Bob Corritore Blues News

January 3, 2011

• Bob Corritore 2010 Year End Recap. 2010 was the year that Little Walter won a Grammy, and the year that the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival regained it's rightful name of The King Biscuit Blues Festivalafter a legal dispute. For me the year was highlighted by the release of Bob Corritore & Friends/ Harmonica Blues, a CD presenting many of the musical highlights of my last 20 years (mostly previously unreleased recordings) with a simply amazing cast of special guests. Harmonica Blues was released on the amazing Delta Groove record label, who's stature and promotional power gave this record a validation that I have never seen before.  2010 was also a year of many great live performances with some of my favorite artists, some wonderful travels, and some exciting awards and nominations. But perhaps the most gratifying part of this year are the friends and fans who went out of their way to support my musical endevours. We also had to say goodbye to some musical heros, some behind the scenes movers and shakers, and some hard working and well loved blues men and women.  I will try to list as many of this year's highlights as I can remember and reference, but please accept my advance apology if I am leaving something out. This is my 2010 in review:
• CDs and DVDs Released. I was associated with 6 releases this year, either as a harmonica player, or producer, or both. Here is a listing of this year's crop of releases.

1) Bob Corritore & Friends / Harmonica Blues (Delta Groove) - Friends include Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards, Nappy Brown, Eddy Clearwater,Louisiana Red, Carol Fran, Dave Riley, Big Pete Pearson, Tomcat Courtney, The Rhythm Room All-Stars, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Eddie Shaw, Chico Chism, Bob Margolin, Kid Ramos, David Maxwell, Eddie Taylor, Jr., Bob Stroger, and more!

2) Flyin' High, A Collection Of  Phoenix Blues, Rhythm, and Spirit from the 1950's and '60s (SWMAF)  Record production and compilation by John  "Johnny D" Dixon and Bob Corritore.

3) Chris James & Patrick Rynn / Gonna Boogie Anyway (Earwig) - I play harmonica on two tracks.

4) 2009 BMAs DVD (Blues Foundation) -This DVD presents highlights of the 2009 Blues Music Awards. I appear on one song performing with Chris James & Patrick Rynn.

5) Paul Oscher / Bet On The Blues (Blues Fidelity) - I co-produced 2 tracks on this fine CD.

6) Blues For The Gulf (VizzTone) -  A various artists collection of songs inspired by the BP oil spill disaster. Dave Riley & Bob Corritore contribute "Oil Spill Blues".

• Recording Sessions and DVD Filmings. Great sessions in 2010 with T-Model Ford, Long John Hunter,Dave Riley, Henry Gray, Kid Ramos, Louisiana Red, Chris James & Patrick Rynn. I was filmed at the Harp and Soul Festival (produced by Lynn Orman and Scott Shuman) in an appearance that included Sam Lay, Billy Flynn, Chris and Patrick, and Kenny Smith. I also was filmed at the Simi Valley Blues Festivalappearing with Candye Kane. One of the great recording events of the year was Amanda's Roller Coasterwhich was the amazing harmonica event masterminded by show producer Amanda Taylor. In three days we recorded and filmed James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Billy Boy Arnold, Lazy Lester, Kim Wilson, Paul Oscher, James Harman, Jerry Portnoy, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Dyer, RJ Mischo, Bharath Rajakumar, Steve Marriner, Junior Watson, Al Blake, Troy Gonyea, Billy Flynn, Barrelhouse Chuck, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, Joe Filisko, Dave Waldman, Johnny Sansone, Scott Dirks, Chef Denis Depoitreand more. All 3 days of Amanda's Roller Coaster were recorded at the Rhythm Room by Clarke Rigsby.

Awards, Nominations, and Recognition. Bob and his musical collaborators were associated with numerous awards and achievements this year:

- Bob Corritore is nominated for a 2011 BMA for "Instrumentalist - Harmonica" and the other nominees include Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Kim Wilson, and  Paul Oscher (some pretty amazing company to be associated with).

