Internet Radio: Triple R Blues Radio

Well, Internet radio is still on the air, but negotiations have been ugly. They have had a close door meeting in congress over the issue. At this point the sticking point has to do with technology. Apparently the corporation that collects royalties for publishers (Sound Exchange)wants Internet radio providers to incorporate some sort of program into their web casts that prevent people from recording songs off the Internet. I am not up on the latest abilities to steal music, but apparently there is software out there that you can use to recorded music and videos broadcasted on the net. To me this is a lot like people recording off radio, or TV. However, to the big corporations who are looking for alternate sources of income since people are tired of getting screwed buying overpriced CDs, and basically stealing the stuff online, this is one way to prevent people from getting free music.

I think the bigger issue is that the music business has gotten so bloated, and greedy, that they are desperate to keep their fat and happy lifestyle. The reality is that it takes 50 cents to make a CD, and the rest of the price is the cost of production. Consider that it takes less equipment, and now cheaper equipment to produce a CD, versus an Album, it becomes apparent that people are getting gouged at the retail level. As an artist myself, I understand wanting to get paid for my art, but I also have read a lot about the music business, and I know that of all the money that comes into the music corporations a small fraction actually goes to the artist. If you want to see just how bad the music business was, even in the good old days then read anything written about the Beatles in the late 60s. Talk about major screw jobs. Write and perform your own music, and yet, in the end you don't own your own songs. (This is true of a lot of artists not just the Beatles)

So lets get to whats important tonight! That is listening to some great blues on the Internet. Tonight's station is Triple R Blues Radio. The station is from the Netherlands, and is run by Tom Wanten. I was looking at his play list and he has a nice mix of old and new blues. So if you want to listen to some great blues CLICK HERE. Then click on the yellow circle with the speaker on it, and the music should start shortly.

Paul Rishell And Annie Rains: Blues Shadows

Here is a short clip of Paul Rishell and Annie Rains.

Geoff Achison: Cross Cut Saw

You need to stay with this one! I know at first you will think what the **&%#&**??? However, trust me on this it is a really, really, funky version of Albert King's Cross Cut Saw! This is Australian bluesman Geoff Achison, who is currently living here in the states, so if he comes around your town check him out.

Geoff Achison Interview

The Albany Herald out of Albany Georgia has a short interview with Geoff Achinson, blues guitarist from Australia. It has a small town newspaper interview feel about it. I assume that the newspaper has no clue who they are interviewing, I mean asking the guy what his favorite ice cream is, and favorite TV show, is well pretty small town:-)To find out what Geoff's favorite Ice Cream, and TV Show, CLICK HERE.

Jazz News: Paul Rishell and Annie Raines

Jazz News website has press release on the upcoming tour of Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, that will include BB's Lawnside in KC, and Blues On Grand in Des Moines. For more info Click on this link.




Here is the tour dates, since Jazz News didn't fix their link.

7/16-20 Augusta Heritage Blues Workshop, Elkins, WV
7/21 The Winchester Tavern, Cleveland, OH
7/26 Elks Lodge, Livingston, MT
7/29-8/4 Centrum Country Blues Workshop, Port Townsend, WA

8/5 Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
8/7 Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico, CA
8/8 Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, NV
8/9 Martin Hotel, Winnemucca, NV
8/10 Creekside Grille, Caldwell, ID
8/11 Bronze, Blues and Brews Festival, Joseph, OR
8/14 Avogadro's Number, Fort Collins, CO
8/17 BB's Lawnside Barbecue, Kansas City, MO
8/18 Mid-America Ribfest, Council Bluffs, IA
8/19 Blues on Grand, Des Moines, IA
8/20 The Redstone Room, Davenport, IA

9/1 Berkshires BluesFest, Great Barrington, MA - w/CBR Band
9/8 First Encounter Coffeehouse, Eastham, MA
9/22 Chan's, Woonsocket, RI - with band!

