George Brock

George Brock was born on May 16, 1932 in Granada, Mississippi, and died on April 10, 2020. A renowned harmonica player and singer, he moved to Missouri in the 1950s, where he played in a series of nightclubs. He started picking cotton, was a boxer and managed up to three stores. He performed with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Albert King, and starred in the 2006 film "Hard Times," a documentary about his life. In the 2000s, he recorded some albums under his name.

When he was eight years old he was picking cotton. His father taught him and his brothers to play the harmonica. When he was a teenager he moved to Mattson, Mississippi. There he met Muddy Waters, and they performed together on weekends. In the late 1940s he moved to Walls, Mississippi. While working on the construction of Highway 61, he met Howlin' Wolf. He became his roadie and performed with him. He then moved to St. Louis in 1950, where he was an amateur boxer for a time. In 1952, boxer Sonny Liston was training in a gym with Brock. Liston challenged Brock to a match and Brock won the match in the second round.

But instead of boxing he decided to focus on his musical career because it was more lucrative. He created his own band, Big George & the Houserockers, where blues guitarist Albert King played before forming his own. In 1952 he opened his own nightclub, Club Caravan, near North Garrison and Franklin avenues. Brock combined security at the venue and performing with a band in which Albert King, Big Baddy Smitty or Riley Coatie sometimes performed on lead guitar. The club also had Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Ike & Tina Turner and Jimmy Reed, among others, on stage.

In the early 1960s, Muddy Waters arranged a meeting for him with Chess Records executives. He did not see it clearly and distrusted the seal. He decided to continue playing on the club circuit, which became three under his command. Brock closed Club Caravan after his wife was killed during a shooting in 1970. He opened another Club Caravan at Delmar Boulevard and Taylor Avenue, but it closed in the late 1980s.

In 2005 he signed with Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. He released the album “Club Caravan” to favorable reviews. The following year he released the album “Round Two”, which, like the first, received nominations for the Blues Music Award. That year, 2006, a documentary about his life titled “Hard Times” appeared and in 2007 his album “Heavyweight Blues” appeared.

In the early 1960s, Muddy Waters arranged a meeting for him with Chess Records executives. He did not see it clearly and distrusted the seal. He decided to continue playing on the club circuit, which became three under his command. Brock closed Club Caravan after his wife was killed during a shooting in 1970. He opened another Club Caravan at Delmar Boulevard and Taylor Avenue, but it closed in the late 1980s.

In 2005 he signed with Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. He released the album “Club Caravan” to favorable reviews. The following year he released the album “Round Two”, which, like the first, received nominations for the Blues Music Award. That year, 2006, a documentary about his life titled “Hard Times” appeared and in 2007 his album “Heavyweight Blues” was published.

Timothea

Timothea started her music career singing for change in front of the jukebox at her aunt's bar in Westwego, Louisiana. By the time she turned 12 she was sharing the stage with the likes of Earl King, Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Dr. John, Johnny Adams and Art & Aaron Neville. At age of 14 she cut her first single, "Teenage Prayer," at the New Orleans local hit factory of the time "Cosmo's Recording Studio". Legendary Wardell Quezergue produced Timothea, and a rising star named Dr. John played guitar. She was married at the age of 15 and had two children before she turned eighteen and quit the music business for 12 years. 
In 1981, she returned to her first love - singing. Timothea released a series of singles that were produced by her long time friend and Guru, Earl King. He took Timothea under his wing and his label. Earl King and Timothea released several singles in the eighties on Grand Marshall Records, all written and produced by Earl King and featuring George Porter Jr., Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste, Art Neville, and other members of the Neville Brothers / Meters. Johnny Adams soon asked Timothea to be part of his review at Dorothy's Medallion where she found the New Orleans Singer and Guitar Wonder, Walter "Wolfman" Washington. That was all she needed. Together they co-wrote Wolftracks (1986) and Out of the Dark (1987), on Rounder Records. 

Jim Jarmusch discovered Timothea at Dorothy's and gave her the roll of Julie in the movie "Down By Law". While singing and touring with Adams, Timothea and The Wolfman decided to go out on their own and put together a new band, The RoadMasters, (pinned after Timothea's RoadMaster bicycle). The band featured Walter Washington, Jon Cleary and Timothea. The three headliners shared their magic together on the road and in front of thousands of people, then coming home to play their weekly house gig at Bennies Bar on Valance St. Timothea left the band after three years to move to New York, leaving Walter and the Roadmasters to go for the solo career. 

After the release of "Down By Law" Timothea moved to New York and lived there for six years. In NYC she produced her first CD using some of the older tracks recorded with Walter and The RoadMaster Band and began booking Timothea and The Po Boy's all through Europe. 
Timothea moved back to New Orleans when her Mother became ill and started Blue Soul Records with Kent Birkle and then Lyn Boudousquie. Blue Soul has released several CD's to date. 

A pioneer in promoting education and awareness of Hepatitis C, Timothea founded and heads Siren to Wail Inc. "Music With a Message". A charitable organization she founded in 1999, Siren to Wail promotes, produces and sponsors public service announcements for TV and Radio, music concerts for awareness and her latest baby, pinned by her son, rapper Jesse B, titled "The Hep-Acation Project" for awareness in the schools. Once again using music to draw attention to this debilitating illness. The annual "Once in a Blue Moon" concert and silent auction sponsored by Siren to Wail has raised thousands of dollars for Hep C awareness since 2000. Previous concerts have headlined such stellar entertainers as Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Bobby Rush, and Diane Lotny, plus Timothea and her band Blue Soul All Stars who back up all of these legends. For more info, contact. SirenToWail.org. Timothea was recently nominated for her outstanding work by Angels On Earth. Their most recent recipient of this award was singer / percussionist Shelia E for her work with children. 
2004 has been a busy year for Timothea. She released her latest album, I'm Still Standing, in partnership with two other songwriters, Steve Busch and Pat Robinson, who have worked with other artists such as Brookes & Dunn, Joe Cocker, The Byrds, and Ry Cooder and a number of other rock legends. She also completed her first music video, Time for a Change. The video was written and directed by Aaron C. Walker, and was filmed over several days at the Columns Hotel in New Orleans. Coming in August 2004 Timothea will appear on a new compilation CD, Born to the House of Blues, with such artists as Ron Wood and Keith Richards, Marino DeSilva, Johnny and Edgar Winters, Leon Russell, Taj Mahal, Les McCann and more. Timothea isn't just a musician. She is one of New Orleans finest songwriters and producers. Alligator artist WC Clark, winner of this year's WC Handy award, recorded one of Timothea's compositions. She has collaborated with many other talents including Walter Washington and Earl King tune's soon to be released from the crypt. 