- Bob Corritore & Friends / Harmonica Blues is nominated for a 2011 BMA in the "Historical Album" category.

- Bob Corritore / Harmonica Blues won Blues Underground's 2010 award for "Best USA Harmonica Blues Album". Click here to see)

- Bob Corritore / Harmonica Blues was listed as #9 in Croatia's Sound Guardian Magazine's "Top 40Releases of 2010"

- Bob Corritore / Harmonica Blues was listed as #3 in Hungary's Blues Van website under "Best Blues Releases of 2010"

- Bob Corritore & Friends / Harmonica Blues had 4 months on the Living Blues Radio Charts with a peak position of #2, 14 weeks on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart with a peak position of #4, and 9 weeks on the House of Blues Radio Hour Chart with a peak position of #8. It was also rated the #4 CD of 2010 on the Collectif Des Radios Blues website!

- Dave Riley & Bob Corritore / Lucky To Be Living was nominated for a 2010 Blues Blast Music Awardin the category of "Traditional Blues Album".

- Louisiana Red / Back to the Black Bayou (which features Bob Corritore on harmonica on 2 tracks) was nominated for 2 2010 BMAs; "Traditional Blues Album of the Year" and "Blues Album of the Year".

- Patrick Rynn, Bob's close associate and fellow member of the Rhythm Room All-Stars, was nominated for a 2010 and a 2011 BMA for "Instrumentalist - bass".

- Chris James & Patrick Rynn / Gonna Boogie Anyway (featuring Bob on 2 tracks) was the #1 CD of 2010 on the Collectif Des Radios Blues website!

- Paul Oscher / Bet On The Blues (with 2 cuts with co-production credits to Paul Oscher, Bob Corritore, and Clarke Rigsby) is nominated for a 2011 BMA in the "Acoustic Album" category

- The Rhythm Room received a 2010 New Times "Best Of Phoenix" Readers Choice for "Best Blues or Jazz Club"

- The Rhythm Room won AZ Central's "Best 2010" Award for "Best Blues / R&B Bar" (Click here for the write up)

- The Rhythm Room was proclaimed "Best of the Valley" under the category of "Best Blues Bar" byPhoenix Magazine. This was in both the critics and reader poll!

- Chico Chism, Bob Corritore's longtime musical partner, will be inducted into the Arizona Musicians and Entertainers Hall of Fame in a ceremony that will take place on February 13, 2011 at the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix. Chico spent the last 20 years of his life as a member of the Phoenix music community and contributed greatly to its blues scene.

• Festivals and great gigs: Another amazing year filled with great on-stage moments! I played shows with many great artists including The Rhythm Room All-Stars (Bob Corritore, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Brian Fahey, and for the first half of the year, Big Pete Pearson, who moved to Maine mid-year), Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, Mud Morganfield, Louisiana Red, Bob Margolin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bob Stroger, TheBob Riedy Blues Band with Eddy Clearwater and Sam Lay, Henry Gray, Jessi Colter, Mississippi Spoonman, Tail Dragger, A great combo with Melvin Sparks, Bernard Purdie, Bill Easley, and David Keyes, Guy Davis, The Rocket 88's, Kirk Fletcher, Bobby Jones, Leon Blue, Pinetop Perkins, Long John Hunter, Candye Kane, George Bowman, Billy Flynn, and more! Here is a recap of the great gigs and performances of the year:

- Dave Riley / Bob Corritore Juke Joint Blues Band kicked off the year with a gig at the Rhythm Room(Jan 1) and did additional RR gigs (Jan 30, Feb13 and April17)

- Rhythm Room All-Stars with Big Pete Pearson at the RR (January 8 & 9, March 12 & 13, April 23 & 24, May 14 & 15. and June 25 & 26) Big Pete moved to Maine to pursue a restaurant business opportunity in July of this year. The band kept rockin' the blues with Chris James taking over as the primary singer (July 30 & 31, Aug 20 & 21, Oct 22, 23, and Dec 11).

