Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity, and character - as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Now, Thorn reveals another layer of his fascinating history on the album Pimps & Preachers, addressing that subject on the title cut and in the intriguing "family portrait" he painted for the cover, which highlights his daddy the preacher and his uncle the pimp.

 

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi and raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured a young Elvis generations before, Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Durán on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, opened for Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, and John Prine among many other headliners, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time.

 

Pimps & Preachers addresses this lingering riddle. On Thorn's ninth album, released on his own Perpetual Obscurity label (through Thirty Tigers/RED), the answer begins in the title and the cover image, painted by Thorn with the same power, paradoxes, rough edges and passions that animate his writing and performance.

 

Andy Cohen has studied and played old music all his life, wandering North America as a songster. He lives by playing old songs. On this CD, Andy plays acoustic guitar, piano, dulceola and sings. On some pieces he is accompanied by his wife Larkin Bryant, on haunting vocals and mandolin. Here are unadulterated songs from the early days of the blues - 2 piano rags done as guitar pieces, 3 blue country songs, 2 piano boogies, one of which has passed between the piano and guitar for over seventy years. The rest are a variety of blues numbers, including a talking blues by Woodie Guthrie, 2 tough ones by Memphis Minnie, 1 each by Big Bill Broonzy, Teddy Darby, and Henry Spaulding. For Andy, these songs are some of the central chunks of his troubadour life, especially Cairo Blues, the weirdest blues ever composed, by a barber from central Illinois.

 

 

 

 

 

The 34th Annual Russian River Festival, slated for September 11th and 12th, will offer another great weekend of jazz and blues!

 

The combining of the 2009 festival into one colossal weekend of great hits proved successful. Therefore, Omega Events has decided to keep the format in 2010. Saturday will feature a great day of jazz, while Sunday will offer Blues fans a legendary experience!

 

This is the first year the two events will be combined into the same weekend. Previously, the Russian River Blues Festival was held in June, while the Russian River Jazz Festival took place in September. Organizers cited the economy and the desire to create something special for attendees as the reasons for change.

 

“This allows us to keep the Russian River festival tradition alive for its 33rd year, while enabling music fans to still enjoy their love of jazz and blues, outdoors in this picturesque setting,” said Rich Sherman, president of Omega Events. “We look forward to welcoming fans back for another year of live music on the river.”

 

The Russian River music festivals have a rich history dating back to the 1970s. Music legends have traveled to Guerneville, including blues artists such as Etta James and Al Green, to jazz musicians Stan Getz and Pat Metheny. Hundreds of thousands of fans have attended the events over the years.

 

"Congrats to Omega Events for coming up with a creative solution to bring quality music to the river for another year,” said Clare Harris, proprietor of Johnson’s Beach since 1967. “This will be a wonderful event that brings two unique styles of music together. We can’t wait for September to come.”

 

For the event, jazz music will be featured on Sat., Sept. 12, and blues on Sun., Sept. 13. Tickets will be available through local outlets, including the Russian River Chamber of Commerce. Beneficiaries of the event include the R.R. Chamber, as well as Food For Thought, a Sonoma County AIDS food bank.

 

"The Russian River Festivals have been loved and supported by the community, bringing in thousands of new visitors to the river every summer,” said Margaret Kennett, President of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce. “The events create a tremendous amount of exposure to the area and are a great boon to the local economy. We look forward to another great year of music on the beach!”

 

For more information on the Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival, visit the official website www.russianriverfestivals.com/ or call (707) 869-1595.

 

 

Austin de Lone and Nick Gravenites.

 

San Rafael, Ca - The fifth annual Great American Blues and BBQ Festival is not to be this year. The food and music festival, usually held in September in San Rafael, has been postponed with hopes that it can return next year.

 

"We have invested $45,000 over the last four years bringing this gift to San Rafael. The festival was created and produced from the heart as a celebration of our community and who we are. We are saddened that we will not be able to offer Blues & Barbeque this year, and hope to be back in 2011," said Steve Bajor, president of Team Pro Event, the festival's producer.

 

The event is also special to musical director Austin de Lone as the free family day helps raise awareness for Prader-Willi Syndrome and funds for the Richard de Lone Special Housing Project. Austin's son Richard suffers from the debilitating syndrome.

