I am continuing to see signs that patio season is off and running. Here in Florida you definitely need a nice cold drink in your hand to enjoy time on a patio. It is already HOT! This week's newsletter comes to you from sunny Indian Rocks Beach. The condo we generally rent has both beach-side and inter-coastal balconies so we get to see sunrises AND sunsets. Definitely nice!
Last week's news articles are back this week, though please note the update to the Eureka Springs Blues Party article. They are looking for volunteers for the weekend. Read on for the information about how to get involved. Other returning articles include the announcement
of the 2023 Blues Music Award Winners and the Blues Winners in the International Songwriting Competition. You will also
find links to a mini-documentary that was shared with us about blues and jazz singer Mabel Scott. Be sure to check them
out for info and links to find out even more.
We are also bringing back another
week of blues history with Big Train
and the Loco Motives. I am loving
it...how about you?
It's always important to say, this is YOUR newsletter! No time to submit complete articles? Why not consider sharing dates for your favorite artists? Many bands have time challenges in submitting information and this would be a great way for fans to show them some love! Please send questions, information, feedback, and suggestions our way. Just click
on Sandy's email address below.
We appreciate our readers and want
to see your ideas included!
~Sandy McCann
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Seeking Volunteers
EUREKA SPRINGS BLUES PARTY WEEKEND!
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Submitted by Mark Pofelski
UPDATE: Volunteers are needed to help with the festival and vendor tables are available. To get involved, contact event director Mary Howze who is coordinating Blues Weekend. Mary can be reached directly at 870-654-2173 or by email at crescentactivities@gmail.com .
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Greetings BLUES-lovers! Here’s an event that you don’t want to miss out on.
Starting Thursday, June 1st and ending
on Sunday, June 4th, Eureka Springs
will be the place to be to hear all the BLUES YOU CAN USE!
 When I retired and relocated to Eureka Springs 10 years ago from Chicago’s south side, I was more than pleased to find out there was an annual Blues Festival. Many fine bands were featured like The Robert Cray Band, The Nighthawks, Chicago Blues Review, Cedric Burnside, Victor Wainwright & the Train, J.P. Soars and many others. Also I discovered many local talents and of course, The Ozark Blues Society. Then came the pandemic. Just about everything was cancelled or delayed. But now, the BLUES are BACK for the first time in three years! On Thursday the 1st, Los Roscoes gets things started at the Gravel Bar. They are a relatively undiscovered band with their own personal style of BLUES and have just released their first CD. Consisting of guitarist David Blankenship, bassist Adam “Gordo” Moraga and drummer Wes Bowlin, there is no doubt they will get you into party mode with their combination of original tunes and innovative interpretations of classic blues compositions. They will play from 5pm to 8pm and then it’s time to dash over to the Barefoot Ballroom at the Basin Park Hotel for Red Oak Ruse & the Lucas Parker Band. Lucas has been tearing it up lately
all over the region with his aggressive guitar presentation. That begins at 8pm. After that, it’s over to Chelsea’s to hear Hector Anchondo beginning at 10pm. How’s that for a start of the Party!
On Friday the 2nd, Free Live Music
in Basin Park (band TBA) at 2pm. Local legends Earl & Them with Jesse Dean
will perform at the Basin Park Hotel Game Room at 6pm. The Gravel Bar features
96 Miles at 7pm. One of the weekend’s highlights begin at 7:30pm at The Auditorium. Performances by Oklahoma native Ray Wylie Hubbard, who has recorded for both Warner Bros. and Rounder Records beginning in the mid ’60’s with his combination of Americana, Blues and Rock styles and also Queen of the New Orleans blues piano and Texas native Marcia Ball with her energetic style. You are liable to hear zydeco, swamp blues, Louisiana blues and boogie during her set. She was awarded "Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" for her albums Presumed Innocent (2002) and So Many Rivers (2004). The same year she also won "Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year-Female." She won the "Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards" again in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009. The BMA for Keyboards has since been renamed the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award and Ball has won it in 2012 and 2015. Her 2003 Alligator release, So Many Rivers, was nominated for a Grammy as were Live! Down The Road (2005) and Peace, Love & BBQ (2008). She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Finally to wrap it up for Friday will be the Funk Factory at the Basin Park Barefoot Ballroom beginning at 10pm. Quoting the description from their web site, “The Funk Factory has been funking up the Midwest since 2017 delivering their unique take on psychedelic rock, funk, reggae, blues, country, and more! They have made a name for themselves with strong female and male lead vocals, saucy keyboards, soaring guitar leads, and a groovy backbeat plus a ridiculously fun live energy! The band focuses on mostly original music and is constantly introducing new material. 2020 saw the band release 2 EPs and another will be on the way soon!” On Saturday the 3rd, Free Live Music in Basin Park at 2pm and also the Basin Park Hotel Game room at 4pm (bands TBA). Local celebrity band Brick Fields with their Brick Fields Duo along with VIP Wine Tasting at 5pm and again at 7pm. At 6pm it’s Los Roscoes (who began it all on Thursday) will perform at the Basin Park Barefoot Ballroom. An 8pm show after Los Roscoes at the Barefoot Ballroom will feature a show (band TBA) then10pm brings The King Cabbage Brass Band to the Barefoot Ballroom. To quote from their web site, “Coming out of Covid in June of 2021, King Cabbage Brass Band is a New Orleans inspired
brass band finding its own sound in Tulsa. Since arriving on the music scene, KCBB has taken the city by storm with its infectious blend of classic brass band tunes, along with plenty of modern covers.
