blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Nora Jean Wallace Blues Woman Severn Records Elnora Jean Wallace was born in the Mississippi Delta town of Greenwood. Her father was a sharecropper and a professional blues singer; her mother, a gospel singer. Her grandmother owned a Juke Joint and on the weekends Nora Jean would listen to relatives sing the blues. To this […]
blues, cd review, indie Blues, kevin burt, making a Scene, roots
Kevin Burt Stone Crazy Gulf Coast Records Iowan Kevin Burt has been on the Midwest blues scene honing his soulful presentation for some twenty-five years. He is a self-taught guitarist, harmonica player and vocalist, who has shared the stage with B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Lonnie Brooks and many others. His festival […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots, Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy Flame Still Burns Vision Wall Records A young Shaun Murphy found work in the theater eventually leading to a Motown recording contract. Her first album was a collaborative effort with Meatloaf on the Rare Earth subsidiary. Murphy toured as a backing singer for both Bob Seger and Eric Clapton. Murphy met Bill Payne […]
blues, indie Blues, marcel smith, roots, soul
Marcel Smith Everybody Needs Love Little Village Foundation Sacramento’s Marcel Smith began singing in church and studied the music of gospel quartets: the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Blind Boys, the Soul Stirrers, and the Dixie Hummingbirds. At the age of fifteen he was heard by gospel veteran Willie Washington who invited Smith to join […]
blues, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Shemekia Copeland Uncivil War Alligator Records Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of the four-time Blues Music Award winning bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland. Growing up in a household surrounded by music she inherited the urge to perform. At the age of eighteen Shemekia released her 1998 Alligator Records debut “Turn The Heat Up” receiving her first […]
americana, blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, rick fines, roots, songwriter
Rick Fines Solar Powered Too Independent Rick Fines hails from Peterborough, Canada in Central Ontario. He gained attention in the 1980’s as the co-founder, front man and guitarist in “Jackson Delta” who recorded their 1989 debut “Delta Sunrise” in Memphis. They followed up with two Juno Award nominated albums; 1991’s “Acoustic Blues” and 1992’s “I […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Peter Veteska & Blues Train Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side Independent New Yorker Peter Veteska learned to play guitar by listening to Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. He played his first gig at the age of fifteen but as he grew older his tastes turned toward Jazz. He reconnected with his passion for […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, mick kolassa
Mick Kolassa If You Can’t Be Good, Be Good At It! Endless Blues Records Michigan born Mick Kolassa has lived in the greater Clarksdale, Mississippi area for over twenty-five years. Kolassa is part of the local Memphis blues scene and a former member of the Board of Directors of The Blues Foundation. After years of […]
blues, indie Blues, laura tate, live, roots
Laura Tate Live From El Paso 811 Gold Records Dallas’ Laura Tate studied acting in New York City at both the Herbert Berghoff Studio, and the Stella Alder School of Acting. She performed off-Broadway and toured in theatrical productions in Los Angeles, and Nashville. She soon found herself on the production side of the business […]
Big Harp George, blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Big Harp George Living In The City Blues Mountain Records George Bisharat a.k.a. Big Harp George is a San Francisco singer, songwriter and harp player. He favors the chromatic harp which gives his music a jazzier sound then most blues players. Formerly George was a criminal defense attorney and award winning law professor at the […]
blues, indie Blues, Johnny rawls, making a Scene, soul
Johnny Rawls Where Have All The Soul Men Gone Third Street Cigar Records Johnny Rawls was born in Mississippi in 1951. The guitarist learned by backing musicians when they would tour the state. In 1975 Rawls joined O.V. Wright’s band and became his musical director until Wright’s passing in 1980. Rawls kept the band together […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, Kim Wilson, making a Scene, roots
Kim Wilson Take Me Back! The Bigtone Sessions MC Records Harmonica player and vocalist Kim Wilson fronts the Fabulous Thunderbirds while also maintaining a solo career. Wilson has seven previous studio albums under his own name; the last being 2017’s “Blues and Boogie Vol. 1”. Wilson is winner of six Blues Music Awards. He is […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, Sonny Green, soul
Sonny Green Found! One Soul Singer Little Village Foundation Robert “Sonny” Green was born in Monroe Louisiana in October, 1941. At the age of eighteen the vocalist was hired by saxophonist Big Jay McNeely who had a 1959 hit single “There is Something On Your Mind” sung by Little Sonny Warner. As Warner’s replacement Green […]
