Another great example of why Stevie was so great. Here he plays with the great Johnny Copeland. Watch how Stevie shares the stage. This is no competition. Stevie shows the respect he has for Johnny by not getting into a competition to see who was the best. Unlike some white artists who seemed more interested in smoking their heroes on stage. ( I won't say who, but if you have seen a few of these videos you will figure it out pretty quickly.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Bob Corritore Blues News
The weekly blues news update from Bob Corritore!!
July 2, 2008
- Dave Riley & Bob Corritore Nominated For Blues Blast Music Award: Blues Blast is a wonderful, free, weekly e-magazine that is an extension of the Illinois Blues website. Publisher Bob Kieser has just announced the nominees for the 2008 Blues Blast Music Awards, and we were delighted to see that Dave Riley & Bob Corritore/Travelin' The Dirt Road on Blue Witch Records was listed as a nominee in the category of "Best Traditional Blues Recording". Also in this category are Omar Kent Dykes & Jimmy Vaughan/On The Jimmy Reed Highway, Lurrie Bell/Let's Talk About Love, Bobby Rush/Raw, and David "Honeyboy" Edwards/Roamin' & Ramblin'. Some great company indeed! To see the full list of nominees in all categories, click here. Voting will be by subscribers only and starts on July 14, 2008. To subscribe to this free magazine, which will entitle you to vote, click here. Thanks you, Illinois Blues and Blues Blast Magazine!
- Mississippi Valley Blues Festival this weekend! The Rhythm Room All-Stars featuring Big Pete Pearson appear Friday, July 4, 2008 at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. This legendary 3-day blues festival, now in its 24th year, always features a top-notch lineup of blues and this year is no exception. Acts include Koko Taylor, The Holmes Brothers, Marie Knight, Billy Boy Arnold with Jody Williams, Denise LaSalle, Elvin Bishop, Otis Taylor and The Black Banjo Project, Jimmy Thackery, Steve James, John Németh with Junior Watson, Phil Guy, Tinsley Ellis, Doug MacLeod, Paul Geremia, Teresa James, Kal David, Kent Burnside and the New Generation, The Kinsey Report, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, and Big George Brock. Bob will also conduct a blues harmonica seminar at the festival. Seminars on various topics will also be held by Steve James, David Horwitz, Jimmy Thackery, Del Ray, and many others. David Berntson will host the kids BlueSKool program. Due to flooding in the area, the festival has been moved to downtown Davenport, and Big Pete and the All-Stars' set will now be at the Adler Theatre.
- Rhythm Room All-Stars Featuring Big Pete Pearson appear Saturday at the Rhythm Room: After performing at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival on Friday, The Rhythm Room All-Stars will catch an early flight the next morning and appear at the Rhythm Room on Saturday, July 5, 2008. 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.
- Jackie Payne/Steve Edmonson Band appearing 4th of July Weekend at the Rhythm Room: The multiple Blues Music Award-nominated team of singer Jackie Payne and guitarist Steve Edmondson appear on Friday July 4, 2008 at the Rhythm Room. This appearance is part of their CD release tour for their sterling new Delta Groove CD, Overnight Sensation. Look for some dynamic R&B and blues from true masters of the game. Also, please note the nearby Fabulous Phoenix 4th Fireworks Display can easily be seen from the Rhythm Room's outdoor patio. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Doors open at 8pm, cover charge is $9. Rack Shack Barbeque will be available at this event. This night will be a patio smoking only event; no indoor smoking will be permitted.
