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with R.J. Bianchino your weekly guide to "all things blues" |
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July 31 - August 6, 2006
BluesBeat
Savoy Brown Thursday, August 3
One of the earliest of British blues bands, Savoy Brown (with founder guitarist and longtime member Kim Simmonds at the helm) helped launch the UK blues/rock movement that paved the way for such acts as Led Zeppelin. "The music of Savoy Brown has never really got that far away from the blues", Simmonds says. "Today, I can still do a show that does straight traditional blues along with rock hits like "Tell Mama" and it all seems to fit. Everything that I have done with the band has had a blues stand point to it". Coming Soon to Station Casinos On Wednesday, August 9 Joe Bonamassa will play the Chrome Showroom, and the Railhead Lounge on August 10th. Go to the Station Casinos' Boulder Blues Page for a schedule of upcoming concerts. Boulder Station Casino is located at 4111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV 89121 Blues Jessie Mae Hemphill Passes
Hemphill was unusual among women Blues singers in playing her own electric guitar and singing her own songs. She was not a Blues shouter, but sang a mellower Country Blues, accompanying herself with hypnotic guitar lines. Born near Como, Mississippi, she was influenced by her grandfather, Sid Hemphill, a legendary fife player; the sound of the fife-and-drum tradition survived in her use of leg bells and a tambourine attached to one foot. She played and sang for friends and family until 1979, when University of Memphis scholar and Bluesman David Evans encouraged her to turn pro. Evans produced her first three albums, She-Wolf, Feelin' Good, and Get Right Blues, and toured with her. She won the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Female Blues Artist in both 1987 and 1988, and Best Acoustic Album in 1991. Just as her career was taking off with gigs in Europe and Canada, she suffered a stroke in 1993 that left her unable to play guitar, but her voice was not affected. Blues singer Olga Wilhelmine Mathus, founder and president of the Jessie Mae Hemphill Foundation, produced her last album, Dare You to Do It Again, on her 219 Records label in 2004. Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer plans to use one of her songs in his next movie
Hemphill could walk only with difficulty; in 2005 she was given a trailer to live in for the rest of her life, but the woman who gave it to her lost control of it, and Hemphill was in danger of being evicted. She had always cared deeply about the Blues community, which came together to look after her, relocating her to a home in Clarksdale She made one of her last appearances at the Memphis in May festival, with Richard Johnston, who wrote this week, "My heart feels like a brick." He and Hemphill's next of kin were with her at the end. The funeral was on July 30. Fans and friends can help with funeral expenses by sending checks made out to "Jessie Mae Hemphill Memorial Fund” and including as a memo "In care of Richard Johnston" to Community Bank, 475 E. Commerce Street, Hernando, Mississippi 38632. The bank’s phone number is 662-429-8484 and the account representative is Leca [Lisa] Dew. Also in lieu of flowers, friends and fans can send donations to the Delta Blues Museum. Barbara Blue is going to be working on developing a permanent exhibit on women in Blues, which will feature Jessie Mae. Checks may be mailed to Delta Blues Museum, P.O. Box 459, Clarksdale, Mississippi 38614. Please earmark contributions "women in Blues". -- BluesWax
Blues Birthdays This week's blues artists birthdays include: July 31 Ernest "Big" Crawford (bass), 1891-?
Robert Cray - Smoking Gun Roy Milton CD and artist biography brief: Roy Milton & His Solid Senders That Roy Milton gets nary a mention in documentaries or surveys of American music reflects how far we have to go in recognizing the true pioneers of this music. Louis Jordan may have created the small swing combo, but Roy Milton boiled it down to its absolute essence--the blues--and emerged as one of the biggest stars in the golden age of jump blues. With a slick combo of big-band veterans (all stars in their own right), rock-solid boogie rhythms, and a sly wit, Milton and His Solid Senders churned out hit after hit, the best of which are to be found in this excellent collection. "RM Blues" is the song that put Specialty Records on the map, while "Hop, Skip & Jump" may be the finest jump-blues song ever recorded. The others merely bridged the gap between R&B and rock & roll. Just buy it. -- Ken Hohman :: amazon.com :: editorial review This week's new blues releases and re-issues:
 and CD Universeor by clicking on any album cover or album title link. Bluesin' Round Town M o n d a y, July 31 Casbar Lounge (inside the Sahara) 9pm-12am Moanin' Blacksnakes T u e s d a y, August 1 Bunkhouse Saloon 10pm-2am Open Blues Jam W e d n e s d a y, August 2 Brendan's Irish Pub (inside the Orleans) 9:30pm-1am Pete Contino Band T h u r s d a y, August 3 Bootlegger Bistro 9:30pm Ruth Brown F r i d a y, August 4 BlueStorm CD Release Party & Andy Walo at the Sand Dollar Sand Dollar Blues 10pm-3am Andy Walo S a t u r d a y, August 5 Sand Dollar Blues 10pm-3am Moanin' Blacksnakes S u n d a y, August 6 The Heights 4-8pm Blues Jam hosted by The Gonnerz KUNV's Nothin' But The Blues Current Playlist Blues Beyond the Neon Dennis Jones at Martini Blues
