Bob Corritore Blues News

The latest from Bob Corritore

August 14, 2008

• Big Pete Pearson and The Rhythm Room All-Stars Appear Friday at The Rhythm Room: It is always a blues party when this combination of musicians takes the stage: Big Pete's robust vocals, combined with the hearty Chicago blues sounds of The Rhythm Room All-Stars (Bob Corritore, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Brian Fahey). This award-winning combination appears Friday, August 15, 2008 at their namesake, The Rhythm Room Concert Club. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Doors open at 8pm, cover charge is $7. Rack Shack Barbeque will be available at this event. This night will be a patio smoking only event; no indoor smoking will be permitted.
• West Coast Blues Master Johnny Dyer to Appear Saturday at The Rhythm Room: The great Johnny Dyer is a father figure on the Los Angeles blues scene. He is living proof of the glory of the music of Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers. A great vocalist and harmonica master, he brings his magic to the stage of the Rhythm Room on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Backing will be provided by The Rhythm Room All-Stars. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Doors open at 8pm, cover charge is $8. Rack Shack Barbeque will be available at this event. This night will be a patio smoking only event; no indoor smoking will be permitted.
• New Johnny Dyer Photo Page on BobCorritore.com: To honor our friend Johnny Dyer as we prepare for his Phoenix appearance, we have put up a collection of his photos on www.bobcorritore.com. Included are a number of portraits, as well of shots of him with George "Harmonica" Smith, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Rick Holmstrom, and his current band, The Mannish Boys. To see this photo tribute, click here. By the way, we are looking for photos of Johnny performing at the 2007 Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival in Helena. If anyone has some photos from this show, please send them as an attachment with a reply to this email.
• RIP Alex "Lil’ Bill" Wallace 10/20/1924- 8/10/2008: Leland, Mississippi blues singer/guitarist Alex "Lil’ Bill" Wallace passed away on Sunday in Greenville, Mississippi. He was 83. Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, he first came to Leland with Honeyboy Edwards in 1946, where he found work plentiful; and soon made Leland his home. Before moving to Leland, he had met T-Bone Walker, and he learned the more modern single string guitar style, which Bill would later pass on to B.B. King, Little Milton, and Smokey Wilson. Wallace is also credited as the person who convinced a young B.B. King to switch his musical direction from gospel to the blues. He was a major musical force in his community, and was an influence and mentor to many, including Little Dave Thompson, Skeeter Provis, John Horton, and Eden Brent. He had a stroke some years back that rendered him unable to sing, but he still worked as a guitarist, often teaming up with Brent for performances. He is lauded as a hero in his region, and his passing is a major loss to the Mississippi blues community. His recordings were few: he had played drums on some Trumpet sides behind Willie Love, and years later after his stroke, Eden Brent and Hal Holbrook released a CD of live recordings that will preserve the memory of Bill's strong voice and guitar work. (Special thanks to Billy Johnson of Highway 61 Blues Museum and Eden Brent for this information). For more information, including a photo of Lil’ Bill, click here.
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe on YouTube! Check out these charismatic performances by champion gospel belter Sister Rosetta Tharpe, complete with her wild tone roots of Rock 'N Roll guitar. Some beautiful 1960s clips: “Up Above My Head” - version 1(solo), “Down By The Riverside”, and “Up Above My Head version 2 (band version with wild guitar solo)”.
• Thank You, BluesWax: The amazing online weekly blues magazine BluesWax has reprinted the Jimmy Rogers information from our newsletter of 8/06/2008. Also in this week's issue are some great images by photographer Marilyn Stringer from this year's Silver City Blues Festival. Images include Zac Harmon, Marie Knight, Big Pete Pearson, Sherman Robertson, John Mooney, Alex Maryol, and more. Included are three images of Bob Corritore paying with Big Pete at the festival and playing with Sherman Robertson and Zac Harmon at the jam session afterwards. Also included is an Isaac Hayes remembrance, a Morgan Freeman update stating that he is on the mend, a Candye Kane update (who is also recovering nicely), and more. To check out the BluesWax site and to sign up for their free weekly newsletter, click here.