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Weekend Blues - Happenings Coming up on the Weekend Blues Happy New Year! Welcome to another year's journey into the best in Blues, Downhome Soul, & 'roots' inspired Rock 'n Roll... each Saturday and Sunday from 1-5pm on KGOU. -'Hardluck' Jim Blues News PHILLIP WALKER 1937-2010Delta Groove press release: It is with deepest sorrow that we report on the sudden and unexpected passing of legendary blues guitarist Phillip Walker. He died of apparent heart failure at 4:30 AM, early Thursday morning, July 22, 2010. He was 73 years old. Born February 11, 1937 near Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the small town of Welsh, Phillip Walker's earliest musical influences came via the Cajun and Creole rhythms he heard as a youngster. A second cousin to Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and huge admirer of T-Bone Walker, Phillip began making a name for himself in the early 1950s with his first recording session backing pianist Roscoe Gordon. At the age of 16, Walker left home to tour with Zydeco king Clifton Chenier (who incidentally gave the young fledgling Walker his first bona fide guitar) and never looked back. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1959, Walker cut his first side as a bandleader; the storming "Hello My Darling", produced by J.R. Fulbright for Elko Records. His first full length album didn't appear until much later though. With the help of long-time supporter and producer Bruce Bromberg, Walker cut the excellent LP "The Bottom of the Top" in 1973 for Hugh Hefner's short-lived Playboy label. Over the next three decades Walker's musical career continued to pick up steam with numerous recording projects for HighTone, Black Top, Rounder, JSP and Alligator Records. In 2007, Randy Chortkoff signed Phillip Walker to Delta Groove Music and released the critically acclaimed CD "Going Back Home". The recording session featured the renowned guitarist going back to his roots and exploring the rich musical history of Louisiana, Texas and West Coast Blues on classic material by Lowell Fulson, Ray Charles, Lonesome Sundown, Lightnin' Hopkins, Champion Jack Dupree and Frankie Lee Sims among others. Going Back Home was later awarded Best Album of 2007 in the New Recordings / Contemporary Blues category by the Living Blues Awards Critics' Poll. Label CEO Randy Chortkoff shared some of his fond remembrances of working with Phillip these last few years by stating "Phillip was a consummate gentleman and it was an absolute pleasure working with him over the years. It was a pleasure producing his last album "Going Back Home". There's some great footage of him playing at Ground Zero that we hope to one day put out and share with everyone. He was definitely a one of a kind. He will be missed." 31st Blues Music Award Winners Announced 1. Acoustic Album - You Got to Move David Maxwell & Louisiana Red 2. Acoustic Artist - Louisiana Red 3. Album of the Year - Between a Rock and the Blues Joe Louis Walker 4. B.B. King Entertainer - Tommy Castro 5. Band of the Year - Tommy Castro Band 6. Best New Artist Debut - Tiger in Your Tank Monkey Junk 7. Contemporary Blues Album - Hard Believer Tommy Castro 8. Contemporary Blues Female Artist - Ruthie Foster 9. Contemporary Blues Male Artist - Tommy Castro 10. DVD - Delmark Records - It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends 11. Historical Album - Chess - Authorized Bootleg -Muddy Waters Live 12. Bass - Bob Stroger 13. Drums - Cedric Burnside 14. Guitar - Derek Trucks 15. Harmonica - Jason Ricci 16. Horn - Deanna Bogart 17. Instrumentalist-Other - Buckwheat Zydeco (accordion) 18. Pinetop Perkins Piano Player - Eden Brent 19. Rock Blues Album - Already Free Derek Trucks Band 20. Song of the Year - "Pearl River" Cyril Neville & Mike Zito 21. Soul Blues Album - Ace of Spades - Johnny Rawls 22. Soul Blues Female Artist - Irma Thomas 23. Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year - Curtis Salgado 24. Traditional Blues Album - Chikadelic Super Chikan 25. Traditional Blues Female Artist - Debbie Davies 26. Traditional Blues Male Artist - Duke Robillard Complete details of this year's event can be found at www.blues.org 2010 Blues Grammy Winners : Category 66--Best Traditional Blues Album ***A Stranger Here by Ramblin' Jack Elliott [ANTI]*** --Blue Again by The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Featuring Rick Vito [429 Records] --Rough & Tough by John Hammond [Chesky Records] --Stomp! The Blues Tonight by Duke Robillard [Stony Plain Records] --Chicago Blues: A Living History by Various Artists Larry Skoller, producer [Raisin' Music] Category 67 -- Best Contemporary Blues Album ***Already Free by The Derek Trucks Band [Victor Records]*** --This Time by The Robert Cray Band [Nozzle Records/Vanguard] --The Truth According To Ruthie Foster by Ruthie Foster [Blue Corn Music] --Live: Hope At The Hideout by Mavis Staples [ANTI] --Back To The River by Susan Tedeschi [Verve Forecast] In the Historical category, The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) (Little Walter) took top honors. Congrats to Andy McKaie, compilation producer; Erick Labson, mastering engineer [Hip-O Select/Geffen Records]. 26th International Blues Challenge Winners Crowned This year's IBC was another record-breaking, star-making showcase of talent in Memphis, TN. The 'solo/duo' winner was Matt Andersen, sponsored by Harvest Jazz and Blues from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Second place honors (in the solo/duo category) went to Alphonso Sanders and Bill "Howl-n-Madd" Perry from the Crossroads Blues Society, Rosedale, Mississippi. The top prize in the Band competition was awarded to Grady Champion of the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola. Second place honors were earned by Karen Lovely Band, Cascade Blues Association, and the third spot went to Cheryl Renee with Them Bones, hailing from the Cincy Blues Society. A custom Gibson guitar featuring The Blues Foundation's logo was awarded to Matt Kelley of the Big Boy Little Band (DC Blues Society), as the finals top guitarist. In the Best Self-Produced CD contest, the judges announced a tie: "Fire It Up!" by the Laurie Morvan Band sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society and "Crime Scene Queen" by The Informants sponsored by the Colorado Blues Society. Willie Mitchell (March 1, 1928 - January 5, 2010) We are deeply saddened by the passing of Willie Mitchell. An accomplished trumpeter who led one of the region's premier bands of the '50s, he made the transition to recording star at Hi Records in the '60s. At Hi he became a vital part of the organization by engineering, producing, scouting talent and eventually running the label. A true renaissance man, Willie Mitchell created his own Memphis sound - a uniquely sophisticated brand of funk. He put together one of the world's greatest rhythm sections - Hi Rhythm – featuring Teenie Hodges on guitar, Charles Hodges on organ, Leroy Hodges on bass and drummer Howard Grimes. He made stars of Ann Peebles, Otis Clay, O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson, creating recordings still revered, covered and sampled to this day. In 1969 while on tour with his Willie Mitchell Band, he met a young singer from Michigan in Midland, Texas and brought him back to Memphis. Together, he and Al Green made history, creating an unparalleled body of work featuring arguably the greatest voice in soul backed by Mitchell's unique mix of gritty southern R&B and elegant arrangements. In 2007 he was recognized by the Memphis Chapter of The Recording Academy at The Recording Academy Honors. In 2008 he received an even larger honor from The Recording Academy at the 50th annual GRAMMY Awards - The Trustees Award. His impact on Memphis and music is immeasurable. There will probably never be another one like him. Obituary By The Recording Academy RIP Earl Gaines (August 19, 1935 ~ Dec 31, 2009) R&B vocalist Earl Gaines died on New Year's Eve at a Nashville hospital. He was 74. Gaines was was closely associated with the Nashville R&B scene. He first came into prominence as the lead vocalist of Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers with the hit "It's Love Baby" (AKA "24 Hours A Day"). He would later emerge as a solo artist with a number of hits including “The Best of Luck to You” in 1966 and “Hymn Number 5” in 1973. He recorded for numerous record labels including Starday, King, DeLuxe, Excello, Champion, Poncello, Hanna-Barbera, HBR, Athens, Sound Stage 7, Ace, Meltone, Appaloosa, Black Top, Ecko and Blue Fye. He was a featured artist on the 2005 Grammy-winning best historical album, Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945–1970. His loss comes on the heels of other recently deceased Nashville R&B greats including Johnny Jones... Contact Information Keep sending those requests... & comments! 'Hardluck' Jim jjhardluck@ou.edu 325-3110 |
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