this time were going to spend most of the time talking about the new CD Live at Chan’s. To hear the past show click here.
Nick Moss and the Flip Tops recorded their first live CD in 2006 called Live at Chan’s. They were so pleased with the results of that they went back to Chan’s for a second helping. The Blues Music Awards were so pleased with the CD that they nominated the first Live at Chan’s for “Album of the Year” and “Traditional Album of the Year.”
This new one is every bit as good as the last one. Like the last one, it’s really nice to hear almost all-new songs by the band. While there are some cover songs, they are ones this band has never covered on a record before. There is also a special guest appearance by the Chicago blues guitarist Lurrie Bell on the last four songs. It’s about 35 minutes of Nick and Lurrie trading licks on songs like “Five Long Years”, “Don’t You Lie To Me,” and Willie Dixon classic “I’m Ready”. Lurrie also sings on the before mentioned songs. Another guest that helps add depth to the band is Nick’s wife, Kate Moss, on bass. Kate’s does a very good job of holding down the bottom end. As Nick says in the interview, this frees up some hands giving him and Gerry more opportunity to play harmonica on songs.

When you get done listening to this weeks show be sure to go by their website see if they are coming to a town near you. This is a band you really need to see live. Besides getting to see the band members change off on each other’s instruments. You will hear a band that is really playing live. The songs are always changing and growing. They don’t play the same songs every night, in fact I don’t think they even have a set list like most bands. This means if you saw them last year they will be dong a whole new group of songs now.

The CD is 79 minutes long. That means only 1 minute of time was not used on the CD. With Lurrie Bell being with them for the last 35 minutes that still leaves 44 minutes of Nick Moss & the Flip Tops. This is almost like getting a double CD for the price of one. If this is not enough you can always pick up the first Live At Chans’ or go to one of their concerts. There you will definitely get a second helping of the combo platter.

Songs played in this weeks podcast:
Try to Treat You Right - 8:04
I Got All Kinds of Love - 4:48
I Wanna Know - 7:37

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops’ Website

Nick Moss & the Flip Tops’ MySpace

Go to buy their CD Live At Chan’s: Combo Platter No. 2 at CD Baby

Go to buy their CD Play It Til Tomorrow at CD Baby

To buy Live At Chan’s (Live) at CD Baby Website

To buy Sadie Mae at CD Baby Website

To buy Count Your Blessings at CD Baby Website

To buy Got A New Plan at CD Baby Website

To buy First Offense at CD Baby Website

I would like to thank Nick Moss for taking time out from his tour to do this interview.
Thanks also to Kate Moss for all her help in setting everything up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Rod Piazza has been making blues records since way back in 1967. At that time the group was called The Dirty Blues Band. Rod’s interest in the blues goes even farther back to the mid-fifties, when he would listen to his older brother’s records. Artists like Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, and Big Joe Turner. Rod was also learning how to play the guitar and harmonica at this time. Lucky for us, when The Dirty Blues Band was first starting out they found Rod was better at playing the harp and singing than playing the guitar. He quickly put the guitar away, giving his fans more opportunity to hear him blow harp. The Dirty Blues Band only made two records. By 1970 Rod found himself in a band called Bacon Fat with west cost blues legend George “Harmonica” Smith. Rod would open the show, then later George would take over. The show would always end with the two harmonica players together on stage.

In the early eighties Rod formed the Mighty Flyers and released their first record called Radioactive Material. Since then he’s released about 17 records, most with the Mighty Flyers and some as a solo artist. In the show you will hear Rod talk more about working with George “Harmonica” Smith and the difference between his solo records and the ones with the Mighty Flyers.

Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet’s new record came out June 16, 2009 on Delta Groove Productions. The CD kicks off with the title track “Soul Monster.” From the very first notes, you know this is going to be an enjoyable trip. Rod will tell us about how the song “Soul Monster” came about. Also why he wrote the song “Cheap Wine,” and why he did a remake of one of his songs from the 1992 CD Alphabet Blues. Some other songs you should know about on the CD: “Key to the Highway,” many fans over the years have heard Rod do this live and have asked him to release it, so here you go. “Sunbird” was a song Rod had produced for a George “Harmonica” Smith record. Jimmy Reed’s “Can’t Stand to See You Go” is a song that Rod said he always liked the cord changes on because they were a little different and the lyrics were good. Henry Carvajal the guitarist for the Mighty Flyers sings kind of a doo-wop song called “Talk to Me”, very good job.

Be sure to go to Delta Groove Productions or any CD outlet to buy Soul Monster you will love it.

Song in this weeks podcast are:
Soul Monster
Cheap Wine
Tell Me About It Sam
Expression Session

Rod Piazza’s Website

Rod Piazza’s MySpace

Rod Piazza at Delta Groove Productions

Buy Rod Piazza’s Soul Monster from Delta Groove Productions

Check out other great artists at Delta Groove Productions,
Like the new ones by Candy Kane, Bobby Jones, Jason Ricci, or The Insomniacs.

Buy Rod Piazza Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Thanks to thank Frank Vigil for letting us use one of his photos of Rod & Miss Honey. If you would like to see more really good photos this band or other blues bands go to the Frank Vigil Website.

I’d like to thank Rod Piazza for taking time out of his busy day to do this interview and big thanks to Jody Best for all her help in setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Bobby Jones was born in 1940 in Louisiana where he grew up on a farm. As he grew up he worked long hard hours in the cotton fields. In order to get away from the farm he joined the U.S. Army, but when his time of service was over he was back in the same place.
Bobby’s dad and uncles’ lived in Chicago, so Bobby moved there. Bobby start winning talent shows by singing at a small clubs. This led to him doing shows at legendary places like Pepper’s Lounge, Theresa’s, and Trocadero where people like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Junior Wells, and Buddy Guy hung out. Pepper’s Lounge is where he met the Aces who had been led by Little Walter then by Junior Wells. Junior was missing shows because he had a big hit out at the time called “Missing With The Kid.” Bobby Jones was asked to join the Aces, which led to the Aces playing in better and better clubs.