Their sound fuses the popular
New Orleans brass band style with
an eclectic blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, and funk. KCBB is on a mission to bring people together, party, and forget
their problems through joyful music!”
On both Saturday night and Sunday the 4th, live music will be featured in venues all over Eureka Springs including The Gravel Bar and Chelsea’s.
So get ready, BLUES LOVERS, the first four days of June will be ALL THE BLUES (and FUNK) YOU CAN USE at the EUREKA SPRINGS BLUES PARTY!! For tickets, further information and updates, go to EurekaSpringsBluesParty.com.
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Check This Out!
Great Blues History Presentation by
Big Train and the
Loco Motives
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Continuing to share these great blues history presentations.Thank you to Buddy Shute for pointing us to another great option for diving into Blues History! And thank you Big Train Blues for offering us permission to access and share your presentations! Like what you see below? Please like and follow Big Train and the Loco Motives
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HEY BLUES FANS - Here's the latest episode of "This Week In The Blues" for the week of May 14 through May 20, 2023.  Some of the highlights include blues guitarist Taj Mahal, blues singer Bessie Smith, and talk show host Johnny Carson....WHAT?
Watch this week's episode HERE
If you like blues history, Jimbo "Big Train" Madsen does a daily blues history post on the Big Train and the Loco Motives Facebook Page HERE .
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Mini Documentary
about blues and jazz singer
Mabel Scott
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The following was shared with us by Sharon Scott Brooking, the writer and co- producer of a mini documentary about the life of Mabel Scott.
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Mabel was a singer from the 1930s through 1950s. The film which is slightly under 16 minutes was shown by the Richmond Jazz Society at the BHMVA at the exhibition “Virginia Jazz - The Early Years“ during the summer of 2021. The exhibition showcased individuals who made a contribution to the development of jazz and blues. The film is now on YouTube.
Here is the link to “Mabel’s Blues - The Story of Singer Mabel Scott”:
The name of the channel is Mabel Scott Blues Singer. Here is the link to the channel:
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2023 Blues Music Award Winners Announced
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Acoustic Blues Album:
Charlie Musselwhite, "Mississippi Son"
Acoustic Blues Artist:
Doug MacLeod
Album of the Year: Buddy Guy, "The Blues Don't Lie"
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year: Tommy Castro
Band of the Year:
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Best Emerging Artist Album:
Dylan Triplett, "Who Is He?"
Blues Rock Album:
Albert Castiglia, "I Got Love"
Contemporary Blues Album:
Buddy Guy, "The Blues Don't Lie"
Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Ruthie Foster
Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Instrumentalist - Bass:
Danielle Nicole
Instrumentalist - Drums:
Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith
Instrumentalist - Guitar:
Laura Chavez
Instrumentalist - Harmonica:
John Németh
Instrumentalist - Horn:
Deanna Bogart
Instrumentalist - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player:
Anthony Geraci
Instrumentalist - Vocals:
Shemekia Copeland
Song of the Year:
"Don't Lie" written by Tom Hambridge
Soul Blues Album:
Sugaray Rayford, "In Too Deep"
Soul Blues Female Artist:
Thornetta Davis
Soul Blues Male Artist:
Curtis Salgado
Traditional Blues Album:
John Németh, "May be the Last Time"
Traditional Blues Female Artist: Koko Taylor Award:
Sue Foley
Traditional Blues Male Artist:
John Primer
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Blues Winners Announced in 2022 International Songwriting Competition (ISC)
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From: Candace Avery
International Songwriting Competition
615.251.4441
press@songwritingcompetition.com
www.songwritingcompetition.com
******
May 9, 2023 --- The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce the winners in the Blues category. Widely recognized as one of the the most respected and influential songwriting competitions in the world, ISC received more than 15,000 entries this year from 150 countries. Winners were selected by ISC’s panel of judges from a pool of talented Blues songwriters, and ISC is pleased to recognize them for their outstanding accomplishment.
Taking home First Place in the Blues category is John Nemeth of The Love Light Orchestra (Memphis, TN) for the song “After All.” Second Place is awarded to Matt Isbell and Taylor Orr of Ghost Town Blues Band (Memphis, TN) for the song “Shine,” and Third Place goes to John Primer (Camden, MO) for the song ”Hard Times.”
There have been many great Blues songwriters and performers throughout history, and these ISC-winning artists are examples of the best of today’s Blues songwriters. They all honor the traditions of the genre but put a contemporary spin on it, making it accessible to modern audiences. Previous ISC Blues winners have included Tommy Castro, Fantastic Negrito, Tom Hambridge, Thornetta Davis, Jack deKeyzer, Zac Harmon, and many more.
An additional 10 songs garnered an Honorable Mention in the Blues category: See below for the list of Honorable Mentions.
