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The Official Publication of the Sacramento Blues Society December-January 2012 Volume 32; Issue 6

Omar Sharriff—Omar was born David Alexander Elam in Shreveport, Louisiana and was raised in Mar-

shall, Texas migrating to California in 1957 and settling in the Bay Area in the mid-60s. He recorded 3 LPs in 1968, 1972-73 and in 1975 he was rated the 3rd best piano player in the world by Contemporary Keyboard

magazine (behind Ray Charles and Mose Allison).

After the rise of disco and changing to his Muslim name, Omar saw his gigs limited and he sank into obscurity. He relocated to the Fresno area during the 1980's and despite his distant location, Omar frequently gig-ged in Sacramento throughout the 80's at Melarkey's, the Torch Club and the Palms Playhouse in Davis and was the house band for extended stays at Sam's Hof Brau. In 1992, he moved to Sacramento and for the next 20 years had numerous appearances at Fulton's Prime Rib and Jazzman's in Old Sacramento. Omar appeared at all the major national blues festivals, including many times at San Francisco. He appeared at

every Sacramento Blues Festival from 1976 through

Lena Mosley—Raised in Alabama, Lena grew up singing gospel in her

grandmother‘s church. She moved to Sacramento with her family in 1966. In 1976, Gene Chambers heard Lena sing and encouraged her to sing the blues, taking her around town and introducing her to such influences as Johnny

Heartsman, Arbess Williams, Johnny Knox and Mick Martin.

Lena performed regularly for many years with local bands before forming her own band, ―Lena Mosley and The Badd Blues Band,‖ When Mike Balma de-cided to record a CD entitled Sacramento Blues, it featured 10 local blues bands that included Lena‘s. All the groups on the recording then toured from Sacramento to Tahoe, San Francisco, Redding, stopping at many of the sur-rounding cities. The Rhythm and Blues Magazine interviewed and featured an

article on Lena‘s participation in the tour and the CD.

Mike Balma—For more than 20 years, Mike Balma has contributed to Sacra-

mento blues as a promoter and producer of blues festivals, concerts and shows and as an owner and producer of recordings by Sacramento blues mu-

sicians.

Mike volunteered for the Sacramento Blues Festival beginning in the 1980‘s, eventually becoming a member of the executive staff, then went on to become President of the Sacramento Blues Society in 1992. Under his leadership with the SBS, there were 5 Blues in the Park concert series as well as the release

of Sacramento Blues, a compilation CD of 16 Sacramento blues artists.

Mike is perhaps best known as the co-director of the Sacramento Heritage Festival, which was produced from 1994 to 2002 and sometimes drew over 10, 000 attendees and featured many genres of music as

SBS ANNOUNCES 2011 HALL OF FAME HONOREES

AWARD CEREMONY AT THE DECEMBER MEMBERSHIP PARTY –by Jan Kelley

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V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6

Greetings Sacramento Blues Society (SBS) members and

blues enthusiasts,

As you are probably aware, your SBS will be celebrating our 32nd year of existence this year at our annual ―Membership & Hall of Fame‖ show! We are pleased to be inviting three worthy people to join, and honoring their contribution to our blues heritage: Boogie Woogie great Dave ―Omar Sharriff‖ Alexander, Ms. Lena Mosley and

―Big‖ Mike Balma. Congratulations to each one!

During our ―Membership & Hall of Fame‖ show we will be concluding the SBS election process for the next term for positions on the board of directors. This event is absolutely FREE for members, so bring your ballots (if you

haven‘t mailed them in already).

Your blues society will be gearing up to send our solo/duo entry back to Memphis for the Blues Foundation‘s 28th International Blues Challenge. This is the largest blues competition and there is nothing like it anywhere else on our planet! Good luck to ―The Used Blues Duo‖. Please come out and support the musicians at The Torch Club on

December 10 for a fundraiser.

December-January 2012

Thanks for your support of the Sacramento Blues Society, the Blues In The Schools Program, the benefits, the local clubs, the festivals and the wonderful blues musicians in the area. We have lost a couple of fine venues during the past year. We‘ve had to say goodbye to Constable Jack‘s and we‘ve witnessed the end of an era at the Horsemen‘s Club with the ‗retirement‘ of Big Mike Balma & the Heritage Festival. Also, The Northern California Blues Festival may be in jeopardy. We are hoping someone steps in to fill these voids, so your

continued support is especially important!