10/5 Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA
10/6 The Vanilla Bean, Pomfret, CT

10/11-11/3 UK TOUR: Dates are being added. Please check back every now and then.
Wed 10/10 Bishops Stortford, UK The Half Moon
Mon 10/15 Lydney, UK The Miners Arms
Tue 10/16 Crawley, UK The Hawth
Wed 10/24 Sutton Coldfield, UK The Station Pub
Thu 10/25 Barnstaple, UK Queen's Theatre
Fri 10/26 Oxford, UK The X
Sat 10/27 Bristol, UK Harmonica 2007 Festival
Sun 10/28 Bristol, UK The Mayor’s Arms
Thur 11/1 Cockermouth, UK The Fletcher Christian
Fri 11/2 Keighley, UK Bronte Blues Club
Fri 11/16 Luxembourg City, LX Sang & Klang

Harry Carey: Im A Cub Fan, and A Bud Man!

To all of the Cub fans who have been bombarding the site here is a very funny video of the late great Harry Carey, in a short commercial clip for Budweiser Beer. Harry was the colorful anouncer for the Chicago Cubs (also the Chicago White Soxs, and the St. Louis Cardinals, which makes it amazing that Cubs fans took to Harry considering how much they hate the White Soxs, and the Cardinals) he is dressed up like one of the blues brothers, and it is pretty funny.

Go Cubs Go! BTW, Cubs win again with a huge three run bomb by Ramirez.



I found another one that is like the first not quite as good, but it is good to see Harry again.

Al Green: Let's Stay Together

The great soul singer Al Green, doing one of his biggest hits Let's Stay Together.

AL GREEN - Let's Stay Together
Uploaded by GrooveHunter

Brook Benton: If Only I Had Known

a cool clip from an old movie from the 50s. The DJ at the beginning of the clip is the legendary Alan Freed, who really gave Rock and Roll its start. Brook Benton is one of those guys who is so underrated, which is unfortunate. He had an incredible voice, and a smooth style.

Brook Benton - If Only I Had You (Alan F
Uploaded by edudelrio

Blue Ridge Blues and BBQ Fest

Roanoke Virginia's Blue Ridge Blues Society will be putting on Their 2nd annual Blues and BBQ fest. Anytime you put blues and BBQ together you are going to have a great time! The fest is Saturday July 21st. Here is the list of performers from the Blue Ridge blues Society.

12:00 p.m. - Susan Haggerty Band - Main Stage

12:45 - Curly Ennis - Front Porch Stage

1:15 - Bad Mojo - Main Stage

2:00 - Alabama Frank & Nancy Reid - Front Porch

2:30 - Little Rodger & The Cheap Thrills - Main Stage

3:15 - Chickenwings & Gravy - Front Porch Stage

3:45 - Sol Creech Band - Main Stage

4:30 - Grady Musick - Front Porch Stage

5:00 - The Fat Daddy Band - Main Stage

5:45 - Scott Perry - Front Porch Stage

6:15 - Deanie Blues Band - Main Stage

7:00 - Jesse Ray Carter - Front Porch

7:30 - Mighty Lester - Main Stage

8:30 - Nat Reese w/ Rich Rittenhouse - Front Porch

9:00 - Mighty Sam McClain - Main Stage

Part Two Blog Critic Interview With Karen Hanson

Here is part two of an excellent interview with blues author Karen Hanson. I highly suggest that you check out her blog, and buy her book!

Riverfront Blues Festival

The Riverfront Blues Fest is coming up on August 10th-12th in Wilmington DE. 50 Bucks for a three day pass sounds outstanding, especially looking at the artists scheduled to appear. Check out their website for more info, and for some outstanding tunes.

Btw, Delaware is one of the few states that hasn't stopped by for a look here at Blues Historian:-) The other states are Rhode Island, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. anyway here is the schedule of events for the Riverfront Blues Fest from their website.

