Blues Moon Radio Tuesday, March 20th - also Feb 27; March 6; March 13...

Ever have a month in which chronology is sped up? The past three-four weeks have been like that for me... I'll play a quick game of catch up:

Feb. 27th - Blues History professor and author of "South Carolina Blues," your Blues Moon Radio host put on her mortarboard to lecture on the subject at the kind invitation of the lovely Donna Ciriello of the Cayce West Columbia Library (Lexington County Library System). Donna was warm, welcoming and we had a great crowd to play a historical Palmetto State Roots Music Trivia Game, entitled, "Twelve Things You Might Not Know About South Carolina Blues History (Midlands Edition)." It was fun and I gave away posters to the top three winners and sold a lot of books, too. Donna even had a package of blues related giveaways as a grand prize! It was a wonderful evening. My next speaking gig is June 12 at the Irmo branch of the same library system. 6-ish p.m.


March 6th - we were on the air. Had technical difficulties accessing the internet and could not post. It was International Day of the Pig for some weird reason, so how would a normal, Southern Blues host prepare a feast of bluesy songs? All about that BBQ, baby. That's how. OINK. It also kicked off Women's History Month, so we heard the first six or so songs from the Women-A-to-Z playlist that we're using again this week. For the sake of continuity, I'll try to post the OINKer playlist we chose from immediately below and the WHM one further down under today's possible selections:



March 13th: The university (the USC in WUSC) took spring break and, thus, so did we. We did not spend ours reveling in the Florida sea and sand, sadly, but we did get a lot of great things done around the ranch, including a lot of patting of Kee Kee, the Wonder Horse. We'd say we missed you, except... Kee Kee assuages a lot of missing the show with his wondrousness. Sorry, that might sound harsh but it's true. Nothing a horse cannot cure except saddlesores.

That brings us to tonight's show, which will feature the usual March theme of women in roots music; also while we were going to feature Cherry Blossoms - with this Sunday being the festival in DC (moved from Saturday), we decided to focus on the original date that the Cherry Blossom Trees were gifted to the USA, so that is actually on next Tuesday, 3/27 around a century ago.

This week we will concentrate on "Wilder and Women"... it will add a festive aspect, in that we have tix to give away for the upcoming Webb Wilder show at the Legion; and of course it is smack dab in the middle of Women's History Month... sooooo, yeah. We're going there.

In a sad turn, Columbia SC lost a national folk treasure, Merrily May, who passed away in her adopted hometown a day after her 70th birthday this past Saturday. She was a kind, dear and talented soul who extended the hand of friendship to many, including me, and we'll send her off with one or two of her own compositions - leaving us with hope for beauty and love to flow on as we admire her beautiful, lilting voice. A celebration of her life will be held this Thursday (3/22/18) at Foxfield Bar and Grill on Howard St. (off Rosewood) in Columbia. Covered dish - bring a dish, a song or a poem or a memory to share.

I get a little misty when we lose someone in the fold, so please allow me to thank you for being a part of Blues Moon Radio - whether for short or long, we appreciate your being with us - it is why we do what we do, as opposed to sitting and listening to our vast reserves of music by ourselves in the living room. We fight that university traffic and commit to the vulture parking lot hunts to share the messages of these beautiful musicians with you. It matters that you are there to hear it. Please connect with us on Twitter and Facebook - and like our FB pages at: Blues Moon Radio; South Carolina Blues and Music of the Carolinas - thanks again; please tell your music-loving friends.

Tonight... tonight's show is for Merrily May and all her friends.

PHOTOS: Merrily May (left) seen below singing with Emmylou Harris; early in her career; two other early photos; then the last photo is of late.

 

 

Tonight's playlist options (always subject to change with the phases of the moon and NASA's refusal to call Pluto a planet again despite that it clearly has an active volcano and is not a dead orb and it just isn't smart to mess with a volcano, now is it? I rest my case - thank you!):

 

Some women in the Blues and their music

 

 

Some of the men's viewpoints ABOUT the women:

 

And as promised, we'll play some Webb Wilder (and have a tix giveaway); and some of Merrily May's own music as her sendoff to the folk festival in the sky. Go in peace - you are an angel now.

