CD Reviews on projects by Indie Blues Artists
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 […]
The McKee Brothers A Time Like This Self-released In this writer’s radio days, a frequent caller often said, “You can never have too many horns.” It is not only the horn charts that drew me to this record, but repeated listens revealed some good songwriting, strong vocals on every track, and fond memories of their […]
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 […]
Ben Levin Carryout or Delivery Vizztone This young college student (yes, he’s still in college three albums later) sounds so good playing the rollicking piano and singing like a veteran that it would be impossible for the uninformed listener to guess that Ben Levin has just reached legal drinking age. Having received two Blues Blast […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
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”, […]
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 […]
Fiona Boyes Blues in My Heart (20th Anniversary Edition) Reference Recordings This writer fondly remembers the Australian finger-picking blues singer-songwriter from about a dozen years ago when she performed live on my then radio show. One couldn’t help but be struck by her undeniable talent, both playing the guitar and singing, yet the overriding takeaway […]
Bart Ryan Starlight and Tall Tales Blackbird Initially what is striking about LA-born/Nashville-based session guitarist and award-winning singer- songwriter Bart Ryan’s Starlight and Tall Tales is his soulful bluesy guitar and lap steel playing, but the album offers a good dose of roots variety as it unfolds, including some very soulful tunes. Twangy and bluesy […]
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 […]
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. […]
Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite 100 Years of Blues Alligator As this writer has said before of other artists, the eventual pairing was inevitable. Not only are Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist Elvin Bishop and Grammy-winning harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite fellow blues travelers and Blues Hall Of Famers with over 100 years of […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
Ron Thompson From the Patio, Live at Poor House Bistro, Vol 1 Little Village Foundation From the Patio – Live at Poor House Bistro, Vol 1 dates to two sessions in the summer of 2014 at the famed venue in San Jose, CA where the recently passed Bay Area Blues legend Ron Thompson often gigged. […]
Allman-Betts Band Bless Your Heart BMG Last year’s debut from the Allman-Betts Band, Down to the River, marked the first time the seven-piece ensemble played together, let alone record together. But even that is not entirely accurate as keyboardist John Ginty joined the band for the tour, after the recording was done. So, if that […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Crooked Eye Tommy Hot Coffee and Pain Blue Heart (Nola Blue) Crooked Eye Tommy is the brother guitar duo of Tommy and Paddy Marsh, hailing from Ventura County in California. The duo has placed as semi-finalists in the IBC in 2014 and 2019, reaching the finals earlier this year. They leverage that respect with this […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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