americana, blues, indie Blues, roots
Chris Smither More From The Levee Signature Sounds Chris Smither recorded his debut album “I’m A Stranger Too!” in 1970. Included was the song “Love You Like a Man”. Two years later the song was recorded by Bonnie Raitt and helped establish Smither as one of our foremost songwriters. Smither’s last album was 2018’s “Call […]
blues, Chicago blues, indie Blues, johnny iguana
Johnny Iguana Chicago Spectacular! Delmark Records Brian Berkowitz known professionally as Johnny Iguana is a highly regarded Chicago blues pianist having toured or recorded with Otis Rush, Junior Wells, Carey Bell, James Cotton, Eddy Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Lurrie Bell, Matthew Skoller and Lil’ Ed. More importantly he appears on three notable Larry Skoller produced projects: […]
blues, little richard, making a Scene, Rock, rock and roll
Little Richard The Rill Thing Omnivore Recordings Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon Georgia, is one of the architects of Rock n’ Roll. He recorded his debut album “Here’s Little Richard” on Specialty Records in 1957. Nine of the twelve songs hit the Billboard Hot 100 including mega-hits “Tutti Frutti”, “Long Tall Sally”, […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, Kerry Kearney, making a Scene, roots, roots rock
Kerry Kearney Tales from The Psychedelta Highlander Records Kerry Kearney is among my favorite slide guitarists. Although not as well-known as Sonny Landreth or Roy Rogers, Kearney has been honing his craft for over forty years. Many of Kearney’s most sought after recordings are long out of print. This collection was remastered by Chris Wallitsch […]
andy watts, blues, cd review, indie Blues, making a Scene
Andy Watts Supergroove Booga Music/Vizztone Label Group Andy Watts was bitten by the blues bug when he was twelve. He started playing guitar and developing a reputation as Israel’s Ambassador of the blues, bringing in the world’s leading artists to perform and record with his band The Blues Rebels. They released their first album “Open […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, lloyd jones, making a Scene, roots, roots rock
Lloyd Jones Tennessee Run Vizztone Label Group Lloyd Jones was born in Portland in 1950. His father was a trumpet player, and his older brother taught him drums. As a teenager he took up guitar. Early blues and soul influences include Muddy Waters; Walter Horton; Jimmy Reed, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and James Brown. […]
indie Blues, john nemeth, making a Scene
John Nemeth Stronger Than Strong Nola Blue Records The Boise, Idaho born John Nemeth was a rock fan until a friend turned him on to Junior Wells’ classic “Hoodoo Man Blues”. He joined a local blues band and would sing and play harp often opening for national touring acts. He released his own debut album […]
bette smith, blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, roots, roots rock
Bette Smith The Good, The Bad and The Bette Ruf Records Bette Smith grew up in the rough Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. “My father was a church choir director. I was singing since I was five years old. My mother listened to nothing but gospel, every Sunday morning, she would get up and put on […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots, roots rock
Al Basile Last Hand Sweetspot Records Al Basile got his start as the first trumpet player in “Roomful of Blues” when it was formed by Duke Robillard in 1973. Basile’s solo debut “Down on Providence Plantation” was produced by Robillard in 1998. Since then, each of Basile’s studio recordings were produced by Robillard. Between 2010 […]
blues, indie Blues, lisa mann, making a Scene, roots
Lisa Mann Old Girl JayRay Records As a child West Virginia born Lisa Mann relocated to Portland. Originally inspired by rock bands she gravitated to the Blues when she began her professional career at the age of nineteen. Early influences included Etta James, Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Little Milton. Mann has shared the stage […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, making a Scene, ronnie earl, roots
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters Rise Up Stony Plain Records Ronnie Earl believes in the power of music to heal the mind and spirit, and continues to derive inspiration from personal experiences and observations. This is his twenty-seventh recording. We are the benefactors of his “flow”. Earl is the most soulful blues/jazz guitarist working today. […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, sugar ray and the bluetones
Sugar Ray and The Bluetones featuring Little Charlie Too Far from the Bar Severn Records Sugar Ray Norcia formed the original Bluetones in 1979. They released their first full length album, “Knockout”, ten years later. This is the Bluetones eighth album for Severn Records and eleventh overall, their last being 2016’s “Seeing Is Believing”. The […]
