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August 2008 No Trouble At All is the brand new release from the Matt Taylor Band that is fuelled by seven original contemporary blues tracks and some very innovative covers of classic material! Matt Taylor delivers vocals and guitars whilst Jonny Dyke plays the keys and Pete Radcliff the drums and they are joined by Hayley Sanderson and Mick Wilson on backing vocals! No Trouble At All has all the hallmarks of a band at its creative best with each member feeding off the other trading licks and crafting some unforgettable songs! 'I Found A Love' sets the pattern for the whole album with a love story ending in a guitar solo that fades way too soon and 'Get Outta My Way' continues along the same vein before giving way to the beautiful ballad 'Let Your Hair Down' that echoes the Eagles in their prime! 'You Are The Only One' is another well crafted love song that precedes a retro rework of Bob Dylan's 'To Be Alone With You' that has you swinging those hips before a tale of escapism has you boogieing down 'The Open Road'! Hayley Sanderson steps forward to lend her country girl vocals to 'So Far From Home' whilst classic covers of Sheryl Crow's 'Everyday Is A Winding Road' and Greg Allman's 'It's Not My Cross To Bear' prove worthy interpretations! Another Matt Taylor original 'Snakes' has a certain Santana feel about it leading to a haunting rendition of the Jose Gonzalez song 'Lovestain' that simply blows you away! The title track 'No Trouble At All' completes this fine set before 3 (radio edits) 'You Are The Only One', 'The Open Road' & 'Everyday Is A Winding Road' wind things up! No Trouble At All from the Matt Taylor Band is unpredictable and laden with gems that you will no doubt hear for a long time to come! |
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July 2008 Willie "Big Eyes" Smith was Born In Arkansas which is also the title of his latest album full of his own original blues songs! Starting out playing harmonica in the 1950's most noticeably with Bo Diddley on the Willie Dixon song 'Diddy Wah Diddy', he later became the multi-award winning drummer you can find on many Muddy Waters records during the 60's and 70's. He later helped form the Legendary Blues Band in 1980 with Pinetop Perkins (piano), Louis Myers (guitar), Calvin Jones (bass) and Jerry Portnoy (harmonica) making many critically acclaimed albums whilst also backing many of the greats including Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf as well as Muddy Waters on 'The Last Waltz' soundtrack and John Lee Hooker in the movie 'The Blues Brothers'!
Born In Arkansas harps back to the golden age of blues like you used to hear every night on the south side of Chicago, and taking you back there is the legendary Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on Harmonica/Vocals with his son Kenny Smith on Drums, Bob Stroger on Bass, Billy Flynn & Little Frank Kokowski on Guitar and Barrelhouse Chuck on piano. If you can't get enough of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and the blues the way it should be played on Born In Arkansas then check out his previous recording Way Back in 2006! |
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June 2008 Sonny Landreth has just released the most refreshing album that will hit your CD deck this summer... From The Reach features David Ranson on bass and Mike Burch on drums along with special guests Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Vince Gill, Nadirah Shakoor, Dr John & Jimmy Buffett! From The Reach isn't what many might perceive as just another record where stars 'sit in' for a session to pay their respects... instead it was conceived as more of a collaboration alongside each artist as a tribute to their music and influence. 'Blue Tarp Blues' captures Mark Knopfler with Sonny in true zydeco stompin' form whilst the blues comes shining through as you would expect with Eric Clapton during 'When I Still Had You' & 'Storm Of Worry'. And what Sonny Landreth album would be complete without at least one instrumental like the intense 'Uberesso' or 'The Milky Way Home' when Texas guitar slinger Eric Johnson helps step it up a notch! The cajun influenced 'Howlin' Moon' showcases the talents of Dr John & Jimmy Buffett and 'Let It Fly' features singer Nadirah Shakoor. Robben Ford adds his signature to 'Way Past Long' before being joined for 'Blue Angel' by Vince Gill whose vocals reveal Sonny's country roots especially on 'The Goin' On' and the end track 'Universe'. Sonny Landreth is the king of the Louisiana slide guitar and From The Reach endorses his popularity among his contemporaries whilst continuing the standard he set with his groundbreaking album... The Road We're On
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May 2008 Steve Winwood is one of the most gifted contemporary musicians ever to take the stage, performing as a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter throughout his career in various band formats and projects. After backing many of the blues greats like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker & BB King on their UK tours whilst still a teenager, he later played in such groups as Spencer Davis, Blind Faith and Traffic before going solo. Probably most famous for his trademark vocals, guitar and Hammond B-3 Organ, he has never ceased to amaze everyone in the music world as he has woven a magical musical tapestry for over 40 years leading to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004!