Timothea is working on yet another CD compilation of Louisiana artists to raise money and spread awareness of Hepatitis C. She has partnered with Marino DeSilva, Founder of another musical healing organization, Angels On Earth. This time besides singing and writing she will be A&R and Co-producer with Marino. In April he produced and released The Magic with Carlos Santana and his past and present players. At one time Marino was a member himself. Timothea has had a long and storied musical career that has taken her all over the US and Europe playing and recording. Some refer to her as "the triple threat" because of her abilities as a singer, songwriter, and savvy businesswoman, but she "gets her thrills from discovering and producing new talent." Timothea's music has also appeared on several other television programs and soon to be in the movies. If you are a fan of soul, funk, blues, or R&B then you can find something in Timothea's music. It is rare to find an artist that has lived what they sing about. Fortunately, Timothea is one of those extraordinary few. Her songs show a side of her life that some artists might shy away from, but Timothea confronts them head on with the same vitality that has allowed her to become such a successful and long lived artist. If you want to really find out what life is all about, then you only need to go to Timothea's website to visit or to pick up a CD or a DVD.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd, American rock band that rose to prominence during the Southern rock boom of the 1970s on the strength of its triple-guitar attack and gritty working-class attitude. The principal members were Ronnie Van Zant (b. January 15, 1949, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.—d. October 20, 1977, Gillsburg, Mississippi), Gary Rossington (b. December 4, 1951, Jacksonville—d. March 5, 2023), Allen Collins (b. July 19, 1952, Jacksonville—d. January 23, 1990, Jacksonville), Steve Gaines (b. September 14, 1949, Seneca, Missouri—d. October 20, 1977, Gillsburg), Billy Powell (b. June 3, 1952, Jacksonville—d. January 28, 2009, Orange Park, Florida), Leon Wilkeson (b. April 2, 1952—d. July 27, 2001, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida), Bob Burns (b. November 24, 1950, Jacksonville, Florida—d. April 3, 2015, Cartersville, Georgia), and Artimus Pyle (b. July 15, 1948, Louisville, Kentucky). 

After playing under various names in Jacksonville, the group settled on Lynyrd Skynyrd (a backhanded compliment to a high-school gym teacher notorious for his opposition to long hair). In 1973 they released their first album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. “Free Bird,” a tribute to the late Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, was an immediate sensation, thanks to the interplay of its three lead guitars, while “Sweet Home Alabama,” a response to Neil Young’s derisive “Southern Man,” opened Second Helping (1974) and established the group as Southern rock stalwarts. In 1977, as Skynyrd’s success was increasing, a plane carrying the band crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing singer Van Zant and guitarist Gaines. The group disbanded.

The new Skynyrd was embraced by a number of country singers, especially Travis Tritt. In 2006 Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Groundhogs

Although they are still known primarily as a blues rock band, they did not start that way, nor do they continue that way. They were originally called “John Lee’s Groundhogs” and supported John Lee Hooker on his tour of England in 1964. Supporting Hooker was not easy, he was famous for his constant changes of pace. Closer to spoken blues (Talking Blues), or to his own electric version of Delta blues. John Lee's style is immediately recognizable.

His most famous period came from the time when it was difficult to get blues plays in England, demonstrating what can happen when, starting from a blues base, Tony McPhee's exceptional creativity and guitar skill explode. He says, for example, of the song on his album 'Blues Obituary' (where they are apparently burying the blues), that 'Mistreated' is a blues song, but he added 'a few chords' to it.

As a composer, he frequently disguised his feelings (against war, for example) behind ironic titles, and with a penchant for titles that distort common phrases into puns.

The band is considered a legendary group, but really although the bassists and drummers were top-notch, the center of Groundhogs was always the guitarist, songwriter and singer. Tony McPhee in Groundhogs deserves the description of Captain Sensible as 'the English Jimi Hendrix'. I'll get to the wonderful Robin Trower in a future article naturally.

There are a wide variety of sounds and timbres that McPhee uses, his skill with the pedals is amazing, but his sound never stops being completely original and recognizable. There is a lot of sophistication in the different arrangements he proposes and in his expansion of the limits of what an essentially blues guitarist could be and do, he shows many possible paths to follow.

Do you remember? Bill Broonzy

 

Despite years of research, the details of William Lee Conley Broonzy's birth date remain problematic. He may have been born on 26 June 1893 - the date of birth he often gave - or according to Bill's twin sister Laney, it may have been in 1898. Laney claimed to have documents to prove that. However, definitive research undertaken by Bob Reisman has changed the picture.

Bill often regaled audiences with tales of his birth on 26 June 1893 and that of his twin sister Laney and of his father's response to being told he had twins to care for. He claimed to have served in the US Army in France from 1918 - 1919 and to have been invited by a record company to travel to the Delta following a major flood in 1927: Turns out, that a good deal of this was fiction at worst and faction at best.

Robert Reisman's impeccable research suggests a birth date for Bill of 26th June 1903 (and in Jefferson County, Arkansas, not Scott Mississippi as previously suggested). Laney was not a twin at all but four years older than Bill. (She was born in 1898).

