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Greetings from your Editor...
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February is Black History Month
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I try to pay honor where it's due. Being a blues musician as well having that genre and its roots entrenched into my life for many, many years, I deeply respect where the blues came from and where it's going. I cherish the work done by the forefathers as well as the frontrunners of this music, this lifestyle if you will, longing for a blues fix and the passion and truth that lies within. I can't help but associate Black History Month with the Blues... a part of American History. Not only the unimaginable struggles that raised it and named it but the figures that many associate it with like W.C. Handy, Robert Johnson, Son House, Huddie Ledbetter, Charley Patton, Maime Smith, Willie Dixon, Ma Rainey, Muddy Waters and on and countless others that left and leave indelible footprints.
Obviously blues musicians are not even the tip of the iceberg of why this month of observance was created and we do honor them no matter the month... not black, not white, just blues. But, for me anyway, this month brings even more focus to the path that has carried the blues. Go and do some research one "Black History Month" and make your discoveries.
"In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Our BFG girls Cheryl O'Grady Yearnshaw, Willette and Belinda had a simply amazing time in Memphis during IBC. They want to thank Joe and Jay and all the folks at the Blues Foundation for their hospitality.
Birthdays of Note: Jan 30 Ruth Brown (1928); Jan 31 Roosevelt Sykes (1906), Chuck Willis (1928), Paul deLay (1952), Charlie Musselwhite (1944), Big Time Sarah (1953), Feb 1 Leroy Foster (1923), Sonny Landreth (1951), Feb 3 Johnny "Guitar" Watson (1935), Jody Williams (1935), Feb 5 Al Kooper (1944), Feb 6 Bob Marley (1945).
Your ever-grateful editor,
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CONGRATS TO WINNERS OF OUR IBC REGISTRATION CONTEST (clockwise):
1st Place - Custom e-Blast: Gary Small / Wyoming Blues & Jazz Society / Gary Small & the Coyote Brothers
2nd Place - 3 mo sq web banner: Great Lakes Blues Society / Chuckee Zehr (courtesy of winner Sylvia van der Hoek)
3rd Place- 6 wks e-Guide sq banner: Rick Cain / Kentuckiana Blues Society / HooDoo Blues Band
4th Place - 4 Wks sq web banner: Josh Miller / Grand River Blues Society / Pappy Johns Band
5th Place- 4 wks sq web banner: Robert Higginbotham / Smoky Mountain Blues Society / GRITS From Dumplin Valley
  *BIG THANKS & CONGRATS TO EVERYONE THAT STOPPED BY OUR BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE TABLE DURING IBC REGISTRATION!
Thanks, Cheryl O'Grady-Yearnshaw - BFG Sales Manager
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Send us fave photos with the Annual BFG Magazine
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While at the IBC in Memphis, TN, Cheryl and Willette ran into Lloyd Johnson of Sam Joyner's Band and owner of Teddy's Juke Joint in Zachary, LA.
Photo: Willette Romious
Email your fave photos plus caption & credit to:
You can enjoy the magazine in digital format! Click on cover at right to check out the online digital version!
Want a hard copy to have and to hold? Check with your local blues society or look for one at a blues festival or find order information here. ...
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Hard Garden :: BLUE YONDER
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 Modern blues tend to fall into several basic categories. However, occasionally a new band is so startlingly original as to knock expectations upside the head. The Seattle trio Hard Garden spring from stark, shamanistic Delta blues and elements of popular music like sequencers and digital beats to conjure a debut album quite unlike anything on satellite blues radio...like in the wild Blue Yonder.
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Son Jack, Jr. is joined by Michael Wilde (harp, vocals) and Garrett Williams (guitar, percussion, bass and keyboards) on 10 genre-busting originals and one cover.
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Terry Gillespie :: BLUESOUL
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 Bluesoul was recorded live at the 2012 Maxville Musicfest, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. It’s not cliche blues but kind of old school, kind of trippy, like Mark Knopfler, JJ Cale or JB Lenior, Terry is a player whose comfortable voice perfectly suits his economical deep guitar grooves.
Terry Gillespie, a sixtysomething bluesman, feels he’s getting close to his ideal musical hybrid by playing the music of the earliest Blues players and mining back to the roots of what inspired them, you will note ‘not a lot of guitar’ features in Terry’s tunes and what you hear is inspirational.
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8th Annual Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival Line-up
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 The City of Clearwater is excited to welcome back the 8th Annual Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival on the 15th & 16th of February at Coachman Park, 301 Drew St. Clearwater, FL. This annual festival has brought the perfect combination of waterfront views, delectable seafood, and award winning blues artists since 2007. Previous artists include, Jonny Lang, Taj Mahal, and Johnny Winter.
The Festival is a unique forum for satisfying your seafood cravings while enjoying some of the best blues music around. It provides an annual rendezvous for admirers of both food and music. Our festival offers the best Gulf Coast delights such as jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, oysters, crawfish, gumbo and more.