In the mid-sixty, Bobby got into a band called Chicago Blues Union. This band had a young Harvey Mandel, Barry Goldberg, Charlie Musselwhite and Mike Bloomfield. Today that would be a extremely all-star band. Only one record was made, but they did a fair amount of concerts. They played in the Catskill Mountains as an opening act for people like Johnny Carson, Jerry Lewis, and Red Foxx. Man, now that’s what I call an opening act. Forget the headliners, just let the Chicago Blues Union play. Later Bobby made some solo records, that he produced himself. Then he started to drift away from the music business for a few years.

In 2007, the Mannish Boys were working on their Big Plans CD. Pianist Leon Blue brought Bobby Jones to the session. After hours of working on the CD there was a brake and Leon introduced Bobby to the band members. Leon explained that Bobby was a gifted singer and they should listen to him. To say they liked his singing would be an understatement. They already had two fine singers but they asked Bobby to join the band on the spot. Remember this isn’t some bar band it’s the Mannish Boys they are one of the top blues bands out there today. They chose Bobby Jones to join them.

Now you’ve being chosen to hear Bobby Jones’ new CD Comin’ Back Hard. This is a man that has years of experience playing with some of the most gifted artists around. This is his first solo record in many years and he has everyone from the Mannish Boys as his back up band. You will get to hear the driving sound of the Willie Dixon’s song “Two Headed Woman”. You’d swear B.B. King was singing “She’s the One.” Nope, it’s Bobby. That lead guitar must be B.B. King, nope it’s Kirk “Eli” Fletcher. Then you have “Get It Over Baby.” In it Bobby sings, “I know you don’t love me no more.” You would think this would be a sad song, but it’s up beat and fun. You can’t help but think that Bobby has a big smile on his face as he sings this song. He’s just having a great time doing what he likes best, singing. Comin’ Back Hard ends with the Ike Turner song “How Long Will It Last.” Bobby sounds like a man half his age, with a very strong voice filled with emotion. Kid Ramo’s lead guitar playing is outstanding on this, too. Even though this is a Bobby Jones record I could listen to this just to hear the band. They are incredible. This is Bobby Jones first solo record for Delta Groove Productions, and he hit a home run. Below is a link to buy Bobby Jones Comin’ Back Hard from Delta Groove Productions, you’ll love it.

Songs in the show are:
Get It Over Baby
She’s The One
Two Headed Woman
How Long Will It Last
I Must Be Crazy

Bobby Jones Website

Buy Bobby Jones CD from Delta Groove Productions

Check out other great blues artists at Delta Groove Productions

Thanks to Bobby Jones for the taking time to do the interview.
Thanks to Jody Best for all her help over at Delta Groove Music.

Buy Bobby Jones Cd’s from Amazon.Com

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

2009 Blues Music Awards nominated David Maxwell for The Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award.

.

David started listening to classical music when he was young, because of this it lead him to begin playing piano. Later in high school he started learning about jazz and popular music, while continuing on with classical music. David would be involved with different jam sessions with friends from school. One of the friends was a trombone player who later would become the leader of Canned Heat, Alan Wilson. Like Alan, David was getting interested in the blues. Hearing Muddy Waters, Skip James, Son House, and Howlin’ Wolf, among others, got him interested in the blues. David also made it clear that they also would listen to Jazz, abstract music, and India music because they were very open minded to most any kind of music. After hearing Muddy Waters with Otis Spann in concert, that pretty much got David hooked on the blues.

From the late 60’s on, he worked around Boston with artists like Bob Margolin, who he was in a band with. When artists like Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton, Jimmy Rogers, or John Lee Hooker came to town he’d back them. He even worked in Freddie King’s band for about a year and a half. David continued to play around town with a lot of different artist, as well as touring with some. He spent a few years playing with Otis Rush, and that took him to Europe and Japan. David played on James Cotton’s 1997 Grammy-Winning Record Deep in the Blues. Plus he was in a trio with James Cotton that toured for three or four years.

David Maxwell’s current CD is called Max Attack it’s a piano based combination of upbeat blues as well as jazz blues. The songs have an old time feel to them with a sophisticated sound. David’s piano playing reminds me of what it must have been like to walk into an old time bar with a piano player going to town on those keys. The band is out of sight, as you would expect with featuring artists like Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, and Kim Wilson among others. When you combined David’s amazing piano playing with this band’s amazing sound you will always have something that wows you. “What’s the Use of a Broken Heart” has Liane Carroll singing a duet with David that is just so beautiful. “Twisted Tendons” is fun all out boogie-woogie that really gives you a chance to hear what David is able to do on the piano. “Moving Out of His World” is a real show stopper. The atmosphere the band creates is amazing, then when you have Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard playing off of each other it just takes it to another level. David Maxwell writes the all songs, and sings on most of them, plus there are three instrumentals. David has some humorous lyrics in some of the songs that keep you entertained. Not like you need that with such great music going on, but it is one more thing that makes this a superb record.

The songs in the podcast are:
Moving Out of His World
What’s the Use of a Broken Heart
Thanks for All the Women
Handyman

David Maxwell’s Website

David Maxwell’s MySpace

Buy David Maxwell’s Max Attack at CD Baby Website

Buy David Maxwell’s Maximum Blues Piano at CD Baby Website

I would like to thank David Maxwell for taking the time to be on this show.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

What would you get if you mixed a little bit of William Shakespeare, or maybe Douglas Adams, with a little of Bob Dylan, and a nice helping of Groucho Marx? You just might get Paul Mark a man who’s got a lot of things to say. Paul has the best consecutive lyrics for an entire CD of any one I have heard since… well, when was the last really great lyrical record? What is so cool is the lyrics have an over all truth but to get to it you have to go through some pretty amusing stories. A good example is the first song, “Everything is Nothing.” Paul explains how everything in the world seems unimpressive next to the girl he is in love with.
“The Redwood forest, that’s just a patch of sticks
The Taj Mahal that’s nothing but a stack of bricks
And today’s headlines sure sound like old news
Everything is nothing after you”

