november/december 2015 • … · tour non-stop. their latest cd, fat man’s shine parlor (blind...

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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 • W W W . N A T C H E L B L U E S . O R G

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Bluesletter of Natchel’ Blues Network • www.NatchelBlues.org • Vol. 30 No. 4 July/August 2014Bluesletter of the Natchel’ Blues Network • www.natchelblues.org • Vol. 31 No. 6 • November/December 2015

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22nd Annual Blues At The Beach Festival Wrap-Up September 11-12, 2015

17th St. Stage, Virginia Beach, VA

Happy Holidays!

Sugar Ray and the Bluetones with Monster Mike Welch Photo by Cathy Dixson

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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 • W W W . N A T C H E L B L U E S . O R G 3

ContentsBlues Heaven ...........................4Blues Alley ...............................5 Blues Blast Music Awards ....... 6Blues Radio Shows ...................6Buddy Guy at the Sandler Center ....................7Blues Bits .................................7Blues at the Beach Festival ........................... 8-9CD Reviews ...................... 10-12New Members and Renewals ..........................12Company Members ...............12Local Blues Heaven ................13Blues Down by the River .......13Member Discounts .............. 14Bands Playing Blues in Hampton Roads .............. 15Membership Form ............... 15

Recipient of the Keeping The Blues Alive Award for Blues Organization of the Year 1998

Natchel’ Blues NetworkP.O. Box 1773

Norfolk, VA 23501-1773

Words From the President This will be my last column in the Blues News as president of the Natchel’ Blues Network. My term ends December 31st. New officers will be elected by the new board of directors at their first meeting in January of 2016. I encourage you to volunteer to serve on the BOD. We need new blood and new faces. You can put your-self on the ballot at the Annual Membership meeting and Holiday Party on December 10th. Speaking of the Holiday Party – we will be in a new venue in Norfolk. Mac’s Place on the Bay is hosting us this year. For you folks who have lived in the area for a while, you will remember the Ship’s Cabin. Mac’s is in that space in Ocean View on the Chesapeake Bay. The festivities start at 6:30 p.m. on December 10th. Members are free; guests are $5.00. We will have heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Also we will be having our annual CD swap and an acoustic blues jam. Please make plans to attend. Oh and Mac’s Place is completely smoke free. In looking back at 2015, we had a pretty successful year in bringing blues to the area. Blues at the Beach had a couple of sna-fus (rain for one) but the talent lineup was stellar as usual thanks to the booking experience of Mark Johnson, and with the great finan-cial support of Beach Events, we pulled it off again. Thank you to all who helped. We can’t do this without our dedicated volunteers. And a big thanks to Jim Delutis and his crew at Southern Screen printing for providing us with our volunteer shirts again this year. The International Blues Challenge was a huge success. Bobby BlackHat Walters took the band winner; Billy Joe Daniel won the solo/duo category and Zack Salsberry will be representing the NBN in the youth category. Look for fundraisers in the near future to help them get to Memphis in January of 2016. On a sad note, we lost one of our own in October. Tony Lucero passed. Please see the tribute page in this issue. Another loss to the blues community, Smokin’ Joe Kubek passed as well. I can’t stress enough how important it is to live in the moment and love your family and friends. Life is precious – seize the day while you can. I have been honored to lead this organization for the past year. I will be stepping down but I won’t be too far away. Time for this blues photographer to get back to what makes her happy. Shooting pics.

Cathy DixsonPresident

BLUES NEWSPublished bi-monthly by the NBN, Inc. ©2015

All Rights Reserved.

BLUES NEWSThe official publication of the Natchel’ Blues

Network, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, run by volunteers dedicated to

promoting the blues as America’sone true musical art form.

EDITORBeth Jarock

ASSOCIATE EDITORCathy Dixson

DESIGN & LAYOUTAnne Bousquet

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Wendy Podmenik Darugar, Cathy Dixson, Alan Grossman, Arthur Lucero

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSBrian Beachum, Cathy Dixson, Beth Jarock, Bob Kieser, Dr. Joe Smith, Willie Stevens,

Bobby BlackHat Walters

2015 NBN BOARD OF DIRECTORSBrian Beachum , Cathy Dixson, Ben Keyes,

Jim Kidder, Colleen SmithNick Vandergrift, Steve White

2015 NBN OFFICERSCathy Dixson - President

Steve White - Vice-PresidentOpen – Secretary

Colleen Smith - Treasurer

WEBMASTERBrian Beachum

The views & opinions expressed in this publication by in-dividual writers are not necessarily the opinions of NBN or Blues News. The staff cannot guarantee the return of submitted material. Dates, times and venues are subject to

change without notice.

www.NatchelBlues.org • [email protected] the cover: Sugar Ray and the Bluetoness with Monster Mike Welch. photo by Cathy Dixson

