His influences are many; Allen Collay, The Meters, The Temptations, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Pearson, Dr. John and the late Rich Mullins to name a
few, But perhaps none more than the great Ray Charles!

You can hear Ray in CJ's vocals, his styling and most of all in his SOUL!

The soulful rendition of "Baby Blue", a CJ Vaughn original, and his version of the classic "Drown In My Own Tears" are the blending of these and other great influences in the music world.
A CJ Vaughn show will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more. He will take you on a musical journey from blistering rock 'n roll to the softest jazz with the tightest dynamics and purest respect for the music.

The Music City Blues Society nominated him in 2005 for: Blues Guitarist, Blues Vocalist and Electric Blues Act of the year. He was selected unanimously by the judges of the Kentucky Blues Society to
represent them at The 2007 International Blues Challenge. He returned to "The IBC" in 2008 and 2009 with The Yesterday & Today Rhythm & Blues Society.

He has played at
Stevie Ray's Blues Bar (Louisville),
Buddy Guy's Legends (Chicago),
and BB King's Blues Club (Nashville & Memphis).

The Hard Rock Café in Memphis,
Sassy Ann's House Of Blues in Knoxville,
and Nashville's Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar have all had CJ Vaughn on their stages and have had him back many times!
His fan base is growing, don't miss this show!

CJ Vaughn & Highway 58 is a versatile act from a power 3-piece to a larger show with B3, horns and percussion.
You can be sure that a CJ Vaughn show is worth bringing to your town.

One great veteran Nashville musician describes CJ Vaughn like this:
"He plays like Jimi Hendrix and sings like Ray Charles".
High praise but check out a CJ Vaughn show and you'll know that...
"You got the right one. Baby, Uh huh!"

Instrumentation
CJ Vaughn - Lead Vocals, Guitar, and Keyboards
Ron Vaughn - Bass Guitar
Don Kendrick - Drums & Percussion
Ross Lester - Percussion & Drums
Larry Van Loon - Keyboards

Discography
Check It Out - KYSOTI Records - 2009

Links
http://www.cjvaughn.com

Tas has been dubbed "the 'master of the triple entendre." That is, his best songs go a step beyond the blues tradition of the double entendre - the literal and suggestive - to where meaning is more felt than understood.

Tas Cru is a rough Quebecois rendering meaning - Raw Potato. Credit for the name goes to an avid young fan who admires Tas' raw-edged vocals and peeled-bare slide guitar. Given Tas' bent on bowing to his home region's Quebecois influence the moniker was not much of a stretch, especially since much of Tas' early career was spent playing Quebec's small cities and towns along the St. Lawrence river from Montreal to Riviere du Loup. Cru is currently based out of Albany, New York.

Tas Cru performs as a solo act or with a backing band. and has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the Mid South/West including shows in Kansas City, Tulsa, Little Rock, Memphis, and the Mississippi Delta. He has shared the stage with a growing list of well known blues artists that includes Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland, Willie Smith, Marva Wright, Mem Shannon, Kenny Neal, Jimmy Thackeray, Danny Kalb, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Nora Jean Bruso, Albert Cummings, Bob Margolin and others. Also to his credit include frequent appearances at Ground Zero Blues Club and Cathead's Clarksdale Caravan Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi and on Sunshine Sonny Payne's King Biscuit Radio program on station KFFA in Helena, Arkansas.

Tas' latest CD, gravi-Tas 2008, that editor Ken Bays at Blues Revue calls a "swirling, hypnotic blues blend," builds on the traditional flavor of his solo acoustic 2006 Biscuit, but thickened by the young power blues trio, the Slow Happy Boys, and seasoned with the keyboard work of longtime sideman, G.C. Lamson. The new CD is being received as well as Biscuit. It is getting airplay at a number of blues radio stations internationally including being acurrent "Pick to Cick" on XM Radio' Bluesville. The CD reviewed in the June/July 2008 issue of Blues Revue, Living Blues and BLUES MATTERS!. Blues Revue reviewer, Genevieve Williams writes, "Listening to gravi-Tas will create a strong desire to see Cru live . . ., the albumis a multi-course feast of the down-home variety: friendly, welcoming, and direct." Living Blues critic Dave Ruthenberg says . . . on intricate resonator finger-picking or some smoky electric slide, Cru scores consistently. With equal parts humor and solid musicianship, gravi-Tas is a fun ride???more of a tilt-a-whirl than a Sunday drive."