Then there is the song “Feed the Machine” where Paul says
“My tin-eared neighbor knocked on my door
And said my guitar playing was a crime
I asked him were does a fool
Learn to talk like he’s cool?
He said I read it in the New York Times”

Now I know these may sound a little less impressive with out the music but when the music is there it’s magic. The music of Paul Mark & the Van Dorens is pretty much an American roots sound. A fifties rock, with some country, a little blues, and their own unique blending of styles. I know this is a blues show, but I hope you are open minded enough to listen to other kinds of music if they are really good. Paul Mark & the Van Dorens are one of those other great bands. You’ll hear a song in the show called “Wrong Pair of Shoes,” about how he will do all these incredible things for a girl but right now he can’t do this because he has the “Wrong Pair of Shoes” on. If you listen closely in one part you will hear the theme song to The Flintstones. On the song “Extraordinary Measures,” he accompanies his piano playing with a mournful voice. He explains
“Extraordinary times mean extraordinary measures
Morning coffee is stirred with blood and treasure
We’ll claim to see diamonds in a handful of dirt
And keep light from all our dreams”

I wish there was time to tell you about all their songs. Everything about the CD Blood and Treasure; the music, the lyrics, and the artwork. Everything is good. In the credits he lists the record label he started as Radiation Records. Their slogan is “Confusing Music With Something Bigger.” The publishing company is Last Warning Music. This is the kind of stuff you use to find in a George Harrison record. If you took the time to read what was there you were rewarded.

Please go by Paul Mark & the Van Dorens’ Website and buy Blood and Treasure. When ever you have a bad day just play Blood and Treasure. Your problems won’t go away but you will feel much better.

One last lyric to leave you with from “I’m Still High”
“Woke up this morning
And brushed my teeth with Ben Guy
Splashed down my half-shaved face with Listerine
Lost ten minutes in the driveway cussing out Henry Ford
Trying to start the car with my front door key

Took out that patch of Mrs. Whatsername’s roses
Dodging a devil squirrel that took me by surprise
The police keep asking’
How come you ran them red lights?
Pardon me, sir, I’m still high”

For more, buy Blood and Treasure and have a great time.

Songs used in the show are:
Everything is Nothing
Don’t Get Me Started
Lotta Things To Say
Feed The Machine
I’m Still High
Wrong Pair of Shoes

Paul Mark & the Van Dorens’ Website

Paul Mark & the Van Dorens’ MySpace

Buy their CD’s from their website

Buy Blood & Treasure (2008) from the CD Baby Website

Buy Trick Fiction (2006) from the CD Baby Website

Buy IndigoVertigo (2002) from the CD Baby Website

Buy Disposable Soul (1997) from the CD Baby Website

Buy Metropolitan Swamp (1994) from the CD Baby Website

Buy Go Big or Go Home (1991) from the CD Baby Website

Buy Paul Mark’s Roadside Americana (1999) from the CD Baby Website
This is all-acoustic guitar with no-vocals.

Thanks to Paul Mark for not only making a really fun record but also taking the time to do a really fun interview.
A1 Mark
A1Blues.Com
Blues Music and Interviews

As Joe will explain in the show, Cash Box Kings are a band that pays tribute to the blues sounds of the nineteen-forties and fifties. Bands like Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Big Walter Horton and Muddy Waters. Muddy Waters’ band has an extra closeness, because Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, the drummer for Cash Box Kings, is the son of legendary Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Willie as you know was the drummer for the Muddy Waters band in the late sixties and through out all of the seventies. When Joe Nosek first met Kenny Smith, he wanted to put together an old school blues band. Kenny said he would like that too, because most of the artists he was playing drums for were in their seventies or eighties. As luck would have it Joe finally did meet more younger blues artist that had the same kind of vision as Joe and Willie. While it is always exciting to see the old timers that are still around like Hubert Sumlin, Byther Smith, Magic Slim, and Big George Brock. They have been around a long time and just don’t have the strength or energy to put on the kind of show they did when they were much younger. The Cash Box Kings are young guys giving it all they’ve got, just like the originals did when they were starting out. Joe does whatever it takes to get his audience up and having a great time. Whether it’s sliding across the stage, dancing on the bar top, or just laying down great harp.

Cash Box Kings current CD The Royal Treatment sounds so much like a blues record of the fifties that if you didn’t know better you would swear they were some lost band from Chess and Sun Records. Out of the fifteen songs on this record, Joe or Travis Koopman (lead guitar & some vocals) wrote eight of them. Some of the other songs are Elmore James’ “Please Set A Date”, Sonny Boy Williamson I “My Little Machine”, Muddy Waters’s “Gypsy Woman”, Little Walter’s “Can’t Hold Out Much Longer”, and the classic Big Bill Broonzy song “Baby Please Don’t Go”. The songs, whether originals or covers, all fit together really well. At one point they do a Little Walter song and then go into a very beautiful original ,“Lou & Roxie’s Rhumba”, that features Joe’s harp playing. You would have thought Little Walter had picked these two songs to go together. If you’re ready for some old time stripped down raw blues, Cash Box Kings record The Royal Treatment is just what you want to pick up. Below is a link to where you can pick up this Cd as well as their other CD’s Black Night Fallin’ and Live! At The King Club.

Songs played in the show:
Don’t Go Drinkin’
Why Did I Start?
Lou & Roxie’s Rhumba
Gimmie Some of That
Life Is Tough

Cash Box Kings CD’s are all available at CD Baby Website

Cash Box Kings’ Website

Cash Box Kings’ MySpace

Buy Cash Box Kings’ CD The Royal Treatment from the CD Baby’s Website

Buy Cash Box Kings’ CD Black Night Fallin’ fromthe CD Baby’s Website

Buy Cash Box Kings’ CD Live! At The King Club from the CD Baby’s Website

I would like to thank Joe Nosek for taking the time to do this interview, enjoy the show.