Bill spoke and sang about experiences in the US army and of his return from France to Arkansas/Mississippi. It turns out though, that the reported army experience was Bill's factional description of an amalgam of the stories told by black soldiers returning from overseas. A trip Bill claimed to have made to Mississippi in 1927 to the flooding was similarly untrue, but was a factional account into which Bill inserted himself.

Broonzy is/was not even his real name. He was born into the world with the name Lee Conly (note spelling) Bradley; and so it goes on.

Bill's father Frank Broonzy (Bradley) and his mother, Mittie Belcher had both been born into slavery and Bill was one of seventeen children. His first instrument was a violin which he learned to play with some tuition from his uncle, his mother's brother, Jerry Belcher. Bob Reisman suggests that there is little evidence that Jerry Belcher existed.

In Arkansas, the young Bill (Lee) worked as a violinist in local churches at the same time as working as a farm hand. He also worked as a country fiddler and local parties and picnics around Scott Mississippi. Between 1912 and 1917, Bill (Lee) worked as an itinerant preacher in and around Pine Bluff. It is not known why he changed his name.

Later, he worked in clubs around Little Rock. In about 1924, Big Bill moved to Chicago Illinois, where as a fiddle player he played occasional gigs with Papa Charlie Jackson. During this time he learned to play guitar and subsequently accompanied many blues singers, both in live performance and on record. Bill made his first recordings in 1927 (just named Big Bill) and the 1930 census records him as living in Chicago and (working as a labourer in a foundry) and his name was recorded as 'Willie Lee Broonsey' aged 28. He was living with his wife Annie (25) and his son Ellis (6).

Over the years, Big Bill became an accomplished performer in his own right. Through the 1930s he was a significant mover in founding the small group blues (singer, guitar, piano, bass drums) sound that typified Chicago bues.

On 23 December, 1938, Big Bill was one of the principal solo performers in the first "From Spirituals to Swing" concert held at the Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the programme for that performance, Broonzy was identified in the programme only as "Big Bill" (he did not become known as Big Bill Broonzy until much later in his career) and as Willie Broonzy. He was described as:

"...the best-selling blues singer on Vocalion's 'race' records, which is the musical trade designation for American Negro music that is so good that only the Negro people can be expected to buy it."

The programme recorded that the Carnegie Hall concert "will be his first appearance before a white audience".

Big Bill was a stand-in for Robert Johnson, who had been murdered in Mississippi in August that year. Hammond heard about Johnson's death just a week before the concert was due to take place. According to John Sebastian (1939) Big Bill bought a new pair of shoes and travelled to New York by bus for the concert. Where he travelled from is, however, left dangling. The inference of the text is that it was from Arkansas, but as noted above, by by late 1938 Bill was established as a session man and band leader, and as a solo performer in Chicago. Within weeks of the 1938 concert Bill was recording with small groups in a studio in the windy city.

In the 1938 programme, Big Bill performed (accompanied by boogie pianist Albert Ammons) "It Was Just a Dream" which had the audience rocking with laughter at the lines.

Flavium

Flavium is one of the leading blues bands in the Netherlands. The band has been active on blues and festival stages in our country for years, but also in Germany, Belgium, England and Ireland. Blues classics 'Nightlife' and 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out' gave the band positions in the charts.
The band plays with a lot of energy and love for the blues. Sparkling solos, ear-pleasing blue(s) notes, very fanatical train blues appear during the performances and they were recorded on more than ten LPs and CDs. On Saturday April 11, 2015, Johan Derksen presented the Dutch Blues Award to Flavium. Flavium has been added to the Dutch Blues Hall of Fame.

Boo Boo Davis

Very soon on JAM 66 Radio...

Boo Boo Davis was born and raised in Drew Mississippi. He is a survivor and belongs to the last generations of musicians that write and play the blues based on first hand experience of a hard life in the Mississippi Delta.

Boo Boo never learned to read or write but that did not prevent him to travel the world and share his music and thoughts with his audiences. Following his guiding spirit (that he calls Dave) Boo Boo found a way to deal with modern society. The blues helps him to keep his spirit high and survive day-to-day life. It deals with all the basic raw elements of life; good and bad, complicated and simple.

All songs on this compilation have been released before on Black and tan Records between 1999 and 2019. They tell personal stories about Boo Boo; ranging from very trivial issues to deep thoughts about life.

Remembering the past: Bessie Smith

 

Bessie Smith began to sing at a young age and in 1923 signed a contract with Columbia Records. Soon she was among the highest-paid Black performers of her time with hits like "Downhearted Blues." By the end of the 1920s, however, her popularity had lessened, though she continued to perform and made new recordings at the start of the Swing Era. Her comeback and life were cut short when she died on September 26, 1937, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident outside of Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Smith was born on April 15, 1894, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was one of seven children. Her father, a Baptist minister, died soon after her birth, leaving her mother to raise her and her siblings. Around 1906 her mother and two of her brothers died and Smith and her remaining siblings were raised by their aunt. It was around this time that Smith began to perform as a street singer, accompanied on the guitar by one of her younger brothers. In 1912 Smith began performing as a dancer in the Moses Stokes minstrel show, and soon thereafter in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, of which blues vocalist Ma Rainey was a member. Rainey took Smith under her wing, and over the next decade, Smith continued to perform at various theaters and on the vaudeville circuit.

By the early 1920s, Smith had settled down and was living in Philadelphia, and in 1923 she met and married a man named Jack Gee. That same year, she was discovered by a representative from Columbia Records, with whom she signed a contract and made her first song recordings. Among them was a track titled "Downhearted Blues," which was wildly popular and sold an estimated 800,000 copies, propelling Smith into the blues spotlight. With her rich, powerful voice, Smith soon became a successful recording artist and toured extensively. Going forward with an idea presented by her brother and business manager Clarence, Smith eventually bought a custom railroad car for her traveling troupe to travel and sleep in.

In her recording career, Smith worked with many important jazz performers, such as saxophonist Sidney Bechet and pianists Fletcher Henderson and James P. Johnson. With Johnson, she recorded one of her most famous songs, "Backwater Blues."

