Brandon Santini The Longshot American Showplace Music Brandon Santini hails from the Piedmont region of North Carolina. He relocated to Memphis in 2003 and began fronting the Delta Highway Band. In 2009 they received a Blues Music Award nomination as Best New Artist. Santini released his own debut recording “Songs of Love, Money and Misery” […]
Rockin’ Johnny & Quique Gomez Dos Hombres Wanted Vizztone Label Group Rockin’ Johnny Burgin went to The University of Chicago to become a writer but fell into the Chicago Blues scene. He found work as a guitarist with Taildragger, Pinetop Perkins, Mary Lane and Sam Lay, and recorded six albums under his own name for […]
Big Al and The Heavyweights World Full Of Trouble Eller Soul Records Big Al Lauro, who is from The Big Easy, started recording his original Louisiana based roots music around 2001 with the release of both Big Al and The Heavyweights “Hey, Hey Mardi Gras” and “Ultimate Mardi Gras”; and followed up with 2002’s “Late […]
Vegas Strip Kings Jackpot! GutBukit Records Two of the founding members of the Vegas Strip Kings were part of the band “Contino” who recorded “Back Porch Dogma” on Blind Pig Records in 2012. That band morphed into the Vegas Strip Kings and they recorded their “(Live)” album in 2015. The live album was mostly covers […]
Nick Schnebelen Crazy All By Myself Vizztone Label Group Nick Schnebelen is from Kansas City where he grew up in a household surrounded by music. “Music’s been in my blood for generations” as both of his parents were professional musicians, as were his grandparents and great grandfather. Schnebelen is a founding member of the band […]
Sugaray Rayford Somebody Save Me Forty Below Records Sugaray Rayford is the ex-Mannish Boys front man. This is the fifth album under his own name; the last being 2017’s “The World We Live In”. Rayford also has fourteen Blues Music Award nominations including two for 2019. He has received a BMA nomination as “B.B. King […]
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers Killin’ It Live Alligator Records Tommy Castro has been playing rockin’ blues for the last thirty years. He has released fifteen albums and been nominated for twelve Blues Music Awards winning six times. Two of those BMA trophies are for the “B.B. King Entertainer of The Year” award, the highest […]
Augie Meyers I Know I Could Be Happy If Myself Wasn’t Here El Sendero Records In 1965 Doug Sahm formed “The Sir Douglas Quintet” with childhood friend Augie Meyers. The band had a top twenty hit with “She’s About a Mover”. They were busted for pot in Texas, moved to San Francisco and re-formed with […]
Tony Holiday Porch Sessions Vizztone Label Group Tony Holiday used to play guitar and front the Salt Lake City based Tony Holiday and the Velvetones. When he switched to harmonica he recruited the then young prodigy Landon Stone as the band’s guitarist. The band won the Salt Lake City Weekly Music Awards and was named […]
Eric Jerardi Occupied Niche Records Guitarist Eric Jerardi won the Ohio University battle of the bands in 1989. He won again two years later as the Midwest’s “Best Unsigned College Band”. He recorded his debut album in 1995. Since then he has shared the stage with Little Feat, toured with Robin Trower, and has been […]
Atomic Road Kings Clean Up The Blood Big Tone Records This is the Atomic Road Kings debut recording but the individual members are not new to lovers of the blues. The core band includes Big Jon Atkinson, lead, rhythm guitar and vocals, who came to prominence with his third album, 2016’s “House Party at Big […]
Tedeschi Trucks Band Signs Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group Susan Tedeschi was born in Boston, Ma. She released her debut album in 1995 but came to national attention with the release of “Just Won’t Burn” on Tone Cool Records in 1998. At the same time the Jacksonville Fl. guitarist Derek Trucks was achieving fame with his […]
Katarina Pejak Roads That Cross Ruf Records Katarina Pejak hails from the Serbian city of Belgrade, where her father ran the local jazz and blues nightclub. Listening to her father’s record collection she became inspired by Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Bessie Smith, Otis Spann and others. She decided she should stretch her classical piano […]
Aaron Lack’s Vibetet Lovely Night Millard Street Music Aaron Lack is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Concordia University in Austin, Texas. He currently teaches Drumset, Applied Music and the history of Jazz. Lack plays drums, classical percussion, Vibraphone and traditional steel pan music. He has shared the stage and performed with Benny Green, Roy […]
Tiffany Pollack/Eric Johanson Blues In My Blood Nola Blue Records Tiffany Ann Pollack is a product of the musical mecca known as New Orleans. At an earlier age Pollack began to write songs and sing. Her first professional gig was singing background vocals for Russell Batiste & Friends. She eventually formed her own band Beaucoup […]
The Trevor B. Power Band Everyday Angel Independent The Trevor B. Power Band is based in northwest New Jersey. Power grew up in a household with parents that loved all kinds of music. He received his first guitar when he was fifteen and began playing the rock n’ roll of the sixties and seventies. He […]
Bloodest Saxophone Texas Queens 5 Dialtone Records/Vizztone Label Group Bloodest Saxophone; is a horn driven R n’ B band, from Tokyo Japan. They were formed in 1998 by Koda Shintaro, who formed the band “to rule the world with the saxophone”. They have played with the great sax icon Big Jay McNeely and also with […]
