STARBUCKS PICKS IRONING BOARD SAM’S ‘SUPER SPIRIT’ FOR IN-STORE PLAY NATIONWIDE

RAVES COME IN FOR SOUL MAN’S BIG LEGAL MESS RECORDS DEBUT

Starbucks has confirmed in-store airplay for Ironing Board Sam’s new album ‘Super Spirit,’ his first on Fat Possum subsidiary Big Legal Mess. Meanwhile, TIME Magazine posted a feature and photo spread on Ironing Board Sam and fellow Music Maker Relief Foundation artists.

‘Super Spirit’ has earned widespread acclaim:

“Soulful… Sam possesses the kind of weathered, soul-drenched voice that only a seasoned R&B veteran has these days.”
- Bart Bealmear, Dangerous Minds, September 21, 2015

“Rollicking.”
- Chris Steffen, All Music, August 31, 2015

“Kicking funk… A singer of maximum force, he also pulls down interplanetary love to share with his fellow creatures here… Cosmic vibrations float off the stage and swirl around the room, until they land inside of all those present, only to ferment and explode in fragments of beaming lights buried deep within the brain. If that sounds far out, then it should. This is music powered by the super spirit—and then some. Groove now and forever keep your psyche turned on.”
- Bill Bentley, Morton Report, November 6, 2015

“Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. Bettye Lavette. Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires… With his brand new album, Super Spirit, releasing today on Big Legal Mess Records, soul and blues legend Ironing Board Sam joins the illustrious list of artists.”
- Rhonda Nicole, SoulTrain, October 2, 2015
“Wildman… A Sam appearance is a dazzling event… Watching his performances is like watching Little Richard and Screamin' Jay Hawkins in a battle for possession of the same body… Even though his latest, Super Spirit, is a studio record, it has the same energy and wildness as his live performances… Sam's sound is rough-hewn soul and blues held together, or more often than not, torn asunder by his extraterrestrial piano figures… Sam is in fine shape here, taking on all comers and laying 'em out, his spirit and his skills stronger than ever.”
- Grant Britt, No Depression, September 30, 2015

“A consummate showman, blues legend Ironing Board Sam has been entertaining audiences for decades with his mad scientist approach… Sam's music is a treat for the eyes as much as it is for the ears.”
- UTNE Reader, September 15, 2015

“Legend… perhaps his finest album yet.”
- Shane Handler, Glide, September 28, 2015

“It's safe to say that Sammie Moore, aka Ironing Board Sam, is back.”
- Chris Shaw, Memphis Flyer, September 22, 2015

Here’s the postable track “Baby You Got It."

Buy link on CD or LP.

“’PORTRAITS OF SOUTHERN BLUES MUSICIANS PROVE THAT BLUES IS NOT DEAD’ HEADLINES PIECE IN TIME ON MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION’S DEBUT PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT”

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – TIME’s dedicated photography column “Lightbox” has recently published a piece on Our Living Past, a new photography exhibition by Tim Duffy and the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which features platinum portraits of Music Maker Partner Artists. Highlighting Music Maker as a hub for cultural preservation, artists such as Ironing Board Sam, Sharon Jones, and Taj Mahal are among the collective of musicians included in the Lightbox piece and showcased in Our Living Past. The exhibition itself was produced through collaboration with long-time publisher Steven Albahari of 21st Editions and was also sponsored by Cathead Vodka, a dedicated supporter of Music Maker artists. Debuting in the Atrium of the Hartfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, GA November 22nd, Our Living Past has been booked to travel on through 2017. The exhibition features original portraits of traditional Southern musicians, whose careers have been reignited through their work with Music Maker. The images were captured by Duffy himself and give a glimpse into the rich historical narrative and vital culture of southern traditional music. Duffy’s life work, to preserve this culture, now takes on a tangible form through Our Living Past, and the importance of such a work is already gaining recognition. A recent headline from a piece published in TIME reads “These Portraits of Southern Blues Musicians Prove That Blues Is Not Dead.” The article stresses how Duffy’s work is recontextualizing the narrative in which blues musicians are often discussed. After a remarkable 20th year anniversary celebration with nods from the Wall Street Journal, PBS News Hour, NPR Weekend Edition, CBS Evening News and many more, this collection of platinum prints has been curated and produced to continue preserving and sharing the stories of Music Maker artists for the next 20 years. “Tim Duffy is a modern-day Edward Curtis as it relates to the Blues,” said publisher Steve Albahari. “A photographer whose art embodies a classic approach and sensibility, a musician from early on, and a producer of some 200 albums by musicians he supports and even resurrects, Tim has woven his artistic and creative assets into an organization with philanthropic objectives and ideals, second to none.” Albahari says he leapt at the chance to work with Duffy, making the decision to sponsor and produce Our Living Past in just hours. He went on to praise the exhibit, calling this effort to preserve the history of these traditions one of the highlights of his career. Our Living Past Tour Dates: Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, GA - November 2015 – January 2016 Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, FL - April 2016 – June 2016 Clifton Center, Louisville, KY - August 2016 – October 2016 Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, KY - September 2016 – January 2017 Henderson Fine Arts Center, Henderson, KY - January 2017 – March 2017 Janice Mason Art Museum, Cadiz, KY - January 2017- March 2017 Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, KY - March 2017 – May 2017 Downtown Arts Center in Lexington, KY - March 2017 – May 2017 For more information on Our Living Past: A Platinum Portrait of Music Maker, click here.