Smith also collaborated with the legendary jazz artist Louis Armstrong on several tunes, including "Cold in Hand Blues" and "I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle," and "St. Louis Blues." By the end of the 1920s, Smith was the highest-paid Black performer of her day, and had earned herself the title "Empress of the Blues."

Perhaps Smith's most popular song was her 1929 hit "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," written by Jimmy Cox six years earlier. Smith's version of the song, released in September 1929, was eerily prescient in that the stock market crashed just two weeks later. The song would later become the basis of a short film by the same name.

However, at the height of her success, Smith’s career began to flounder, due in part to the financial ravages of the Great Depression and a change in cultural mores. In 1929, she and Gee permanently separated, and by the end of 1931 Smith had stopped working with Columbia altogether. However, ever the dedicated performer, Smith adapted her repertoire and continued to tour. In 1933, Smith was contacted by producer John Hammond to make new recordings, which hinted at the coming Swing Era.

On September 26, 1937, Smith was en route to a show in Memphis, Tennessee with her companion of many years, Richard Morgan, when he sideswiped a truck and lost control of their car. Smith was thrown from the vehicle and badly injured. She died of her wounds in a Clarkdale, Mississippi hospital. She was 43.

Smith’s funeral was held in Philadelphia a week later, with thousands coming to pay their respects. She was buried in Mount Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.

Since her death, Smith’s music continues to win over new fans, and collections of her songs have continued to sell extremely well over the years. She has been a primary influence for countless female vocalists — including Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin — and has been immortalized in numerous works. A comprehensive, acclaimed bio on her life — Bessie, by journalist Chris Albertson — was published in 1972 and expanded in 2003. A film loosely based on the book aired in 2015, with Queen Latifah (who also executive produced the project) portraying Smith and Mo'Nique playing Ma Rainey.

During her marriage to Gee, Smith informally adopted a six-year-old boy and named him Jack Jr. But as her and Gee's relationship became strained, Gee would use their son as a bargaining chip, eventually kidnapping him and accusing Smith of being a neglectful, incompetent mother. A court ruling first gave custody to Smith's sister Viola, then later to Jack Jr.'s biological father who neglected the boy and sometimes forgot to feed him.

Rare Union

 

The start of Rare Union began in 2019. It started with LA Smith from New York, percussionist. LA Smith had been wanting to produce a CD, with a lot of percussion. To pass percussion on to kids all over the world. After completing a national tour with The Randy Oxford Band in 2014, LA decided to play at festivals with headliners, and do percussion workshops, passing on 12 sets of bongos at each workshop to low-income kids all over the western hemisphere.At the same time, Martin Cage lead guitarist from Nemesis, was looking to put some of his original compositions into a CD. 

LA Smith now out of Columbia MO, and Martin Cage out of Salt Lake UT, decided to get together, and see what would happen.They went into El Centro studio in Columbia, Missouri and start recording. They added Jerry Russo, a local rhythm drummer and the three of them put together first six songs.Then the pandemic hit, and it was a challenge to bring any artists in to the studio. The studio added UV lighting, and slowly they started to work on the CD. Martin Cage had played with vocalist, guitar player, Max Soler from FT Myers, in the group Nemesis. So, when they called Max he was ready to go. Over the next year and a half, they had several recording sessions. They had Will Reeves on bass and Danny Carrol on drums, both from Columbia, MO. They played together in several groups. Before too long they had 9 more songs.The songs started to get real heart felt lyrics, guitar breaks and solos that bring out the original sound that Rare Union turned out to be. They did not go into the studio trying to produce a particular sound, just wanted to make good music. What happened was chemistry, with five artists, with all different backgrounds, from 5 different states playing together. As the songs Martin had composed evolved and began to take shape, Max would add lyrics, guitar. Both Martin Cage and Max Soler would switch off on lead and rhythm. LA Smith and Danny Carroll would build the structure of the songs and decide how to incorporate the drums and percussion. Will Reeves did the bass lines and engineered the CD. They ended up with a new blues rock sound.The addition of Micael Kott on Cello, from Santa Fe NM, was added. His recording was done at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe, NM. Michael Kott plays cello all over the world with Peter Buffet. His cello is on “Won’t Be Lost” and “Brother of Mine”.With the CD getting produced, and final vocals getting finished the band needed a name. That’s where Dawn Smith suggested Rare Union. It described this band, born in a pandemic, from five states, with all new original music. Dawn set up all the production of the CD, web site, Domain, copywrite and trademarks. 

Naming the CD was easy, Max Soler and Martin Cage had a friend who passed, and he was considered a brother. So, the band named the CD, “Brother of Mine”.Rare union is now setting dates to do three videos and the start of the next CD in March. Wanting to have it out by the middle of October.They have been invited to several festivals, and are lining up festivals around the world to play. Hopping for 2023, but with the pandemic may be 2024.

Jac Dalton

 

Wearing the 5 elements of voice, power, charisma, charm and appeal like a loaded gun, the renegade Southern gentleman, Jac Dalton, is a true front man and band leader in every sense of the word – distilling a blend of melodic and classic arena rock that pays homage to his adopted homeland while forging an unmistakable – recognizable – international identity.  

The 5-warrior Jac Dalton band, comprising some of the absolute best of Aussie talent, have consistently raised the bar for contemporary Oz rock and are presently gigging heavily.

From soaring vocals, intricate harmonies and inspiring screaming guitars to positive, uplifting messages conveyed by one whose heart speaks from undoubted experience about the journey, Jac Dalton offers up a sound and performance that resonates not only across borders, but generations.

The Yardbirds

 

Co-founder of the Yardbirds, Jim McCarty, continues to lead this ground-breaking British Invasion Rock band that provides the crucial link between the Blues, British R&B, Psychedelic Rock, and Heavy Metal, while pioneering the use of innovations like fuzztone, feedback and distortion. This drummer, singer, songwriter, and producer is said to be one of the driving forces responsible for the band's haunting sound.