Riverfront Blues Fest NEW, expanded schedule: Friday Night kickoff August 10-12, 2007 Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park (info) Wilmington, DE Friday 8/10/2007 Saturday 8/11/2007 Sunday 8/12/2007 Gates open at 4:30 8:45 - 10:00 Cleveland Fats & The Robert Lockwood Jr. Allstars "A Tribute to Robert Lockwood Jr." 7:15 - 8:30 Saffire "The Uppity Blues Women" 6:00 - 7:00 Mikey Jr. & Stone Cold Blues 5:00 - 6:00 Gary Cogdell & The Complainers Gates open at 11:00 am MAIN STAGE 8:30 - 10:00 The Tommy Castro Band 6:45 - 8:00 The James Harman Band 5:00 - 6:15 Wayne Baker Brooks Band featuring Big Time Sarah 3:15 - 4:30 Duwayne Burnside 1:30 - 2:45 Larry Garner & The Road Lizards Noon - 1:00 Johnny Neel Band Plus: Gary Allegretto Harmonica Workshops all day Saturday BANDWAGON STAGE 1:00 - 1:30 Paul Green School of Rock Allstars 2:45 - 3:15 Deb Callahan Band 4:30 - 5:00 Blue Cat Blues 6:15 - 6:45 Johnny Duke & The Aces 8:00 - 8:30 Roger Girke Band Gates open at 11:30 am MAIN STAGE 4:30 - 6:00 Kenny Wayne Shepherd 2:30 - 4:00 Lucky Peterson 12:30 - 2:00 Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band BANDWAGON STAGE 2:00 - 2:30 The Buicks 4:00 - 4:30 Gary Allegretto & Friends

Ray Charles: Hallelujah I Love Her So

The great brother Ray! enough Said:-)

Erja Lyytinen: It Hurts Me Too

I was checking out my friend Marcus's website Blues Masters, and I ran across this new blues artist Erja Lyytinen. Erja is from Finland, and she is hot! I mean her guitar playing!


anyway, she has a few videos on youtube, so I found one that I think everyone will like. check it out

Chris Thomas King: Impatiently

Wow! This is a big change from playing Tommy Johnson in O Brother Where Art Thou? This is a really nice soul blues tune. I kinda of like the way he is doing something different. After all you really don't want to get typecasted as just a delta bluesman. Although their is nothing wrong with that, it is good to be able to play a variety of blues.

Win A Trip Across The Delta!!

The Mississippi Delta Tourism Association has a very cool contest going on. You can win a trip across the Mississippi delta. Click Here to enter the sweepstakes. If you win here is the itinerary from the website: Visit the delta.

Monday, September 10th – Arrive in Vicksburg for Gaming, Town Tour and Overnight

• Accommodations at the AmeriStar Casino
• Dinner at the Bottleneck Blues Bar located in the casino
• Vicksburg gift basket
• Passes to area attractions

Tuesday morning, September 11th – Travel to Yazoo City for lunch and town tour

• BBQ for two at “Memphis in May award-winning” Ubon’s
• Town tour
• Gift basket from the Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Tuesday afternoon, September 11th - Travel to Greenwood for Town Tour and overnight

• 1 night stay for 2 at the Alluvian Hotel
• 2 free passes to Cottonlandia Museum
• Walking tour of historic downtown Greenwood
• Visit to Robert Johnson's gravesite
• Dinner for two at Lusco's on Tuesday night

Wednesday morning, September 12th – Travel to Indianola for lunch and town tour

• Lunch for two from the Crown Restaurant
• Gift basket and gift certificates from Taste of Gourmet and the Indianola Pecan House.
• Copy of Steve Cheseborough’s “Blues Traveling”
• Behind the scenes tour of B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, under construction
• Tour of Indianola blues sites

Wednesday afternoon, September 12th – Travel to Clarksdale for Town Tour and overnight

• Delta Blues Museum admission
• Ground Zero Blues Club Gift Certificate
• Gift Certificate for Dinner at the Silver Moon
• Gift Basket with Gift Certificates from Downtown
• Merchants
• Overnight Accomodations at the Big Pink
• Guesthouse
• Gift Certificate for breakfast at Resthaven

