Bob Corritore Newsletter

March 14, 2008

• Dave Riley & Bob Corritore to play the Blues Music Awards! Just announced! The duo of Dave Riley & Bob Corritore will appear Thursday, May 8, 2008 at The 29th Blues Music Awards at the Grand Casino and Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi. Their CD, Travelin' The Dirt Road on Blue Witch Records, was nominated this year under the category of "Acoustic Album Of The Year". Dave and Bob were thrilled about the nomination in addition to the great response that the CD has received. Thanks to The Blues Foundation and it membership for recognizing this CD. Each year, the awards ceremony features performances by a who's who of performers, and what an honor it is to be counted among this group. In addition to this nomination, Bob's harmonica is also a part of three other nominated releases: Nappy Brown/Long Time Coming on Blind Pig Records (Traditional Blues Album Of The Year), Pinetop Perkins/On The 88's - Live In Chicago on Sagebrush Productions/Vizztone Label Group (Blues DVD), and Various Artists/House Rockin' And Blues Shoutin!: Celebrating 15 Years Of The Rhythm Room on Blue Witch Records (Historical Album Of The Year). For information on The Blues Foundation, click here, and to know more about the Blues Music Awards, click here.
• Delta Groove Showcase Update: The day after the BMAs, the party continues at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississippi for the 3rd Annual Delta Groove Showcase. Appearing at this huge event are The Mannish Boys (Kid Ramos, Finis Tasby, Randy Chortkoff, Richard Innes, Franck Goldwasser, Bobby Jones, Tom Leavey, and Kirk Fletcher), The Insomniacs, The Jackie Payne/Steve Edmondson Band, the amazing Phillip Walker, plus Mikey Junior, John Black, Lionel Young, and a Blue Witch Records showcase set with Big Pete Pearson and The Rhythm Room All-Stars, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, and Tomcat Courtney. Other acts recently added to the show are Debbie Davies, Candye Kane, and Tony Braunagel. Bill Wax of XM Satellite Radio's Blues station, Bluesville, will be the emcee. Ground Zero is an amazing club that is owned by Morgan Freeman and Bill Luckett, and has boosted the profile of Clarksdale with its commitment to blues and its high profile entertainment roster. Delta Groove Music is likewise a noble and groundbreaking label, which has the rare gift of producing traditional blues records that feel comfortable in the contemporary blues landscape. For more information on this event, click here.
• Little Walter's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on YouTube: Little Walter was considered the most brilliant and innovative blues harmonica player who ever lived. On Monday, March 10, 2008, Little Walter was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with a televised ceremony live at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The film short that opened Little Walter's segment of the induction contains samples of his great harmonica work with some interviews, classic photos and rare footage. Of note are the brief segments filmed by Sam Lay that show Little Walter interacting with Howlin' Wolf at a club in the early 1960s. This is followed by pop artist Ben Harper with a live performance of "Juke” and "My Babe" by the great James Cotton, backed by Paul Shaffer's Band. It was good to see Walter recognized and interesting to see how Walter's specialized style is interpreted by the more pop-culture musical outlook of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. To see the presentation, click here. Also, to view The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's listing of Little Walter, click here.