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Joyce Huston (pronounced Houston) earned her moniker “Lady J” while attending Howard University as a Music Theory/Composition major (Dean's List). Her debut full length studio album, Groove Me Baby, is a reflection of all that Huston is (singer, songwriter, trumpeter, music director, arranger, and producer) and has accomplished in her career that began as a child dancer on shows with her mother Loyce Huston and led to an array of awards and high-profile appearances. For the big production on the twelve new tracks Huston enlisted over 30 musicians including four guitarists, three drummers, several bassists, keys, vocalists, a horn section (which includes Lady J) and the 18-piece Jazz Edge Orchestra from St Louis all backing her fiery vocals, trumpet, and flugelhorn playing.

Nine original songs, written or co-written by Huston, include the downhome blues, “Your Call,” the bawdy blues swinging “Mean Stud Lover’s Blues;” “I Want A Man Like That,” recorded by her mother, Loyce Pickens [Huston] in 1963, is a loving tribute; “Tearing Me Apart” a powerful, heartbreaking R&B ballad is reportedly a true story; “Born Under A Bad Sign,” is delivered with sizzle and flair that Huston learned working as music director for blues legend Albert King; and the tongue in cheek “Corona, You make Me Sick!,” an upbeat take on the pandemic.

Lady J’s complex arrangement/composition of “Hide-Away” shows off the Jazz Edge Orchestra; “Groove Me Baby,” the title track, is classic soul with sophisticated layers; “Messin’ ‘Round On Da Bayou” is a slow-cooking New Orleans flavored funk inspired by her Vegas drummer Jimmy Prima, nephew of Louis Prima; and hot swing number “500 Pounds Good Gizzay,” will make many a man blush. Bonus tracks include an instrumental version of “Mean Stud Lover’s Blues,” plus a live recording of “At Last,” that showcases the breadth of Huston’s dramatic range.
 

"Mean Stud Lover's Blues"
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The word “photography” is based on two Greek words that, when put together, mean “writing with light.’ In 400 BC, the Chinese, you know, the ones that created the first recorded sunglasses out of quartz (see last week's issue), provided the earliest known written record of their exploration of camera obscura, or pinhole imagery. But it wasn't until 1825 that a French invented the heliograph, a print that required eight hours of light exposure to create and which soon faded! By the 1880s George Eastman invented and patented the Kodak roll-film camera!

 

The history or photography runs deep. And how grateful we are that images were and still are captured for the world to ponder and enjoy!

 

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We welcome e-Guide suggestions and questions. You can reach our E-Guide editor, Michele Lundeen (pictured here) via EMAIL. 
Michele is also a singer, songwriter, performer and bandleader based in the San Diego County, California area and nicknamed the "Queen of Steam" for her high energy and passionate style.
 
RBA Publishing, Inc. in business since 1993, is a boutique, blues-specific PR and marketing firm based on the West Coast. We help musicians, festivals, labels and music-related brands. Our digital campaigns target fans, industry and influencers. We are masterful at email marketing, social media, fan acquisition and long-term marketing plans. Our media services are supported by people who understand and love the blues genre. Publishers of the annual Blues Festival Guide magazine, our top-ranking website, and e-Guide newsletter with approx. 30,000 weekly subscribers, we have been blues industry leaders for 20 years. Please contact us at 707-630 3304 or EMAIL to find out how we can help you!
 

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