Skylar Rogers Firebreather Independent Skylar Rogers was born and raised in Chicago. Her main influences include Koko Taylor, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and B.B. King. Rogers’ listened to these and other soulful artists whom she credits for becoming as passionate a vocalist as she is. Rogers’ released her debut EP in 2018, and began touring […]
Joyann Parker Out of the Dark Hopeless Romantics Records Joyann Parker is a classically trained pianist with a degree in music from the University of Wisconsin. Before 2014 she had only sang with a wedding band. After hearing her sing Aretha Franklin’s soul classic “Chain of Fools” she was asked to join a Minneapolis based […]
Greg Sover Band The Parade Grounded Soul Records Pennsylvania based Greg Sover has been influenced by multiple genres including classic rock, blues, and reggae. He released his debut album “Songs of a Renegade” in 2016. His follow up recording was 2018’s “Jubilee”. “The Parade”, an EP completed during the pandemic, is only Sover’s third release. […]
Alabama Slim The Parlor Music Maker Relief Foundation/Cornelius Chapel Records Milton Frazier a.k.a. Alabama Slim was born in Vance, Alabama in March of 1939. His father worked at the Pullman Plant, the manufacturer of railroad cars, and his mother a housekeeper. His parents listened to 78’s on an old Victoria turntable, and as a youngster […]
Selwyn Birchwood Living In A Burning House Alligator Records Selwyn Birchwood first picked up the guitar at the age of 13; by seventeen he was into Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Freddie King and Albert Collins. Birchwood was befriended by Sonny Rhodes who became his mentor and took him on the road. In 2014 Birchwood released […]
Ghalia Volt One Woman Band Ruf Records Belgian born Ghalia Vauthier spent her days busking the streets of Brussels, and the nights playing that cities clubs and venues. As a lover of U.S. R n’ B and blues, the singer-songwriter was drawn stateside. Visiting Chicago, Memphis and Nashville she finally found her groove in New […]
Jack de Keyzer Tribute Blue Star Records Jack de Keyzer is a Canadian blues guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, producer and multiple award winner. He recorded his debut album “Hard Working Man” in 1991. He has received four Juno Award nominations winning “Blues Album of the Year” in 2003 for his album “6 Sting Lover”; and winning […]
The Mountain Goats Getting Into Knives Merge Records The Mountain Goats are an Indie Folk Rock band and the brain-child of singer-songwriter John Darnielle. Currently the band is based out of Durham, North Carolina. The band’s name is derived from the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song “Yellow Coat”. Despite their plural moniker, their earliest home recordings […]
Steve Strongman Tired of Talkin’ Stony Plain Records/Ontario Creates Steve Strongman didn’t start playing guitar until he was sixteen when he was mentored by the Mississippi born Mel Brown. Brown both a sideman, and bandleader with thirteen albums of his own, was asked to play a gig in Kitchener, Ontario; fell in love with the […]
J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters Blue Eyed Soul Vol. 2 Hunter Records Jan Tore Lauritsen, better known as JT, hails from Lillestrom, Norway. He began playing piano at an early age but soon switched to the Hammond B-3. Lauritsen had his first paying gig at the age of fourteen. Because the B-3 was too […]
John Fusco & The X-Road Riders John The Revelator Checkerboard Lounge Recordings Vermont bluesman John Fusco is also a screenwriter, and producer. His 17 movies include 1986’s semi-autobiographical “Crossroads” on which he collaborated with Ry Cooder and blues harp legend Sonny Terry. He was also screenwriter for “Young Guns”; “Young Guns II”, and 2019’s Netflix […]
Brian Smalley Chosen Independent Brian Smalley grew up in a military family; by the time he was eighteen, he had moved over twenty times. Smalley’s father played accordion, and his brother piano, and so he acquired his first guitar at the age of nine, and it became his best friend. Smalley’s music includes multiple genres. […]
Peter Roland I Don’t Like What’s Going On Bluzpik Media Group Ex-New Yorker and multi- Instrumentalist Peter Roland has had a varied career. He opened for John Mayall, Eric Burdon, and Buddy Miles. As a Jazz Society member he played with John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorious, and Herbie Mann. He has also played in […]
Stax ’68: A Memphis Story Various Artists Stax Records/Craft Recordings One of my favorite holiday gifts was the nine cd box set, produced by Steve Greenberg, “The Complete Stax/Volt Singles, 1959 -1968” issued in 1991. This new box set rivals that as it features 134 songs on five cds. In fact, the set includes every […]
Jimmie Vaughan The Pleasure’s All Mine The Last Music Co. While his younger brother Stevie was forming Double Trouble, Jimmie Vaughan was founding The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The T-Birds released their debut album “Girls Go Wild” in 1979, and Vaughan stayed with them for ten years. In 1990 he partnered with his brother to record “The […]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Straight To You Live Provogue/Mascot Label Group Kenny Wayne Shepherd first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan when he was only seven. His father encouraged him to study the guitar and Shepherd was invited onstage by Bryan Lee when he was thirteen. Shepherd released his debut album “Ledbetter Heights” on the Giant imprint […]
Dave Keller You Get What You Give Tasty Tone Records Montpelier, Vermont’s Dave Keller has been schooled by the very best. He studied acoustic blues with guitarist Paul Rishell; and soul blues with guitarist Robert Ward. After releasing the Dave Keller Band debut in 1998 he began to be mentored by Mighty Sam McClain who […]
Andy Cohen Tryin’ To Get Home Earwig Records Andy Cohen grew up in a household where his parents listened to a lot of Dixieland Jazz. Cohen got hooked on the finger-style guitar stylings of the Reverend Gary Davis when he was only sixteen. Now considered a blues-roots music historian he has devoted his life to […]