Enjoy the holiday season by catching some blues near you! Here‘s hoping we all have a peaceful and prosperous

2012!

I will be stepping-out of the SBS after serving in various positions over the last 10 years for a little break. Thanks

for the smiles and fun times!

As always, ―Save me a seat‖, Willie Brown

Omar Sharriff—continued

and every Sacramento Heritage Festival held from 1994 through 2005. Omar also toured nationally and

internationally.

Omar's repertoire includes over 5000 songs and dozens of outstanding, edgy original compositions, many of which involve uncomfortable subjects and brutally honest lyrics. While in Sacramento, Omar recorded 3 CDs for the Have Mercy Label and his songs also appear on both Sacramento Blues compilation CDs. In 1993, his song

―House Built By The Blues‖ was nominated for a Handy award and Sacramento Bee music critic David Barton called it ―one of the best songs of any kind to come from a local songwriter‖ and Omar ―one of the country's best

songwriters.‖

In 2011, Omar returned to live as an honored musician in his hometown of Marshall, Texas at the request of the mayor, who declared the town ―The Boogie Woogie

Capital‖ upon Omar‘s return, amid much fanfare.

Willie’s Wise Words

Mike Balma—continued

an art form. From 1997 to 2011, Mike presented over 50 shows of multiple-themed acts in various venues, primarily the Sacramento Horsemen‘s Association. Several benefit concerts were held to generate funds for musicians and their families and thousands of dollars-worth of musical instruments were donated to a variety of Sacramento area

school music programs.

Lena Mosley— continued

Lena‘s performance with the Sacramento Blues Society events spans many years, performing at Christmas par-ties, fundraisers, jam sessions and the Blues In The School program. Lena also brought the ―Blues‖ to the CSUS Student Body, and her band regularly performed at the Sacramento Blues Festival during the many years that Phil Givant was the producer, leading to being asked by

the Jazz Jubilee to perform on subsequent occasions.

In 2006, Lena joined ―The Sacramento Blues Revue,‖ an eight person band, as the only female vocalist. Recently the group received a SAMMIE (Sacramento Area Music Award) for the ―Best Blues Band,‖ recognizing the band as

a prominent local act.

During the past 20 years, Mike also produced blues pro-gramming for other Sacramento area musical programs, including the Rocklin Jubilee, Rainbow Festival, several SPCA Festivals, the Sacramento Downtown Concert Se-

ries and the Sacramento SAMMIES.

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V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6

Watson, Jim Cobb, Paris Clayton, Lare Garcia, Karen Sanders, Val Starr, Chris Ferah, Leo Bootz and many others. They lend their support to novice and lay musicians who come to play for the fun of it. ―My biggest challenge is time management,‖ said Mendoza. ―Making sure all the jammers get a chance to perform.‖ Mendoza, who has been singing in front of audiences since he was 10 years old, usually starts the evening with a song or two of his own before turning it over to others. ―Jammin',‖ he says. ―There's no feeling like it.‖

December-January 2012

SAVE THE DATE!

Dec 4th

SBS Membership Party w/

The Karen Lovely Band

@ VFW Hall Post 67

Free to Members

Catch the Tuesday night blues by Nan Mahon

treat to meet and hear Bernard Allison (he‘s rarely on the west coast). When I heard his legendary father, Luther Allison, back in the ‗70‘s I knew I was a blues babe at heart. Tommy brought our own Kyle Rowland and Connor James up during the jam at the end of the show to join with the pro‘s in blowing the roof off. Curtis Salgado, Deanne Bogart, Bernard Allison, Tommy Castro and all the

incredible band members were just terrific.

As you‘re reading this our annual membership party will have been a great success. The show featuring ―The Karen Lovely Band‖ along with IBC runner up, ―Delta Paul‖ also included honoring local Sacramento favorites, Lena Mosley, Mike Balma and Omar Sharriff, inviting them into

our Hall of Fame.

In closing I‘d like to thank the Sacramento Blues Society board members for their support and work. It takes a village to hold YOUR blues society together. It would be

great to see and hear from other tribe members.

