CD Reviews on projects by Indie Blues Artists
Jimmy Thackery Spare Keys White River Records Jimmy Thackery was born in Pittsburg, Pa. in 1953. He began his career as a member of “The Nighthawks” and spent fourteen years with them recording 20 albums. In 1987 Thackery left the Nighthawks to form his own band “Jimmy Thackery and The Drivers” and went on to […]
Seth Walker Gotta Get Back The Royal Potato Family Seth Walker hails from the Greenville, North Carolina area but has also lived in Austin, Nashville, New York and New Orleans. At the age of forty-one he has absorbed the blues, country music and Americana of his generation and has already made his mark. His first […]
Nancy Wright Playdate! Vizztone/ Direct Hit Records Saxophonist Nancy Wright is a west coast session musician who has spent the better portion of her life adorning the music of others. Currently she plays with The Frank Bey Anthony Paule Band holder of multiple BMA nominations. Wright’s first album was 2009’s “Moanin”, an organ combo project, with Tony […]
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials The Big Sound of Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials Alligator Records Lil’ Ed Williams was born in Chicago in 1955. As a young aspiring guitarist Williams and his half brother bassist Pookie received encouragement from their uncle J.B. Hutto. “J.B. taught me everything I know” says Ed. The […]
Catherine Russell Harlem On My Mind Jazz Village Catherine Russell is a jazz singer with a blues heart. Her appreciation for blues can be found in her song selection and passionate intonation. Russell is the daughter of Luis Russell the musical director for Louis Armstrong. Her father passed when she was very young and she […]
Robert Finley Age Don’t Mean A Thing Big Legal Mess Records/Fat Possum Records Robert Finley was born in Bernice Louisiana. At the age of eleven his father gave him money to buy a new pair of shoes and he purchased a guitar instead. He joined the Army at the age of 17 as a helicopter […]
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Seeing is Believing Severn Records Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have been nominated for numerous Blues Music Awards. In 2016 they were nominated for Band of The Year for the third time; they were previously nominated for this award in both 2012 and 2015. This is the Bluetones seventh record for […]
The Joey Gilmore band Respect The Blues Mosher St. Records In a fifty year career Joey Gilmore has shared the stage with Bobby “Blue” Bland, Etta James, James Brown, Little Milton and Little Johnny Taylor. He was born in Ocala, Florida and released his self-titled first album in 1977. His next recording was 1989’s“So Good […]
Deb Ryder Grit, Grease and Tears The elements needed for a great Blues song, or album are fairly straight forward; a solid rhythm section, hot lead guitar, smooth keys, a punctuating horn section, hot harmonica and scorching, soulful vocals singing about hard times, heartache, and fond memories. Deb Ryder boldly declares it also requires three […]
Lurrie Bell Can’t Shake This Feeling Delmark Records Lurrie Bell was born in Chicago in 1958. As a youngster he was surrounded by Blues music as his father was the renowned harmonica player Carey Bell. The younger Bell first picked up the guitar at the age of six and polished his playing skills with Big […]
“All Things Must Pass” The rise and fall of Tower Records (96 minute DVD) www.MVDb2b.com – MVDvisual The death of Tower Records was a major blow for many of us who grew up purchasing vinyl LP’s, seven inch forty-fives and CD’, laser discs, and DVD’s. This triumphant and reflective DVD “All Things Must Pass,” is […]
Matthew Skoller Blues Immigrant Tongue ‘n Groove Records Harmonica player and vocalist Matthew Skoller was born and raised in New York City. He relocated to Chicago in 1987 and began apprenticing with Jimmy Rogers, Big Daddy Kinsey, Big Time Sarah, and Dietra Farr. Skoller’s first recording was 1996’s “Bone to Pick With You”. He followed […]