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SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK, 1956 – 2015. Master Texas blues guitar-ist Smokin’ Joe Kubek died from a heart attack on Sunday, October 11, 2015. He was 58. Kubek, who performed for nearly three decades with his longtime musical partner Bnois King, died shortly before he was to appear on stage at the Pleasure Island Seafood & Blues Festival in North Carolina. Billboard says, “Kubek is one of the fiercest Texas blues guitarists [who] plays blues-rock aimed at the gut level.” Living Blues describes his music as “heavy, powerful and tough road-house blues, punchy Texas shuffles, and mighty fine roots rock.” Joe Kubek was born in Pennsylvania on November 30, 1956 but grew up just outside of Dallas. He was leading his own bands and gigging in clubs all around Dallas when he was only 14. He first heard blues by listening to Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Kubek soon discovered the music of Muddy Waters, How-lin’ Wolf and other early masters including Freddie King, Johnny Copeland and Lightnin’ Hopkins. By the time he was 19, he was back-ing many famous blues players in the area, including Freddie King. In 1976, Kubek was about to head out on tour with King when King died suddenly of a heart attack. Kubek next worked with R&B singer Al “TNT” Braggs and made a host of new friends, in-cluding Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan (with whom Kubek

Blues Heavenbecame close), B.B. King and many other blues icons. He often found himself jamming with these larger-than-life blues stars, while playing constantly around the Dallas area. He not only learned tips and tech-niques, but also soaked up stories and lessons of being a professional touring musician. One night, he even had the chance to play B.B.’s guitar, Lucille. “B.B. admired my enthusiasm and he encouraged me, which really meant a lot. When times got hard, I always remem-bered how B.B. King had given me some encouragement.” In 1989, Kubek met guitar-ist/vocalist Bnois King at a Monday night Dallas jam session. The two became fast friends, and melded their seemingly divergent styles -- Kubek a rocking and fierce picker and slider, King a subtle, fat-chord rhythm player whose solos are spontaneous and unpredictable -- into one of the most potent guitar combinations the Southwest had ever produced. Kubek explains the relationship succinctly: “I pull the blues out of him, and he pulls the jazz out of me. Bnois knows so much about jazz it’s amazing. Bnois fires me up. We are constantly pushing each other higher, compli-menting each other’s solos. But it’s not planned. We never know what we’re going to do until it’s done.” Kubek and King signed to Bullseye Blues and released their debut CD, Stepping Out Texas Style, in 1991. After conquering the Dal-las scene, the band began touring

clubs, concert halls and festivals nationally and internationally. Fol-lowing a successful series of eight Bullseye releases, they signed to Blind Pig Records in 2003. As their popularity continued to build on the strength of their recordings and the energy of their live shows, the band’s touring schedule grew to over 150 dates per year all across the United States, Canada and Europe (where they have toured more than a dozen times), solidify-ing their place in the blues world with one jaw-dropping show after another. Kubek and King signed with Alligator in 2008 and released Blood Brothers and followed up with Have Blues, Will Travel in 2010. They released four more albums after leaving Alligator and continued to tour non-stop. Their latest CD, Fat

Man’s Shine Parlor (Blind Pig), came out in February, 2015. Kubek is survived by his wife, Phyllis

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The Blues Alley Story… Or, Whatever Became Of That Guy “Big Dog”? I ran into someone at a re-cent show and was surprised when they somewhat embarrassedly said, “Dude, I thought you had died!” Well, I admit to having added a few years since my days of actively serving the Natchel’ Blues Network on the Board of Directors and two terms as President; attending the many shows and fundraisers we sponsored, but I’m not dead! Not yet at least. So what have I been do-ing? I’d love nothing better than to share the story of the past few years with you. Since 2010, with the help of my life-long friend Bob Steele and under the auspices of his company, Scorpion Radio Group, I’ve been building a radio station. That’s right, a Blues radio station.

by Bill “Big Dog” van ElburgNot a brick and mortar affair, but a mobile, online station which broadcasts around the world 24/7. Some of you may recall my excited rants about online radio and the opportunity it represented for me to continue the mission of the NBA in keeping the Blues alive. Some, like my friends Dylan Jones and John Vona, helped build the initial music library so we were able to launch the station with almost 15 thousand titles. The music ranges from Field Hollers to the latest releases. Jazz Blues and Hokum of the “Golden Years,” the Blues/Rock of Joe Bonamassa -- we loaded it all on the server, crossed our fingers and pushed the power button. At the latest count we are at over 35,000 titles and continuing

to add music in all time periods as we find additional material. In fact, all the local bands from the 757 are loaded and in constant rota-tion: M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio, Bobby BlackHat, Seth Stainback & Roosterfoot, Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos, Herbie D & The Dangermen and Jackie Scott & The Housewreckers, just to name a few. If you’ve recorded and mailed us a CD, your music is being heard around the world! In addition to the 24/7 all Blues format of the station, we have been fortunate to work closely with folks in the industry to arrange on-air interviews with some of the best new and established Blues artists currently working, and air them on a weekly show called “Backstage

With The Big Dog.” Now in our third year of broadcasting, The Blues Alley Radio has seen tremendous growth in listenership worldwide and a growing awareness within the in-dustry. Plans for the future include a more “hyper-local” approach with programming showcasing lo-cal musicians, concerts and festi-vals. So no, the “Big Dog” hasn’t gone off to that big doggy bed in the sky. I’m very much alive and enjoying life here in the 757. You can contact me at [email protected] or post to Face Book at http://facebook.com/thebluesalley or tweet us at Twitter@TheBluesAl-ley

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TIDE RADIO 92.3 FM (Peninsula) 102.1 FM (Southside)House of Blues Radio Hour hosted by Dan Akroyd as Elwood Blues Sunday 8-9 p.m.

