FIRST RELEASE IN FOUR YEARS SET FOR LP, FEATURES SOLO FAVORITES FROM 1998 PLUS COLLABORATIONS WITH MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION ARTISTS
Two-time GRAMMY Award winner, Blues Hall of Famer, and Americana Music
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Taj Mahal’s 47th album ‘Labor of
Love’ will come out December 16 on Acoustic Sounds.
‘Labor of Love’ features some of his most beloved materials such as the
murder ballad “Stack-O-Lee,” Mississippi John Hurt’s “My Creole Belle,”
the Delta standard “Walking Blues,” and the longtime live favorite
“Fishing Blues.” Taj also collaborates with one armed harmonica player
Neal Pattman, blind singer Cootie Stark, guitar master Cool John
Ferguson (profiled in a recent issue of Premier Guitar), and Piedmont
blueswoman Algia Mae Hinton. Pattman, Stark, and Baker have since passed
on. Full liner notes by UNC writer Will Boone paint the full picture.
All songs are previously unreleased while four of the songs have not
been recorded in any other version by Taj.
Enraptured by the mission of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, Taj
Mahal met MMRF head Tim Duffy in 1993 and introduced him to the Rolling
Stones, BB King, Dan Ackroyd, and others; he is on the Advisory Board
and has been a staunch MMRF ally and friend to Tim ever since. On a
42-date tour in 1998, Music Maker Relief Foundation head Tim Duffy set
up recording equipment in whatever hotels Taj and the Music Makers were
staying. Finally, in Houston, TX, Taj and the Music Makers got to
playing after hours; six solo tracks were recorded along with seven
tracks of Taj with Music Maker Relief Foundation artists such as
National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship winners
Etta Baker and John Dee Holeman. ‘Labor of Love’ is Taj’s first release in four years.
Of working with those musicians, Taj says that he most enjoyed “getting
to know their lives and how they made things work” while getting
“closer to the source.”
In the past half decade alone, Mahal has opened for Bob Dylan, Wynton
Marsalis, and Eric Clapton; performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
with the Roots; guested on new Clapton recordings; joined the Rolling
Stones onstage; performed at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, CA;
joined a Bonnaroo jam with Susan Tedeschi, Anthony Hamilton, Derek
Trucks, Chaka Khan; and performed on the Americana Music Awards.
Raised in a West Indian-American and African-American family, Taj Mahal
signed to Columbia Records and began his recording career in 1968. Since
then, he has played the music of the African diaspora, drawing
connections between African, Carribean, South Pacific, and Southern
American culture. Bonnie Raitt said of him, "Taj is probably the most
important bridge we have between blues and rock-n-roll. He's as bad as
they get." Mick Jagger has called him “a living link to the old blues
tradition.”
'Labor of Love' Track List:
1. Stagger Lee
2. Shortnin' Bread (with Neal Pattman)
3. My Creole Belle
4. I Ain't The One You Love (with Alga Mae Hinton)
5. Fishin’ Blues
6. Mistreated Blues (with John Dee Holeman)
7. Zanzibar
8. So Sweet (with Cootie Stark)
9. Spike Drivers Blues
10. Hambone (with John Dee Holeman)
11. Walkin’ Blues
12. John Henry (with Etta Baker)
13. Song For Brenda (with Cool John Ferguson)
Showing posts with label blues music awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blues music awards. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2016
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES LEADS BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATION FIELD WITH SEVEN
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones – the storied blues ensemble
celebrating its 35th anniversary this year with the deeply felt new
album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ (Severn Records) – led the Blues Music Award
nominations today with seven:
+ Band of the Year – Sugar Ray & The Bluetones
+ Album of the Year – ‘Living Tear To Tear’
+ Traditional Album of the Year – ‘Living Tear To Tear’
+ Harmonica - Sugar Ray Norcia
+ Bass - Michael "Mudcat" Ward
+ Traditional Male Artist - Sugar Ray Norcia
+
Song for "Things Could Be Worse”
Friday, March 14, 2014
EDEN BRENT BIOGRAPHY
A Little
Boogalography
Eden Brent’s piano playing and singing style ranges from a
melancholic whisper to a full-blown juke joint holler. She’s
simultaneously confident and confiding, ably blending an earthy
meld of jazz, blues, soul, and pop as she huskily invites listeners
into her lazy, lush world.
That world lies just north of Greenville, Mississippi on the two-lane
Highway 1, which follows the twists and turns of the river through
fecund swampland, time-forgotten plantations, and blink-andyou’ll-
miss-‘em communities like Rosedale, Beulah, and Stovall
before it dead ends into Highway 61 just south of Onward.