Nine Lives is his latest album, aptly named as you experience him going down yet another avenue on the long and winding road he has chosen to tread, that is reminiscent of his Traffic days and back to his breathtaking best! Don't miss Steve Winwood 'Live In Concert'... see Tour Dates Nine Lives CD + DVD contains his latest 'Nine Lives' CD plus a DVD capturing over 40 minutes in the studio performances as well as the music video of his latest single 'Dirty City' featuring Eric Clapton! |
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April 2008 Ardent Studios at 2000 Madison Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104 U.S.A. has played an essential part in American music heritage! Initially the overflow to Stax, the studio soon became part of Soulsville USA in the same way as Detroit based Motown was called Hitsville USA. The Memphis soul sound that came out of Stax and Ardent was the unique combination of black and white musicians, songwriters and producers working closely together, changing the way music was made forever! John Fry (pictured in Ardent Studios One below) founded Ardent Records in 1959 by recording his first 45's in his family's garage and later opened Ardent Studios in 1966 on National Street in Memphis before moving to their current location in Midtown in 1971!
Just some of the legendary artists who have recorded at Ardent Studios are Booker T & the MGs, BB King, Luther Allison, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REM, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Bob Dylan and Big Star whose drummer Jody Stephens now manages the studios! |
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March 2008 Well... it's the eleventh hour man and time for you to get out and see the last of those original blues legends whilst they are still there for you to experience! The last year has seen an amazing influx of new blues musicians playing a diverse range of blues on both sides of the atlantic... so enjoy! For all the latest information, check out Artists & Venues/Gigs on www.bluesconnections.com for news and touring dates! Don't forget that by going along to local gigs and supporting 'live music', plus having a great night out - you are in fact helping to keep the blues alive!
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February 2008 Dave Specter has been on the Chicago music scene serving up his own cool mix of blues and jazz guitar for over 2 decades recording and performing with many of the greats including Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rodgers, Magic Slim, Lonnie Brooks, Willie Kent, Ronnie Earl, Steve Freund, Otis Clay, Pinetop Perkins, Sunnyland Slim and many more... Live In Chicago is his brand new CD/DVD due for release April 22nd 2008 on Delmark Records with special guests Tad Robinson, Jimmy Johnson, and Sharon Lewis! Recorded at Buddy Guy's Legends and Rosa's Lounge during August 2007 it features Brother John Kattke: keyboards, Harlan Terson: bass, Marty Binder: drums.
The DVD features 4 original Dave Spector instrumentals plus 3 songs each by Tad, Jimmy & Sharon. Tad Robinson performs a great version of the country/soul tune "That's How I Got To Memphis" and 2 originals from 'Blueplicity', a previous collaboration recorded back in 1994! Jimmy Johnson covers "Feel So Bad", "You Don't Love Me" and "Out On The Road" and Sharon Lewis performs 2 originals along with a Son Seals song who Dave played with back in the late 1980's. There will also be a Specter interview/commentary on the DVD along with a surround sound mix. View a Trailer of the Live In Chicago CD that also features 4 original Dave Spector instrumentals along with 2 songs each by Tad, Jimmy & Sharon making this truly a blues celebration! |
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January 2008 Blues Connections wishes you all a very 'Happy New Year' for 2008 and this month we pay tribute to 'The King Of Rhythm' Ike Turner who passed away on December 12th 2007. Ike was an innovative genius and as guitarist and bandleader on the 1951 hit 'Rocket 88' (credited to singer/saxophonist Jackie Branston and his Delta Cats) he played on what is widely acknowledged as the first ever rock 'n' roll record! Make no mistake... Ike was no saint like many blues legends before him, but his music that influenced so many musicians will no doubt stand the test of time, as his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and St Louis Walk of Fame in 2001 testify! Following years of cocaine addiction and playing the villain in his well publicised volatile relationship with Tina, he finally returned to what he did best which was playing music... only this time he fronted a band like never before delivering some incredible roaring vocals, seething jazz/blues guitar and great boogie woogie piano! Risin' with the Blues, his forthcoming September 2006 release signals a dramatic return to form for one of the founding forces of rock 'n' roll! An hilariously funky 'Gimme Back My Wig' precedes Louis Jordan's jump blues hit 'Caldonia' which inspired Turner in his youth! Ken Frizelle's harp lends itself admirably on the raunchy 'Tease Me' and a rendition of Fats Domino's standard 'Goin' Home Tomorrow' easies you into some great guitar work by Lenny Rankins on 'Jazzy Fuzzy'. His fabulously funky 'I Don't Want Nobody' precedes Ike confessing to doing wrong in a gospel invoked 'Jesus Loves Me' anyway! The Holland/Dozier/Holland ballad 'A Love Like Yours' makes way for some excellent improvised jazz guitar on Horace Silver's 'Senor Blues'. Ike's sure got the blues as he extends Eddie Boyd's classic to 'Eighteen Long Years', the length of his relationship with Tina before screaming out his excellent 'Rockin Blues' which gets my vote as the best track on the album! A slow blues number ensues in the shape of Erskine Hawkins 'After Hours', showcasing this man's incredible talent on piano followed by more blues guitar heard on 'Big Fat Mama'. The album is finally rounded off with the funk influenced 'Bi Polar' which effortlessly brings you back again to the PLAY button! Risin' with the Blues forges variations on Blues/Jazz/Funk/Soul/Gospel giving you a musical fusion and clarity of musicianship seldom heard on CD and was definitely one of the outstanding cuts of 2006! |
