News

HARMONICA MASTER CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE FEATURED ON HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO HOUR

Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite, whose new CD, The Well, has been hailed as the best of his long career, will be featured on The House Of Blues Radio Hour this weekend, October 16 and 17. Tune in to hear Charlie talk with Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) as they discuss The Well.

The House Of Blues Radio Hour is broadcast on over 200 radio stations across the U.S. and in Canada and on American Forces Radio - 168 countries and all ships at sea. For additional information, to listen to a stream, or to find an affiliate station in your area go to www.thebluesmobile.com.

The Well is the first full-band recording in Musselwhite's almost 50-year career in which he wrote every track on the album, and it is the most personal and emotionally open cycle of songs he has ever created. The revealing, autobiographical songs recall specific events and places in Musselwhite's amazingly colorful life. His worldly-wise vocals and masterful harmonica work are perfectly matched with the stories he tells. Simply put, The Well is Charlie Musselwhite at his very best.

ROOMFUL OF BLUES PREPARE NEW CD SET FOR JANUARY 2011 RELEASE

BAND HOLDS FIRST-EVER CONTEST TO LET FANS CHOOSE THE COVER ART

Providence, Rhode Island-based horn-fueled blues jumpers Roomful Of Blues will release their new CD (and fourth for Alligator) Hook, Line & Sinker in January 2011. For the first time ever, fans of the band can vote to choose the cover art for the new album by going here:
http://www.alligator.com/index.cfm?section=covercontest.
Ten random voters will receive a free copy of the CD.

Since 1967, the group's deeply rooted blend of swing, rock 'n' roll, jump, blues and soul has earned them five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). Even though Roomful of Blues' lineup has changed over the years, the band has always been one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. Currently an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. The band's present lineup includes new members vocalist Phil Pemberton, bassist John Turner, and trumpeter Doug Woolverton and long-time members drummer Ephraim Lowell, keyboardist Travis Colby, baritone and tenor saxophonist Mark Earley, and tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille (the longest-standing member of the group).

JJ GREY RELEASES VIDEO FOR THE SWEETEST THING
Joined by Toots Hibbert And Filmed in Jamaica

The Sweetest Thing Featured on NPR's Song Of The Day

JJ Grey, driving force behind Jacksonville's JJ Grey & Mofro, has just released a video for the song, The Sweetest Thing, the first single from his critically acclaimed new CD, Georgia Warhorse. The song features JJ singing a duet with vocalist Toots Hibbert (of Toots & The Maytals). The video, directed by Brendan "Spookie" Daly, was filmed in Jamaica and can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6J-SBfMP5A

The track was featured on NPR's Song Of The Day on Wednesday, October 13, and can be heard here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130537000&sc=nl&cc=sod-20101013

The Sweetest Thing has blanketed radio stations around the country. In the Adult Rock (AAA) Format, The Sweetest Thing was the #1 Most Added song overall among AAA stations and was  #1 Most Added record on FMQB's panel of stations. Currently, The Sweetest Thing is #9 on the Indicator Chart and the album, Georgia Warhorse, is #9 on FMQB's Public Radio Chart.

Georgia Warhorse, named after a particularly resilient southern grasshopper, is Grey's best-selling album to date. Grey was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered. The album has been reviewed in USA Today, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Paste, Relix, An Honest Tune and many other national and regional publications.

JJ GREY ON NPR'S WEEKEND ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

Documentary Film, The Good Soldier, With Music By JJ Grey, Wins Emmy Award

Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/songwriter JJ Grey appeared on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered on Saturday, October 2. Talking to host Guy Raz, Grey discussed the inspiration, songwriting and recording process for the new CD, Georgia Warhorse. Grey then performed an acoustic version of Hide And Seek. Raz also played three tracks from the album.

The New York Times calls Georgia Warhorse, "impassioned, riff-based Southern rock, swamp funk and Memphis soul." Grey has been featured in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Relix, Paste, USA Today, Pollstar, Vintage Guitar, An Honest Tune, Hittin' The Note and many other national and regional publications.

