December 23, 2011
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Hubert Sumlin memorial tribute show recap. On Tuesday, December 13th, the legendary Hubert Sumlin
was buried at Washington Memory Gardens in the Chicago suburb of
Homewood, IL. He was laid to rest next to the grave site of his late
wife per his wishes (thank you Toni Ann Mamary and Sam Burckhardt for making sure this happened). Later that night a major tribute happened at FitzGerald's in Berwyn, IL, a suburb just west of Chicago. Bob Margolin
and I were the show coordinators for the night. The old school of
Chicago blues came out in full force and were joined by some of the
newer faces of traditional blues. Everyone was there to honor Hubert.
The house band was Bob Margolin, Little Frank, Bob Stroger, Kenny Smith
and Jimmy Mayes, and myself. Some of the many spectacular artists who
appeared that night (I will miss some names -sorry in advance) were Eddie Shaw, Gary Martin (Hubert's nephew), Tail Dragger, Mary Lane, Billy Flynn, Scott Dirks, Rodney Brown, Lil' Ed, Tim Betts, Harlan Lee Terson, Jon Hiller, Tom Holland, Sam Lay, Mark Wydra, Mud Morganfield, Big Head Todd, Michael Frank, Billy Branch, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Wayne Baker Brooks, Dan Carelli, Melvin Smith, Jerry Porter, Zora Young, Jimmy Burns, Michael Coleman, Twist Turner, Kenneth Kinsey, Jonn Del Toro Richardson, Harry Garner, Deak Harp, Eddie C. Campbell, Nigel Mack, Brian Carpy, Vince Salerno, Marty Binder, Matt Hill, Richard Rosenblatt, Dave Herrero, Glenn Davis, Uncle Felix Reyes, and others. Some celebrities in the house who chose to just attend and not play were, Jody Williams, Joe Filisko, Sam Burckhardt, Nick Moss, Rick Kreher, Rich Kirch, Dave Katzman, and others. Also in the house was Tom Marker, blues host on WXRT.
The place was packed from start to end with nothing but great music and
love for Hubert filling the room. At the end of the night after a
satisfying but exhausting night of coordination, I sat up talking with
my longtime friend Tail Dragger, who's house I was staying at. We reflected on Hubert and the Howlin' Wolf
and the blues in general. I flew back to Phoenix the next day. All in
all, this night seemed very symbolic as many of the true traditional
Chicago blues players came out in force to make for the most special of
send-offs for one of the most special of musicians. Thanks to Bill Fitzgerald for graciously allowing use of his wonderful venue. Thanks to Hugh Souther for helping to set up this event, and to Amy Brat who assisted in the smooth running of the show. All proceeds from that night went to the Blues Foundation HART Fund who are there to help blues musicians in a time of need. Here is to the great Hubert Sumlin who blessed us with his magical guitar style! Gone but not forgotten. To read the Blues411 article about the show, click http://blues411.com/?p=2937
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Etta James is terminally ill. The sad news came over the weekend that Rhythm & Blues legend Etta James is dying of chronic luekemia. She is 73. Etta's contributions to blues and R&B can not be oversated. To read the NY Times article click http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/arts/music/etta-james-is-terminally-ill.html. Prayers for Etta please.
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Bob Corritore to be guest of the Rocket 88s for Chrismas Eve Show at Rhythm Room! On Saturday, December 24th, which happens to be Christmas Eve, The Rocket 88s will appear at the Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian Scool Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85014. Bob Corritore, as well as other musicains will make guest appearances as part of this special show, which will be Bob's last gig of 2011.
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Bob Corritore's annual Christmas Blues Radio Special happens Chrismas Sunday! Each year Bob Corritore
features a Christmas blues special on his radio show and this year this
will take place on Christmas night! You can expect 5 hours of Christmas
blues and R&B! If in Phoenix you can tune in Sunday, 6pm to 11pm on
91.5FM or anywhere in the world on the web at www.kjzz.org.
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Tail Dragger and Bob Corritore to perform April 14 at Stompin' At The Savoy Festival in Finland! Tail Dragger and Bob Corritore will appear at the Stompin At The Savoy Festival in Helsinki, Finland on April 14, 2011. Tail Dragger and Bob will be backed by the Tomi Leino Trio from Finland. More information on this festival and the full lineup forthcoming.
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2012 Blues Music Award Nominations Announced! The Blues Foundation has announced it's nominations for the 2012 Blues Music Awards (BMAs).
This list contains 5 or 6 listings in each of its 26 categories and
represents a celebration of this year's accomplishments by artists,
songwriters, and labels. To see the list of this year's nominations
click here http://www.blues.org/#ref=bluesmusicawards_nominees. Blues Foundation members can making their voting choices until Thursday, March 1st, 2012. The 33rd Blues Music Awards will be presented Thursday May 10, 2012 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Tickets can be purchased by clicking https://www.blues.org/tickets/bma.php#ref=tickets_bma. Thank you Blues Foundation!
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Diunna Greenleaf in the news! Houston blues queen Diunna Greenleaf is highly celebrated for her vocal prowess, great songwriting, and engaging stage presence. Her recent CD Trying To Hold On is her greatest work to date and has been garnering national and international attention. The most recent Living Blues Magazine rave review by Lee Hildebrand states "one of the most satisfying releases of 2011" and "a real winner". Diunna's CD was tied for #1 with Louisiana Red / Little Victor Memphis Mojo in the French Powerblues chart for October. This CD was #3 in the September Living Blues Radio Charts, and #8 in October. Trying To Hold On just received a BMA nomination for Best Traditional Blues CD and Diunna is also nominated for a BMA in the Koko Taylor Traditional Female Blues Artist category! The most recent issue of ABS magazine includes a photo of Diunna performing at the Rhythm Room's 20th anniversary party. Diunna's time appears to be right now!
