Thanks so much to Shelley and Ace of The Delta Swagger for capping off a wonderful Women's History month project - filled with so much insight about the differences for women in music in today's touring world. Vive la difference! Their new CD is smokin'.
I especially want to thank Shirley King, "The Daughter of the Blues" for her warm and wonderful insights on that topic as well. The aspect of being a legacy, as the daughter of foremost living Bluesman B.B. King, comes with the common perception that she has had her musical career wrapped up with a bow and given to her, ready made. Shirley's father worked for his success and he sounds like my Dad... who wanted me to work for mine. B.B. wanted his daughter to work for hers - providing guiding hands and heart, but Shirley's career success is her own! We are proud to know her and are looking forward to her new CD this year.
http://www.answers.com/topic/shirley-king
I had a great time emceeing the very successful and professionally run Sparkle City Blues Jam at New Decades in Spartanburg, S.C. last Wednesday. Was impressed with the club, the amazing array of females who arrived to sing: Chocolate Thunder, Jean Calvert (see her great bios from her guest host stint earlier this month on Blues Moon Radio), Wanda Johnson, Shontell Babb and Fayssoux Starling McLean were in the house! The menfolk did a great job of rockin that Blues house, too! Special thanks to Ms. She D'Ambrosio, who invited me to host the last week of Women's History Month, for keeping the Blues alive in the Upstate and putting on a very professional event - we have some world-class talent in South Carolina and She keeps it rolling smoooooothly - more like a concert than a free jam. Excellent.
Vic Scaricamazza played drums on one set and got so inspired, he came right back to Cola-Town and invented an organization for Midlands Blues (sadly lacking in the past decade or so) called Columbia Blues Mob - it's a group on Facebook that is intended to support our local Blues Jam in Columbia - newly hosted by the New Utopia on Rosewood Drive in the Jim Casey Complex (not all the fireworks will be Jim's this Tuesday!) and to bring together a spot (online and in person) where Blues fans and musicians can meet and push the Blues scene forward. Eventually the goal is to link up with the Lowcountry and Upstate Blues groups; then interact with regional Blues interest groups to form a stronger Regional Blues presence. All are welcome to join in!
The Blues Jam features core group members, Doug Allen, Cleve Edwards, Vic... and many many more... check the group page for info about the management of it. As a Blues dj, I just play records... you won't see me up on that stage (and you thank me for that, I know!)
BLUES CONCERTS coming up ...
From Gary Erwin:
SATURDAY APRIL 9, 11 am-5 pm
ARTS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
featuring The Blues Stage
Francis Marion University
Florence, SC
FREE
www.fmarion.edu/news/artsinternational
DRINK SMALL www.myspace.com/drinksmallblues
IKE & VAL WOODS www.ikeandval.com
WANDA JOHNSON and SHRIMP CITY SLIM
MARCELO PONCE y VIVIANA DALLAS (from Argentina)
RICK STRICKLAND BEACH BAND
NB: AND that evening, 8-11 pm:
THE FOUNTAINHEAD (night club and cafe)
Dargan Street, downtown Florence, SC
WANDA JOHNSON and SHRIMP CITY SLIM
with special guests MARCELO y VIVIANA
cover charge
http://www.wandaj.com/
http://www.shrimpcityslim.com/
www.myspace.com/dallasponce
==================================
SUNDAY APRIL 10, 2-7 pm
7th annual BLUES BY THE SEA
Freshfields Village Green
Kiawah Island, SC
FREE
Brought to you by the Kiawah Accommodations Tax Folks, Bill & Marilyn Blizard (Kiawah's Friends of the Blues), and the Lowcountry Blues Bash):
JAMES COTTON BAND w/Darrell Nulisch
http://www.jamescottonsuperharp.com/
IKE & VAL WOODS BAND
MARCELO y VIVIANA
www.bluesbash.com/kiawah (to print brochure; all details; FREE EVENT)
http://www.freshfieldsvillage.com/ (venue website - more info)
=========================================
MARCELO PONCE y VIVIANA DALLAS South Carolina/Georgia tour
COUNTRY BLUES HUSBAND/WIFE TEAM FROM ARGENTINA
7: Mama Q's, Johns Is, SC
8: PI Tavern, Pawleys Is, SC
9: Arts Int'l & Fountainhead, Florence, SC (see above)
10: Blues By The Sea, Kiawah Is, SC (see above)
11: Mad River Bar, Charleston, SC
12: Home Team BBQ, Charleston, SC
13: The Mill, North Charleston, SC
14: Blues BBQ Harbor Cruise, Charleston, SC
15-16: Jazz'd Tapas, Savannah, GA
www.myspace.com/dallasponce
Most of the above shows are FREE admission
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Alligator Records:
APPEARING IN CHARLOTTE NC:
Down-home roots, rock and soul artist JJ Grey and his band Mofro will celebrate the release of GEORGIA WARHORSE with a live performance at the 2011 Whitewater River Jam in Charlotte on Friday, April 15, 2011.
GEORGIA WARHORSE features 11 original JJ Grey compositions (including one co-write) that come right out of the Southern musical tradition. Following up on the major success of Grey's previous Alligator albums, COUNTRY GHETTO and ORANGE BLOSSOMS, GEORGIA WARHORSE is a groove-driven, soulful masterpiece.
"Inspired, deliriously funky, deep-in-the-pocket front porch soul."
-Chicago Sun-Times
Date: Friday, April 15, 2011
Event: 2011 Whitewater River Jam
Venue: U.S. National Whitewater Center - Belmont Abbey Island
Address: 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway
City: Charlotte, NC
Phone: 704-391-3900
Ticket price: $20 advance / $25 day of show (all tickets are two day tickets)
Website: www.usnwc.org
*See website for complete festival line-up and ticket information
Tinsley Ellis is one of the most electrifying blues rock guitarists and vocalists on the scene today. Tinsley is on tour to promote his latest Alligator Records CD, Speak No Evil, and will perform at The Double Door Inn in Charlotte on Saturday, April 16, 2011.
Billboard magazine declared, "Atlanta's Tinsley Ellis sings like a man possessed and wields a ferocious lead guitar...one of today's premier blues/rock players," while Rolling Stone says Tinsley plays "feral blues guitar... non-stop gigging has sharpened his six-string to a razor's edge...his eloquence dazzles...he achieves pyrotechnics that rival early Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton."
Produced by Ellis, Speak No Evil is the most guitar-driven album of his career and features Tinsley's fiercest, most brutally honest and hard-hitting original songs to date. And as you'd imagine, the guitar work is positively stellar. Speak No Evil is as wide-ranging and inspired a recording as Ellis has ever made, and one of the most satisfying Southern blues-rock albums in ages.
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Venue: The Double Door Inn
Address: 1218 Charlottetowne Ave.
City: Charlotte, NC
Phone: 704-376-1446
Showtime: 10:00pm
Ticket price: $12 advance / $16 day of show
Website:
http://www.doubledoorinn.com/
You can hear over 225 songs from the Alligator catalog on their online jukebox at
http://www.alligator.com/
REMEMBER: ALWAYS CONTACT THE VENUE TO CONFIRM DATES and SHOW TIMES
