This week you will get to hear Charlie Musselwhite talk about his new CD The Well as will as songs from the CD.

Charlie Musselwhite just may be the best known living blues harmonica player around today.  His first record. Stand Back! Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite’s Southside Band, came out in 1967.  Many consider this a classic record but, after more than two dozen records and more years than he’d probably like to remember, The Well shows Charlie is only getting better.  His voice sounds more mature and fuller, the harp playing is great, and Charlie can really tell a story.

“Cadillac Women” is about growing up and learning you should stay out of trouble. “Cook County Blues” is a well written song about being locked up in jail. “Sad And Beautiful World” is an up tempo duet with Mavis Staples. “Clarksdale Getaway” and “Sonny Payne Special” are two great instrumentals that really let you hear why people think so highly of Charlie’s playing.  Then there is the title track “The Well” about a little girl who fell down in a well in Texas that gave Charlie the inspiration to quit drinking.  I know this doesn’t give you much information about the new Charlie Musselwhite CD The Well on Alligator Records but if you just push the play button you will quickly realize that Charlie’s well is overflowing with wonderful music.

2010 Blues Hall of Fame Inductee
7-Time GRAMMY Nominee
24-Time Blues Music AwardWinner
8-Time Living Blues Award Winner

Charlie Musselwhite’s Website

Buy The Well from Charlie Musselwhite’s Website

Buy The Well from Alligator Records

Don’t forget to check out all the new releases at Alligator Records like JJ Grey & Mofro, Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King, Anders Osborne, The Holmes Brothers & Guitar Shorty.

Thanks to Charlie Musselwhite for taking time out from his tour to talk with me.
Thanks to Bruce Iglauer for setting everything up.

NOTE:

I’m going to be doing some new things with the show in the weeks to come.  Some shows will be about an hour long with one artist, others will have two artists one each half hour.  As you know the shows have been coming out every other week lately, this will be changing too.  I’m going to be shooting for three shows a month with some shows having two artists.  One of my big goals to be able to give you more opportunity to hear from more artists.  The one down side is the articles here at the website will end.  You will still be able to listen to the new show or any of the past shows.  There will be links every week to the artists website and where to buy the CD, just no article. Thank you for listening to this show wether it is on KCOR Kansas City Online Radio, the podcast. or here at the website.  We are going to keep the blues alive.

Mark Wade
A1Blues.Com

Bob Corritore is our guest this week he’ll be talking about his new CD Harmonica Blues.

Talking to Bob reminds me of talking to Bob Koester at Delmark Records or Bruce Iglauer at Alligator Records because he has such a vast knowledge of the blues. He’s met or played with most everyone.  Like the other two men Bob works very hard to help other blues artists whenever possible as well as recording some great blues himself.

Bob Corritore has played harmonica on over 35 releases to date. He hung around great harp players such as Big Walter Horton, Little Mack Simmons, Louis Myers, Junior Wells, Big John Wrencher, and Carey Bell, receiving harmonica tips and encouragement from many of them. He would regularly see the Aces, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Billy Boy Arnold, John Brim, Sunnyland Slim, Smokey Smothers, Eddie Taylor, and in many cases became personal friends with these blues veterans. Corritore worked with Tail Dragger, Big Moose Walker, Willie Buck, Louis and Dave Myers, and Eddie Taylor in the late 70s and early 80s (this paragraph was taken from his website).

Harmonica Blues is a wonderful CD with a real who’s who of the blues world.  Since Bob never sings, he has brought guest artists in to do the singing like Little Milton, Honeyboy Edwards, Nappy Brown, Eddy Clearwater, Big Pete Pearson, Koko Taylor and Dave Riley. If you think these names are impressive wait till you hear the music, it’s even better.  This is a must have CD, you will love every track, and why wait till it wins a bunch of blues awards. Get Harmonica Blues today (see links below).

Songs played on this week’s show:
“1815 West Roosevelt” with Eddie Shaw
“That’s All Right” with Robert Lockwood Jr.
“Sundown San Diego” with Tomcat Courtney
“Big Fat Mama” with Pinetop Perkins
“Things Have Changed” with Henry Gray
“Tell Me ‘Bout It” with Louisiana Red
“I Need To Be Be’d With” with Carol Fran

If you’re a real blues fan you should get on Bob’s mailing list for his news letter, it’s really good, and it’s free. See his website to sign up.