Grey and his band Mofro are currently in the middle of a massive 51-city tour.

Listen to the Weekend Edition story here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130217983

In other JJ Grey news, the documentary film for which Grey contribued songs and original music, The Good Soldier (produced and directed by Lexy Lovell and Michael Uyls), won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming -- Long Form.

The film follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars. The film tracks the soldiers from the time they sign up, go into battle, deal with the reality of war and shows how it changes them, and eventually reshapes their definition about what it means to be a good solider. The film intermingles intense and revealing interview footage with documentary film of World War II, Vietnam, the Gulf War and the war in Iraq.

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BLUES HARMONICA MASTER JAMES COTTON'

NEW CD, GIANT, NOW AVAILABLE

Grammy Award-winning blues harmonica master James "Mr. Superharp" Cotton returns to Alligator Records with the new CD, Giant, now available. Giant is a ferocious blast of brash power blues from Cotton, one of the few bluesmen to have harmonicas literally explode from the pure force of his playing. Cotton, who in 2010 celebrates his 66th year as a professional musician (starting at the age of nine), has recorded 28 solo albums, including two highly-regarded releases for Alligator in the 1980s and the famed Harp Attack! with Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy Branch in 1990. The New York Daily News calls Cotton "the greatest living blues harmonica player." The New York Times adds, "Cotton helped define modern blues harmonica with his moaning, wrenching phrases and his train-whistle wails." Rolling Stone says Cotton is "among the greats of all time. He blazes on harp with remarkable and brilliant virtuosity."

Recorded by Stuart Sullivan at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas, Giant features 12 tracks, including four new Cotton originals and co-writes, alongside songs made famous by Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Ivory Joe Hunter and others. Throughout his career, Cotton has always had great bands, and the players on Giant are no exception. With guitarists/vocalists Slam Allen and Tom Holland, bassist Noel Neal (Ronnie James Weber on one song) and drummer Kenny Neal, Jr., Giant is not just a reminder of Cotton's legendary status, it is a remarkably vibrant and hard-hitting album made by one of the true blues masters.

Between his larger-than-life personality, his huge, boogie-blast-furnace sound and his massive frame, James Cotton is a blues giant in every respect. Born in Tunica, Mississippi on July 1, 1935, Cotton actually grew up on a cotton plantation. The youngest of eight brothers and sisters, he received a fifteen-cent harmonica for Christmas as a very small boy and mastered it almost immediately. He began listening to Sonny Boy Williamson's King Biscuit Time on KFFA from Helena, Arkansas and learned to imitate the older bluesman note for note. In 1944, after both of his parents had passed away, Cotton's uncle recognized the nine-year-old boy's talent and took him to Helena to meet his hero. Upon first meeting Sonny Boy, Cotton began playing the elder blueman's famous licks. Sonny Boy was amazed. The two became close, and Cotton spent many nights traveling with Williamson to juke joints all over the area. Cotton, being too young to enter the clubs, often played for tips outside.

When Williamson left for Milwaukee in 1950, Cotton, now 15, took over Sonny Boy's band. While this arrangement didn't last beyond a few gigs, Cotton got a taste of band leading. He met Howlin' Wolf and soon began touring with him all over the South. Cotton learned all about making it on the road from Wolf, and, though only a teenager, he was determined to succeed. By 1952 his reputation was growing, particularly in West Memphis. He worked often in local juke joints and clubs and, along with drummer Willie Nix, hosted a variety of local radio shows.

In 1953, the teenage Cotton received word that Sun Records owner Sam Phillips wanted to record him. He cut a total of four sides in 1953-54, including the classic Cotton Crop Blues.  In 1954, Muddy Waters came through Memphis without Junior Wells, his harp player at the time. Waters was well aware of Cotton's growing reputation and asked him to join his band. Cotton headed to Chicago with Waters, staying by his side for the next 12 years, becoming Muddy's trusted confidante and the leader of his backing band.