This was made by A1 Mark for A1Blues.Com

Chris Duarte was born in 1963 in San Antonio, Texas. Growing up Chris enjoyed most things kids like, such as sports and music. When he started playing around with his brother’s guitar, Chris found he was a quick learner and picked songs up fast. Later his mother bought him his own guitar, a steel string acoustic. He moved to Austin, Texas when he was 16. Chris said he had the young man’s desire to learn to play a lot of notes real fast but did not having much substance to what he was playing. He was playing Jazz-Fusion at the time with stuff like Al di Meola. This is a style of music he still enjoys to this day. Unfortunately with a career in blues-rock he doesn’t get to play this much. One song, “Woodpecker,” on his current CD Vantage Point is kind of in that style. Later Chris got into Bobby Mack and Night Train, a popular blues-soul band in the Austin area. Jimmy Pate the drummer for Night Train really taught Chris a lot about the blues. Chris said he felt naked on stage doing slow blues numbers because he was not use to having space between all the notes he was playing. Learning to replace a lot of fast notes with feelings and emotion in the notes he did play was a big step forward. Eventually Chris was working in three bands at the same time in order to further his craft as well as to pay the rent. Some of the Texas bands Chris Duarte has worked in over the years have been Bobby Mack and Night Train, The Diana Cantu Band, The Bad Boys, Breno & The Bad Boys, later called Chris Duarte & The Bad Boys, and finally Junior Medlow & The Bad Boys. Not only was he bouncing around in different bands, but the styles of music were changing too. One night it might be blues, another night jazz, and on then others soul. This all helped Chris become a better guitarist, songwriter and singer. In the early nineties Chris started touring beyond the Texas borders with a new band called the Chris Duarte Group. They played Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. Each time getting much larger crowds. An A&R guy heard the band and signed them to make a record. In 1994 they put out their first record, Texas Sugar. Chris says it is still the record most people think of when they hear his name. Since then he has put out about seven records as the Chris Duarte Group. Chris also works with a Japanese band called Bluestone. Chris says the Duarte Group is more of an improvisation blues-rock band. Chris Duarte & Bluestone have their parts all laid out. Every January he goes over to Japan to play with Bluestone. Then in September they come over here to tour with Chris.

The songs played in this week’s show are from the Chris Duarte Group’s most recent record Vantage Point. This is a high-energy blues-rock record with a lot of great songs. Chris said “Troubles On Me” is a major blues song and it’s his nod to Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s the kind of song he would have done. The lyrics are for a friend who has had a drug problem that he just can’t seem to shake off. Chris said he wrote “Satisfy” in about thirty minutes one morning just lying in bed. Hearing the song you would never think it was written that easily. One of my favorite songs is the four-minute “Blow Your Mind”. Then near the end of the CD is a different five-minute version, very cool. “Let’s Have A Party” is a fun song that he has been playing since around the early nineties. I know Chris is probably tired of hearing this, but if you’re a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan you will love his music. Below is a link to where you can buy his records. Don’t miss him on tour with the Chris Duarte Group, and also later this summer as Chris Duarte & Bluestone. You will have a great time, I sure did.

Songs in the podcast
The End of Me and You
The Best I Can Do
Blow Your Mind
Let’s Have a Party

Chris Duarte’s Website

Chris Duarte’s MySpace

Chris Duarte’s You Tube

Please add a link to this interview on Wikipedia’s Chris Duarte page.

Buy Chris Duarte Group’s Vantage Point & other CD’s from his website.

Other places to buy Chris Duarte Group’s Vantage Point
I would like to thank Chris for taking time after his long drive home to do this interview.

Thanks also to Karen for getting everything set up.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Pierre Lacocque (La-coke) was born in 1952 while his parents were living in Israel. His father was an Old Testament Christian Theologian studding in Jerusalem. His parents were from Belgium, but they moved around quite a bit. From Israel to Germany to France to Belgium. By the age of six he had moved several times. Pierre felt he didn’t fit in, and had a sense of loneliness and sadness at an early age. He feels this was probably a result of never having roots in any one place. When the family moved to Chicago in 1969 Pierre went for a walk one night. Heard some music playing at the University of Chicago’s Ida Noyes building so he went inside. He was awestruck by the music he was hearing, it was like a religious experience. Big Walter Horton was the artist that was playing that night, but it was not so much Big Walter Horton that effected Pierre as it was the blues music he was playing. The very next day he went out to buy a harmonica. The blues becomes an obsession for him to read about , listen to, and most importantly to play.

After playing for only six months, Junior Wells let Pierre sit in with him. He felt that Junior giving him his blessing as a harp player as well as giving Pierre a few of his harps. Pierre play in a few bands through the early to mid seventies, but he started felling sadder and sadder as he played. This led him to quit playing music for about ten years. During this time he got married, raised a family, and studied psychology, and publishing professional articles and even a book. About this time emptiness started coming into his life. After much soul-searching Pierre found he longed to play music once again.

After playing in a few different bands he formed Mississippi Heat in 1991. This Chicago style blues band has put out eight CD’s since 1993. Their current CD is Hattiesburg Blues with special guest guitarist Lurrie Bell and Carl Weathersby. When first listening to Hattiesburg Blues, I was impressed with the first four or five songs but figured they put all their best songs at the beginning of the CD. By the time I reached the eighth or ninth song, I was amazed they were still all very good. By the thirteenth and last song “Nature Is Cryin’,” I was crying for more. If you like the blues of Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and Jimmy Rogers your going to love Hattiesburg Blues. Whether it’s the up beat “Tiger Man”, the slow blues of “Forgot You Had A Home”, the soulful vocals of Inetta Visor on “Soft-Hearted Woman”, or Pierre’s great harp playing on everything, this CD delivers great music. Then there are the two Latin blues songs (Yea, I know it’s not Chicago, but wait till you hear it) “How Much Worse Can It Be?” and “Calypso in Blue”. The latter kind of reminds me of one of Santana’s beautiful blues songs. Then when Carl Weathersby comes in on guitar you’re wowed. In fact Carl’s solos on the six songs he’s on are so good I’m going to try and get a hold of him to be on the show. Lurrie Bell plays lead guitar and sings on two songs. That’s another thing that’s really nice. Pierre not only has lead vocalist Inetta Visor who does a really good job, but four other artist sing on Hattiesburg Blues. You never get bored. There is always something different coming up. Pierre Lacocque wrote or co-wrote almost all of the songs. The only thing I had trouble with was picking what songs not to play. I’d like to play them all. After you’re done listening to the show check the links below as to where you can buy this great CD. Keep the blues alive, buy a blues CD, Mississippi Heat Hattiesburg Blues.

