Kenny Neal

One of the strongest modern proponents of Baton Rouge swamp blues, Kenny Neal, is a second-generation southern Louisiana bluesman who knows the region's venerable blues tradition and is imaginative enough to guide it in new directions.

Neal was born on October 14, 1957 in New Orleans. His father, harmonica player Raful Neal, was a mainstay of the Baton Rouge blues; His peers included Buddy Guy and Slim Harpo (the latter gave Kenny his first harmonica). At 13, Neal played in his father's band, and at 17, he got a job playing bass for Buddy Guy.

Neal's crackling guitar work and sturdy, gravelly harmonica, beyond his vocal years, served him well and he carved four albums for Alligator Records, between 1989 and 1994. In 1998, Neal moved from Alligator to the blues division. of the jazz company Telarc Records, releasing three albums for the brand.

After joining Blind Pig Records and releasing Let Life Flow in 2008, Kenny moved back to Baton Rouge and has spent much of his time at home with family, writing songs, riding horses and working on his collection of old cars, but he has realized that life on the road is his life. You can bet on seeing Kenny Neal and his Brothers band (Darnell Neal on bass and Fred Neal on keyboards) back on the road, and better than ever, in 2017. They're joined by drummer and longtime friend, Bryan Morris and new addition to the band, Alphonso "AG" Guillory on horns.

Kenny Neal, a true living blues legend is THE REAL DEAL, more ready than ever to deliver the blues like no one else can!

Big Apple Blues

Big Apple Blues is a New York City-based collective of NYC-blues scene veterans. Band members have shared the stage with some of the all time blues & roots greats: Hugh Pool, NYC-Blues-of-Famer (Chris Whitley, Government Mule, Levon Helm, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Canned Heat), guitarist Zach Zunis (Lester Butler & Red Devils, William Clark, Rick Holmstrom, Ronnie Earl, Janiva Magness), harmonica wizard Anthony Kane (Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Kane Brothers), drummer Barry “Baron of the Blues” Harrison (Johny and Shamekia Copeland, Saron Cranshaw, Steve Guyger), bassist Admir “Dr Blues” Hadzic (NY Blues of Famer Hugh Pool, Mason Casey, James Wormorth, Sim Cain, Jason Ricci) and Hammond B3 master himself - James Alfredson.

Jethro Tull

The early Jethro Tull released their first Blues-oriented album, This Was, in the latter part of 1968 before moving on to more home-grown and eclectic efforts in 1969 with Stand Up and a flurry of single releases, including Living In The Past, in the UK market.

Benefit, Aqualung, and Thick As A Brick followed and the band’s success grew internationally. Various band members came and went, but the charismatic front man and composer, flautist and singer Ian Anderson continued to lead the group through its various musical incarnations.

Jethro Tull were, by the mid-seventies, one of the most successful live performing acts on the world stage, rivalling Zeppelin, Elton John and even the Rolling Stones. Surprising, really, for a group whose more sophisticated and evolved stylistic extravagance was far from the Pop and Rock norm of that era.
With now some 30-odd albums to their credit and sales totalling more than 60 million, the apparently uncommercial Tull have continued to travel near and far to fans across the world.

After fifty years at the bottom, at the top and various points in between, the Tull repertoire is still performed typically more than a hundred concerts each year by Ian Anderson on his continuing tours throughout the world. Ian remains at the centre of a group of sometimes changing but highly capable – indeed excellent – musicians.

The band continue to delight audiences everywhere and present the ongoing legacy of Tull’s music with its rich variety and depth of expression wherever the fans, young and old, want to hear Rock, Folk, Jazz and Classical-inspired music for grown-ups.

Ian Anderson, known throughout the world of rock music as the flute and voice behind the legendary Jethro Tull, celebrates his 53rd year as a recording and performing musician in 2022.

Ian was born in 1947 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. After attending primary school in Edinburgh, his family relocated to Blackpool in the north of England in 1959. Following a traditional Grammar school education, he moved on to Art college to study fine art before deciding on an attempt at a musical career.

Tull formed in 1968 out of the amalgamation of the John Evan Band and McGregor’s Engine, two blues-based local UK groups.

After a lengthy career, Jethro Tull has released 30 studio and live albums, selling more than 60 million copies since the band first performed at London’s famous Marquee Club in February 1968.