Since the birth of the band from 1963 to 1968, to its 1992 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ultimately, the 2003 reformation, the Yardbirds have been revered for the legendary guitarists who have contributed to the band's history including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. The Yardbirds currently feature a lineup of top musicians, notably lead guitarist Godfrey Townsend (John Entwistle, Alan Parsons, Todd Rundgren, Ann Wilson of Heart, Christopher Cross, Dave Mason and musical director of the Turtles' Happy Together tour) bassist Kenny Aaronson (Bob Dylan, Hall & Oates, Billy Idol, Derringer, Joan Jett) and lead singer/guitarist John Idan who lends his distinct vocals to the Yardbirds' 2003 “Birdland” album featuring guest appearances from both Steve Vai and Slash. The current band has recently completed work on an upcoming live album soon to be released.

“The band’s hallmark of top-notch musicianship remains. There are no passengers in this band.” Goldmine Magazine.

 "I’m Not Talking": "That’s just the band — no guests involved. The track encompasses what great energy the band has. It’s got all those little unexpected timing changes and loads of energy. It’s just a cracking track, really—I love to play it. It’s dead honest — the perfect opener. It’s not going to scare people that the Yardbirds have gone all weird. And it says what we are live."

"Crying Out for Love": "When I heard the mix down with Gypie in my studio, we said to each other, ‘It’s giving me chills, making my spine tingle." It’s the guitar playing. This man is original — he doesn’t go the obvious route. That guitar playing on that track for my money is brilliant, so unique. We had a bit of trouble with that track to start with. It was a bit of a lame duck, so we went back and worked on the backing track and it’s wonderful now. It’s very Yardbirds, with beautiful, unique guitar playing; strong track."

"The Nazz Are Blue": "It’s the only 12-bar blues on the album. We are sometimes known as a blues band, but I don’t know if that’s quite the right label for us. Of course, it’s all our roots. I think this song has such a sense of energy to it. It’s sort of vintage Yardbirds in a way. It’s got that great huge rhythm section, then Skunk Baxter flies with us on it."

"For Your Love": "This was a danger zone. I was a bit skeptical about doing it again. We owe a lot to that song because it sort of pulled us out from national to international and set the template for us — that time change in the middle, the weirdness of it. Thank God for Johnny Rzeznik. He has put such a personal interpretation on it that it’s as though you’re sitting in the chair and he’s singing it to you. And Alan put that great harmonica tag on the end, which lifts us up."

"Please Don’t Tell Me ’Bout The News": "That song is 21^st century vintage Yardbirds: the drumbeat and the guitar crescendos in the center of it with the breaks. It’s strong lyrically, and it’s got that wonderful 12-bar time change. We’ve just started to road-test this one live, and it’s an instant hit. It gets as good an ovation as ‘Train Kept a Rolling.’ It’s got all those identifying stamps." Adds McCarty: "The rave-up is still a major part of our sound on stage, and it makes an appearance on this song."

"Train Kept a Rolling": "Satriani’s solo is so interesting — he sounds like a wasp in a bottle. It’s got so much energy you think it’s gonna break the glass, but eventually it gets out. That’s what you need for that song."

"Mr. Saboteur": "This is a song about depression, but even I don’t really get that too much because we’ve Yardbirdized it to such an extent. It’s just kind of a boogie-down, funk thing—a nice song to play for a live audience. I like the spatial quality of it."

"Shapes Of Things": "I think ‘Shapes of Things’ is one of the finest things the band ever did. It was the first recording done at Chess in Chicago. They just nailed our sound. It’s a great song to play live. When you hit that chord for the solo part, then a little pause, then you get that BANG where the solo comes in. It’s just a magic moment. Steve has brought something very different to that solo. It’s very Steve Vai — quite pretty in places. Although we recorded the song very similar to the original, he’s done things with it that were not on the original at all—a brilliant job."

"My Blind Life": "This is the one song that was recorded more in the traditional manner, with all of us playing live. Jeff’s playing is unmistakable — you just can’t miss it. He takes notes to places where nobody else takes notes. Don’t know how he does it on the slide. And this song shows John’s amazing vocal range as well. It’s just a rocky blues, really — a good honest song with humorous lyrics."

"Over, Under, Sideways, Down": "We had an inkling that Slash was going to play on this, so we designed an elongated rock ending to it, to let it breathe and give Slash the opportunity to crawl all over it in his inimitable manner. Unlike some of the other players, Slash plays pretty classic rock guitar, so this was a perfect vehicle for him."

"Mr. You're A Better Man Than I": "We invited Brian May to the last gig on our tour at the Royal Albert Hall. He’s a very sweet man and had always dug the band, this track in particular. His contribution is a bit like this sort of majestic beast in the jungle revving up before he stretches and goes for it. And boy does he go for it — it’s the rumbling at the start of the solo that’s so interesting, before this dynamo is unleashed — which, of course, is exactly what that song requires. He’s done that track very sympathetically; he’s played it like a Yardbird, I would say."

"Mystery Of Being": "Rhythmically very exciting. Jim wrote the song, and in his mind it was not meant to be treated like that, but we pumped the song up an awful lot. It’s also got what I’d describe as Afghan psychedelia in there — so very different. My stepdaughter heard it, and I rarely play stuff for her because she’s so ‘cool,’ but she really dug it. Out of all the new material, it’s probably the most trippy, with the chanting and wonderful playing by Gypie."

"Dream Within A Dream": "Words by Edgar Allan Poe, music by Jim, arrangement by the Yardbirds. A perfect example of the three-chord song, a little bit like ‘For Your Love’ in some respects. There’s something deep and melancholic about the Yardbirds too. We’ve not repressed it. I think this song falls into that category. There’s a stunning guitar solo by Gypie with that middle break, which is very unexpected."