WHRV 89.5 FMOut of the Box with Paul ShugrueMonday-Thursday 7-9 p.m. Saturday: 1-5 p.m.

Blues Stage with Melvin Van PeeblesThursday: 12:00 a.m.

A Shot of the Blues with Paul ShugrueFriday: 8-10 p.m.

Blues Before Sunrise with Steve CushingSunday: 1-6 a.m.

WFOS FM 88.7Blues Traffic Jam Mon.-Fri.: 3-7 p.m.

WRVS FM 89.9Elizabeth City, NC www.cooolcat.com.

TheBluesAlley.com24/7 online blues musichttp://thebluesalley.com

Blues Radio Shows

Contemporary Blues Album — Elvin Bishop – Can’t Even Do Wrong RightTraditional Blues Album — Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson - For PopsSoul Blues Album — Otis Clay & Johnny Rawls - Soul BrothersRock Blues Album — Tinsley Ellis - Tough LoveAcoustic Blues Album — Steve Earle & The Dukes - TerraplaneNew Artist Debut Album — Magnus Berg - Cut Me LooseLive Blues Album — John Mayall - Live in 1967Historical / Vintage Album — John Mayall - Live in 1967Blues Band — Mississippi HeatMale Blues Artist — Elvin BishopFemale Blues Artist — Marcia BallSean Costello Rising Star Award — Selwyn Birchwood

2015 Blues Blast Music Award Winners

2015 Blues Blast Lifetime Achievement Awards Announced

The winners were announced at the Blues Blast Music Award ceremonies on Friday evening September 25th at the Fluid Event Center in Champaign, IL. Also, musician Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater and the Blues Foundation’s Jay Sieleman received lifetime achievement awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners.

Hey Blues Fans, Each year a group of in-dustry professionals select the nominees for the annual Blues Blast Music Awards. Then fans all over the world vote for their favorites in each of the twelve nomination catego-ries. The results of this year’s 9th annual Blues Blast Music Awards, voted on by more than 9,500 Blues fans, was announced at the Blues Blast

Music Award Ceremonies on September 25th. As the magazine pub-lisher, I do not have input into that awards recognition process. However, each year it is my pleasure to be able to select the recipients of Blues Blast Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. This year I am proud to have the honor of recognizing two amazing individuals as

this year’s recipients, Mr. Eddie Clearwater and Mr. Jay Sieleman. Mr. Clearwater and Mr. Sieleman both attended the Blues Blast Music Awards Ceremonies on September 25th, at the Fluid Events Cen-ter in Champaign, Illinois to receive their awards.

— Bob Kieser

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Blues Bits n NBN’S FORMER PRESIDENT, BILL “BIG DOG” VAN ELBURG HAS BEEN TAPPED TO TEACH COURSE. The Chris-topher Wren Association (CWA) of the Col-lege of William and Mary has confirmed that former President of the Natchel’ Blues Network, Bill “Big Dog” van Elburg, has been selected to teach a six-hour course on “The History of the Blues” as part of the school’s very popular Life-Long Learning series. The course will be taught in two-hour sections over three weeks begin-ning Thursday, October 29th and ending on November 12th.. Given the obvious appreciation of the subject matter in the Greater Williamsburg area, the Christopher Wren Association has asked “Big Dog” to re-submit the class proposal for inclusion in their Fall 2016 catalog. For more information about the CWA and other course offerings, call them directly at Christopher Wren office at 757-221-1506 or email: [email protected]

n Ann Rabson Fund – Ann’s family and The Blues Foundation have established the Ann Rabson Fund. Its goals are to encourage, especially through Blues in the Schools programs, an appreciation of blues music and its role in American culture, and to help young blues musicians improve their skills. The May 2014 Ann Rabson Memorial Boogie-Woogie Showcase was a sold-out success (you can see some photos at www.annrabson.com), and provided the seed money for the Ann Rabson Fund. Rather than go into more detail here, we invite you to visit www.annrab-son.com, where we explain how the fund came to be and why we decided to focus on Blues in the Schools, and the new www.annrabsonfund.org, where you will find details about the fund’s initial grants and how to contact us or make a donation.