- Betsie Brown's Blind Raccoon Showcase with Dave Riley & Bob Corritore performing as a duet during the IBCs at King's Palace in Memphis (January 22)

- Blues Blast Pre-Party with the amazing Mud Morganfield & the Rhythm Room All-Stars with special guest Johnny Rapp sharing the guitar chores with Chris. (Feb 26)

- Blues Blast After-party at the RR with Rhythm Room All-Stars performing with guests Big Pete Pearson, Sugar Ray, and Dave Riley. Also performing that night were The Insomniacs, Big James & the Chicago Playboys, and Candye Kane. I also enjoyed sitting in on a couple songs with Candye's great band. (Feb 27)

- Performing with Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint at the Blues Music Awards and the next day at Alfred's. What a dream come true to be up on the BMA stage with my long time friend in his moment of his glory (he had just won 2 BMAs). Little Victor brought a great band from Norway, and added David Maxwell and myself to fill out the band. The next day we did a powerful show at Alfred's on Beale Street, then we went to Leeway studio that day and the next to work on Red's forthcoming CD produced by Little Victor. (May 6, 7, and 8) Click here for photo page of 2010 BMAs

 - The Chico Chism memorial show where I played a duet set with Dave Riley, and also sat in a song with George Thomas & The Flamekeepers (May 22)

- Simi Valley Blues Festival / Delta Groove Showcase in Simi Valley, California. After signing with theDelta Groove label I was welcomed into the family with a festival appearance with Candye Kane. This great festival also featured The Mannish Boys, Elvin Bishop, The Hollywood Blue Flames, Mike Zito, Lynwood Slim with the Igor Prado Band, Mitch Kashmar, The Jackie Payne / Steve Edmondson Band, The Insomniacs, The Soul of John Black and more! (May 29).

- Playing at Harp and Soul Festival! at SPACE in Evanston (thank you to producers Lynn Orman andScott Shuman) My set had  a band that included my friends Sam Lay, Bob Riedy, Billy Flynn, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Kenny Smith. Also on this show was Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Rob Stone, and Grady Champion. This event was filmed! (June 10)

- Playing with the Billy Flynn band at SPACE (June 11)

- Playing at the Chicago Blues Festival with the Bob Riedy Blues Band featuring Sam Lay and then later that night for a show at Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook, Illinois (June 12)

- I was a guest speaker and performer at Joe Filisko's Harmonica Class at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago (June 14) All I can say is that it was an amazing experience!

- Sitting in with Smokin' Joe Kubek Band featuring B'Nois King. I have been a guest of this great band many times over the years but this one really was especially powerful. (June 18th)

- Had an amazing time at Bob Porter's 70th birthday party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Englewood, New Jersey. For this special occasion, the house band included Bernard Purdie, Melvin Sparks, and Bill Easley. At a point they called up a number of guest musicians to play with this great band. David Keyes and I got up and were joined by Guy Davis for a song. Also performing were Shemekia Copeland, Duke Robillard, Angel Rissoff and Lou Donaldson. A joyous event celebrating a great man who has dedicated his life's work to blues and jazz. What an honor to play with this heavyweight house band! (June 21)

- Played at the legendary Wilebski's Blues Saloon in St. Paul, MN with the Dave Riley / Bob Corritoreduo. (July 2) What an honor!

- Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa with the Dave Riley / Bob Corritore duo. This is one a greatest blues festivals in the country! (July 4). I also had a wonderful time at the after-party jams where, over two nights, I played with Zac Harmon, Vasti Johnson, Billy Branch, Matthew Skoller, Bill Sims & Mark Lavoie, and others.

