"Guy Davis….a terrific Piedmont blues picker, Davis never loses sight of the blues as good time music, the original forum for dancing on top of

one's sorrows."

--Dave Marsh, Rock Rap Online

From GuyDavis.com : We are excited to announce the release of Guy's 2 CD set, an audio, books-on-tape type version of his acclaimed one-man play. This is his first CD release since 2009's "Sweetheart Like You". This is also Guy's first self-released recording project since his first CD in 1995, "Live", which ultimately was repackaged and became his first recording for Red House Records, "Stomp Down Rider".

Here's your chance to own this amazing collection of Guy's stories and songs performed by his character, "Fishy Waters".

Click for more

Blues Foundation "Hall of Fame" Benefit

Healing the Health Care Blues!

Venue: Melody Ballroom, Portland Oregon

To view more information about this event, please click this link

.

The Inner City

 Blues Festival Reunion

April 14,  2012

Time event/entertainment begins: 7:00pm

 Blues Festival Reunion

"HEALING THE HEALTHCARE BLUES"

Featuring:

NORMAN SYLVESTER, LLOYD JONES, LARHONDA STEELE, SONNY HESS, BILL RHOADS, JANICE SCROGGINS, JIM MESI,RENATO CARANTO, RICHARD ARNOLD, LLOYD ALLEN, SHOEHORN, CHATTA ADDY, LENANNE SYLVESTER

 Blues Festival that ran from 1988-2003!

Oregon Single Payer Campaign wants to bring a Universal health care option to Oregon (everybody in nobody out).

TICKETS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

Dan Aykroyd and Judith Belushi to Present Blues Brothers Revue, 3/5

 Dan Aykroyd and Judith Belushi have announced a special star-studded performance of The Official Blues Brothers Revue

 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the passing of John Belushi a/k/a "Joliet Jake".

Set for March 5th at the Rialto Theater in the fabled hometown of the iconic Blues Brothers, the concert will feature guest stars (and original Blues Brothers Band members) Paul Shaffer, Tom "Bones" Malone, "Blue" Lou Marini, and Matt "Guitar" Murphy as well as Otis Day from Animal House. SNL's legendary Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello)

will serve as official VIP greeter for the pre-show Blue Carpet.

The Official Blues Brothers Revue, starring Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty as Jake and Elwood, has been playing to sell-out crowds worldwide and has a full roster of tour dates planned for the coming year. Produced by Dan Aykroyd and Judy Belushi, the revue combines the humor and hit songs from the original Blues Brothers concert experience, paying homage to Chicago's rich tradition of blues, gospel and soul music – all performed with the passion and precision of the original Blues Brothers Band. Complete ticket information below.

The reach of this special one-night-only concert event will extend far beyond the theater in Joliet. In addition to the concert itself, a live webcast will be available for Facebook's 800 million-plus fans worldwide. Using Milyoni's Social Live

 technology, fans worldwide can share the unique social experience as they engage with one another during the live event. Viewers can chat with friends, comment at specific points during the broadcast and invite others to watch the event.

Milyoni's Social Live broadcast will be available on the Animal House and Blues Brothers fan pages and will be available for $5.00 via Facebook Credits, PayPal or credit card. Fans can RSVP and prepay starting today HERE 

The event will also be simulcast to viewing parties at most House of Blues locations around the country using Social Live. Dan and Judy's profits from the March 5th webcast will be donated to International House of Blues Foundation® in the memory of John Belushi. In the works are subsequent live DVD and CD releases.

The March 5th anniversary concert by the Official Blues Brothers Revue also signals the return of Jake and Elwood Blues as a vibrant and vital brand spanning a wide range of properties and platforms, spearheaded by Panacea Entertainment's Eric Gardner on behalf of Dan Aykroyd

 and Judy Belushi. Initiatives on multiple fronts will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

The Blues Brothers were created by Aykroyd and John Belushi in the late 1970s and first appeared before a national audience as musical guest on Saturday Night Live. With initial musical guidance by Paul Shaffer (for the past 30 years musical director and sidekick on Late Show with David Letterman), the Blues Brothers evolved rapidly into a worldwide phenomenon encompassing touring, multi-platinum record albums, merchandising, and, ultimately, a timeless 1980 feature film directed by John Landis

.

