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Dr. Wu'...the name derived from an early Steely Dan tune that symbolizes a..."don't take life too serious attitude and live each day to the max"....was formed by band mates and long time friends, Jim Ashworth and Bryan Freeze.

The TEXAS BLUES PROJECT CD was an opportunity to bring together top musicians and friends from the Fort Worth region, and to highlight various styles of the blues that represents the ares...many styles that were formed in the early "honky tonks" of Fort Worth.

The Self-Produced CD contains all original songs penned by Ashworth and Freeze with on exception.

For more info visit www.texasbluesproject.org

Click the LISTEN button to hear "I Don't Need No Woman Like You".

Steve’s second release is a wonderful collection of primarily country blues tunes done in his heartfelt style with the regional authenticity he brings to the music. Featuring the stellar rhythm section work of Joe Osborn, the legendary studio bassist, and Joe’s son, Darren, playing most of the drum parts, engineering, mixing and mastering, Steve has produced another work of great songs interpreted in his soulful vocal style and solid fingerstyle approach to the guitar.

"The songs on this record represent a collection of my favorite country blues tunes. Whiel I play other styles of music, the country blues has been the main musicial genre that I have actively played and studied for over thirty five years. these songs, primarily from the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's, to me, express human emotion on the most fundamental level and arguably, in an often subtle way, evidence some of the most expressive guitar styles. I hope the listener hears the beauty and humor in these tunes and the love and enthusiasm we felt in making this record." -- Steve Howell

HOUSTON -- Despite the downturn in the economy, a multi-million dollar development is about to open in downtown Houston. 

The House of Blues is about to start singing at the corner of Dallas and Caroline. It will be the anchor tenant for the $200 million Houston Pavilions development. 

The project covers three city blocks. 

It prepares to open as stocks fell for a seventh straight day. But that does not worry the House of Blues. 

 "You can come and do everything in one venue and get a night out and not spend a great deal. We think it's the perfect way to escape some of the pressures that everybody's feeling right now," said Deb Eybers, the House of Blues president. 

Eybers is optimistic about the Bayou City. 

 "Houston is great because Houston is one of the few cities that has not been affected as much as other cities in the country. We just feel Houston is a vibrant downtown city we can add more to," she said. 

The House of Blues will open this weekend. It will include a restaurant, bar and music hall, which will seat 1,500 people. The facility covers 43,000 square feet. 

Eybers and 250 other House of Blues employees spent Thursday carrying trash bags and helping clean up Keith-Weiss Park in west Houston, which was ravaged by Hurricane Ike.

HELENA-WEST HELENA – Veteran bluesman Bobby Rush will be the recipient of the 2007 Sonny Payne Award for Blues Excellence presented annually each October by the Delta Cultural Center, a museum of the Arkansas Department of Heritage, during the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival in historic downtown Helena-West Helena.

The DCC’s Sonny Payne Award for Blues Excellence -- called "The Sonny" -- recognizes individuals who have strongly influenced the blues music of the Arkansas Delta. The honor is named for “Sunshine” Sonny Payne, longtime host of the Peabody Award-winning "King Biscuit Time" program broadcast each weekday from the DCC Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street on radio station KFFA-AM.
 
HONOREE … Acclaimed bluesman Bobby Rush will be recognized with the 2008 Sonny Payne Award for Blues Excellence, presented annually by the Delta Cultural Center.

The Sonny Award presentation is to be a part of Rush’s festival-closing performance as headliner on Saturday evening, October 11, during the final evening of the three-day Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly the King Biscuit Blues Festival).

The Sonny Award is traditionally given to a blues musician with distinguished status and a lengthy career, and additional consideration is given to those with ties to Arkansas, said DCC Assistant Director Terry Buckalew.

"The 2008 recipient of 'The Sonny,' Bobby Rush, is deserving on all counts: After years of recording and touring, he has emerged as one of the elder statesmen of blues, while remaining an exciting and memorable live act," Buckalew said, noting that Rush spent a portion of his youth in Pine Bluff where his father was a minister.