 



 

 

 Don't forget to love up on those who make this show possible:
WUSC-FM
Papa Jazz Record Shoppe
Word of Mouth Productions
South Carolina Blues on Arcadia Publishing

and yours truly:
"Sonny Boy Red" Jackson and me - we look forward to serving you up some red hot Blues!
Clair DeLune

 

Our supporters:

As always we thank our long-time underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands all year around, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe, Word of Mouth Productions AND South Carolina Blues.
You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

 
This blog is brought to you  in part by:

South Carolina Blues
500 years of roots and blues music history in S.C.
by Clair DeLune
on Arcadia Publishing 

Tribute to two music pioneers: James Cotton and Chuck Berry on Blues Moon Radio 3/21/2017

Tonight we will break into our Women's History Month programming to pay tribute to two music pioneers who passed away this week: James Cotton and Chuck Berry on this edition of Blues Moon Radio, with your host, Clair DeLune on WUSC-FM.
 6-8 p.m. ET/USA (usually -5 GMT) on 3/21/2017

James Cotton, Superharp:
Chicago Tribune's memorial column by the award winning writer Howard Reich began, "Admirers called him 'Superharp,' which was a bit of an understatement. The sheer lung power and technical virtuosity that Cotton brought to bear sometimes made you wonder if his tiny, hand-held instrument could withstand such force."



James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite
& John Hammond; Durham NC 10/2014
Clair DeLune, photographer
 

Musicians and music fans alike mourn this powerful icon of the Blues who fought throat cancer and won, only to fall decades later at the age of 81. Cotton played long and hard, and rode with the greats, having traded places with Little Walter by leaving his own band, the Aces to play harp for Muddy Waters when the relationship between Walter and Waters got rocky.

He was warm and sweet offstage and as interested in knowing about you as you were about him. He shared hugs and kisses and CDs with me every time I saw him and even though he was unable to stand for long, he arose to greet me with a kiss the last time I saw him in 2015, during a memorable appearance in Durham NC with Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond.

From Hawkeye Herman: musician, author, folklorist, educator and recipient of the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive award:

"I first saw James Cotton perform in the 1970s when he was with Muddy Waters. I saw him perform with his own band numerous times over the years after he formed his own band. I was honored to have presented James Cotton with the Mississippi Valley Blues Society's RiverRoad Lifetime Achievement Award at their Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa in July of 2006. At that blues festival ceremony The Mayor of the City of Davenport also presented James Cotton with the Key to the City of Davenport. James Cotton was most appreciative in receiving these honors, and he expressed his deep gratitude to the Mayor and the thousands of fans gathered for the blues festival ... and to the joy of the crowd, he then proceeded to perform a superb set of his signature 'high compression' blues ...  in spite of the 100+ degree weather. I'll never forget the great James Cotton."

 

He touched so many lives. He will be dearly missed. Thank you, James Cotton for the indelible mark you left on Blues and in our blue, blue hearts.

 

Chuck Berry 1958
By Pickwick -
Billboard, page 59,
25 November 1972
Public Domain

Shortly afterwards, a Blues and Rock icon, Chuck Berry, left us [NBC News video obituary]. Berry laid one of the cornerstones of Rock 'n' Roll, along with musical architects like Little Richard. Chuck wrapped R&B around some country licks, sped it up and a particular style of music was born. Musicians who have played around the country with him are legion because Chuck knew how to make a dollar work. Instead of hiring and paying for travel for a touring band, he would often call in advance of a gig and ask for local musicians to learn his songs and back him. His music was familiar to most aspiring young musicians and he had little trouble filling the bandstand. He was the attraction and few, if any, were able to discern that the band was not his professional backing band, but a pickup group from their own home towns.

Berry was savvy in a number of ways and thankful for the "gift God gave" him to make music, starting out at a whopping $50 a night, which was more than a month's rent. He worked with myriads of well-known musicians and is remembered for his musicianship, his characteristic riffs and his trademark "duck walk," which he laughingly admitted he got by recovering from a fall onstage.

Last October, shortly after his 90th birthday, he said he was ready to release his first album in more than 35 years, simply entitled "Chuck." It is due later this year.