 

Click here to watch Herbie Hancock with Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks on David Letterman from the August 3 show. Enjoy

 

 

The Mississippi Arts Council in association with the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded the Delta's boogie-woogie piano queen Eden Brent the Mississippi Arts Commission Artist Fellowship for her outstanding work as a recording artist. The honor joins a long list of accolades Brent has garnered over the course of her career, including the 2010 Blues Music Award for Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year.

 

Brent was recently a guest on Mississippi Public Broadcasting where she dazzled host Karen Brown with her signature laugh and tales from her excellent new CD 'Ain't Got No Troubles 

 

Fellowships are awarded to artists dedicated to the celebration of
Mississippi's cultural heritage.

 

For more about Eden Brent Click

 

Building up with Mississippi Blues

 

Check out this report that recently aired on CNN about tourism in Mississippi'

 

 

Novato, Ca - The nonprofit that staged an annual benefit rock concert for Novato public schools has reorganized and plans to hold more concerts to raise money for a variety of causes, its chief executive said.

The announcement comes eight months after the Novato Unified School District and the North Marin Council of Parent Teacher Associations said they were distancing themselves from the nonprofit, then called the Rock'n Blues By The Lake Foundation, saying they wanted to focus on in-house fundraisers.

 

Dan Steadman, CEO of the nonprofit, said the Rock'n Blues foundation has been renamed Rock For Good and has a new mission statement.

 

"We have reinvented ourselves," Steadman said Tuesday. "We have a new purpose, new bylaws, new logos, a lot of new things. É We think they're all positive changes."

 

As Rock'n Blues, the annual festival at Stafford Lake County Park raised $350,000 for Novato schools over seven years, including a 2005 concert by Journey that drew 6,000 fans and raised about $100,000.

 

The September 2009 event featuring the B-52s and "American Idol" performer Blake Lewis earned no money for the schools, prompting questions about the event's management and the cost of high-profile talent. The $45 tickets deemed by some as too high, especially during a slumping economy.

 

The school district and School Fuel, a nonprofit foundation that supports public schools in Novato, both thanked Rock'n Blues for its support in November when they essentially gave the foundation

 

 

a vote of no confidence. Steadman and other board members then hunkered down to create a new identity.
The new Rock For Good mission statement is more vague than the previous one under the Rock'n Blues label. It now reads: "To support the well-being of children and families in the areas of health, education, music and the arts." Any number of causes could be the beneficiaries of concert revenue after costs are covered, not just schools.

 

A March concert by Rock For Good at Unity in Marin, a church in Hamilton, drew several hundred people and raised $3,100 for Haitian earthquake relief.

 

"It was so great. We had the best time," said board member Suzanne Crow. "We couldn't wait to have other people come to our events."

 

There will not be a large concert at Stafford Lake this September as there has been for nine consecutive years, but Rock For Good looks to have concerts as soon as the end of this year, possibly at other venues, Steadman said.

 

Crow said she is in favor of the plan to have smaller events throughout the year rather than one big one and that the composition of the board is strong.

 

"I'm really excited about the energy now in Rock For Good," she said. "There is a good cross section of talented people, and there's a real commitment to the greater community. Dan is a wonderful CEO in terms of putting together potential funding sources. I'm proud to be a part of this."

 

 

The Lake Leelanau Community Association is proud to announce the first annual Lake Leelanau Barbeque ‘N Blues Festival. This year it will be on the street in front of LeNaro Pub who will be hosting the event Labor Day weekend, Sunday September 5th. We will be mixing the wonderful sounds of live blues music with aroma of barbeque in the air. The gates will open the at 1pm. Entry is $10 a person with 13 and under free. We have teamed up with Mid North Michigan Blues Society to bring you a truly Blues filled day. The music will start shortly after that and will end no later than 9pm.

The day will begin a little after 1PM: The finals of the Mid North Michigan Blues Societies Blues Challenge will begin.. The winner of this challenge goes on to the nationals in Memphis and possibly further to the International Blues Challenge. Then: The bands of Doc Woodward, Big Daddy Fox, James Glass & Pete Fetters will each do a set. After we have enjoyed this line up we move onto The Jam Session which begins with the above bands and the winning challenge band plus perhaps some special performing guests that may drop in.