Down Home Blues Festival with Henry Gray, Kid Ramos, Carol Fran, Dave Riley, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, Richard Innes. A great gathering of friends (September 5)

- Dave Riley and I opening for Jimmie Vaughan at the Rhythm Room. We made many new fans that night. Jimmy and the band played to perfection. (September 8)

- My Birthday Party at the Rhythm Room with the Rhythm Room All-Stars, Dave Riley, George Bowman, Long John Hunter and Kirk Fletcher. A packed house filled with friends and great music! (September 18th)

- Plaza Palomino Concert Series in Tucson with the Rhythm Room All-Stars plus guest - Dave Riley. Thanks Jonathan Holden! (September 24)

- Bisbee Blues Festival in Bisbee, Arizona. This great blues festival is a favorite of mine. I played this with the Rhythm Room All-Stars with guest Dave Riley to a warm reception.

- Amanda's Roller Coaster. Complete with a Thursday pre-party, this was a 4 day event. It was simply the most amazing harmonica blues show ever! It was masterminded by Amanda Taylor, who came up with a spellbinding program celebrating the humble instrument. The lineup featured James Cotton, Billy Boy Arnold, Lazy Lester, Kim Wilson, Paul Oscher, James Harman, The Fabulous Thunderbirds,Johnny Dyer, Bharath Rajakumar, Johnny Sansone, Jerry Portnoy, Al Blake, Dave Waldman, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, Troy Gonyea, RJ Mischo, Steve Marriner, Billy Flynn, Scott Dirks, Chef Denis Depoitre, and Vincent Bury, Junior Watson, Larry Taylor, Richard Innes, Barrelhouse Chuck, and more! This event was recorded by Clarke Rigsby and also had a film crew. (September 30, October 1, 2, and 3) Click here to see Dave Blake's photos from Amanda's Roller Coaster

- King Biscuit Blues Festival. With just a day of rest I was off to the deep south to enjoy the "Biscuit" where I had a scheduled Saturday CD release party at the Delta Cultural Center with Bob Margolin,Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bob Stroger. (What an great band!). Bob Margolin also invited me up to the main stage to play a few with the same band later in the day. I also played with Mississippi Spoonman,Valerie June, Big Red, Robert "Nighthawk" Tombs, and others during the many times I was invited on festival stages and jam sessions. I love Helena! (October 6, 7, 8, 9)

- Pinetop's Annual Homecoming at Hopson's Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi. This event is the unofficial after party of the Biscuit and it honors the legendary Pinetop Perkins, who was raised on this plantation. I did a set with Bob Margolin and Peter Dammann as part of an endless stream of great musicians who performed at the event. (October 10)

- Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. Dave Riley and I did a rousing opening for Eric Bibb at this beautiful performance center. (Oct 15)

- Tail Dragger and the Rhythm Room All-Stars at the Rhythm Room. It is always a pleasure to be reunited with my longtime friend Tail Dragger. We have been doing gigs together since the 1970s. Two great nights of playing. On the first of the two nights, Diunna Greenleaf stopped in a played a few numbers with us. (October 22 and 23)

- Blues Blast Music Awards at Buddy Guy's Legends, Chicago, IL. I performed with Dave Riley in a band that also included Dave "Yahni" Riley, Jr., and Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith. I also played as a guest on one song on Candye Kane's set. Also appearing were Jackie Scott & The House Wreckers,Little Ray Neal, Eddie Shaw, Zora Young, Shaun Murphy Band, Mississippi Heat, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Quintis McCormick, Cash Box Kings, Billy Branch, and many others. A spectacular night from start to finish. (October 28)

- Bob Riedy Blues Band Reunion with Sam Lay and Eddy Clearwater at Del Rhea's Chicken Basket. Great to be included with this great band. Thank you to Harry Garner for use of his great harp amp. (October 29)

- Appearing with the legendary Jessi Colter for a set opening for her son Shooter Jennings. It is always a completely different experience to play the touching ballads and western romps with this great artist who I am proud to call my friend. (November 4)

- Brazil mini tour! This was first time that Dave Riley and I went to South America and we fell in love with Brazil! It was an honor to work with Adrian Flores and Luciano "Big Mouth" Boca. We did a band gig in Pocas de Caldes and a duet show in Porto Alegre. I also played an impromptu jam with Ivan Marcio at Harmonica Master Music Store in Santos. (November 19 to 23) Click here for photo page of Brazil tour.

- Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona for a Bob Corritore & Friends show. I brought Bobby Jones, Leon Blue, Chris James, Patrick Rynn, and Brian Fahey. with friends like this we could not go wrong. We brought the audience to their feet screaming with this powerful show (November 27).

- Blues Harmonica Showcase with host band, the Rocket 88s. This is an annual show at the Rhythm Room that features 20 or so of Phoenix's top harmonica players. My set was with surprise guestPinetop Perkins who was in town a day early for his show the next day. (December 9)

- Pinetop Perkins at the Rhythm Room with the Rhythm room All-Stars. This show was other-worldly as the 97 year old Pinetop transported us back in time with his rich singing and playing. (December 10)

- Rocket 88s Christmas Show. My last show of the year and the Rocket 88s have such a sweet blues groove. Bill Tarsha is both a great harmonica player and drummer. My longtime associates Johnny Rapp and Paul Thomas were special guests on this show and I was brought up for 4 songs that really felt great. Other special guests included Jumpback Keith, George Bowman, and Frank Rossi. (December 25)

• Articles Interviews, and other press. The following publications featured Bob Corritore interviews: IL Blues Magazine (Italy) by Marino Grande, Jazz N' More (Switzerland), Concerto Magazine (Austria), Big City Blues Magazine by Gary von Tersch, Blues Revue with 2 interviews this year (one as a sidebar to the Louisiana Red feature by Art Tipaldi, and the other an interview / feature of Dave Riley / Bob Corritore by Michael Cote), Phoenix New Times by Jason Woodbury, and Harmonica Master. I had radio interviews with Mark Wade / A1 Blues (Interview / Podast - click here). James Hynes / Jim's Juke Joint and Soul Kitchen on WXLV. Roy Prescott / Blues Summit on WMWV,  and Steve Cagle / Blues Spectrum on KVMR, and with Sonny Payne on the legendary King Biscuit Time broadcast on KFFA. There was also an article in Blues Junction Productions. We had over 60 rave reviews for Bob Corritore /Harmonica Blues which can be seen by clicking here. Many publications also featured projects that I have been involved in, and it would be impossible to list each of these. Thanks to all the interviewers reviewers, and publications for the honor of this attention and support.
• Website and Social Media Sites. In 2010 we sent out exactly 51 Bob Corritore Blues Newsletters to a subscription base that is now over 10,000. We keep all the past newsletters on file and you can access them by clicking here (you can access prior years by scolling to the menu links at the bottom of the page). We added 10 new photo pages to www.bobcorritore.com to an already extensive photo section filled with both current images and classic blues photos from the archives. For an entertaining view of the blues please check out the photo section by clicking here . Check out the new homepage designed byTony Amato and constructed by Josh Temkin. Thanks to webmaster George Thomas Vaught for his great work and dedication. You can also access these social media

Bob Corritore Fan Page on Facebook www.facebook.com/BobCorrit ore

Bob Corritore on Twitter www.twitter.com/BobCorritore

Bob Corritore on Myspace www.myspace.com/bobcorritore

Special thanks to social media coordinator Amy Brat.