Showtime: 9pm Cover: $10 plus $10 Food/Drink Minimum. Martini Blues is located at 5874 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 Tel: 714.840.2129 'Nuff Said Now it's your turn. If you have any information you would like to see in this column send an e-mail to bluesbeat@jazzinternet.com. We especially welcome club listings. Telephone numbers are supplied for all venues. All shows, dates and times are subject to change. Call the club or venue for confirmation before diggin' any of the music. May all your Blues be minor. -- Bion
Russell Luzio is the nations only deaf DJ turn talk show host. With only 1% hearing Russell still hears the blues loud and clear. And "wow ee!" - as he's often prone to exclaim - he sure does play 'em on his internet radio show. Hear The Blues With Russell airs out of Los Angeles every Thursday from 7-9pm PST. BluesBeat Review Bob Brozman Blues Reflex
From the first notes of "Dead Cat On The Line" you're a real student of the blues. Bob and his National guitar continue their momentum on the traditional "Rattlesnake Blues." The timeless vibe of "One Steady Roll" proves that he is more than a casual observer of the game. The rich quality of Brozman's voice floods "Death Come Creepin'" with emotion. It's all about the fretwork on "Vieux Kanyar Blues." The soulful sound of "Poor Me" reminds me of Leon Redbone. Professor Brozman breezes through the lesson with "Cypress Grove Blues." A quick rave up on "Little Tough Guy Blues" does a one eighty for "New Guinea Blues." "It's Mercy We Need" turns out to be a powerful statement. "Mean World Blues" is a good source of inspiration. "More Room At The Edge" is a real showcase for Bob's talent. "Workman's's Song" ends this terrific journey back in time. copyright © 2006 Brown Ink JazzBeat Nevada
Before he became a jazz musician, Lloyd worked in Memphis with B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland during the early '50s. Charles Lloyd was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 15, 1938. Like New Orleans, 400 miles to the south on the Mississippi, Memphis has a rich river culture and musical heritage saturated in blues, gospel and jazz. Lloyd's ancestry of African, Cherokee, Mongolian, and Irish reflects a similar rich culture. He was given his first saxophone at the age of 9, riveted to 1940's radio broadcasts by Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, he was transported by jazz. Lloyd's early teachers included pianist Phineas Newborn and saxophonist Irvin Reason. His closest childhood friend was the great trumpeter Booker Little. As a teenager Lloyd played jazz with saxophonist George Coleman and was a sideman for blues greats Johnny Ace, Bobby Blue Bland, Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King. Lloyd has come a long way since those early Memphis blues beginnings. He went on to become a master of the cross-pollination of various world musics. During the sixties he was embraced by that era's "flower children" when the Charles Lloyd Quarter appeared at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival. Forest Flower was recorded live at that historic event and the album became jazz soundtrack of the Flower Power movement. read more For in depth coverage of the Las Vegas Jazz scene, visit JazzBeat Nevada, your weekly guide to Roy Milton Biography
Milton remained with Specialty for 10 years, recording ballads and pop tunes alongside more popular blues and boogie material such as "Milton's Boogie", "Hop, Skip And Jump", "T-Town Twist" and "Best Wishes". After Specialty, he recorded for Dootone, King and Warwick, but by the end of the 60s his style of music had become outdated. He appeared with Johnny Otis at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival and resumed a solo career that also brought him to Europe. He fell ill in 1982 and was confined to his home until his death a year later. Compilations:: Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989-2004 calendar | blues news | cd chart | birthdays | new releases | feature | bluesin' | beyond the neon | jazz news | biography | blues radio | las vegas blues society |
Calendar
Santa Fe Blues - 8pm August 2nd Brithish blues rock pioneer Savoy Brown is scheduled for the Wednesday Night Blues series inside the Chrome Showroom. They will also appear at Boulder Station the following evening. See below for more information on these events. Check out 
Legendary... a blues/rock institution... true innovators... These are just a few of the ways Savoy Brown has been described over the past thirty years by music critics and fans.
News
Jessie Mae Hemphill died on July 22 at age 72. She had been admitted to a hospital in Memphis and was in a critical care unit. She had a perforated ulcer and her system had turned septic; doectors wanted to operate, but she refused the surgery; even so, she struggled on for 12 days.
Other Blues News of Note 
"... Dennis Jones reminds us why the blues gives so much to what we feel from day to day." -- Southland Blues Review
Charles Lloyd's Blues Beginnings