After undertaking more than 3000 concerts in 40 countries throughout five decades, Tull has played typically 100-plus concerts each year to longstanding, as well as new fans worldwide. He continues to celebrate the catalogue of Jethro Tull along with the latest 2022 release, The Zealot Gene, with various dates in the USA and elsewhere in the world.

Widely recognized as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Ian Anderson remains the crowned exponent of the popular and rock genres of flute playing. So far, no pretender to the throne has stepped forward. Ian also plays ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments, providing the acoustic textures which has been an integral part of most of the Tull repertoire.

Anderson has so far recorded seven diverse solo albums in his career: 1983’s “Walk Into Light”, the flute instrumental “Divinities” album for EMI’s Classical Music Division in 1995 which reached number one in the relevant Billboard chart, the acoustic collections of songs, “The Secret Language of Birds”, and “Rupi’s Dance”. In a more progressive rock context he recorded “Thick As A Brick 2” in 2012 and “Homo Erraticus” in 2014. Released in 2017, the classically inspired album “Jethro Tull – The String Quartets” with the Carducci Quartet reached number one in the Billboard Classical Charts.

Anderson lives on a farm in the southwest of England where he has a recording studio and office. He has been married for 42 years to Shona who is also an active director of their music and other companies. They have two children – James and Gael – and three grandchildren.

His hobbies include the growing of many varieties of hot chile peppers, the study and conservation of the 26 species of small wildcats of the world and the appreciation of mechanical watches, fountain pens and vintage cameras. He reluctantly admits to owning digital cameras and scanners for his work on the photographic promotional images related to Tull as well as his solo career.
In 2006, he was awarded a Doctorate in Literature from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, the Ivor Award for International Achievement in Music and, in the New Years Honours List 2008, an MBE for services to music. In 2011, he received another Doctorate in Literature from Dundee University.

Ian owns no fast car, never having taken a driving test, and has a wardrobe of singularly uninspiring and drab leisurewear. He still keeps a couple of off-road competition motorcycles, a few sporting guns and a saxophone which he promises never to play again.

He declares a lifelong commitment to music as a profession, being far too young to hang up his hat or his flute, although the tights and codpiece have long since been consigned to some forgotten bottom drawer.

Gene O.

Gene O. is a veteran indie recording artist hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. "You're The One For Me" is a love song of desire and realization that the love they were looking for was right in front of them.

'Gene O. deserves to be mentioned among the top notch Indie musicians emerging from the Bay Area in the last decade...' - Garth Thomas, Hollywood Digest

Gene is a #1 chart-topping artist on ReverbNation and N1M.com, and has had his music synced on TV. His solo work includes the album "Geneology" and singles "Crazy World" and "Cool". He has released a remastered 80's album with his rock band The Make titled "Up Sessions" that was featured in PowerPlay Magazine and played on heavy rotation on Radio Samara Maximum 104.3 during their "Hit Parade of Premieres" show that won them 2nd place.

James Leeds

James Leeds is a composer, pianist and a record producer from Lucerne. Grew up in Zofingen, Switzerland and has English roots. He studied statistics in Leeds, UK, and worked for a long time in that sector. It took time until the latest album Whenever was ready to be released. Actually, the first contribution dated back to when he was only 15. Then he composed the song Enjoying My Day but it only got finished 25 years later when his mum completed the lyrics. Whenever contains mainly pop songs and he was lucky to feature some amazing singers from the UK and great musicians worldwide although he is an unknown producer. His aim has always been to create a timeless album that will still be listened to, or so I hope, in a few years’ time. For that reason he set the rule that most instruments should be recorded live. Hopefully the effort was worthwhile and you enjoy listening to the music. 

Misha Fair

Misha Fair, a prolific singer songwriter, has been making a bold impression with her classic country vocals and expressive lyrics. Those who have been fortunate enough to see her dynamic performances are in high expectation of her upcoming solo releases. A product of a musical family, the singer-songwriter’s family has had major label success from RCA to Atlantic Records. As a result, she spent most of her early childhood development in the same studios as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the SOS Band, Isaac Hayes, and many other music legends. With a rich musical legacy written into her DNA, her childhood was shaped by this reality in remarkable yet complicated ways. 

