Bob Corritore Newsletter

By Bob Corritore

March 26, 2008

• Dave Riley & Bob Corritore Appear Saturday at Pranksters Too: The BMA-nominated team of Dave Riley and Bob Corritore perform deep Mississippi and Chicago blues this Saturday, March 29, 2008 at Pranksters Too at 7919 E. Thomas Rd. Ste. 102, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, on the southwest corner of Thomas and Hayden in Scottsdale, Arizona. They will perform as a duo, and admission is free. For more information, call (480)990-1114.
• Candye Kane Rhythm Room Benefit - April 14, 2008 + Other Benefits Announced: The Rhythm Room will host a benefit for our friend, Candye Kane, who will be undergoing major surgery in May for pancreatic cancer. Candye has been actively playing the Rhythm Room for about 15 years, and is greatly loved by the Phoenix blues community. Many musicians will perform, including Sistah Blue, Big Pete Pearson & The Rhythm Room All-Stars (with Big Pete, Bob Corritore, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Brian Fahey), Dave Riley, Rocket 88s, Mike Eldred, and many more yet to be announced. This event is supported by The Phoenix Blues Society. The event takes place on Monday, April 14, 2008; doors open at 6pm. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. There will be a $10 minimum donation at the door, which will all go to Candye. Other benefits for Candye are being held around the country. For more information on any of these benefits, contact Candye at candyekanetour@aol.com or go to Candye's MySpace Page.
• Big Pete Pearson and the Rhythm Room All-Stars to appear at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival: We are proud to be included in the lineup of one of the greatest blues festivals in the US! The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival takes place July 3-5 at LeClaire Park in Davenport, Iowa, and Big Pete Pearson & The Rhythm Room All-Stars will play Friday, July 4, 2008 at 5:30pm. Bob Corritore will give a harmonica workshop earlier in the day at 2:30pm. Among the other artists in this fantastic lineup are Billy Boy Arnold with Jody Williams, Koko Taylor, Phil Guy, Elvin Bishop, The Kinsey Report, Denise LaSalle, Big George Brock, The Holmes Brothers, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Marie Knight, Steve James, Jimmy Thackery, and many more. For more information and the complete schedule, check out the festival website by clicking here.
• Skeeter Brandon Passes: News of another sad passing comes from Jim McGrath. Skeeter Brandon passed away Thursday, March 20, 2008. He was 59. Based in Durham, North Carolina, he was a regional blues icon possessing an amazing gospel-tinged voice, and a fine keyboard style. He was noted for exuberant live performances with his band, Skeeter Brandon & Highway 61. He released numerous CDs in the 1990s and 2000s. Failing health due to diabetes complications limited his performances in his final months. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. His great website includes sound samples, discography, bio, and photos. Please take a few minutes and check out a life devoted to the blues by clicking here.
• New Photo Pages added to Bob's Website: Two new photo pages of performance and offstage photos have been added to www.BobCorritore.com. Included are photos with Honeyboy Edwards, Carey Bell, Louisiana Red, Big Jack Johnson, Big Pete Pearson & The Rhythm Room All-Stars, David Maxwell, Dave Riley, Arthur Williams, Henry Gray, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Marquise Knox, Sam Lay, Diunna Greenleaf, Bob Margolin, R.J. Mischo, "Little Frank" Krakowski, Billy Gibson, Mavis Staples, Big Daddy Kinsey, Tom Leavey and Johnny Dyer of The Mannish Boys, Pinetop Perkins, Ike Turner, The Whitehead Brothers, Aaron Moore, Bobby Jones, Phillip Walker, Chico Chism, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, Paris James, Billy Flynn, Dave Myers, Willie Johnson, Scott Dirks, Willie Buck, Jimmy Rogers, Bob Koester, Mighty Joe Milsap, Billy Branch, Paul Oscher, Candye Kane, and Hubert Sumlin. The photos are from locations far and wide, including, The Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Arizona, The Lucerne Blues Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, Jazz Club Lionel Hampton in Paris, France, Marco Fiume Blues Passions Festival in Rossano, Italy, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Strathmore Center for the Performing Arts in West Bethesda, Maryland, The Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival in Helena, Arkansas, Rosa's Lounge in Chicago, Hopson’s Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi, The Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Festival in Tucson, Arizona, The Scottsdale Music Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona, The Grammies® in Los Angeles, California, Patrick's II in San Diego, California, and other locations. Click here and here to enjoy these pages. If you have not yet visited the amazing photo section of Bob's website, please check out the extensive array of vintage and current blues photos by clicking here for the photo index. Also, please check out Bob's website for performances, press articles, a newsletter archive, and reviews. You can get to the home page of Bob's website by clicking here.