Liz Mandeville The Stars Motel Blue Kitty Records Liz Mandeville moved to Chicago in 1979. Four years after first hearing Luther Allison and Koko Taylor she began to front her own band. The winner of many songwriter awards Mandeville recorded her first four albums for Earwig Records. In 2012 she released “Clarksdale” on her own […]
Bob Lanza Blues Band “It’s Time To Let Go” Connor Ray Music Bob Lanza was a member of the New Jersey blues scene for quite some time before receiving recognition. He learned by apprenticing as he played guitar with pianist Floyd Phillips (of the Johnny Copeland Band), James Cotton and Dave Perkins. Lanza’s earliest appearance […]
Bobby Rush Porcupine Meat Rounder Records Emmit Ellis Jr. better known as Bobby Rush was born in Homer, Louisiana in November of 1933. The family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas and as a youngster he befriended Elmore James. Rush eventually formed his own band. When he was twenty the family moved to Chicago; Rush met […]
Bobby Rush “Porcupine Meat” Rounder Records www.Rounder.com At eighty-two years old the seemingly forever youthful Bobby Rush would not be on anyone’s shortlist for signing a new major label contract and kicking off what seems to be a new page for his already lengthy and successful career. Add to the mix “Porcupine Meat” producer Scott […]
Bruce Katz Band Out From The Center American Showplace Music Bruce Katz is able to coax soulful tones out of his keyboards. Katz appears on albums by Ronnie Earl, Mighty Sam McClain, Delbert McClinton, Greg Allman, and countless other artists. This is Katz’s eighth album in his own name. His last recording was 2014’s “Homecoming”, […]
Vaneese Thomas The Long Journey Home Segue Records Memphis born Vaneese Thomas is the daughter of Rufus Thomas (“Walking The Dog”) and the sister of Carla Thomas (“Gee Whiz”). She released her first album “Vaneese” in 1987. Her last album “Blues for My Father” garnered Thomas three Blues Music Award nominations including Female Soul Blues […]
Deb Ryder Grit Grease & Tears Bejeb Music Deb Ryder was born in Chicago and influenced by the Blues and Jazz she heard there. While in her teens the family moved to Los Angeles where she would often perform at her step-father’s nightclub “The Topanga Corral”. She opened for her friend and neighbor Bob Hite, […]
Israeli blues-rockers The Blues Rebels released their second album earlier this year, and it is a solid success. Produced by Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker, it consists of 12 original numbers by vocalist and harmonica player Dov Hammers and guitarist Andy Watts. With the reset of the group, Amos Springer on bass, Avi […]
The Meters “A Message from the Meters” The Complete Josie, Reprise & Warner Bros. Singles 1968-1977 (2CD’s) www.RealGoneMusic.com This wouldn’t be the first time a label released a two-disc set on The Meters. Previously (1995) Rhino issued “Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology” that covered forty-three songs. Roll forward to 2016: Real Gone Music has […]
Duke Robillard Band Blues Full Circle Stony Plain Records Duke Robillard formed Roomful of Blues in 1967. Since 1992 he has performed as the Duke Robillard Band accumulating 22 Blues Music Award nominations and winning 6 times. He won four times as Best Instrumentalist – Guitar and once as Traditional Male Artist of Year; and […]
Sari Schorr is just the sort of powerful and passionate female blues-rock singer that this reporter loves best. She has the power of Joan Jett or Pat Benetar when she rocks out and the passion of Janis Joplin with the subtlety and ability to convey emotion of the great Bessie Smith when she slows it […]
Annika Chambers Wild & Free Under The Radar Music Group Annika Chambers was born and raised in the Houston, Tx. area. Influenced by Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, and Dottie Peoples she began singing gospel. While serving eight years in the Army, with tours in Kosovo and Iraq, she began to develop an appreciation for the […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu Little G Weevil has a new album out, Three Chords Too Many, and it is very special, as Weevil’s albums always are. It was hard to imagine he could equal Moving and the albums that came before it, but it does. Sticking to the acoustic, traditional blues he loves, this album gives Weevil […]