Previous recipients of the "Sonny" include Robert Lockwood Jr. and Houston Stackhouse (posthumously) in the award’s inaugural year of 2002, Sam Carr and Pinetop Perkins (2003), Cedell Davis and John Weston (2004), James Cotton and David "Honeyboy" Edwards (2005), Michael Burks and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (2006), and Hubert Sumlin (2007).

The Cash Box Top 100 pop singles chart debuted in the issue dated Sept. 13, 1958, when Cash Box expanded its best-selling singles chart from 75 positions to 100. The list below ranks the 100 biggest hits on the Cash Box Top 100 from that debut date through Nov. 16, 1996, the last issue of the original magazine. The list was compiled by Cashbox chart archivist Randy Price using a progressive inverse point system applied to the positions each record held on the weekly Top 100 charts. In addition, a compensation factor was calculated for each year to allow for more-meaningful comparisons among the chart performances of records from the earlier decades and those from more-recent years, when the average stay on the chart was much longer. Records that had two or more separate chart runs are ranked based on their combined point totals.

1. THE TWIST - Chubby Checker (Parkway) - 1960; 1961-62
2. MACK THE KNIFE - Bobby Darin (Atco) - 1959-60
3. I’M A BELIEVER - The Monkees (Colgems) - 1966-67
4. END OF THE ROAD - Boyz II Men (Motown) - 1992
5. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - The Beatles (Capitol) - 1964
6. HEY JUDE - The Beatles (Apple) - 1968
7. YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - Debby Boone (Warner/Curb) - 1977-78
8. THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS - Johnny Horton (Columbia) - 1959
9. THE THEME FROM “A SUMMER PLACE” - Percy Faith & His Orchestra (Columbia) - 1960
10. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - Queen (Elektra / Hollywood) - 1976; 1992
11. I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU - Boyz II Men (Motown) - 1994
12. ENDLESS LOVE - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (Motown) - 1981
13. PHYSICAL - Olivia Newton-John (MCA) - 1981-82
14. SUGAR, SUGAR - The Archies (Calendar) - 1969
15. LOVE IS BLUE (L’Amour Est Bleu) - Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra (Philips) - 1968
16. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - Whitney Houston (Arista) - 1992-93
17. MONSTER MASH - Bobby (Boris) Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers (Garpax / Parrot) - 1962; 1970; 1973
18. HELLO, DOLLY! - Louis Armstrong & The All Stars (Kapp) - 1964
19. AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN (The Flesh Failures) - The 5th Dimension (Soul City) - 1969
20. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - Queen (Elektra) - 1980-81
21. JOY TO THE WORLD - Three Dog Night (Dunhill) - 1971
22. MACARENA (Bayside Boys Mix) - Los Del Rio (RCA) - 1996
23. ONE SWEET DAY - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (Columbia) - 1995-96
24. WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL - The New Vaudeville Band (Fontana) - 1966-67
25. FLASHDANCE...WHAT A FEELING - Irene Cara (Casablanca) - 1983
26. HONKY TONK WOMEN - The Rolling Stones (London) - 1969
27. LE FREAK - Chic (Atlantic) - 1978-79
28. NIGHT FEVER - The Bee Gees (RSO) - 1978
29. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - The Police (A&M) - 1983
30. ON BENDED KNEE - Boyz II Men (Motown) - 1994-95
31. BABY GOT BACK - Sir Mix-A-Lot (Def American) - 1992
32. CALL ME - Blondie (Chrysalis) - 1980
33. CENTERFOLD - The J. Geils Band (EMI America) - 1981-82
34. HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - The Bee Gees (RSO) - 1977-78
35. SHADOW DANCING - Andy Gibb (RSO) - 1978
36. TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE - Tony Orlando & Dawn (Bell) - 1973
37. WHOOMP! (There It Is) - Tag Team (Life) - 1993
38. DECEMBER, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) - The Four Seasons (Warner/Curb) - 1976; 1994
39. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES - The Platters (Mercury) - 1958-59
40. STAND BY ME - Ben E. King (Atco / Atlantic) - 1961; 1986
41. MY SHARONA - The Knack (Capitol / RCA) - 1979; 1994
42. IT’S ALL IN THE GAME - Tommy Edwards (MGM) - 1958
43. ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE - Phil Collins (Atlantic) - 1989-90
44. I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU - Ray Charles (ABC-Paramount) - 1962
45. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD - B.J. Thomas (Scepter) - 1969-70
46. I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER - Donna Lewis (Atlantic) - 1996
47. SAY YOU, SAY ME - Lionel Richie (Motown) - 1985-86
48. RHYTHM IS A DANCER - Snap! (Arista) - 1992-93
49. I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE - Marvin Gaye (Tamla) - 1968-69
50. ABRACADABRA - The Steve Miller Band (Capitol) - 1982
51. CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - UB40 (Virgin) - 1993
52. AMERICAN PIE - Don McLean (United Artists) - 1971-72
53. I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - Andy Gibb (RSO) - 1977
54. THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS - SSgt. Barry Sadler (RCA Victor) - 1966
55. I’LL BE THERE - The Jackson 5 (Motown) - 1969-70
56. LADY - Kenny Rogers (Liberty) - 1980-81
57. EXODUS - Ferrante & Teicher (United Artists) - 1960-61
58. LIMBO ROCK - Chubby Checker (Parkway) - 1962
59. FANTASY - Mariah Carey (Columbia) - 1995-96
60. STAYIN’ ALIVE - The Bee Gees (RSO) - 1978
61. DOWN UNDER - Men At Work (Columbia) - 1982-83
62. SHE LOVES YOU - The Beatles (Swan) - 1964
63. THAT’S THE WAY LOVE GOES - Janet Jackson (Virgin) - 1993
64. ALONE AGAIN (Naturally) - Gilbert O’Sullivan (MAM) - 1972
65. HE’LL HAVE TO GO - Jim Reeves (RCA Victor) - 1960
66. THE LETTER - The Box Tops (Mala) - 1967
67. (I Can’t Get No) SATISFACTION - The Rolling Stones (London) - 1965
68. KISS YOU ALL OVER - Exile (Warner/Curb) - 1978
69. ARE YOU LONESOME TO-NIGHT? - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor) - 1960-61
70. DOMINIQUE - The Singing Nun (Philips) - 1963-64
71. EYE OF THE TIGER - Survivor (Scotti Bros.) - 1982
72. TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - Mary MacGregor (Ariola America) - 1977
73. MANEATER - Daryl Hall & John Oates (RCA) - 1983
74. BIG BAD JOHN - Jimmy Dean (Columbia) - 1961
75. DON’T YOU WANT ME - The Human League (A&M) - 1982
76. BETTE DAVIS EYES - Kim Carnes (EMI America) - 1981
77. YOU’RE MAKIN’ ME HIGH / LET IT FLOW - Toni Braxton (LaFace) - 1996
78. LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE - The Monkees (Colgems) - 1966
79. ANOTHER NIGHT - Real McCoy (Arista) - 1994-95
80. RHINESTONE COWBOY - Glen Campbell (Capitol) - 1975
81. I THINK I LOVE YOU - The Partridge Family (Bell) - 1970-71
82. CATHY’S CLOWN - The Everly Brothers (Warner Bros.) - 1960
83. STRANGER ON THE SHORE - Mr. Acker Bilk (Atco) - 1962
84. WE ARE THE WORLD - USA For Africa (Columbia) - 1985
85. OH, PRETTY WOMAN - Roy Orbison & The Candy Men (Monument) - 1964
86. LOUIE LOUIE - The Kingsmen (Wand) - 1963-64; 1966
87. IT’S NOW OR NEVER - Elvis Presley (RCA Victor) - 1960
88. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU (The Postman Song) - Stevie B (LMR/RCA) - 1990-91
89. ODE TO BILLIE JOE - Bobbie Gentry (Capitol) - 1967
90. KNOCK THREE TIMES - Tony Orlando & Dawn (Bell) - 1970-71
91. MONEY FOR NOTHING - Dire Straits (Warner Bros.) - 1985
92. LOVE CHILD - Diana Ross & The Supremes (Motown) - 1968-69
93. TOSSIN’ AND TURNIN’ - Bobby Lewis (Beltone) - 1961
94. DA YA THINK I’M SEXY? - Rod Stewart (Warner Bros.) - 1979
95. PLEASE MR. POSTMAN - The Marvelettes (Tamla) - 1961-62
96. TO SIR WITH LOVE - Lulu (Epic) - 1967
97. CALCUTTA - Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra (Dot) - 1961
98. TOM DOOLEY - The Kingston Trio (Capitol) - 1958
99. AFTERNOON DELIGHT - The Starland Vocal Band (Windsong) - 1976
100. FAITH - George Michael (Columbia) - 1987-88

