All news BLUES in the US!
All news BLUES in the US!
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Your Blues Internet Magazine |
from IllinoisBlues.com |
October 11, 2007 |
© 2007 IllinoisBlues.com
News, reviews, live Blues show links AND MUCH MORE at Bottom! - Scroll Down!
Hey Blues fans,
Last weekends Arkansas Blues & Heritage Fest was AWESOME! 62 Blues acts plus many other Blues shows, seminars and symposiums. Add to that a great crop of street musicians and the Sunday afternoon Pinetop Perkins homecoming at Hopson's Farm and it made for a GREAT Blues weekend. IllinoisBlues.com was there! Below are some sample pics but we got TONS more GREAT pictures for you! CLICK HERE to see all the fun photos FULL size!
IllinoisBlues.com was also at the Mark Hummel show last week at Paddy O'Flaherty's in Morton, IL.
The Kilborn Alley Blues band members were also there and did a great Jam with Mark and his band.
CLICK HERE to see the pictures.
This weekend brings the Voice of the Wetlands Festival in Houma, Louisiana, Annual Blues and Jazz Festival in Salisbury, North Carolina, the Stephen Miller Memorial Blues Bash in Palm Bay, Florida, the Columbia Blues Festival in Columbia, South Carolina, the Elroy Bike Meet & Blues Fest in Elroy, Wisconsin and the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise leaving from San Diego, CA. Support Live Blues near you by attending one of these events!
New to the Blues Blast & IllinoisBlues.com? CLICK HERE to go directly to the IllinoisBlues.com list of Live Blues Music. Click a link for more Blues content. Reviews Links Audio Interviews Photos Videos Blues Radio To advertise your blues shows or event for FREE Click HERE! To see The Blues Blast Archives Click HERE
Blues Basics
NEW to the Blues? Sometimes it is hard for those new to the Blues to explore this journey called the Blues! IllinoisBlues.com's weekly spotlight introduces (or reminds experienced Blues fans) about a Blues artist or subject worth knowing about.
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Photo © Jan van Raay |
This week we take another look at an early woman of the Blues, Big Mama Thornton. Born Willie Mae Thornton on Dec 11, 1926 in Montgomery, AL, she began performing in 1940 at an early age. She recorded on the Peacock label. Thornton had her first big hit when she recorded Hound Dog on her third session. (There is a dispute of her claim of authorship of the song Hound Dog. The song is claimed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.) Hound Dog went to the top of the charts for seven weeks in 1953, a couple of years before Elvis recorded it. Elvis , unaware of the Thornton connection had one of the biggest singles of the time with his release of the Hound Dog single.
Big Mama Thornton recorded several other albums on the Peacock label and continued to perform even as her career stalled. In 1965 she recorded with the Arhoolie label and released a live album with Muddy Waters band. In 1968 she released the album Ball and Chain with supporting guitar by Lightnin' Hopkins and others. The title cut "Ball and Chain" went on to be one of her most recorded works most notably being covered on several recordings by Janis Joplin. Thornton was a tough woman who continued to record until her death in 1984.
All Music Guide has a biography and a complete discography of Big Mama Thornton. They also include 15 second samples of most of her songs for you to listen to. CLICK HERE to read to read more about her.
The photo of Big Mama Thornton was graciously provided by Jan van Raay. CLICK HERE to visit her website and see more of her photos. To see Jan van Raay's complete set of Big Mama Thornton photos on www.flickr.com , CLICK HERE
You can see some videos of this great Blues woman on our website. Click the links below to see the videos
-1965 video of Big Mama Thornton and Buddy Guy doing her hit song
Hound Dog
- 1971 video of Big Mama Thornton playing harmonica and singing Rock
Me
- 1983 video of Big Mama Thornton playing harmonica and singing Ball
and Chain.
- 1983 video of Big Mama Thornton playing harmonica and singing
Hound Dog.
We have many more videos of Blues masters on our website. CLICK HERE to view them.
Featured Blues CD Review
James “Skyy Dobro” Walker , noted Blues writer and IllinoisBlues.com contributor reviews a CD from Hamilton Loomis - Ain’t Just Temporary
Hamilton
Loomis
Ain’t Just Temporary
Blind Pig Records
www.hamiltonloomis.com
By James “Skyy Dobro” Walker
11 songs; 49:20 minutes; Excellent
Born and raised in Galveston, Texas, Hamilton Loomis is considered a youngster in the blues community. In his early 30s, he is hardly a newcomer to music. He released his first CD, Hamilton, in 1994, which received a Grammy Nomination for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.”
Hooked on music through his parents’ extensive collection of blues, rock, and soul records, Hamilton honed his excellent vocal skills and multi-instrumental chops early, learning drums, piano, guitar, bass and harmonica by his early teens. He plays multiple instruments on this album as well as co-producing, engineering, and mixing. While he was at it, he wrote and co-wrote nine of the eleven songs. Guests include Bo Diddley who helped pen, play guitar, and sing “You Got To Wait.” There are also Scott Free, Trevor Root, Vince Palumbo, Danny Beltran, and Michael Bliss.
Loomis plays funk-i-fied Texas music by balancing his blues roots with experimentation and originality. Loomis is one of the young artists changing the face of modern blues. For example, he grew up listening to blues, but Sam and Dave, too. And, he was also a Prince fan, thus the funky stuff.
All of these influences culminate on Ain’t Just Temporary – sparse, funky rhythms, earthy Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 organ, grooving harmonica, and Hamilton’s soulful vocals coupled with his excellent guitar and slide work. Add in drum loops and other modern production touches and you get an approach that avoids blues clichés while keeping true to the music.
