Blues fans in the know are snatching up what is easily the most adventurous overview yet of the career and music of British Blues Legend John Mayall. "Essentially John Mayall", includes five CDs of pure blues'n'boogie from the man who gave Eric Clapton—and so many others—their starts.

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers were the key component in the 1960s blues craze that ping-ponged back to the States from England after Brit rockers emulated Black American blues artists. In their strict devotion to both the rural and urban blues traditions, these Brits became arguably as authentic as the pioneers they originally copied. Mayall, over the course of four decades, has never wavered from his original premise, that spark of pure blues dynamite that may have transcended into rock'n'roll every now and then, but remained as loyal and steadfast to the I-IV-V blues progression as any Deep South backwoods warbler.

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of his classic Bluesbreakers album with Clapton, this box includes—in their entirety—such stellar studio works as Padlock In The Blues, Along For The Ride and Stories. Disc #4 contains Mayall's celebrated 70th Birthday Party concert with Mick Taylor, Clapton, Chris Barber and others. Disc #5 is a 70-minute+ bonanza of previously unreleased material of Mayall with Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Clapton, Taylor, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Buddy Whittington and others.
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"Hard street preachin’ soul blues collides with psychedelic swamp funk. Evoking the spirits of Otis Redding, Captain Beefheart and Blind Lemon Jefferson.”

The Imperial Crowns are four hard working souls who have put their hearts and minds together to create music that is traditional yet contemporary. Each with an extensive background in the rough and tumble LA music scene, but never sucked into the machine.

The songs jump off the CD with ferocity. Live on stage you'll witness something like a tent revival. 

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Every year for the last twelve, legendary three-time Grammy Award winning Delbert McClinton has leased a cruise ship and filled it full of his musicial friend and fans. The tone is spontaneous. It's about independence, artistic integrity, talent, originality, and mutual respect. Dozens of new songs are introduced. New creative relationsips are formed.

This is a floating music festival, song-writing clinc and musicians's retreat, designed to help artists and audience alike recharge their batteries and celebrate another trip around the sun.

Rocking the Boat is a musical conversation and journey, starring Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball, Rodney Crowell and many, many more. Rocking the Boat was shot with 5 high def cameras and 2 designated 24-track digital audio recorders. Rocking the Boat combines interviews shot in the homes and on the road with artists, and live performances shot mostly on Sandy Beaches Cruise #12.

For more information click here

Contest Results

.These lucky readers WON Bobby Rush's DVD

"Live at Ground Zero"

Congratulation to:

 Steve Cheseborough -- Portland, OR

Greg Hermanns -- Cincinnati, OH

Brad Rowe -- Glenview, IL

Nancy Moreman -- Mt. Pleasant, SC

Tim Ahern -- Tampa, FL

Rozanne Chamberlain -- Mineral Wells, TX

Rob Oliphant  -- Model City, NY

Ron Carroll -- unknown

Joe Kosmal -- Brackenridge, PA

Kent Hoover-- Arlington, VA

The final round of judging in the Best Self Produced CD is just around the corner. Round three was a real challenge for the judges. They reported a difficult time in choosing from the remaining entries. The following acts will be judged at the International Blues Challenge Febuary 1-3, 2007 and the winner will be announced at Band finals in the Orpheum Theater.

1.Mainly Blue ---Charles Pasi (Blues sur Siene – France)

2.Headed South – Blue Stew & Friends (Santa Barbara Blues Society)

3.We Are Mighty Lester – Mighty Lester (Triangle Blues Society)

4. If I Was a Fish – Matt Woods (Central Iowa Blues Society)

5. Rain of Days – Joe McMurrian (Cascade Blues Association)

Here are the nominees for the 28th Blues Music Awards, set for Thursday May 10, 2007 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis. Most of these nominees will be there having a good time, mingling with the fans. And you can be there mingling too....try doing that with the stars of rock or country! Attendance is open to the general public. Voting is open to all Blues Foundation members.  Click here for more information on voting and tickets.