"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago": "Steve Lukather does a great job. It’s psychedelic disco for me, this song. ‘Happenings’ is a bit like a miniature rock opera. You get that great riff, explosions, the Cockney voice, all sorts of little influences. It’s immensely powerful as well. We dropped a voice in there like the original, which says, ‘Pop group, are you? You should get your haircut.’ I really wish now we’d put in, ‘Pop group, are you? It’s about time you got a day job.’ I thought it would’ve been much funnier."

"An Original Man (A Song For Keith)": "I remember writing the lyrics. I was at home and there was this book about the band on the table, and there was a photograph of Keith. I remember thinking how much he influenced these rock guys of today, their look and their attitude — I see little Relf copies all over the place. Relfy was the original man in that sense. I just wanted to write some lyrics encompassing what he was. He died young; he was immensely talented, a lot of it unrecognized. He was the real thing. So that’s what really inspired me. The Gregorian chants on the fade very much fitted the reflectiveness of that song."

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues". In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true artistic and career renaissance, including a Blues Hall of Fame induction in 2016. 

On his latest single, "I'm as Good as Gone," The Godfather of British Blues serves up a deep and funky groove for a song about love on the outs. Written by Grammy winner Bobby Rush, the track features Americana legend Buddy Miller on lead baritone guitar with Mayall mixing it up on Hammond B3 organ. Also, on hand are Mayall’s dynamic Chicago rhythm section of Greg Rzab on bass guitar and Jay Davenport on drums, along with Austin’s Carolyn Wonderland on guitar.

As with his last handful of albums, Mayall again shares production duties with Forty Below Founder Eric Corne who also handles engineering and mixing duties.  

The November 20th single release is set to coincide with John's 87th Birthday and will surely be a cause for celebration in the blues community and beyond. A full-length album is expected in 2021.

For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues". In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing a true artistic and career renaissance, including a Blues Hall of Fame induction in 2015.​

Mayall’s last release 2019’s “Nobody Told Me” boasted an impressive and diverse list of guest guitarists, all personal favorites of Mayall’s including Todd Rundgren, Little Steven Van Zandt of The E Street Band, Alex Lifeson from Rush, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray and Carolyn Wonderland who has since joined the band on tour. 

The album was recorded at The Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 on the same legendary Sound City Neve console his one-time protégés from Fleetwood Mac used to record parts of the best-selling Rumors album. 

“This project has been a true labor of love for me and I can’t wait for people to hear the fireworks that took place,” beams Mayall. Nobody Told Me is an apt title for the blues icon who suffered a recent unexpected health scare shortly after recording the album. But, the seemingly ageless road dog, who famously takes no days off and carries his own gear on tour, has been given a clean bill of health and plans to return to his usual grueling touring schedule to support the release. 

Mayall’s last release, 2018’s Three for the Road, features cuts drawn from two exuberant concerts recorded live in Germany in 2017. "Sounding like a man half his age, Three for the Road is a heady cocktail of originals and ‘favorites’.” - Goldmine Magazine. The title is a nod to the trio format featured on Mayall’s 2017 world tour, which includes longtime bassist Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport. 

In 2016 Mayall released Talk About That, which featured Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Joe Walsh on two tracks. People Magazine called the album “A master class in Blues” and American Songwriter praised it as “A brand new masterpiece from a man who has made masterpieces for decades.”

For Joe Walsh, playing on a session with one of his musical heroes also held a special place. “It has been a bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall,” he states. “John had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another) with his ‘Bluesbreakers’ albums, and that’s how many of us in the States became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for years and years, wondering what it would be like.”

The release of Talk About That came on the heels of Mayall's internationally-acclaimed, Find A Way To Care in 2015.“Listeners who value a diverse, lyrical taste and a heavy dollop of classic blues music” enjoyed Find a Way to Care, an album that “fulfilled on every level.” (Blues Rock Review), and A Special Life released in 2014. "I'd easily put this one among Mayall's best efforts - and that includes 'Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,' 'A Hard Road' and 'Blues from Laurel Canyon!"

In April 2015, John and Forty Below thrilled the blues world with the release of the historical Bluesbreakers album, Live In 1967, featuring the three original members of Fleetwood Mac: Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. "Sunken treasure doesn't get much better" (Classic Rock Magazine). Live in 1967 - Volume Two followed in 2016 and was hailed as a "welcome second helping" by Rolling Stone, and "essential listening" by Blues Music Magazine.​

John Mayall was born on the 29th of November 1933 and grew up in a village not too far from Manchester, England. It was here as a teenager that he first became attracted to the jazz and blues 78s in his father's record collection. Initially it was all about guitarists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, his desire to play in that style was all he could think of.

At the age of 14, when he went to Manchester's Junior School of Art, he had access to a piano for the first time and he began to learn the basics of this exciting music. He also found time to continue learning the guitar and, a couple of years later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter.​

After his two years at art school, he joined the art department of a major department store while starting to build up his own record collection that was to be his source of inspiration. At age eighteen, when he was due for National Service, he spent three years in the Royal Engineers as an office clerk in the south of England and in Korea all the time playing whenever he got a chance. As no one seemed to be interested in this type of music, John felt pretty much of an outsider throughout his twenties up until 1962 when the news broke in the British music magazine Melody Maker that Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club in Ealing devoted to blues music. After Britain's ten year traditional jazz boom had about run its course, a new generation was ready for something new. Out came the amplifiers, guitars and harmonicas and out came young enthusiasts from all over the country eager to form their own groups.

