Join me today on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12-2 pm ET for a mix of new contemporary roadhouse blues mixed with a number of classics from Buddy Guy, Duane Allman, Lowell George, Leon Russell, and Wet Willie. I will feature new tunes by The Gayle Harrod Band, Teresa James, Eddie 9V, Ryan Foret, Diane Blue, Dyer Davis, and Jimi Primetime Smith & Bob Corritore. I think this has the makings of a badass show; tune in and let me know what ya think using the BlueMusicFan Radio chat app….it is very simple to use!
Here is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Alastair Green
Back At The Poor House
Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
Messing With The Kid
Lowell George
Two Trains
Eddie 9V
Down Along The Cove
Leon Russell
Roll Away The Stone
Teresa James
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
At the age of 86 and still at the top of his form, Buddy Guy will be doing his farewell tour during 2023. He starts it in Mumbai, India on February 11, begins the North American leg on February 17th in Rockford, Illinois, and literally crisscrosses the country into the fall. He will also fit in appearances in Australia and a number of places in Europe as he does his final live performances in a career that has spanned over 60 years. Buddy is equally at home with Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix and puts on a show that includes playing in the crowd, playing the guitar with his teeth and behind his back, and regaling the audience with little stories about the songs he performs and the life he has lived. I have seen him three times and they were incredible shows. If you haven’t heard him live, check the tour dates on his website and make plans now. I don’t think the tickets will be available for long! AND I have a feeling that a lot of well known blues artists will be popping up on stage with him to say their final farewells to the reigning King of the Blues.
New Roadhouse Blues Releases Out Now
Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition – That’s What’s Happening Here : Vibrant blues and R&B sound out of New Orleans!
Eddie 9V – Capricorn : May be the reincarnation of Lowell George, Leon Russell, & Duane Allman!! He is only 27!
Teresa James – With a Little Help From Her Friends : Teresa bluzin’ the Beatles…well worth a ticket to ride!!
The 2:19 – We Will Get Through This : From Ireland, they kick out some badass rockin’ blues!
Planned Roadhouse Blues Releases in February 2023
Savoy Brown – Blues All Around (Feb 17th) : Kim Simmonds knew he had cancer and just kept recording right up to his death late in 2022..RIP
The Gayle Harrod Band – Temptation (Feb 24th) : Awesome voice and blues from this talent out of Baltimore!
Planned Releases in March 2023
Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia – Blood Brothers (March 17th)
When is enough enough? As we all have experienced on social media, people free of any filter can state outrageous, false, misleading, hurtful, and downright mean things with no fear of repercussions hidden behind a fake log in name. Well, Joe Bonamassa has had enough on Instagram. Around Thanksgiving of 2022 (late November) while getting ready to go onstage, Joe passed the time by perusing Instagram where he often interacted with the users. (Which is pretty cool!) What he saw were a series of insulting comments including one about how he looks and his receding hairline!
His reported response (by Ultimate Guitar) the next morning was:
“So, after sleeping on this I have come to a conclusion. Last night I allowed a few clowns @rich_tones being one of them to cause me to go onstage angry. That is not fair to you the fans.
Also, This isn’t what I signed up for 8 years ago. Social media has become such a distraction for me. This place feels like it has the maturity of high school and I fear I am gonna be provoked one day into saying something i might regret.
So I’m leaving this wonderful place to the influencers and good looking. Enjoy it before it destroys your soul. I will see you in real life somewhere down the road and in Riverside tonight.
Any posts on this page going forward will not be from me. Thanks for the 8 years. 😎👍”
As I stated when it happened to Adele on social media over her weight, I don’t care whether an artist is tall or short, big or small, what their sexual orientation is, their race, or where they are from. I judge a roadhouse blues artist on how their music impacts me personally. Do they bring passion to their vocal and stage performances, is the musicianship engaging, do the lyrics resonate with me now or from some point in my life to date? In short do they move me to sing, dance, sway to the beat in my chair, party, drink, smoke, or recall some event or time in my life? That is what great music does! It can change your life, your way of thinking, and, in very special cases, impact a generation of listeners.
It is unclear to me whether Joe’s announcement applies to only his interactions on Instagram or social media in general. I hope it is only Instagram. During the Covid lockdown, Joe did a series of social media interview shows that were very entertaining. Joe is a guitar nerd at heart and it was fun to watch him discuss guitars and amps, as well as music, with a stellar list of blues and rock stars. He doesn’t come across as a blues super star but as just a guy who loves music and enjoys what he does best.