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December 2007 Luther Allison was undoubtedly one of the most significant blues artists ever to pick up a guitar and Underground is widely believed to be his first ever recording back in 1958. This was recently unearthed by his son Bernard Allison in the home of his mother and Luther's wife Fannie Mae Allison. Captured in one take at Wonderful Records Studio and produced by bassist Bobby Rush with Bobby King on rhythm guitar and Robert Plunkett on drums, you discover Luther at the outset... young, hot, raw and aged only eighteen! What is clearly evident on these eight early tracks covering... 'Hideaway', 'Don't Start Me Talking', 'Drivin' Wheel', 'Cut You Loose', 'Easy Baby', 'You're Gonna Miss Me', 'Take My Love' and 'Rock Me Baby', is that burning intensity within that he delivers with his unique guitar sound and vocals which would stay with him throughout his career and become his trademark. Running nearly thirty minutes long, this CD is short by modern day standards. but hey... what we have here is not quantity, just sheer quality and of course a highly collectable piece of blues history! With his 1994 U.S. album Soul Fixin' Man also released as Bad Love in Europe, Luther finally got the recognition he so richly deserved winning 4 WC Handy Awards the same year! The following year he returned to his spiritual home... Chicago for the first time in 10 years to deliver an unforgettable performance at the Blues Festival which fortunately was recorded and can be heard on the incendiary double live album Live In Chicago!
Luther Allison was the ultimate entertainer and one of the few artists who knew how to sing and play the blues like it ought to be played... passionately with his mind, body and soul playing each note as if it were his last! Very few of his contemporaries could or still can light up the stage the way he did, for he had not only mastered his trade, but also in some way even authenticated it! Most people who knew the great man would probably agree that when he died... a lot of the blues died with him! "Leave your ego, play the music, love the people" was what he used to preach... and you can't argue with that... Amen! |
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November 2007 Blues Connections this month pays tribute to saxophonist Kirk Whalum who rose to fame performing with many of the greats including Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross and perhaps most notably Whitney Houston, playing one of the most popular sax solo's ever on her cover of Dolly Parton's “I Will Always Love You” for the award winning soundtrack 'The Bodyguard'. August this year saw the release of Ultimate which compiles many of the songs he made famous, although his complete back catalogue is worth a listen... especially For You which became his best selling album to date!
Kirk Whalum is an exceptional artist who allows you to connect spiritually and emotionally with his music. He is also a man of vision deciding to share his special 'gift' with others by mentoring students as Artist-In-Residence at the 'Stax Music Academy' in Memphis, as well as inspiring people the world over to express themselves by playing music from the soul! |
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October 2007 Cherry Lee Mewis is currently touring with her brand new 'unplugged' blues 'n' roots album Little Girl Blue indelibly stamped with her own raw gritty vocals inspired by Janis Joplin and Koko Taylor that capture the true emotion and essence of the blues! Classic tracks from Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin and Jeff Buckley are produced by Max Milligan who plays guitars and former argent singer John Verity who also weighs in with a duet on Koko Taylor's 'The Man Next Door'. Also evident are Dave Jenkins playing double bass and Jeff Dakin on blues harp. Little Girl Blue also includes 'Ugly Night' co-written with Max Milligan as well as 'Cherry Wine', 'Where's My Good Man', 'Sweet Substitute', 'Baby I Don't Cry Over You', 'Nothin' In Ramblin', 'Red Hot', 'Wade In The Water', 'Shame, Shame, Shame', 'Mistreated', 'Cry Me A River', 'Mercedes Benz' and 'Everybody Here Wants You'! Hopefully Cherry Lee Mewis will remain true to the blues and help keep them alive as she can undoubtedly sing them like they used to be sung... down on the levee! |
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September 2007 David Gilmour releases his breathtaking new DVD recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall entitled Remember That Night on September 17th featuring Pink Floyd buddies Richard Wright on keyboards and Dick Parry on saxophone along with guest performances from David Crosby & Graham Nash as well as David Bowie! The DVD features many of the tracks from his third solo album On An Island, released last year to critical acclaim!