While most of her kindergarten classmates were toting My Buddies to Show-n-Tell, her father would join her, off tour, with members of the S.O.S. Band, fully costumed. Enthralled in the family business, she quickly earned a reputation as the little girl with the big voice, wowing audiences with renditions of LeAnne Rimes’ ‘Blue’ and other tunes by country artists such as Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, as well as rock singer-songwriters Pat Benatar, and Joan Jett. She was trained from a young age as a classical vocalist, but found her passion in jazz, hip hop, and the gritty alternative sound of the mid ‘90s. She performed in countless marquee, and children’s choirs in her hometown. Unbeknownst to her, there was a wave of hip-hop and RnB sweeping Atlanta, and the young Misha Fair found her tribe along the confluence of the shared and varied traditions th at make up the musical ethos of the United States. Misha Fair attended college on a vocal performance scholarship. 

Minoring in linguistic studies, she may be one of the few country artists able to sing and write in multiple romance languages. In 2008, she began an internship at Wondaland Arts Society after a chance meeting with Janelle Monae. Her professional career was kickstarted after she began assisting creatively with many of her early projects. She has collaborated with artists, songwriters, and producers including the likes of Blanco Brown, Breland, Demun Jones, and Yelawolf. As she embarks on a solo musical career she looks to join her country music contemporaries as a prolific singer-songwriter. All the while, she remains in high demand as a vocal trainer and artist developer. “I’m a classically trained, Southern girl, who fell in love with everything great about this country. My songs have been deep-fried in folk, gospel and bluegrass and are best served with a side of rhythm and blues, and rock and roll,” Misha Fair comments on her music.

Taste

A popular blues rock attraction, Taste was formed in Cork, Eire in 1966 when Eric Kitteringham (bass) and Norman Damery (drums) joined Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, Eire, d. 14 June 1995, London, England), erstwhile guitarist with the Impact Showband. The new group became a leading attraction in Ireland and in Germany, but in 1968 Gallagher replaced the original rhythm section with Charlie McCracken (b. Richard McCracken; bass) and John Wilson (ex-Them) on drums. The new line-up then became a part of London’s burgeoning blues and progressive circuit. Their debut, Taste, was one of the era’s most popular releases, and featured several in-concert favourites, including ‘Same Old Story’ and ‘Sugar Mama’. 

On The Boards was another commercial success, and the band seemed poised to inherit the power trio mantle vacated by Cream. However, the unit broke up in October 1970 following a rancorous split between Gallagher and his colleagues. The guitarist then began a fruitful solo career until his untimely death in 1995. Wilson revived the Taste name in 2006 for live dates.

Eric Gales

Blues guitar phenom Eric Gales was born and raised in Memphis, learning to play at age four from older brothers Eugene and Manuel in imitation of their upside-down, left-handed style (a tradition actually passed down from their grandfather, Dempsey Garrett Sr., who was known to jam with the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf). Winning his first blues contest at 11, four years later Eric signed to Elektra to issue his 1991 debut LP, recorded with Eugene on bass; Picture of a Thousand Faces followed in 1993. Manuel (who previously performed under the alias Little Jimmy King) reunited with his siblings for 1995’s Left Hand Band, credited to the Gales Brothers.

A newly matured Gales returned in spring 2001 to release his debut for MCA, That’s What I Am. Often billed as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix, Gales, an adequate singer at best but a dynamite guitarist, suffered for the comparison. With Gales always influenced by Hendrix and the power trio format, his next albums, 2006’s Crystal Vision and 2007’s Psychedelic Underground, both released by Blues Bureau Records, seemed like facsimile Hendrix albums, right down to the album art. His next two releases from Blues Bureau, 2008’s The Story of My Life and 2009’s Layin’ Down the Blues, found the Hendrix influence muted somewhat, but Gales, a breathtaking guitarist at times, still seemed to be looking for a way out of the Hendrix shadow and into his own voice. Gales returned in 2010 with Relentless, a collection of 13 originals, and followed it with the passionate Transformation a year later in 2011.

Eric Gales is a very talented Blues-Rock guitarist and vocalist from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. His music is a fusion of Hard-Rock, Blues and Funk. Eric Gales has released nine studio albums so far, his latest being “Relentless”.