- Bernie Pearl appearing Sunday at the Rhythm Room: Veteran blues guitarist and promoter Bernie Pearl makes a stop at the Rhythm Room on Sunday, July 6, 2008. Bernie has been a blues activist in the Los Angeles area since the late 60s, when in 1968 he began hosting a blues radio show on LA's KPPC FM 99.3. This led to a 12 year radio stint on KLON and KCRW, which started in 1980. He co-produced (with George "Harmonica" Smith) and plays guitar on the now classic recording of Luke "Long Gone" Miles’ magnificent version of “Hello Josephine”, originally issued on Kent records. He was a founder of the legendary Long Beach Blues Festival. He has always kept a great band together, and often promoted veteran blues artists who would appear as special guests on his shows. In the early '90's, Bernie started a record label, Bee Bump Records, and produced records by Papa John Creach and his longtime partner, the late Harmonica Fats. He teaches blues classes at Cal State Long Beach, and has been an advocate of Louisiana Red in recent years. He will bring his blues wisdom and kind voice to the Rhythm Room for a show this Sunday, as he tours in support of his new CD, Old School Blues on Bee Bump Records. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Doors open at 7pm, cover charge is $7. This night will be a patio smoking only event; no indoor smoking will be permitted.
- Blueswax article and photo exposé from Delta Groove showcase: A warm thank you to Blueswax, the great weekly online blues magazine, for their recent reflection of the 3rd Annual Delta Groove Showcase last May at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. This show brought together both Delta Groove Artists, plus artists who label chief Randy Chortkoff describes as "the extended family of Delta Groove Records". Bob Corritore and the Blue Witch Record label are proud to be in that extended family. Appearing at the showcase were The Mannish Boys, Phillip Walker, Jackie Payne/Steve Edmondson Band, Los Fabulocos (with Kid Ramos), The Insomniacs, Debbie Davies, Jason Ricci, Mike Zito, Mikey Junior, Marco Pandolfi, Bill Sims and Mark LaVoie, Lionel Young, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm, a Blue Witch label showcase with the Rhythm Room All-Stars, Big Pete Pearson, Dave Riley, and Tomcat Courtney, and many others. Delta Groove has put the article and photo page on their website. To see the photos by Scott Allen and Jen Taylor, click here; and to read the article by Art Tipaldi, click here.
- Sam Lay, Bob Riedy, Eddie Kobek as Special Guests at the Chris James/Patrick Rynn CD Release Party at the Rhythm Room:. The Rhythm Room's party celebrating Chris James and Patrick Rynn's new CD, Stop And Think About It on Earwig Music, keeps on growing! The event, which takes place August 1-2, 2008 at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix now boasts a special lineup of Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Bob Corritore, and special guests Sam Lay, Bob Riedy, and Eddie Kobek. Sam Lay and Eddie Kobek are two of the best Chicago blues style drummers around, and they both appear on the CD. Sam Lay received a Blues Music Award earlier this year as "Best Blues Drummer"; and, in addition to his drumming, will be a guest frontman for part of each night. Bob Riedy is a great piano player, who was the most active bandleader and blues promoter in Chicago during the 1970s. He headed the Bob Riedy Blues Band, which served as a revue for a revolving lineup of frontmen including Carey Bell, Eddie Clearwater, Johnny Littlejohn, Johnny Young, Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay, Andrew Jeffery, B.B. Jones, and others. His RMR Productions was crucial in bringing blues to the North Side of Chicago during the 1970s, and helped bands such as Magic Slim & The Teardrops, J.B. Hutto & The Hawks, George "Wild Child" Butler, Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf, and Jimmy Dawkins secure gigs and win audiences that they would not have without his promotional efforts. Chris and Patrick's new CD will show the world the power of their great blues partnership, which often is overlooked while it serves as a consummate backing role in numerous settings backing various veteran blues artists. As members of the Rhythm Room All-Stars, Chris and Patrick are key players, and the band maintains the tradition and utility that was exemplified in the 1970s by the Bob Riedy Blues Band. To see the cover art of the new CD, click here.
- Thanks, Blues Guitar News! Blues Guitar News is another great online blues magazine. Thanks to blues guitarist/editor Mike Dolins for including a photo, logo, and link to Bob's website. To check out Blues Guitar News, click here.