— Liz and George

n Barbara Newman takes the helm! MEMPHIS, TN – “The Blues Foundation is

very excited to welcome our new Presi-dent and CEO, Barbara B. Newman,” offers Board Chairman Paul E. Benjamin. “She will be a great leader who will help us move forward, taking The Blues Founda-tion to new heights. We all look forward to working together creating a great team.” She was raised in the world of music, with many family members working in the music industry. Her introduction to the blues occurred when she attended a 7th grade assembly in which Blues Hall of Famer Furry Lewis performed. Even though she was only 11 years old, she knew she was in the company of great-ness. Her vision includes ensuring The Blues Foundation grows its financial viability to reach an even larger constitu-ency, from children first learning about this unique music to musicians and patrons around the world. This includes solidifying its well-respected programs, building upon the ex-isting high-level communication with and support to its membership, interfacing and partnering with other local, national, and international agencies, building a strong endowment, and opening new avenues for members to participate and receive sup-port from the organization. Please join the staff and board welcome Barbara to the family. She can be reached at [email protected]

n Alligator Records has set a November 6 street date for the vinyl-only release A Blues Christmas. The album is a new compilation featuring the best of Alliga-tor’s two previous holiday CDs, 1992’s The Alligator Records Christmas Collection and 2003’s Genuine Houserockin’ Christmas. All tracks on A Blues Christmas have been remastered to bring out every nuance of these classic performances.

n On what would have been Blues Hall of Famer B.B. King’s 90th Birthday, – September 16, 2015, the city of Memphis changed the name of Third Street to B.B. King Blvd. Next time you are in Memphis, make a visit to Beale and Third to see the newly named street.

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Buiddy Guy

Marty Sammon

Scotty Miller of Jewish Mother

fame and Tyrone Little

NBN volunteers, Steve and Alex White.

Ric Jaz

Buddy Guy at the Sandler Center

Photos by Cathy Dixson

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Blues at the Beach 2015

Paul Warren, bassist with Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos

Cyril Neville - Royal Southern Brotherhood - photo by Alan Grossman

Monster Mike Welch - Sugar Ray and the Bluetones

Darren Simons - drummer with the Conqueroos.

Michael Belmar - drums - Bobby BlackHat Band

Zack Salsberry

William MoBetta Ledbetter - Jackie Scott & the Housewreckers

Jack Campbell, harp player extraordinaire with the Conqueroos

Tom Euler - Bobby BlackHat Band

Mark Hopkins

Anthony Rosano

Cal Hamlin

Glen Peterson - Peterson Brothers Band

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Blues at the Beach 2015

Thanks to all of our awesome volunteers at the 2015 Blues at the Beach festival! See you again next year! And bring all your friends!

Royal Southern Brotherhood -Photo by Alan Grossman

Carl Weathersby - Photo by Alan Grossman

NBN volunteers Jim and Robin Kruger

NBN volunteers - Paula Rosatti, Robin Shavers and

Halle Patterson

NBN volunteers Sue Williams and David

Firnstahl

Alex Peterson

Bobby BlackHat Walters and Von Jose` Roberts

NBN volunteers and board members - Cliff, Jim and Ben

Jackie ScottSteve Shelhamer - drummer

with the Housewreckers

Beth Jarock - Editor - Blues News

NBN volunteers Willie and Dr. Joe

The NBN tent in all its glory at the 17th Street Park

GREAT NBN VOLUNTEERS - THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP

Photos by Cathy Dixson

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boogie-woogie piano and he does with “I Want You To Be My Baby” featur-ing Popa Chubby! Coco Montoya slides in on guitar on “Rock Me Baby,” with Mitch doing a mighty-fine Elvis impression! As the night gets into the wee hours and the drinks I’m sure are flowing, Mitch cuts loose with a kick-in’ version of “Wine Spo Dee O Dee” with Victor Wainwright on vocals. The tune ”Broke” is Mitch by himself and he’s talking about me! Another standout, as if you can really count the standouts, is the classic “Boom Boom” featuring Billy Branch on blues harp and Coco Montoya on guitar. WOW! One of the last numbers on this fine collection is “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” featuring Dwayne Dopsie on blues accordion, of all things. But it works. Nothing like Zydeco boogie blues! If you’ve never been able to go on one of these Legendary Blues Cruises, here’s your chance to enjoy the music and feel (well, somewhat) what they are like. Pick up this CD, turn the lights down, pour a lil’ something in a Dixie cup, and kick back or get up and dance! And I’ll say it one more time. Oh baby, “won’t you let me take you on a sea cruise…”!

