It’s difficult to name another blues guitar duo whose careers are so intertwined as Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King. Now, after 11 CDs and a live DVD for domestic labels, plus a somewhat shady early release on a European record label, they’ve finally brought their combined talents to Alligator Records. Their past successes have come from a combination of the unique interplay of their dramatically contrasting guitar styles, strong original songs, the smooth vocals of Bnois, and stage skills of both. A relentless touring schedule has kept them in the eyes and ears of the listening public for almost 20 years, and all of their recent releases have topped the Living Blues Radio Poll charts. As difficult as the road life can be, Joe and Bnois thrive on it, and that has proven, again and again, to be the make or break for blues acts over the years

Now, with this great new CD and new label, Joe and Bnois are ready to do what they do best, get out on the road and take their music to the people. “We once made a run to Canada and back for one gig,” laughs Joe. “We flew to Montevideo, Uruguay to do a 60-minute one-nighter. We’ve done lots of flights to Europe for one-nighters. We’re crazy. We’ll go to any length to play a shuffle. Any length!” Now the question is—does anyone know a good blues club in Vermont where they like shuffles?

http://www.alligator.com/

Click on button to hear Flamethrower by Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King

When Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater went to the well for inspiration on his new album, he drew from the musical proving ground of his youth: Chicago’s hardscrabble West Side. Clearwater was a 15-year-old southpaw guitarist named Eddie Harrington in 1950 when he arrived in the Windy City by bus from Birmingham, Alabama. Settling on the West Side, he was surrounded by, and soon sharing bandstands with, musicians who would become legendary in the blues world: Freddie King, Otis Rush, Luther Allison and perhaps his favorite, Magic Sam. Now, Clearwater pays tribute to his old neighborhood with “West Side Strut.”“The title refers to a mood, a groove, a movement onstage; you’re kind of strutting along with that energy,” he explains. “If you worked on the West Side, you had to have a lot of energy; otherwise you wouldn’t be too well accepted. The people were expecting a lot. That’s why I was drawn to outgoing, out-front guys like Magic Sam and Luther Allison — guys who were very strong and powerful. You had to really demand respect. You had to have that certain power about you. You had to come on strong or you wouldn’t be up there. This is how I wanted to present myself.”

The Chief presents himself proudly on “West Side Strut,” his first album for Chicago’s Alligator Records after previous efforts for Rooster Blues, Rounder and Bullseye, among others. “It’s a dream come true. Recording for Alligator is a dream I’ve had for many years, and it’s worked out ten times better than I expected.” It’s only natural that the affiliation with his hometown label would be accompanied by a return to deep West Side blues. “I feel rooted and grounded in that,” Clearwater says. His stylistic influences, though, range far afield from the guitar-driven blues sound of his youth. With many of the tracks on “West Side Strut,” Clearwater proves equally adept at playing rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll, country, soul and gospel.

The songwriting is strong enough on “West Side Strut” that Clearwater has little need for cover material, although he does dig deep for a pair of gems: Lowell Fulson’s “Trouble, Trouble” and Muddy Waters’ “Walking Through The Park.” It’s particularly appropriate that Clearwater include a song from Muddy, the King Bee of Chicago blues, given that his stage name is a takeoff on “Muddy Waters.” It was suggested to Eddy by Jump Jackson, a long-ago drummer who agreed to manage him only if he’d accept the moniker.

Today, Eddy appears to be primed for a Clearwater revival. “I intend to put much more into it this coming year and tour heavily,” he says. “My wife and I already have his-and-hers Jaguars. Now I’m gonna buy a new tour bus.”


http://www.eddyclearwater.com/

Click on listen button to here "HYPNOTIZED" by Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater

Then, the Canadian blues and jazz great died the following day after a lifelong battle with cancer. He was 41.

"My wife Lori and I were both looking forward to seeing him because she's always liked him. Our wedding song was his song Angel Eyes," said Burrows, a computer consultant at Transport Canada.

The Centrepointe concert _ which had been rescheduled from last fall - was almost sold-out and theatre officials sent out hundreds of refunds from the show. But this week, Burrows suggested that ticket-holders could transfer the value of their refunded tickets to a donation in Jeff Healey's name to a charitable foundation of their choice.

Some of the charities that have been mentioned are the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society and Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund, which is dedicated to helping families whose children are fighting retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer of early childhood, and which Healey had performed at numerous benefits in support of.

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