Thursday morning, September 13th – Travel to DeSoto County for County Tour and Shopping

• Complimentary breakfast in Olive Branch
• Tour of Brussel’s Bonsai including a gift certificate
• Travel to Old Towne to shop
• Travel to Southaven for shopping at Southaven Towne Center
• Travel to Hernando for a free lunch at Timbeaux’s
• Tour of DeSoto County Museum and the Historic Hernando Courthouse

Thursday afternoon, September 13th – Travel to Tunica for Gaming, Town Tour and overnight

• 1 night stay at one of Tunica' 9 Casino Hotel Resorts
• Admission to the Tunica RiverPark Museum including a Cruise on the Tunica Queen
• $100 in gaming coin

Friday, September 14th – Travel to Cleveland for Town Tour and overnight

• Gift certificates for dinner at the Pickled Okra and lunch at the Warehouse
• Tour Guide: Blues and Culture Tour
• One Night Accommodations: The Holiday Inn including continental breakfast
• Gift basket and discount shopping coupons

Saturday, September 15th – Travel to Greenville for Town Tour, MS Delta Blues and Heritage Festival and overnight

• Overnight accommodations at the Greenville Inn & Suites for Saturday, September 15
• Dinner for two at one of our local restaurants
• Tickets for two to the MS Delta Blues & Heritage Festival.

Sunday, September 16th – Depart for home

Transportation not provided.

It does look like you will have to transport yourself, which could be expensive given the current 3.00 dollar a gallon gas. However, it looks like a good time. So good luck!!!!

BB's Lawnside BBQ!!! Construction Blues!!!

Some old friends of mine from KC are singing the orange barrel blues since BB's Lawnside BBQ is hemmed in by road construction. Pictured to the left is my old buddy, and partner in crime John Paul Drum performing at BBs. This photo and article are from the Kansas City Star, which has an nice article on Lindsey Shannon's legendary BBQ, and blues joint. It is hard for me to remember just where exactly Lindsey's BBQ is at. I must admit that when I go to KC for BBQ, I go to Gates:-) I do know that he is located near the Troost Street bridge. Shannon explains part of the problem of getting to his BBQ joint.

“The biggest problem is they’ve torn down the Troost bridge,” owner Lindsay Shannon said. “People who do come in from Johnson County used to be able to use the ramp off I-435 ... to get to us. Now they have to get off on Bannister Road first. I still get calls from people going ‘I’m at 85th and Holmes (less than a mile to the west) … now how do I get to you?’ ”

Shannon has even placed alternative driving directions, in the form of a downloadable map, on his Web site: bbslawn sidebbq.com.

Lindsey has made a map on his website to help out us out of towners who need a blues and BBQ fix. Here is his map from his website.

To be honest I can tell heads or tails from this map:-) but I am sure if you go down 85th street off I-435 you should be alright.

Bill Perry RIP

Just got this press release from Illinois Blues. They received it from Blind Pig Records. This is bad news indeed. Bill was way to young.

 GUITARIST BILL PERRY DIES AT  AGE 49


With  great sadness, Blind Pig Records announces that New York  guitarist
Bill Perry died  on Tuesday, July 17th.  According to Greg Schwark,
Perry's road  manager for seven years, the musician was found at his
apartment in Sugar Loaf, NY.   Emergency medical  personnel tried to
revive Perry, but he died on the way to the  hospital, an apparent heart
attack victim, although no official cause  of death has been determined.

Perry was known as an  outstanding guitarist whose go-for-broke technique
combined  effortless fluidity and incredible attack.  Guitar One  magazine
called him a "six-string superman more powerful than a  locomotive."  He
was also gifted with a distinctive, raspy  voice full of grit and gravel
that particularly suited the drama  and emotion so essential to blues
music.