Also available on DVD is In Concert containing live footage from 2001's 'The Meltdown' concert plus additional tracks performed at the Royal Festival Hall in 2002. Extras include the blues classic 'I Put A Spell On You' sung beautifully by Mica Paris with Jools Holland on piano. David Gilmour is best known as the voice and guitar of the legendary Pink Floyd as well as one of Britain's most respected musicians by fellow artists and fans alike, and few musicians evoke emotions quite like this genius when in full flight on his Stratocaster! |
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August 2007 Otis Rush is most famous for his slow burning guitar sound that has had such on influence on so many other great blues guitarists including Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimmie Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan! He originally made his name playing blues on the west and south sides of Chicago where he recorded Willie Dixon's classic "I Can't Quit You Baby" in 1956 and soon afterwards "Double Trouble" and "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" on the Cobra label. He later went on to record "So Many Roads, So Many Trains" for Chess and "Homework" for Duke records although unfortunately like so many of his contemporaries, he remained widely unrecorded! He continued to play the Chicago clubs and tour the U.S. and in 1975 he was eventually captured live in concert during a world tour in Japan on So Many Roads 'Live In Concert' and a DVD is also available entitled Live At Montreux 1986 that includes many of his classic tracks featuring him alongside other blues legends Eric Clapton and Luther Allison at the 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival! Otis finally came to prominence again during the 1990's and for one of these recordings he decided to go down to Memphis in 1998 where Willie Mitchell produced the incredible blues/soul mix on Any Place I'm Going which won him a Grammy the following year for 'Best Traditional Blues Album!
Otis Rush is without doubt one of the true originals of the blues and apart from being remembered by many for playing right handed guitars upside down left handed without restringing them... his slow burning blues guitar solos will continue to brighten up our nights! |
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July 2007 Whatever Makes You Happy from creative singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeff Lang at long last delivers his fascinating music to a wider audience in Europe and America after long establishing himself in his native Australia. As he meanders his way effortlessly through 15 of his own tracks including 4 short teasing instrumentals encompassing bluegrass, country, folk and roots music, you can't help but be seduced by the sheer quality of each song. Hats off also to Tim Hall who co-produced the album, Angus Diggs (drums/percussion), Grant Cummerford (bass) and others including Chris Finnen (acoustic guitar) and Chris Wilson (backing vocals). There's plenty to admire here commencing with 'The Save' which Lindsey Buckingham could quite easily have included on Mac's 'Tusk' album! After listening to the chilling 'Switchblade' & 'Alive In There', the latter blending national guitar with Matt Walker's harp, you realise you are in for something special and this is confirmed as he sings 'You Should Have Waited' with keyboards hammered out in true Billy Joel fashion. A sad story of rape is told on 'By Face Not Name', a duet sung with Suzannah Espie before the atmospheric 'Rain On Troy' that features Azo Bell's haunting singing saw... maybe a song John Martin might cover? 'Rejected Novelist Fails Again' has it all including an interesting backdrop of 'Sgt Peppers'! A violent love song 'You Tremble' is contrasted by the superb lullaby 'Sleeping' featuring lap steel guitar and Bruce Haymes on piano. You can't help but tap your feet to the addictive 'Slip Away' before we are driven into a frenetic chase by a mandolin and fiddle on 'The Road' ending with the instrumental title track. Influences abound here... especially Neil Young although make no mistake, Jeff Lang is an original artist in every sense of the word and Whatever Makes You Happy sends you down the road singing his songs that you will soon want to make your very own! Whatever Makes You Happy is a fine example of contemporary roots music and how it can be played today... miss it at your peril! |
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June 2007 Blues Connections this month celebrates the music of blues legend Luther Allison who tragically died of inoperable lung cancer on August 12th 1997. With his 1994 U.S. album Soul Fixin' Man also released as Bad Love in Europe, Luther finally got the recognition he so richly deserved winning 4 WC Handy Awards the same year! The following year he returned to his spiritual home... Chicago for the first time in 10 years to deliver an unforgettable performance at the Blues Festival which fortunately was recorded and can be heard on the incendiary double live album Live In Chicago!