Bob Corritore’s Website

Bob Corritore MySpace

Get Bob Corritore’s CD Harmonica Blues at Delta Groove Productions

Get Bob Corritore’s CD Harmonica Blues at Amazon.Com

Thanks to Frank Roszak for setting everything up and of course to Bob for a very interesting interview. I hope to have Bob back many more times.

Blues Music and Interviews

A1Blues.Com

by A1 Mark

Hear Albert Castiglia [pronounced ka-steel-ya] talk about his new CD Keepin On that came out this week.

Albert Castiglia’s song “Bad Year Blues” was nominated in 2009 for “Blues Song of the Year” by the Blues Foundation.  I still say “Godfather Of The Blues” about Albert’s former boss Junior Wells is every bit as good or better of a song than “Bad Year Blues”.  Both songs were from the 2008 CD These Are The Days.  You can check this out for yourself after this week’s show by going to the first interview I did with Albert were we talked about his then new CD These Are The Days.

Keepin On is exactly what you want to do with Albert Castiglia new cd Keepin On because you want to keep on hearing more of his diverse guitar playing.  From the powerful guitar intro and tuff vocals on the first song “Cadillac Assembly Line” (killer guitar solo) through “My Baby Is Now On My Mind”, a slow kind of Latin shuffle (ditto on the guitar solo), to the last song “Closing Time” where Albert gives a passionate vocal and guitar performance.  Throughout the CD it is evident that he is able to change styles of playing without ever dropping his standers.

Keepin On also has Nicole Hart on some backup vocals and our old friend Sandy Mack doing some great harp work.  Even before I know it was Sandy I was really getting into what he was doing.   Hear the show on Sandy Mack.

Albert Castiglia has done it again with a great CD full of tight blues songs, some covers, and some he’s written are all worth owning.  Hopefully this time around people will realize what a great talents Albert has with both the guitar and his voice.

Don’t forget to get out this year to see Albert Castiglia in concert because he puts on a really good show.  I’ve seen him a few times and I always enjoy it.

Buy Albert Castiglia’s Keepin On at Amazon.Com

Albert Castiglia’s Keepin On is also available at iTunes, Barns & Noble, Napster & Rhapsody.Com

Albert Castiglia Website

Albert Castiglia MySpace

To book Albert in your town contact JoAnn Freda.

Thanks Albert Castiglia for doing the interview.

Thanks also to Rick Lusher, Mark Pucci and Blues Leaf Records.
.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week hear Chris Bell talk about his brand new CD Devil, My Guitar & Me.

If you’ve been listening to this show for awhile you know about the last show I did with Chris on his CD Real Bluesman.  This time around Chris goes from blues to more blues rock and it works good for him.  All but one of the 14 songs are Chris Bell originals.  The exception is an old Allman Brothers song “It’s Not My Cross To Bear” which Chris does a nice job on.  Songs like “Sweet Josephine”, “Devil, My Guitar & Me”, and many others are good blues-rockers.  The song “My Jimi Hendrix Stuff” stands out with its cool lyrics.  Chris took the titles of a bunch of Hendrix songs to make the lyrics for this song.   It’s fun to listen to and pick out the song titles while still following the present story line.

Chris is also a huge John Lee Hooker fan.  He tells us about the time he got to meet John Lee Hooker which is the inspiration for Chris’ song titled “John Lee Hooker (Told Me So)”.  The last track, “Don’t Wake Me Up”, breaks out a sax player that gives a nice change of sound.  Chris Bell is the lead vocalist and plays electric, acoustic, slide, dobro and any other guitar as well as bass guitar on six tracks.  Chuck England is the bass guitarist and Bill Nuti plays drums.

Chris Bell & 100% Blues will be on tour all this summer so be sure to check their MySpace page for tour dates.  There are some great photos of Chris with other blues artists at his MySpace page too.  You really should check it out.

Chris Bell MySpace

Chris Bell Website

Buy Chris Bell & 100% Blues – The Devil, My Guitar & Me at Amazon.Com

Buy Chris Bell & 100% Blues – The Devil, My Guitar & Me at CD Baby

Hear Chris talk about his last CD Real Bluesman, it has a lot of great music too.

Thanks to Chris Bell for taking time away from his tour to talk about his new CD.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week hear both Chris James & Patrick Rynn talk about their new cd Gonna Boogie Anyway.