Le Naro's will be serving barbeque chicken and ribs on their outside patio area and inside they will also have their menu for people to order from. LeNaro's will have beer and wines out under the tent. Several local wineries have expressed an interest in participating.

The people in our community are really coming together and supporting this event. We are happy to say that the volunteers are stepping up and helping us out. It says so much about how much we like it here and we just want to share it with everyone.
We already have much more in store for next years event. We were under a crunch for time this year but we’ve got time to get even better next year. One of the additions will be a Barbeque cook off - Yum! We hope to see you there and enjoying our community as much we do.

 

Don’t forget to check out the Lake Leelanau Community Associations website page for the Blues Festival. Go to the address listed below and click on the link for the festival
www.lakeleelanaumi.com/

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Less than twelve weeks until the Daytona Blues Festival kicks off at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach!

 

As you make your plans to attend, make sure you check out the great hotel deals we've lined up for our out-of-town blues fans.Here you will find the perfect hotel, whether you're looking for an upscale room at the beach or just a clean comfortable place to lay your head after a wonderful night of blues.  Just make certain to use the promo codes listed on the website to take advantage of these tremendous discounts.   

 

 

And these upcoming October nights promise to be filled with wonderful blues indeed.  At the 31st Annual Blues Music Awards, presented by the Blues Foundation in May, our lineup was well represented as both nominees and winners.  Candye Kane was nominated as the B. B. King Entertainer of the Year, as Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year, and her album Superhero was nominated as Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.

 

 

 Mike Zito's Pearl River was nominated as Rock Blues Album of the Year, and his title song from that album won the award for Song of the Year.  Finally, Eden Brent followed up her two wins in 2009 by receiving the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the year award from Pinetop Perkins himself.  Our congratulations go out to all the winners and nominees.

 

 

Also to be congratulated are Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King on the success of their May release, Have Blues, Will Travel.  Upon release, the album shot straight to the number one spot on iTunes most downloaded blues albums chart, and it has stayed near the top ever since.  If you haven't yet downloaded or purchased Have Blues, Will Travel, we suggest you do so soon to get a taste of what's in store for all the blues fans at the festival Saturday night, October 9th.

 

Finally, don't miss out on our special ticket deals for early purchasers.  We know times are tight, and that's why we want everyone to take advantage of the special pricing on 3-day and VIP tickets available only until August 22nd.  We also still have some t-shirts left for the last of the initial 500 ticket buyers.  Three days of the best blues music at the nicest time of the year plus a t-shirt for only $50 is a deal you do not want to miss.  If you are putting together a group,  contact Dominic directly for additional special deals.

 

So gather all your friends, buy those tickets, book those rooms, and get ready for the best blues festival ever!

 

TUSCALOOSA, ALA. – On Thursday, September 16, 2010, Tuscaloosa will have a rare treat when internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster will perform at the Bama Theatre in a benefit concert for the Alabama Blues Project.

 

Ruthie Foster, who hails from Texas, is a dynamic singer/songwriter/performer with a unique mix of folk, soul, blues, gospel and R&B. She has performed from choir lofts to folk bistros and onto stages in Europe and Australia. There’s Southern blues in her groove, rock in her rhythm, a blend of gospel redemption, country poetry and jazz elegance in her singing.

 

The concert will open with a set featuring the Alabama Blues Project’s intermediate and advanced bands, the latter of which performed in the prestigious International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase in Memphis this year.

Tickets may be purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets online by clicking here or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.
For sponsorship and VIP ticket inquiries, please call the ABP office or email cara@alabamablues.org.

 

Buildings, juke joints and blues collections for sale! 

 

Are you so into the blues you might want to buy a bluesy building in the Delta and start a business. Ken Dubard with Dubard Realty in Greenwood sent in these listings.

 

One is Steve Levere's building in Downtown Greenwood. Very close to the Alluvian Hotel and was the original site of WGRM, the first radio station BB played on (there is a blues marker out front). Steve is looking to sell his Robert Johnson memorabelia as he is moving to Hawaii. Might be an opportunity to negotiate a deal for both.