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Blind Boys of Alabama, Curtis Salgado & Maria Muldaur Headline Blast Furnace Blues February 7-9
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 It may be cold outside, but SteelStacks in Bethlehem is coming alive with three scorchin’ days of music when the ArtsQuest Center hosts the third Blast Furnace Blues festival February 7-9. The event is presented by Highmark Blue Shield.
This year’s lineup is packed with amazing artists like GRAMMY winners the Blind Boys of Alabama, 2013 Blues Music Awards Entertainer of the Year Curtis Salgado and Maria Muldaur & the Midnight Scramble. You’ll enjoy music by 20 different acts, plus an incredible Blues Brunch with Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington and the Roadmasters on Sunday and special performance workshops with some of the region’s finest musicians.
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Buddy Guy, Michael McDonald & Irma Thomas Headline 20th Tampa Bay Blues Festival
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 The Tampa Bay Blues Festival returns to the sunny shores of Tampa Bay on April 11, 12, & 13, 2014. This festival will be our 20th year anniversary and we have a spectacular line up of blues talent – Michael McDonald, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tommy Castro, James Hunter, Coco Montoya, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Shemekia Copeland and others round out three great days of "Blues by the Bay."
We have advance purchase discount VIP packages with front stage seating, free drinks and food and a large shade tent. The festival also features a Kick-Off Party on Thursday night and two After-Shows at the historic Palladium Theater on Friday and Saturday following the shows.
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Hop over the Pacific for Byron Bay Bluesfest – Easter 2014
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 What were your New Year’s resolutions this year? Travel more? See live music? Meet new people? Down Under Answer has the solution to mark them all off right now!
Australia’s premier blues and roots festival is gearing up to celebrate its 25th birthday, April 17–21 and all the stops have been pulled out to throw a spectacular five-day party that you will never forget! With an incredibly lineup featuring some of the world’s biggest names in blues, roots, soul, gospel, R&B and rock giving more than 200 amazing performances across seven stages, do not miss this chance to experience the 25th anniversary Bluesfest.
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Lancaster Roots and Blues ...A Festival of Music Feb 21-22
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 Join in on the most exciting festival in Lancaster, Feb 21-22. Lancaster Roots and Blues is a Festival of Music over two evenings at five great, indoor venues on nine stages in beautiful downtown Lancaster PA.
The event will feature a variety of blues, folk, jazz, bluegrass, funk & soul, zydeco, polka, a touch of rock and roots reggae. The roster of over 50 bands includes Grammy winning national acts as well as some of the best regional and local bands. Stock up on this year's hottest roots and blues merchandise. 10% of all sales of artists’ merchandise will go to Music for Everyone. Support the artists AND a great non-profit!
Buy tickets for one or both nights here. This is a 21 and over event.
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30th International Blues Challenge Winners
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 The 30th International Blues Challenge (IBC), the world's largest gathering of blues acts—concluded its five-day run on world famous Beale Street in downtown Memphis with a full day of performances before a full house at the Orpheum Theatre. Narrowed from a record 255 acts from 40 states and 16 countries (and four continents), the 8 solo/ duo and 9 band finalists vied for the top prizes before an esteemed panel of judges.
Here are the results:
Band
- 1st Place: Mr. Sipp (Vicksburg Blues Society)
Photo here of Mr. Sipp by Roger Stephenson Photography
- 2nd Place: Ghost Town Blues Band (Memphis Blues Society)
- 3rd Place: Billy the Kid & Regulators (Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania)
- Gibson Guitarist (top guitarist of band finalists): Mr. Sipp
Solo/Duo
- 1st Place: Tim Williams (Calgary Blues Music Association)
- 2nd Place: Lucious Spiller (Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas Inc.)
- St. Blues Guitarist (top guitarist among solo/duo finalists): Tim Williams
Lee Oskar Harmonica Player (top harmonica player among semi-finalists): Jerome Godboo (Toronto Blues Society)
Best Self-Produced CD: Account to Me - Hank Mowery
(West Michigan Blues Society)
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The Blues Highway... the story of Route 61
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 “If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six.”
Bobby Troup wrote those words in 1946, making Route 66 the most famous road in American musical mythology, but perhaps that honor should belong to another of the great thoroughfares that snake their way across the United States. It might be less known and less heralded, but Route 61 is a road that has a strong claim to be the one that best represents the musical soul of the country it crosses.
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Yep... OUR SHIP KICKED ASS!
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 Nancy Edwards, our illustrious former marketing director, and Gordon Bulcock our former longtime e-Guide editor were on the Jan 2014 LRBC repping the Blues Festival Guide and had an absolute ball from all accounts. They've posted some photos on our Facebook page with captions that say it all like: "Loving life" - "Face is starting to hurt from smiling and laughing so much." "OMG this was good. Shrimp Creole, Ribs, Carribbean Rice" - "One of the very best days of my life....ever!" - "Yep OUR SHIP KICKS ASS!" Here's one of their photos from the Sail-Away party on the back deck.