blues, blues-rock, cory dickinson, indie Blues, Luther Dickinson, making a Scene
New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume 1 Stony Plain Records Luther Dickinson explains how this 2007 recording came to be. “The Dickinson crew doesn’t enjoy parties, but we dig potluck recording sessions… we invite a cast of characters to the session and ask each player to bring a couple of songs. Musicians take turns […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, peter parcek, roots
Peter Parcek Mississippi Suitcase Lightnin’ Records Peter Parcek was born in New Britain, Connecticut. After graduating from high school Parcek relocated to London where the aspiring guitarist developed an appreciation for British Blues, especially the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Peter Green. Once back in Connecticut Parcek began to appreciate American blues artists […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots, vanessa collier
Vanessa Collier Heart on the Line Phenix Fire Records Vanessa Collier hails from Clarksville, Maryland. Collier attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston where she graduated with degrees in Performance, Music Production and Engineering. In 2012, after graduation, she spent eighteen months touring the US and Turkey with the Grammy winning Joe Louis Walker. […]
blues, indie Blues, jon strahl, making a Scene
Jon Strahl Band Heartache and Toil Independent As a teenager Jon Strahl’s musical experience was similar to our own. “I grew up in a house with music, there was always something new on the turntable and it was almost always rock and roll…but what really hit me…was this Sunday night radio show on WTTS called […]
americana, blues, dianne Davidson, indie Blues, making a Scene
Dianne Davidson Perigon: Full Circle Independent Born in West Tennessee, Dianne Davidson was singing and writing songs when she was just a child. She formed her first band when she was eleven. She completed her musical education by performing in bars, nightclubs and listening rooms from Tennessee to Greenwich Village. She recorded her debut album […]
blues, indie Blues, louisiana, making a Scene, spinosa
Friends & Legends of Louisiana Various Artists L & M Star Productions Producer Lucas Spinosa is a songwriter, keyboardist and former bandleader of the Baton Rouge based “Southern Star”, a band popular in the 1990’s. Their albums include “Magic”, “Evangeline” and “From The Heart”. Way back in 1966 Spinosa was a member of the band […]
indie Blues, making a Scene, Rock, roots, songwriter, willie nile
Willie Nile Uncovered Paradiddle Records Willie Nile was born Robert Noonan in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1948. He attended the University of Buffalo; and afterwards relocated to Greenwich Village to pursue a music career. Nile frequented New York’s punk rock club CBGB’s were he was influenced by the music of the Ramones, the Patti Smith Group, […]
A Band called sam, blues, indie Blues, long island, making a Scene, Sam Taylor
A Band Called Sam Legacy Highlander Records Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader Samuel Willis Taylor, Jr. a.k.a. Sam “Bluzman” Taylor was born in 1934 in Crichton, a suburb of Mobile, Alabama. He was the son of jazz and blues saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor, but was raised by his mother a vaudevillian. They moved to […]
blues, blues-rock, eric johanson, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots, roots rock
Eric Johanson Below Sea Level Nola Blue Records While still in high school Louisiana native Eric Johanson was already a soulful blues guitarist appearing on stages throughout the state. When heard by Tab Benoit, the young Johanson became the first guitarist/singer signed to his then new Whiskey Bayou Records. In 2017 Johanson released his debut […]
blues, indie Blues, Laura green, making a Scene
Laura Green Green Eyed Blues Independent St. Louis’ Laura Green has been performing her own brand of rock, folk and jazz. Influenced by legendary blues women like Big Mama Thornton; and skilled contemporaries such as Bonnie Raitt, Lou Ann Barton and Janiva Magness, Green has spent the last ten years honing her craft. Inspired she […]
blues, Bobby Rush, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Bobby Rush Rawer Than Raw Deep Rush Records/Thirty Tigers Emmit Ellis Jr. a.k.a. Bobby Rush was born in Homer, La. in 1933. As a youngster, in the late 1940’s, he befriended and played with Elmore James. He formed his first band before relocating to Chicago where he worked with Freddie King, Luther Allison and Jimmy […]
americana, blues, dan penn, indie Blues, making a Scene, soul
Dan Penn Living On Mercy The Last Music Co. The seventy-eight-year-old Dan Penn was born Wallace Daniel Pennington in Vernon, Alabama. Penn found work at the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. He first recorded in 1960, and that same year wrote his first hit for Conway Twitty. He is among our most soulful songwriters. His […]
blues, indie Blues, kirsten Thien, making a Scene, roots