Well it‘s hard to believe that the first decade of the 21st century is drawing to a close (you all know that the 21st century didn‘t start till 2001, right?) Let me please start by saying how thankful I am for the opportunity to act as your Events Chair for the past two years. A lot of people helped to bring you some great parties. I‘d like to thank them all (way too many to name here) but especially Dave Alcock for ALWAYS stepping up to the plate and getting it done. I said I was going to do things differently, and believe I did. Hope you enjoyed the parties. Now it‘s time for someone else to bring their energy and ideas forward. This is your blues society. Maybe you‘d like to put on some great blues

events, try some new venues, new artists; it‘s a lot of fun.

Our International Blues Challenge competition (held at The Station, September 25th) brought out some outstanding local talent, all competing for the chance to go to Memphis to strut their stuff on Beale Street. The Used Blues Duo was the judges‘ choice. Please show your support by attending the upcoming fundraiser, December 10th at the

Torch Club, 5pm-8pm.

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue at Three Stages October 21st was a smashing success. It was a special

What’s Happening – by Lizzie Walker

About 7 p.m. on Tuesday nights, musicians begin arriving, carrying instrument cases, greeting old friends. It‘s the weekly blues jam at the Sports Bar & Grill in Elk Grove where the professional players step up on s t a g e w i t h b e g i n n e r s t o celebrate the blues. The host of the event is bluesman, entertainer, singer, Gary Mendoza who began staging the jam in September at the request of the club owners. ―Through Facebook, I was able to gather up a full house of friends, musicians, and blues lovers to kick it off,‖ said Mendoza. ―It was an instant success.‖ The growing crowd at the club on Tuesday nights, from 7-10 p.m., has attracted local professionals, including Jeff

Host Gary Mendoza-harp; Dave Segal-Lead Guitar; Joe Lev-Bass;

Kirk Hooper-drums. Photo by Mike Rossa.

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December-January 2012 Volume 32; Issue 6

This year‘s IBC competition was a great success with a host of top talent and a crowd to go along with it. This year‘s event was

held at The Station in Roseville and packed the house with a

room full of blues lovers having a

good time and lots of good music.

Lady C opened the show and set

the bar for the rest of the acts. This year‘s solo/duo

format brought 10 acts with their ‗A‘ game. Coyote Slim came out

with his unique style of cowboy blues, followed by Blues to Go to

round out the energy. Burnin‟ Bernie Schroder brought some

smokin‘ guitar work, as Delta Paul was waiting in the wings to get

the crowd going with his unique style. Katie Knipp followed with

some piano and Dobro playing that was sweet and sultry.

Chicken and Dumpling thrilled the crowd with their own style of

home-grown blues. Our first place winners, The Used Blues Duo,

blew the crowd away with their stellar performance, followed

by Karen Sanders; then Gail and Vernon finished out the compe-

tition.

The musicians came from all over the region and as far away as

the Bay Area to compete in our little competition and see who will

be going to Memphis January 21 – February 5, 2012 to represent

the capital city. Our first place winners, The Used

Blues Duo, will show the rest of the world how we in

Sacramento do Blues. The

second place winner, Delta

Paul, will be opening our

annual membership party in

December. See you at the

show!

THE IBC WAS A WINNER – by Dave Alcock

The Used Blues Duo—First Place Delta Paul—Second Place

Lady C

Coyote Slim

Burnin‘ Bernie Schroder

Katie Knipp

Gail and Vernon

Karen Sanders

Chicken and Dumpling

Judges, from left; Rick Von Geldern, Chris Fraire, Paris Clayton, Brenda Taylor,

Mary Carrera

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Blues In the Schools Stretches Out! - By Cynthia Jaynes

V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6 December-January 2012

The Blues In The Schools (BITS) program strives to bring the

blues experience, in a variety of forms, to students throughout the Sacramento Region. This includes several neighboring counties, and many different school districts. This can be a little daunting with the very few BITS Committee members that keep the pro-gram running, but we were able to go Big last month!

On October 21, 2011, Carrera Productions and BITS sponsored a free songwriter‘s symposium which featured Blues artists from The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring the Tommy Cas-tro Band with guests Curtis Salgado, Bernard Allison, and Deanna Bogart. Held at Three Stages, the new, beautiful, state

of the art performance center at Folsom College, the event was attended by over 300 high school students from the Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and Sacramento communities. There were also a plethora of college students, professors, interested members of the Sacramento Blues Society, and community mem-bers accompanying students and youngsters of all ages. The price of admission was a student & several members took us up on that!

