Bob Corritore Blues News

Tuesday June 7, 2011

• Off to the Chicago Blues Festival! The Chicago Blues Festival takes place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 10th, 11th, and 12th, at Grant Park. It is a free festival with numerous stages, booths, and panels. This year is the first since longtime festival chief Barry Dollins has retired. Featured this year are a tribute to the 40th Anniversary of Alligator Records with Lonnie Brooks, Michael “Iron Man” Burks, Rick Estrin, Ann Rabson and Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, a tribute to Pinetop Perkins featuring Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and friends, a tribute to Robert Johnson: David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Rick Sherry, Rocky Lawrence, Hubert Sumlin and Duwayne Burnside Band, Shemekia Copeland, Mud Morganfield,  Nick Moss & The Fliptops, Jimmy Burns, Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith, Dave Specter Band featuring Jimmy Johnson, a set featuring Bob Riedy, Sam Lay and Bob Corritore, Zac Harmon, Fernando Jones, an acoustic set by Lurrie Bell, Tom Holland & The Shuffle Kings, Guy King and his Little Big Band, The Rockin’ Johnny Band featuring Smiley Tillman and Mary Lane, Erwin Helfer Band featuring Katherine Davis, Dave Herrero and the Hero Brothers Band, Cash Box Kings, Rob Blaine's Big Otis Blues featuring Peaches Staten, Toronzo Cannon & the Cannonball Express, Nora Jean Bruso, James “Super Chikan” Johnson, Joe Moss Band, Holle Thee Maxwell, George Stancell and Band w/ Willie Buck, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Fruteland Jackson, Dexter Allen, Chris Gill & Derrick Martin, Memphis Gold, Jimmy Burns Band, Charles "Delta Blues Hog" Hayes, J.B. Ritchie and many more! For a mostly complete lineup and schedule go to the festival site by clicking here.To complete the lineup for the Chicago Blues Festival go to the Windy City Blues Society's website at http://windycityblues.org/ for the lineup of their Street Stage which for some reason does not appear on the fest site. Note that every blues club in and around Chicago will be featuring wonderful lineups and special "after fest" shows during the festival dates. While in Chicago, every blues fan should stop by the amazing Jazz Record Mart, if only for the legendary Delmark Blues Brunch (featuring many of Delmark Records great artists) which has become a Sunday morning tradition for festival goers. For more information on the Chicago blues scene in general please stop by the Chicago Blues Guide website at http://www.chicagobluesguide.com/.
• Bob's gigs around the festival! Here is a list of Bob Corritore's performances while in Chicago for the festival:

6/08/11: Chicago, IL Buddy Guy's Legends, Bob will be a part of a Pinetop Perkins Tribute put on by the Chicago Chapter of the Grammy Foundation.

6/10/11: Chicago, IL - Chicago Blues Festival - Windy City Blues Society Stage 4:20 - 5:20pm show. Appearing with Bob Riedy Blues Band featuring Sam Lay.

6/10/ 11: Chicago, IL - Smoke Daddy. Guest Appearance on Billy Flynn's show

6/11/11: Willowbrook, IL - Blue Rooster Lounge at Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket - Appearing with Bob Riedy Blues Band featuring Sam Lay.

6/12/11: Chicago, IL - Chicago Blues Festival 3:30pm Front Porch Stage with the Mud Morganfield Blues Band

6/12/11: Chicago, IL - Smoke Daddy. Appearing as part of Morry Sochat & The Special 20s "Half Chicken Special Show" with special guests Bob Corritore & Billy Flynn. Closing out Chicago Bluesfest. 9:30pm show.

• Chicago Blues: A Living History Volume 2 to be released in mid June! In 2009 Raisin Music records released a concept CD that won the hearts of many a blues fan. It was called Chicago Blues: A Living History, and it presented a program that exemplified the development of Chicago Blues, featuring many of the Windy City's top blues performers; Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson, Matthew Skoller, Billy Flynn, Johnny Iguanna, Felton Crews, and Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith. This CD earned Grammy, and Blues Music Award nominations, and won a Blues Blast Music Award. This group toured and made numerous high profile appearances to great fanfare. A 2nd installment of this concept album will soon be released with all of the same musicians from the first CD plus special guests Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Zora Young, Magic Slim, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Billy Dickens. Matthew Skoller reports that volume 2 will be released by Raisin Music in mid June of 2011 (not quite in time for the Chicago Blues Festival), and will be aptly titled Chicago Blues: A Living History, The (R)Evolution Continues. For more information on Raisin Music, and to check out the artwork of the new CD, click here. We look forward to this new and very important release.
• Diunna Greenleaf CD cover! In our last email the link to Diunna Greenleaf's CD album art did not connect. To see the cover of her new CD go to http://www.bobcorritore.com/photos164.html. We look forward to seeing how the world embraces Diunna's new CD as it is her masterpiece.
• Fed McDowell performs "John Henry" on YouTube. Mississippi Fred McDowell's amazing voice and slide guitar are on display in his great unaccompanied version of the classic song "John Henry". To see this clip, click here.