Acoustic Album of the Year
John Long - Lost & Found
Bob Brozman - Blues Reflex
Guy Davis - Skunkmello
Rory Block - The Lady and Mr. Johnson
Cephas & Wiggins - Shoulder to Shoulder
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Cephas & Wiggins
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Paul Oscher
Rory Block
Guy Davis
Album of the Year
Charlie Musselwhite - Delta Hardware
Watermelon Slim & the Workers - Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Irma Thomas - After the Rain
Janiva Magness - Do I Move You?
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops - Live at Chan's
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
Bobby Rush
Bettye LaVette
Tab Benoit
Watermelon Slim
Lil' Ed
Band of the Year
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials
Mannish Boys
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Magic Slim & the Teardrops
Best New Artist Debut
James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
The Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Put it in the Alley
Eric Lindell - Change in the Weather
Slick Ballinger - Mississippi Soul
Dave Gross - Take the Gamble
Comeback Album of the Year
Andy Fairweather Low - Sweet Soulful Music
Chicago Bob Nelson - Flyin' Too High
Dion - Bronx in Blue
Jeremy Spencer - Precious Little
Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Marcia Ball
EG Kight
Barbara Blue
Janiva Magness
Shemekia Copeland
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Janiva Magness - Do I Move You?
Michael Powers - Prodigal Son
Guitar Shorty - We the People
Fiona Boyes - Lucky 13
John Mooney - Big Ol' Fiya
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Kim Wilson
Tab Benoit
Guitar Shorty
Ronnie Baker Brooks
Michael Powers
Historical Album of the Year
Delmark Records - Live at Theresa's 1975 - Junior Wells
Delta Groove Productions - Larger Than Life - Hollywood Fats Band
Delmark Records - All Your Love I Miss Loving - (Live at the Wise Fools Pub Chicago) - Otis Rush
Shout! Factory - Live at the Electric Ballroom 1974 - Freddie King
Shout! Factory - Hooker - John Lee Hooker
Instrumentalist-Bass
Bob Stroger
Larry Taylor
Mookie Brill
Bill Stuve
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones
Instrumentalist-Drums
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
Sam Carr
Sam Lay
Jimi Bott
Richard Innes
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Duke Robillard
Kid Ramos
Lurrie Bell
Nick Moss
Guitar Shorty
Hubert Sumlin
Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Charlie Musselwhite
Kim Wilson
Mark Hummel
Billy Branch
Big George Brock
James Harman
Mitch Kashmar
Instrumentalist-Horn
Deanna Bogart
Kaz Kazanoff
Calvin Owens
Eddie Shaw
Doug James
Greg Piccolo
Instrumentalist-Other
Robert Randolph - Steel Guitar
Rich Del Grosso - Mandolin
Otis Taylor - Banjo
Sonny Rhodes - Steel Guitar
Guy Davis - Banjo
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year
Mitch Woods
Marcia Ball
Floyd Dixon
Henry Butler
Dr. John
Honey Piazza
Song of the Year
"Icicles in My Meat Loaf" - Ed Williams, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Rattleshake
"Hard Times" - William Homans, Watermelon Slim & the Workers - Watermelon Slim & the Workers
"Church is Out" - Charlie Musselwhite, Charlie Musselwhite - Delta Hardware
"Baptized in Dirty Water" - Chris Thomas King, Chris Thomas King - Rise
"Prodigal Son" - Michael Murchison, Michael Powers - Prodigal Son
Soul Blues Album of the Year
Frankie Lee - Standing at the Crossroads
Irma Thomas - After the Rain
Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson Band - Master of the Game
Johnny Rawls - Heart & Soul
Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra- I Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog No More
James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
Trudy Lynn - I'm Still Here
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Bettye LaVette
Irma Thomas
Trudy Lynn
Mavis Staples
Sugar Pie DeSanto
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush
Frankie Lee
Mighty Sam McClain
Solomon Burke
Jackie Payne
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen - Live in Dallas
Charlie Musselwhite - Delta Hardware
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops - Live at Chan's
Big George Brock - Round Two
Watermelon Slim & the Workers - Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Zora Young
Diunna Greenleaf
Etta James
Nora Jean Bruso
Ruth Brown
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
Charlie Musselwhite
Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Big George Brock
Hubert Sumlin
Watermelon Slim
 

The GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 11, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Brother To The Blues/Tab Benoit With Louisiana's Leroux
Bronx In Blue/Dion
People Gonna Talk/James Hunter
Guitar Groove-A-Rama/Duke Robillard
Risin' With The Blues/Ike Turner

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Live From Across The Pond/Robert Cray Band
Sippiana Hericane/Dr. John & The Lower 911
Suitcase/Keb' Mo'
Hope And Desire/Susan Tedeschi
After The Rain/Irma Thomas 
 

Saturday, February 17
Taj Mahal and Los Lobos

Santa Cruz Civic - 307 Church Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Doors 7:00pm/Show 8:00pm
All Ages

Tickets for reserved seats are $65 or $55, + service charge.
General admission tickets are $35, + service charges.
Ticket prices increase by $5 day of show.
Tickets available at the Civic Auditorium Box Office, 831-420-5260 or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster outlets.

