Bluesman James Kinds was born in Drew, Mississippi in 1943. He moved to Chicago in 1959 and quickly got involved in music. He hung out at blues clubs on the west side and formed his first group, Oasis, in 1967. He recorded "Ada" in the mid-'70s for Cloud 9 and it's still James' show-stopping closer which he sang at the 2007 Chicago Blues Festival. In 1982, Oasis issued West Side featuring guests Barkin' Bill, Eddie "Jewtown" Burks, Jimmy Dawkins and Hip Linkchain. In 1993 James drove his daughter to Dubuque, Iowa for college, saw some wonderful real estate opportunities and moved there. Since then he has continued to play the blues, issue three CDs and maintain a Chicago presence by visiting and performing here often. This is James' first Delmark CD. With special guest Eddie Shaw

 

Jim Byrnes' fourth album for Black Hen Music, finds him collaborating once again with producer Steve Dawson. Jim and Steve have worked together on all of his award- winning albums in the last decade. This is Jim's bluesiest album in years. Everywhere West includes raw and stripped-down takes on classic material and some originals. While Jim has been focusing on gospel-oriented blues for his last 2 albums (the Juno Award-winning House of Refuge and 2008's My Walking Stick), Everywhere West brings him back to the music of his youth, with some of the greatest performances of his career on songs by Jimmy Reed, Lowell Folsom, The Mississippi Sheiks, Tampa Red and many more. Everywhere West was recorded live off the floor with minimal overdubs.

 

 

  

The Blues Foundation is pleased to announce the nominations for their annual Blues Music Awards, which the organization will present at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN on May 5, 2011. Performers, industry representatives and fans from around the globe will have the chance to celebrate the best in Blues recording and performance from 2010.    

 

Among those heading the list of honorees for the 32nd Blues Music Awards is last year's Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Buddy Guy, with five nominations in such categories as B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Living Proof, and Song of the Year for its title track, a co-nomination (with Tom Hambridge). Charlie Musselwhite, a Blues Hall of Fame inductee last year, also garnered five nominations, in the categories of Album of the Year (for The Well) and Song of the Year (for "Sad and Beautiful World," from The Well), among others.

 

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year (2009) Janiva Magness garnered four nominations this year, and three nominations each went to Derek Trucks, Eden Brent, Joe Louis Walker, James Cotton, Nick Moss, Paul Oscher and The Mannish Boys. This year's nominations also celebrate Steve Miller's return to the blues - and his first-ever nomination - with the album Bingo, nominated for Best Rock Blues Album of the Year. (The full nominee list is below.)

 

"The ballot is balanced between familiar names nominated because of stellar releases and more than a dozen first-ever nominees," Jay Sieleman, The Blues Foundation's Executive Director said. "The nominations prove not only the sustaining power of Blues music, but also its ability to constantly evolve and remain relevant to today's fans."

 

Among the nominations are also two - for Soul Blues Album and Soul Blues Male Artist - given posthumously to the late Solomon Burke, who passed away in October at age 70.

 

December 16 is an early Christmas for Blues fans. Tickets for the May 5 Award show go on sale.  The DVD memorializing the 2010 Blues Music Awards will be available for purchase.  Online voting begins then too. Blues Foundation members are the only fans who vote to decide which nominees will actually take home the Blues Music Award.  Members also receive seating preference at the Awards show. 

 

Every year, the Blues Music Awards ceremony itself proves to be one of the best shows of the year. After all, almost every nominee not only attends, but also performs - creating a lineup comprised of the best of the best in blues all in one evening.  A complete nominee list, as well as membership, DVD sales, voting, ticket sales and host hotel information can be found at The Blues Foundation's website www.blues.org. Hall of Fame honorees will be announced in mid-February.

 

For the fifth consecutive year, The Blues Music Awards will be broadcast live in their entirety on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville - the next best thing to being there.  They will be subsequently broadcast on public television in the fall.

 

 

The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. 