Hey Blues lovers, don't leave out your favorite music when Halloween rolls around. There's all kinds of good blues songs with Halloween themes. The bass guitar and driving beat of most blues songs set the perfect Halloween music scene.

I Put a Spell on You - Buddy Guy and Carlos Santana or Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
The original is by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.  You may like the Guy and Santana version a little better for your Halloween song playlist. Screamin' Jay has well..a screamin' thing. On the other hand, screamin' fits in so much better with Halloween. You decide.

Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix or Steve Winwood
This is a Jimi Hendrix song through and through, but Steve Winwood does a good version, too.

Halloween Blues - Clarence Brewer
A blues performer from the Ozarks, Clarence Brewer is also a good slide guitar player. He only has one album available, wish there was more from him. If you like this one, add his Graveyard Blues and Devil's Den to your Halloween song list.

Vampire Bitin' Blues - John Vosel & the Boogie Monsters
John Vosel gives the blues a modern twist. If you like this cut, he has a entire album of Halloween songs, entitled "Halloween Blues".

So What If It's Halloween - Bob Malone
"There ain't no monsters in this joint as scary as a human being." I think that says it all about this Halloween song.

Halloween - Bob Malone
You'll love the spooky, bluesy piano solo in this one.

Halloween - Suitcase Willy
Funky Halloween blues song with a strong bass guitar.

Haunted House - B. B. King
No blues list would be complete without some B.B. King. So let's not leave him out at Halloween. Especially when he's living in a haunted house.

Halloween Blues - John Vosel & the Boogie Monsters
Another song from the album, "Halloween Blues."

What did I miss? E-mail me at Gordon@bluesfestivalguide.com and we will do a new list next week.

He'd be more likely to shoot a brace of pheasants than the sheriff these days. While the stars of his era were better known for driving Rollers into swimming pools, Eric Clapton prefers shooting and fishing to more familiar forms of rock n' roll excess. Shooting lessons at a London gun school, in 2003, ignited his passion for the sport.

That fuelled a fascination with collecting guns and an obsession with finding the best, until Slowhand had a change of heart and decided it was time for a clearout.

Today, a Norfolk auctioneers were cataloguing the collection, ready to put it on sale, as Clapton himself spoke candidly about what it revealed about his character.

Just as every angler recalls his first rod or a golfer waxes lyrical about his favourite club, Eric Clapton clearly has mixed feelings about putting his first “serious” gun - a Purdey over-and-under, purchased in 2003 - up for sale.

“The action was steel-carved, very flamboyant,” he said. “There I was, a new shooter, going into the field with a gun that was quite bling, but I don't mind going in at the deep end.

“I used it a lot and was very attached to it, until I realized I needed a pair more than a single gun and started to collect pairs - now I have to let it go, I need the space.”

Shooting re-awakened one of Clapton's other character traits, the love of collecting. Just as he sought the perfect chord with a guitar in his hands, his collections over the years have followed a similar path.

“When I started to shoot, I wanted to shoot with beautiful guns,” he said. “I was also baffled by the fact no-one used English guns out in the field.