• Passings. Always so hard to say goodbye to the many great blues people that passed away. Here is a list of some of those who have left us in 2010: Willie Mitchell, Earl Gaines, Bobby Charles, Teddy Pendegrass, Arnie Caplin, Dale Hawkins, Lil' Dave Thompson, Sandra Wright, Wilroy Saunders, Brian "B.B." Bruce, Patte Williams, Clayton Love, Doc Blakey, Barbara Brown, Rockie Charles, Wiley Joe Terry, Willie C. Davis, Rod "Beachhead" Jeffery, Marva Wright, Bobby Alexis, Ray Hoff, Herb Ellis,Walter "Mississippi Slim" Horn, Novell Campbell, Willie Pooch, Larry Dale, Rene Solis, Esther Mabry,Calvin Leavey, Gene "Mighty Flea" Conners, James "Slim" Scroggins, Randy Joe Fullerton, Roosevelt "Rosey" Hatcher, Abe Young, Phillip Walker, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, Carlton "King" Coleman, Stanley Livingston, Steve Arredondo, Ken Shoppmeyer, Foster "Mr.Tater, The Music Maker" Wiley, Solomon Burke, Albertina Walker, John Leslie, Dennis Taylor, Reggie Boyd, Stanley "Sarge" Davis, Little Smokey Smothers, James Peterson, Chris Michalek, Robin Rogers. A thank you to each for their great contributions to the music that we love.
• Rhythm Room Concert Club: My nightclub presented a wide array of blues shows. National acts and Phoenix-based acts included Jimmie Vaughan (twice!), T-Model Ford, Kim Wilson All-Star Blues Band,Fabulous Thunderbirds, Mark Hummel (with Rusty Zinn), W.C. Clark, Mud Morganfield, Candye Kane, Tail Dragger, The Nighthawks, Nick Moss & The Fliptops, Pinetop Perkins, Mr. Boogie Woogie, Sue Palmer,Lisa Otey, Bob Malone, Long John Hunter, Henry Gray, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Tommy Castro,Janiva Magness, Junior Watson, Barrelhouse Chuck, Leon Blue, Bobby Jones, Randy Chortkoff, Al Blake, Johnny Dyer, Bharath Rajakumar, Lazy Lester,  Eric Lindell, Leon Russell, Guitar Shorty, Smokin' Joe Kubek Band featuring B'Nois King, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Walter Trout, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Coco Montoya, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Hillstomp, Billy Boy Arnold, TheInsomniacs, Rory Block, Chris Duarte, Tab Benoit, Hans Olson, Bad News Blues Band, Rocket 88's, Big Nick & The Gila Monsters, Sugar Theives, Jump Back Brothers, Big Pete Pearson, James Harman,Francine Reed, Johnny Sansone, Paul Oscher, Kirk "Eli" Fletcher, Dennis Gruenling, Scott Dirks, Sonny Landreth, George Bowman, Too Slim & The Taildraggers, George Thomas & the Flamekeepers, Rosie Ledet & The Zydeco Playboys, Ken Valdez Band, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, and, of course, The Rhythm Room All-Stars.
• Other cool things! It was great to see Brian Fahey of the Rhythm Room All-Stars have a cover story in the March issue of Belgium's Back To The Roots Magazine!  It was nice to have a credit (for providing source material) on the Grammy winning Little Walter / The Complete Masters on Hip-o Select. Speaking of Little Walter, this year we posted some great photos of Little Walter performing in Cambridge, UK in 1964, courtesy of our firiend Dave Luxton. (Click here to see) This resulted in our friends from ABS Magazine reposting these photos in a beautiful spread for more to see! My radio show, Those Lowdown Blues, on KJZZ continues on into its 26th year and, while keeping its loyal Phoenix following, has garnered many internet listeners who can tune in real time at www.kjzz.org. Rick Estrin was a guest co-host on the show on April 18th. He spun 2 hours of his favorites and provied a great in-studio performance! David Blake has published a photo book called Amanda's Roller Coaster 2010 which beautifully captures the magic of that spectacular 3 day harmonica show. Mouth artist Cindy Bernhardtmade a beautiful painting of my arm holding a harmonica that was on display at Amanda's Roller Coaster, which was signed by the performing artists and became an emblem of the event (click here to see). Thanks also to Kadmus Arts who included my image in their 2010 Festival Year In Review video / slide show which cover all aspects of the performance arts world. To see these this fun powerpoint, clickhere.