- More Great Reviews for Tomcat Courtney! Tomcat Courtney/Downsville Blues on the Blue Witch Record label continues to rack up unanimously great reviews in various publications. The latest is a review from France's ABS Magazine, written by Jean-Luc Varbes, and another from DJ Gary Miller from Bluessource. Thank you, ABS Magazine and Bluessource! To see these reviews of Tomcat Courtney/Downsville Blues and 14 others, click here.
- Dave Riley and Bob Corritore looking forward to performing at the Cognac Blues Festival in France: The BMA and BBMA-nominated duet of Dave Riley and Bob Corritore will be heading overseas at the end of July to participate in the Festival Cognac Blues Passions in Cognac, France. Also appearing at this festival will be an eclectic mix of blues and roots, which includes Willie King & The Liberators, Etta James, Joan Baez, Marie Knight, Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, and many others. The 6 day event runs from July 22 - 27, 2008 and is one of the most highly regarded blues festivals in Europe. The Cognac Blues Festival boasts of 120 performances in various stages, and Dave Riley and Bob Corritore are scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday, July 25-26, 2008. The festival website does not list the full lineup, but does give some great information about the event, and can be viewed by clicking here.
- New Honeyboy Edwards photo page! We have just added a photo page honoring the great Honeyboy Edwards to www.bobcorritore.com. Honeyboy Edwards, now 93, is the greatest living delta blues guitarist, and just this year he won a Grammy® award for his participation in Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas (featuring Pinetop Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Henry Townsend, and Honeyboy Edwards) on the Blue Shoe Project label. For our photo page, Michael Frank (Earwig Music label chief and Honeyboy's manager and harmonica player) donated a program from Honeyboy's 1979 Carnegie Hall appearance. If anyone has vintage photos of Honeyboy (50's 60's or 70's) that they would be willing to contribute to this page, please send them via jpeg. To see our current Honeyboy photo page, please click here.
Your Chance To Vote For Blues Artists And Recordings Of The Year
The people who bring us the Illinois Blues Blast, some of the most up to date information about the blues. Now wants you to vote for artists and recordings of the year. Here is the press release:
IllinoisBlues.com is pleased to announce the 2008 Blues Blast Music Awards.
The Blues Blast Music Awards recognize excellence in Blues Music by artists
worldwide. Attached is a MS Word file with a list of the nominees. This
list is also available on our website at http://www.illinoisBlues.com/bbma08.htm
The BBMA award winners will be chosen by our Blues Blast Magazine subscribers.
Anyone who is a subscriber to our FREE Blues Blast Magazine is eligible to
vote for their favorite Blues artists. Voting will begin on July 14, 2008.
A new website where you can listen to samples of these artist's music is
planned and should be on line when voting begins on July, 14th, 2008.
Further details coming soon.
For more information, please go to: http://www.illinoisBlues.com/bbma08.htm
New subscribers can sign up for FREE to vote for their favorite
nominees at: http://www.illinoisblues.com/emailsignup.htm.
Bob Kieser
Publisher - Blues Blast Magazine
info@illinoisblues.com
Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update
Tons of Fun with Bobby and the Blue Band:-)
Quick, I've got a KABBILLION things to do before it all goes KABLOOOWIE on the 4th of July! I sure had fun with so many of you who came back to Sparkle City for Sturgis Falls Days and our show at The Hub on Sunday evening. It's exhilarating to see people who have been part of The Blue Family for so many years all coming together once a year. There were people from Wisconsin, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Colorado, Minneapolis and all over Iowa. Thanks to Jay Stoddard and the Sturgis Falls Committee and Marcus and The Hub Staff for making that gathering happen after the nasty flood canceled our regular Tourist Park show. For some reason, being part of that hometown celebration means the world to me. Let's do it again NEXT year!...
But that was last week and here we are getting ready for the 4th of July! Time flies when we're havin' fun! (fruit flies like a banana) TONIGHT-Wednesday July 2, kick off the Holiday week early at Porky's Patio Party, 44th & Douglas in Des Moines, 6:15-9:15p. We have been playing Porky's Thursday night Bike Nights, this will be our first time for the Wednesday Night Car Nights. If the cars are as cool as the bikes, this could be somethin'! We'll be a 5 piece with Nathan blowin' sax...