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Blues Foundation News: - Blues Hall of Fame Update
- Generation Blues Scholarship Program
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 Blues Hall of Fame UpdateThe 2014 Blues Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in mid-February. The Blues Foundation has surpassed the $2 million mark in pledges and donations. They have now raised 80% of the projected $2.5 million needed. They hope to raise the rest this spring and begin construction this June. In appreciation of their generosity, all donors of $5000 or more will be guests of The Blues Foundation at the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony Wednesday, May 7.
Generation Blues
The Blues F oundation expanded its longstanding Blues in the Schools youth education efforts with a new initiative that began in 2010 entitled Generation Blues. This scholarship program allows qualified applicants under the age of 21 to study their instrument of choice at reputable camps, seminars and workshop programs such as Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, Augusta Heritage Center and Fernando Jones' Columbia College Blues Camp. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2014. Click here for details.
(Pic) Bear Hutchinson, 2012 and 2013 Generation Blues Scholarship Recipient
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#23 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise Great Lineup
+ Remaining Cabins are on Sale Now... go for it!
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Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise #23 Mexican Riviera • Oct. 4~11, 2014
Roundtrip from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas & Mazatlan
Open Cabin Sales on Sale now!
Very Important: In order to select a stateroom for the #23 Mexican Riviera cruise you will need to have your user name and password. This will allow you to access our reservation system. If you have forgotten your user name/password, click to reset. Unsure or need help creating an account?
Please email Bluesin@BluesCruise.com.
LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES CRUISE
313 Lawrence Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
For reservations & info see:
More Than A Cruise... More Than A Festival... More Than You Can Imagine!
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Detroit Blues Society event 2/11 ~ Phoenix Blues Blast 3/8
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 Benny Reeves and the Paul Carey Trio will perform 7-10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Plymouth Elks Club, 41700 Ann Arbor Road, Plymouth. The event, sponsored by the Detroit Blues Society, is part of the monthly Blues@The Elks music series. Tickets are $5 at the door. Reeves has serious Motown roots as a founding member of the Contours and the brother of Motown legend Martha Reeves. _________________________________________________________________
 The 23rd Annual Blues Blast, presented by The Phoenix Blues Society, 501(c)(3), will take place March 8, 2014 at Margaret T. Hance Park at 3rd St. & Moreland near downtown Phoenix. Gates 10am, music 11am. Headliners: Samantha Fish and Sugar Ray Rayford with the Rhythm Room All-stars will join The Mike Eldred Trio, Paul Cruize Blues Crew and Leon J’s Juke Joint. Local favorite Hans Olson will provide entertainment between acts throughout the afternoon. ...
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Robert Randolph is an amazing pedal steel guitar player. He picked up his ability as a boy and young man playing in his church. Luckily for the rest of us, he brought that skill and fire to the secular world. He is back along with his relatives -- Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The CD is called Lickety Split.
Robert Randolph rides with Elwood. Next time in the BluesMobile.
For a list of stations where you can find BluesMobile Radio Click Here |
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Mr. Sipp ... "If Loving You Is Crazy"
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Did you know that I do Custom Comic Strips & Comic Pages as gifts?
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Roots Blues Airplay Charts
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To view our entire calendar of more than 500 festivals, click here! |
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ATTENTION:
FESTIVAL PROMOTERS
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LIST YOUR FESTIVAL WITH US FREE!
Website - E-Guide - Magazine
If you host or know of a Blues Festival & don't see here or in our online listings...
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FOR TONS MORE FESTIVAL LISTINGS SEE OUR COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE
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Friday - Saturday
January 24th - February 1st 2014
Ferndale, Michigan USA
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February 1st 2014
Mt. Martha, Victoria Australia
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Friday-Saturday
February 7th-8th 2014
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania USA
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| | Friday-Sunday
February 7th-9th 2014
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania USA
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Saturday
February 8th 2014
Des Moines, Iowa USA
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| | Thursday-Sunday
February 13th-16th 2014
Boquete, Chiriqui Panama
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Saturday-Sunday
February 15th-16th 2014
Clearwater, Florida USA
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| | Saturday-Sunday
February 15th-16th 2014
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
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Saturday-Sunday
February 15th-16th 2014
Mumbai, Maharashtra India
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| | Friday-Saturday
February 21st-22nd, 2014
Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA
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Sunday
February 23rd 2014
Anaheim, California USA
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| | Monday - Sunday
February 24th-March 2nd 2014
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
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 RBA Publishing Inc is based in Reno, Nevada USA. We are woman owned and operated.
We produce the annual Blues Festival Guide magazine (publishing our 11th annual in 2013), affiliated with the top-ranking website: www.BluesFestivalGuide.com, and this weekly blues newsletter: The Blues Festival E-Guide with approximately 28,500 weekly subscribers.
Contact our home office to find out how to advertise in this e-weekly newsletter. Call 775-337-8344.
Information both editorial and advertising in the Blues Festival E-Guide is believed to be correct but not guaranteed. Double check info carefully before you attend any event or send money for anything. We do not write the news... we just report it.
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