Joe Bonamassa is without a doubt a superstar of contemporary blues rock. And he has largely done it his way. He doesn’t use promoters; he books his own concert venues, takes the risks, and reaps the rewards. He has his own record label and now has established another non profit label, Keep the Blues Alive, to help give opportunity and visibility to other lesser known stars of the blues.
Joe has also always had a large number of detractors. They say “he doesn’t have soul in his music”, “he really doesn’t play the blues”, “he doesn’t looks like a bluesman” and “he drives up the prices of collectible guitars because he buys so many”…..to highlight just a few. And, over the years, Joe Bonamassa has largely been ignored by the Grammy Awards (a couple of nominations) and the Blues Music Foundation (a couple of awards).
In spite of it all, Joe continues to turn out some stellar blues and blues rock music. He is giving back to the blues community through his support of the Blues In the Schools initiative and now the KTBA record label. But when it comes to social media, enough is enough. Can’t say that I blame him. When it impacts your on stage performance, it’s time to move on!
Let me know what you think in the comments section. Is Joe being thin skinned? What would you do as an artist in a similar situation?
I hope you have time today to join us for my Tuesday Roadhouse Blues Nooner from 12-2 pm on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. On Tuesday’s I spin a mix of contemporary blues and today I have songs by Sass Jordan, Eddie 9V, Jimmy Reed, Ryan Foret and the Foret Tradition, The Mojoes, Teresa James, Freya Ridings, and more! #bluesmusic #blues #benveeroadhouseblues
ZZ Top – RAW (That Little Ol’ Band From Texas Original Soundtrack) (2022 Shelter Records/BMG)
Recorded in 2019 as part of the documentary “That Little Ol’ Band from Texas“, this legendary trio retreated to their garage rock roots by renting the oldest dance hall in Texas, the Gruene Hall, and then crankin’ out versions of a dozen of their classic tunes. There were no crowds; just the band and recording staff. Dusty Hill was magical on the bass, Frank Beard kept a tight pocket with an insistent beat, and Billy Gibbons provided his signature guitar licks and raw vocals. With the death of Dusty, the magic that was ZZ Top will never pass this way again. And as the last recording of the group, it stands as a mighty testament to their fusion of rock and blues. It is well worth every nickel you pay for the download or the vinyl.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – At the Royal Albert Hall April 14, 1970(2022 Craft Records)
Recorded by the BBC during Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first tour of Europe in 1970, this music was never released because of the never ending battles between the band and their original label, Fantasy Records. Now, after 52 years, you get to hear CCR at their finest with John Fogerty on vocals and guitars, his older brother Tim Fogerty on rhythm guitars, Stu Cook on bass and Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford on drums.
CCR sprang to fame in 1968 with a cover of Dale Hawkin’s Suzy Q, burned brightly as a true super group for 4 years and then they were gone; the victim of internal band strife and business battles. But on this spring night in 1970, they were in top musical form for the 13 songs on the recording kicking out what I have always referred to as swamp blues rock. For me, this was a nostalgic trip back to the golden era of music. For those of you who may have never have heard CCR live, this recording is well worth a listen and representative of the talent of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Joan Osborne – Radio Waves(2022 Womanly Hips Records)
Joan Osborne is one of those artists that I have always included in the pantheon of Roadhouse Blues artists because her music and songwriting are an outpouring of her soul; to me the essence of the blues. She got her start singing at blues mic open nights at clubs in New York City in the 1980’s. She had a mega hit with One of Us in the 1990’s but I have never felt the song was representative of her body of work which is much more blues, soul and R&B influenced. In fact, she was nominated for a Grammy for the best blues album of 2013, Bring It On Home.
Her newest recording, Radio Waves, is an interesting compilation of 13 songs that she recorded at radio stations between 1995 and 2012. Normally these type recordings are done as part of a promotional tour and have more of a live feel to them which is a strong suit for Joan. Give Shake Your Hips, Only You and I Know, and My Love Is Alive a listen They should help remind you of the talent of this gifted songwriter and singer.