Biscuit continues to gain attention . Most recently(January, 2008) "Tired of Bluesmen Cryin'" and "One More Time" were featured on Dan Akroyd's House of Blues Radio Hours. In August 2007 the song, "Black and Poor in New Orleans" was selected by XM Radio's Bluesville for a special 2nd anniversary Katrina remembrance and featured alongside New Orleans artists Irma Thomas, Mem Shannon and Tab Benoit. "Black and Poor in New Orleans" made its debut at the Northeast Blues Society's Katrina Benefit Concert in November, 2005 in Albany, NY. The show raised monies to support New Orleans musicians whose careers and families had been devastated by the hurricane tragedy. To quote Don Wilcock, the concert promoter, "With that song, Tas Cru stole the show earning him the respect and admiration of fellow performers that included New Orleans artists Marva Wright, Kenny Neal and Mem Shannon..

Biscuit has earned very favorable reviews in the US and abroad : "A keeper. Fine resonator work both slide and fingerstyle supports an insightful batch of songs." (Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue) "Tas is a master of the triple entendre, adding dark sparkle and lusty luster to songs that span the spectrum from stark tragedy to delighted hilarity." (John Berbrich, 4th Coast Entertainment" "A solid work by an honest bluesman" (Andrew Baldwin - Blues Matters!) "His strong and enjoyable voice is a pleasure to listen to. The same goes with his slide guitar playing - very impressive. But he is a total package with clever lyrics and memorable songs too." (Przemek Draheim Radio Sfera - Torun, Poland). "Searing, screaming animal wails, mournful, pleading cries, notes that weep out before they blur into several others--this is the sound of Tas Cru playing slide on his resonator guitar, greasy slide blues licks that tap into the heart and emotion of a song, even when they sound eerily inhuman" - (Bryan Wilczak
Utica Life and Times)  

Instrumentation
Tas Cru -vocals, guitar, and harmonica 

Discography
Listed below are Blues recording projects only:

Tas Cru
"Biscuit" (2006)
"gravi-Tas" (2008)
"Gristle & Bone"(to be released early 2009)

Tas Cru w/ the Conrad Story Blues Band:
"Poutine" (2004)
"Obsession Road" (2007)

Links
http://www.tascru.com

And judging from the sounds of modern-day hip-hop, artists from Stax Records were prominent figures in those record collections. Stax, re-launched in 2007 as a division of Concord Music Group, offers a glimpse of hip-hop's roots with the release of The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I, a collection of classic tracks from the '60s and '70s. The 14 songs featured in this first volume are just a few of the Stax gems that have since become sampling mainstays for some of the most prominent hip-hop artists of the past two decades - all of whom owe an incalculable debt to the label's rich legacy of soul, R&B and funk. The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I will be available at all digital and retail outlets on March 31, 2009.

The compilation is a testament to the enormous influence of the Stax sound, energy and attitude on the entire hip-hop generation. The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I features hits from Stax luminaries like Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The MGs, The Emotions, The Bar-Kays, The Dramatics, Rufus Thomas, William Bell, David Porter and Little Milton. Since the '80s, these artists and their classic recordings featured here have become source material for rap and hip-hop artists and producers like Rakim, DJ HiTek, Cypress Hill, DJ Muggs, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, DJ Quik, Ice Cube, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, RZA and so many more.

Apart from its undeniable influence on the hip-hop generation, Stax Records holds a pivotal place in American music history as one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time - second only to Motown in sales and influence, but first in gritty, raw, Southern-steeped soul music. In its heyday throughout the '60s and early '70s, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs on Billboard's Hot 100 pop charts as well as a staggering 243 hits on the R&B charts.