Chris James & Patrick Rynn were on this show back in 2008 talking about their last cd Stop and Think About It. Chris talks this time about how both cd’s are Chicago Blues but, this time around there is a change to Gonna Boogie Anyway.  It’s a little more stripped down including three real nice acoustic numbers with Patrick playing upright bass and Chris doing guitar and vocals.  One of them, “Heading Out West”, really comes off as sounding like there are more musicians playing than there really are. Then they add our old friend David Maxwell on piano for another acoustic number “You Can’t Trust Nobody”.

I was really pleased to hear David Maxwell on four of the numbers then Henry Gray shows up to play piano on four more songs.  Sam Lay even plays on a couple of songs which is very  appropriate because it’s the old blues artists like these that have drawn Chris James & Patrick Rynn to this kind of music.

Most of the songs are by the team of Chris James, Patrick Rynn and Rob Stone with four covers including one by Jimmy Reed and one by Robert Lockwood Jr.  Rob Stone also plays harp and some guitar on both their cd’s.  Be on the lookout for a new cd by Rob Stone called Back Around Here that just came out.

Like their last cd Stop and Think About It the new one Gonna Boogie Anyway is a great Chicago blues cd.  That will be winning a lot of awards because this is some of best Chicago Blues you will hear anywhere.   Chris James & Patrick Rynn are two blues artists we will be hearing a lot more from and that’s a good thing.

Songs in this week’s show:
You Can Trust Nobody  (with David Maxwell)
The Tables Have  Turned   (with David Maxwell)
Headed Out West
Money Don’t Like Me        (with David Maxwell & Sam Lay)
Gonna Boogie Anyway      (with Henry Gray)

Chris James & Patrick Rynn’s Website

Chris James & Patrick Rynn’s MySpace

Buy Chris James & Patrick Rynn’s new cd from Amazon.Com

Thanks guys, it was real fun talking with you again and get to St. Louis sometime.

This week you will hear Shakura S’Aida talk about her life as a blues artist and her new CD Brown Sugar.

On Shakura S’Aida’s (Shak –OO-ra  Sigh-EE-da) first record Blueprint (2008) she was singing blues covers from the 1940s and ‘50s.  This time Shakura wrote nine of the twelve songs on her new record Brown Sugar.  The songs are a little more Rythm & Blues than straight blues.  Whatever the style of music you wish to put this into it’s still very good.  A soulful band with well written songs that Shakura sings from a first hand understanding of the lyric situation.

Brown Sugar has a lot of good songs but probably none any better than “This Is Not A Love Song”.  A slow but strong building song with very nice organ work by Lance Anderson who really does a fine job of setting the feel for several of the songs.

Donna Grantis the co-song writer with Shakura is also the guitarist for the band who adds some very tasteful playing.

Songs in this weeks show:
Mr. Right
Walk Out That Door
Gonna Tell My Baby
This Is Not a Love Song

Buy Brown Sugar from Amazon.Com

Shakura S’Aida at Ruf Records

Shakura S’Aida’s Website

Thanks to Shakura for the interesting and fun interview also thanks to Mark Pucci for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week you will get to hear an interview with Kirk Fletcher and songs from his new cd My Turn.

Kirk Fletcher was in one of Kim Wilson’s solo band and later asked to join The Fabulous Thunderbirds.  He’s also toured with Lynwood Slim, Janiva Magness, Charlie Musselwhite.  He’s a member of The  Mannish Boys and is on their new cd Shake For Me. Kirk also is a part time member in the Hollywood Blue Flames and plays on about half of their new cd Deep In America.

His last solo recorded was in 2004 Shades Of Blues it’s a great Chicago blues style record that should not be overlooked. The new record My Turn is more blues, and blues-rock.  While this record has a lot of good music it is overshadowed by three masterpieces “Continents End”, “Congo Square” and “Blues for Antone”.

The first time I heard “Continents End” it reminded me of Jimi Hendrix “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Me)” and “Moon, Turn The Tides…Gently, Gently Away” probably two of my favorite Hendrix songs from Electric Lady Land.  Kirk is not copying those songs, he is making something new and wonderful.  On “Congo Square” Kirk sounds like Carlos Santana and boy is it good.  Then there is “Blues for Antone” great blues-rock kind of in the style of Albert King.  This song should be nominated for the Blues Foundation song of the year.

Songs in this week’s show.
El Medio Stomp
Continents End
Congo Square
Blues for Antone

Buy Kirk Fletcher Cd’s from Delta Groove Productions

Buy My Turn from Amazon.Com

Kirk Fletcher MySpace

Learn more about Kirk Fletcher at Delta Groove Productions

Thanks to Kirk Fletcher for a really fun interview and to Jody Best for setting everything up.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week hear The Mannish Boy’s Randy Chortkoff talk about his life living in the blues world.