Brian “The Bluesman” Beachum

JAY STOLLMAN FEATUR-ING DEBBIE DAVIES Room for One MoreNumber 7 Recordswww.number7records.com If you haven’t heard of Jay Stoll-man, you will remember his name af-

ter you hear this CD. He’s per-formed around the world with major artists like Johnny Winter,

all this together in a powerful live performance aboard one of Roger Naber’s Legendary

Rhythm & Blues Cruises, and put that together with plenty of blues greats popping in to play with Mitch on sev-eral tunes -- well, you get one power-house of a performance. That’s what is captured on this latest release from Mitch Woods. They named the piano bar on the cruise ship “The Club 88” in his honor. Mitch’s “friends” on the cruise who appear on the CD include blues greats like Tommy Castro, Billy Branch, Papa Chubby, Coco Mon-toya, Lucky Peterson and members of Roomful of Blues, to name a few. The sessions were recorded from January 21-23, 2015 somewhere in the Carib-bean Sea! Oh baby, “won’t you let me take you on a sea cruise…”! The CD kicks off with “Big Mamou” with the cats from Room-ful of Blues joining in the fun adding their horns for some punch and Mitch smoking on that piano! On “Tain’t No-body’s Business” Mitch pulls in Victor Wainwright and Julia Magness to help out on some vocals. Ain’t it sweet? “Rip It Up” brings in some of that “jumpin’ n’ jive” featuring Tommy Castro and those Roomful of Blues horns. Oh my goodness, do I wish I was there. Mitch slows things down a bit on “Bright Lights, Big City” with Lucky Peterson on vocals and the boys from Roomful of Blues keeping those horns humming. OK, get your gumbo and mud-bugs fired up ‘cause Mitch brings in Dwayne Dopsie to stir things up Creole-style on “Jambalaya.” Hold on! You know Mitch had to throw in some

for some sweet sax work on “It’s All Blues.” “I’m Not Cheatin’ Yet,” one of my favorite tunes on this release, is a jumping lil’ number with Dana Rob-bins on sax and Dave Keyes being true to his name and smokin’ those keys! Great comical lyrics, too. And speaking of comical lyrics, here comes “Two Twenty-Five-Year-Olds,” a fun lil’ pickin’ and grinnin’ number that’s just too fun. She switched gears and downshifts to Swedish bluesman Sven Zetterburg’s song “A Darker Side Of Me.” It’s a smooth, jazzy blues tune. Nice. “I Get The Blues So Easy” shifts things back up with some hot sax and gives Debbie a chance to really cut loose and let her guitar work shine. Debbie closes out the collection (and a fine one it is) with “Way Back Home” that features her on some fine slide guitar work. If you like great blues guitar work, some hot sax work, incredible vocals and a great collection of blues, funk and R&B tunes, then you need to go out and pick up Debbie Davies’ Love Spin NOW! Or you can go the other route and just order it online, but add this one to your collection.


MITCH WOODS Jammin’ on the High Cs: Live from Mitch Woods’ Club 88on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise Vizztone Records 8815www.vizztone.com Mitch Woods and his legendary band, the Rocket 88’s, have been play-ing great American blues musical heri-tage for the past three decades. They play a swinging mixture of jumpin’ n’ jive, pile-drivin’ piano, “rock-a-boogie” and crazy-good vocals. Put

DEBBIE DAVIES Love Spin Vizztone Records VT-LDIP-002www.debbiedavies.com

Debbie Davies began her musical and blues career in the early 1980’s and has moved

through till now among the top blues artists in the country. She has received eleven nominations for Blues Music Awards, and in 1997 and 2010 won the award for Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist. I say all this to give you a preamble to what you are walking into before hitting “play” on her latest release on Vizztone Records, entitled Love Spin. You are about to be taken for one hell of a bluesy, spinning ride! Davies lets her guitar do a lot of the work on this release, with Paul Opalach on organ, Wilbo Wright on bass and Don Castagno on drums. It all comes together very tightly. “Life Of The Party” kicks this thing off with some funk, some great guitar work and Debbie’s signature vocals. Oh yeah. She follows up with the title track “Love Spin” with a great funky backbeat and great story line, too. Paul Opalach adds nice touch to punctuate with a mean lap steel! A real toe-tap-per. Debbie takes the classic “Let The Heartaches Begin” and spins it with Terry Hanck taking the lead on sax and providing some vocals with Deb-bie as well on this blues ballad. “Don’t Change It Up” jumps over to some R&B with a funky backbeat with Scott Spray on bass and Jay Stollman on vocals. Debbie brings in Dana Robbins

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CD Reviews

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mode, in a song that would probably go good in a scary movie, giving us an eerie story of despair and intrigue. A nice effort dipping into the blues, we enjoy this CD. Don’t be a Grinch; buy this for someone you love.

Blues Boy Willie Stevens & Dr. Joe

LAZER LLOYD Lazer Lloyd Lazerlloyd.com # 2015 Last edition’s CD pick Lazer Lloyd comes at us full-throttle once again with this self-titled CD. When-ever you listen to this CD, nail every-thing you have to the floor because Lazer Lloyd will blow you away. LL is

a great candi-date for Blues at the Beach 2016. We are sure he would blow the doors off the