It was there that Brent was able to develop her gutsy vocal-andpiano
chops via family sing-a-longs and a 16-year apprenticeship
with the late blues pioneer Boogaloo Ames, who ultimately dubbed
his protégé “Little Boogaloo.”
“Music school taught me to think, but Boogaloo taught me to boogie-woogie,” says Brent, who appeared
alongside her mentor in the 1999 PBS documentary Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound and in the 2002 South
African production Forty Days in the Delta.
Where most 21st century roots musicians merely emulate their heroes, Brent and Ames were both “soul mate and
road buddies,” says lifelong friend (and acclaimed journalist) Julia Reed. “She was a young white woman of
privilege and he was an aging black man in the Mississippi Delta, but theirs is a phenomenal story of mutual
admiration and need.”
Yet much more than the blues flows through Brent’s talented hands: Critics laud her “Bessie Smith meets Diana
Krall meets Janis Joplin” attitude, compare her to jazz/pop dynamos Norah Jones and Sarah Vaughn, and wax
effusively about her “whiskey-smoke” voice, which serves as a constant reminder that Greenville, nestled into a
bend of the Mississippi River, is located a few hundred miles north of New Orleans.
Whether booked as a solo artist or bandleader, Brent’s performance is fresh and spontaneous, often filled with
audience requests and participation. Her unshakable talent and her carefree demeanor have taken her across the
country and around the world, with appearances at the Kennedy Center, the 2000 Republican National
Convention, the venerable Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and tours of South Africa and Norway under her belt.
Since launching her career, she’s won the Blues Foundation’s 2006 International Blues Challenge, and was a 2004
inductee on the Greenville Blues Walk. Sharing a bill with B.B. King, Brent performed at the 2005 presidential
inauguration, and solo, she’s appeared at the British Embassy and at the My South celebration in New York.
She’s also burnished her reputation via appearances on the public radio program Beale Street Caravan, at festivals
like the Waterfront Blues Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival and the annual B.B. King Homecoming, and aboard
the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
But the 2009 Blues Music Awards cemented Eden’s place as one of the fresh voices propelling this vital
American music forward. She was nominated in four categories, winning both “Acoustic Album of the Year”
and “Acoustic Artist of the Year” honors (joining Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Janiva Magness as the only multicategory
winners for the year). As Chip Eagle, publisher of Blues Revue, BluesWax, and Dirty Linen says, “in
Eden’s huge playing and singing you can hear the ghosts of Mississippi in a duet with the future of the blues.”
Boogalography
Eden Brent’s piano playing and singing style ranges from a
melancholic whisper to a full-blown juke joint holler. She’s
simultaneously confident and confiding, ably blending an earthy
meld of jazz, blues, soul, and pop as she huskily invites listeners
into her lazy, lush world.
That world lies just north of Greenville, Mississippi on the two-lane
Highway 1, which follows the twists and turns of the river through
fecund swampland, time-forgotten plantations, and blink-andyou’ll-
miss-‘em communities like Rosedale, Beulah, and Stovall
before it dead ends into Highway 61 just south of Onward.
It was there that Brent was able to develop her gutsy vocal-andpiano
chops via family sing-a-longs and a 16-year apprenticeship
with the late blues pioneer Boogaloo Ames, who ultimately dubbed
his protégé “Little Boogaloo.”
“Music school taught me to think, but Boogaloo taught me to boogie-woogie,” says Brent, who appeared
alongside her mentor in the 1999 PBS documentary Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound and in the 2002 South
African production Forty Days in the Delta.
Where most 21st century roots musicians merely emulate their heroes, Brent and Ames were both “soul mate and
road buddies,” says lifelong friend (and acclaimed journalist) Julia Reed. “She was a young white woman of
privilege and he was an aging black man in the Mississippi Delta, but theirs is a phenomenal story of mutual
admiration and need.”
Yet much more than the blues flows through Brent’s talented hands: Critics laud her “Bessie Smith meets Diana
Krall meets Janis Joplin” attitude, compare her to jazz/pop dynamos Norah Jones and Sarah Vaughn, and wax
effusively about her “whiskey-smoke” voice, which serves as a constant reminder that Greenville, nestled into a
bend of the Mississippi River, is located a few hundred miles north of New Orleans.
Whether booked as a solo artist or bandleader, Brent’s performance is fresh and spontaneous, often filled with
audience requests and participation. Her unshakable talent and her carefree demeanor have taken her across the
country and around the world, with appearances at the Kennedy Center, the 2000 Republican National
Convention, the venerable Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and tours of South Africa and Norway under her belt.
Since launching her career, she’s won the Blues Foundation’s 2006 International Blues Challenge, and was a 2004
inductee on the Greenville Blues Walk. Sharing a bill with B.B. King, Brent performed at the 2005 presidential
inauguration, and solo, she’s appeared at the British Embassy and at the My South celebration in New York.