“It seemed like everyone used Spanish guns, or Brownings. Well I just thought I'm not going to go down that road. I'd like to get some guns made by just about every British builder that I can.”

While a rocker's royalties mean Clapton could shop at the best gunmakers in town, the sale - being carried out by Norfolk specialist auctioneers Holts - marks a hiatus.

“It's following the same pattern as when I collected guitars, cars and watches,” Clapton said. “I start out with a fairly broad spectrum, get obsessed and engulfed and finally narrow the collections down.

“I built a gunroom that can house a certain amount of guns and now I have to clear the decks for the new guns I have on order.

“Also a custodian has a certain responsibility to keep things ticking over. I like to keep my collections to manageable proportions, I feel uncomfortable about owning things that don't get used.”

The guns themselves - some less than a year old - are incredible works of craftsmanship, exquisitely engraved with Clapton's initials EPC carried on gold escutcheons underneath their stocks.

One pair of Wm Evans-manufactured 20-bores feature engravings of Clapton sitting beneath a tree strumming a guitar, and playing a leaping trout.

Engraver Marcus Hunt, who personalised the guns, spent time fishing with EPC. Yet his subject is in two minds about the end result.

“If you really want me to be frank, I'm in two minds about engraving,” Clapton said. “I respect what master engravers do and I like what Marcus did a lot.

“It's great to own things that re really personal but at the same time I prefer things to be anonymous too. I like subtlety in beauty.

“I like a gun to look like a working tool but if you look closely you can see it's a magnificent piece of art as well.”

Clapton enjoys using guns as much as he enjoys looking at them. But he's philosophical about his shooting prowess.

“I'm just an average shot, I'm never going to be a great shot because it's not my first interest,” he said. “Playing the guitar is my prime interest in life, that's what I do. Shooting and fishing are hobbies and you can never really become a master at a hobby.

“I find shooting a much more social pastime than fishing. I value them both because I'm not that gregarious and shooting with groups of people up and down the country has taught me a lot about how to get on with my fellow human beings.”

Clapton's collection includes guns by Purdey & Sons, Evans, Watson Bros and EJ Churchill, which are expected to fetch between £30,000 and £120,000 when they go on sale at Princess Louise House, Hammersmith, on December 11.

For more information go to http://www.holtandcompany.co.uk/

Kenny Malone, the common-law son of North Mississippi Hill Country blues great Junior Kimbrough (pictured above), has filed suit against Fat Possum Records, label President and co-founder Matthew Johnson, and several other entities associated with the company, in federal court. Malone, who played drums in the Soul Blues Boys, his father's band, has also performed professionally as Kenny Kimbrough and Kint Kimbro.

Malone claims that the label never asked his permission or paid him for performances he recorded with his father, David "Junior" Kimbrough. Malone alleges that over several years, the defendants recorded, produced and published Kimbrough's musical performances and compositions, and sold them to the public, as well as for use in movies like Black Snake Moan.

Malone also claims that his likeness was used without permission in a "commercial documentary," most likely Robert Palmer's Deep Blues film, based on his book of the same name. He is asking for punitive damages, full accounting by the label, future royalties, and the other standard pie-in-the-sky requests of the spurned musician.

Malone appeared on all five of his father's Fat Possum releases, including the classic ALL NIGHT LONG, and the posthumous MEET ME IN THE CITY, released a year after Kimbrough's death in 1998. For their part, attorneys for Fat Possum claim that they own the copyrights to the material in question. The case has been assigned a judge will go to trial soon.

2007 International Blues Challenge second-place finishers Homemade Jamz Blues Band have just rapped up an interview with Don Dotson of the Today's Show (NBC) which is scheduled to air Friday, October 17. Please mark you calendars and pass on the word to all you know. Check out the latest on Ryan, Kyle and Taya at www.hmjamzbluesband.com.