Hundred Seventy Split – The Story So Far(2022 Repertoire Records )
Formed in 2010, this blues rock trio features the legendary Leo Lyons of Ten Years After on bass, Joe Gooch on vocals and guitars, and Damon Sawyer on drums. They are a fabulous band and this recording features songs from five of their recordings over the past decade. Joe on guitar is a fantastic replacement for the late great Alvin Lee. Take a listen to Going Home to see what I mean. Devil To Pay is some straight up badass blues rock and I Grew Up on Muddy Waters is a live tribute to the man who is the father of the electric Roadhouse Blues. This compilation recordings should serve as a great introduction to the many of you that are not yet familiar with this great British roadhouse blues group!!
Hope you have time to join us today for the Ben Vee Roadhouse Blues Nooner on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. I have a mix of contemporary blue tunes including new songs from artists in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Slovakia, Croatia, the UK, and all over the United States. I also have a song from the new Kenny Wayne Shepherd album, Trouble is 25, which is a completely new recording (with the original band members) of his 1997 classic!!
The cold is finally moving in with dampness and dreariness in its wake. I’ve retreated from the summer man cave to my basement lair with a bottle of Don Julio 1942 and tunes in hand on a hard drive. Join me from 3-5 pm ET today on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for some new Layla Zoe, Aynsley Lister, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rory Gallagher, Bridget Kelly, Lone Crow Rebellion, and Uncle Watson’s Widow. Long Live Blues Rock!!
Join me on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com today from 12 to 2 pm ET for a mighty fine mix of contemporary Roadhouse blues (if I must say so myself!. I have new tunes from Buddy Guy, Edgar Winter, Mud Morganfield, Layla Zoe, Shakura S’Aida, Robert Connely Farr, and some classics from John Lee Hooker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimmie Vaughan.
Here is the intended playlist. I hope you get a chance to listen in!!
Join me for a Ben Vee Roadhouse blues rockin’ Thursday from 3-5 pm ET on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. Got some fabulous new tunes from Jeremiah Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Emanuel Casablanca, Levi Platero, Lauren Anderson, Rusty Wright, The Dirty Tones, Justin Saladino, and Buddy Guy. I hope you have time to listen in a bit!
Here is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Jay Gordon
Will’s Thang [Instrumental]
**Jeremiah Johnson
Ball And Chain
**Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
Ballad Of A Thin Man
**Robert Jon & The Wreck
She’s A Fighter
**Emanuel Casablanca
Blood Money
**The Rusty Wright Band
No One Cares At All
**Buddy Guy
Symptoms Of Love feat. Elvis Costello
**Lauren Anderson
Burn It All Down
**The Hoodoo Men
Hoodoo Man
**The Dirty Tones
Keep Me Warm
**Justin Saladino Band
Honest Lies
Jeff Healey Band
Confidence Man
Julian Sas
Devil Woman
**Hundred Seventy Split
Going Home
**Levi Platero
Fire water whiskey
Frank Bang & The Secret Stash
Burnin’ Up in the Wind
Dr Wu
Nothin’ Like Texas Blues
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Leave My Girl Alone (live)
**Trotsky Experience Band
Broken Wings
Redstone
Border
Marcus Malone
Stand Or Fall
Dudley Taft
Live Or Die
Hurricane Hearn
Take A Shot
Gov’t Mule
Outside Myself
Karin Rudefelt & Doctor Blues
Arabian Nights (feat. Pierre Swärd & Brian Kramer)
Starting out November with a great playlist for the Ben Vee Roadhouse Blues Nooner on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12-2 pm ET. Join us for new tunes from Jeremiah Johnson, Ben Levin, the Rusty Wright Band, Tomislav Goluban, Joanne Shaw Taylor, and Joe Bonamassa as well as a whole host of other great modern blues songs.
Here is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Mindi Abair
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You
Jeremiah Johnson
’68 Coupe DeVille
Jerry Lee Lewis
Drinking Wine Spo-Dee O’Dee
Zora Young
Daughter of a Son-Of-A Gun
Ben Levin
I’ve Been Drinking Muddy Water (Feat. Lil’ Jimmy Reed)
The Rusty Wright Band
Goin’ To Nola
Jimmy Thackery
Empty Arms Motel
Johnny Winter
See See Baby
Markey Blue Ric Latina Project
Bad For Real
Grant Dermody
Trouble No More
R.L. Burnside
Poor Boy
Buddy Guy
Follow The Money feat. James Taylor
Guitar Shorty
I’m So Glad I Met You
Tina Turner
Rock Me Baby
Boz Scaggs
You Got My Letter
BMFR
ARTISTID – Johnny Burgin – You’re Listening to BMFR;