She’s also burnished her reputation via appearances on the public radio program Beale Street Caravan, at festivals
like the Waterfront Blues Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival and the annual B.B. King Homecoming, and aboard
the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
But the 2009 Blues Music Awards cemented Eden’s place as one of the fresh voices propelling this vital
American music forward. She was nominated in four categories, winning both “Acoustic Album of the Year”
and “Acoustic Artist of the Year” honors (joining Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Janiva Magness as the only multicategory
winners for the year). As Chip Eagle, publisher of Blues Revue, BluesWax, and Dirty Linen says, “in
Eden’s huge playing and singing you can hear the ghosts of Mississippi in a duet with the future of the blues.”
Thursday, September 12, 2013
WITH NEW ALBUM COMING IN SPRING, THE NICK MOSS BAND ANNOUNCES 36-DATE TOUR
"EXCELLENT" (ALL MUSIC GUIDE) SONGWRITER, GUITAR MAN, & 16-TIME BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINEE STRETCHES HIS LEGS
The Nick Moss Band — "an artist with important things to tell us," according to Blue Revue Magazine, on which he has appeared on the cover – has announced a 36-date fall tour in anticipation of a new album due in the spring of 2014. Moss is a 16-time Blues Music Award nominee and a 3-time Blue Blast Award Winner. Moss continually tops the Living Blues Radio charts, and even debuted at #2 on the Relix/Jamband Radio Charts in 2012 with Here I Am.
To hear upcoming single "Was I Ever Heard," please click here.
Having spent time in the bands of blues legends Jimmy Dawkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (The Legendary Blues Band), and Jimmy Rogers, Moss has been schooled in the deep Chicago blues tradition. He has also produced the Midnight Blues album by the late Magic Slim. Once a blues purist, Moss has more recently widened his scope, stretching himself and challenging his devoted audience with ingredients from soul music, rhythm and blues, funk, and a little bit of rock and roll. All Music Guide has praised Moss' music as "memorable… played with spirit, drive, and swing."
The Nick Moss Band features second guitarist and vocalist Michael Ledbetter, a descendant of Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly. An electrifying new talent, Ledbetter will be making his recorded lead vocal debut on the forthcoming Moss album.
Nick Moss Band Fall Tour Dates
September 14 - Chicago, IL - Honky Tonk BBQ
September 20 - Elgin, IL - Danny’s
September 21 - Murphysboro, IL - Murphysboro Riverside Blues Festival
October 5 - Vernon Hills, IL - Philly G’s
October 8 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
October 18 - Osteroy, Poland - Jimiway Festival
October 19 - Finnsnes, Norway - Otto’s
October 26 - Chicago, IL - Smoke Daddy
October 31 - Lincoln, NE - Zoo Bar
November 1 - Littleton, CO - Toad Tavern
November 2 - Woodland Park, CO - Crystola Roadhouse
November 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Sun and Moon Café
November 5 - Salt Lake City, UT - Sun and Moon Café
November 6 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
November 7 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s
November 8 - Ventura, CA - Yolie’s
November 9 - Arcadia, CA - Arcadia Blues Club
November 10 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino
November 13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Pocket
November 14 - San Francisco, CA - Biscuits and Blues
November 15 - Phillipsville, CA - Riverwood Inn
November 16 - Nevada City, CA - Crazy Horse
November 17 - Folsom, CA - Powerhouse Pub
November 20 - Portland, OR - Duff’s Garage
November 22 - Tacoma, WA - Jazzbones
November 23 - Seattle, WA - Hwy 99 Blues Club
November 26 - Lincoln, NE - Zoo Bar
November 27 - Sioux Falls, SD - Old Skoolz
November 29 - Chicago, IL - Double Door w The Steepwater Band
December 6 - Atlanta, GA - Blind Willie’s
December 7 - Tallahassee, FL - Bradfordville Blues Club
December 10 - Delray Beach, FL - Boston’s on the Beach
December 11 - Key Largo, FL - Bayside Grille & Sunset Bar
December 14 - Tampa, FL - Skipper’s
December 15 - Sebastian, FL - Earl’s Hideaway
December 17 - St. Georges, DE - The Country Store
The Nick Moss Band — "an artist with important things to tell us," according to Blue Revue Magazine, on which he has appeared on the cover – has announced a 36-date fall tour in anticipation of a new album due in the spring of 2014. Moss is a 16-time Blues Music Award nominee and a 3-time Blue Blast Award Winner. Moss continually tops the Living Blues Radio charts, and even debuted at #2 on the Relix/Jamband Radio Charts in 2012 with Here I Am.
To hear upcoming single "Was I Ever Heard," please click here.