- Hubert Sumlin Reflections in Blues Revue Online! Thanks to Blues Revue Magazine for a beautiful posting of reflections by various blues people about the recently deceased Hubert Sumlin. The piece is started with Bob Margolin's thoughts and rememberances and is followed by words from Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Elvin Bishop, Debbie Davies, John Hahn, Steven Seagal, Anthony Gomes, Charlie Burch, Paul Benjamin, Joseph A. Rosen, Dan Treanor, Chris Layton, Watermelon Slim, Gabriel Butterfield (Paul's son), Dick Waterman, Kaz Kazenoff, Buddy Flett, Richard Rosenblatt, Peter Carlson, Bob Putignano, Dave Fields, Hugh Souther, Zac Harmon, Kristen Thien, Scott Cable, David Z, Mike Glenn, Jason King, Clifford Belcher, and Tim Turner. To read this article in full click http://bluesrevue.com/2011/12/the-ezine-a-tribute-to-the-great-hubert-sumlin-12-09-11/#. Here is the contribution by Bob Corritore:
I was lucky enough to get to know Hubert Sumlin from seeing Howlin' Wolf
in Chicago in the mid 1970s. I was living in the Chicago area at that
time. I first met Hubert when I was 18 years old. I went to see Wolf at Eddie's Place AKA The 1815 Club at 1815 W. Roosevelt on the West Side. This club was owned by Eddie Shaw and was where Wolf made his home base when he was not touring. I would see the Howlin' Wolf
at Eddie's Place every chance I could. I was thrilled to personally
meet the man who crafted those magical guitar lines on all those great Howlin' Wolf
records. I will never forget how Hubert was so kind and happy to take
me in. He would sit down with me and talk to me like I was the only
person in the world for that moment. How great it was to hear
Hubert's chemistry with the Wolf and how those guitar hooks defined the
songs! There was an unspoken sameness of purpose between Wolf and
Hubert as they leaned on each other to fulfill the task at hand. It was
effortless and spellbinding. Often times I was in the first row of seats
just a few feet from the stage taking it all in. I remember shaking
Hubert's hand and noticing that it was the softest, meekest handshake I
had ever experienced, and then contrasting that to Howlin' Wolf's
assertive handshake where my hand seemed to disappear into Wolf''s. I
fondly remember Hubert playing that black Rickenbacker guitar with no
pick. How he caressed sweet, amazing runs of notes and chords. His style
seemed to defy gravity and you were left on the edge of your seat
- thrilled and wondering what he would come up with next! Seeing Wolf
and Hubert was like witnessing a miracle. Through my experiences at the
1815 club, I met the great Chico Chism
who was Wolf's last drummer. Chico would become my lifelong friend and
musical collaborator. Wolf died on January 10, 1976 and the next day
everyone gathered at the 1815 club for an impromptu tribute to this
great man. Hubert was there, sunk into his seat and looking completely
lost. I gave him a big hug and tried to comfort him. That night he and
many others played to honor the Wolf. Some of the many artists that
night were Eddie Shaw, Detroit Junior, Lucille Spann, Lee Jackson, George Mayweather, Highway Man, Chico Chism, Eddie Burks, and Tail Dragger. This was the first time that I played with Hubert. This was also the night that I met Tail Dragger, who is one of my close friends to this day. After Wolf died Eddie Shaw tried to keep the band together with Hubert, Detroit Junior,
Shorty Gilbert, and Chico. For awhile that worked, but eventually
Hubert was lured off and spent some time in Texas with Clifford Antone
and found comfort staying with his friend Sunnyland Slim who had a room
for Hubert at his Southside Chicago home. Hubert had some trouble
adjusting after the Wolf and often times seemed out of sorts. When I
moved from Chicago to Phoenix in 1981 I lost touch with Hubert but when
Chico moved to Phoenix in 1986 I felt a strong connection to those great
days at the 1815 Club. Hubert came to Phoenix in 2006 to play at my
50th birthday party with a super band that also included Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Henry Gray, Bob Stroger, Little Frank, and Kenny Smith. This
was the last time that Hubert and Chico saw each other (Chico died in
early 2007 at age 79) but they were inseparable that night! I was trying
to arrange a reunion of the original Wolf Gang for Chico's 80th
birthday but that was sadly not to happen. Hubert also made a great
showing at the Rhythm Room for Amanda's Roller Coaster (an amazing event) in October of 2010 and a cut from that great set with James Cotton and Kim Wilson will appear on a forthcoming live CD. I had the extreme privilege of performing with Hubert in October of this year at the King Biscuit Blues Festival (thank you Pat Morgan and Bob Margolin)
and that may have been one of his last festival appearances. He played
brilliantly that day but after his set was having a rough time catching
his breath. So sorry to say goodbye to this wonderful man and his great
legacy. He enriched everyone's life with his kindness and wisdom. My
time in the 1970s at the 1815 Club was formative and I feel fortunate to
have those wonderful experiences. Thank you Hubert for the important
part you unknowingly, and yet so generously played in my life. I am
forever grateful to have known you.
- George "Harmonica" Smith performes "Juke" on YouTube! please enjoy George "Harmonica" Smith's rockin' adaptation of the Little Walter classic "Juke" with a tight, rockin' band that includes J. D. Nicholson on piano. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4hqOqg1m_E&feature=related
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