Tom Mason Under A Mistletoe Sky Gas Station Music Born in Minneapolis, Tom Mason now makes his home in Nashville where he has been a sought after guitarist since 1993. He divides his time between playing solo shows; playing pirate festivals with his band Tom Mason and The Blue Buccaneers, and touring with several Americana […]
Hamilton Loomis This Season Ham-Bone Records Texas born Hamilton Loomis’ early influences include Johnny Copeland, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Albert Collins and especially Bo Diddley. In fact, he named his son Bo Jordan Loomis in honor of his mentor. Loomis released his debut recording in 1994. His 2007 Blind Pig Records “Ain’t Just Temporary” reached number […]
Richard Ludmerer’s Top Indie Blues Albums of 2020 In no particular order Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read the Review! Read […]
A Gulf Coast Christmas Various Gulf Coast Records Gulf Coast Records was founded by Mike Zito and Guy Hale in 2018. In a relatively short period of time the label has amassed a fine roster of blues artists. Like other labels have done in the past, Gulf Coast Records has created a holiday album that […]
Alastair Greene The New World Blues Whiskey Bayou Records Southern California’s Alastair Greene was first influenced by seventies guitarists Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He found work backing James Harman before releasing his debut album “A Little Wiser” in 2001. He followed up with 2003’s “Bootleg: Live in L.A”. Greene also appeared on albums […]
Sam Barlow Faith in The Blues Montrose Records Twenty-six-year-old Sam Barlow is a West Texas based guitarist, harmonica player and vocalist, who started by sitting in with Austin legend Jimmie Vaughan and Blues Hall of Famer Elvin Bishop. In 2010 Barlow competed in the El Paso Guitar Center’s “King Of The Blues” competition winning first […]
Terminal Station Brotherhood Hard Rain Records Terminal Station is a Vancouver based blues-rock band. They released their debut recording “Burnout Blues” in 2007. Their follow-up recording “Rolling All Night” was first released in 2009. “Brotherhood” is their third album. But who are these guys? The four principal players in Terminal Station are some of Canada’s […]
Randall Bramblett Pine Needle Fire New West Records Born in Jessup, Georgia in 1948, Randall Bramblett attended the University of North Carolina where he studied religion. He abandoned his theological studies to pursue a career in music as he was inspired by the songwriting of Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Carole King. Bramblett began working […]
Bob Corritore’s “From The Vaults” Series Chicagoan Bob Corritore studied blues harmonica and received playing tips from Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells and others. When he was twenty-five he moved to Phoenix, Arizona eventually opening his own blues club named The Rhythm Room. With his house band, The Rhythm Room All-Stars, he backed […]
Duke Robillard & Friends Blues Bash! Stony Plain Records Guitarist Duke Robillard founded “Roomful of Blues” in 1967. Although Robillard left them in 1979 he started the band that Count Basie once called “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard”. Since 1992 he has performed as The Duke Robillard Band accumulating 22 Blues Music Award […]
George Benson Weekend in London Provogue Records/Mascot Music During his six-decade career the all-time jazz great George Benson has amassed 37 studio albums, eight previous live recordings, 22 compilation albums, and countless recorded sessions as a sideman. Benson is also the holder of ten Grammy awards. The Pennsylvania born veteran has played the world’s biggest […]
Paul Boddy & the Slidewinder Blues Band Friends of Tuesday Slide Records The Slidewinder Blues Band was born solely for the purpose of starting the “Every Tuesday Funk ‘n’ Blues Jam” originally held at the “Puck Live” in the Philadelphia suburb of Doylestown. The weekly open blues jam, now in its fifth year, continues to […]
Walter Trout Ordinary Madness Provogue Records/Mascot Music Walter Trout was born in Ocean City, New Jersey. The guitarist relocated to Los Angeles where he found work with Percy Mayfield, Lowell Fulsom, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker and Joe Tex. In 1981 Trout became the lead guitarist in “Canned Heat” and spent three years with […]
Malaya Blue Still Blue Heart Records/Nola Blue British singer/songwriter Malaya Blue released her debut recording “Bourbon Street” in 2014. That year she played the Great British Rock and Blues Festival in Lincolnshire and has since carved a path across England. She received four nominations from The British Blues Association and was a finalist in the […]
Erin Harpe Meet Me In The Middle featuring Jim Countryman Vizztone Label Group/Juicy Juju Records The Boston based Erin Harpe recorded five electro-pop albums with her first band “Lovewhip” before embracing the blues. Her transition began in 2002 when she released “Blues Roots”; and continued with 2008’s “Delta Blues Duets” recorded with her father Neil. […]
Artur Menezes Fading Away VizzTone This writer does not often venture into blues rock (Yes, I know- that’s an heretical statement given coverage of the form on these pages) but shining talent exists in every genre. Brazilian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Artur Menezes stands apart from the sameness that far too frequently populates this kind […]
Tim Woods Vortex Independent Originally from Western Pennsylvania Tim Woods has been influenced by a variety of genre’s including blues, rock, bluegrass, and jazz. When Woods turned eighteen his family relocated to Macon, Georgia and he immersed himself in the music scene promoting national acts at a local nightclub. Later, Woods formed the Woods Family […]
Dennis Jones Soft Hard & Loud Blue Rock Records Dennis Jones hails from the rural town of Monkton, Maryland. His grandfather played an acoustic guitar and a thirteen-year-old Jones received his first guitar on Christmas Day. At the age of sixteen he was already in a cover band playing rock n’ roll. He joined the […]
Devin B. Thompson Tales Of The Soul Severn Records Devin B. Thompson hails from the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois. Raised in a musical family his father and sister sang in the church choir. Thompson began playing trumpet and singing backing vocals in his older brother’s band when he was still in his teens. His […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
