Congratulations to blues Grammy nominees:
TRADITIONAL BLUES: Charles Brown, All My Life; Johnnie Johnson, Johnnie B. Bad; B.B. King, Live at the Apollo; John Lee Hooker, Mr. Lucky; and Taj Mahal, Mule Bone.
CONTEMPORARY BLUES: Albert Collins, Albert Collins; Buddy Guy, Damn Right. I’ve Got the Blues; Johnny Winter, Let Me In; Irma Thomas, Live—Simply the Best; and Charlie Musselwhite, Signature.
Kudos to Bonnie Raitt for receiving five nominations for Luck of the Draw. She won four awards last year. Good luck!!
RECORD COMPANIES… One Way Records is releasing James Cotton’s Live and on the Move…Sony’s Legacy division will release a “Guitar Series” collection in March featuring Les Paul, Link Wray and Carl Perkins…Fantasy Records is set to release a recording of previously unreleased Otis Redding material that includes two alternate takes of “Dock of the Bay.” Meanwhile, Atlantic has reissues coming from John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, John Hammond and others. Vanguard plans reissues from Odetta and Big Mama Thornton.
Bullseye Records is set to release a solo effort on February 15 from Omar (of Omar & the Howlers) entitled Blue Boy, followed by These Mean Old Blues from Wild Child Butler and the newest from Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson. The label will also have new releases this year from Dalton Reed, Larry Davis, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay and Charles Brown (Bonnie Raitt lends a hand on a couple of cuts).
Bullseye will also head West February 6 to Slim’s in San Francisco for a BluesStage taping with three West Coast blues greats—Jimmy McCracklin, Larry Davis and special guest Lowell Fulson.
BluesStage is a nationally syndicated NPR show that features live recordings of blues artists, hosted by Ruth Brown. Also, on February 1, Black Top’s Robert Ward, still receiving critical acclaim for his Fear No Evil release, will be captured on this program (along with Albert Collins) from Antone’s in Austin. Check your local listings for air dates.
Looking for a road trip? Head over to Houston February 12 for Carol Fran and Clarence Hollimon’s Record Release party at Rockefeller’s, celebrating the release of Soul Sensation. Bound to be a night of great music!
Delmark Records in Chicago announced the purchase of the long out-of-print Apollo blues and jazz series. In 1944, the owners of the Rainbow Music Shop in New York City began the Apollo label, with artists ranging from gospel diva Mahalia Jackson to funny-man Henny Youngman; it reached into country and western, international and pop music as well. The label ceased recording in 1962, with a vast wealth of music still on tape. Delmark has acquired the rights and surviving source material for what is titled the “1000 Master Series,” including many unusual performances and alternate takes, allowing the label to release a tremendous amount of great jazz and blues never before heard.
The first of the Apollo series are scheduled for release in March. The releases are Takin’ Off by Sir Charles Thompson, with Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon; Mellow Mama by Dinah Washington; More Honkers and Bar Walkers, a sax anthology including Willis Jackson and King Curtis and House Rent Party by Sunnyland Smith. Future releases include one from New Orleans’ Blue Lu Barker, wife of renowned jazz banjoist Danny Barker.
FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE…The March 1992 issue of Guitar School magazine features the late Stevie Ray Vaughan on the cover, with a tribute to the guitarist not to be missed. It covers riffs and fingerpicking techniques. In the story, the writer recalls asking Stevie (in 1986) what he would like to be remembered for. His reply, without hesitation, was “For taking the color out of the blues.”
I’ll leave you with that thought… until March.