The students were treated to anecdotal

tales of legendary bluesmen sitting around the family living room (Bernard Allison), what it‘s like to be ‗the girl in the band‘ (Deanna Bogart), a glimpse into life on the road with the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue (Tommy Castro), and tales of John Belushi, Ray Charles, and more (Curtis Salgado). It was an inspirational, entertaining and educational afternoon – thoroughly enjoyable! We‘ve received

positive responses from attendees and even individual requests from our up and coming blues players, still in school, but looking for more blues connections!

In other BITS news, we are organizing for the Spring semester and hope to continue the after school guitar and drum lessons, the two-part lecture/concert series, and an expansion of the com-munity-based after school program.

Support BITS and keep the Blues alive and movin‘ forward!!!

ELECTIONS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!

VOTE FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE SBS BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THE ELECTION WILL TAKE PLACE ON DECEMBER 4, 2011, AT THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP HOLIDAY PARTY.

BALLOTS ARE COMING - KEEP AN EYE OUT!!! WE‟LL SEE YOU AT THE PARTY!

We have seven fine members for your consideration. Check them out

This year we are including brief statements from Nomi-nees for the Board of Directors. Kim Duvall—I'm a blues lover... and love to spread the love I also work for the State of California at the California Energy Commission. I have served on the Sacramento Blues Society Board of Directors several times in the past, as Membership Chair, Vice President and as a general member.

Roger Gantner—I have been a Blues lover since I was a teen-ager. I worked my way through college in London, England singing the blues professionally. I was friends with Cyril Davis until his death in 1964. When I first moved here last year, the Sacramento Blues Society was one of the reasons I chose the Sacramento area as my new home. I am retired and thus have the time to devote to the things I enjoy. I would love to be a part of the SBS and to help it grow

Tammie Madill—I have been an active member of the Sacra-mento Blues Society for years . I raffled off a beautiful hand-made quilt and donated proceeds to Blues In The Schools. I helped sign up new SBS members at The Northern California Blues Festival in 2010, & the NAACP Rhythm, Blues & Soul Festi-val at Cal-Expo in 2010. I went to the 2009 IBC to support the Delta Wires and Pinkie Rideau.

Rick Nolan—I've been a member of the Sac Blues Society for over (4) yrs. (2) as a member (2) as a business member. (www.Bluezzee-Tees.com) I love the BLUES . Sac Blues Society promotes the BLUE'S to its fullest, in the Sacramento & sur-rounding area towns. If elected , I will help promote SBS & keep introducing it to New & Old Blues Fans. Let’s keep Sac Blues Society ALIVE for many years.

John E Sandwich—I’ve been playing the guitar since I took it away from my father (he had a deaf ear) at the age of 6, switch-ing to bass soon after. My mother played piano at our Baptist church, and I would accompany her. So gospel was my appe-tizer, classic rock was my main meal for years, and now in my golden years, blues has become my just desserts I’ve retired now in Sacramento and intend to help bring music to those that will listen. I can see the altruistic drive & wonderful events that SBS has created for No Cal musicians, and it is appreciated! Any efforts that I can donate to furthering the local blues and music scene will be selfless, enthusiastic and untiring. Thank you for considering me for this opportunity to serve.

Zane Toberer—I want to promote the Blues as an art form in this area and will do my best to further that goal by assisting with producing memorable concerts featuring local and national talent. I promote an environment that fosters/mentors young people in pursuit of furthering the Blues, as well as helping to develop young individuals that have a natural talent for playing Blues music. I feel it is important to give to the community in the form of organizing charity benefit functions to raise funds to assist those less fortunate - what better way than to promote local Blues music artists for charity fundraisers.

Liz Walker—I've been involved with SBS and BITS for several years. I have served on the SBS Board for the last two years as Events Chair as well as continuing as Co-Chair of BITS. It is my desire to work toward the mission of the society to "preserve and promote blues music as an art form" by helping to build SBS into a professional organization that is part of the regional arts community.