The Gibson Robot Guitar was awarded with the prestigious 'Best Music Hardware Award' at the BT Digital Music Awards 2008. The BT Digital Music Awards now in its seventh year was held at the Roundhouse in London on Wednesday 1st October.

The Gibson Robot guitar is the world’s first guitar with robotic technology and beat stiff competition from the Motorola ROKR E8 and Ripserver. The Best Music Hardware Award in association with Stuff Magazine was decided upon by a panel of distinguished industry judges. The Gibson Robot Guitar was sighted for its innovation, usability, style and price point among other features.

The Gibson Robot Guitar eliminates tuning problems for guitarists. It automatically tunes to standard A440 tuning. It also allows players to access six commonly used altered tuning presets at the push of a button. It allows the guitar to be intonated in seconds after string changes, truss rod adjustments or change in weather conditions. Finally, with the locking tuner, single string changes or changing the entire set of strings are an automated breeze. 

"If you don't know how to do it, I'll show you how to walk the dog," "Walking the Dog," (From "Walking the Dog," by Memphis R&B singer Rufus Thomas (1917-2001), also known for his song, "Do the Funky Chicken.")

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- On an energetic night at Danceland, a club in Millington, Tenn., a town just north of Memphis, R&B legend Rufus Thomas and his band were moved by a woman dancing in front of the bandstand.

"She was slimmed down, with a leather dress on. She had a long waistline. Her hips were low-slung," Thomas told an interviewer. "We had a little riff going on 'Ooh Poo Pah Doo,' and this girl got in front of the bandstand and started doing the Dog. I just started jiving at her -- 'Do the Dog, Baby' -- and she was really getting down.

"I just started singing, because what we were playing (was) what we call 12-bar blues changes, and I set the pattern…It fitted right in, and I couldn't think of but three dogs, and I just started singing, 'Do the Dog,'" Thomas continued. "If you ever listen to that song, you will find that there's nothing suggestive in that song at all…That's the way it came out, and it hit."

Thomas died nearly seven years ago, but his 1984 interview about the origin of his hit song, "Walking the Dog," with Portia Maultsby, director of Indiana University's Archives of African American Music and Culture, will forever be part of a project to digitally preserve and make accessible nearly 300 hours of interviews with rhythm and blues pioneers.

The project, named Pioneers of Rhythm and Blues, has received a $39,230 grant from the Grammy Foundation, which is funded by The Recording Academy. It will utilize the best practices and preservation methods established by the IU Archives of Traditional Music during its NEH-funded Sound Directions project.

The project provides an aural documentation of the history and development of R&B music through the personal narratives of prominent musicians such as Ray Charles, Ruth Brown and Bobby Byrd of James Brown's Famous Flames. It also includes interviews with composers, producers and record company executives from the Atlantic, Stax, Motown and Philadelphia International labels -- many of whom, including Jerry Wexler, are now deceased.

"Over the last five years, several of the pioneers and popularizers of various African American popular musical styles have died. It's so important that we capture this legacy using words of artists as much as possible," said Maultsby, also a co-author of the seminal text African American Music: An Introduction.

"The study of black popular music has become commonplace among scholars of many disciplines in the arts and the humanities," she added. "Primarily fueled by the mainstream popularity and controversy of hip hop, the number of courses on the black popular musical tradition has proliferated in the academy over the last 15 years. Fortunately, a few scholars and journalists were diligent about interviewing and researching when this topic was not in vogue. Otherwise, we would not have oral histories, testimonies and the perspectives of these artists to enrich our interpretation of their lives and music."

There generally is little primary source material in libraries and music archives about the history of black popular music. By digitizing the original recordings and preparing access copies, the AAAMC seeks to preserve its unique interviews with seminal figures in the music industry, while promoting research into the rich legacy of African American musical traditions and, more generally, the black experience in America.

Pioneers of Rhythm and Blues will support the preservation of two of the AAAMC's collections. Maultsby's collection includes in-depth interviews she conducted from 1981 to 1986. Her interviews trace the emergence of black music divisions and the promotion of black artists by major record labels -- topics that have not yet been adequately explored. She recorded interviews with 100 record company executives, producers, promoters, composers, musicians and deejays involved with recording, marketing and performing R&B music.