Songs played in the podcast:
Tiger Man
Hattiesburg Blues
Light from Within
Calypso in Blue

Mississippi Heat Website

Mississippi Heat MySpace

Buy Mississippi Heat’s Hattiesburg Blues at the CD Baby Website

Buy Mississippi Heat’s One Eye Open - Live at Rosa’s Lounge at the CD Baby Website

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
By A1 Mark

Bob Koester was born in the early thirties and grew up in Wichita, Kansas. He had a love for jazz of the twenties but had trouble finding the artists he was looking for. The record companies weren’t reissuing older records. Bob found what he wanted in secondhand stores or buying some ones collection then selling off what he didn’t want. By the time he went to St. Louis University in Missouri he was wheeling and dealing records. First out of his dormitory room, then out of Record Changer magazine. Later he opened a store. Around this same time the St. Louis Jazz Club was starting up and Bob became a founding member. Bob made a lot of contacts through the St. Louis Jazz Club, both for selling his records as well as meeting artists he would latter want to record. Bob got to be well known in St. Louis. He even joked that Big Joe Williams heard about Bob looking for blues artists to record and showed up at the door. Bob jokes “I didn’t discover Big Joe Williams, Big Joe discovered Bob Koester”. He was getting to know who’s who of the St. Louis jazz and blues world. People like Speckled Red, The Windy City Six, Henry Brown, Mary Johnson, J.D. Short and Walter Davis. In the early fifties Bob was starting to record artists like The Windy City Six who were really from St. Louis. He also started buying masters of artists from different record companies. After getting all the masters of Blind Lemon’s recordings from Paramount he decided to move to Chicago where everything was at. In 1958 he closed his record store in St. Louis and opened it in Chicago. The store has moved several times over the years as a result of expanding size. The Jazz Record Mart is at 27 East Illinois in Chicago, Illinois and they are world’s largest Jazz and Blues Record Store.

Bob not only owns a record store (Jazz Record Mart) and he also has Delmark, the recording company. Delmark has had artists like Junior Wells, Magic Sam, Sleepy John Estes, Mississippi Heat, Big Joe Williams, Jimmy Dawkins, Little Arthur Duncan, Otis Rush, Dave Specter, Byther Smith (hear show on Byther Smith ), Buddy Guy and many many more. Bob said Junior Wells’ Hoodoo Man Blues was their biggest seller year in and year out.

This week on the show, Bob Koester is going to be telling us about some of the great artists that are on Delmark’s record 55 Years of Blues. The CD contains 17 tracks of different artist on the first disc and 10 DVD tracks on the second disc. There are so many songs by different artists I’ve chosen to do the show different this week. Instead of playing just four or five songs I’ve decided this week to play only clips of the songs this way you will be able to hear over half of this wonderful CD. The last few weeks of listening to 55 Years of Blues has been a real joy. Finding old blues artists that I was not aware of has been a blast. People like Sleepy John Estes, Bonnie Lee, Detroit Jr. and Willie Kent. This is a CD you will most definitely want to add to your collection. It’s also a good way of finding new artists you may like to own a whole CD of. It worked for me yesterday. I pick up Shirley Johnson’s Killer Diller and Legend of Sleepy John Estes.

Song clips you will hear in the show are:
Junior Wells - Little by Little
Big Joe Williams - Coffeehouse Blues
Sleepy John Estes - I Ain’t Gonna Sell It
J.B. Hutto - Evening Train
Shirley Johnson - Not for the Love of You
Detroit Jr. - Call My Job
Jimmy Dawkins - Feel So Bad
Bonnie Lee - Baby What You Want Me to Do
Roosevelt Sykes - Fine & Brown
Otis Rush - Please Love Me
Magic Sam - I Don’t Want No Woman

Go to buy Delmark – 55 Years of Blues

Delmark Record’s Website

Jazz Record Mart Website (the recorded store)

Delmark Recordeds MySpace
I’d like to thank Bob Koester for taking time out of his many jobs to talk to me.
Thanks to Kevin Johnson for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by  A1 Mark

Well it’s that time of the year again, when a lot of blues bands are putting out their new CD’s to get ready for the festival season. In past weeks we’ve heard new CD’s by Jason Ricci & New Blood, Alvin Jett & the Phat Noiz Blues Band and this week it’s The Insomniacs with their second CD At Least I’m Not With You. This is, for the most part, a traditional fifties electric blues band. They even use older instruments such as a 1951 Fender “Nocaster” guitar and a 1964 Framus Star Bass. To give the music a warmer more authentic sound, they of course use tub amps. All this would be pointless if it wasn’t for ability of the members of The Insomniacs to play the blues they love so much. Vyasa Dodson is the singer and guitarist for the band, and he has also written about half of the songs on the CD. Vyasa and bass guitarist Dean Mueller both played in a rockabilly band, when it broke up. Vyasa wanted to start his own band. He found Dave Melyan, the drummer, who in turn found Alix Shaker, the keyboard player. Vyasa asked Dean to play in the band, until they could find another bass player. Dean was very busy at the time with studio work, producing, and some engineering, but liked playing with Vyasa so he agreed. They started rehearsals around the early part of 2006. By June they started recording their first CD in Dean’s home studio, and then in October of 2006 the CD came out. The CD was only released regionally, until Delta Grove heard it and released it internationally on their label, with a few extra songs and new artwork.