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V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6

Following Dennis Jones‘ uncompromising power trio approach to the blues, a speedy sweep of the stage was executed by the be-yond adequate crew. Then a decidedly differ-ent blues trio took the stage, so dissimilar to the previous threesome that the only thing they shared in common was the number ‗3.‘ At the fore was Austin , Texas roots diva, guitar

p h e n o m e -non, multi-instrumental-ist and whis-tling virtuoso C a r o l y n W o n d e r -land, wearing a long,

patterned dress and a funky green/blue hat that told you she was going to feel at home no matter where she happened to be playing. Carolyn opened with an a cappella reading of Johnny Shines‘ Delta Blues classic, ―Nobody‘s Fault But Mine,‖ joined by keyboard and key-bass player Cole El-Saleh and drummer Rob Hooper. From there it was an un-predictable and captivat-

ing musical ride, ragged yet refined, with the minimal in-strumentation delivering the sound of a full stage of musi-cians. From 60‘s-style psychedelia to country and Creole, the eclectic mix of material provided a showcase for the artists, including Carolyn‘s demonstration of her whistling and trumpet-playing talents. The trio mixed originals with atypical covers by Janis Joplin (―What Good Can Drinking Do?‖), Bob Dylan (―Two Trains‖) and Robert Hunter/Vince Welnick (―Golden Stairs‖), songs that all appear on her latest album, ―Peace Meal‖ (not yet released at the time of the festival)‖. Carolyn also previewed a new tune, ―St. Mark,‖ that she wrote for her husband Whitney, a New Yorker who she married in March and who had accompanied her to the festival. After talking to him briefly, it was learned that he was former Saturday Night Live writer and occasional sketch actor A. Whitney Brown. Carolyn closed her satisfying set with ―Walk On‖ from her album ―Miss Understood.‖ She praised the song‘s co-writer and album producer, nine-time Grammy winner Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, declaring ―Ray‘s finer than frog hairs split four ways…I do not exaggerate!‖

December-January 2012

Swamp soul man Kenny Neal and his

family band blessed the festival with a closing set that sent an un-avoidable epidemic of smiles across the park grounds and ensured that every audience member, staff and ven-dor would remain af-flicted long afterwards. Opening with ―Blues Leave Me Alone,‖ it wasn‘t long before the

majority of attendees were at Kenny‘s feet, dancing and singing along to a set that included ―It Hurts Me Too,‖ ―Louisiana Stew,‖ ―You‘ve Got to Hurt Before You Heal,‖ The Things I Used to Do,‖ ―Blues Fallin‘ Down Like Rain,‖ ―Hoodoo Man,‖ and his Blues Music Award-winning Song of the Year, ―Let Life Flow.‖ Kenny announced that he and wife Josi were celebrating their wedding anniversary that very day, then proclaimed his love with a warm rendition of Ivory Joe Hunter‘s ―Since I Met You Baby.‖ On stage with Kenny were brothers Frederick and Darnell on keyboard and bass, and Bryan Morris on drums. In ad-dition, Kenny had a surprise guest in the wings, his daugh-ter Syreeta. Beaming proudly with a smile that lit up the foothills night sky, he announced that she was expecting a child, then Syreeta took center stage to display her vocal prowess on Bill Withers‘ ―Ain‘t No Sunshine.‖ When the music finally ended and the festival came to a close, the fortunate music lovers in attendance had been treated to a veritable feast of sound. Thanks to all the people who put the event together, made it happen seam-lessly and gave their time and energy any-where along the way. And a very big tip of the hat to Jason Haxton for yet another unforgetta-ble experience. Your efforts help make our region a world class music Mecca worthy of being sought out by fans and aficionados from all corners of the globe. Bravo!

The Nor-Cal! Continued from last issue—by Steve Cagle,, Photos by Bob Cosman

Kenny Neal

Carolyn Wonderland

Syreeta

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V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6 December-January 2012

SBS MEMBERS WELL REPRESENTED ON THE LRBC! - By Steve Cagle, Bob

Cosman, Kristen Dahl, Jan Kelley and Linda McShane

cially retro in their hippie attire.‖

―The first costume I wore was with a group of about 10 women who wore red shirts with ‗Big Llou‘s Crew‖‘ and his picture on the front, complete with red sailor hats & lighted tambourines. For those of you who don‘t know Big Llou, he is the announcer on Sirius XM Blues-ville and a large man. We appeared

on the pool deck dur-ing sail away and completely surprised Llou as we chanted

the slogan and surrounded him. He was blown away! But being the consummate entertainer, he did the Mardi Gras strut all around the stage with his devoted crew following.

