Now residing in Portland Oregon, Frank Goldwasser's Blues path started in Paris France where he was born. It then took him to Oakland to play with blues legends on stages throughout the Bay area. His journey also included a short stay in Southern California where this album was recorded. Frank's amazing sense of song interpretation mixed with The Alastair Greene Band's ability to play a multitude of Blues styles makes for what is sure to be one of the most interesting Blues albums to be released in many years. This recording will please traditionalists as well as people looking for new twists and turns in Blues and early R&B. You will not want to miss the dueling guitar insanity that ensues, nor the priceless song selection of classics and obscurities that will keep this CD in your player for a long time to come.

For more information click here

Jony dares to be different. Throw preconceived notions out the window and open mind and ears to inspired song writing and tasty playing. Jony's original contemporary "SURVIVAL BLUES" showcase his inventive guitar skills matched by no one currently on the circuit. Jony's lyrics set him ahead of the Blues pack. His "SURVIVAL BLUES" are his own and he doesn't play it safe! The true essence of an important artist is to be yourself. Listen, dare to be different!! 

For more information click here

The next contest is already in the works. 
Keep reading for your chance to win.

COMO, MISSISSIPPI—Jimbo Mathus, producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has re-opened his popular Delta Recording Service in Como, Mississippi.
 
The studio, previously located in Clarksdale, Mississippi, produced over 70 projects in just over a year, including Grammy and Handy award-winners and nominees Elvis Costello, Big George Brook, and Duwayne Burnside.
 
 The facility brings together top-tier Mississippi and Memphis producers, engineers, writers and session men and women in a dynamic, energetic environment.  The result is a recording studio that enables artists to create fully realized recordings that are affordable and high-quality.

The facility also houses a new exhibition, sponsored by the JMH Foundation, in the lobby area that features an archive of photographs, recordings and memorabilia honoring traditional musician families from Northern Mississippi: Hemphills, McDowells, Burnside, Kimbroughs, Stricklands, Pratchers, Youngs and Turners.
 
The collection includes face casts of local musical legend Jessie Mae Hemphill (after whom the JMH Foundation is named), Othar Turner, RL Burnside and T Model Ford.

Click here for more information

The Recording Academy® announced the newest additions to its GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®, adding 44 recordings to a timeless list that now includes 728 titles. The Hall Of Fame serves as a celebration and reminder of the triumphs and achievements of the recording arts. Every year, the Recording Academy honors "recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old."
 
Just some of this year's honorees include:

"Cheap Thrills" -- Big Brother & The Holding Company
"The Tracks of My Tears" -- The Miracles
"My Aim Is True" -- Elvis Costello
"Whole Lotta Love" -- Led Zeppelin
"Lean on Me" -- Bill Withers
"Brown Eyed Girl" -- Van Morrison
"Happy Together" -- The Turtles
"Who's Next" -- The Who
"Walk Right In" -- Cannon's Jug Stompers

For a complete list click here

If anyone needs a room for Memphis - Feb 1-3 please email Linda Kibak at bigcityblues@lindentravel.com or call 1-800-765-8241. She has over a dozen rooms left at The Best Western - two blocks from Beale St. -around $80 per night. She will have to cancel them on January 16th.

There may also a few rooms at the host hotel, The Doubletree now as well. Contact Pam Palko at 901.334.4600 or Moniqua Johnson at 901.334.4602 to get a room there. Those are about $109 plus taxes.

The 2007 International Blues Challenge will see a record number of acts from a record number of places once again. The number of competing acts has more than doubled in the past five years, from 69 acts in 2003 to over 150 in 2007. We expect 157 acts from 34 states and eight countries, including first-time entries from Finland and India as well as Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Taiwan and the United States.
 
Wristbands will be sold on Beale Street for the Semifinals on Thursday ($10) and Friday ($15). Tickets to the Band Finals on Saturday afternoon ($27) are available directly from the Orpheum Theater. Tickets for the Solo/Duo finals at the New Daisy Theater, if available, will be sold at the door that night.

Click here for more information

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. 

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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As many of you must have heard by now (since it has become international news), the downtown Chicago Blues Club, "Buddy Guy's Legends" will be moving to a new space in the near future.  Legends has asked The Blues Festival E-Guide to help squash any rumors that may be circulating.  Legends is NOT closed, is NOT closing, but are simply moving their location.

Columbia College acquired the building that the club occupies in 1999.  The agreement made 8  years ago was that Legends would need to find a new home.  It looks like the move will be taking place sooner rather than later.  Columbia is being kind and flexible and insists that Legends will not be kicked out if they are not ready to move into a new place by the end of the lease.  That said, it is unclear exactly when they will be out of 754 S. Wabash and in a new home.

Buddy plans to stay in the downtown Chicago area, and he is personally reviewing all the available options.

Click here for more information

We asked several people, who are in the business of listening to all the new blues CDs, to tell us their personal favorites from 2006.
 