Ten Years After

British blues-rock band Ten Years After are most famous for their enigmatic lead singer and guitarist, Alvin Lee, and for the more than ten-minute jam of "I'm Going Home" they played at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. After the quartet's appearance at Woodstock and subsequent appearance in the Woodstock film the following year, Ten Years After gained significant popularity in the U.K. and the United States, yet their album sales and notoriety were fleeting. British blues-rock had already been done by the likes of the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones, so by the time Ten Years After came along, fans wanted something more. Formed in 1967, the group disbanded in 1975. A few reunion shows were held in the 1980s, but the original members never fully reunited. In 2001 the three remaining members of Ten Years After hired a new, much younger, lead singer to replace Alvin Lee. They recorded an album and continue to tour, much to Lee's chagrin.

As a child in Nottingham, England, Alvin Lee's first instrument was a clarinet, which he started playing at the age of ten. At 11 he learned guitar, and at 12, in 1957, he joined his first band. Three years later he joined a band with bassist Leo Lyons, Pete Evans, and Ivan Jay. The band played British pubs, changing their name to The Jaybirds by 1962 (lead singer Ivan Jay had quit the band). In 1965 The Jaybirds' drummer was replaced by Ric Lee, and a year later (after moving to London) they recruited keyboardist Chick Churchill. By 1966, after several lineups and band names, the quartet of Alvin Lee, Rick Lee, Churchill, and Lyons began calling themselves Ten Years After. The following year the band locked down a residency at London's famous Marquee Club and signed a U.K. deal with Decca.

Ten Years After was released in 1967 with little fanfare. The band continued to play in small clubs around England, and in 1968 recorded and released a live album made at Klook's Kleek, a small London pub. The record, titled Undead, contained five new songs, the longest being the almost ten-minute "I May Be Wrong, But I Won't Be Wrong Always," and the six-and-a-half-minute hard blues-rock cut titled "I'm Going Home." In June of 1968, by request of U.S. promoter Bill Graham, Ten Years After packed up and headed for the United States, where they toured for seven weeks. In September the band started work on a new album, this time without an outside producer. They wanted to be the ones in charge of their musical sound, which was a learning process for everyone, considering that Decca's recording studio was small, with only a four-track machine.

"We realized that rather than doing what somebody else suggested, who wasn't really interpreting our music the way we wanted it interpreted … it would be best doing it ourselves," Lee told New Musical Express. "Even if you make a mistake, I believe that your own mistakes are better recorded than someone else's." In February of 1969, Ten Years After released Stoned-henge, which hit the U.K. top ten. In June they recorded their third studio album, Ssssh, which came out that August and made its way onto the U.S. Top 20 charts. While the band was mostly playing to 2,000-3,000-seat venues, in August they were a surprising hit at 1969's legendary Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. "Charisma and blind speed made guitarist-singer Alvin Lee a standout at Woodstock," wrote Paul Evans in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.

Woodstock was not only an infamous concert and pop cultural event; it was a turning point in Ten Years After's career. The documentary film of the festival, released in 1970, included the band's rousing extended jam of "I'm Going Home," which quadrupled Ten Years After's fan base. "It wasn't until the movie came out that it all changed for us. Some people say it was the start of Ten Years After, but in another way, it was the beginning of the end," Lee confessed in an interview with the BBC. "We started playing ice hockey arenas and baseball stadiums which was not as good as the underground circuit," he continued. "I didn't enjoy it as much. Suddenly we were pop stars, and I didn't see myself as that. I saw myself as a blues musician with jazz leanings!" That same year, Ten Years After spit out two more albums, Cricklewood Green, with its popular single "Love Like a Man," and Watt.

After Watt finished out their contract with Decca, Ten Years After signed to Columbia for the 1971 LP A Space in Time. Its single "I'd Love to Change the World" cracked the U.S. and U.K. Top 40, and the LP became the band's first and only platinum-selling album. It would be three years until the band's next release, 1974's Positive Vibrations. The next year the band stopped touring and recording together. Lee began a solo career that would continue for the next 20 years.

In 1983, 16 years after the release of their first album, Ten Years After reunited to play for the twentieth anniversary of the Marquee Club, as well as the U.K.'s Reading Festival. Six years later the band recorded the new album About Time. In 1997 they regrouped again to play a few festival shows here and there, including some in Scandinavia in 1997 and a few smaller club dates in 1998. The band went their separate ways again after the tour ended. In 2001 EMI and Decca began to digitally re-master and re-release the entire Ten Years After catalog. Keyboardist Lyons became inspired after finding some unreleased recordings, and wanted to regroup the band and tour in support of the re-released albums, but Lee was not interested.