And that was just the beginning!‖

"Monday morning brought some of us to the ‗Virgin Party‘- course I can't disclose the goings on there to the future ‗Virgins‘ - but it sure was a fun way to start the week long party on a boat! I'm not into costumes as much as some but I did enjoy our „Chain of Fools‟ on Carnival Night & it

was cool that we won first prize for the best 'krewe' and we just had so much fun with it! I've been on a cruise before (yawn) and attended many Festivals and this was a great combination of both. Unpack, party, dance, eat, dance, party, eat, dance - well you probably get the picture. I met many blues lovers from many places but I really enjoyed

my Sacramento Krewe - we know how to have fun!"

―I'm trying to create a new word, because ‗AWESOME!!!‘ is not sufficient to describe the experience for this virgin. Who would have thought that I'd get more fit on a cruise?! But all the dancing, walking back and forth & missing meals to catch another incredible act or jam session, did just that. Finding Big Head Todd playing to his Susie in a closed venue turned into an educational private concert for a few of us who happened by; discussing & playing the different applications of 'Spoonful' by various artists. This was a ship full of fun, friendly, open, talented & dedicated

people, including the hard working crew.‖

―Todd Park Mohr, Billy Branch, Nora Jean Bruso, Bobby ―Blue "Bland, Bobby Womack, Ellis Hall Jr., Cedric Burn-side, Charlie Musselwhite, Matt Stubbs, Chubby Carrier, Earl Sally, Deanna Bogart, Elvin Bishop, Mickey Thomas, Ed Earley, Bobby Cochrane, Gaye Adegbalola, Samantha Fish, Cassie Taylor, Dani Wilde,

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise is many things to many blues lovers; and this time the Sacra-mento Blues Society membership was greatly represented on the October cruise into Mexico. The following is a compilation of some of our

experiences.

―It was more than the passage of a ship filled with blues lovers, fans and musicians alike, headed for the Baja Peninsula for a weeklong excursion celebrating the music that bonded all passengers on board. It was also the final pas-sage of the West Coast run of the Legendary Blues Cruise, giving it special meaning to the experienced and a sense of urgency to those

who boarded for the first time.‖

―There was excitement humming in the air like electricity waiting to pop when you touch metal. For us newcomers, it was good to share the anticipation with new friends as we waited to board, and to see old friends walking in casu-ally and relaxed. The next whirlwind of activity followed: boarding the ship, settling into the room, reading information, filling out forms, looking for drinks, walking around to get the lay of the landless, group lifeboat in-

struction, and then, the party began.‖

―The music itinerary was overwhelming but seemed t o o f f e r enough op-portunities to enjoy every artist at least

once. Still, the Pool Deck was the best room in the house as the numbers in the audience continuously proved, and it was where Ruthie Foster kicked off the constantly flow-ing river of blues, sweet soul and r&b music that was the soundtrack of the next week of your life. Along the journey I had to return to see Ruthie a couple more times and even part of her Food Channel-style demonstration of making her ‗tantalizing‘ enchiladas. Her angelic voice and deep soul moves the spirit, so I referred to her perform-ances as the ‗tears and chicken skin‘ segment of the pro-

gram.‖

―Packing only two suitcases proved a bit daunting for me, as I wanted to wear a costume for each night‘s chosen theme. As a result, one suitcase was devoted entirely to my costumes and also door decorations that represented members on board. We also had the SBS small banner that was displayed between the two cabins which were occupied by Willie & Linda in one & Bob & me in the other. Paul & Karen Vieira were just two doors down & also decorated and participated in theme nights, looking espe- Continued page 8

Chain of Fools-Clockwise, from top left;

Willie Brown, Bob Cosman, Jan Kelley, Terri Fox, Jim

Cobb, Kristen Dahl, Bo Ely, Steve Cagle, Mindy

Cagle, Kathy Ely, Linda McShane

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V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6

December-January 2012

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BLUES?

This 1954 smash R&B hit – ably covered in later years by Stevie Ray Vaughan – was arranged by Ray Charles for the outrageous guitarist who is forever identified with it:

1. ―Double Trouble‖ 2. ―Texas Flood‖ 3. ―The Things That I Used to Do‖ 4. ―The Sky Is Crying‖ 5. ―Tin Pan Alley‖

Answer found within this newsletter

From the Knowledge Card deck, What Do You Know About the Blues? By Cary Wolfson. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher, Pomegranate