The Official Blues Brothers Revue

March 5 at 8pm

The Rialto Square Theater

15 East Van Buren Street,

Joliet, Il 60432

 For tickets and information Click

Music From The Big House

 (DORIAN GEIGER/THE STARPHOENIX) Juno Award-winning blues songstress Rita Chiarelli has put a new spin on the term jailhouse rock.

Chiarelli, an Ontario-based musician, was recently a part of a musical collaboration and concert with Louisiana State Penitentiary inmates. Along with filmmaker Bruce McDonald, the concert was transformed into a documentary entitled Music from the Big House.

Click to see the Trailer

The film, screened at the Roxy Theatre as part of Saskatoon's Blues Festival, which runs until Sunday, depicts Chiarelli's musical journey through Louisiana's State Penitentiary, historically one of America's bloodiest prisons. She felt the Saskatoon audience received the film very well.

"They were very moved and emotional. A lot of people commented that the movie got them thinking about justice and forgiveness," Chiarelli said.

Chiarelli, called "the goddess of Canadian blues," was in the Southern United States roughly 10 years ago when an urge to witness life on the other side of the barbed wire compelled her to visit Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, where she partook in a jam session with the prison's inmates.

Over the years Chiarelli continued to collaborate with Angola's inmates until she approached McDonald with the idea of holding a live concert in the prison. At first, she said, the idea was for her to perform in front of the inmates, but it quickly evolved into a concert that included both her and Angola's prisoners.

"It was almost like an out-of-body experience," described Chiarelli. "I don't know how to explain it. It's hard to find the words. It's overwhelming thinking about the history walking through there. I don't know what to compare it to."

The penitentiary, often referred to as Angola or Alcatraz of the South, is bordered by the Mississippi River and is the largest maximum-security prison in the U.S., with an overwhelming majority of inmates who are serving life sentences for rape, murder and other violent crimes. Nearly tripling the size of the average Saskatchewan farm, Angola sits on a 72-squarekilometre piece of land.

Despite its violent past, Angola is situated in a state that is America's mecca of soul and blues - and the prison has fostered some impressive musical lore over the past century.

The live concert featured three inmate bands of various genres. Chiarelli performed blues, gospel and country with each of the bands and finished the concert with a grand finale that incorporated all of the bands. An audience of 800 people, including friends and family of Angola's inmates attended. Chiarelli said she has visited Angola nearly 10 times and each time is as "haunting" as the last - not just because of the prisoners housed there but because of Angola's murky past and its vast size. Before it was a prison, Angola was a slave plantation, further adding to the facility's dark, troubled mystique.

"It's quite a haunting place. There's something just compelling about the place. It used to be a violent, brutal, brutal place. There's been more suffering on that piece of land than anywhere else in America. It went from plantation to a very corrupt, violent and brutal prison. It's legendary." Chiarelli added.

Before Angola, Chiarelli had never stepped foot into a U.S. prison. A decade later, she still maintains a relationship with the penitentiary and its inmates.

Ray Jones was one inmatemusician who struck a chord with the blues singer during her time at Angola. When Chiarelli met Jones, he had been residing in Angola for upwards of 30 years on a manslaughter charge.

"I had a definite connection with him. He's someone who has definitely repented, but it has changed his life a lot. A lot of these guys are victims of circumstance and it really hurts. You don't know what you would do in that circumstance," said Chiarelli. 

Click for more

Concert For Candye

Candye Kane – The Toughest Girl Alive – has licked pancreatic cancer once before. Now, the cancer is back and the blues singer needs our help.

Candye’s embarked on an ambitious series of medical procedures to attack her cancer. Her insurance won’t cover some of those costs and she’ll need living expenses since she won’t be able to perform as often in the weeks ahead.

WHAT:

A benefit concert for Candye Kane medical and living expenses.

 Click for more 

Two Day Mini Fest To Open 2012 Season In Rentiesville!! 