The Blues Band

The Blues Band is a British blues band formed in 1979 by Paul Jones, former lead vocalist and harmonica player with Manfred Mann, and vocalist/slide guitarist Dave Kelly, who had previously played with the John Dummer Blues Band, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. The bands first line-up also included bassist Gary Fletcher, guitarist Tom McGuinness (also of Manfred Mann) and drummer Hughie Flint, (the two had previously formed McGuinness Flint). In 1982 Flint left and was replaced by former Family drummer Rob Townsend.

Their first album The Official Blues Band Bootleg Album, a mixture of blues standards and original songs featured the Jones and McGuinness composition "Come On In" and their long-standing stage favourite "Flatfoot Sam". This album initially attracted no interest from major record companies, so the band pressed a limited run of 3,000, hand-stamped their logo on the cardboard sleeve and signed them all. After unqualified endorsement from BBC Radio 1 presenter Simon Bates and others, media interest resulted in a recording contract with Arista Records, who re-released the album under the same title. 

After that they released Ready, Itchy Feet and Brand Loyalty albums and regularly toured through Europe.

They briefly disbanded after recording a live album Bye Bye Blues (1983), but reformed soon afterwards. In the new millennium they recorded albums such as Stepping Out (2002) and Thank You Brother Ray (2004), which paid tribute to Ray Charles. Now in their thirty second year as a band, they still perform across Europe with the same line-up.

Moe Joe

 

Moe Joe, now respectively known as “the ever first electric blues band in Turkey” was founded by Feramerz Ayadi, İzi Ergil and Vefa Karatay in 1994, in Istanbul. Instead of other contemporary blues rock bands which were keen to cover the scholastic repertoire of 60’s and 70’s alumnis, Moe Joe chose a different path to follow by putting an emphasize on covering the milestones of post-war Chicago blues repertoire thus, choosing to struggle hard on the club scene for finding a venue in late 90’s. Hence, in time, the venues hosting the performances of the band in various cities in Turkey became a shelter for local purist audiences.

In 1996, Sarp Keskiner (vocal, guitar, harmonica) and İlhan Babaoğlu (alto and soprano saxophone) joined the band; both were until then well – known members of phenomenal Istanbul Blues Company. Under guidance of Keskiner and Ayadi, Moe Joe centered upon Chicago Southside & Westside standards, spicy Detroit style boogies, early Texas shuffles and dark Louisiana grooves.

Between 1998 and 2001, the band set the heights for the musical quality of this genre on the national scene by adding harmonica virtuoso – flautist Tuğrul Aray to its line-up and back from NYC, enter Ergin Özler to take over the drum stool aiming at to bring the swinging authenticity to the sextet.

After releasing the “all originals” debut album, “Chicago Istanbul Mainline” in 2000, Moe Joe received rave reviews from national and international music media; having been interviewed and guested on various magazines, web sites, radio and TV channels.

From 2001 Caribbean, Brazilian and Afro - Cuban beats into their well-established sound, while stabilizing the line up as a quintet; with addition of Özün Usta (conga, djembe, cajon). Within this context, live recordings compiled in this album which were recorded in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir direct to DAT tapes feature the diversity of a veteran Turkish blues band, which is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary of foundation in 2024.

The Lethargics

 

The Lethargics music stakes claim and establishes residence in the abandoned and undiscovered music landscapes of what Rock & Roll can be.

Born in the hard beauty of the hills and hollers of Appalachia…steeped in the histories and mysteries of Rock, Blues, Punk, Country, Folk, and Americana…

informed and inspired by the likes of Dylan, Springsteen, Knopfler, Ely, The Clash, The Replacements and The Stones…

The lethargics are simply not like any band you’ve ever heard before.

Paul Bibbins

Paul Bibbins is a guitarist/songwriter and independent musician from Dallas, Texas. Paul is a solo artist, and he has been playing guitar and writing songs for decades. He plays high-energy, Jimi Hendrix-styled, original guitar rock ‘n roll.

Paul’s new single “Bold, Beautiful…and Long Gone!” was recently reviewed by Luke Wolk of Radio Guitar One, which prides itself as being ‘the ultimate online radio guitar network’. Luke Wolk wrote that, “Bold, Beautiful and Long Gone picks up right where Jimi Hendrix left off. This cut has some unexpected turns from the jump that keep the listener engaged. The intro comes in loud and proud and then takes a sharp turn into the verse that somehow manages to flow, despite its hard change in direction. It is a masterclass in how 100% commitment to the sound can allow the song to go almost anywhere.”