Thursday's Independence Day Eve (7/3) show will be part of the Grinnell Party In The Park series, where we play the GAZZZEEEEEEBO in Central Park 5-8pm (or longer!) We're bringing the bigger sound system and the full 7 piece band with Heath and Nathan on sax and Al blowin' trumpet. I've played music in Grinnell for 30 years (no snide jokes about my "skyrocketing career" please) I've never had a bad time there. We're being sponsored again by the Grinnell Medical Center, who gives out free ice cream during the show. Are you kiddin' me? A free party in the park with free ice cream and a 7 piece Rockin' Soul Revue for 4th of July weekend?!! Be there...BRING CAKE...
As you heard, our annual 4th of July show in Windsor Heights was flooded out (postponed to Aug. 2). Thanks to i-wireless, Ace Insurance, Skott & Anderson Architects of Mason City, The local Budweiser distributor, and most of all Colleen Devine and Paradise Parties Events Center, 1025 N. 8th St., in Clear Lake, IA (www.paradisepartieseventscenter.com) we've got a place to play on the 4th of July. Al & Nathan will be the horn section (Nate's last gig with us before heading back home to Austin TX) (damn, I'm gonna miss that kid) (but he's already promised to come back for the New Year's Eve Reunion!) we play 5-8pm, right before the annual fireworks over Clear Lake (KABLOOOWIE!!)...
Saturday 7/5 is by invitation only...
We've got a couple of cool shows next week too. Fri. 7/11 finds us at the two-day festival called Camp Euphoria outside of Iowa City (www.campeuforia.com/) Iowa Blues Hall of Famer and Blue Band alumni Ron DeWitte will join us that evening, we play 7:30-8:30p. I am scheduled to be the Main Stage host/announcer for the day and Phil Maass is planning on providing live and taped coverage for Iowa Public Radio. Saturday July 12 marks our return to Okoboji for the ReMax Greenspace Concert, 7-10 p.m. I'll have more details on both of these dates next week...
I'm actually getting to this a little earlier in the night this week. I needed a break from making radio shows for the weekend. (The Saturday Backtracks show, 7-10pm will be a "best of" Summer/Independence Day Special culled from shows that originally aired in 2003-2007, plus an hour special on the late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson) (there's some kind of law or something that says you HAVE to include some reference to The Beach Boys during ANY 4th of July special, isn't there?) And speaking of the radio shows, today's "first ever" hosting of a talk show on Iowa Public Radio was a ton of fun! The guest was NY Times Bestseller List author David Shields and the conversation revolved around his latest book The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead. Death is something we all have to do. Realizing, and trying to come to grips with, your own mortality is a very difficult process. I enjoyed meeting David and if you're interested, you can hear that interview right here: http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kuni/local-kuni-726085.mp3 Iowa Public Radio also provides podcasts thru their website at www.iowapublicradio.org Next Tuesday, I'm planning on interviewing a local educator/musician who is using music as a teaching tool in the classroom with the second half of the show talking to an author of a fictional story about an Elvis Impersonator! (thankyou, thankyouverymuch) Maybe I can dig out Blue Tattoo's 2006 Xmas gift of the Elvis impersonator kit and I can get a studio cam (or not)...
Well, coffee break's over, back on my head (and it's difficult making radio shows while standing on your head!) See ya on the (red, white and) Blue Highway, rub yer zydeco tie to the beat of Yankee Doodle, Bring Red, White & Blue CAKE for the 4th of July, (it is, afterall, our nation's birthday) live the spirit of freedom and independence that our country was built on and we celebrate this weekend, DON'T DRIVE DRUNK (we're going to be doing alot of driving this weekend and I do not want to "run into you" on the road) call yourself a cab (YOU'RE A CAB!) I hope all yer sparklers burn bright and none of your fireworks are duds. We love you, Bob Dorr & The Blue Band (KABLOOOWIE!!)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Count Basie: Improv Blues
Here is a cool video of Count Basie and his four piece band doing an improv blues to end a TV show film in 1968. What I love about Count Basie is that it is rare to see him solo. He made his players look good, and was a comping machine. (in other words, he could play chords, and support his players so they would sound good) In this clip we get to see that not only could Count play the blues, but he could also play stride piano! very nice clip!