Dairy Queen. Lloyd has a great band and they produce a very tight sound. “Rockin in the Holy Land” makes you want to get up and shake your booty, but without all the fancy disco stuff. In “Set My Soul Free” he showcases some excellent guitar work. He remakes Otis Redding’s classic “Dock of the Bay” and does it justice. This CD was recently selected by the Israeli Blues Society as their album of the year, and with good reason. With great guitars, vocals, and harmonicas, this guy is go-ing to be a force to reckon with in the blues world for decades to come if he stays on his current path. If you listen to this CD in its entirety, it seems LL is telling a story of traveling around, trying to find himself. He sings of life’s ups and downs, of traveling between many countries, and how he misses his woman. Dr. Joe gives this the nod

and the result is excellent. In “Old 109” he showcases some good harp with this fast-paced toe-tapper. In “Forever Friends” he shows his passion for the blues, twisting Chicago-style blues into a style all his own. Good slide and lyrics; the drum and bass are excellent, as well. He is also backed by some very talented musicians. This is one of the best blues albums released in years. A great CD from start to fin-ish, this is Blues Boy’s CD pick of the month, and for good reason…it makes Willie go into Ryback mode and say, “Feed Me More!” “I love this guy,” he exclaims! So ask Santa to put a little Spirit of the Blues in your stocking. It will sound a lot better than Jacob Marley.


STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Terraplane New-West Records NW6328 2015 Former country-rock Grammy winner Steve Earle & The Dukes delve into the Blues on this latest offering that shows a lot of good instrumenta-tion. We like a good bit of this, but are not sure that it would really be

classified as The Blues, but more of something along the Coun-try/Folk edge. “Acquainted

with the Wind” and “Gamblin’ Blues” are some of the standouts, and he speaks true when he says that a “gam-bler don’t have no friends when the money’s down,” something we can all relate to regarding fair-weather friends whether we gamble or not. In “King of the Blues” he gives almost a John Lee Hooker twist to his song. In “The Ten-nessee Kid” he goes into a storytelling

Latin flare with Debbie and the band turning out some sweet grooves. “Devil In Disguise” is a jumping lil’ number with Kevin Totoian on a smoking harp and Debbie tear-ing up the guitar work. “Love Me & Leave Me” has a Cajun feel and some mighty-fine piano work by Matt Zeiner. Jay ends this wonderful collec-tion of blues tunes with a nice acoustic tune, “Room for One More,” with his friend Andy Abel, who co-wrote the tune and plays slide and acoustic guitar on the cut. Room for One More is a great roller-coaster ride of tremendous blues guitar work, powerful vocals and incredible performances by some very talented blues artists. Treat yourself and pick up a copy of this CD for your collection.


CHRISTIAN COLLIN Spirit of the Blues Train Records # 2015 Christian Collin comes out hard from the first track and jams all the way to the end. “One and Only” starts the CD off with a jamming track with lots of good guitar. “Player’s Game” tells the story of how the fool and his

money are soon parted, with plenty of good music to back it up. Collin does a good job incor-

porating organs, piano, harmonica, guitar and vocals on this offering, as well as great lyrics and backup sing-ing. “Blues for You,” the standout track of the CD, showcases just how good this guy is, as he gives us his version of modern Chicago Blues. In “Dead Man Walking” he infuses shades of the late great Johnny Winter

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Bo Diddley, Wilson Pickett, The Temp-tations, Four Tops and Blues Trav-eler. Jay is currently appearing with The Johnny Winter Band as the front man and lead vocalist for the Johnny Winter Remembrance shows and per-forming with his own group, The Jay Stollman Blues Band. On this release, he teams up with Debbie Davies to cut some fine blues performances. With Jay on vocals and Debbie Davies on lead guitar, they open the CD with Walter Trout’s “Ride ‘Till I’m Satisfied.” Johnny Mennonna comes in on bass, and Tommy Nagy keeps it jumping on the drums on this number. Jay switches out musicians throughout the tracks to keep the numbers fresh and vary the sound of the different songs. The CD is nicely produced, as well. Stollman shows his hard vocals off on “I’m Done” while Andy Abel adds some nice slide guitar work and Matt Zeiner tears up the keyboards. Johnny Winter’s “Tired Of Tryin’” is a nice tribute to Johnny. Kevin Totoian jumps in on harp and Davies cooks on a mean Chicago-style lead guitar. Jay, Debbie and Matt keep the Chicago-style rollin’ with “Lonesome In My Bedroom.” A nice slow-roller and one of my favorites on this collection. Ed-die Miller’s “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” features Scott Spray on bass with Debbie Davies really showing off her guitar skills. Sam Cooke’s classic “A Change Is Gonna Come” really shows off Jay Stollman’s vocal strengths and range. He handles this one well and that’s saying something. With one classic after another, Jr. Walker’s “Pucker Up Buttercup” brings in some fun and funky to the list of cuts. Jay and Debbie just keep it going with Chuck Berry’s “Back To Memphis.” “Tumble” goes south of the border for some continued on next page

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for his pick as CD of the month since he is the president of the Tidewater Lazer Lloyd fan club. #mozzies!