Johnny Winter

Johnny Winter has been a guitar hero without equal. Signing to Columbia records in 1969 called largest solo artist deal of it’s time, Johnny immediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on classic blues a prime combination for the legions of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Constantly shifting between simple country blues in the vein of Robert Johnson, to all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock, – Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players in rock and the clear link between British blues-rock and American Southern rock (a la the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.) 

Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Johnny was the unofficial torch-bearer for the blues, championing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Growing up in a rough-and-tumble town populated by oilfield wildcatters and shipyard workers, he spent long hours listening to a local deejay named J.P. Richardson – The Big Bopper of “Chantilly Lace” fame – and became hooked on 50’s rock & roll. He formed his first band, Johnny and the Jammers, in 1959 at the age of 15, with his 12-year-old brother Edgar on keyboards. Racial tensions in Beaumont were still high in those days. The town had been side to one of the worst race riots in Texas history just nine months before Johnny’s birth. Mobs wandered the streets, businesses burned, martial law went into effect, and more than 2,000 uniformed National Guardsmen and Texas Rangers sealed off the town from the rest of the world until tempers cooled. Despite the brutal legacy, Johnny remembers never hesitating as a kid to venture into black neighborhoods to hear and play music. Looking back, he believes people in the black community knew that he was sincere, that he was genuinely possessed by the blues. “Nothing ever happened tome. I went to black clubs all the time, and nobody ever bothered me. I always felt welcome.” 

He also became friends with Clarence Garlow, a deejay at the black radio station KJET in Beaumont. Who opened Winter’s eye’s and ears to rural blues and Cajun music. Clarence, who recorded for the swamp boogie specialty label Goldband, KRCO, Frolic, Diamond, Moon-Lite, Hall-Way and other regional labels. There’s a famous story about a time in 1962 when Johnny and his brother went to see B.B. King at a Beaumont club called the Raven. The only whites in the crowd, they no doubt stood out. But Johnny already had his chops down and wanted to play with the revered B.B.”I was about 17,” Johnny remembers, “and B.B. didn’t want to let me on stage at first. He asked me for a union card, and I had one. Also, I kept sending people over to ask him to let me play. Finally, he decided that there enough people who wanted to hear me that, no matter if I was good or not, it would be worth it to let me on stage. He gave me his guitar and let me play. I got a standing ovation, and he took his guitar back!” Winter’s big breakthrough came a few years later in 1968 when Rolling Stone writers Larry Sepulvado and John Burks featured him in a piece on the Texas Music scene, which prompted a bidding war among labels that Columbia eventually won.

Johnny’s self-titled 1969 disc announced loudly that there was a new guitar-slinger on the new national scene. The disc included audacious covers such blues classics as B.B. King’s “Be Careful with a Fool,” Sonny Boy Williamson II’s “Good Morning Little School Girl,” Robert Johnson’s “When You Got a Good Friend” and fellow Texan Lightin’ Hopkins’ “Back Door Friend.” It also featured two prime original Winter songs, “Dallas”and the controversial “I’m Yours and I’m Hers,” that went into heavy rotation on FM underground radio. The album peaked at No.24 on the billboard chart and was promptly followed by Second Winter later that same year. Looking back, writer Cub Koda described the period as one when “Straight out of Texas with a hot trio, Winter made blues-rock music for the angels.” That trio, by the way, included bassist Tommy Shannon who would go on to be part of SRV’s Double Trouble and drummer Uncle John Turner. Winter stayed with Columbia and it’s boutique Blue Sky label for more than a decade, turning out such well-received platters as “Johnny Winter And” (1970), “Still Alive and Well” (1973) and “John Dawson Winter III” (1974). He also helped to introduce blues giant Muddy Waters to another generation of listeners by producing and playing guitar on the Grammy-winning “Hard Again” (1977), as well as the Grammy-nominated “I’m Ready” (1978), Muddy “Mississippi Waters Live” (1979) and “King Bee” (1981). The collaborations were so successful that Waters took to referring to Johnny as his “adopted son”! Johnny joined Alligator Records in 1984. His desire to record nothing but authentic blues made for a perfect fit. When Johnny released Guitar Slinger later that year, it was widely hailed as his best (and bluesiest) album ever; it charted in both Billboard and Cashbox as well as earning a Grammy nomination. The next year, Johnny followed up Guitar Slinger with Serious Business. 