Hawkeye Herman also shared his impressions of Chuck Berry with us today:
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry, age 90 - b. 10/18/26, St. Louis, MO - d. 3/18/17, St. Charles, MO - A true pioneer & "founding father" of rock and roll. His music & memory will live on forever ... including eternally on tour extraterrestrially; as his song “Johnny B. Goode” is the only rock and roll song selected amongst the music that was placed on a golden record aboard the Voyager I spacecraft/space probe, launched in 1977, and forever awaiting discovery by 'civilizations' in deep space ... who it is surmised, upon hearing the music on that golden record, will contact Earth from deep space with the singular message; "Send more Chuck Berry!"

 

Personally, I give thanks for these music pioneers and am happy to have owned their records, seen them play and in the case of James Cotton, had the honor of being kissed on the cheek on numerous occasions by him.

We send each of these wonders to Blues Heaven with our love and thanks... let our musical tribute begin:

 

 

 

We'll finish out the show with our previously planned tribute to women in music.

Be well out there - sending love and comfort to everyone who knew these men - they are missed. We also - from another personal standpoint - dedicate the chicken songs to the charming and delightful Miss Pauline, who is ever in our hearts, on this anniversary week of her passing.

 

 

Clair DeLune and RockyDawg, Blues Defender,

reporting on a sad week in music history.



 

Something Wrong In the World 1/17/2017 Blues Moon Radio Show

Something Wrong In the World
1/17/2017 Blues Moon Radio Show

Creative Commons usage permitted/Bing

Every now and again, it seems the world just takes a break from fostering humanity. This show has stood as a stalwart champion of humanity, with a focus on studying what gives humans the blues (depression/sadness) and attempting to cure it with music (The Blues, which is an antidote to the blues).

Lately, we seem to be heading back to a time when hurtful things are acceptable. My protest against that is this show with the theme, "Something Wrong In This World."

My motto is "Be Nice, Do Right."

Drink Small, who was my pro bono PR client for almost 20 years, has a signature song called "Never Too Late to Do Right" and we'll include that.

Be nice to yourselves and each other, dear ones. It hardly takes any energy to do right and a whole lot to do wrong and have to fix it later. Sometimes things cannot be made right. Better to do it well the first time.

Love from the sunny RockyDawg and Miss Clair...

Main playlist (we might pick some unadvertised gems to add!):

We always love to remind you that there are some great concerts coming your way:

Blue Moon Concert Series
Ultrafaux – Gypsy Jazz – Saturday January 28^th
Harpeth Rising – from Nashville – Saturday Feb. 18^th

The above are part of the Blue Moon Concert series at the UU Coffeehouse, 2701 Heyward, Columbia, SC; at the corner of Heyward and Woodrow in the heart of ShandonUnitarian Universalist Congregation, 2701 Heyward, Columbia, SC. Tickets are $20. Reserve your tickets through the UU Hotline, (803) 200-2824. Doors open at 7:00, show starts at 8:00.. Reserve your tickets through the UU Hotline, (803) 200-2824. Doors open at 7:00, shows at 8:00.  Tickets and info for those are available via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/UUCoffeehouse/

And please remember that gift giving is easy for your music lovers - www.papajazz.com has all your music needs and a few first-edition signed copies of my photographic essay, South Carolina Blues. If they sell out, or you live far away, you can find it at https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9781467114721/South-Carolina-Blues

 May 2017 bring all good things!
Clair DeLune and RockyDawg

An art poster (11x/17) of the front cover of "South Carolina Blues" is available for sale by your host, Clair DeLune.

 Copies of the book, South Carolina Blues are available from the publisher, and wherever books are sold - in Columbia, signed copies are available from our favorite record shop, Papa Jazz on Greene Street for the cover price of $22 plus tax. And, as always, mail order signed first-editions are available from the author directly by sending a check or money order for $28 dollars to Clair DeLune at POB 5591 Columbia, SC, 29250; which includes price of book, tax and $4 S/H. Please indicate to whom you would like the book inscribed (please print clearly). A perfect gift for any Sandlapper, or music or history buff - or all three!

The print is available for $25, including postage and handling in the continental U.S.



 See you on the air - wusc.sc.edu - then click LISTEN

Clair DeLune and RawkyDawg, Blues Defender

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray (closed for the season); and Word of Mouth Productions. You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

 

Blues Moon Concerts

 

and
This blog is brought to you  in part by:
South Carolina Blues:
500 years of roots and blues music history in S.C.
by Clair DeLune
on Arcadia Publishing

Wes Mackey guest hosts Blues Moon Radio 11/29/16

Visitor from Vancouver

SC native, Wes Mackey, guest hosts Blues Moon Radio 11/29/16

Jazz and Blues artist, Wes Mackey, who has lived in Vancouver, Canada, for many years returns to his roots, and pays a visit to Columbia while in the Palmetto State.