Stax Records continues to define the sound of beats in the world of hip-hop and popular music. No one could have ever predicted that decades after they closed their doors in Memphis, Stax Records would be opening the consciousness of an entirely new generation. The vintage tracks featured here truly represent The Soul of Hip-Hop.

TRACK LIST

1. 24-CARAT BLACK - "Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth"
2. THE EMOTIONS - "Blind Alley"
3. BOOKER T. & THE MGs - "Melting Pot"
4. THE BAR-KAYS - "Humpin'"
5. THE DRAMATICS - "Get Up and Get Down"
6. ISAAC HAYES - "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic"
7. ISAAC HAYES - "Hung Up On My Baby"
8. DAVID PORTER - "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over"
9. WENDY RENE - "After the Laughter (Comes Tears)"
10. CHARMELS - "As Long As I've Got You"
11. THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS - "Why Marry"
12. RUFUS THOMAS - "Do the Funky Penguin (Part 1)"
13. LITTLE MILTON - "Packed Up and Took My Mind"
14. WILLIAM BELL - "I Forgot To Be Your Lover"

The program begins with a series of assembly-like presentations. A variety of musicians visit two schools per day, performing a total of 66 presentations over the course of four days. The following phase involves classroom-size core groups, with students enjoying a more formal workshop approach that typically includes song writing, singing, and exploring various instruments. The workshop phase culminates with students performing for their families, teachers and peers. Ultimately these students are offered an opportunity to perform at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, during the festival's Blues in the Schools day.

Initiated in two Ottawa-area schools in 1999, Blues in the Schools has seen tremendous growth. This year, visiting artists/educators and local musicians will deliver the program to more than 7,000 students in Ottawa-area schools. "The intent of the program," says Bluesfest executive director, Mark Monahan," is to expose students from all backgrounds to music and to encourage them to use music as a positive outlet in dealing with the world around them."

For More: CLICK

This fund is named in the honor of our 2008 Sacramaento Blues Society's Hall of Fame inductee Mr. Gene Chambers. Mr. Chambers was a longtime Sacramento Blues musician, teacher and mentor to many and had always cared deeply about the blues scene and blues musicians around our area.

Gene Chambers Emergency Musicians Fund Jam

Jam Host: Tim Noxon Rockin' Blues Band
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Powerhouse Pub
614 Sutter Street
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 355-8586
3:00 PM. to 6:30 PM.
Age 21 Years & Older
Donations Gratefully Accepted 
For more: CLICK

New Digital Partner: Spotify

With this in mind, CD Baby is thrilled to announce our partnership with a hip, new company called Spotify. Spotify is a limited download and stream-on-demand service that can currently get your music to fans in the UK, France, and Spain (though they're actively trying to go worldwide). They also facilitate playlist sharing between users and their site is entirely web-based, so users don't need to download any extra, pesky software.

Listeners can use Spotify in one of three ways:
1. Free ad-supported version*
2. A 24-hour all-access/no-advertising pass which costs 1 euro or pound
3. A premium subscription, all-access/no-advertising, 10 pounds a month

*CD Baby artists will be paid for ALL activity on Spotify, including the "free" ad-supported plays. But you don't have to pay us a dime to get your music delivered to them. Your initial submission fee gets you hooked up with all our digital partners, past, present, and future!

These are exciting times for all of us here at the Baby and we're working harder than ever before to improve the look, feel, and functionality of our site for artists and customers. We're all looking forward to the big re-launch coming this summer, and over the next few months we will be giving you occasional sneak peaks of some of the cool changes we're working on, so that you can give us feedback.

The whole site is being redesigned from top to bottom, starting with the CD Baby logo. For more: CLICK

We plan to roll out the new logo mid-year, along with the site redesign

Sincerely,
Brian Felsen
CD Baby President

SW Roots Music & the SF Reporter present the 10th annual
THIRSTY EAR FESTIVAL
June 12-14, 2009 at Eaves Movie Ranch, Santa Fe

Featuring BELA FLECK & TOUMANI DIABATE, and dozens more blues, folk, bluegrass, alt-country, roots rock & world music artists on 3 stages all weekend long. Plus camping, kids' activities, local microbrews & wine, local food and arts & crafts, educational demonstrations, sustainable energy exhibits & more.