Perry first made  his mark in the clubs of New York City in the 1980's,
where he was  spotted by folk-rock singer Richie Havens.  Perry spent
four years on the road as the featured guitarist in Havens'  band.  During
the same period, he also did some touring  with The Band's Garth Hudson and
Levon Helm.  In 1995 he signed  a deal with Pointblank/Virgin and released
two albums for  them.   In 1999 he released a live album recorded at New
York's blues hotspot, Manny's Car Wash.  In 2001 Perry  released the first
of four titles for Blind Pig Records, with Jimmy  Vivino, music director of
"The Conan O'Brien  Show" serving as producer on the first two CDs.

Good friend and labelmate Popa Chubby produced Perry's next two  releases
for Blind Pig, the most recent being 2006's Don't Know  Nothin' About
Love.  Upon hearing the news while on  tour in Germany, Popa said, "The
best thing about Bill was that  his talent was effortless. He was a
natural. He could sing the phone  book and draw you in. He didn't have a
mean or a bad bone in him. I  never heard him say a bad word about anyone.
He was a brother and  I'll miss him dearly."

Richie Havens issued a  statement, saying, "I'm shocked and saddened to
hear the news.  Billy was a great friend, a truly gifted guitar player,
and one of  the funniest people I've ever known. Our times on the road
together  were some of best times I've ever had."  Havens recorded a
haunting acoustic duet version of the Rolling Stones' "No  Expectations"
with Perry that appeared on Bill's 2002 album  Crazy Kind Of Life.

Buddy Fox, Perry's manager  for four years and the long time booking agent
for Manny's Car  Wash, said, "Bill was a very singular and unique talent.
He had a natural blues voice, and an uncanny ability to sing at the  same
time that he was playing a virtuoso guitar solo."

Blind Pig President Edward Chmelewski said, "We are indeed  saddened by
the loss of Bill and his incredible talent.  His  intensity on the guitar
was frightening.  He was a mesmerizing  performer who played with passion
and excitement, and he had that  wonderful sandpapery voice that you could
listen to forever.   Truly a unique artist that will be missed."

Perry,  age 49 at the time of his death, is survived by his only son,
Aaron,  25, three brothers, and a sister.  Details of a memorial  and
funeral have not been announced.

Contact:  Debra Regur   [LINK: mailto:pigpress@blindpigrecords.com]
pigpress@blindpigrecords.com   415-550-6484
For  more information visit [LINK: http://www.blindpigrecords.com]
www.blindpigrecords.com.

The Five Satins: In The Still Of The Night

Classic 50s doo wop/Rock and Roll by the Five Satins. This is one of those songs I can listen to over and over!

Carl Sims: It Ain't A Juke Joint Without The Blues

Carl Sims performing It Ain't A Juke Joint Without The Blues. This is a great soul/blues tune!

UPDATE
I thought this guy was really outstanding, and I wondered how I had never heard of him. So I looked up his bio. Check this out from the Malaco website.

Without question, Carl Sims has brought his career full circle throughout the years. In his early years, he toured continuously with Otis Redding and The BarKays. But his touring was cut short with the untimely death of Otis and three of the five members of the BarKays in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Sims and James Alexander (one of The BarKays) flew a commercial flight carrying the musical equipment to one of the shows while Redding and The BarKays took a private flight. Sims soon returned to Memphis to find solace in Denise LaSalle. They began a four-year tour together until LaSalle convinced Sims to go on tour solo. Since then, the rough voiced artist has enjoyed tremendous success and a huge fan following.

Wow! Talk about both good luck, and bad luck. Hopefully this guy can get some more exposure up north. This guy is the real deal.

East Austin Texas Blues History

The Daily Texan has a short article on the dying east Austin blues and jazz scene. East Austin was the black business district of the area, and much like Memphis's Beale, Kansas City's Vine, and Des Moines's Center Street, when segregation ended in the mid 60s, and the urban renewal movement gained momentum the music of the area died. What is interesting is that this pretty much happened all over the US. It is sad that some great cultural areas became lost, or in the case of Memphis remade to such an extent that it wasn't recognizable. However, many areas are trying to at least document what happened during the heyday of theses areas. Oral history projects are a great ways to record local history. Hopefully more cities will take up these projects.