At Least I’m Not With You was recorded in a day and half, with just a few things added in later. These were songs the band had been playing on the road for quit a while. The sound is up beat and fun with great hooks. “Lonesome” is a fast pace song with guest Al Blake on harp, Alex’s Hammond B3 organ sounds really good too. “Directly from My Heart to You” is up beat with a really big, full sound. “Description Blues” starts off laid back, but it too ends up taking off. Alex’s Hammond B3 organ and Vyasa’s lead guitar both stand out hear. As you will hear in the show the songs can vary quit a bit with “Root Beer Float” and “Angry Surfer” probably being the most different while the other three in the show being more the norm. Blues lovers will truly love this whole record they really did an out standing job on At Least I’m Not With You.

Songs played in the show:
Maybe Sometime Later
Root Beer Float
At Least I’m Not with You
Angry Surfer
She Can Talk

The Insomniacs MySpace page & tour listing

More about The Insomniacs at Delta Grove Productions

Buy At Least I’m Not With You at Delta Grove Productions

Check out other great blues music at Delta Grove Productions

Thanks to Dean Mueller for taking time on his one day off for this interview.
Thanks also to Jody Best for all her help in making this happen.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Alvin Jett was born in the early sixties, in East St. Louis to a family of music lovers. His father was a postal worker, who also played drums for blues bands that would come through town like Little Milton or Albert King. He also played a little guitar and gave a young Alvin pointers on the instrument. With thirteen kids in the family, there were always different kinds of music being played in the house. Alvin picked up on all the different styles of music, but blues always seemed to be what he related to. Even though Alvin was a big guy he never played many sports in school, and his guitar was not getting used much either. Then after high school he joined the Navy. When he got out, he picked up the guitar again. This time, at twenty, he really started taking the guitar seriously. His hard work at learning the guitar paid off by getting him a job with St. Louis blues legend Tommy Bankhead. This gave Alvin a chance to learn more about playing in a band, as well as advance as a guitar player. After a few years with Tommy Bankhead & the Blues Eldorados, he moved to California for a while. When he returned to St. Louis, Alvin went back to working for Tommy Bankhead, and then went into a band called Hired Help. They played a mixed set with blues and rock, doing things like Hendrix and Cream. Later Alvin and saxophonist Frank Bauer left the band to start Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band. Frank had his own band back in the mid-nineties called Blues Attitude for about five years before joining Hired Help with Alvin. A short time later Matt Davis joined as the bass player, song-writer, and singer. Corey Woodruff replaced the original drummer in 2007.

What really struck me about Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band is the huge sound a four-piece band can have. Much of this is the result of having Frank play the saxophone. Without Frank they’re just a good three-piece blues-rock band like so many others. Frank adds another sound that is not heard much in rock these days. In the fifties a rock solo was not done by the guitarist, but by the sax player. Blues bands used harp players in part to substitute an expensive brass section. Frank can deliver either of those or give the song a jazz tone. On a record this may not seem as important with all the side men that are added to records now-a-days, but when you see them live this makes a huge difference. At first you just keep looking at this four piece band wondering why they sound so big and phat. The answer is simple, Frank is on the Saxophone. He also wrote some of the songs on Honey Bowl and sings on at least one of them. Alvin is of course the lead singer and guitarist he also wrote or co-wrote most of the songs with Frank. Matt Davis (bass) also sings on a few of the songs as well as writing a few. With three different voices and writers this helps to add a little diversity to Honey Bowl.

The songs chosen for this show will give you a nice overview of what this band is like. With only twenty minutes to play music it’s hard to play everything you should hear from a record that is an hour long. The opener “Make Me Blue” is a good hard hitting blues song with good lead guitar, and I really hated leaving it and “Lay My Burden Down” out of the show. “Lay My Burden Down” is a blues/rock/gospel song with great lyrics about the problems going on around us in the world. “Lucky Charms” is a very beautiful instrumental similar to “Me, You & Cydnee,” which I only had time to play a small part of. “Dem Haters” and “Alone & Drinkin’” are both upbeat songs with some stellar sax playing in them. The CD Honey Bowl is available in Europe now, but is not yet on sale in the United States till May 12th 2009. You may find places like Amazon.com that will let you Pre-order the CD though.

If you live in the United States near St. Louis, Missouri, you may wish to attend their Cd release party on May 2nd 2009 at BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups

The CD will officially be released on May 12th 2009.

Songs played in the show are:
Bluesman’s Hat –harp by Arthur Williams
The Wreck
Graveyard Shift
Me, You & Cydnee (only part)
Zombie Land
Honey Bowl

Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band’s Website

Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band’s MySpace

To buy Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band’s CD Honey Bowl from Amazon.com

To buy Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band’s CD Milk & Cookies from the CD Baby Website

To buy Alvin Jett & The Phat Noiz Blues Band’s CD Wet My Beak from the CD Baby Website

I would like to thank Alvin Jett for taking the time to do this interview as well as Allison Davis for setting everything everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by  A1 Mark

This week you will get a triple threat. You get to hear songs form the two-day-old CD Done With The Devil before it ascends to the top of the blues charts. You will also get to hear guitarist Shawn Starski talk about how he got interested in music and landed the job as guitarist in Jason Ricci & New Blood. Last but certainly not least you will hear Jason Ricci talk about their new Eclecto Grove CD Done With The Devil.