Shake For Me is the newest record by the all star blues band The Mannish Boys.  Reprising their all-star roles in the band are Finis Tasby, Bobby Jones, Kirk Fletcher, Frank Goldwasser, and Randy Chortkoff, joined here by an entirely new and outstanding rhythm section comprised of Willie J. Campbell on bass (The James Harman Band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Jimi Bott on drums (Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Woodbrain).

Randy talks about going to Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium, producing other blues artists, starting his own record label, Delta Groove Productions, and his own band The Mannish Boys.  If you’ve never heard The Mannish Boys you’re in for a real treat.

Mannish Boys in this weeks show:
Searchin’ Blues –  Lowdown Feelin’
Educated Ways – 2010 – Shake for Me
Those Worries – 2010 – Shake for Me
Raunchy – 2010 – Shake for Me

Buy the Mannish Boys record Shake For Me at Delta Groove Productions

More about Randy Chortkoff Their website

Check out other great artists on Delta Groove like Arthur Adams, Elvin Bishop, Hollywood Blue Flames, Kirk Fletcher, Mike Zito, Jason Ricci, Ana Popovic and that one guy that plays blues harp you know Rod Piazza.

Thanks To Jody Best for getting everything set up and for Randy taking time out of his busy day to talk with me.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week you will hear Guitar Shorty talk about his life as a blues man of the road as well as tracks from his hard hitting new record Bare Knuckle.

Guitar Shorty’s last record won 2007’s Blues Music Award for “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year”. You can bet Guitar Shorty’s Bare Knuckle is another hard hitting record.

Guitar Shorty will be asked about working with Ray Charles Band, his first single with the help of Willie Dixon and about a very famous rock star who went AWOL to see a Guitar Shorty shows.

You’ll also hear the title track from his award winning record We The People plus three new songs from Bare Knuckle.

Songs played this week:

We The People (fom We The People)
Please Mr. President (from Bare Knuckle)
Too Late (from Bare Knuckle)
Texas Women (from Bare Knuckle)

Buy Guitar Shorty’s CD’s from Alligator Records

Check out other great CDs on Alligator Records
Like the new ones  by Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King , Anders Osborne,
Janiva Magness, The Holmes Brothers and Tinsley Ellis

Guitar Shorty’s Website

Guitar Shorty MySpace

Thanks to Guitar Shorty for the cool stories and Bruce Iglauer for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews

A1Blues.Com

by A1 Mark

This week you will hear Bnois King from the band Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King talking about their new record on Alligator Records called Have Blues Will Travel.

Bnois King like Smokin’ Joe Kubek plays guitar for the band but he’s also the vocalist and wrote or co-wrote all the songs.  Their last record the popular 2008 Alligator release Blood Brothers has been one of my fevered records of the last few years.   It’s been a long wait but the much anticipated new record Have Blues Will Travel come out this Tuesday.

The record is full of great guitar playing, good hooks, and the very pleasant voice of Bnois King.  Bnois really come up with some great lyrics like in the song “RU4 Real”  or “Payday In America” a song every person that works for a living will relate to.

Why take my word for it turn on the show and you will hear for yourself some of the coolest-hottest music of this summer.

Bnois said they will be doing a long tour so be sure to get out there and see them.

Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King – Website

Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King – MySpace page

To buy Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King’s CD’s Have Blues Will Travel & Blood Brothers

Check out other great CDs on Alligator Records like new ones  by Guitar Shorty, Anders Osborne, Janiva Magness & The Holmes Brothers

Buy Have Blues Will Travel from Amazon.Com

I’d like to thank Bnois King and Bruce Iglauer for their time and help in putting this show together.

Hear interviews Charlie Musselwhite, Albert Castiglia & Super Chikan on this weeks show.

This week’s show is about the Eureka Springs Blues Weekend being held June 3, 4, 5 & 6 in Eureka Springs Ark. in the USA.   Even if you don’t live in the United States or the Midwest where this event is being held you will love this show.  We have Albert Castiglia, the man whose song was nominated in 2009 for Blues Song of the Year.  Charlie Musselwhite, who’s been making blues records since 1967 and has been nominated for just about everything.  Then there is Super Chikan, this year’s winner of the Blues Foundation’s Traditional Blues Album of the Year for his record Chikadelic.

