Special guest tonight from Folk Fabulous Festival on Blues Moon Radio tonight

We're excited to announce that our special guest on Blues Moon Radio, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, is Laura Green. Laura is here to tell us about the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum and the annual Folk Fabulous Festival Saturday, Sept. 24th from 11-5 p.m.

Craftsmanship and artisanship are key ingredients of the event, which is free on the historic Horseshoe between Bull and College Streets on campus.

But Blues Moon Radio is focused this evening on showcasing the musical acts that will entertain you at the festival, especially the Blues/Roots music of Mill Billy Blues and Drink Small, the Blues Doctor.

Below is a playlist showing the songs we'll draw on during our interview with Laura, who is the cultural and Folk life director for McKissick and the South Carolina Arts Commission. We'll kick off the show with Drink Small, who is also our Word of Mouth Productions' Artist of the Week, and was Blues Moon Radio's Artist of the Year (even the Millennium) last year.

Note: You can click on any image to enlarge it 





Drink Small and Clair DeLune

Drink Small started his music career in high school in Bishopville, S.C., in a gospel group, then because of his deep basso profundo vocals, he was recruited to move to Columbia to join the Spiritual Aires, one of the first gospel groups to perform at the Apollo in New York City. Small has toured with greats such as Sam Cooke, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (as a duo), and countless spiritual groups.

Small, who never aspired to be a farmer, although he grew up on a small farm, attended barber college, but left the trade to pursue music full-time, and "never looked back."

The music selections chosen for this preview show his very early gospel work, his early solo work, his mid-range (1980s) sound and one of his most recent original songs about Barack Obama's election, which was recorded to express his "joy at living to see an African-American in the White House."

Drink Small's selection as one of the National Endowment for the Arts' Heritage Fellows in 2015 was a capstone honor in a life filled with many awards and accolades.

He has been featured in at least six books, including the Encyclopedia of Blues, and the Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues as well as this radio show host's own history of "South Carolina Blues" on Arcadia Publishing and one more yet to be published by USC Press, in addition to his biography put out by the History Press.

Mill Billy Blues will open the show with their unique brand of Roots music. A supergroup of Carolina musicians, they will make you want to clamor for more. Tonight, we'll treat you to a preview of two of their songs. Featuring two longtime and frequent guests on Blues Moon Radio, Freddie Vanderford on harmonica and Brandon Turner on guitar, they are often joined by respected guitarist Shane Pruitt and other well-known Upcountry SC players on a rotating basis. Vanderford, as well as Small, are each recipients of South Carolina's highest Folk life honors, the Jean Laney Harris award for their careers dedicated to South Carolina music.

The second hour of the show will be part two of Prison Songs, from a "sister" show hosted by a Blues brother, Blues Unlimited's Steve Franz. He'll tour you through some of the distaff side of prison songs, and we'll hear from a few incarcerated fellows, too, of course.

On this last day of summer, we bid adieu temporarily to one of our underwriters, who helped bring you great music all summer - California Republic. But rejoining us for their fabulous fall and spring concert season is the UU Coffeehouse Concert Series - next to appear is Claude Bourbon, a rootsy singer of Americana style songs with a beautiful French twist. He'll be in Columbia at the UU Coffeehouse on October 15th.

Thank you for listening, and be sure to tune in again next week... that show will feature some of the artists coming to the annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival in Camden, S.C., which is held each year on the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of October.

Stay bluesy...
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 (closed for the season); and Word of Mouth Productions. You can link to these orgs by clicking on the visuals...

 

http://www.californiarepublicsup.com/

Special guest host, Ethnomusicologist Doug Peach, on Blues Moon Radio - playlist for March 31, 2015

We have much great music to cover on this Tuesday's Blues Moon Radio show...

... We have a very special guest host, Doug Peach, of the Folklife division at the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum and who also represents the South Carolina Arts Commission - both very fine institutions, and I'm sure it has been said before, but Doug is a real peach and so smart about roots music.

We're glad to have him on air with us to share info about two Native American groups that come from Blues and Gospel influences.

Dark Water Rising and Lakota John and Kin, two Native American musical acts will perform April 3, 2015 at McKissick, so we're pleased to give listeners of Blues Moon Radio a preview of these talented artists' music. McKissick also has an exhibit of Native American art ongoing through July, so be sure to see that as well as the concert.

Because Charly Lowry of Dark Water Rising has a gospel background, we'll kick off with a few gospel numbers that have to do with Easter, then we'll play a few of those groups' influences, including Jesse Fuller, Etta James and Robert Johnson, and talk a bit about how they were influenced by them, and about their music, then we'll let you listen a few songs by each group. For many of you, it will be your first time to hear these groups. Doug has given us a platform and background to inform our awareness of their work. We're so glad to have him join us on Blues Moon Radio!

When we wrap up our focus on those groups and their influences we'll have a little time left. Because of the upcoming holidays we'll circle back to the Spring theme and celebrate things that spring forth this time of year, including rabbits, jelly beans and green grass. Finally, we'll tidy up Women's History Month with songs about women by men. I mean, they had to get a word in edgewise SOMEtime this month, right? We love our menfolk and cannot wait to hear what they have to say.

I found a song called Netta Mae, then virtually the same song entitled Nellie Mae by a different singer. Interesting to compare and contrast.

Hope you will tune in on Tuesday evening from 6-8, so don't be late! (6 p.m. EDT, USA and -5 GMT - if you are on daylight savings, if not you have to figure out how to adjust that time - whoa - I cannot make my head go there!). We're on the same time frame as Atlanta GA and NYC/USA. Hope that helps!

See you at www.wusc.sc.edu - stream it there or at iTunes/college and university/WUSC
Clair and Rocky and special guest host, Doug Peach (SC Folklife and Traditional Arts Program Coordinator, 777-7707, peachd@mailbox.sc.edu)

Playlist below:

We are excited to announce that Lowcountry Legend, Shrimp City Slim will be playing in Columbia SC on Wednesday, April 1st (no foolin', y'all!) at Utopia Food and Spirits... come hear the piano stylings of Shrimp City Slim and enjoy the great Utopia menu - 21+ only; no cover charge - show usually starts around 8 p.m. - Blues Moon Radio will play a cut or two from SCS tonight to get you in the mood! 4330 Ft. Jackson Blvd (new location across from Whole Foods - just a stone's throw from the old locale).

It is with great happiness that a very good friend and fervent supporter of Blues in this town has hitched his wagon to a star. We're bursting with happiness at the love between Doc and Mrs. Jones and we wish them nothing but love, happiness and a long and healthy life together - just know all will be wonderful because they deserve nothing but the BEST. I'll share a special song just for them tonight - Drink Small wanted me to wish them the very best too and asked me to let them know he sends his love and prayers for all good things along with mine.

Our artist of the millennium, Drink Small, the Blues Doctor, will sing Charleston Women for us to close the show ... we think that will be a very full evening of music, so don't miss a moment of the misses and misters!

Remember - in all things, we have to take the bad with the good, but never forget - miracles happen! Yeah, they do...

Sending love to all my Blues buddies - from me and the RockyDawg,
Clair