Live In Paradise is an apt name for the DVD that was to be his last, capturing another electrifying performance live in Paris in April 1997. This concert sees him delivering yet another passionate explosion of blues guitar and soulful vocals including 'Bad Love', 'Pain In The Street', 'Just As I Am', Serious etc...! Luther Allison was without doubt the ultimate entertainer and one of the few artists who knew how to sing and play the blues like it ought to be played... passionately with his mind, body and soul playing each note as if it were his last! Very few of his contemporaries could or still can light up the stage the way he did, for he had not only mastered his trade, but also in some way even authenticated it! Most people who knew the great man would probably agree that when he died... a lot of the blues died with him! "Leave your ego, play the music, love the people" was what he used to preach... and you can't argue with that... Amen! |
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May 2007 Build Your Own Fire pays tribute to the music of unsung hero Eddie Hinton, immortalised here by blues/rock singer Jimmy Hall & The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Collective. As session guitarist with 'Muscle Shoals' back in the late 60's & early 70's, Hinton played and wrote classic hits for many great artists on the Atlantic label including Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge although it was Otis Redding who had the biggest influence! Deciding to go solo as a talented singer/songwriter that had experienced the blues and whose singing was likened to Otis Redding, many began to see him as "the white Otis"! Sadly, he never fulfilled his potential and Capricorn Records folding just as his 1978 solo debut Very Extremely Dangerous was released, proved to be only the beginning of mistimed projects and tragic events right up to his death in 1995. Jimmy Hall always did have one of those voices to die for as well as being an accomplished harp and sax player, all honed during his days with 70's rock band 'Wet Willie'. Now we hear him singing the blues with his southern soulful vocals giving credence to Hinton's songs almost as though he was summoned to testify for the man himself! Produced by Tallan Ware... Greg Martin plays lead and Larry Byrom rhythm guitars whilst Clayton Ivey handles the keys, David Hood the bass and Jonathan Dees the drums. Delbert McClinton, Kira Small & Bruce Dees add backing vocals. All the songs covered here are Eddie Hinton originals you've probably heard before and the rest may surprisingly seduce you till you end up singing them yourself! Build Your Own Fire successfully acknowledges the amazing music of flawed genius Eddie Hinton, although one can't help but think it could also be dedicated to all those musicians, singers and songwriters just like him who never quite made it! |
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April 2007 A New Point Of View cut with nine new original songs reminds us exactly why Tad Robinson was twice nominated for a W.C. Handy Award and the sheer magic brought together on this album promises finally to give him the recognition he so richly deserves! His voice breaths blues & soul over the whole sessions that could so easily have stemmed from the Stax /Motown era, and Alex Schultz blends jazz/blues guitar flawlessly with the sweet soul explosion orchestrated by Willie Henderson creating the perfect stage for Robinson to express himself on! Severn Records David Earl produces a fine mix adding Kevin Anker on keyboards, Steve Gomes on bass, Robb Stupka on drums and Victor Williams on percussion. Henderson's renowned arrangement of horns and strings gives that distinctive soul sound of the 60's & 70's and this is more evident than ever on 'Long Way Home' that's reminiscent of 'Isaac Hayes' & 'The Temptations' in their heyday! Robinson's cover of 'Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)' is up there with the original and his rework of Van Morrison's 'Up & Down World' leaves us plenty to admire, whilst his upbeat 'You Get To Keep The Love' resembles the sound of latter day 'Hitsville USA' given a new twist! 'He's Movin' In (To Her Life)' is delivered in classic blues format with Schultz's guitar breaks being the perfect foil for Robinson's soaring vocals! His harmonica sounds an absolute treat as he shuffles through a funky 'More Good Than Bad' and 'Two Of A Kind Blues' that also features some haunting electric organ from Kevin Anker that brings back memories of 'The Doors'. 'Broken Hearted Man' could have come straight out of B.B. King's repertoire whereas 'When You're Ready' and 'Love Is Everything' definitely have their roots deeper in soul and whilst listening to the last track, you can't help strutting your stuff and keep coming 'Back For More'! Seldom does soul blues sound so good... probably because it's produced by only the finest and given a A New Point Of View! |