New Mexico's premier roots music festival has moved to June! Thirsty Ear is now the first major festival of the summer season. Lineup, tickets and schedule will be announced in coming weeks. Please take moment to sign up fortheir email newsletter to get the latest on the fest. Tickets will go on sale March 15 and their will bemore artist announcements in the coming days.

New at the fest this year: a GREEN VILLAGE featuring a mix of green and sustainable businesses and non-profit organizations. Green Village is free to the public and will be placed for maximum visibility just outside the festival entrance. If you are a green organization and would like to participate, please contact Deena Klein, 505-319-1131.

Fore more: CLICK 

The Orlando Lindy Exchange is part of an international network of dance enthusiasts that will be hosting an event March 20 ~ 22 in Orlando. One highlight of the weekend will be the 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. late night blues cabaret at the Whirl and Twirl Dance Hall featuring the SOUL REBEL BLUES band.

You don't want to miss this unique opportunity to transport yourself across time and space to the juke joints of the Deep South for a night of authentic live blues and sensual blues dancing. These dancers are committed to keeping this traditional genre of dance alive and, as a result, are introducing a whole new generation to blues music.

 The SOUL REBEL BLUES band is new collaboration comprised of four dedicated and experienced musicians who will groove you and move you. Soulful lead singer and blues harmonica player Desi Kane hails from the Treasure Coast Blues Alliance. Orlando's own Shaun Rounds will play a smokin' lead guitar and Barry Williams will be on funky bass. Byrd will play drums. To mix things up, Shaun will sing some of his favorites and Desi will play drums so that Byrd can take center stage to sing a song or two. With such versatility and a custom designed repertoire of medium slow to slow tempo blues classics, this will be a late night of blues and blues dancing to remember.

 The event is open to the public for a $10 donation at the door. Please visit http://www.orlx.org/for more information and directions.  

Support Alive Entertainment
Z Showz must go on!

MOWHAWK VALLEY BLUES SOCIETY

SHANE DWIGHT is truly a 21st-century American Roots artist. His emotive songwriting crosses over from Blues and R&B to Country and Mainstream Rock with originality and authority. In fact, Shane's fiery talent is so big and bright right now that ONE CD just isn't enough to represent him - Shane will be releasing TWO brand new CDs on June 23. Shane Dwight / Plays the Blues contains 10 original tracks (with guest appearances by VizzTone cohorts Bob Margolin and Richard Rosenblatt), and Gimme Back My Money features some of Shane's songs that cross over into Rock, Country, R&B, and Americana. Shane's previous recordings have been played on over 200 radio stations worldwide, and these two new CDs should open some brand new doors.

In the past few years Shane and his have band built a rapidly-growing fan base with their many live appearances, including: the Monterey Blues Festival, Oklahoma Blues Festival, Fire on the Mountain Festival, Reno Blues & Brews Festival, Portland Waterfront Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, California Blues Festival, Florida "Springing the Blues" Festival, Central Valley Blues Festival, San Jose Comcast Jazz Festival, the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival and the Legendary Blues Cruise.

 www.myspace.com/shanedwightband
 

BIG BILL MORGANFIELD is the son of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) and has emerged in the past few years as one of the top young blues talents in America. Bill's 1999 debut was met with a W.C. Handy (Blues Music) Award for "Best New Artist Debut," as well as an avalanche of praise in the press: the New York Post hailed is as "one of the most impressive debuts to break in a number of years," Guitar Player declared, "Big Bill is a singer/songwriter who surely would have made Muddy smile." In praise of a subsequent release, Entertainment Weekly stated, "Chicago blues is a powerful force in the right hands, which, in this case belong to the son of Muddy Waters. The comparisons are inevitable, but the big man is up to the challenge." Bill's new CD, "Born Lover" will be released this Spring through the VizzTone label group. CD co-producer (and Muddy Waters Band alumnus) Bob Margolin writes, "Big Bill Morganfield's Born Lover reveals and celebrates his journey and progress as a Blues artist... I find that Bill still honors his father with deep Chicago Blues. He also tells his own stories with original songs, a wide variety of style, and fiery slide guitar. Bill's singing has taken an exciting leap forward in both power and nuance. It's a thrill to hear Bill fulfill."

