New Blues News – 6/16/2015

New Blues News – 6/16/2015

New Blues News – LIVE Blues on TJU’s Lambeth Live!

Available for streaming from wtju.net!Johnny B & The Goodes’ 6/12 performance! (Johnny Bishop on harp, Matt Kelley on guitar, Steve Riggs on bass, and Drex Weaver on the drums)

Coming up!  June 19 – Red Rooster (early country blues)

“Lambeth Live” broadcasts from 8:00 – 9:00 on Friday evenings. Listen on 91.1 or wtju.net or come on down to Lambeth commons (the outer room of the home of WTJU) and catch it in person!  Free admission!

New Blues Adds:

Daddy Mack Blues Band – A Bluesman Looks at Seventy (Inside Sounds): Veteran bluesman Daddy Mack is an old style, pre-blues rock singer guitarist, who has recorded for the past 15 years and calls Memphis his home. He has some thoughts to share via songs like “She Loves Money”, “Red, White, Blue & Green”,  “You Don’t Have To Love Me”, and “Pocket Full Of Blues” and he also sings some fairly standard old style blues themes.  Now when I say old style, i don’t mean 50’s style, I mean unadorned, straight-forward electric blues. Nobody is going out to burn down the town, but this is appealing music that invites one to listen and nod his head up and down.  Mack also has a pretty modern style on the guitar and is supported by James Bonner on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Harold Bonner on bass and Fast Eddie Lester on drums and a few guests sprinkled throughout.  This isn’t fancy and Mack isn’t Howlin’ Wolf, but it is a solid blues, the likes of which isn’t found on record so much anymore, but which can be quite appealing. Click here for a live performance from a year ago.  The above disc is more laid back, but that only reminds us that live music is usually so much more powerful!

Ron Thompson – Son Of Boogie Woogie (Little Village Foundation): Raw, rhythmic, no frills blues from the veteran guitarist, singer, harp player of 30+ years.  His metallic sound is reminiscent of Johnny Winter, when Winter was leaving the rock out of his blues playing.  Supported by Jim Pugh (keyboards) and D’mar or Scott Griffin (alternating on drums), the music, a combination of older blues like “Too Late Brother” and “Black Cat Bone” and originals that sound like a cross between John Lee Hooker and the above mentioned Winter. Totally righteous! (As a side note, Jim Pugh just started this non-profit label in order to offer recording opportunities to great bluesicians who deserve greater recognition.)  Click here for a live performance by Thompson.  Note this song is not on the current disc.

Ken Tucker – Look My Way (Blues Critic): Blues rock band from the midwest led by Tucker, who sings, plays guitar, and wrote all of the material on this disc. He is supported by Virgil Franklin on bass, keys and sax and Russell Tucker on drums.  The music is well played, standard fare, journeyman blues inflected rock. Click here for a live performance by Tucker.  The song is not on the current disc.

New Soul Add:

Wee Willie Walker – If Nothing Ever Changes (Little Village Foundation): Veteran classic soul singer, who recorded a few singles for Goldwax and Chess in the mid to late 60s, but had only minimal success. He has continued to perform and record since then but has not received the attention he truly deserves.  Now rediscovered by Rick Estrin, he’s not only back but he sounds better than ever!  His raspy voice is wonderfully expressive and he is surrounded by great musicians great musicians who are also fans: Rick Estrin (harp), Curtis Salgado (vocal), J Hansen (d), Randy Bermudes (b), Jim Pugh (keys), Kid Anderson (g, moog), Bob Welsh (g, keys), Rusty Zinn (g) solid brass from Terry Hanck, Nancy Wright, Frankie Ramos, and Eric Spaulding (saxes), John Halblieb, Manny Angel, Tom Pole (trumpets) and Farris Jarrah (trombone).  There is also a terrific song selection, including two by Eddie Hinton (“Everybody Meets Mr. Blues” and “Hymn For Lonely Hearts”) and two by Rick Estrin and a third that Estrin wrote with Kid Anderson.  The tempos and moods change around as well. Walker even does a terrific deep soul version of “Help!” (yes, that one!).  In my opinion, it’s way better than his 1967 version of “Ticket To Ride” or Otis’ version of “Day Tripper”!  This disc is a knockout! Every soul or soul blues fan needs one!  Here’s a live song by Walker performed on a Blues Cruise a year or so back.  He was backed up by the Nightcats (who also paid their own way).  In fact, Rick Estrin was so excited about the performance that he got the idea to record a new disc with this great singer and here it is!  Click here to hear it, but note this song is not on the disc.  

Kopasetically,

Bebop

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