 

Click for more 

 

Bobby "Blue" Bland

 

Bobby Womack

 

Elvin Bishop
w/ Special Guest Mickey Thomas

 

Big Head Todd & The Monsters
"Big Head Blues Club"

 

Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue
w/ Tommy Castro Band,
Curtis Salgado & More

 

Charlie Musselwhite

 

Tab Benoit

 

Delta Guitar Slingers w/ Michael Burks Band, Lucky Peterson & Sherman Robertson

 

Tommy Castro

 

Ruthie Foster Quintet

 

Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers w/ JP Soars

 

Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band

 

Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues

 

Otis Taylor

 

Gaye Adegbalola

 

Cedric Burnside Project

 

"Girls With Guitars"
Samantha Fish, Cassie Taylor, Dani Wilde

 

Eden Brent - Piano Bar Host

 

Leon Blue - Piano Bar Host

 

Scottie "Bones" Miller - Piano Bar Host

 

Steve Willis - Piano Bar Host

 

2011 IBC Band Challenge Winner

 

SonicBids Contest Winner 

 

PLUS SURPRISE GUESTS! 

 

Click for more

 

The Blues Festival Guide is sad to report that Robin Rogers has passed. This gut-wrenching news comes just 2 days after Robin was nominated for Contemporary Blues Female Artist for the 2011 Blues Music Awards.

 

This week her latest CD reached # 4 on the Blues Roots Music Charts.  Taken from us at the height of her career.

 

Sirius/XM Radio's Bluesville Channel, hosted by Bill Wax will be doing a 1 hour special on Robin Rogers, Monday at 3pm ET.

 

Hopefully, she is now at peace. Our thoughts go out to her husband, Tony, and all friends and family.

 

She will be missed.  RIP songbird.

 

NEW RECORD 'TRIBAL' NOMINATED FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM GRAMMY

Dr. John will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011 in a gala ceremony held at The Waldorf Astoria in New York and broadcast on Fuse. Joining Dr. John in this year's induction class are The Alice Cooper Band, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love, and Tom Waits.

 

A five-time GRAMMY winner, Dr. John is currently nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category for 'Tribal' (429 Records), his "career-defining" (All Music Guide) new release. In addition, his rendition of Randy Newman's "Down in New Orleans" is nominated for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media and the 'Treme' soundtrack, to which Dr. John contributes the track "Indian Red," is also nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

 

'Tribal' is Dr. John's funkiest, swampiest record since his iconic 1968 album, 'Gris Gris,' and the reviews have been nothing short of spectacular. According to the NY Times, "Dr. John sounds much the same as in his wily youth, singing in a drawling croak and playing piano and organ with a principal stake in rhythm," and Entertainment Weekly raved that "Dr. John and the Lower 911 still make mystique-dripping grooves sound easy."

 

Known to friends and family as Mac Rebennack, Dr. John is widely regarded as New Orleans' foremost musical ambassador. As "Treme" creator David Simon puts it: "This guy has the whole history of New Orleans music in his head." Dr. John's previous album, 2008's 'City That Care Forgot,' won the Grammy for "Best Contemporary Blues Album." Post-Katrina, Dr. John has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for rebuilding his beloved city of New Orleans. He continues to dazzle and delight audiences all over the world with his tireless touring.

 

The latest marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail is dedicated to Roebuck "Pops" Staples, who was a well-known gospel singer and patriarch of the Staple Singers music group.

 

Mississippi Development Authority tourism officials say the marker was placed on Summit Street near the courthouse in Winona on Thursday.

 

Staples was born on a farm near Winona on Dec. 28, 1914. He began playing blues as a youngster in the Delta. MDA historians say Staples soon embarked on a gospel singing career leading the Staple Singers to international fame and crossover success in the rhythm & blues and pop fields.

 

Staples died in Dolton, Ill., in 2000.

 

Guitarinternational.com - When thinking back to the ‘60s British rock scene, guitar legends such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix (who first found fame in London before returning to claim America) and Jimmy Page all come to mind. While all of these players deserve the accolades and recognition they have received over the years, there is one man, one player whose contribution to the instrument and the blues-rock genre is often tragically overlooked when looking back at this era of music history.

 

That man was Irish guitarist extraordinaire Rory Gallagher, and thanks to Eagle Vision’s latest DVD/CD release Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions, the story of this multi-talented singer-guitarist comes to life on the big screen.