He'll be at a meet and greet at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe on Greene Street in Columbia from 4-5 p.m., then guest host a Blues Moon Radio show featuring all Carolina musicians (98 percent from South Carolina).

Then we're treating him and his guest to some lovely downhome cooking.

Our playlist:

Hope you can come to the event and tune in!

Some music to celebrate live concerts coming to the area are on tap:

 12/3: Alejandro Escovedo will appear at CMFA / 914 Pulaski St Columbia 29201 (near the Amtrak station) / Saturday December 3, 2016 / Doors at 7P - Show at 8P. Tickets are $30.00 /available through Word of Mouth Productions face page / event site soon or local 708-4500.
  Alejandro is on tour in support of his new album “Burn Something Beautiful.” He was named the "'No Depression' Artist of the Decade" in 1998 and received Americana Music’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2006. A new local group “Grand Republic” with former band mates of Danielle Howle will open.

 12/10: The new Blue Moon Concert series (formerly UU Coffeehouse) will open its four-concert series on Saturday, Dec. 10th featuring Johnny Irion with Tim Bluhm.  Also on the bill that night will be Columbia's Prairie Willows. The location is the UU Church at Woodrow and Heyward. 803-200-2824 - you can reserve tickets there (steep student discount).

Clair DeLune and RockyDawg

An art poster (11x/17) of the front cover of "South Carolina Blues" is available for sale by your host, Clair DeLune.

 Copies of the book, South Carolina Blues are available from the publisher, and wherever books are sold - in Columbia, signed copies are available from our favorite record shop, Papa Jazz on Greene Street for the cover price of $22 plus tax. And, as always, mail order signed first-editions are available from the author directly by sending a check or money order for $28 dollars to Clair DeLune at POB 5591 Columbia, SC, 29250; which includes price of book, tax and $4 S/H. Please indicate to whom you would like the book inscribed (please print clearly). A perfect gift for any Sandlapper, or music or history buff - or all three!

The print is available for $25, including P&H in the continental U.S.



 See you on the air - wusc.sc.edu - then click LISTEN

Clair DeLune and RawkyDawg, Blues Defender

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray (closed for the season); and Word of Mouth Productions. You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

 

Blues Moon Concerts

 

and
This blog is brought to you  in part by:
South Carolina Blues:
500 years of roots and blues music history in S.C.
by Clair DeLune
on Arcadia Publishing

 

Tribute to Pres. Kennedy and a Thanksgiving feast 11/22/16 on Blues Moon Radio

We will pay tribute to JFK on the 53rd anniversary of his tragic death via a collection of Blues songs compiled on that topic.

We have lost the widow of Willie Dixon - a wonderful woman who fought and won rights to his royalties - quite a difficult feat - and who passed away this past weekend.

The Sandlapper State has lost one of its own, our dear Will Salley, who left us after a valiant fight against ALS. Our hearts are broken and we send deepest love and sympathy to his wife, his many dear friends, colleagues and fans.

Some music to celebrate live concerts coming to the area are on tap:

11/29: Wes Mackey, who adorns the cover of Ben Franklin's book, Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues Musicians, will do an in-store appearance next Tuesday from 4-5 at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe on Greene Street in Columbia SC (just up the hill from Harden St.) and appear on Blues Moon Radio that evening.

12/3: Alejandro Escovedo will appear at CMFA / 914 Pulaski St Columbia 29201 (near the Amtrak station) / Saturday December 3, 2016 / Doors at 7P - Show at 8P. Tickets are $30.00 /available through Word of Mouth Productions face page / event site soon or local 708-4500.

Alejandro is on tour in support of his new album “Burn Something Beautiful.” He was named the "'No Depression' Artist of the Decade" in 1998 and received Americana Music’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2006. A new local group “Grand Republic” with former band mates of Danielle Howle will open.

 12/10: The new Blue Moon Concert series (formerly UU Coffeehouse) will open its four-concert series on Saturday, Dec. 10th featuring Johnny Irion with Tim Bluhm.  Also on the bill that night will be Columbia's Prairie Willows. The location is the UU Church at Woodrow and Heyward. 803-200-2824 - you can reserve tickets there (steep student discount).