This event is a Fundraiser for The Blues Foundation’s Handy Artist Relief Trust and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The HART Fund provides assistance to musicians in need, including acute, chronic & preventive medical & dental care, as well as funeral expenses. For more information, please visit www.Blues.org.  Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is located seven miles south of Eureka Springs on Highway 23. It provides lifetime refuge to over 140 abandoned, abused, and neglected “Big Cats”, with emphasis on tigers, lions, leopards, and cougars. Natural habitats have been built over the past decade to allow the “Lions, Tigers & Bears” to live in more natural surroundings. For more information, please visit www.TurpentineCreek.org The Eureka Springs Blues Weekend is produced by an all-volunteer force, and 100% of all profits from our shows go to The HART Fund and Turpentine Creek.

Some of the artists performing at The  Eureka Springs Blues Weekend:

John Hammond
Charlie Musselwhite
Magic Slim
Bob Margolin
Albert Castiglia
Super Chikan
Marquise Knox
Shaun Murphy
Otis Taylor
Kelley Hunt
Grady Champion Band

For a complete list of performers go to www.EurekaSpringsBlues.Com

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week you will hear Andrew Duncanson of The Killborn Alley Blues Band talk about their new record Better Off Now.

The Killborn Alley Blues Band’s last record Tear Chicago Down came out back in 2007.  With good songs like “I’m Spent”, “Crazier Things” and “Fire With Fire” it’s been a long wait for a new record.   Andrew explained the band is even Better Off Now which is very true with songs like the Obama inspired “Nothin’ Left to Stimulate” or the strong vocal delivery on “Foolsville”.   “Whoa Yeah Woman” is a good stomping blues song with Joe Asselin delivering good harmonica.   “You Can Have The Tail” has good lyrics as well as guitar playing but the real star of the record is “Train To Memphis”.

As you will hear in the show their mix of Soul and Blues makes for a very enjoyable record.  This was also produced and mixed by Nick Moss for his label Blue Bella Records.  Nick wrote one song and plays guitar on a few others but this is most definitely a Killborn Alley Blues Band recording.

One other thing I should let you know is their concerts are real good too.  It’s not a slick show just good honest music from a hard working band.

Songs in this week’s show:

Train To Memphis
Whoa Yeah Woman
You Can Have The Tail
Nothin’ Left To Stimulate

Killborn Alley Blues Band Website

Killborn Alley Blues Band MySpace

Get Killborn Alley Blues Band CD from Amazon.Con

Thanks to Andrew for taking the time to be on the show and to Kate Moss for setting everything up.

.

Blues Music and Interviews

Hear Dustin Arbuckle talk about the new Moreland & Arbuckle CD Flood.

Dustin Arbuckle is of course one half of the band Moreland & Arbuckle. They had a great CD back in 2008 called 1861. The new CD Flood, is just as good with a lot of good harp, blues guitar, and story telling.

The last show I did about the band was with Aaron Moreland the guitarist. This time I thought you might like to hear the other side of the band’s story from Dustin. This is a three piece band with Aaron Moreland on guitars, resonator, cigar box guitar, and banjo. Dustin Arbuckle is on the harp and singing. Both of them do most of the song writing. Brad Horner does a good job as their drummer. Yep, you figured it out there is no bass guitarist in the band and this is just one of the great original things that keep this band so interesting.

Push the play button now and you will enjoy some of the best blues roots you’re going to hear this year.

Songs played in this weeks show:
Bound and Determined
Don’t Wake Me
In the Morning I’ll Be Gone
Before the Flood
18 Counties
What You Gonna Do

Moreland & Arbuckle Website

Moreland & Arbuckle MySpace

Buy Moreland & Arbuckle’s Flood from their website

Thanks to Dustin for letting me interview him and to John Hahn for setting everything up.

This week you will hear members of the Hollywood Blue Flames talking about their musical history and their new record Deep in America.
.

Al Blake, Fred Kaplan, and Junior Watson will be our guest this week on A1Blues.Com.  The Hollywood Blue Flames started out as The Hollywood Fats Band back in 1975. Michael “Hollywood Fats” Mann was the leader of the band but unfortunately he passed away in 1986.  The band folded until 2005 when original members decided to reform the band this time as The Hollywood Blue Flames.  Al and Fred do a good job in the show going into more detail about the bands history.

Deep in America is a double CD.  The first disc was recorded recently by The Hollywood Blue Flames.  Disc 2 is live recordings of The Hollywood Fats Band.