Shawn Starski is the guitarist for Jason Ricci & New Blood. He was born in Detroit, but moved to Southern Florida when he was nine. Around the age of eleven Shawn asked if he could play guitar in the church band. They didn’t need another guitarist but asked him to switch to bass. Which is exactly what Shawn did. Even though he was suppose to be learning bass, Shawn spent most of his time learning Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix on the guitar. While in high school he joined the school jazz band, which taught him a lot of music theater. This really helped later in understanding how to play different kinds of music. Through the late nineties and early two thousands, he played in different bar bands playing rock, blues, and even one band kind of like Squirrel Nut Zippers. During this time period Shawn and Jason met in Florida but had never played together. Jason needed a fill in guitarist for a few shows in North Carolina, so Shawn filled in. A few weeks after the shows Jason asked Shawn if he’d like to join New Blood. Shawn said, “Hell yeah.” At that time they just jammed on songs they all knew, yet it was some what like the style of the current day band. Just not as well defined. As time went on they started writing their own songs. In 2004 they recorded a live CD called Live at Checkers Tavern (out of print) with all original material. Shawn said they were in the middle of a tour in 2005 with two days off and needed a new CD, so they popped in a studio and recorded Blood On The Road.

Then in 2007 Delta Groove Records signed the band to their sister label Eclecto Groove Records. The band finally had a record label that would record them with a good budget and people that really know how to make a good record, as well as promote the band. This produced their first ground-breaking masterpiece Rocket Number 9. Now this past Tuesday you probably felt the ground-breaking tremors that went shooting through the blues community as Eclecto Groove Records released the follow up record Done With The Devil. As you probably recall from the last show A1Blues.Com did on Jason Ricci & New Blood’s CD Rocket Number 9. Jason’s innovative harmonica playing was compared to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix’s innovations on their respective instruments. With Done With The Devil, those comparisons are still true, however now the whole band is growing in sophistication. This record is over flowing with creativity that you will pick up on the on first listening but days, weeks, even months later you will still be finding new things you had not found before. Jason said this was recorded over a two-week period instead of just a few days as the case had been in the past. They also had producer Phillip Wolfe working with them who filled in with some very nice keyboard work too. Jason also said this was the first time they went into the studio with out the idea of reproducing their live sound on a record. This time they went in with the idea of exploiting the art form in the studio. The opening song “Done With The Devil” has kind of a Steven Tyler/Aerosmith rock sound to it. The next song “Sweet Loving” is a fun, up beat song about getting over problems couples have to achieve something higher. “Broken Toy” may be Jason’s most heart-felt vocals. In the show you will hear Jason explain why he feels like an outsider or a broken toy. Todd Edmounds, their bassist, co-wrote the song with Jason, as well as playing upright bass on this one. “Pteryptophan Pterodactyl” is a cool jazz instrumental also written by Todd. This one took a little longer to get into but was well worth the extra time spent on the song. Jason’s harp solo is really good as well as the unfortunately too short solos by Phillip Wolfe on keyboards and Shawn’s guitar solo. They do the punk rock song “I Turned Into A Martian” originally by The Misfits. This version is much more powerful, twice as long and has to be in their live set, great job. Drummer Ed Michael wrote and sings this fun rocker “Keep The Wolf From The Door.” This is just another example of how talented this band is, and you’ll get to hear this in the show.

There are three covers that you will have to buy the CD to hear. Willie Dixon’s “As Long as I Have You,” probably the best blues song they have recorded so far. Ramon Santamaria’s “Afro Blue” which Jason said is more based on the John Coltrane’s version than Ramon’s. You may remember in the last interview Jason said he wants to put a Sun Ra song on all his records. This time we’re treated to their interpretation of Sun Ra’s “Enlightenment”. This is an out standing peace of music to close the record with, but Phillip Wolfe almost steals the show with his accordion playing. With these three covers, plus The Misfits cover, and “Done With The Devil”, “Broken Toy”, “Sweet Loving” and “Keep The Wolf From The Door”. This is a must have CD, that you will be playing over and over again for many years to come.

There is one thing I did not like. The inclosed pamphlet has three pages that Jason wrote. I literally used a magnifying glass to read the first page, and then gave up, even though it was interesting. Maybe Jason or Eclecto Grove Records could post it at their website. Everything else I loved. Good front cover and back cover, also who plays what instruments on what songs is well documented.

Jason Ricci is up for the 2009 Blues Music Award for Instrumentalist-Harmonica player. Next year he should also be in the album of the year category for Done With The Devil .

Songs played in this week show:
Keep the Wolf from My Door
Sweet Loving
Broken Toy
Done with the Devil

Jason Ricci’s Website

Jason Ricci’s MySpace

Go to buy Done With The Devil from Eclecto Groove Records

Go to buy Rocket Number 9 from CD Baby Website

Check out other great Eclecto Groove records by artists like
Ana Popovic, Mike Zito, and The Soul of John Black

Check out some great Delta Grove records by artists like
The Insomniacs, Bobby Jones, The Mannish Boys, Mitch Kashmar,
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Elvin Bishop
& many more of today’s top blues artists.

Thanks to Jason Ricci and Shawn Starski for taking time out of their tour to talk to me.
Thanks to Jody Best at Eclecto Groove Records for all her help in putting all this together.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Big Shanty was born in 1942. His father was in the army, so they traveled around the country a lot. As he was growing up he would hear different radio stations playing blues. This got him interested in starting a rock band, around 1963, called the Fabulous Serpent. They toured all over the south and cut a 45 that got quit a bit of radio play. Later after the band broke up he decided to work behind the scenes, which he had been doing already with The Fabulous Serpent. Mac Davis was his roommate at the time, so he got Big Shanty a job working at Liberty Records. Later he worked for Atlanta Records and rubbed shoulders with a lot of great artists. One time while in Florida doing some promotion work with a Miami DJ, a friend of the Big Shanty’s, Tom Dowd (engineer and producer of people like Rod Stewart, The Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and many others), invited Big Shanty to Criteria Studios to watch a band he was working on called Derek and the Dominos. Later Big Shanty would find him self on the road with keyboardist Bobby Whitlock of the Dominos. They were going from town to town in the mid-west promoting the band on radio stations and recorded stores. Big Shanty had a funny story to tell about traveling with Bobby Whitlock. One day in a cab Bobby asked the cab driver if he could smoke in the cab. The driver said sure, Bobby lit up a big joint, the cab driver turned around to look at Bobby then said that smells pretty good. You should try this one, he handed them the joint he had in the cab. By the time they got to the hotel they were both quite buzzed. Big Shanty went into the hotel to get their rooms, and found his wallet had fallen out in the cab. He had over a thousand dollars in the wallet not knowing what to do he wondered out side. Just then the cab pulled up “Hey man, you dropped this”.