This was all the encouragement thirty-year old John needed and, giving up his graphic design job, he moved from Manchester to London and began putting musicians together under the banner of the Bluesbreakers. Although things were rough at first, the music quickly took off thanks to the popularity of the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame, Manfred Mann, The Animals and Spencer Davis with a young Steve Winwood. John also backed blues greats, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Eddie Boyd and Sonny Boy Williamson on their first English club tours.​

After a couple of years and many personnel changes, Eric Clapton quit the Yardbirds and John quickly offered him the job as his new guitarist. Although John had previously released a couple of singles and a live LP for Decca, the now classic collaboration between Eric and John resulted in the all-time best-selling classic album, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. However, by the time it was entering the charts, Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce had left to form Cream. So began a succession of future stars who would define their roots under John's leadership before leaving to form their own groups. Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood became Fleetwood Mac. Andy Fraser formed Free, and Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones.​

In 1969, with his popularity blossoming in the USA, John caused somewhat of a stir with the release of a drummer-less acoustic live album entitled The Turning Point, from which his song, "Room To Move" was destined to become a rock classic. Attracted by the West Coast climate and culture, John then made his permanent move from England to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and began forming bands with American musicians. Throughout the '70s, John became further revered for his many jazz/rock/blues innovations featuring such notable performers as Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Larry Taylor, and Harvey Mandel.​

In 1982, motivated by nostalgia and fond memories, John decided to re-form the original Bluesbreakers. Mick Fleetwood was unavailable at the time so John hired drummer Colin Allen to join with John McVie and Mick Taylor for a couple of tours and a video concert film entitled Blues Alive. Featured greats were Albert King, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Etta James. By the time Mick and John had returned to their respective careers, public reaction had convinced John that he should honor his driving blues roots. In Los Angeles, he selected his choices for a new incarnation of the Bluesbreakers. Officially launched in 1984, it included future stars in their own right, guitarists Coco Montoya and Walter Trout.​

Throughout the '80s and '90s, John's popularity went from strength to strength with a succession of dynamic albums such as Behind The Iron Curtain, Chicago Line, A Sense of Place, and the Grammy-nominated Wake Up Call that featured guest artists Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins and Mick Taylor.​

In 1993, Texas guitarist Buddy Whittington joined the Bluesbreakers and, for the next ten years, energized the band with his unique and fiery ideas. Making his recording debut on John’s Spinning Coin album, he proved to be more than equal to following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors. Other modern classics followed; Blues For the Lost Days and Padlock On The Blues, the latter featuring a rare collaboration with his close friend, John Lee Hooker. On Along For The Ride, John re-teamed with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Otis Rush, Gary Moore and Jeff Healey. The younger generation was well represented by teenage guitar sensations Shannon Curfman and Jonny Lang. In 2002, Stories debuted the Billboard blues charts at #1.​

At a 70th Birthday celebration in aid of UNICEF in Liverpool a concert was filmed, recorded and released as a DVD and double CD in December 2003. Along with the Bluesbreakers, it featured old friends Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber. The BBC also aired an hour-long documentary on John's life and career entitled The Godfather of British Blues to coincide with the release of Road Dogs. In 2005, John was awarded an OBE on The Queen's Honours list. In the Spring of 2007, John Mayall's 56th album release, In The Palace Of The King, was an entire studio album that honored and paid tribute to the music of John’s long-time hero of the blues, Freddie King. All garnered great reviews, critical and popular acclaim and represented Mayall's ongoing mastery of the Blues and his continuing importance in contemporary music.​

In addition, over the last ten years, John released live recordings on his own online label, Private Stash Records. (Some still available from his website johnmayall.com.) They included Time Capsule (containing historic 1957-62 live tapes), UK Tour 2K, (from a 2000 British tour), Boogie Woogie Man, (a selection of solo performances), Cookin' Down Under, (a live DVD from Australia) and No Days Off, (another British live show) and a 3 volume CD set of live performances covering the years 1970 to 1998 entitled Historic Live Shows.​

In October 2008, John Mayall made the decision to permanently retire the name "Bluesbreakers" and move on to make a brand new start. It was a sad occasion to say farewell to Buddy Whittington and the guys after twenty years of great music and camaraderie but things had reached another turning point. This caused quite a stir in blues circles and led to rumors about total retirement. Happily for the fans, early in 2009 Eagle Records called upon John to come up with a new album. Feeling much revived after a couple of months off the road, he put together a new band for the project.​

A few years ago, Whittington had introduced John to a fellow Texas guitarist, Rocky Athas and he recalled how impressed he'd been at the time. Luckily he answered John 's call and was eager to come on board for the proposed album. With the need for a rhythm section of dynamic strength, Mayall turned to bassist Greg Rzab who recommended his fellow Chicagoan Jay Davenport on drums. Finally, the three guys were put together with keyboardist Tom Canning and within two days of meeting up in Los Angeles, the album Tough was in the can. It had taken all of three days in the studio and ever since its release, and a growing schedule of world tours, a new era was born. Soon after its release Canning left to pursue other projects.​

A leaner four-piece line-up gave John more room to stretch out as an instrumentalist and the band's chemistry hit new heights. For the next seven years, John and the band continued to tour extensively throughout the world, and racked up their usual target of over a hundred shows per year. In 2010 a concert in London was filmed, and Live in London was released as a double CD and DVD through Private Stash.​

After being invited to do a guest spot on Walter Trout's The Blues Came Calling album, John re-connected with engineer/producer Eric Corne  and was impressed enough that he asked him to record his next album, A Special Life. The album was released on Corne’s Forty Below Records in 2014 to rave reviews, followed by an extensive tour of North America, Europe, and The UK to celebrate John’s 80th birthday. ​

Well into his eighties, John continued evolving with his performances and recordings and collecting well deserved accolades.  In 2016, he was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame.  That same year, he debuted his trio format with Rzab and Davenport, and recorded a live album - "Three For The Road" - during a European tour.  His next "first" was selecting Carolyn Wonderland to man the guitar chair in 2018.  This was the lineup on his final studio recording, "The Sun Is Shining Down", which was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.​

In 2022, John announced the end of his "epic road dog days".  But even in retirement, John continues to inspire fans with his lifetime of wonderful music.  A third volume of his "Live in 1967" series, featuring Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie is to be released in September 2023.

Lance Lopez

More than 800,000 people have the surname López in Spain but Lance Lopez is not one of them. Born in Shreveport (1977), Louisiana is one of the promises of current rock. Better said, it is a reality certified by guitarists like Jeck Beck or Slash.