For more info go to www.santacruzcivic.com

Join Good Vibez and Otter Productions for an intimate acoustic evening with Taj Mahal and Los Lobos on February 17 at the Santa Cruz Civic! Expect not only the classics from each artist but also songs they save for acoustic shows only and exceptional collaborations between the two. 

     Describe legendary musician Taj Mahal in a single word or phrase?  Impossible.  You could call him a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, ethnomusicologist, two-time Grammy-winner, world traveler, fisherman or cigar aficionado.  These titles are all accurate, yet none convey the warmth, humor, and soulfulness of Taj and his music.

     Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music – variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations – for more than 40 years.  Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation.

     What ties it all together is Taj’s abiding interest in musical discovery, particularly in tracing many American musical forms back to their roots in Africa and Europe.  Following his passion, Taj has spent time in the Caribbean, West Africa, Hawaii, Europe, the South Pacific, Australia, South America and all over the continental US.  His music reflects his global perspective, incorporating sounds from everywhere he’s lived and traveled.

     Starting 2007 with a twist, Los Lobos the three-time Grammy-winning band will put down their electric instruments and instead pick up their guitarones, jaranas and bajo sextos for a 16 city acoustic tour.   The band will be treating audiences to the sounds of classic Los Lobos tunes, some material from their new album The Town and the City, and traditional folkloric songs from Latin America, including Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Mexico.  Focusing on the rich diversity of Mexico’s music, where the vocal treatment, instrumentation and rhythm differ from region to region, the music is sure to invigorate the soul as only Los Lobos can.

     After 34 years of making music, Los Lobos is still churning out inventive and inspiring music as evidenced on their most recent album, The Town and the City, released September 12, 2006.  With this album, the band circles back to what the New York Times calls “the thoughtful territory….some roots-rock, some Caribbean rhythms, some rangy guitar and some existential reflections creating a rediscovered a sense of mystery.”   (Jon Pareles, New York Times Review, 9/12/06).  The Town and The City has been hailed by many as the band's best album in years, already laying claim to World Cafe's ‘Top 10 CDs of 2006'  and  metacritic.com's  '30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year', where its number 10.  For those who thought they had Los Lobos pegged, this album will surely change their minds and for those who are not yet fans, this will be the album to convert them.
 

Tickets available at the Civic Auditorium Box Office, 831-420-5260 or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster outlets.

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Good News...
REV. BILLY C. WIRTZ was finally released from the hospital the Friday before Christmas.  David, his brother, stayed through the holiday to make sure he transitioned okay.  He is still pretty weak and tires easily just talking on the phone.  He has lost about 15 pounds.  As far as we know, he has stayed away from cigars and is working on a plan that involves a lifestyle more likely to enhance his life.  He plans to keep his January dates, although he may find someone to help with the drives outside of FL. As you would expect, he is very impatient about how slowly he is regaining his strength.

Black Snake Moan, staring Samuel L. Jackson as an aging blues singer will debut at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival which runs Jan. 18-28 in a variety of Salt Lake and Park City locations.

The  movie also stars Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake.

New West Records will release the original soundtrack to Black Snake Moan January 30, 2007 one month ahead of the nationwide theatrical release from Paramount Vantage.

For his portal of reformed bluesman Lazarus, Jackson honed his singing chops and took guitar lessons before picking the the Gibson ES-335 - custom painted purple - that he plays in the movie.

R.L. Burnside was the musical inspiration for the film. The soundtrack includes performances from such blues notables as Son House, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Bobby Rush, and  Precious Bryant (and thankfully, nothing from Justin Timberlake).

NoteWorthy Kidz

The Northeast Blues Society, a community leader for over thirteen years in the promotion of local, regional, national, and international blues music and blues music as an art form, is announcing a new program that will be dedicated to supporting and enhancing music knowledge among school-aged children.

The program, headed by C. Scott Heller, will be called NoteWorthy Kidz. NoteWorthy Kidz is dedicated to celebrating diversity and encouraging growth of children and learning communities creating musicians for life.

To provide start up funding for NoteWorthy Kidz, Schenectady County Community College is sponsoring a Midwinter Music Festival to benefit NoteWorthy Kidz January 6th, 13th, and 20th 2007. This event is being offered in conjunction with the Northeast Blues Society, NoteWorthy Kidz, Panera Bread, and Ambition Coffee House and Eatery. The festival will showcase some of the best in local musical talent.

Details for this event are available at www.noteworthykidz.org

CONTACT: C. Scott Heller, Program Director NoteWorthy Kidz, (518) 466-3381, scottheller@noteworthykidz.org.