VOO DAVIS Midnight Mist Butter & Bacon Records # 2015 Voo Davis belts out a solid blues CD in this golden nugget. Great guitars, B3 organ, pedal steel guitar and harp. All the musicians on this CD are excellent with good acoustic guitar as well as some fiddle. “When

I Get Back To You” is a track in which Voo tells his woman he is going to get his stuff straight,

but he won’t be able to do it until he gets back home. In “Riverside Blues” he sings of finding his way home after staying in a ghostly hotel, an allegory to some other things going on in his real life. The song “Low Hanging Fruit” stands out while telling us all to do what we can do while we are still young. “Music in the Streets” is one of the best tracks on the CD, with great guitar work. You will love the sound and tone of Voo’s vocals, as he has the authentic blues sound. Run out and get this CD before Frosty melts.


IAN SIEGAL The Picnic Sessions Nugene Records NUG1402 #2015 This CD can be described as: a British blues artist goes to a picnic

with a bunch of his friends and they play music on all kinds of instruments -- mandolin, violin,

banjo, etc. This is another CD that we wouldn’t really call classic Blues, but more of a thin line between Country and Blues. But like Drink Small says, “blues and country are related.” In “Beulah Land” he sings a nice ballad with good banjo reminiscent of an old TV show theme song. In “Keen and Peachy” there is nice harp as well as mandolin as he tells a tale of finding everything he was looking for in a one-night stand and a little bit more. In “Wasted Freedom” he sings the all too familiar tale of partying too hard and what the results are, something Blues Boy and I know nothing about. This is a great jam session CD, old school, but again not what you would call Blues. Kind of reminds you of an old jug band without the washboard. All in all, a nice compilation of ballads. So crikey, don’t lose your winter mojo. Go grab this CD today.

Blues Boy Willie Stevens & Dr. Jo

BLUES VINYL FLASHBACK by Dr. Joe

DRINK SMALL I Know My Blues Are Different - Cause I’m The One Who Has Them Southland Records SLP-1 1976 Rated one of America’s top gospel guitarists before he turned to blues in the late ‘50s, Bishopville, SC “Electric Blues Doctor” will tell you that he’s not a cryin’ type blues singer, he’s a Big Mouth blues singer. And his

guitar’s name is Geraldine, and no disrespect to the late B.B. but Drink has said that Geraldine

ain’t afraid of Lucille, and he ain’t afraid of B.B. King.

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New NBN Members & RenewalsThanks to the following new members or renewals over the last couple of months. Your support is helping to keep the Natchel’

Blues Network and blues music in Hampton Roads alive!

John AndyAlan Daly

Darrel FlytheJ. Alan GrayJack Hyfill

NBN Company MembersWe want to thank our Company Members for their continual support of the Blues. Be sure to pay them a visit and consider them for their goods or services.

• Brian Beachum Beachum Studios, Inc.

• Mark Brownell King Neptune’s Mini Golf

• Stuart Burnley Hermitage Farms Nursery • Dirt Cheap Blues Dance Co.

• Bruce Harlow The Original Rhondels• Ruth & Tim Morgan Ruth & Tim Enterprises• Seven Venues/Attucks Theatre• Steve Wilkins Wilkins & Associates, Inc.

This was the first blues record to be recorded on Southland, and it remains my favorite blues record to this day. Drink is my favorite blues-man, and now that he has passed 80, I would hope to get to see him perform before he passes. Don’t get me wrong, my favorites include Luther, Albert, B.B. and Mud, but Drink holds some-thing near and dear to my heart. In this LP he sings about women, moonshine, hangovers, and his affec-tion for a certain part of his anatomy among other topics. Drink plays a mean acoustic guitar on this LP, and

actually it is just him and the gui-tar. And with Drink you don’t need anything else. While you will have a hard time finding this rare gem, grab it if you can. Drink exemplifies the Piedmont Blues sound and will make you fall in love with the blues all over again. When this LP was released in 1976, it was said that Drink already had over 1000 blues songs to his credit, so if you cannot find this one several others are available. But be careful, Santa might put you on the naughty list if he hears some of the lyrics.

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The 757 blues community lost one of its favorite musicians and gifted

On September 12, 2015, George and Emma Inman hosted the 4th Blues Down by the River fundraiser for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in memory of their son, George. $16,240.00 was raised with 100 attendees, cash and in-kind dona-tions and some corporate matching gifts. This was the largest event to date to support the AFSP.

Local Blues HeavenBy Bobby BlackHat Walters

BLUES DOWN BY THE RIVER FUNDRAISER

Mark Hopkins

Steve Shelhamer

Jackie Scott

Von José Roberts

Chuck Williams

The hosts, Emma and George InmanPhotos by Cathy Dixson

drummer when Tony Lucero, 53, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 18, 2015 in his home after a valiant fight against cancer. Tony performed with numerous Hamp-ton Roads bands including Freeborn Blues, The Blues Cats, King Casual, Blues At Eleven, Wrecking Ball, Blues On Fire, and The Bobby BlackHat Band. Tony was a “drummers drum-mer” who could energize any band or style of music. He is survived by his wife, Leigh A. Lucero; three daughters, April Lucero, Caterina Turner and Victo-ria Lucero; two sons, Alexander and Nicholas Lucero; three sisters, Sandra and Susan Lucero and Rita Coronado; three brothers, Gonzalo “Jr.”, Arthur and Henry Lucero; five grandchildren;

and a host of nieces, nephews, extend-ed family and friends. Funeral services were held on Oc-tober 22, 2015 at Community Church at Western Branch with burial in Al-bert G. Horton, Jr. Veterans Cemetery. Rest In Peace, Tony!