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March 2007 Where I Belong is the essential new album from Ian Parker whose significance as a musician and songwriter is becoming increasingly apparent to those in the blues world and beyond! As an evolving blues artist who remains true to himself proudly wearing his heart on his sleeve, Ian Parker is inevitably fulfilling his destiny as the 'Great White Hope' of British contemporary blues music! Following last year's Ruf Records Blues Caravan project and Pilgrimage album that "had a profound effect on his life and music", Ian is now reunited with his regular band... 'Morg' Morgan on keyboards, Steve Amadeo on bass and Wayne Proctor on drums who eloquently provide the musical canvass for Ian to express himself on this album as they have for most of his recent masterpieces... Where I Belong takes Ian back to his roots in blues & soul and is loaded with eleven great original songs that have the same feeling and intensity as his previous work whilst sounding even more diverse, with each love song searching for an answer or leaving a tale of heartache! Oh yes... the mesmerising guitar breaks that we all so know and love are still ever present, albeit not so extensive this time out as they have become more integral to the songs themselves! Ian Parker continues to fascinate his generation, as each exciting new chapter of his development unfolds. Like all great musicians, it's not so much what they play that's important, it's how they feel and deliver it that matters... and this man certainly knows how to do just that! |
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February 2007 Otis Grand has with the release of Hipster Blues confirmed his place at the very forefront of the British Blues renaissance! Fourteen tracks of pure blues and swinging magic, many his own compositions reminiscent of the type of music he grew up listening to during the 1960's... although some take their roots far earlier. A rich fusion of hip blues/soul/jazz/R&B runs throughout the whole set with Otis calling on his favourite guest vocalists Jimmy Thomas, Reuben Richards, Sugar Ray Norcia, Curtis Salgado George Bisharat and Serena Franklin as well as a fabulous array of musicians including 'The Oh Gee Horns' to complete this amazing mix! Willie Dixon's 'Every Girl I See' & Freddie King's 'Overdrive' are given a fresh rework as is the upbeat 'Three Time Loser' inspired by Wilson Pickett. The piano intro by Bruce Katz on his classic 'Satan's Blues' leads into one of the finest guitar solos you're ever likely to hear and 'Never Raise My Hand' and 'Guitar Lovin' Blues' bear similar hallmarks, showing just why Otis Grand is widely regarded as one of the greatest blues guitarists ever to take the stage! Time now to swing those hips to the sensational 'I'm Glad to Go' and 'Gordon's Complaint' which typify the sound heard across clubs, music halls and juke joints around that era, as do instrumentals 'Slo-Mo-Shun', 'Mooki Sooki' (Sleepwalk) 'The Memphis Push', 'Hipster Blues No5' and of course 'Nutcracker Rock'! Fittingly... 'Sad Blues (For Peter Green)', another white blues legend calls time on proceedings! Hipster Blues is an authentic blowback to the sound of a golden bygone era which not only changed music, but also filled dance floors and when listening to these tracks, you'll feel excited and hear why!! |
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January 2007 Happy New Year to you all in 2007 and a very warm welcome to Blues Connections... especially with so much to look forward to as Ruf Records celebrate 12 years of "Where Blues Crosses Over"! A Ruf Records Anthology containing both a CD and DVD has been released marking this occasion which features choice cuts and archive material from the following artists... Luther Allison, Bernard Allison, Walter Trout, Robin Trower, Sue Foley, Ian Parker, Aynsley Lister, Erja Lyytinen, Ana Popovic, Candye Kane, Omar & The Howlers, Larry Garner, Kevin Coyne, Canned Heat, Bob Brozman, Friend & Fellow, Imperial Crowns! Essential listening are: Walter Trout collaborating with Jeff Healey for a burning blues jam on'Workin' Overtime' from his Full Circle CD! Ian Parker playing 'It Hurts A Man' off his '...whilst the wind' live CD who is one of the most fascinating blues/roots performers of his generation! Ana Popovic who's guitar burns your soul on 'Love Fever' taken from her debut 'Hush' album! Essential viewing are: Sue Foley delivering 'Absolution' from her Live In Europe DVD that not only displays her fabulous guitar and vocals, but also her true roots in the blues! And finally... a previously unreleased video clip of Luther Allison immortalized through his own version of 'Bad Love' showing just how the blues really should be played that will bring tears to your eyes!!! Should you want to experience the very best of "Where Blues Crosses Over"... both past and present, then check out the Ruf Records Anthology and discover just what you've been missing! |
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December 2006 This year has seen an amazing influx of new blues musicians and undoubtedly a resurgence of existing blues artists touring on both sides of the Atlantic! For all the latest information, check out Artists & Venues/Gigs on www.bluesconnections.com for news and touring dates! Don't forget that by going along to local gigs and supporting 'live music', plus having a great night out - you are in fact helping to keep the blues alive!