 

The DVD portion of the package tells the story of Gallagher, from his upbringing in Ireland all the way through his untimely and unfortunate passing in 1995. Providing glimpses into the guitarists musical background, including his early days learning to play the ukulele and his influences including Elvis, Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry and of course Buddy Holly (who is the reason why Gallagher played Fender guitars throughout his career), the film digs deep into Gallagher the person, as well as the musician.

 

Through interviews with Rory’s brother, as well as musical legends The Edge, Bob Geldof, Bill Wyman, Slash and journalist Cameron Crowe, we are told the story of a musician who was staunchly dedicated to the music he loved, the blues, and how his devotion to this musical genre helped steer and shape his career.

 

Besides the interviews, there are plenty of vintage photos and videos to provide a glimpse into Gallagher’s personal life as well as showcase him doing what he did best, playing guitar and singing live on stage. It is this archival material that really brings Gallagher’s story to life, shedding light on the music he loved to play, his family life and providing the context for his musical output and the choices that shaped his career and personal life as he grew as a player and person.

 

Fans will no doubt enjoy seeing these classic Gallagher performances, as well as press clippings from his early days in the U.K., and newcomers will get a chance to not only hear the guitarist tear up his fretboard, but also see him in action, something that makes this DVD worth buying.

 

Accompanying the DVD is a CD with 90 minutes of previously unreleased live material. Featuring the guitarist in his favorite lineup, the guitar trio, the album is a raunchy collection of 12 songs. The music ranges from blues-rock, “Laundromat,” to down-home blues “I Could’ve Had Religion,” to acoustic guitar pieces such as “I Don’t Know Where I’m Going” and the Jimmy Page inspired, or is it the other way around?, “Just the Smile.” All in all this is a solid collection of tracks that deserve to see the light of day.

 

Often times companies will release archived live albums that the artist probably wouldn’t have approved for various reasons, but these tracks are well-mixed and edited, and Gallagher shines throughout. By adding the CD to the two-disc package, Eagle Vision has erased any excuse people might have for not picking up this collection.

 

Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions is a great package for any fan of Gallagher’s music, which also acts as the perfect introduction to his music for those who are only discovering the Irish guitar legend’s work. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Include your band or business in the celebration of our 10,000th Friend on our Facebook site: Blues Festival Guide

 

In just under one year, we have almost reached 10,000 friends and we want to celebrate by giving that lucky person that signs up as #10,000 a goody bag full of blues-related gifts.

 

We are going to continue this Promotion for six months including asking blues-related trivia questions and awarding the winner a prize.

 

Steph Bravo is our Social Network Editor. She will be letting all 10,000 blues friends about you and your product. Free advertising for you!

 

Steph will make an exciting display/promo on our Facebook announcing the winner and repost it often so it remains on top so that your brand is seen again and again.

 

To participate, please send up to six units (CD, t-shirt, poster etc.) to:

 

RBA Publishing Inc/Blues Festival Guide
P.O. Box 5065
Reno, NV 89513

 

Shipping:
3020 Markridge Drive
Reno, NV 89509

 

Also, please send your logo to Stephanie DJStephB@aol.com as a jpeg attachment and let her know what you are shipping so she can match up your logo with your product.

 

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SEATTLE (Hypebot) – iTunes and Amazon have spent lots of money trying to convince the next generation of music buyers that owning a physical box set is the same thing as having MP3s of it on their iPod. Even after all these years, most fans are still less than persuaded.

Steve Jobs will proudly tell you that an MP3 is worth exactly ninety-nine cents. A teen living in the middle of nowhere, downloading music off the web, might tell you that an MP3 isn't worth anything. The record industry waged a war over this discrepancy. The movie studios have too. One day, the publishing industry will fight their battle. From the perspective of Chris Kornelis, music ownership is a mirage and the record labels are failing to make it real.

 

"iTunes and Seattle's Amazon.com have been selling mp3s to customers convinced that they own mp3s in the same way they own that box of Fleetwood Mac and Jim Croce LPs in the basement.