Standout tracks include “Slow Lover” with a solo harmonica opening and a cappella harmony vocals with Beltran on the words “slow lover.” “Legendary” gives us a taste of Loomis’ tasteful slide guitar and multiple instrument abilities with only Root joining on drums. Best smile inducer: good ole Bo Diddley says “Wait...you bug eyed sucka” at the end of “You Got To Wait.” Best blame misplacement is found on “My Pen” where the song’s early notes seem to come as hesitatingly as the words he is struggling trying to write.
The quality and creativity of Loomis indicate he will be around for the long haul – ain’t just temporary.
CLICK HERE to purchase this CD.
Click HERE for More reviews and interviews
Featured Blues Events
"The Queen of the Blues"
Koko Taylor
Friday October 19, 2007
The New Lafayette Club
1602 South Main Street
Bloomington, IL (309) 828-1212
w/ opening act FunKrazy Band
Tickets $22 in advance, $27 day of show
Tickets available at
www.ticketweb.com,
The New Lafayette Club
and Growing Grounds(309) 827-4343 in Bloomington, IL
Springfield's newest and BEST Blues Bar
11 W. Old State Capitol
Plaza Springfield, IL
217-522-5732
Quad-Cities "only Blues" venue!
3303 Brady St. Davenport, Iowa * MAP * (563) 324-4619
Friday, October
12
5:00 p.m. Jack Wessels Band
9:00 p.m. Slim and the Bullet Proof Boys
Sunday, October 14
8:00 p.m. Steady Rolling Blues Band
Friday, October 19
5:00 p.m. Jack Wessels Band
9:00 p.m. Wade Braggs and Blue Luck
Sunday, October 21
8:00 p.m. Steady Rolling Blues Band
Friday, October 26
5:00 p.m. Jack Wessels Band
9:00 p.m. Pena Brothers
Sunday, October 28
8:00 p.m. Steady Rolling Blues Band
3207 N University Peoria IL 61604
Located in the Community Bingo Building
309-681-1241
Upcoming Shows
Blues Society News
The Blues Blowtorch Society - Bloomington, IL
NV Ultra
Lounge and The Blues Blowtorch Society present..
Too Slim & The Tail Draggers
Monday October 15th,
2007 7 PM
NV Ultra Lounge -
107 East Beaufort St.
Normal, Illinois 61761
Tickets are $5.00 At The Door or at NV Ultra Lounge
Illinois Central Blues Club - Springfield, IL
Solo/Duo Blues Challenge
The Illinois Central Blues Club will be conducting its first Solo/Duo Blues Challenge on November 3, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Alamo, located at 115 N. 5th St., Springfield, IL. The winner will receive $200 in travel monies to represent the Club at the Blues Foundation International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN during February 2008. Entries must be received by Monday, October 15, 2007 Complete challenge rules and info available at: http://www.icbluesclub.org. Questions? Contact Mark Edmiston, at 217 622-0340 e-mail markredmiston@msn.com , or Charlotte A. Montgomery 217 899-9840
Illinois Central Blues Club Blue Mondays for October
The Alamo 115 N 5th St, Springfield, IL (217) 523-1455 8:30pm $2 cover
October 15 - Kilborn Alley October 22 - Bill Lupkin October 29 - Springfield Shakey
Send your Society's BIG news or Press Release to:
Blues Link of the Week
http://www.sfblues.net/index.html
So you want to explore West Coast Blues? San Francisco Blues is a good place to start. This site has links to San Francisco Blues musicians, clubs and more. A great place to check out another kind of Blues!
For more Blues links Click HERE to visit the IllinoisBlues.com Links Page
If you know of a COOL Blues link,
please send it to
Blues Radio - Streaming Link of the Week
Le Blues Café - (France)
http://lebluescafe.free.fr/index.html
Not really a live streaming station but another Blues radio program that you can listen to anytime via a stream. They play recorded Blues music and also have interviews with Blues musicians in the studio with the artists playing live as part of the interview. Site is in French and so is all the interview discussion! To listen you can visit the website and click on the word ECOUTEZ on the left side menu or simply Click Here to listen. You can pick from the current show or past shows with their player.
Check out other great Blues Music Streams Click HERE
Other IMPORTANT News Help Save the music! CLICK HERE to Keep Blues Radio Alive!
Chicago Blues Update
Live Blues reviews by Chicago Blues editor Lordy
Lordy is on vacation but will return next week with more Chicago Blues news!
CLICK HERE to visit Lordy's website at ChicagoBluesBeat.com
To see a Chicago Area list of upcoming events CLICK HERE
If you know of a Chicago Blues event or
news,
please send it to
Featured Blues Advertisers
Blues Fans & Friends Submissions
Friends of the Blues Kankakee, IL - EARLY Shows Series
7:00 PM Wednesday, Oct 17
Too Slim And The Taildraggers-
Brandon Casey’s Bradley, IL
Nybakke Vacuum Shop Presents
The Stamps Quartet With Ed Enoch
(Elvis Presley's Back up vocalist)
Saturday, November 3, 2007 7:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
801 S. Madison, Bloomington, IL
309-662-7272
www.nybakke.com
Admission is free! Please bring non-perishable food items to benefit the Clare House.
Blues Want Ads
Musicians Wanted
Guitarist and Vocals, 54 yr. Moving to Momence Illinois area (by indiana border). Need to get to work Looking for a band that needs help in this area. Blues, that is. any age is ok....I will be moving to the area in November. You can email me at pcliberty@aol.com and I will send a sample to listen to. Or you can call me at 954-270-1525.
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Live Blues Calendar
Performance dates were submitted by Musicians, Club Owners, Blues Societies and Blues festivals.
IllinoisBlues.com is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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