In addition to the Thomas interview, other highlights of Maultsby's collection include conversations with Byrd, Carla Thomas, Albert "Diz" Russell of the Orioles, as well as interviews with record company personnel at Stax, Motown and Philadelphia International. Maultsby also recorded a number of interviews with African American female record company executives, offering an alternative behind-the-scenes perspective on the heavily male-dominated record industry.

The other collection being preserved consists of interviews by Michael Lydon, a veteran music journalist and Rolling Stone's co-founder, during his research for his 1998 book, Ray Charles: Man and Music. The interviews shed light on Charles' business practices, from the unprecedented control of his master tapes to the founding of his music publishing company and record label.

In addition to taped interviews with Charles, the collection contains conversations with a multitude of musicians and record company personnel whose careers spanned the decades from 1940-1980. They include band leader Hank Crawford, saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman and Leroy "Hog" Cooper, and vocalists Ruth Brown and Little Jimmy Scott. Lydon also interviewed Ahmet Ertegun, Sid Feller and Jerry Wexler, three of the most significant figures in the popular music industry.

"The Lydon Collection is invaluable to our understanding the legacy of Ray Charles," Maultsby said, "but also in our understanding the era that Ray Charles created. Not only do we learn about Ray Charles, but we also learn about other people, musicians who also made contributions during that era."

Lydon is a member of AAAMC's national advisory board and has lectured at IU.

Without the preservation of the primary sources through the Grammy-funded project, Maultsby said future scholars would find themselves depending more on popular culture and its sometimes unsupported perspectives.

"For example, in the Rufus Thomas interview I conducted, he corrects the misinterpretation about the meaning of his song, 'Walking the Dog.' Some critics and radio station managers said it was too suggestive for radio play," she said. "There are lots of interesting stories about songs, how they were created and the contributing circumstances. Otherwise, we would have to guess, which could result in inaccurate representation of the facts."

The Archives of African American Music and Culture, founded in 1991, houses an extensive collection of audiovisual recordings, private papers and other research materials related to African American musical cultural expressions from the post-World War II era. It also has extensive materials related to the documentation of Black radio and hosts the music review Web site Black Grooves -- www.blackgrooves.org.

For more information on the IU Archives of African American Music and Culture, including its history, mission statement, collections and staff, go to http://www.indiana.edu/~aaamc/.

Links to recordings from AAAMC collection:

• Interview with Bobby Byrd: http://www.indiana.edu/~iunews/bobbyByrd.mp3
• Interview with Rufus Thomas: http://www.indiana.edu/~iunews/thomasr_intrvw.mp3

In the seven decades since his mysterious death, bluesman Robert Johnson’s legend has grown—the tragically short life, the “crossroads” tale of supernatural talent, the genuine gift that inspired Dylan, Clapton, and other greats—but his image remains elusive: only two photos of Johnson have ever been seen by the public. In 2005, on eBay, guitar maven Zeke Schein thought he’d found a third. Schein’s quest to authenticate the picture only led to more questions, both about Johnson himself and about who controls his valuable legacy.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

A study by TroyResearch and Evolution Research found that while only 1 percent of respondents now listen to Americana radio, 14 percent said they would listen "all of the time" or "most of the time" to an Americana station

Could Americana - a mix of country, bluegrass, folk, blues, rock and American roots music that is gaining popularity among music fans nationally - be a secret programming weapon for radio?

Americana is a growing musical genre that has received attention from listener supported, non-commercial stations and a handful of adult-focused album stations, mostly through feature programming. Just a few radio outlets in the US, aside from satellite and internet stations, currently program the music 24/7.

The term "Americana" elicits a favorable impression and meaning with survey respondents, but the word isn't widely familiar. Only about one-third of the total sample had heard the term before. Patrick observed, "The fact that it is a favorable word but isn't that familiar means there is good potential to develop awareness and shape the meaning of the Americana format/genre label. Industry insiders should be open to expanding its definition with a wide range of artists and music, and focused marketing."