 

When we talk about digital music, we're talking about nothing.
We're not talking about cassette tapes. We're not talking about CDs. We're not talking about a double gatefold, 180-gram LP set.

 

We're talking about digital files that sit on a hard drive, that are easier to lose than Canadian pennies, and that listeners only pay for if they choose to. They barely exist. We barely own them…

 

When you cancel Rhapsody, you're left with nothing. And when you discontinue your subscription to eMusic, you only get to keep your music until your computer crashes, you lose your iPhone, or you switch jobs and inevitably do not back up your music correctly, and you are left with nothing. Even a key chain is better than nothing."

 

Jay Sieleman

 

The Blues Foundation is moving to South Main next year, fulfilling a 30-year-old dream for a permanent home to showcase the music and the artists who make it.

 

The Memphis-based international nonprofit organization's board voted Saturday to buy ground-floor commercial space at 421 S. Main, the Hotline Lofts building.

 

By March, the foundation expects to relocate offices from 49 Union on Cotton Row into a 4,000-square-foot storefront that eventually will house exhibits, educational programs and special events.

 

"In the printed program of the third annual Blues Music Awards in 1982, there are drawings of a proposed Blues Hall, so this indeed has been a dream of the Blues Foundation and a goal of the Blues Foundation since its earliest days," said executive director Jay Sieleman.

 

The building, which has residential condominiums upstairs, is on the Main Street Trolley line and in a neighborhood steeped in history and the arts. It's near the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis College of Art graduate school, Memphis Music Foundation, the Folk Alliance International and Memphis chapter of the National Academy of the Recording Arts & Sciences.

 

"It's all there in about a block and a half. It's really walking and trolley distance for the music fans, the blues fans, who come from all over the world, particularly for our events, the International Blues Challenge and the Blues Music Awards," Sieleman said. "We cater to everyone, but particularly the blues music tourist."

 

The foundation's 25-member board met by teleconference to consider the purchase. Officials had previously negotiated a price with building co-owner Gary Garland and executed a purchase contract.

 

"People of all ages, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds travel to Memphis from around the world for one primary purpose: Blues music. We're so excited that now there will be a visible center for them to visit while they're here," said board member Kevin Kane, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau president and the foundation's current landlord.

 

Plans call for staff offices; exhibits showcasing Hall of Fame inductees through memorabilia, artwork and audiovisual presentations; and a retail store focusing on Hall of Fame recordings and literature and Blues Foundation-branded merchandise.

 

The foundation is dedicated to preserving the art form and its heritage, education and celebrating recording and performance excellence. It has 3,700 individual members and 190 affiliated local blues societies representing about 50,000 people around the world.

 

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — Blues lovers looking for a weekly fix of blues music, interviews and the occasional live performance, can get their fill on WNTI's newest hourly show, "Three O'clock Blues."

 

The show, hosted by blues aficionado Pete Hoff, also known as Uncle Pete, airs every Sunday from 3-4 p.m. on Centenary's flagship radio station, 91.9 FM WNTI.
"We explore all styles of blues music," said Hoff, "from Delta to Memphis, Texas to Chicago and California, with nothing left out."

 

While the show features the music of national acts, it also focuses on regional and statewide acts "that don't always get radio exposure," said Hoff. "We give listeners the opportunity to experience some truly great players they might not get a chance to hear anywhere else."

 

At times, listeners will also be treated to live interviews (both in studio and by phone), and, on occasion, a live performance from one of the many talented Metro area blues musicians.

 

"I hope that blues fans from around the region will join me every Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. to enjoy some great blues music," said Hoff.

 

For more about WNTI, visit wnti.org

 

British musician Eric Clapton will sell more than 70 guitars from his personal collection in an auction in New York in March, with the proceeds going to his drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Antigua.

 

Bonhams auctioneers will conduct the March 9, 2011 sale, which also includes instruments donated by Jeff Beck, J.J. Cale and Joe Bonamassa.

 

Featured in the auction are instruments and amps by Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Martin and Music Man, among others. Estimates for the amps and guitars range from $300-30,000, Bonhams said.

 

Highlights include one of Clapton's main stage guitars from 2005, one of a pair he used during the Cream Reunion Shows in London and New York -- a custom built black Fender "Eric Clapton Signature" Stratocaster estimated at $20-30,000.