The first few years Cotton was with Waters, Chess Records still insisted on having Little Walter record with Muddy. But that changed beginning in 1958, when Cotton joined Waters in the studio, recording on many of Muddy's classics sides, including She's 19 Years Old and Close To You. Cotton convinced Waters to perform and record Got My Mojo Working, and can be heard playing on the definitive version of the song on Waters' 1960 Chess LP, Live At Newport.

By 1966, Cotton was ready to head out on his own. He first recorded sides under his own name for the Chicago/The Blues/Today! series on Vanguard, and along with Otis Spann, cut The Blues Never Die for Prestige. He made his first solo albums - one for Vanguard and three for Verve - in the late 1960s, with bands featuring outstanding musicians, including famed guitarist Luther Tucker and master drummers Sam Lay and Francis Clay. With his gale-force sound and fearless boogie band (later featuring Matt "Guitar" Murphy), it wasn't long before he was adopted by the burgeoning hippie audience as one of their own. Cotton shared stages with Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Miller, Freddie King, B.B. King and many others. In 1969 he appeared on Hugh Hefner's groundbreaking Playboy After Dark syndicated television program.

Cotton was well-known as one of the hardest-touring and most popular blues artists of the 1970s. His acrobatic showmanship (he often did somersaults on stage) and full-throttle blues kept him in demand at concert halls all over the country; he played the Fillmore East in New York, the Fillmore West in San Francisco and every major rock venue in between. During the decade, he cut an album for Capitol and three for Buddah. He rejoined his old boss Muddy Waters for the series of Muddy albums produced by Johnny Winter, starting with Hard Again in 1977. Cotton also guested on recordings by Howlin' Wolf, Koko Taylor, John Lee Hooker and many others. He was joined on his own albums by stars like Todd Rundgren, Steve Miller and Johnny Winter.

Cotton joined Alligator Records in 1984, releasing High Compression and Live From Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself!!! (which earned him his very first Grammy nomination). In 1990 he joined fellow harp masters Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy Branch for the all-star release Harp Attack!. He won a Grammy Award in 1996 for his Verve album, Deep In The Blues.

During the 2000s Cotton has continued recording and touring relentlessly, playing all over the world. He was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2006. The San Francisco Examiner says, "James Cotton is an inimitable blues-harmonica legend. His wailing harmonica blows them away. His jazzy improvisations on the blues are full of fun and good humor. The blues don't get much better."

Today Cotton, while turning over the singing duties to his road band, still blows the reeds right out of his harp. With Giant, James Cotton's aggressive, powerful blues harmonica playing is a true force of nature. In June 2010 Cotton was honored at New York's Lincoln Center, where his friends Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Taj Mahal, Shemekia Copeland and others paid tribute in an all-star concert. There James Cotton played in front of yet another sold-out venue, with fans all cheering the man known worldwide as "Mr. Superharp," an undisputed giant of the blues.

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JJ GREY & MOFRO'S GEORGIA WARHORSE AND

CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE'S THE WELL RELEASED

TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2010

Tuesday, August 24 will see the release of JJ Grey & Mofro's Georgia Warhorse and Charlie Musselwhite'sThe Well on Alligator Records.

The first single off of Georgia Warhorse, The Sweetest Thing (a duet with Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals), is the #1 Most Added track overall at Radio & Records' AAA (Adult Rock) Chart this week. The song will be the Free Download Of The Day at Amazon.com on Wednesday, August 25, and remain as a free download for the near future. Georgia Warhorse has already been positively reviewed in The New York Times, USA Today, Relix and many other publications.The full album is being streamed by Relix magazine at http://www.relix.com/audio/artist-exclusives/2010/08/19/jj-grey-mofro-georgia-warhorse-world-premiere. Grey and company will embark on a cross-country tour beginning on August 27 with a performance at the Blackwater Music Festival in Jacksonville, FL.

Musselwhite's The Well has been hailed as a career-best in Relix and The Chicago Sun-Times, as well as many other outlets. Musselwhite joins Bill Wax of Sirius/XM satellite radio's Bluesville (Channel 74) at noon Eastern time on release date to play and discuss tracks from the CD. This special presentation will be rebroadcasted a few times later in the week. Musselwhite, who is currently touring with Cyndi Lauper, will join Lauper during her appearance on Monday, August 30 on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Starting on September 11, Musselwhite will tour the U.S. with his own band, with dates in San Francisco,  New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and many other cities.