New Blues Find: Sir Harrison

A Native American bluesman from Tucson, is playing in Sedona, Arizona, as part of their sumer series. Here is an interesting article from the I love Sedona website on Harrison. It is always nice to see young players getting press and keeping the blues alive.

Movie Review: Black Snake Moan

I finally rented Black Snake Moan it is like a flick from the 70s. Plenty of skin, and strong black heroes. Samuel Jackson is great as a farmer who returns to the blues when his wife leaves him. It reminded me of the sexploitation and black exploitation films of the 70s. Jackson finds Christia Ricci outside his house. Jackson, instead of calling the police or an ambulance, and being falsely accused of a crime takes Ricci in. I don't want to go into to many details, but it is a good film, and while Jackson's character uses unorthodox means to cure Ricci, he always has the best intentions when dealing with her. The movie is rated R, so this is not for kids, and the Ricci character is an over the top nymphomaniac with a drinking problem. The movie comes to an expected end, like most flicks of its type from the 70s. The only big difference between the old style exploitation flicks of the 70s and this is the quality of the film, very good lights, and the use of more that two cameras. This is a high quality film and in away it loses some of the grittiness of a badly lit, poorly processes film that was the standard of 1970s exploitation movies.

UPDATE

8/2/07 I just looked at this post today, and boy was it garbled up. I don't think it was that way originally. I am not sure what happened, but it is fixed now.

500 Post!! Mike Bloomfield Drinking Wine

500 POSTS!!!


Mike Bloomfield and his band, with Buddy Miles playing drums, performing Drinking Wine.

Cincy Blues Fest

Cincy Blues Fest is coming up August 3-4th. For more info Click HERE. Here is the scheadule of events for the show, and this is going to be a big show!

Here is the info from Associated Content:

Friday August 3, 2007

Main Stage
3:45-4:30 Ricky Nye - Cincy Blues Challenge Solo/Duo Winner
4:45-5:15 Blues in the Schools (BITS) Band
5:30-6:45 Steve Tracy and the Crawling Kingsnakes
7:00-8:15 Bruce Katz Band
8:30-10:00 Big George Brock
10:15-11:45 Walter Trout & the Radicals

Local Stage
5:30-6:30 Jimmy D Rogers
6:45-7:45 The Sonny Moorman Group
8:00-9:00 Them Bones
9:15-10:15 Dick & The Roadmasters
10:30 Miss Lissa & Company

King Records Tribute Stage
6:30-7:30 Elliott Ruther Trio
7:45-8:30 Bekah Williams
8:45-11:45 King Records Tribute featuring a King Records tribute band The King's Men. They will be joined by Ice House Horns and artists who recorded at King such as Piney Brown, Philip Paul, Otis Williams & His Charms and Bootsy Collins.

Saturday August 4, 2007

Before the music begins on Saturday afternoon, fans can enjoy a special backstage and onstage experience at 3pm on the Main Stage. Cincinnati local power blues guitarist Sonny Moorman (http://www.sonnymoorman.com/) will play at a small jam session as guests witness and learn about the production necessary to stage a live music event such as Cincy Blues fest.

Main Stage
3:45-4:30 Ricky Nye - Cincy Blues Challenge Solo/Duo Winner
4:45-5:15 Blues in the Schools (BITS) Band
5:30-6:45 Steve Tracy and the Crawling Kingsnakes
7:00-8:15 Bruce Katz Band
8:30-10:00 Big George Brock
10:15-11:45 Walter Trout & the Radicals

Gospel Stage with Master of Ceremony Howard Riley
3:15 Devotion
3:30-4:35 Dedicated Souls, Cincinnati, OH
4:50-5:50 The Lyric Supremes, Columbus, OH
6:05-7:15 The Gospel Creators, Atlanta, GA
7:30-8:35 The "Original" Goldenaires, Cincinnati, OH
8:50-10:00 Fred Byers & Blessed, Cincinnati, OH
10:15-11:30 The Gospel Four - Memphis, TN