Because there is always something to give thanks for, we give thanks for our listeners and friends around the world and dedicate our Thanksgiving Feast segment of the show to you... our playlists follow.

As always, we feature an artist from Word of Mouth Productions' Blues Festival roster though the years, and tonight it is another upcountry Palmetto State alumni, Mac Arnold - he'll tell you how he began playing his famous gas can guitar.

Thanks for tuning in - the show is jam-packed, and jelly tight! We'll even finish up with some jelly roll songs for a sweet touch...

 

Enjoy your holiday, Americans! And feast on something great, everyone across the world - sending light and love and hope to all!

We are especially grateful to have our co-host Rocky still with us after a near drowning Saturday night - much too cold for a midnight swim, young man! Glad he is safe and with us for this show about giving thanks - and hopefully many more shows to come!

Clair DeLune and RockyDawg

An art poster (11x/17) of the front cover of "South Carolina Blues" is available for sale by your host, Clair DeLune.

 Copies of the book, South Carolina Blues are available from the publisher, and wherever books are sold - in Columbia, signed copies are available from our favorite record shop, Papa Jazz on Greene Street for the cover price of $22 plus tax. And, as always, mail order signed first-editions are available from the author directly by sending a check or money order for $28 dollars to Clair DeLune at POB 5591 Columbia, SC, 29250; which includes price of book, tax and $4 S/H. Please indicate to whom you would like the book inscribed (please print clearly). A perfect gift for any Sandlapper, or music or history buff - or all three!

The print is available for $25, including P&H in the continental U.S.



 See you on the air - wusc.sc.edu - then click LISTEN

Clair DeLune and RawkyDawg, Blues Defender

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray (closed for the season); and Word of Mouth Productions. You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

 

Blues Moon Concerts

 

and
This blog is brought to you  in part by:
South Carolina Blues:
500 years of roots and blues music history in S.C.
by Clair DeLune
on Arcadia Publishing

Some old and new favorites - mostly rare and obscure Nov. 15, 2016 on Blues Moon Radio

Blues Moon Radio features a mix of rare and obscure cuts - I picked some that are favorites of mine, but most listeners will not have heard the majority of the cuts, and possibly not many of the artists before. Of course my blues scholars will have, but I will bet I can surprise even them with a cut or two.

The theme is indecipherable except to me - it's a secret Easter Egg garden known only to myself. Usually the theme is obvious, but not so much today because of a special set of circumstances in my life. Sorry I am not sharing that! :)

Thanks to last week's guests, Bruce Clark as well as Elliott New of the Untouchables. Bruce is appearing tonight at the Tapp's Art Center; and E&tU's CD, Bloodhound, is available. Don't forget the Bluz Shak Jam is tonight as well. Info on all is on FB.

Changes to the Sarah Lee Guthrie/Johnny Irion December 10th show for Blue Moon Concerts, formerly known as UU Coffeehouse series. Johnny Irion will be appearing with Tim Bluhm.  Also on the bill that night will be Columbia's Prairie Willows. There will be an event page on Facebook in the coming week. We'll hear a solo by Johnny next week, but he's singing with SLG on tonight's radio show.

Playlists follow:

Thank you to all who have donated via our donor portal. We only have a few scant days to reach our goal and we need our listeners' help.

We want to thank all who have given to the crowdfunding page for WUSC's fundraiser so far. We have a couple more days to pull in the amount we need to meet our coming year's budget. Thanks to those who have donated, and may we ask that everyone put in a little bit to help push us to the level needed to operate? We must raise a small percentage ourselves outside of the University support - and we rely on our listeners to do so - thank you again for your help! Click on www.wusc.sc.edu/donate - then be sure to designate your favorite show (Blues Moon Radio would love to have you in our corner, but please choose any show you love on WUSC) so we get points toward keeping our slots in future semesters.

Besides a few copies of Blues deLux's wonderful CD, I have several thank you gifts for those who contribute most generously:

An 11x17" art poster of "A Carolina Bluesman," from an original painting by Columbia artist, Barbara Howell. Your print will come without the copyright marks, of course!