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November 2006
Some of the legendary blues, gospel, R&B, Country and Rock ‘n’ Roll artists who Sam Phillips recorded at the studio during its golden years between 1951 and 1960 were Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Ike Turner, The Prisonairs, Charlie Rich, Howlin’ Wolf and BB King. |
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October 2006
Some of the legendary artists who recorded at Stax during its golden years between 1961 and 1974 were Booker T & the MGs, Rufus & Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays, Otis Redding, Judy Clay, William Bell, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, The Staple Singers, The Soul Children, The Emotions, Jean Knight, Shirley Brown, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, Little Milton, Albert King and Isaac Hayes. Listen to Stax Gold: Hits 1968 - 1974 and experience Memphis soul at it's very best! |
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September 2006 Sugarhill Blues Festival kicks of its 1st Annual Blues Festival in 2006 on September 9/10 Sat/Sun in the Wiltshire countryside just outside the village of Liddington near Swindon just minutes from Junction 15 on the M4 motorway! Proposed line-up for this great blues event is as follows... Saturday 9th September... Doctor Feelgood, Paul Williams & Blue Thunder, Papa George, Matt Schofield, Robin Bibi Band! Sunday 10th September... The Hamsters, Connie Lush & Blues Shouter, Nicky Moore's Blues Corporation, Sam Kelly's Station House! Check out... Sugarhill Blues Festival for more information about what's on and where you will find major blues acts 'live' and out in the open!!! |
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August 2006 The King of Rhythm Ike Turner is back... make no mistake! Following years of cocaine addiction and playing the villain in his well publicised volatile relationship with Tina, he has finally returned to what he does best which is playing music... only this time he fronts the band like never before delivering some incredible roaring vocals, seething jazz/blues guitar and great boogie woogie piano! Risin' with the Blues, his forthcoming September 2006 release signals a dramatic return to form for one of the founding forces of rock 'n' roll! An hilariously funky 'Gimme Back My Wig' precedes Louis Jordan's jump blues hit 'Caldonia' which inspired Turner in his youth! Ken Frizelle's harp lends itself admirably on the raunchy 'Tease Me' and a rendition of Fats Domino's standard 'Goin' Home Tomorrow' easies you into some great guitar work by Lenny Rankins on 'Jazzy Fuzzy'. His fabulously funky 'I Don't Want Nobody' precedes Ike confessing to doing wrong in a gospel invoked 'Jesus Loves Me' anyway! The Holland/Dozier/Holland ballad 'A Love Like Yours' makes way for some excellent improvised jazz guitar on Horace Silver's 'Senor Blues'. Ike's sure got the blues as he extends Eddie Boyd's classic to 'Eighteen Long Years', the length of his relationship with Tina before screaming out his excellent 'Rockin Blues' which gets my vote as the best track on the album! A slow blues number ensues in the shape of Erskine Hawkins 'After Hours', showcasing this man's incredible talent on piano followed by more blues guitar heard on 'Big Fat Mama'. The album is finally rounded off with the funk influenced 'Bi Polar' which effortlessly brings you back again to the PLAY button! Risin' with the Blues forges variations on Blues/Jazz/Funk/Soul/Gospel giving you a musical fusion and clarity of musicianship seldom heard on CD and is definitely one of the outstanding cuts of 2006! |
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July 2006 Roadhouse lead by Gary Boner on gut-bucket vocals and lead guitar, have just released Broken Land which promises to be their most successful album to date! Drew Barron features on lead and rhythm guitars with Bill Hobley and Roger Hunt on bass and drums respectively. Time to break open some ice cold beers and a bottle of Jack Daniel's for 38 Special fans or those who like their music southern fried! 'White Water' and 'Sacrifice launch this fine raunchy R&B feast with 'The Big Easy' and the bluesy 'Redemption Street' focusing on the delightful female vocals of Mandie G & Fiona McElroy, whose contributions shine throughout the whole album. Classic Dylan standards follow in the shape of 'All Along The Watchtower' and 'Knocking On Heaven's Door', although it is the worthy album title track 'Broken Land' featuring twin leads that really takes proceedings into full flight! An interesting if almost gothic version of 'Pulp Fiction 2' complete with alto sax from Fred Schmid precedes a very MOR rendition of U2's 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' which is redeemed by some neat latin acoustic guitar and vocals on 'Mexican Nights'! The haunting anthem 'Last Train Home' echoing Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Freebird' fitfully rounds off proceedings and if you're still standing by this time you've only got yourself to blame! |
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June 2006 Walter Trout releases his first studio album in 5 years on June 23rd with a little help from his friends aptly entitled Full Circle featuring some of the artists he's enjoyed playing with over the last 35 years focusing on their individual styles, whilst giving his own inimitable feel to everything! It's no surprise that the generous opening track 'She Takes More Than She Gives' is arguably the best blues song on the whole album, as John Mayall has that extraordinary knack of extracting the very best out of any artist he collaborates with dating all the way back to his legendary 'Bluesbreakers'! A burning blues jam 'Workin' Overtime' featuring Jeff Healey continues this celebration of the blues and other gems include 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' with the ever energetic Guitar Shorty and 'A Busy Man' with James Harman on harmonica and vocals. Bernard Allison's guitar blows you away with 'When Will It Ever Change', as does Joe Bonamassa with 'Clouds on the Horizon' not forgetting the quintessential musician's musician Deacon Jones playing Hammond B3 organ on 'After Hours' injecting yet another dimension into proceedings! Walter Trout continues to be one of the best loved blues/rock artists in the world today influencing many of his contemporaries with his music, energy and encouragement and long may he run! Full Circle is a reflection of where the blues is today and a glimpse into its future! |