The powerhouse album won Johnny his second Grammy nomination with Alligator Records. Third Degree, his final Alligator release, came out in 1986. The album featured several special guests and an array of blues styles. Original blues cohorts, Tommy Shannon and Uncle John “Red” Turner, as well as Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack, all made guest appearances. Johnny also played two solo acoustic cuts on the National Steel guitar (the first time he’d played the National in the studio since 1977). Johnny was living his artistic dream, recording nothing but pure blues.His Alligator albums earned their way onto rock radio and a video for the song Don’t Take Advantage of Me played on the fledgling MTV network for over six months. But no matter how much commercial success Johnny’s Alligator albums received, they never compromised his commitment to his roots. Today Johnny Winter is enjoying an unparalleled resurgence performing to sold out shows worldwide even after a long life full of honors and accomplishments such as a triumphant appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival with Derek Trucks, Buddy Guy and Clapton that has been immortalized on the Emmy award winning DVD. 

In a ceremony with Slash presenting in Nashville, Gibson Guitars released the signature Johnny Winter Firebird guitar that has been his beloved trademark for years. A Live through the 70s DVD is a hit along with his Live Bootleg Series CDs that have all entered the Top 10 Billboard Blues charts. Two unique instructional DVDs have been produced by Cherry Lane/Hal Leonard to the gratitude of players around the world. Always one for special appearances he recently performed with the Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan on the 40th anniversary of their debut. In addition Winter has been headlining such prestigious events as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Swedish Rock Fest, Warren Haynes X-mas jam and Europe’s Rockpalast viewed by millions just to name a few. Warner Bros. has now released a 40th anniversary DVD of Woodstock: 3 Days of Love and Peace the Director’s cut featuring, for the first time, Johnny playing his smoking classic “Meantown Blues.” His recent Grammy nominated “I’m A Bluesman” disc on Virgin/EMI, has only added to his Texas-sized reputation. Joining him on this CD are guitarist Paul Nelson, bassist Scott Spray, 2 members of his current scorching road-tested touring band also consisting of drummer Vito Liuzzi. Performing now with a renewed vigor and fire to say that he is “back” would be an understatement. In fact, he never left. He is just better than ever.

Sanjay Michael

 

Rock ‘n’ roll never left the party – it was just getting a drink at the bar!

Based in Singapore, Sanjay Michael’s new album Rocking Into Midnight returns to the heyday of classic rock and hard-driving blues... With punchy riffs and large catchy choruses, the feeling you felt from great electric guitar music is sure to return!

Although growing up in exotic Malaysia and the vast expanses of Australia was an incredible experience, rock ‘n’ roll opened the door to another world. Through the years Sanjay has jammed down and dirty in greasy bars and professional studios. While he loved covering the classics and being part of the local music community, he felt that in recent years there were no fresh and fun new rock songs coming out. So when the world shut down in 2020 he decided that in these dead calm waters was the time to write his own songs with lots of heart.

Each song has its own vibe and place in the collection, but they’re all grounded in old-school rhythm and Sanjay’s musical instinct is to always take the groove back to basics.

His journey is clear: bring the holy trinity of the rhythm guitar wall of riffs, the classic searing blues lead and singer- songwriter narrative back to foot-tapping, fist-pumping domination.

The Hillbilly Moon Explosion

A viral phenomenon reissue. After 23 million YouTube views, hundreds of tattoos, dozens of cover versions, eight sold-out 7” pressings, comes the NINTH 7” pressing. Spread by word of mouth – the entrancing romantic love song (or is it a murder ballad?), with its unique guest vocals from Sparky Phillips of psychobilly band Demented Are Go contrasting with HME’s Emanuela Hutter – has rarely been played on any radio.

The Hillbilly Moon Explosion continue with their gigging schedule, with gigs across Europe this fall, and plan a new album next year. The band are two Englishmen, a Frenchman and a Swiss/Italian chanteuse, resident in Switzerland, and are one of the classiest exponents of rockabilly alive today, subtlety mixing in swing, ska, country, blues and Europop without compromising their roots – making their rock'n'roll exciting and enduring.

