“Blame Me” by Ira Walker was delivered to my house a short while ago. Having tossed it into the CD player while on my way to a blues event, I must admit….I wished that the drive was longer. I had the chance to listen to it once, then twice. Later that evening, I tossed it in [...]
Archive for Category: "2010 Blues Music Features"
“LIfe without blues is no life at all.”
DISCLAIMER…THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FOR THOSE WHO THINK INSIDE THE BOX. Life is much like a song…. A Blues Somg. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it is in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile. Yes, the word is out…..if it is [...]
The Blues Brothers by Monica Yasher
It’s Christmas vacation, and I have found myself watching ”The Blues Brothers.” “The Blues Brothers” is 30 years young in the year 2010. It occured to me that this iconic movie needs to be one of our features! Where did the idea of the Blues Brothers come from? If some of you did not know, John Belushi [...]
James Brown in Augusta, GA by Monica Yasher
James Brown in historical Augusta, GA American Blues News does have blues news for you! Augusta is the home of the legendary James Brown. You could do a complete James Brown tour when you are in the area! Here are some things for you to see. It should not be a surprise to you that [...]
23 Yr Old Sparky Parker of MOJOFROMOPOLIS
It seems you can go to almost any Blues music function in Houston and find Sparky Parker ‘spiffy-riffin’ on his guitar and you instantly see why he is quickly becoming a Texas Bluesman to be reckoned with. He has a feel for it, and to my ears, a finesse and a technique beyond his young [...]
Do You Hear What I Hear? by Monica Yasher
This week American Blues News is one year old. During this year there has been much discussion on if the Blues is alive and well. This discussion was primarily prompted by a writing in The Wall Street Journal questioning exactly that fact. There has also been major discussion from our Memphis writer, Robert “Nighthawk” Tooms, on what [...]
Jethro Tull’s Florian Ophale by Monica Yasher
I had the opportunity of catching Jethro Tull and speaking with Florian Ophale, the electric/classical guitarist of the band. Florian is from Germany, and we talked about Blues influences in his country. It seems the Blues are alive and well across the big pond. And, the local Blues open stage is one of the places [...]
The Blues Brotherhood
Welcome back my fellow Blues lovers! For my post this week I have some photos from what was a fun show at the BB King Blues Club in New York. A band calling itself The Blues Brotherhood played a set celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Blues Brothers movie, which starred John Belushi and Dan [...]
Greg Gumpel – 27-Years Old and Looking to Soar
With his hands on a guitar or the yoke of a plane Greg Gumpel, the 27-year old (28 in January) guitar player from the band Victor Wainwright and the Wildwoods, is looking to make people soar alongside him.
27 Year Old Dennis ‘Applehead’ Clapp of MOJOFROMOPOLIS
MOJOFROMOPOLIS. Funny name. Serious jams. They won the first round of the IBC semi-finals this year, (and to many fans, should have won the whole enchilada) only to be beaten out in the end by The Ezra Charles Band. Dennis ‘Applehead’ Clapp (27) is one of the TWO ‘under 30 years of age’ Houston artists in the [...]
Jimi Hendrix – Marching to a Different Drummer
Jimi Hendrix In The Army When Jimi Hendrix burst on to the London music scene in 1966, he seemed to come from nowhere. No one knew of him or where he’d been. He seemed like an overnight sensation. Jimi, however, had been honing his skills since childhood starting out with a ukulele and even [...]
Military Veteran and Veteran Bluesman Fred Sanders Battles Cancer
Fred Sanders, decades of Memphis Blues playing Fred is a longtime stalwart of the Memphis blues scene. I recall that Fred was one of just a handful of blues players who were working steadily back in the 1970′s, the days just prior to the revitalization of Beale Street. Fred played at the only big blues [...]
Bluzapalooza Tour for Our Troops by Monica Yasher
John Hahn, born in Chicago, discovered the blues through British artists like the Yardbirds and the Stones. If not for that connection, he feels he wouldn’t be managing an artist such as Shemekia Copeland, nor writing songs recorded by Koko Taylor, B.B. King, Son Seals, or Ruth Brown. His blues journey, started with being [...]
Interview with the Father of Homemade Jamz Band and U.S. Veteran Renaud Perry
Interview With The Father Of Homemade Jamz Band And U.S. Veteran Renaud Perry
Renaud left his life in the military to allow for his children to find their place in the blues world.
Chris O’Leary Band – Mr. Used to Be CD Review
From the porches of Mississippi, the sidewalks of Beale Street, and the mean streets of Chicago, the Chris O’Leary Band rides the north bound musical channels of the Big Muddy, pitching its tent for a rock, soul and rhythm & blues revival anywhere they run ashore. The band’s new CD, Mr. Used To Be on [...]