The other is Tom Bingham's property (Gin Mill Mall) adjacent to the B.B. King museum. Beautiful building. Would make an excellent Juke.

 

This could be your chance to move to the Promised Land and start your dream blues business!

 

Steamboatpilot.com — Tab Benoit is always the same person. 

He’s the same when he peers out from under stage lights in smoky New Orleans jazz clubs, crooning thick blues stories that could come only from witnessing tragedy firsthand.

 

And he’s the same when he’s flying helicopters across the Gulf of Mexico, watching as the Louisiana wetlands he’s held so close to his heart are lapped up by the slow-moving darkness of the Gulf Coast oil spill.

 

The blues guitarist said he hasn’t written new music in a while because he hasn’t been in a comfortable place. With New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and now threatened by the oil spill, a longing for change comes through in the gritty blues music he’s played for 20 years.

 

“Everything influences your music, I guess,” Benoit said. “I try to stay open to my feelings and let it happen.”

 

Benoit began “Voice of the Wetlands,” a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness education and outreach about the constant loss of the wetlands.

 

When he thinks about how Louisiana is losing its wetlands at the rate of 1 acre per hour, his feelings are the same whether or not he’s on stage.

 

“They’re both the same,” Benoit said about his dual roles. “It’s the same guy with the same feelings. I’m looking at things and my heart is feeling certain things. The only difference is I don’t have a guitar or a microphone.

 

“I think music is just a part of that. It’s an extension of your heart. And whatever my heart feels it’s what I’m gonna be playing.”

 

Before he was a professional musician, Benoit was a pilot for an oil company, scouting rig locations from the air.

 

He began to see things he didn’t like, and he turned to his guitar for an outlet.

 

“I was thinking, ‘Man, music is looking better all the time,’” he said. “Here’s a way I can change the things I see going wrong and maybe help, maybe have people feel better about the things going on and encourage them to fight for the change.”

 

Many of the problems he sees in the wetlands are indicative of a larger flaw in the human condition, he said.

 

“If you had to find a common denominator, it’s the same problem,” he said. “It’s greedy people in charge of things. Greedy with powers to affect the way we live.”

 

He said people are meant to be activists and encourages them to use their voice and call — not e-mail — government representatives and be engaged at local meetings.

 

But he said his music isn’t activist music.

 

“You can’t take it literally,” he said about his songs. “I’m not writing literal songs about things that go wrong. I don’t like protest music or protest bands. This is about, ‘Hey people, you got more power than you think.’ That’s what I am trying to get at. They’re not using that inner strength to make changes they really want.

 

“I’m just one person that happens to be a musician, but everyone has ways of doing the same things I’m doing.”

 

The Windy City Blues Society is proud to announce the 2010 Chicago Blues Challenge; a competition featuring some of the finest blues talent the Windy City has to offer. Winners of the Chicago Blues Challenge will represent the Windy City Blues Society and Chicago at the 2011 International Blues
Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee from February 1-5, 2011.

 

 Performers can compete in three categories: Solo/Duo, Band, and Youth. The Chicago Blues Challenge will have competitions in August and September, with finals in early November.

 

 

Good things are better when they come in pairs.  Elwood spins some blues duos this week, including Peter Karp and Sue Foley, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm, Smokin’Joe Kubek and B’Nois King, Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, the Blues Brothers, Moreland and Arbuckle, Sam and Dave, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells… and more.  We will hear new music from country blues duo Bill Sims and Mark Lavoie.  And there’s a chance to win the new CD from Sheryl Crow, 100 MILES TO MEMPHIS, her tribute to Memphis soul.

 

 

RBA Publishing Inc is based in Reno, NV with a satellite office in Beverly Hills, Florida. We produce the annual Blues Festival Guide magazine (now in its 7th year), the top-ranking website: www.BluesFestivalGuide.com, and this weekly blues newsletter: The Blues Festival E-Guide with approximately 20,000 weekly subscribers. We look forward to your suggestions, critiques, questions, etc.

Reach the E-Guide editor, Gordon Bulcock, gordon@bluesfestivalguide.com

or contact our home office at 775-337-8626, eguide@bluesfestivalguide.com
 

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