Blues in the XXth Century: Lead Belly

Famed musician Lead Belly was born in Louisiana in the late 1880s. Lead Belly was imprisoned in Texas for murder in 1918. According to tradition, he won his early release in 1925 by singing a song for the governor of Texas. Lead Belly was imprisoned again, for attempted murder, in 1930. There, he was "discovered" by folklorists John Lomax and Alan Lomax, who were collecting songs for the Library of Congress. Subsequently, he published 48 songs.

Huddie Ledbetter, better known as "Lead Belly," was born in the late 1880s (the date is uncertain) in a country setting in northwest Louisiana. He attended school in Texas until around age 13, playing in a school band, and then worked the land with his father.

He began learning how to play musical instruments as a youth and eventually focused on the guitar, performing as a teenager at local dances. At age 16, he headed out across the Deep South, settling in Shreveport, Louisiana, for two years, where he supported himself as a musician. Around 1912, now living in Dallas with his new wife, Ledbetter met Blind Lemon Jefferson, an accomplished street musician, and the pair began playing together. It was at this point that Ledbetter concentrated on what would become his signature instrument: the 12-string guitar.

In December 1917, Ledbetter was arrested and charged with murder and was found guilty. Prison is where it seems he picked up the nickname Lead Belly. In early 1924, only a few years into a 20-year sentence, Lead Belly sang for Texas governor Pat Neff a song in which he asked for a pardon. A year later, Neff pardoned Lead Belly and he was a free man.

Only five years later, Lead Belly was involved in a stabbing incident that led to "assault with intent to murder" charges and another prison sentence. Budget issues caused by the Great Depression allowed him to apply for early release, which he did, and the sitting governor approved the application in 1934. (He also sang a song to this governor, pleading for release.)

Lead Belly subsequently ended up in New York and tried to establish himself as a professional musician. It worked to an extent, as his music was embraced by the fervent left wing, and Lead Belly found himself rubbing elbows with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

Unfortunately, in March 1939, Lead Belly was arrested in New York for stabbing a man and served an eight-month sentence. After his release, Lead Belly appeared on two radio series—"Folk Music of America" and "Back Where I Come From"—and landed his own short weekly radio show. He also recorded an album called The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs before moving to the West Coast a few years later.

While in Los Angeles, he signed with Capitol Records and finally began some serious recording. Even as he achieved success he developed health issues, though, and in 1949 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He toured a little after the diagnosis, but the ALS caught up with him for good in December, and he died at age 61.

He is best remembered for songs such as "Goodnight, Irene," "Rock Island Line," "The Midnight Special" and "Cotton Fields" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Inner Circle Blues Band

San-Ton Entertainment presents a band that has few equals, "Inner City Blues Band".

This group of talented professionals has an extensive resume as individuals, and collectively, a high energy Blues, R&B group who opened for such Legends as "Bobby Blue Bland", the late great "Johnny Taylor" Comedian John Hinton of "Living Color " fame. Little Milton, the late great "Bobby Womack. & "Grammy Award Winner "Buckwheat Zydeco" expect to make positive impression across the nation and around the world. "The "Inner City Blues Band" is a tight unit who treats R&B as tenderly as a newborn baby and pond out hard Blues with clarity and jackhammer strength.

The Reverend Richard John

The Reverend´s music is foot tapping blues which appeals to audiences both young and old. The Reverend's cutting vocal style blends perfectly with his deep south harmonica jive. His slide guitar has extreme attack and is fused with great touch and gentle tone. His dynamic rhythms are generated by a heartfelt dedicated wooden stomp box.

Playing blues standards as well as original songs which incorporates his own unique style and sound. Providing a basic back beat with his feet using a wooden stomp box. In addition on stage he uses 2 electric guitars as well as an acoustic 12 string and acoustic 6 string. His strong vocal delivery is accompanied by harmonica.

After performing in the UK for many years he was interviewed live on the Paul Jones show on British Radio 2. He has been described as “a powerful, vibrant solo blues player with a stunning unique style of blues which is both full and rich, delivered with the feel associated with blues music.

After moving to Spain The Reverend toured the live blues circuit for around 12 years. He lived in a converted van between gigs which gave him the opportunity to write his songs and then perform the work in a live music environment polishing and adjusting according to audience response.

He has featured at the prestigious Cazorla Blues Festival and the Winter Blues Festival at Almeria City. He performed at the Madma Bluesaroses Festival in Girona supporting the American blues player Sherman Robertson. He also performed at The Blues at Moonlight Festival, Benalmadena and Dia del Blues in Benicassim.