 

Also on offer is a pair of Marshall vintage basket weave speaker cabinets, from around 1970, used during the 1970s when Clapton appeared with Derek And The Dominos. The pair is expected to fetch $8-10,000.

 

The auction is being held in association with Wallace & Hodgson, who worked on the two previous Clapton/ Crossroads guitar auctions in 1999 and 2004.

 

The 2011 International Blues Challenge will be the 27th year of Blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes, and industry recognition.

 

The Blues Foundation will present the 27th International Blues Challenge February 1-5, 2011 in Memphis, TN. The world's largest gathering of Blues acts represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to take their act to the international stage.

 

In 2010, 110 bands and 80 solo/duo acts entered, filling the clubs up and down Beale Street for the semi-finals on Thursday and Friday and the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. We will have at least that many in 2011.

 

The 27th year of the International Blues Challenge will once again include a youth showcase for those under the age of 21. Smokin' Bluz of Charlotte, NC has signed on again as the Presenting Sponsor. The 27^th IBC will include an afternoon (Friday, February 4, 2011) of talented young people showcasing their talents for record labels, media, festivals, managers, talent buyers and the fans.

 

The week of events will once again kick off Tuesday night with a Meet & Greet hosted by the Beale Street Merchants Association at the New Daisy Theater, followed by the FedEx International Showcase. In addition to the evening Blues competition, the days are filled with seminars and workshops and topped off in a moving Saturday morning brunch in which the Blues community will honor its own with the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) awards that honor the men and women, who have made significant contributions to the Blues music world, in 20 categories such as journalism, literature and photography and to the best clubs and festivals, as well as managers, promoters and producers.

 

Media Sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Blues Revue, Downtowner, House of Blues Radio Hour, Living Blues, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Music Magazine and WREG-TV.

 

The 27th International Blues Challenge is sponsored by ArtsMemphis, bandVillage, Beale Street Merchants Association, Budweiser and its local distributor, D.Canale Beverages, FedEx, Gibson, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Smokin' Bluz, T. Clifton Art, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission.

 

The list of current blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years is impressive indeed: Slick Ballinger, Barbara Blue, Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Keith Brown, Michael Burks, Sean Carney, Albert Castiglia, Tommy Castro, the late Sean Costello, Albert Cummings, Delta Moon, Larry Garner, Joey Gilmore, Diunna Greenleaf, Zac Harmon, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Richard Johnston, Joe Moss, Jason Ricci, Robin Rogers, Matthew Skoller, Super Chikan, Patrick Sweany, Susan Tedeschi, Teeny Tucker, Watermelon Slim, the late John Weston and Michelle Wilson.

 

Email joe@blues.org if you have any questions.

 

 

Early-Bird Advertising Special!

 

Order and pay for your ad before January 15, 2011 and receive a 15% discount! (Ad/artwork isn't due until end of March).

 

 Featured Festival Section
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Don't miss out on a once-a-year marketing opportunity to reach blues fans around the world. Order your ad in the 9th annual BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE magazine today.

 

100,000 copies distributed free throughout U.S. And Canada in April 2011!

Plus thousands of more blues fans will see your ad in the digital edition.

 

Contact us today:
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advertising@bluesfestivalguide.com

 

P. S. Festival Promoters, post your festival for free by going to
www.BluesFestivalGuide.com and click on Submit Festival and fill in the fields. Easy and free. Our site gets over a million hits per month and will drive traffic to your site.

 

         

 

 

Elwood goes back in time this week to visit the British Invasion of the 1960’s. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Animals… And its roots in the blues. We'll also hear the second generation of British blues: Jeff Beck, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac… And who is invading us now? The new generation of British blues purveyors: Joanne Shaw Taylor, Oli Brown, Matt Schofield, James Hunter... And new music from Peter Case. Your vote is needed to name the top ten CDs of 2010. That happens here on the website. And one of you will win all ten. Also: you have until the new year to win your own Fender Stratocaster guitar – enter here.

 

 For a list of stations where you can find House of Blues Radio

 

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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