February 18, 2011
- Phoenix's Blues Blast Festival this Saturday, February 19th! Preparty and Afterparty at Rhythm Room! Each year in February, the Phoenix Blues Society presents a great festival at the beautiful Mesa Amphitheater, with a wonderful mix of national and home grown blues talent. It is called Blues Blast (Not to be confused with the popular on-line magazine on the same name). It is a great excuse for blues fans to come visit one of the greatest winter climates in the US. This year the event takes place on Saturday, February 19th. Appearing at Blues Blast 2011 will be Tommy Castro Band, Deanna Bogart, Trampled Under Foot, Krimson Chord, and Cold Shott & the Hurricane Horns. The show will start at 11:00 am, gates will open at 10:00 am. The Rhythm Room will surround the event with a preparty on Friday, February 18, with The James Harman Band, an opening set by Nathan James, and an Afterparty/Celebrity Jam hosted by Johnny Rawls! For more information about Blues Blast 2011, click here. For more information about the preparty and afterparty, click here.
- Blues Grammy winners! This year the Grammy Awards recognized the seasoned Chicago blues veterans in their 2 blues categories. Congratulations to Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith who won in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for their CD Joined At The Hip on the Telarc label (a shout out to producer Michael Freeman, manager Patricia Morgan and Blue Mountain Artists for their part in this win!). Also congrats to Buddy Guy who won in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category for his CD Skin Deep (another shout out to publicist Betsie Brown for her promotional efforts). We should also mention that Mavis Staples / You Are Not Alone won Best Americana Album, Carolina Chocolate Drops / Genuine Negro Jig won Best Traditional Folk Album, and Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band / Zydeco Junkie won Best Zydeco/Cajun Music Album!
- Arthur Williams on YouTube! With his recent Living Blues Magazine cover story, and some recent health issues, it feels like the right time to honor Aurthur Williams, the great harmonica player who played on Frank Frost's classic Jewel recordings. Here is Arthur at the 2009 Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival (AKA The King Biscuit Blues Festival) performing "Mean Old World" , with a fine band that includes the young guitar master Marquise Knox. Click here to see.
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