Band members on this record are:
Al Blake – Harp & Vocals
Fred Kaplan – Piano
Junior Watson – Guitar
Kirk Fletcher – Guitar
Richard Innes – Drums
Larry Taylor – Bass
As you can see this is a band of hard hitting professionals and the music is just as good as the stars of this band.

Songs in this weeks show:
Read About My Baby (The Hollywood Fats Band)
Rambler and a Rollin’ Stone
Crescent City Rock
Bad Boy Blues
Fly Like the Eagle, Cry Like the Dove

Hollywood Blue Flames Website

Hollywood Blue Flames MySpace

Buy Hollywood Blue Flames from Delta Groove Records

Buy Deep In America from Amazon.Com

Thanks to Al Blake, Fred Kaplan, and Junior Watson for letting me interview them.
Thanks to Jody Best for setting everything up.

.

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

This week you will hear Pierre Lacocque of Mississippi Heat talk about their new CD Let’s Live It Up.
.

About a year ago I did a show on Mississippi Heat’s CD Hattiesburg Blues. Pierre talked about growing up in Europe, Israel, and later coming to Chicago to live.  While going to college in Chicago he discovered blues music. Pierre learned to play the harp, started a blues band, and the rest is history.  Yes, you’re right there is a lot more to it than that.  Click on this link and you can hear Pierre tell the whole story plus some great songs from their last CD Hattiesburg Blues.

This weeks show Pierre will be talking about Mississippi Heat’s CD Let’s Live It Up that just came out this Tuesday.  You are in for some really great Chicago blues music.

Even though Pierre plays harp this is not a harmonica CD.  He writes songs that incorporate everyone in the band so not just one person always takes the solos.  Inetta Visor is the lead singer and boy, this lady can really sing.  Giles Corey really pulls off some very nice guitar solos along with special guest Carl Weathersby and our friend John Primer.  John even sings on three songs.

Once again Mississippi Heat has put out one great CD that you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the next few months.

When you go to buy Mississippi Heat’s CD Let’s Live It Up you might as well pick up the last one Hattiesburg Blues too.  Both CD’s are on the Delmark Label.

Hear these songs from Mississippi Heat’s new CD:
She Died From A Broken Heart
Another Sleepless Night
Peace Train
Let’s Live It Up

Mississippi Heat Website

Mississippi Heat MySpace

Buy Let’s Live It Up! from Amazon.Com

Buy Hattiesburg Blues from Amazon.Com

Check out Delmark Records website for the finest in blues & Jazz since 1953.

Thanks to Pierre Lacocque for an enjoyable interview and thanks to Michel Lacocque for getting everything together for this show.

.

Blues Music and Interviews
A1Blues.Com
by A1 Mark

This week hear Zac Harmon tell about his very interesting life growing up in Mississippi in the shadow if people like Z.Z Hill, Sam Myers, and Sonny Boy Williamson.  After College Zac moved to L.A. where he became a studio musician working on a ton of records and later working on movie scores too.

In 2004 Zac won The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge as “best unsigned blues band.” Since then Zac has made three records with the new one being From The Root.

From The Root has many high points with song writing, musicianship, and vocals.  One song that just about scorches you is “Hattie Mae” with help from Jimmy Z on harmonica.
On “Honey Bee” Zac digs down deep for some raw heart felt vocals.  How can you not like a song called “Keep the Blues Alive”.  Please be sure to buy Zac Harmon’s record From The Root, below is a link.

Songs in this weeks show:
Keep the Blues Alive
Since You Been Gone
Honey Bee
Hattie Mae

Zac Harmon Website

Zac Harmon MySpace

Buy Zac Harmon’s From The Root from his website

Thanks to Zac Harmon for taking time to talk with me and thanks to Larry B. Davis for all his help in setting everything up.

.

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

This week hear the interview with Donnie Walsh, founder of The Downchild Blues Band, now going by just the name Downchild.  You will also hear songs from their new record I Need A Hat.

The Downchild Blues Band has put out about twenty records starting with their first one Bootleg back in 1971. While members have changed from time to time Donnie Walsh has keep his vision and love for the blues alive in his band.

Donnie will talk about growing up in Canada, discovering the blues, Dan Ackarout using some of their songs in a Blues Brothers movie, and of course  about the new record by Downchild I Need A Hat.

Downchild Website

Buy the CD from Downchild Website

Buy Downchild cd “I Need a Hat” from Amazon.Com

Thanks to Donnie Walsh for a very enjoyable interview and to Mark Pucci for setting everything up.

A1 Mark

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

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.