Communications, Inc., www.Pomegranate.com, (800) 227-1428

Men and Music -- The Life of a "Pick-Up" Musician -- by John Noxon

OK. It's 4:30 PM Thursday afternoon and out-of-the blue I get a call from the wonderful and fabulous Kaye Bohler who needs a keyboard player for Sun-day's "Blues-for Life" Event at the Torch Club. I just returned from five weeks in South Africa exploring San/Bushman cave art and I'm draggin' ass from the 10-hour jet lag/time differ-ence. My first thought is: "I'm toast, how about other keyboard players", but Kaye wants me, and how can I resist. It's a great cause to help others in need, and it's sponsored by Marina and the Torch Club. Besides, who can resist Kaye, that vivacious, bubbly woman with the big voice, curly blonde hair, and pretty legs she keeps in shape by all that dancin' on stage. So Friday I get the set list of tunes Kaye wants to do and it's the first time I'll be playing with Kaye. Fortunately, it's just an hour set. But Kaye has a great many tunes, mostly originals from her CD's. Being in the music business for decades, ergo, performing with Kaye means learning her music and the way she does it. Lots of key modulations as she weaves her way through the melodies to climatic bursts of energy often followed by solo voice, bass or drums. Many of the breaks, pauses, modulations and such are intuitive, but many are not. And practice is the only

way to learn the correct changes. On new material, I'd say it takes a good ten hours to learn a one-hour set for stage. So between unpacking and getting my house back in order after South Africa, I put in the time to learn Kaye's tunes. And then on Sunday I lug my 1/4 ton of keys gear out to the stage. Not that I regret any of it; Kaye always plays with the best and I'm hon-ored to share the stage with such ac-complished musicians.

I'm always amazed at what happens on stage when that special musical magic emerges from among musicians exploring the blues cosmos. Whoa, John. I must have put in too much time exploring the African Bushman cave paintings and been transported to states of enhanced con-sciousness. Time to return to reality and get ready for weekday work and music for next weekend! Editor's note: John Noxon, a former Director and current Business member of the Sacramento Blues Society, has been playing music for over forty years in the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay areas. He also rebuilds vintage Hammond organs and runs sound systems for various events.

Jimmy Thackery, JP Soars, Laurie Morvan, Tommy Castro, Bernard Allison, Curtis Salgado, Lionel Young, Michael Burks, Vasti Johnson, Sherman Robertson, Otis Tay-lor, Ruthie Foster, Tab Benoit, Leon Blue, Eden Brent, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Taj Mahal, about 50 more musicians and 1400 of my closest friends helped me celebrate my 65th birthday for 7 days on a floating 5 star hotel. What‘s not to love? (Except for the

―65‖ part.)‖

―There were so many varieties of experiences on the ship, too numerous & individual-

ized to write about, so all I can say is –YOU GOTTA GO!‖

SBS on the LRBC! - Continued from page 7

9

THANKS to our business members (listed below) for supporting our efforts to entertain and educate

the community with blues events and music programs.

V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6 December-January 2012

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BLUES?

(3} What Texas guitarist – Stevie Ray certainly included – doesn‘t owe a debt to Eddie ―Guitar Slim‖ Jones? Born in Mississippi, he moved to New Orleans and was a regular on the Louisiana-Texas circuit, where his live performances became the stuff of legend. He dressed in wildly colored suits (hair often dyed to match), and no stage was big enough to hold him when he started roaming around a club, trailing several hundred feet of guitar cord behind him.

Produced by Johnny Vincent at Cosimo Matassa‘s renowned J&M Studio in New Orleans, ―Things‖ shot to No. 1 R&B in early 1954. In addition to doing the arrangement, Ray Charles played piano on the date, but the credit for its success

belongs entirely to Slim‘s fervent vocal and his distorted guitar sound. It provided the basis for several more of Slim‘s recordings, but was the only one to have any chart success.

From the Knowledge Card deck, What Do You Know About the Blues? By Cary Wolfson. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher, Pomegranate Communications, Inc., www.Pomegranate.com, (800) 227-1428

10

Northern California Blues Festival

e-mail:

info@norcalbluesfest.com

Website:

http://www.norcalbluesfest.com

313 Laurence Ave.

Kansas City, Mo

64111

1-888-BLUESIN‟

www.bluescruise.com

Please Patronize the following Businesses and venues

that Support your Blues Society with their membership

Louie‟s

Cocktail Lounge

3030 Mather Field Road

Rancho Cordova CA

95670

916-262-9151

louiescoctaillounge.com

11

V o l u m e 3 2 ; I s s u e 6

New Bands receive a Free Business card copy in the first Blue Notes Following your

membership date and follow-up listings for as long as you remain a Band Member, a link from our

website to yours and the announcements and offers to Musicians received on our website.