Big Joe Williams, And Count Basie: Going To Chicago
Big Joe is one of those under-rated blues singers. I am not sure how the jazz folks feel about him, but Joe and a lot of the Kansas City style bluesmen, and women, seemed to be less noticed among the blues fans than the more recognized Chicago,Delta, and Memphis blues artists. Big Joe Williams had a smooth voice, and easily moved from jazz to blues. This video is of him and Count Basie performing a song made popular by Count's first vocalist Jimmy "5x5" Rushing, called Going To Chicago.
Highlights From The Portland Blues Festival July 4th 2007
Here is a nice documentary of one mans day at the Portland Blues Festival, last year on the 4th of July. features Koko Taylor, and a few others.
Star Spangled Spectacular: Storm Lake, Iowa, July 3-4
I am very bad about promoting my own gigs. Part of it, is a superstition. I really hate to make a big deal about a gig, and then get sick and be unable to perform. That has happened a couple of times over the years, and then I feel like a big idiot. However, Thursday and Friday is the biggest day of the year for Storm lake! We double in size from about 10,000 people to over 20,000 people, as visitors from small surrounding towns, and long lost family and friends return to Storm Lake to celebrate the fourth of July.
The fun starts out on the afternoon of July 3rd. Vendors, and artists will set up stands down by the bandshell in Sunset Park. Celebration Iowa will kick things off with their variety song and dance routines, followed by The Tom Gary Blues Band, and The Eric Hovey Band. The next day the fun starts all over again. Vendors and artists will have tents set up from Sunset Park in the west to Chautauqua park in the east. A huge parade starts in the morning and then the vendors and artists stick around till 5pm. More entertainment starts around 7pm as the Tom Gary Blues Band, and the Eric Hovey band play until 10pm when the fireworks take place. You can find us located down by the new lighthouse and playground.
If you would like more information about the biggest party of the year in Storm Lake, check out the Pilot Tribune article about our show HERE.
Deep Blues Festival, Lake Elmo Minnesota, July 18-20
Press release from the Deep Blues Festival
One last reminder for the 2008 festival.
Deep Blues Festival July 18-20
Washington County Fairgrounds
Lake Elmo MN
46 bands 24 films
Advance ticket sales on our websites will be ending July 8th. All the schedules and festival information can be found there.
www.deepbluesfestival.com
www.myspace.com/deepbluesfestival
Hope you'll join us.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Andy Coats Update
Some cool gigs for you to attend in North Carolina
Hey there,
Hope everyone is having a great summer so far!
I wanted to let everyone know that I will be playing two sets at this weekend’s Festival for the Eno River.
Sat., July, 5th
1:15 – 2:00 pm – on the Grove Stage (near Photo Museum)
I play right after legendary Tarboro bluesman George Higgs, so make sure to get there early and catch his set first!
3:45 – 4:30 pm – Chimney Corner Stage (near West Point Mill)
This is a huge honor, in at least a couple of different ways:
-- it’s for a great cause – The Eno River Association is a wonderful environmental group, that has a long history of working for the environment and preservation of culture and local art forms.
Please visit their website for maps, photos, and to learn more: http://enoriver.org/
-- I will be performing on the same stage that has been graced by many legendary bluesmen and –women – folks like George Higgs, John Dee Holeman, and many more.
If you’ve never been to the Eno Festival before, I urge you to come on out and give it a try. Hope to see you there!
Best,
Andy
www.andycoats.com
www.myspace.com/andycoats
http://www.myspace.com/andycoatsandthebankwalkers