Kirsten Thien Two Sides Screen Door Records Born in Germany, and educated at Georgetown University, Kirsten Thien writes and sings her own songs. She released her debut album “She Really Is” in 2002 and her follow-up “You’ve Got Me” in 2005. After relocating to New York City Thien released 2012’s “Delicious” with bassist/producer Erik Boyd. […]
Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet Quarto Valley Records The British blues band Savoy Brown was formed by Kim Simmonds in 1965. Their U.K. debut was 1967’s “Shake Down” featuring originals mixed with extended length covers of songs by Willie Dixon; B.B. King; Albert King, and John Lee Hooker. Savoy Brown began to achieve success in […]
blues, cd review, indie Blues, johnny and the mongrels, johnny ryan, making a Scene
Johnny & The Mongrels Creole Skies Independent This is the full length debut recording by Johnny & The Mongrels. The band was founded by Fort Collins, Colorado residents Johnny Ryan and Jeffrey Bostic. The two singer-songwriters, vocalist Ryan, and bassist Bostic first met in April of 2015. The seasoned bassist had already toured with his […]
blues, blues brothers, dan akroid, downchild blues band, indie Blues, making a Scene
Downchild 50th Anniversary CD: Live At The Toronto Jazz Festival Diesel Management Productions Donnie and Hock Walsh founded The Downchild Blues Band in 1969. The band’s name comes from the song “Mr. Downchild” by Sonny Boy Williamson II. The band is also known as Downchild as the name was shortened in the early 1980’s. Dan […]
blues, Dave Fields, force of will, indie Blues, making a Scene, roots
Dave Fields Force of Will FMI Records Dave Fields first came to national attention when he produced Roxy Perry’s “Back in Bluesville”. That cd won the Best Self-Produced CD award at the 2006 International Blues Challenge. Fields released his own debut recording “Times A Wastin’” in 2007. At the 2009 Blues Music Awards Fields played […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, Sam Joyner, soul
Sam Joyner When u Need a Friend Sam Joyner Music Sam Joyner was born and raised in Chicago. His father, the Reverend Joyner, made sure that Sam spent his summers down South. So Joyner’s original music is a combination of urban Chicago blues and Louisiana styled R n’ B. Internationally known he spent twenty-three years […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, JW Jones, making a Scene, roots, roots rock
JW-Jones Sonic Departures Solid Blues Records Canadian JW Jones released his debut album in 2000. Since then he has recorded with Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Little Charlie Baty, Hubert Sumlin, David “Fathead” Newman, and others. His eighth album, “High Temperature”, won the award for “Best Self-Produced CD” at the 2017 International Blues Challenge. His last […]
blues, indie Blues, Jim Kweskin, making a Scene, old time music, Samoa Wilson
Samoa Wilson with the Jim Kweskin Band I Just Want To Be Horizontal Kingswood Records During the early 1960’s there was a thriving folk music revival coming out of New York’s Greenwich Village. In 1963 the “Even Dozen Jug Band” released their album on Elektra Records. The music was fun, and among the band members […]
blues, gulf coast records, indie Blues, kat riggins, making a Scene
Kat Riggins Cry Out Gulf Coast Records While growing up in Miami, Katriva Tabitha Riggins’ was instilled with a love for music. Her parent’s record collection included R n’ B, soul, gospel, hip-hop, country and rock n’ roll. Her primary influences soon became Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Etta James and Koko Taylor. Riggins landed a […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, soul, the lucky losers
The Lucky Losers (w/ Cathy Lemons & Phil Berkowitz) Godless Land Vizztone Label Group The Lucky Losers are a band fronted by vocalists Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz. Lemons is originally from the Dallas area where she used to run with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Anson Funderburgh. In 1987 she toured with John Lee Hooker. […]
blues, indie Blues, making a Scene, scott weis
Scott Weis Band Simmer Me Down Sleepy Lodge Records Scott Weis began playing professionally in the 1990’s. Early on he worked with, or opened for, Jerry Garcia, Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy. He formed the Scott Weis Band in 2005; and recorded their well-received 2006 debut “Have A Lil Faith” with co-producer […]
blues, blues-rock, indie Blues, jd taylor, making a Scene
JD Taylor The Coldwater Sessions Vizztone Label Group JD Taylor is the harmonica ace, vocalist and front man for the Tennessee based blues band “Little Boys Blue”. Originally formed in 1993 they’re popularity continues to grow. In 2016 they released their fourth album, and first for Vizztone, “Tennissippi”, and followed up with 2018’s “Hard Blue […]
americana, blues, blues rock roots, indie Blues, making a Scene
Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam Ain’t No Man A Good Man Mescal Canyon Records Wily Bo Walker is a Scottish born singer/songwriter who has had success in both Europe and the U.S. He combines Rock, Americana, Blues, Gospel and R n’ B into his own hallucinogenic stew. He performs his swamp and stomp “VoodooVille” […]