H i r e a n S B S m e m b e r b a n d

Al Zaid & Classic Soul 916-627-8627 www.gigsalad.com/al_zaid_classic_soul_band_ sacramento Andy Keene & Kinda Blue 916-799-1544 ajkeane3@aol.com Chicken & Dumpling www.chickenanddumpling.net 530-753-5265 or 530-902-7209

Coyote Slim

408-838-0456

bluesman@coyoteslim.com

www.coyoteslim.com

Delta Wires

Prima Management 510-814-0872 info@deltawires.com Diamond Bob & the Alley Sneakers

bobperro@yahoo.com 408-313-7194 www.diamondbobsblues.com Doni Harvey 415-308-2836 www.doniharvey.com Gail Jo & the Criminals of Love Gail Bischo—916-729-4238

gjwb944@yahoo.com

Gary Mendoza Band 916-599-9947 www.garymendozaband.com Isis & Cold Truth. 408-835-4168 Myspace.com/coldtruthband\ Johnny “Guitar” Knox Dave Croall & the Soothers

916-455-6349 rightdave@hotmail.com Midnight Mind-Katie Knipp

Solo singer/songwriter http://www.katieknipp.com/ (415) 272-7581 katiek4604@comcast.net

O Street Jumps

Dan 916 -944-7292

Cari 916-725-4889 Packard Slim

www.packardslim.com Phil Berkowitz & the Dirty Cats. 415-337-5448 www.philberkowitz.com Russell Blues Band Clint Marrs, Vocals & Guitar 530-307-1709 crmarrs@crmarrs.com Rube & the Rhythm Rockers.

530-518-9546 www.myspace.com/ruberhythmrockers

December-January 2012

www.packardslim.com

Welcome New Band Members!

Snake Alley Tommy Ing—707-495-4779 tboneblues@att.net www.snakealleyband.com Spotted Dog Rockin‟ Blues Revue Greg Gartrell—916-332-5417 raulduke52@sbcglobal.net www,spotteddogmusic.com Steve Foster Band

916-276-9170 Stevefosterband @comcast.net The Blues Vandals

916-384-7457 bluesvandals.com Two Tone Steiny & the Cadillacs. 916-765-5564 twotonesteiny@yahoo.com Used Blues Band Sean McGroarty 916-204-9800 Sean@myifp.com Val Starr & the Blues Rocket

Val Starr 916-765-0162 JohnE Sandwich 916-225-0209 www.bluesrocket.biz Volker Strifler Band. 707-363-0080

www.volkerstrifler.com

12

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U. S. POSTAGE PAID SACRAMENTO, CA PERMIT NO. 2149

Board of Directors Meetings

are the 2nd Tuesday of each month

7:00 PM at the SMUD Building, 6301 S Street,

Sacramento, CA.

All SBS members in good standing are invited to attend.

Blue Notes! is

The official bi-monthly

Newsletter of the

Sacramento Blues Society.

Co-editors

Vj Anderson & Jan Kelley,

Send information for the

newsletter to

editor@sacblues.com

or mail to

Editor,

P. O. Box 60580

Sacramento, CA 95860-

0580

The Sacramento Blues Society (SBS)

Is a 501 ( c ) 3 nonprofit corporation formed to

preserve and promote blues music as an art form.

Sacramento Blues Society is one of the oldest blues societies in California, founded 1979.

SBS has kept the blues tradition alive in the Sacramento

area by promoting the local blues music scene and bringing internationally renowned artists to the region.

SBS is an affiliate member of The Blues Foundation.

SBS provides educational opportunities for young people with the Foundation‟s “Blues In The Schools” Program.

SBS produces a newsletter, “Blue Notes” Bi-Monthly

(six times a year) and mails to our membership.

Visit our website at

www.sacblues.com Current calendar, news, past newsletters and more!

Not a member? Join on our website!.

SBS Board of Directors

Dave Alcock

Willie Brown—President

Roni Cook

Kristen Dahl-Parliamentarian

Cynthia Jaynes

Kathleen Kelly-Treasurer

Linda McShane

Charlene Metzler–Secretary

Dennis Moffett—Vice President

Liz Walker

P. O. Box 60580

Sacramento, CA 95860-0580