Si Cranstoun: Dynamo

Cool clip from one of our favorite English Jumpblues/R&B/Ska performers Si Cranstoun. According to Si this song is a tribute to Jackie Wilson, and you certainly can hear the great Jackie Wilson in this song! Great Job!!!!!

Pattie Williams RIP

From Bob Corritore

• RIP Patte' Williams - November. 21, 1945 to March 8, 2010. Phoenix's first lady of soul, Patte' Williams (AKA Patti Williams) passed away Saturday, March 8th while recuperating in the hospital from surgery a few days before. She was 64. Though barely known outside the Phoenix area, and terribly under-recorded, Patte' Williams was considered by many to be Phoenix's top female soul singer. She possessed a powerful, gospel inflected singing voice that was often compared to that of Aretha Franklin. During the seventies she released a wonderful single called "One Time Around Kind Of Thing" and had an acting part in the Rudy Ray Moore Movie Human Tornado. She performed regularly in Phoenix and California, and was also very active in the church community. She was a beautiful woman with kind word and a smile for everyone. She will be greatly missed. To read the Arizona Republic article by Larry Rodgers click here. To hear Patte' singing "Doing The Best That I Can" click here. To see a YouTube Clip of Patte' performing "Damn Your Eyes" at the Rhythm Room click here. To see an interview on Backstage Pass with both Chico Chism and Patte' Click here. Services will be held on Saturday at 10am at First Pentecosal Church, 2701 E. Marguerite, Phoenix, 85040. Thank you Patte', for blessing Phoenix with your musical gifts and your exemplary dignity.

Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

Well, I was gonna send off this note tonight (a day earlier than normal) but got inspired by a phone call from IPTV, wanting to know if I would like to be part of the fundraising team TONIGHT for the Moody Blues show. Showtime is 6:30p so I gotta get moving to get ready and make the drive to Des Moines. I am told that tickets to the Moody's show in DM later this year are available at certain pledge levels. I've been a fan of the band since their cover of the old R & B song Go Now! in the mid 60s, so I gotta be there! Tune in, turn on, and MAKE THAT PLEDGE!!... And speaking of making that financial investment in Iowa Public Television, I'll be helping to try and inspire calls of support tomorrow too! Tomorrow's show deals with perhaps the greatest country picker OF ALL TIME! Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player is the name of that show, it airs at 9pm on statewide IPTV. I absolutely LOVE being part of the IPTV family and hope you'll make your annual contribution early (and often!) to this great resource in our state. Find out more and/or pledge on line at www.iptv.org... So it was Mark Twain that said "everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it"! Well, The Twisted Parrot is DOING something about it! I love playing outside, even if it's in a tent, but I really dislike the combination of wet and cold. The weather for the rest of the week is predicted to be rainy with a high (if we're lucky) in the low 40s. So I was not disappointed when The Parrot decided to move this week's St. Paddy's weekend celebration inside. Warm/dry always trumps wet/cold in my book! So see ya at the Twisted Parrot, 6500 Hickman Rd in the Des Moines suburb of Windsor Heights, Saturday night, same (geezer gig) hours: 7-11pm. Wear green, drink green beer, go green, pee green, spend some green (the whole world is going green) (remember, green ain't nothin' but a little yellow and a whole lotta BLUE!) Bring shamrock CAKE!... It takes A LONG TIME for me to look good enough to be on TV, so I gotta get goin'. (the makeup artist needs LOTS of time with me) Please give IPTV a call tonight (and tomorrow night) See yas on the Blue/Green Highway, I'm wishing you a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (be sure and share some of that loot with IPTV) for St. Patrick's Day, rub yer washboard tie to the tune of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, and no matter what color you are, (it ain't easy bein' green) always know that we love you! Bob Dorr & The Blue Band

Todd Rundgren Is Doing WHAT???

I got a tip from a fellow bluesman that Todd Rundgren is making a tribute CD to Robert Johnson. All I have to say is WHY! Why do we need another tribute disc to Robert Johnson. I Mean, Peter Green, Eric Clapton, and John Hammond all have CDs already out, do we really need one more. Seriously how about a Charlie Patton, Skip James, or Tommy Johnson tribute?? Or perhaps a Son House, Johnny Shines, or R L Burnside tribute???

Seriously Todd, lets spread the love around! There are plenty of great songs by great delta blues artists that you could record. In fact the family of Bukka White would love for you to cover his songs so that they could see some money.

We all love Robert, and I have blogged a lot about him over the years, but please, lets give some other old bluesman some LOVE!

Attention New York Blues Bands

Sonny Rock sent the following email announcing that he has a local licks show in New York. Bands in New York send him your stuff and get on the radio! Here is his message

Hello to all! I am hosting a brand new radio show on WRIP 97.9fm called "LOCAL LICKS". The show is on every Tues. night 6-8pm est. I'm looking for original, well recorded music. If your interested in having your music played on the air or coming in the studio for a live performance please contact me. Email or phone 518-291-2837. You can catch show by web at (www.rip979.com). Look forward to hearing from you soon!! Thanks. Sonny