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Voting for the 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards is now open and continues until August 31st, 2010 on our website at: http://www.TheBluesBlast.com

HOW TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS
Voting is open to anyone who is a Blues Blast Magazine subscriber. Subscriptions are FREE and sign up is automatic as part of the voting process so anyone with a valid email address is eligible to vote.

After voting, a confirmation email will be sent to your email address with instructions on how to confirm your vote and subscription. (If you do not see the confirmation email, please check your spam or junk mail folder)

ABOUT THE BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS
In early May, a group of Blues music industry professionals including music writers, managers, musicians, Blues Blast Magazine staff and other industry professionals nominated the best of 2010 Blues music in eight categories.

ABOUT THE BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARD CEREMONIES
The 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards ceremonies will be held at Buddy Guys’ Legends in Chicago, Illinois, October 28th, 2010. The awards ceremony will feature music by some of the artists nominated. Tickets for the event will go on sale in mid August at http://www.TheBluesBlast.com. The 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards are presented by Blues Blast Magazine.

ABOUT THE BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE
Blues Blast Magazine is the fastest growing FREE weekly internet Blues magazine with over 15,000 Blues fan subscribers located in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries.

LISTEN TO THE NOMINEES MUSIC BEFORE YOU VOTE
Our sponsor public radio station WGLT has set up a web page where you can play music samples of the 2010 Blues Blast Music Award nominees. To hear these great Blues artists on GLT's 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards Listening site visit: http://www.wglt.org/programs/blues/blues_blast/blues_blast.phtml

When you get there, click on one of the nominees links to listen. A complete list of the 2010 Blues Blast Music Award nominees follows:

Best Contemporary Blues CD
• Joe Louis Walker - Between A Rock And the Blues
• Mike Zito - Pearl River
• Nick Moss - Privileged
• Sean Costello - Sean's Blues
• The Holmes Brothers - Feed My Soul
• Tommy Castro - Hard Believer

Best Traditional Blues CD
• Dave Riley & Bob Corritore - Lucky To Be Living
• David Maxwell & Louisiana Red - You Got To Move
• Eddie C. Campbell - Tear This World Up
• Fiona Boyes - Blues Woman
• Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Better Off Now
• Mississippi Heat - Let's Live It Up

Best Blues Song
• Jackie Scott & The Housewreckers - How Much Woman Can You Stand?
• Joe Louis Walker - I'm Tide
• Kilborn Alley Blues Band- Better Off Now
• Mike Zito & Cyril Neville - Pearl River
• Pete Anderson - Still In Love
• Quintus McCormick - Hey Jodie!

Best New Artist Debut Release
• Alabama Mike - Day To Day
• Jackie Scott & The Housewreckers - How Much Woman Can You Stand?
• Marquise Knox - Man Child
• Quintus McCormick - Hey Jodie!
• Shaun Murphy - Livin' The Blues

Best Female Blues Artist
• Candye Kane
• Fiona Boyes
• Janiva Magness
• Ruthie Foster
• Shemekia Copeland
• Zora Young

Best Male Blues Artist
• Bobby Rush
• Joe Bonamassa
• John Németh
• Magic Slim
• Nick Moss
• Tommy Castro

Best Blues Band
• Magic Slim & The Teardrops
• Nick Moss & The Flip Tops
• Rick Estrin & The Night Cats
• The Holmes Brothers
• The Mannish Boys
• Tommy Castro Band

Sean Costello Rising Star Award
• Cash Box Kings
• Damon Fowler
• Jackie Scott & The Housewreckers
• Joanne Shaw Taylor
• Marquise Knox
• The Insomniacs

CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE AND JANIVA MAGNESS RECEIVE BLUES BLAST AWARD NOMINATIONS

Alligator Records' artists Charlie Musselwhile and Janiva Magness received nominations for 2011 Blues Blast Awards.