JP Williams Blues Band Everblue Gizzifter Records JP Williams was born in New York City. He attended Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. where he began moonlighting at college coffee houses and local night spots. His acoustic music included folk, blues, and soul. He returned to NYC and performed at many famous venues, open mikes and […]
Glen Clark You Tell Me Glenco Records In the early nineteen seventies Glen Clark formed a duo with fellow Texan Delbert McClinton. They released the album “Delbert & Glen” and a year later followed up with “Subject To Change”. The duo blended blues with country, soul and rock. The two albums helped established both of […]
Watermelon Slim Church of The Blues Northern Blues Music William P. Homans III was born in Boston but raised in North Carolina where he first heard the blues. He rejected his family’s career aspirations and served in Vietnam. When he returned home in 1973 he became involved in “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” and recorded […]
Walter Trout Survivor Blues Provogue/Mascot Label Group After a residence in Los Angeles where guitarist Walter Trout found work with Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, and Joe Tex he became the lead guitarist in “Canned Heat”. He left them in 1985 only to join “John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers”. In 1989 he formed his […]
Ina Forsman Been Meaning To Tell You Ruf Records Nine years ago when vocalist Ina Forsman was only 17 she performed Etta James’ “All I Could Do Was Cry” on a Finnish TV talent show. Since then she began touring with Helsinki’s harp master Helge Tallqvist and Belgian guitarist Guy Verlinde, all the while honing […]
Santana In Search of Mona Lisa Concord Records Carlos Santana is a musical icon who has performed for three generations of listeners. To date he has sold 100 million records and won ten Grammy Awards. Among his other awards are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; receiving the Billboard Latin Music […]
Vin Mott Rogue Hunter Independent While still a teen Vin Mott got bitten by the blues bug. It was the sound of the harmonica as played by Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and James Cotton. Mott studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and graduated with a degree in songwriting in 2011. He returned to NJ […]
Chris O’Leary 7 Minutes Late American Showplace Music Soon after Chris O’Leary was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps he joined Levon Helm and The Barnburners. As lead singer and front man he toured with Levon for six years. He eventually left the Barnburners to form his own band. He released his Chris O’Leary […]
Tomislav Goluban Chicago Rambler Spona Records Tomislav Goluban was inspired by harp masters Sonny Boy Williamson, Paul Butterfield, Gary Primich and others. The Croatian musician, whose surname translates to Pigeon in English, formed Little Pigeon’s Forhill Blues Band in 1997. His debut recording Pigeon’s Flight was released in 2005, and followed up in 2007 with […]
Gaye Adegbalola The Griot Vizztone Label Group Gaye Adegbalola, born Gaye Todd, was given the name Adegbalola by a Yoruba (African) priest. She was a founding member of the group Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women and was with them for twenty-five years; they recorded nine albums before they ended their run in 2009. In 1990 Gaye […]
Music Maker Relief Foundation Blue Muse Big Legal Mess Records/Music Maker In 1989 Tim Duffy was a student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill completing his master’s degree in Folklore. Duffy was documenting blues musicians including James “Guitar Slim” Stephens for the Southern Folklife Collection. Shortly before Stephen’s passing he urged Duffy […]
The Kentucky Headhunters Live at the Ramblin’ Man Fair Alligator Records The Young brothers and their cousin Greg Martin were playing in bands together since 1968. They formed The Kentucky Headhunters with Doug Phelps in 1986 and released their debut recording “Pickin’ On Nashville” in 1989. The album sold over two million copies and garnered […]
Niecie Trouble With A Capital T Ride The Tiger Records Niecie was born in Detroit but prefers to tell people she was “born and raised in Motown”. During an early gig with a rock band in Lincoln Nebraska, vocalist Niecie was heard by Magic Slim who told her “Girl, you need to sing the […]
David Lumsden & Friends Hues of Blues Independent David Lumsden acquired his first guitar after hearing The Yardbirds 1965 album “Having A Rave Up”. Featured were both Eric Clapton and his replacement Jeff Beck and they explored their blues rock roots. Five years later Lumsden heard Freddie King’s 1971 record “Getting Ready” and he was […]
Eden Brent An Eden Brent Christmas with Bob Dowell Little Boogaloo Records/Yellow Dog Records Eden Brent is a three time Blues Music Award winner with ten nominations overall. She has won the Acoustic Artist of the Year, Acoustic Album of The Year and the coveted Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year Awards. Her last […]
Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers The Christmas Swing Juicy Juju Records/Vizztone Label Group Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers were formed in 2010. They won the Boston Blues Challenge twice to compete in the International Blues Challenge held annually in Memphis. In 2014 the band released their debut recording “Love Whip Blues”. Their follow […]
Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers All I Got For Christmas is The Blues Pretty Good For A Girl Records Mindi Abair and Randy Jacobs of The Boneshakers scored big with their album “The EastWest Sessions” and it finished #27 on the Roots Music Reports Top 200 Blues Album Chart for 2017. Abair has eight previous […]
Beth Hart Live at The Royal Albert Hall Provogue/Mascot Label Group DVD Beth Hart has a total of twelve studio albums including several collaborations with Joe Bonamassa. Her last solo studio album “Fire On The Floor” resulted in three Blues Music nominations and her winning the 2018 BMA for Best Instrumentalist – Vocals. Earlier this […]
Eric Bibb Global Griot Stony Plain Records Eric Bibb, the son of Leon Bibb a singer-songwriter popular during the folk music scene of the 1960’s, grew up surrounded by the folksingers of the time including Leadbelly, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson and Bob Dylan. Other influences include Joan Baez, Richie Havens and Taj Mahal. Bibb […]
Shawn Mullins Soul’s Core Revival Soul Carnival Records Shawn Mullins hails from Atlanta, Georgia. In the early 1990’s Mullins was a young troubadour on the folk circuit traveling the country in a minivan with his dog Roadie and a guitar. His debut recording was released in 1992 but it was his 1998 “Soul’s Core” album, […]
Confessin’ The Blues Various Artists BMG/Universal On December 2nd 2016 The Rolling Stones released “Blue & Lonesome” their first all blues recording. The band hadn’t intended to make the album but in order to loosen up in the studio they laid into the Little Walter classic that would become the title track. Over the next […]
Paul Oscher Cool Cat Blues Fidelity Recordings Paul Oscher was born in Brooklyn, New York and began playing harmonica at the age of 12. Oscher became the first Caucasian musician to become a member of the Muddy Waters Band. He played harmonica with Muddy from 1967 until 1972. Not only did he play with Muddy […]
Ronnie Cuber Live At Montmartre Storyville Records Ronnie Cuber is a jazz saxophonist. The seventy-six year old musician has played with a virtual who’s who of Jazz. Some of the artists he has worked with include George Benson, Slide Hampton, Maynard Ferguson, Eddie Palmieri, Grant Green, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff, The Mingus Big Band […]
In Layman Terms Strong Roots Endless Blues Records Sandy Layman is a part-time musician and a full-time mom. She began dragging her two children to open mics at an early age. Since 2013 her daughter Logan has won several Emerging Artist awards. She and her older brother Cole were featured in the August 2014 issue […]
Peter V Blues Train Shaken But Not Deterred Independent Peter Veteska learned to play guitar by listening to Eric Clapton and The Allman Brothers. As he grew older his musical tastes changed to jazz. In 2008, with more time on his hands, Peter was able to re-connect with his passion for playing. He formed the […]
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne “Inspired By The Blues” Stony Plain Records Keyboardist Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne Spruell was born in Spokane, Washington in 1944. His mother instilled in him a love for the music of Nat King Cole, Little Willie John and Fats Domino. Wayne was further influenced by the music he listened to while […]
Joe Louis Walker/Bruce Katz/Giles Robson Journeys To The Heart Of The Blues Alligator Records Guitarist/vocalist Joe Louis Walker is a blues icon. He is one of the most productive bluesmen of the last half-century being an in demand musician since 1965. Walker has played with everyone from “Lightnin’ Hopkins to Jimi Hendrix to Thelonious Monk”. […]
Sean Chambers Welcome To My Blues American Showplace Music Sean Chambers learned by fronting a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band. “Strong Temptation”, his debut recording, was released in 1998. While in Memphis in support of that album, Chambers was asked to sit in with Hubert Sumlin, the former guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf. As a result […]
Sandy Carroll Blues & Angels Catfood Records Sandy Carroll hails from McNairy County in West Tennessee; two hours east of Memphis. Carroll spent her early career singing in venues throughout the South. Carroll returned to Memphis, her musical home, and took up residency at Lafayette’s Corner club in 1983 when she co-wrote the single “If […]
Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones Complicated Mess Eller Soul Records Doug Deming was born and raised in the greater Detroit area. Deming is a guitarist whose influences include R n’ B and Jazz pioneers T-Bone Walker and Charlie Christian. His debut recording “Double Down” was released in 2002. Deming came to national attention with […]
Maria Muldaur Don’t You Feel My Leg The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker The Last Music Company Maria Muldaur was born and raised in Greenwich Village. In 1963 she began her recording career as a member of The Even Dozen Jug Band. She was Maria D’Amato at the time and the following […]
Dave Keller Every Soul’s a Star Catfood Records Dave Keller makes Montpelier, Vt. his home. He studied acoustic blues with Paul Rishell and in 1993 recorded a cassette called “Deep Down in My Soul”. After releasing the Dave Keller Band debut in 1998 he began to be mentored by Mighty Sam McClain who at this […]
The Knickerbocker All-Stars Love Makes A Woman fea. Darcel Wilson and Thornetta Davis JP Cadillac Records In 1967 Duke Robillard and Al Copley hosted weekly jams at The Knickerbocker Café in Westerly, Rhode Island. It was at the Knick that “Roomful of Blues” was born; it was here that the horn section evolved. Back in […]