Having spent time in the bands of blues legends Jimmy Dawkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (The Legendary Blues Band), and Jimmy Rogers, Moss has been schooled in the deep Chicago blues tradition. He has also produced the Midnight Blues album by the late Magic Slim. Once a blues purist, Moss has more recently widened his scope, stretching himself and challenging his devoted audience with ingredients from soul music, rhythm and blues, funk, and a little bit of rock and roll. All Music Guide has praised Moss' music as "memorable… played with spirit, drive, and swing."
The Nick Moss Band features second guitarist and vocalist Michael Ledbetter, a descendant of Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly. An electrifying new talent, Ledbetter will be making his recorded lead vocal debut on the forthcoming Moss album.
Nick Moss Band Fall Tour Dates
September 14 - Chicago, IL - Honky Tonk BBQ
September 20 - Elgin, IL - Danny’s
September 21 - Murphysboro, IL - Murphysboro Riverside Blues Festival
October 5 - Vernon Hills, IL - Philly G’s
October 8 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
October 18 - Osteroy, Poland - Jimiway Festival
October 19 - Finnsnes, Norway - Otto’s
October 26 - Chicago, IL - Smoke Daddy
October 31 - Lincoln, NE - Zoo Bar
November 1 - Littleton, CO - Toad Tavern
November 2 - Woodland Park, CO - Crystola Roadhouse
November 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Sun and Moon Café
November 5 - Salt Lake City, UT - Sun and Moon Café
November 6 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
November 7 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey’s
November 8 - Ventura, CA - Yolie’s
November 9 - Arcadia, CA - Arcadia Blues Club
November 10 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino
November 13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Pocket
November 14 - San Francisco, CA - Biscuits and Blues
November 15 - Phillipsville, CA - Riverwood Inn
November 16 - Nevada City, CA - Crazy Horse
November 17 - Folsom, CA - Powerhouse Pub
November 20 - Portland, OR - Duff’s Garage
November 22 - Tacoma, WA - Jazzbones
November 23 - Seattle, WA - Hwy 99 Blues Club
November 26 - Lincoln, NE - Zoo Bar
November 27 - Sioux Falls, SD - Old Skoolz
November 29 - Chicago, IL - Double Door w The Steepwater Band
December 6 - Atlanta, GA - Blind Willie’s
December 7 - Tallahassee, FL - Bradfordville Blues Club
December 10 - Delray Beach, FL - Boston’s on the Beach
December 11 - Key Largo, FL - Bayside Grille & Sunset Bar
December 14 - Tampa, FL - Skipper’s
December 15 - Sebastian, FL - Earl’s Hideaway
December 17 - St. Georges, DE - The Country Store
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
PAUL RISHELL EARNS FIRST SOLO BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR 'TALKING GUITAR' (MOJO RODEO)
New England's blues master Paul Rishell has earned his first
solo Blues Music Award nominations for Acoustic Album of the Year with 'Talking
Guitar' and for Acoustic Artist. He and harmonica-playing musical partner Annie
Raines are previous winners as a duo.
Rishell has played with and learned from Son House, Johnny
Shines, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, and Buddy Guy
& Junior Wells. With Raines, he has opened for Ray Charles, Asleep at the
Wheel, Susan Tedeschi, Leon Russell, Dr. John, and John Sebastian. The Boston
Globe's James Reed wrote a feature on Rishell last year.
In related news, Raines and Rishell played together publicly
for the first time 20 years ago December 5, marking a milestone in the fruitful
musical partnership.
Here's a postable mp3 of Rishell's rendition of
"Fannin' Street (Mr. Tom Hughes' Tom)."
The Blues Foundation will present the Blues Music Awards at
the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, TN, on May 9, 2013. Online
voting is open for members and ticket sales open December 13.
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines tour dates:
January 25, 2013 – Boston, MA – Institute for Contemporary
Art (w/ Woody Mann)
January 26, 2013 - Canton, CT - Roaring Brook Nature Center
February 8, 2013 - Brownfield, ME - Stone Mountain Arts
Center
February 22, 2013 - Cambridge, MA – Club Passim
February 23, 2013 - N. Eastham, MA - First Encounter
Coffeehouse
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bo-Keys on AP Best Of '11 List & Earn Blues Music Award Nominations
The Bo-Keys' 'Got To Get Back!' (Electraphonic Recordings) has appeared on Associated Press' list of top albums of 2011, alongside albums by Adele, Beyonce, Jay-Z & Kanye West, The Roots, The Black Keys, and others.
Meanwhile, the band has earned two Blues Music Award nominations, for Band of the Year and for Best Soul Blues Album of the Year.
Click here for upcoming Bo-Keys shows.
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