First up, is the list from Hal Horowitz.  Hal contributes reviews to Blues Revue, Amazon.com, All Music Guide. American Songwriter and other publications.

Hal's list in no particular order.

Charlie Musselwhite-Delta Hardware
Eric Burdon-Soul of a Man
Scrapomatic-Alligator Love Cry
J-W Jones-Kissing in 20 Days
*Sue Foley-New Used Car
Derek Trucks Band-Songlines
Andy Fairweather Low-Sweet Soulful Music
Duke Robillard-Guitar Groove-A-Rama
Fiona Boyes-Lucky 13
Gov’t Mule-Mr. High and Mighty
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops-Live at Chan’s
Little Ed & the Blues Imperials-Rattleshake
Paul Mark & the Van Dorans-Trick Fiction
James Hunter-People Gonna Talk
Eddie Turner-The Turner Diaries
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
The Ford Blues Band-The Butterfield/Bloomfield Concert
Mitch Kashmar-Wake Up and Worry
The Black Keys-Magic Potion
Janiva Magness-Do I Move You

Reissues
John Lee Hooker Box Set-Hooker
Buddy Guy Box Set-Can’t Quit the Blues
Ronnie Earl-The Best of; Heart and Soul

Delta Groove recording artist Mitch Kashmar will be joining the rank and file in a long line of widely respected musicians as the latest addition to the legendary band War. An American original, War was the first and most successful musical crossover phenomenon that forever fused rock, jazz, Latin and R&B, while transcending racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up. Most widely recognized for their contributions to American music with the songs "Lowrider", "The Cisco Kid" and "Spill The Wine", the band has also featured many influential performers over their 35+ year history including Eric Burdon and Lee Oskar, which has resulted in an enduring influence that has sold nearly 25 million records. You can expect to see Mitch reporting for duty, armed with his trusty harp and hittin' the road this year as he assumes his role as the newest member of War. http://www.wartheband.com

Mississippi is home to many festivals and other events that celebrate the state’s unique culture and history. The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) and the Mississippi Development Authority’s (MDA) Tourism Division have been active supporters of many of these events through grants and other services. Both agencies recognize the challenges faced by community groups that produce festivals. Therefore MAC and MDA have come together to produce their second annual workshop (offered in two different locations) that will provide training and networking opportunities for festival coordinators from around the state.

Presenters include independent folklorist and production coordinator Aimee Schmidt, and The Blues Festival Guide's own Cheryl O'Grady-Yearnshaw. Cheryl will be presenting  an overview of the basics of festival promotion, plus provide a look at some of the newer strategies being utilized by events around the country.

Cheryl is a long-time blues fan, promoter, and owner of COG Promotions, a privately held business of artist management and promotions. She is also a Marketing/Advertising Representative for the Blues Festival Guide. Cheryl is one of the founders of the Reno Blues Society and was instrumental in presenting over 35 blues shows featuring headliners including Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Koko Taylor and many others.

The workshops are scheduled for
*Tuesday, January 16th – Natchez Convention Center
*Thursday, January 18th – Clarksdale Station Depot, Clarksdale

There is no charge to attend the workshops. For questions about reservations, contact: Kimberly Green – Tourism Division at (601) 359-3424 or kgreen@mississippi.org

Monday, February 12, 2007
Monday Night Blues Lectures and Performance
8:00 p.m. to midnight
Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second Street Oakland, CA
Admission: $5 donation
Lecture on the history of Oakland Blues and performance. Series held every Monday during Black History Month. Presented by the Bay Area Blues Society.
(510) 836-2227/(707) 647-3962 or htttp://www.bayareabluessociety.net

Hi there! I want to announce the formation of a new blues society here in Texas. We are the Texas Panhandle Blues Society and became Affiliates of the Blues Foundation at the end of December, 2006. I want to thank the folks at the Foundation and the members of the Houston Blues Society for all the help (and they helped a lot) in getting everything together.

We are in Lubbock, Texas - home of the late great Buddy Holly as well as the home of Delbert McClinton. Our contact information is listed on the Affiliates page of the Blues Foundation. We are looking forward to getting out this year and attending some events put on by other societies in the region.

Thank you,

Billy Brown
Events Coordinator
Texas Panhandle Blues Society
Lubbock, TX

PS our web site is under construction - the URL http://www.texaspanhandleblues.org/ and will be up soon (we hope!)

Wild Women Never Get the Blues, Madison, Wisconsin
hosted by Madison Blues Society (www.madisonbluessociety.com)
When:              Saturday, January 27, 2007, 8:30 pm (doors open at 7:30 pm)
Where:             High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave. Madison, WI
Headliner:         Deb Seitz & the Swank Daddys (www.debseitz.com)
Opener:            Shari Davis and the Hootchy-Kootchy Band
Benefit for:        Family Enhancement Program, Inc.
Tickets:            $15 ($12 blues society members); order at www.high-noon.com