“ISC remains committed to recognizing and promoting the best of Blues music,” said ISC Founder and Director, Candace Avery. “It is exciting to see the high quality of the winners’ songwriting and know that their music will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the Blues genre.”
ISC winners hail from all over the world (53% of this year’s overall winners come from outside the USA) and range from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans. The 24 categories include all genres of contemporary music, from blues to rock to pop to jazz to EDM and more.
Blues Honorable Mentions:
A.W. Cardinal, Jasmine Ohlhauser (Blue Moon Marquee) – “Hound Dog On A Chain” –Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
Anthony ‘Big A’ Sherrod – “Tried And Tried Ft. The Cornlickers” – Clarksdale, MS, USA
Carrie Richburg-Wilson, Larry Wilson (The Junior Wilson) – “I Been Blue Before” – Sandston, VA, USA
Crystal Shawanda, Gary Strobel – “Rumpshaker” – Wikwemikong, ON, Canada
Drew Foust – “What's Real” – Burlington, NC, USA
LaBronn Conner Jr. – “Ain't One Thing” – Cleveland, OH, USA
Marlon Van Maastricht (Zero Expectations & Arqam) – “Last Confessions” – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Peter Veteska (Peter Veteska & Blues Train) – “Low Down Dirty Blues” – New York, NY, USA
Robert Scott Gentilo (Bobby Gentilo) – “Troublin'” – Baltimore, MD, USA
Trudy Lynn – “Golden Girl Blues” – Houston, TX, USA
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ISC is sponsored by: AGD Entertainment; Arturia; Audeze; BSquared Management; Eventric; Gibson; Lewitt Audio; Lurseen Mastering; Play MPE, PreSonus, Protégé; SongU; Ultimate Ears Pro; and Wondershare Filmora
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LIVE MUSIC
Music Calendar
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Please enjoy the following listings comprised
of bands, venues, and/or organizations that support Ozark Blues Society. Always check
with individual venues for event details
and schedule changes. Submit weekly listings by emailing: SANDY
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5.19
- Full House for Happy Hour at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville
- Dillon Brouse Quartet for Jazz on the Mountain at Mount Sequoyah in Fayetteville
- Elizabeth Bainbridge Jazz Duo at Sassafras Winery in Springdale
- Blew Reed and the Flatheads at Good Vibrations in Rogers
- Of Sea and Stone at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
- FreshGrass at the Momentary in Bentonville
- Buddy Shute and the Motivators at Rowdy Beaver Den in Eureka Springs
5.20
- School of Rock at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
- Mavis Staples and more for FreshGrass at the Momentary in Bentonville
5.21
- School of Rock at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
5.22
- Fayetteville Jazz Collective Big Band at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville
- Keith Nicholson at JJ's Grill and Chill in Springdale
5.23
- Roby Pantall Jazz Duo at Sassafras Winery in Springdale
- Dave Matthews Band at the AMP in Rogers
- Songwriters in the Round at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
- Forte Quintet at Lady Slipper in Bentonville
- Jim Mills at JJ's Grill and Chill in Fort Smith
5.24
- Motivator Trio at La Huerta at Mission and Crossover in Fayetteville
- Brick Fields Blues Therapy at Moranos in Fayetteville
- Ben Harris at Six-Twelve Coffeehouse and Bar in Fayetteville
- Richard Burnett at JJ's Grill and Chill in Fort Smith
5.26
- Cate Brothers and Bel Airs for Happy Hour at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville
- Incubus with Coheed and Cambria at the AMP in Rogers
- TV Preacher/Bell Wether Sirens/Maximum Weekend at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
5.27
- Buddy Shute and Mark McGee at the Rowdy Beaver Den in Eureka Springs
Mark Your Calendar
6/1 Colt Ball at the Meteor in Bentonville
6/2 Sonic Guild at the Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
6/1-6/4 Eureka Springs Blues Party in Eureka Springs
6/4 Jazz in Bloom 2023 at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks
6/8 Nate Hancock and JP the Rockstar at The Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
6/9 KALO and The Downtown Livewires at The Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville
Please Submit Dates for Regional Blues Artists and Group Events HERE |
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On this day
in Blues History
May 19
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Today’s show features music by Ray Charles and Big Bill Broonzy
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"When you got your hand in the lion's mouth, don't do nothin' til you get it out."
Big Bill Broonzy
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Thanks to the following for their support of blues education.
Please check back for updates
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Listen and enjoy these weekly radio and streaming blues shows
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Get Involved with the Ozark Blues Society
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Annual membership levels begin at $15 and give you so much in return, including meeting new friends while enjoying the best blues artists in the area.
Your membership support of Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas helps us pursue our mission to preserve the Original American Art Form known as The Blues, supports live blues performances, and provides educational programs for all ages.
Thank You!
Membership Benefits Include:
Weekly E-newsletter
Opportunities to win tickets to events
VIP seating at events (when available)
Social networking – meeting other people who also love the blues
Opportunities to volunteer on OBS committees and at events
Ability to attend board meetings and vote on upcoming organizational issues and elections
Visit our Website to renew or join! Ozarkbluessociety.org
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