Bob Corritore Blues News

April 14, 2009

• Bob Riedy Chicago Blues Band Reunion featuring Eddie Clearwater this Friday at the Rhythm Room: This Friday, April 17, 2009, Bob Riedy's Chicago Blues Band will reunite for a very special show and DVD filming. Bob Riedy was a major force in Chicago Blues during the 1970s, as he pioneered a North Side club circuit for blues acts. He also was the bandleader for the Bob Riedy Blues Band, which was a solid Chicago Blues unit that specialized in backing the great Chicago blues frontmen that would often appear as part of the band. Such players included Johnny Littlejohn, Carey Bell, Jimmy Rogers, Johnny Young, Eddy Clearwater, Sam Lay, and others. Bob Riedy is a fine blues piano player with a style that bows to the influence of Otis Spann. This event gathers the members of the original backing band: Mark Wydra, Rick Knapp, Jon Hiller, Jim Kahr, and of course, Bob Riedy. Joining in of the festivities and performing on parts of the show will be Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Bob Corritore. To take this event over the top will be the great Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, a true legend of Chicago Blues. Vintage film clips from the 1970s will be shown (including performances by Johnny Young, Johnny Littlejohn, and Richard "Hubcap" Robinson), and Chicago blues memorabilia will be on display. The intention of this event is reunite a spectacular and popular occurrence in Chicago blues, and to combine parts of this filmed performance with the 1970s footage for a retrospective documentary. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indian School Rd. in Phoenix. Doors open at 8pm, cover charge is $15. Rack Shack Barbeque will be available at these events. This night will be a patio smoking only event; no indoor smoking will be permitted. This event will be a must-see for lovers of Chicago blues. To see Liz Mandeville's recent interview with guitarist Mark Wydra for the Chicago Blues Guide where Mark recalls the BRBB days, click here. To see a flier for this event, click here.
• Great Press! Thanks Big City Blues, Downbeat, Back To The Roots, Blues Bytes, and Chicago Blues Guide! Thanks to Marilyn Stringer for her coverage of the Phoenix Blues Society's “Blues Blast 2009” in the April/May issue of Big City Blues. Thanks also for including a photo of Big Pete Pearson and Bob Corritore performing at this event. Also in this issue is a great review by Gary Von Tersch of Chris James and Patrick Rynn's Stop And Think About It on Earwig Music, and coverage of their performance at the Big City Blues Showcase by Eric Steiner. Thanks to Frank John Hadley for his review of Broadcasting The Blues in Downbeat Magazine. Thanks to Belgium's Back To The Roots Magazine for their recent cover story of Tomcat Courtney (click here to see). Thanks to Graham Clarke for his review of Louisiana Red/Back To The Black Bayou for Blues Bytes (click here to see). Thanks to Tim Holek for his review of Broadcasting The Blues on the Chicago Blues Guide website (click here to see).
• CD Art for Big Pete Pearson's Forthcoming CD Completed: Please enjoy the CD artwork courtesy of Tony Amato of Amato Image Design. Big Pete's new CD is called Finger In Your Eye, and it will be released this summer as part of the VizzTone Label Group! To see the CD artwork, click here.
• Photos of 1976 New Orleans Jazz and Blues Festival: With this year's NOJ&H Fest just around the corner (April 24-26 and April 30-May 3, 2009) it is appropriate to reflect of the festival's long and rich history. Please enjoy a new photo page of a few previously unseen photos from the 1976 NOJ&H Fest. These photos were taken by Bob Corritore, and include Roosevelt Sykes, Johnny Shines, Cousin Joe, Little Freddie King and Harmonica Williams, Lee Dorsey, and Clarence "Frogman" Henry. To see these photos, click here. To see the festival website and the amazing lineup offered this year, click here.
• RIP Sal "Honeyboy Dupree" Cafferello: Though not a well-known name in the blues, Sal "Honeyboy Dupree" Cafferello was a loved blues musician in Phoenix as well as his original home state of New Jersey. A fine vocalist, frontman, and bass player, Sal held together his band Honeyboy Dupree & The Smokehouse Players for 10 years, and they played to great popularity in the Phoenix area. They were the winners of the 2001 Arizona Blues Showdown, and represented Phoenix at the IBCs in Memphis. Sal passed away unexpectedly at a local hospital on April 3, 2009 while recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident a couple days before. A kind and gentle man and a talented musician, Sal will be greatly missed by those of us lucky enough to know him. To read more about Sal "Honeyboy Dupree" Cafferello on his website, click here.
• Vintage Muddy Waters on YouTube: Please enjoy this beautiful 1960 performance of Muddy Waters live at Newport performing the “Catfish Blues” (also known as the song “Rollin' Stone”) with his great band that includes Otis Spann on piano, James Cotton on harmonica, and Francis Clay on drums. To see this clip, click here.