The Fabulous Thunderbirds Strong Like That Severn Records Formed in 1974 by Kim Wilson, Jimmie Vaughan, Keith Ferguson and Mike Buck The Fabulous Thunderbirds have just released their fourteenth album. They had a top ten hit in 1986 with “Tuff Enuff” which helped insure their longevity. That same year they won The Blues Music Award […]
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters Maxwell Street Stony Plain Records Ronnie Earl formed The Broadcasters twenty-five years ago and is a three time Blues Music Award winning guitarist. Earl dedicates this new album “Maxwell Street” to both David Maxwell, his friend and soul brother, and to that famed Chicago location where musicians gathered to play […]
New Orleans Suspects Kaleidoscoped Louisiana Red Hot Records This band first played together in 2009 at The Maple Leaf Bar; they called themselves The Unusual Suspects. They decided to tour in 2011 and renamed themselves The New Orleans Suspects. That same year they released their self-titled first album. They followed up with 2012’s “Caught Live […]
JJ Thames Raw Sugar DeChamp/Malaco Records JJ Thames (pronounced “Timms”) was born in Detroit into a blue collar General Motors family. She began performing at the age of nine and is trained in piano and both classical and jazz vocal technique. At the age of 18 she began performing on the “Chitlin Circuit” with Marvin […]
Grady Champion One of a Kind Malaco Records Grady Champion was born in October 1969 and grew up in Canton, Ms. He was the youngest of 28 siblings. He moved to Miami, Fl. and in the early 90’s had a brief career as a rapper performing under the name MC Gold. He discovered his love […]
The Broadcast has recently released a new album titled From The Horizon, and this one is going to wake you up and make you pay attention! The group is from Asheville, NC, where they moved from New York City, and features a top-notch group of musicians with a fantastic vocalist, Caitlin Krisko, who has, according […]
Welcome back The Queen of Blues Rock Guitar by Richard Ludmerer Joanna Connor Six String Stories M.C. Records Joanna Connor was one of the performers at the 2015 Bradenton Blues Festival. Her set showcased her fabulous guitar stylings. She is a Chicago based singer & songwriter who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was magnetically drawn […]
Brian Langlinais Right Hand Road Patoutville Records Brian Langlinais (long’la-nay) hails from Lafayette, Louisiana. His father was a sax player with The Shondells the first swamp pop super group. In college Langlinais double majored in trumpet and vocal performance eventually settling on the latter. Langlinais music is heavily influenced by his deep Acadian roots which […]
Lew Jetton & 61 South Rain Coffee Street Records Lew Jetton was born in Humboldt, Tennessee in 1959. After college Jetton worked in radio before becoming a meteorologist and local television personality in Jackson. In 1989 he became a weekend news anchor in Paducah, Kentucky. Around 1994 Jetton joined the Paducah based blues band “61 […]
Smoky Greenwell South Louisiana Blues Greenwell Records Smoky Greenwell, harmonica, is best known as Lee Oskar’s replacement in the band WAR. Not only can Greenwell play funk, rock, and rhythm and blues but he is also immersed in the music of New Orleans. He has shared the stage with everyone including Snooks Eaglin, Coco Robicheaux, […]
Blueberries and Grits is the name of Canadian artist Sunday Wilde’s 6th album, and while she may be new to many US listeners, she is an awarding winning artist in Canada. After this album, she should gain more fame and honors in the US too. Wilde has a wonderful, vintage sounding voice which works perfectly […]
Kat Riggins Blues Revival Bluzpik Media Group Kat Riggins had been on the South Florida blues scene for some time as occasionally she could be seen sitting in during a jam. Her first album released in August of 2014 was “Lily Rose” on the Tate Music label. Then on February 27th Riggins and her new […]