• Special Thanks to the behind the scenes heroes. I could not accomplish the work I do without a brilliant team behind me, so here are some of the people that helped to support the cause in 2010: Special thanks to Randy Chortkoff, Kelly Davis, Jeff Fleenor, Josh Temkin, Frank Roszak, Steve Dixon and everyone at Delta Groove Productions for a brilliant job releasing and proudly marketing my CD, George Thomas Vaught, the webmaster and newsletter facilitator, Amy Brat, my social Media coordinator, Mona Watkins, the General Manager of the Rhythm Room, who runs the shop while I am off doing blues projects, Everyone at KJZZ (particularly Jennifer Waters, my blues assistant), The Phoenix Blues Society, who work hard to move the Phoenix blues scene forward, Tony Tingle, who has done great volunteer work for the Southwest Musical Arts Foundation and who sells CDs at my gigs, Martin Elmers, owner of the Rack Shack Barbecue at the Rhythm Room, Michael Frank of Earwig Music, Dale Baich and Beth Lipham of Blue Witch Records, Bob Margolin, Richard Rosenblatt and Chip Eagle of VizzTone, Jerry Del Giudice and Edward Chmelewski of Blind Pig Records, Betsie Brown of Blind Raccoon, Lynn Ormanof Orman Music and Media Group, Scott Dirks, Clarke Rigsby of Tempest Recorders, John Wrobble and Jeff Harris of Porcupine Productions, Tony Amato at AI Design, Dave Shirk of Sonorous Mastering,Bharath Rajakumar of Regal Radio Records, Collectif des Radios Blues, Music Choice, Bluesville onSirius XM, John "Johnny D" Dixon, Kim Wilson, Amanda Taylor, Little Victor, Eileen Bailey, my wonderful band members and musical collaborators, all of the writers, reviewers, photographers, publications, festivals, blues societies, radio show hosts and programmers, friends, and fans who have shown me the warmth of their support. A heartfelt thank you everyone!
• The Promise of 2011 After this amazing year, I feel that I am being launched into the new year full throttle. I am very excited by the BMA nominations, and even if none turn into a win, I feel that is a great honor just to be nominated. The Rhythm Room will turn 20 years old in September of 2011 and that will be an exciting milestone with lots of celebrations in the plans. I will be working on a number of CD projects including 1) a third CD of Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, 2) a Rhythm Room 20th anniversary CD with great live performances by various artists, 3) Amanda and I will be working on a CD of harmonica highlights from the amazing Amanda's Roller Coaster show to be released on MC Records,  4) I will be a guest harmononica player on a forthcoming Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint CD, produced by Little Victor for Ruf Records and 5) I will start work on the next Bob Corritore CD with direction from Delta Groove. I am working on some other projects that I am not at liberty to speak of currently but newsletter subscribers will be the first to know. Dave Riley and I have some great bookings for next year including the Moulin Blues Festival in the Netherlands and a European tour after-wards, a return trip to Brazil, the Edmonton LaBatt Blues Festival in Canada, the Gray Sky Blues Festival in Tacoma, WA, and the Old Town Blues Festival in Cottonwood, AZ. The Rhythm Room All-Stars with guest Kirk "Eli" Fletcher will be doing a live recording session with Tail Dragger this Friday and Saturday, January 7 & 8. The RRAS also have a weekend of performances planned with Mud Morganfield on January 28 & 29, as well as monthly gigs at the Rhythm Room. To see my 2011 bookings to date click here. Additionally, I have many archived masters that are needing to be released or re-released and I hope to make as much of that happen as possible in this new year. So much of what will happen next year is yet to be determined, and it is more exciting that way! I wish everyone a great 2011.

-Bob Corritore