Musselwhite received two nominations, one for Traditional Blues CD for his Grammy-nominated album, The Well, and one for Song Of The Year for the title track. Magness received a nomination for Best Female Blues Artist. The awards ceremony will be held on October 27, 2011 at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago.

BLUES MASTER CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE RETURNS TO ALLIGATOR RECORDS!

NEW CD, THE WELL, SET FOR AUGUST 24 RELEASE

Harmonica master, vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Charlie Musselwhite returns to Alligator Records -- where he recorded three successful albums in the late 1990s -- with The Well, set for an August 24 street date. The album is an authentic slice of Charlie's deep blues roots with musical flavors from Mississippi to Chicago to California, including help on one song from legendary vocalist and friend Mavis Staples. Rolling Stone calls Musselwhite "compelling and original," and says, "His harp playing is superb, exhilarating and forthright. His unabashed excellence sets the standard for blues bands everywhere."

The Well is the first full-band recording in Musselwhite's almost 50-year career in which he wrote every track on the album, and it is the most personal and emotionally open cycle of songs he has ever created. The Well was recorded at Los Angeles' legendary Sunset Sound, with guitarist Dave Gonzales (Paladins, Hacienda Brothers), bassist John Bazz (The Blasters) and drummer Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples), and was produced by Chris Goldsmith (Ruthie Foster, Grammy-winning Blind Boys Of Alabama). The revealing, autobiographical songs recall specific events and places in Musselwhite's amazingly colorful life. His worldly-wise vocals and masterful harmonica work are perfectly matched with the stories he tells. Simply put, The Well is Charlie Musselwhite at his very best.

According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, having Musselwhite back on the label is pure pleasure. "I'm thrilled to welcome Charlie back to the Alligator Records family. He's a true icon of American roots music, a brilliant harmonica player and a true storyteller as a vocalist and songwriter. Charlie's a great guy to work with, a real road warrior who is out there pleasing the fans night after night. We're looking forward to renewing a great relationship." And Musselwhite couldn't agree more, saying, "I don't think anybody is happier than I am being back in the Alligator family. It feels good to be home."

Born into a blue collar family in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 31, 1944 and raised by a single mother, Musselwhite was surrounded by blues, hillbilly and gospel music on the radio and outside his front door. His family moved to Memphis, where, as a teenager, he worked as a ditch digger, concrete layer and moonshine runner. Fascinated by the blues, Musselwhite began playing guitar and harmonica. He attended parties hosted by Elvis Presley and hobnobbed with many of the local musicians including Johnny Cash and Johnny Burnette, but the celebrities young Charlie sought out were Memphis' veteran bluesmen like Furry Lewis, Will Shade and Gus Cannon.

Following the path of so many, Musselwhite moved to Chicago looking for better paying work. While driving an exterminator truck as a day job, Charlie lived on the South Side and hung out in blues clubs at night, meeting - and developing close friendships with - blues icons Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Before long, he was sitting in at clubs with Muddy Waters and others, building an impressive word-of-mouth reputation. Soon after, Charlie was being paid to play in the same South Side neighborhood. His first recording, under the name Memphis Charlie, was with Big Walter Horton on the famous Vanguard Records series, Chicago/The Blues/Today!. Signing with Vanguard, Musselwhite (along with Paul Butterfield who was as urban as Charlie was rural) brought the blues to a new audience of young, white rock and rollers, who discovered that Charlie personified the sexy counter-culture icons they found relevant.

With 30 solo albums to his credit, Musselwhite has also appeared on numerous recordings as a featured player with Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Blind Boys Of Alabama, INXS, and most recently, Cyndi Lauper, and has shared stages with countless blues and rock musicians. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall Of Fame in 2010, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has won 23 Blues Music Awards. DownBeat calls him, "the undisputed champion of the blues harmonica."

With The Well, Charlie Musselwhite returns with the strongest, most intimate album of his career - a powerful, personal collection of songs. Musselwhite's blues, imparting his hard-won knowledge and working class wisdom, are a window into the deep well of his Mississippi soul.

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