CLICK HERE for the full story

Pearl River Resort, the Southeast's premier luxury gaming and entertainment destination, will host the first annual Blues at The Moon music festival presented by Ground Zero Blues Club, at the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino on October 17 and 18. The festival comes in advance of the planned Ground Zero Blues Club, an initiative being spearheaded by Academy Award-winning actor and Blues enthusiast Morgan Freeman and scheduled to open at The Golden Moon in 2009.

"The Blues at The Moon festival demonstrates Pearl River Resort's commitment to Blues music as we move forward with plans for the new Ground Zero Blues Club, " said Freeman, who co-owns the original Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS. "The club and the festival have the same goal: furthering the understanding of, and appreciation for, Blues music of all genres to all generations."

The festival opens on the evening of October 17, featuring Blues sensation's The Fabulous Thunderbirds as the headliners at 10:30 P.M. who will perform their distinctive style of Blues music. Saturday's headline act is the legendary Solomon Burke who has been recording innovative blues for more than 50 years. Burke will perform at 10:30 P.M.

Other acts include Big Jack Johnson, Deborah Coleman, Eddie Cotton, Jimmy Duck Holmes, Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Bobby Rush and Ruby Wilson. A full list of musicians and scheduled performing times can be found at www.pearlriverresort.com.

"Mississippi is synonymous with Blues music so when we decided to host a music festival, it was an obvious choice to celebrate the state's heritage with Blues at The Moon, " said Miko Beasley Denson, Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. "This festival - as well as the new Ground Zero Blues Club - is going to make the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino an important way station on the Mississippi Blues Trail."

Award-winning artist John Robinette, a Memphis-based artist who focuses on Delta-inspired artwork, has created an original piece that will serve as the official festival emblem available for purchase on both T-Shirts and posters. And in the spirit of pairing great blues with great barbecue, a variety of barbecue and other Southern cuisine will be readily available as well.

"Blues at The Schools"

On Friday, October 17 festival organizers will include special "Blues at The Schools" lectures at Philadelphia City and Neshoba Central elementary schools, as well as several schools located on the Choctaw reservation. Led by Dr. Alfonso Sanders, head of the Fine Arts Department at Mississippi Valley State University, and recording artist Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry, the education sessions will help local students learn about the deep-seeded roots that Blues music has in Mississippi. On the evening of Thursday, October 16, Sanders and Perry will host a free open-to-the-public discussion on Blues history at the Old Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia. The evening also will be punctuated by a jam session with professional Blues musicians.

Benefit to Delta Blues Museum

To help support Blues education, Pearl River Resort will be donating $2.00 for every person who attends the festival to the Delta Blues Museum (up to $10, 000). Located at the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, MS - the legendary "crossroads" of the beginnings of Blues music - the museum is a place where visitors find meaning, value, and perspective by exploring Blues history and heritage.

"The Blues at The Moon music festival brings great acts, storied music history and a touch of southern charm to The Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, " added Dale Hipsh, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Pearl River Resort. "This is the first year of what we hope will become the biggest music festival in the state of Mississippi. As good ambassadors to the state and huge fans of Blues music, we are honored to be in the position to make a charitable donation to an institution like the Delta Blues Museum that helps keep Blues music a thriving art form."

OCTOBER 10 - FREE BLUES!!
 
Come out and support the Grafton Blues Association's latest fundraising event.
 
We will be hosting the beverage tent at Pumpkin Fest on the Paramount Plaza in Grafton.  This free event will have 2 local blues bands:
 
5:30pm - Katz Sass
8:00pm - Kenny J & Blue Wagon
 
Come out and enjoy the evening with the GBA!
The beer area will be roped off and no beverages will be allowed in OR out of this viewing area.  Bring a chair or sit on one of the plaza benches. 
 
We hope to have a HUGE turn out so we can continue offering FREE events throughout the year!!

-----Grafton Blues Association