As in all cases of great guitarists, he started playing the guitar very young, at 8 years old. At age 12 he moved to Dallas with his mother where he attended Stevie Ray Vaughan's last concert with B.B. King. The next step for him is New Orleans where he performs his first performances in the French Quarter at only 14 years old. Back in Dallas he meets Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and manages to join Johnnie Taylor's band with which he tours the southern United States. At 18 he was hired by Lucky Peterson to tour around the world for three years. During that time he also participates in the Buddy Miles Express. Finally in 1999 he released his first album, "First Things First, with his own record label. The recognitions and awards are coming, Blues Band of the Year. We have his second album in 2003, "Wall of Soul, with the participation of Eric Wales and Doug Pinnick (King's X). In 2005 he formed Band of Trouble, along with Buddy Miles (Hendrix) and bassist Tommy Shannon (SRV). In 2005 came their third production, "Simplify Your Vision" and two years later "Higher Ground" and "Live". Lance's fame spreads like wildfire around the world, making many tours and performances with bands like ZZ Top, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Rod Stewart among others. His solo discography is completed by "Salvation From Sundown" (2010), "Handmade Music" (2011) and his latest project to date "Tell the Truth".

The album is released by the Provogue label and produced by Fabrizio Grossi, a well-known bassist who has collaborated on projects by Nina Hagen, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Frank Gambale, John 5, Ritchie Kotzen, Slash, Eric Wales, Tracii Guns, Gilby Clarke and many more. Lance's band is made up of: Wes Jeans (guitar, vocals), Eric Scortia (keyboards), Landis Chinsenhall (drums) and Aris O'Neil Poncey (bass). The CD presents eleven songs full of excellent blues rock with certain southern overtones. Pulling from the right sources (Hendrix, SRV, BBKing, John Lee Hooker, etc.) he gives us great riffs. From the rural rocker "Never Came Easy To Me" to his version of "Mr. Lucky" (John Lee Hooker) with an SRV sound. We continue with "Down to One Bar", a song that could be in one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's latest works. In the same sound line we can find "High Life". "Stonian blues" atmosphere is what "Cash My Check" has in store for us. If we remove Lance's voice and put Coverdale's he could pass for Whitesnake. We have the ballads in "Raise Some Hell" and Blue Moon Rising". We find his devotion to Hendrix in "Angel Eyes of Blue" with totally renewed nuances. With "Back on the High way" we have good southern hard rock with excellent slide. The recording ends with "Tell The Truth", another excellent great riff to end with strength and a lot of punch.

Caroline Cotto

Sometimes in life we carry an ache for a future home that rivals our aching for homes past. Blues artist Caroline Cotto captures this unique sort of pang in her raucous and triumphant single “Bayou Sun” – available now – from her forthcoming album of the same name.

 

The song starts out with galloping guitar, rock ‘n’ roll piano, and Cotto’s voice dripping with warm honey as she tells a lover all about making her way to New Orleans after practically holding her breath:

 

Drive Down to The Delta

Baby, won’t you come (won't you come)

I know that you’ve been blue and lonesome

Grab your keys, follow the moss trees, my love

Hold my face in your mind 

Till you see the Bayou Sun 

 

“‘Bayou Sun’ is my odyssey,” Cotto declares. “It’s about a young girl leaving New York, living in Paris and London for artistic opportunities, and then finally finding a home in New Orleans. I have carried hundreds of songs within me throughout my travels and knew that once I arrived in New Orleans, I was ready to record material.”

 

That’s true of both the song and Cotto’s album Bayou Sun, which came about like kismet once she set foot in Louisiana. “When I first arrived in New Orleans, I met with a psychic and she told me to contact David Hyde for help in the music scene,” she recalls. “His name rolled through my mind for many years, and I reached out to him in 2021. We then started working on my full-length album. He co-produced, played bass and did horn arrangements.”

They recorded with Nelson Blanchard at his Techno Sound Studio in Baton Rouge, working with a number of talented musicians in the process, including drummer Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Arc Angels, and Storyville. Country Music Hall of Famer Eddie Bayers (who’s recorded with Dolly Parton, the Beach Boys, and Elton John) also plays drums on six of the album’s songs. And Ronnie Eades, co-founder of the Muscle Shoals horn section, also lends his talents to the record.

 

After her 22nd birthday, Caroline Cotto was brave enough to leave her country to toil away in the NYC music scene for years before leaving again to live in Paris and explore Europe for artistic opportunities to enrich her writing and music. She dreamed by the Seine, wrote in cafes and wandered the Louvre for hours. Caroline then lived in London, playing blues and soaking up the history of her rock heroes before moving to New Orleans.

 

Caroline Cotto is an artist who has thought deeply about her experiences. Her poetic lyrics and soulful voice weave the story of a woman on a journey to her salvation, a woman who has sacrificed the familiar for her dreams, a woman with incessant curiosity and a desire to better herself and the world – and she never goes a day without writing by a burning candle. 

R.J. Archer & the Painful Memories

R.J. Archer & the Painful Memories are a hard rock band from Cambridgeshire formed in July 2019 by old friends - Richard Archer (guitar, vocals), Roger James (bass) and Ben Kingsbury (drums). They count Creedence, ZZ Top and Status Quo amongst their influences. In September 2022, Jimmy Cordery joined the band on percussion.

Temporarily thwarted by the pandemic they recorded their debut album 'Hot Mess' across their first two years together. Two singles, 'Who Am I Supposed To Love Now' and 'A Little Mercy' were released between June and July 2021 and received a great deal of airplay on UK rock radio stations. 'Hot Mess' was finally released on September 24th 2021 to a warm response. Their live performances have also drawn praise, including a set at the first annual Salty Dog blues and country festival at the Cambridge Junction in August 2022.

"Powerful and tough Blues/Rock and dare I say an infusion of Punk" - RobsRawMusic.blogspot.com

"A 60's R&B vibe, fused with a more contemporary feel" Rockandrollcircusradio.com

"A blistering burst of troubled blues rock" cambridgemusicreviews.net

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