Local Stage
3:15-4:15 The Bluebirds
4:30-5:30 American Standard
5:45-6:45 The Conrail Saints
7:00-8:00 Blumanchu
8:15-9:15 Tempted Souls
9:30-10:30 G. Miles and the Hitmen
10:45-Midnight Blues Jam w/ hosts Paul Van Risseghem, Joe Gorman, Phil Blank, Aron Levin. Harp players tribute - Lanky Frank, Phil Blank, Gravy Williams, Brad Hatfield and more yet to be announced

Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage
3:30 Todd Hepburn
4:00 Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues
4:40 Ricky Nye
5:20 Bruce Katz
6:00 Chase Garrett
6:40 Mark Braun
7:20 David Maxwell
8:00 Mac Potts
8:40 Mitch Woods
9:30 Bob Seeley
9:30 Bob Baldori
10:20 Lluis Coloma
11:10 Axel Zwingenberger
11:50 Grand Finale

'Keeping the Blues Alive' is the Cincy Blues Society's motto. The Queen City's 15th Annual Cincy Blues Fest will certainly keep the American tradition of blues music alive the first weekend of August 2007 at Sawyer Point.

New Review A Rough Guide To African Blues.

BlogCritic had a review a couple of months ago about A Rough Guide To African Blues Click Here for that post.
I thought it would be interesting to add another review, this time from Allafrica.com. It sounds like a good disc, and people who enjoyed the first film from the PBS Blues films will probably love this CD.

Koko Taylor Interview

Koko Taylor is in Japan, and here is an interview from the Daily Yomiuri Online.

Artist Of The Week: Sam And Dave

This weeks artists are Sam and Dave. A great soul duo from the 60s that managed to keep going off and on, until Dave's death in 1988. If you would like some more info on them then check out this LINK. The videos in the Google Video bar are pretty cool. The band backing them up in the video is none other than the hardest working back up band in Memphis, Booker T and the MGs. As always you can find the videos on the left side of the blog.

Internet Radio

Here is a letter from the CEO of Live 365 one of the internet radio websites that provides space and bandwith to small time internet radios stations.

Thanks to you, we're still on the air! With the deadline upon Internet radio to pay the new royalty rate, Congress weighed in at the last minute to break the logjam in royalty rate negotiations and successfully pressured SoundExchange to give webcasters more time to negotiate. SoundExchange promised Congress that it would not initiate enforcement actions on July 15th provided that webcasters continued good faith negotiations. You can count on Live365 to stay at the negotiating table until this is finished! Your calls and letters to Congress are making a huge difference! Thank you! We'll keep you posted on the progress. Thank You,

N. Mark Lam CEO of Live365

So it isn't a done deal, and until it is I am going to sit on the sideline before I put some money into an internet blues radio station. If they can come up with a deal, then the Iowa Blues Showcase will go on the air.

Photo Of The Week: Scotty And The Wingtips

One of the longest running blues acts in Des Moines probably is Scotty And The Wingtips. Other bands may have started before them, and reunited, but the Wingtips have been a pretty solid unit for over 20 years. Scott Hartung (drums) has kept a nucleus of Mike Tyler(guitar) and Ernie Terrell (Bass) togethter for most of those years. Scott also helped a lot of Des Moines players get their start. When I got back to Des Moines I hooked up briefly with the Wingtips for a few gigs until I could get my band going. Others top players in Des Moines who played with the Wingtips includes, Jon East, Scott Eagleston, Scott Sutherland, Billy Birch, Jeff Ward, the Luna brothers, and many more. Scott's bands have always provided solid blues, and never disappoint their audience. Scott has had his run ins with the power brokers of the blues pretty much his whole career, but like a true bluesman, he never quits, and you will find him and his band still playing the blues as much as they can.