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May 2006 Sue Foley sure hits the ground running with her 10th release New Used Car right from the raunchy opening title track of the same name! Initially gigging around her hometown Ottawa, Canada she eventually headed south to Austin, Texas and on 'Make It Real' you can hear some of those raw southern rockin' influences before she lives out dreams and fantasies on 'When I come back to ya'. Fortunate to cut her teeth touring alongside blues legends Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and other luminaries, we are then given 'Absolution' that not only displays her fabulous guitar and vocals, but also her true roots in the blues and this thankfully is the longest take on the album. After unexplained interference on the intro to 'Sugar' we are then treated for her longing to 'Do It Again'! You need only hear the first few bars on her classic 'Mother' before you realise that this girl takes it all when she leaves you craving for more of the same (can't wait for an extended live version)... bring it on! The melancholy acoustic 'Long Tomorrow' preludes the scathing 'Little Things' that annoy and end a relationship and it's easy to lose yourself on 'Found My Love' before getting up to boogie on ''Deep Freeze' and the finger pickin' 'Change Your Mind'. New Used Car showcases Sue Foley coming of age placing her firmly in the driving seat and on the road to becoming a blues legend! Never a dull moment with this blues guitar woman as she changes gears and moves into the fast lane with easily her best cut to date! |
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April 2006 Robin Trower is back and touring as heavily now as ever... so to experience him live at a venue near you, see the US & European Tour Dates for his 'Living Out Of Time' tour and witness an event not to be missed by blues lovers everywhere! Living Out Of Time 'Live', a DVD recorded in Bonn, Germany at the 2005 Rockpalast Crossroads Festival has also been released to coincide with the current tour! Heavily influenced by his mentor Jimi Hendrix, Trower left the confines of Procol Harum to produce his own brand of psychedelic blues/rock which has now become a lasting musical legacy. With the release of his classic Bridge of Sighs album way back in 1974, Trower reached heights that most of his contemporaries can only dream of! The fundamental difference is that Trower drowns you in the blues like few others can and he consistently produces albums that simply blow you away! Trower remains one of the most underrated blues/rock guitarists of all time and for those of you not yet familiar with his music, do yourself a favour and check him out! You may not get another chance and you won't believe what you've been missing all these years! |
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March 2006 Blues Connections this month sadly pays tribute to Willie Kent who lost his battle against cancer on March 2nd 2006. Willie was voted 'Best Blues Bass Instrumentalist' for an astonishing 10th time last year at the 26th W. C. Handy Blues Awards 2005 in Memphis. Willie epitomized blues history itself working by day and playing delta blues by night making his way up the Mississippi river to Chicago where he eventually made his home and became known as 'The Sugar Bear'! He regularly played Blue Chicago and seeing him perform with his Blues Gents really was what the blues is all about! Singing songs from the delta, you could get up and boogie or just sit back and soak them up... the choice was yours! His shows were always what a blues night should really be like and we all will miss him! Anyone who knows Willie Kent will know that the world has lost a true gentleman and anyone who's seen him perform will know that Blues music has sadly lost one of its greatest ambassadors! |
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February 2006 Magic Slim (Morris Holt) is one of the few remaining survivors of those blues musicians who migrated from Mississippi to Chicago and still plays back-alley blues like it used to be played on the 'south side' with his band 'The Teardrops'. Thankfully this piece of 'magic' has been captured live on his latest release Anything Can Happen!
Get a real taste of Chicago blues and experience Magic Slim & The Teardrops on any one of their excellent cuts available from Blind Pig Records! |
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January 2006 Happy New Year to you all and a very warm welcome to Blues Connections in 2006... especially with so much to look forward to as a new generation of gifted blues artists emerge on Ruf Records with Aynsley Lister, Erja Lyytinen and Ian Parker! Although already established blues artists in their own right, they have now formed a Blues Caravan and are touring with their new album Pilgrimage Aynsley Lister is quite simply one of the best young exponents of blues/rock on either side of the Atlantic and if you need any further convincing, just listen to his back catalogue and 'Live' CD! Erja Lyytinen from Finland certainly knows how to combine all the elements of blues, jazz and folk music as she sings and plays slide guitar, which you can listen to on her website & 'Wildflower' CD! |