Ally Venable has been racking up awards in East Texas, where she’s from, and a listen to No Glass Slippers will help you understand why. She is a songwriter, guitar player and singer, and at 17, this is her debut album. Venable is backed up on No Glass Shoes by a very capable band, consisting […]
Eddie Turner has been a guitarist since he was 12 years old and cut his musical teeth with Racy Nelson and Mother Earth in the 70’s. Having grown up outside of Chicago, he heard the blues masters . But he also absorbed the sound of Cream and Hendrix in his early career. Now he has […]
Edgar Winter “The Definitive Collection” (2CD’s) www.RealGoneMusic.com Taken from eleven different albums Real Gone Music’s “The Definitive Collection” serves up thirty Edgar Winter tracks (previously released on Epic Records; from 1970 through 1980.) These thirty tunes are equally distributed on two-CD’s. Interesting factoid: It was none other than Clive Davis (then with CBS/Columbia/Epic) who offered […]
Johnny Winter Down & Dirty Secret Weapon Films Director Greg Olliver became part of the Johnny Winter entourage. He traveled the world with Winter and his band for what would be the last two years of Johnny’s life. The DVD opens with Winter on his bus with his guitarist/manager Paul Nelson and bassist Scott Spray. […]
Jeremiah Johnson and his band have released a new album, Blues Heart Attack an appropriate name for this collection of 12 originals which attack with both ferocious blues and lots of heart, while Johnson on vocals and guitar, Jeff Girardier on bass and Benet Schaeffer on drums plus several other talented musicians offer up a […]
Kenny Neal Bloodline Cleopatra Blues Kenny Neal is the son of the late Raful Neal (1936-2004). Raful was considered the father of Baton Rouge Blues and is an inductee in the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame. Since his father’s death the younger Neal has become the patriarch of the musical Neal family. He has six […]
Al Basile Mid-Century Modern Sweetspot Records In 1973 when Duke Robillard was putting together the original Roomful of Blues he chose Al Basile as his first trumpet player. Both of them left that band in 1975 but they have remained friends as Robillard has produced all of Basile’s albums. This is Basile’s thirteenth studio recording. […]
An Italian blues artist named Mike Sponza has a great passion for the ancient Italian poets , so he decides to create an album called Ergo Sum (Latin for “Therfore I am,”) with songs based on translations from these writers, first into English and then into ‘blues.” Sounds like a crazy idea, right? But then, […]
Isaiah B Brunt A Moment in Time Isaiah B Brunt Music Isaiah B. Brunt was born in New Zealand where he learned guitar, ukulele, and lap steel from his father. He became an Australian studio owner and record producer to assimilate enough knowledge before working on his own music. In 2010 Brunt was awarded the […]
Earl Thomas Crow Earl Thomas Music Earl Thomas Bridgeman Jr. was born in 1960 in Pikeville, Tennessee. Thomas was 22 and on his way to becoming a dentist when he suffered an accident. Upon regaining consciousness he decided instead to pursue his passion…to become a singer. His first album was 1991’s “Blue…Not Blues” on Bizarre […]
Wendy Rich is a revelation to this writer, as It’s All Nothing is the first time I have heard her, but it won’t be the last.. She has such a perfect blues voice, with the sort of maturity Bonnie Raitt has always projected. She sounds like a grown woman with the experience to sell a […]
Dennis Gruenling fea. Doug Deming and The Jewel Tones Ready or Not Vizztone /Back Bender Records The first time I ever saw Dennis Gruenling was at Mike Moss’ “Blues 2000 and Beyond” at the old Playboy Club in Vernon, N.Y. He was the harp player who sat in with “Filthy Rich and The Poor Boys”. […]
The Paul DesLauriers Band Relentless Big Toe Productions In 1992 Paul DesLauriers co-founded the band “Black Cat Bone”. Their debut recording 1994’s “What A Way to Make A Living” and 1995 follow up “Bone-ified” established them as “Canada’s hottest blues rock band”. They wound up opening for Colin James when he was on tour in […]