Later he worked with Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers. When Phil Walden and Frank Fenter started putting together Capricorn Records, they had Big Shanty come down and become the promotions man for Capricorn Records. They got the Allman Brothers, Wet Willie (who is now on Big Shanty ’s record label) as well as other southern rock bands on Capricorn. Big Shanty worked with promoting these bands and even got to jam with them from time to time. While all this was going on he had never stopped writing songs and playing the guitar. The promotions went on for many more years, with many artists. Fast forward to 2004, Big Shanty launched an Internet based King Mojo Records to showcase emerging artists in Contemporary Blues and Rock. In 2004 he released World of Trouble, then in 2006 his second CD Ride With The Wind came out. Ride With The Wind was CD of the year in Real Blues Magazine. One of the songs on Ride With The Wind called “The Killing Fields” was number one for five weeks on Contemporary Blues Radio. There is a good video if Big Shanty doing “The Killing Fields” at MySpace page.

Big Shanty’s new CD Sold Out… came out January 6th 2009. The CD took about a year to make. A few songs came pretty quickly, while the others he worked on in the studio with Scott T. Robertson. The CD kicks off with a rocking story about Big Shanty’s life. “Big Shanty, From Lower Alabama to Hollywood” tells the listener you should never give up on your dreams because things can change. “Love Train” come about as a result of a guitar riff he couldn’t get out of his head, we should all be that lucky. “They Say Its Rain” is about someone who has lost a lover and just can’t get them out of their head. “Rolling Thunder” has a good driving bass line that keeps the song moving. All the songs have a rocking feel with solid distortion, even a bit of a retro synthesizer in there. The only exception is the song “Tybee Town” which is a soft acoustic finger picking guitar song. Tybee Town is by a white beach that Big Shanty lived at “where the beer is free and they say the women are too”. It’s a shame this is the only song like this, but it does make the song stand out a lot more. Its a great song. The highlights are the five songs you will hear in the show, but if you like them you will love this whole CD. Below is a link to where you can buy Big Shanty’s CD Sold Out… Count on rocking out all night, lots of good stuff here.

Songs in the podcast:
Big Shanty, From Lower Alabama to Hollywood
Kiss the Eight Ball
Walking Shoes
Tybee Town
Uncle Sam Go to Rehab

Big Shanty’s Website

Big Shanty’s MySpace

Go to the CD Baby Website to buy Sold Out…

Go to the CD Baby Website to buy Ride With the Wind

Check out some other great bands on King Mojo Records

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark

Big James got to see James Brown in concert around 1968 when he was only 7 years old. From then own James was hooked on music. He started off taking guitar lessons in grade school but the teacher moved. James was never able to find another guitar teacher. In high school they needed a trombone player so James took that up. One day while working in his dad’s tavern a man came in looking for a trombone player. James said that he was a trombone player and they asked if he would try out for Little Milton’s band. James said sure, went down to the tryouts and landed the job. For the next two years Big James was on tour with Little Milton’s.

Later Big James moved back to Chicago where Johnny Christian hired him to play in his band Johnny Christian & the Playboys. This was around 1989, Big James stayed with the band till Johnny Christian passed away from cancer 1993. Johnny had made it know that he wanted the band to continue on after his passing. So Big James became the leader if the band that has continued on till today. In 1996 Big James joined up with Buddy Guy’s band for a world tour that lasted for three years. Big James said some of the highlights of the tour was getting to be on the Jay Leno Show as well as having Eric Clapton join them on stage in England. Other artists that Big James has performed with over the years are Lou Rawls, Albert King, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and Larry Coryell.

Records Big James has put out:
Funkin’ Blues
If It Wasn’t 4 Da Blues
Now You Know
Thank God I Got the Blues

Big James current record Thank God I Got the Blues is a nice blend of soul, blues and a little jazz. This is not a trombone record. Big James and Producer/Mixer Andrew Garver knows how to mix all the elements of this upstanding band The Chicago Playboys into a spectacular sound. With seven members in the band it would be easy for them to make wrong turns or have a clutter of sound. No, that is never the case this is a professionally done record, as you will hear in the podcast. The title track kicks the record off with up- tempo beat and beautiful horn arrangements. Speaking of beautiful horn arrangements this is a good place to thank Kenny Anderson and Big James for doing a very appealing job through out this record. Mike Wheeler’s guitar playing on “I’m Done This Time” is beautiful. “Don’t Take Your Coat off…” is even more special when you hear Big James tell you how it came about in the podcast. I could go on and on about how spectacular this record is but what you need to do is listen to the show. Once you hear the songs you will see what I’m talking about. There is only one thing that I might change, that’s the title. I feel the title of track six would better describe this record, “Awesome”.

This may not only be my feeling as Blind Pig Records has singed Big James to their label. Congratulations Big James you have certainly earned this. Big James and the Chicago Playboys are hard at work on their new CD. The title will be Right Here, Right Now, look for a May 2009 release date. Till then please buy Thank God I Got the Blues it will have you thanking God for Big James having the blues because now you have an awesome record.

The songs played in the show:
Thank God I Got the Blues
What It Is…
Awesome
Don’t Take Your Coat off…

Big James & the Chicago Playboys
Big James - Vocals & Trombone
Mike Wheeler - Lead Guitar & Vocals
Joseph Sylvester Blocker - Keyboards & Vocals
Larry Williams, Bass
Cleo Cole - Drummer
Charles Kimble - Saxophone & Vocals

Big James Website

Big James MySpace

Buy Big James CD Thank God I Got the Blues from CD Baby Website

Buy Big James CD Now You Know from CD Baby Website

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
formerly A1 Artist Spotlight. Com
by A1 Mark