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Chocolate Blues and Business Networking Festivals

The purpose of Chocolate Blues is... to bring decision makers together in a fun and productive environment.  Our goal is to grow your professional network and to connect you with hundreds of like minded professionals in one day.  Chocolate Blues features a business expo, open networking, door prizes, on the spot appointment setting, ice breakers, networking games, round table workshops, a giant business card exchange, business coaching, brainstorming circles, book signings, media mixers, blues music and of course, chocolate treats!

Hundreds, sometimes thousands of people attend our events.  The size of Chocolate Blues varies from city to city.  Some of our events draw a crowd of 500-800 professionals.  Others draw a larger crowd of 1,000-1,500 and some of our events have had more than 2,500 attendees!  Our largest event to date we had 2,730 in attendance!  No matter what the size of the event, Chocolate Blues™ is NEVER LACKING in high-quality, SOLID business connections.   

Vendor Spots Available: Showcase your business in our expo as one of our featured vendors. Display your products, and services, collect leads, set appointments, give demonstrations, conduct mini workshops, unveil new product lines, take surveys, sell items, distribute literature and find new customers and referral partners.  Our vendor fees are low, ranging from $200-$300 depending on location.  

2012 Events:

THE SEAN COSTELLO MEMORIAL FUND FOR BIPOLAR RESEARCH 

THE SEAN COSTELLO MEMORIAL FUND

FOR BIPOLAR RESEARCH PRESENTS 

 BEAUTIFUL MINDS:

Bipolar Disorder Lecture and Performance Series

 Part Two: Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Dependence  

DATE: 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM

PLACE: 

Briarcliff Campus of Emory University 

1256 Briarcliff Rd, Building A, 3rd Floor Auditorium

Atlanta, GA 30306

WHO: 

   The Emory University Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program& The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research

WHAT: 

The Emory University Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program and The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research are sponsoring a series of lectures on bipolar disorder, accompanied by performances by creative people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The topics are appropriate for any audience, including families, caregivers, educators and people wanting to know more about the disease.   The second lecture in a series, "Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Dependence" will be held at the Briarcliff Campus of Emory University. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information please contact Debbie Smith.

"I've got a light that keeps on shining..."   

~ Sean Costello

Video of the Week

March 6, 2011 - Janiva Magness performs "I Won't Cry" in the Bing Lounge at 101.9 KINK.FM. Portland, OR 

Click for video 

Harlem Blues Summit Brings Music Legends Out

            Left to right: Saxophonist Eddie Shaw, Keith Richards,

         Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Kim Wilson 

(Joe Connelly)

(Chris Francescani/cbsnews.com) In an extraordinary show of musical force, some of the greatest blues musicians alive converged on Harlem's storied Apollo Theater Friday night to honor the legendary Hubert Sumlin, longtime guitarist for blues pioneer Howlin' Wolf.

Rolling Stone Keith Richards traded licks with Eric Clapton on Wolf's hit "Spoonful," and played piercing, 12-string slide guitar beside blues harp pioneer James Cotton on "Little Red Rooster." Buddy Guy brought the house down with a thundering interpretation of Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man." Elvis Costello sauntered on stage unannounced to play the Dixon classic "Hidden Charms."

Jody Williams and Eddie Shaw - Wolf's original guitar player and saxophonist, tore through "Sittin' On Top Of the World." Keb Mo', Robert Randolph, Doyle Bramhall II, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes from the Allman Brothers, and Texans Jimmy Vaughan and Gary Clark Jr. were also among the night's many headliners.

Sumlin, a blues giant who died in December of heart failure, is one of the most influential blues guitarists in American music history. He developed a sound so potent that Pfizer licensed the rights to his 1950s signature riff from "Smokestack Lightnin'" for the company's Viagra commercials. He would have turned 80 on Friday.

Like so many of the first era of recorded blues greats, Sumlin died in poverty. Richards and Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger paid his funeral expenses. The concert was a benefit for the Jazz Foundation, which aids poverty-stricken blues and jazz musicians, many of them anonymously.

For more than four hours, the spirit of Sumlin's muscular sound rang through the packed house, as blues royalty arrived on stage in a staggering succession of once-in-a-lifetime collaborations.

Click for the rest