 http://www.bigbillmorganfield.net/

CHRISTINE SANTELLI has been a legendary presence in the blues and roots singer-songwriter underground since the mid-90's. Firmly establishing herself in the NYC music scene that spawned the likes of Joan Osborne and Jimmy Vivino, she was voted "Blues Artist of the Year (Deserving Wider Recognition)" in Downbeat Magazine's 46th annual critic's poll. She crossed the Atlantic to perform triumphant shows in Paris, Madrid and Moscow, which were later released as live recordings. International touring continued with many trips to South Africa, Norway, Germany and Switzerland, and included an acclaimed performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Back in the USA, Christine's 2002 CD, Season of a Child (co-produced by Popa Chubby) garnered further raves. On Any Better Time (release date 3/17/09), Christine brings her signature style and unmistakeable grit-and-soul vocals to thirteen brand new original songs, produced by Dave Gross. In an early review, The Daily Freeman's Dave Malachowski declares, "Santelli really comes into her own with this release, and it couldn't be at any better time."

 www.christinesantelli.com

and in more VizzTone news...

GINA SICILIA is a finalist in the Blues category of the International Songwriting Competion,
with her song "I Pray Most Every Day."

Fore more info: http://www.vizztone.com/

WHO: Bay Area Blues Society and the City of Oakland

WHAT: West Coast Blues Hall of Fame & Awards Show 2009

WHERE: Hilton Oakland Airport

One Hegenberger Road
Oakland, Ca 94621

WHEN: Sunday - March 29, 2009 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Awards Show 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. - After Party

WHY: To support the Bay Area Blues Society's ongoing programs and notably, the "Blues in the Schools" Program which uses local blues musicians to teach the history of the Blues to young students and provide instruction on the playing of musical instruments. The West Coast Blues Hall of Fame & Awards Show honors blues, jazz and gospel artists for their contributions to the art form called Blues and to celebrate Black History Month. This year's inductees will cover a very broad array of greats who helped to keep blues alive.

Eighteen extraordinary artists will be inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame and the Bob Geddins Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the artist who has most influenced a generation of musicians. General Category Awards will be given to the best: blues singer of the year, blues guitar of the year, blues  drummer of the year, etc. This years show will induct notables as Bobby Freeman, Larry Graham, Belva Davis, Steve Miller, Pete Escovedo, Lu Vason, Opal Nations, Don Robey, Nate James, Ed Howard, Art Lassiter, Ephesian Church of God In Christ, Bobby Webb, James Levi, Billy Pigrum, Vernon & Jewell, Lunnell, and Carl "Good Rockin" Robinson. The Bob Geddins Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Eleanor Boswell-Raine (Globe Newspaper) and Carolyn Crawford (U.C. Berkeley Oral History Department). We are happy to announce our new venue, the beautiful Hilton at the Oakland Airport which includes plenty of parking.

TICKETS; $30 in advance; $35 at the door - After Party Included Highsierratickets.com

    Soul music is having a revival, and the Radio Hour is happy to participate. The program shares soul stirrers old and new, from Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, and Arthur Conley, to so-called Nu-Soul artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, James Hunter, and Ryan Shaw. Also: new artists Treasa Lavesseur and comeback king Curtis Salgado. And much more. There's also a chance for you win a copy of JJ Cale's new CD, ROLL ON. This week's Blues Breaker is a hefty chunk of new mojo from Big Shanty.
      
 visit www.TheBluesMobile.com
                    for times and stations in your area