Photo by Wendy Podmenik Darugar

Photo by Arthur Lucero

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Birdland Music Providence SquareVirginia Beach, VA 10% Off Records, Tapes, & Compact Discs

Dirt Cheap Blues Dance Clubwww.DirtCheapBlues.com757-567-40362-for-1 Dance Lessons

Present your NBN Membership Card prior to ordering & verify discount amounts prior to purchase. Vendors may change amounts without notice.

Mojo Bones 9659 First View St., Norfolk, VA 15% Off Food only

Tidewater Friends of Acoustic MusicP.O. Box 9606Norfolk, VA 23505757-626-FOLK(3655)[email protected]$4 Off tickets for all blues shows

NBN Membership Discounts

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(i.e. schools, churches, civic organizations, etc.) as to the history and

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Blues News is published bi-monthly by the Natchel’ Blues Network Inc. (NBN), Hampton Roads’ Blues Society. Blues News is a source of information concerning blues music with articles on national and local artists, show reviews, local spotlights, CD & DVD reviews, and items of interest to blues lovers. It contains the only complete listing of blues events in the Hampton Roads area. Size of the newsletter is 11 3/4” x 11 1/8” newsprint.

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NBN is a non-profit 501c3 corporation formed in 1984 in Norfolk, Virginia. NBN has been dedicated to promoting the Blues as a true American art form. All advertisements are accepted by publisher upon representation that the advertiser will hold the publisher unaccountable from claims or suits based on contents or subject matter of such advertisements. Rates effective 1/1/10, subject to change. Ads are due by the 5th of the month prior to publication. Print Ads are to be submitted as JPGs, PDFs, or EPSs. Ads must be created to correct size without bleeds. Ads that are not at the correct size will be resized to fit the ad space.

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Annual tax-deductible membership dues:• Individual $25• Family $25 for first and $20 for each additional household member• Company $125 up to 4 members• Corporate Sponsor $500 up to 10 membersAll dues are for the period of one calendar year, starting with your application date. Thank you for supporting the blues!Please check the activities you would like to help us with:n NBN Newsletter Mailingsn Festivalsn Fundraising/Sponsorshipn Membership Developmentn Promotion/Policyn Education Programsn Monthly/Semi-Monthly Shows

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Bands That Play Blues in Hampton RoadsAmy Ferebee .................................... 757-434-5385Anthony Rosano & the Conqueroos .............................757-285-5061Bartones ..............................................757-622-7235Black White Blues ............................ 757-947-4669Blues Empacts .................................. 757-880-5451Blues On Fire ........................................... 872-8580Bobby “BlackHat” Walters ............. 757-871-5485Clarence Turner Band ..................... 240-988-9375Corporate Woods Drive ................. 757-748-6775Cosmo Kings .................................... 757-255-0648Darryl Ellyson .................................. 804-617-8820dc3 ....................................................... 757-463-2384Elifino ..................................................757- 615-3788Grant Austin Taylor Band .............. 757-439-2064Groove Cats .......................................757-289-7324 HammerHead Blues ....................... 757-483-1350Herbie D & the DangerMen .......... 757-679-9671 H.M. Johnson Band ......................... 757-547-4506In Layman Terms ............................. 813-778-2054Incognito Brothers ............................757-651-0073Jackie Scott & the Housewreckers ........................... 757-777-7127John Baldwin Group ....................... 757-735-4409Julius Pittman & the Revival ......... 757-634-1816

Lisa Lim Band .................................. 540-379-6589Michael Clark Band ......................... 757-418-1788More Cowbell ................................... 757-624-5225M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio ............ 757-434-0447Next Weeks Blues ............................ 252-642-2701Planet Full of Blues .......................... 804-815-3016Rhythm Kings .................................. 757-460-6414Rock and Blues Society Band ........ 757-581-3363Ron Fetner ......................................... 757-810-0599Rooster Foot ...................................... 903-343-7424RYLO ................................................. 757-729-4660Shakedown ....................................... 757-566-3770Shelly Craig-Potter ...........................757-546-1528Stevie Hoover ................................... 570-902-9331Straight Up Blues Band .................. 757-289-3117The Doc Robin Band ....................... 757-593-7820The Janitors ....................................... 757-285-8707The J.D. Silvia Band ......................... 757-376-2468The Mike Lucci Band ...................... 804-814-4298The UnXpected ................................ 813-778-2054Tim Morgan ...................................... 757-875-0447Tom Dikon ........................................ 757-262-8525Tom Larsen Band ............................. 410-651-9457Tough Deal ....................................... 804-241-5503Urban Hill .........................................757- 570-9138

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november/december 2015 • … · tour non-stop. their latest cd, fat man’s shine parlor (blind...

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