An art poster (11x/17) of the front cover of "South Carolina Blues" by your host, Clair DeLune.
Copies of the book, South Carolina Blues are available from the publisher, and wherever books are sold - in Columbia, signed copies are available from our favorite record shop, Papa Jazz on Greene Street for the cover price of $22 plus tax. And, as always, mail order signed first-editions are available from the author directly by sending a check or money order for $28 dollars to Clair DeLune at POB 5591 Columbia, SC, 29250; which includes price of book, tax and $4 S/H. Please indicate to whom you would like the book inscribed (please print clearly). A perfect gift for any Sandlapper, or music or history buff - or all three!


See you on the air - wusc.sc.edu - then click LISTEN

Clair DeLune and RawkyDawg, Blues Defender

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray (closed for the season); and Word of Mouth Productions. You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

 

Blues Moon Concerts

 

and
This blog is brought to you  in part by:
South Carolina Blues:
500 years of roots and blues music history in S.C.
by Clair DeLune
on Arcadia Publishing

Tonight we pay tribute to several artists who have left us:
Carey Bell will be featured as our Word of Mouth Productions' Artist of the Week. This is the five year anniversary of Honeyboy Edwards passing. And Nature Boy Nik's funeral was this past weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.

Rest in peace, to all our Blues friends who have gone on ahead; and peace to those who miss them forever. We will see and hear you again one day in heaven.

Tonight, we'll hear from those artists on the radio, amid some surprise cuts sprinkled in among the following scheduled cuts:

Stay strong, Blues fans...
Clair DeLune and RockyDawg, Blues Defender

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; the UU Coffeehouse; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray; and Word of Mouth Productions, who present the Columbia Blues Festival each autumn - hold Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 open for a great show!

You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

Playlist for Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016 - Gambling, Chicken, Chops and more!

Tuesday, Aug. 16 will be a red hot show, full of sin and bluesy degradation.

We'll feature songs about the horror of gambling... then we'll serve you up some chicken and chops; as well as Tried, Slide and Side Eyed Blues.

If that isn't enough to make you lick the aforementioned chops, or your own, we've got the millennial winner of the International Blues Challenge as our "Word of the Mouth Productions Artist of the Week" - Richard Johnston, who will sing with one of my favorite female artists, Jessie Mae Hemphill.

I met Richard at a picnic in Como, Mississippi, along with his lovely mother, when he was just a tadpole and coming into his own with playing and awards. I made friends that day with Jessie Mae, who was there to eat, and with Othar Turner, who played and danced, as well as with progeny of many of the North Mississippi legends, such as R.L. Burnside. Also in attendance were many other illustrious players, but we'll tell those tales another time. The picnic took place on a beautiful Mississippi spring day in May of 2001, right after the Handy Awards (now called the Blues Foundation Awards). Fabulous time. Unforgettable.

So this cut takes me back to a wonderful afternoon, and Richard Johnston does a fine job on this tune. We enjoyed him again at the WOMP Columbia Blues Festival... and know you will love him, too... keep in mind, when you picture it in your head, that he plays a cigar box guitar (and did it to be authentic sounding... long before it was "the hip thang" to do).

Another Columbia connection is via the Indie Grits festival, which showcased an independent film called Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour by award-winning filmmaker, Max Shores.

Tonight's music will come from this list:

~~~ and ~~~

 

Columbia music cognoscenti will all know our dear friend, Will Salley, who has been critically ill for several years. We're paying tribute to him and the upcoming fundraiser, WILLSTOCK II, which takes place Sunday. We'll play a few tunes in his honor, including a song by one Will's best friends, Elliott New, who is also one of the planners of the fundraiser, along with the Untouchables. You can find information about the fundraiser and how you can help at: WILLSTOCK II on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/507875106085599/



 

Our fill-in list will flesh out the rest of the two hours (some of these have been played on previous week's shows).

 

then, perhaps from this list:

 

Tune in at www.wusc.sc.edu from 6-8 for WUSC-FM and Blues Moon Radio - thanks for listening!

Clair DeLune and RockyDawg, Blues Defender

 

As always we thank our underwriters, who help bring great music to the Midlands, because we could not imagine our show without their input and support:  Papa Jazz Record Shoppe; the UU Coffeehouse; California Republic Stand Up Paddleboards in Leesville near Lake Murray; and Word of Mouth Productions, who present the Columbia Blues Festival each autumn - hold Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 open for a great show!

You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...