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
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!!
I hope you have time to join us today from 12-2 pm ET for some Roadhouse blues on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. I have new songs from Joe Bonamassa, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The B. Christopher Band, The Jimmy Zee Band, Thorbjorn Risager & the Black Tornado, Charlie Thomas, Andre Bisson, the Billy T Band, Mud Morganfield, Black Pearl, and the Gumbo Kings plus a bunch of other great contemporary blues!
If you would like to hear a mix of new contemporary blues as well as some classics of the genre, join me today from 12-2 pm ET on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for the Ben Vee Roadhouse blues Nooner! I have some great new tunes from The B. Christopher Band, Arthur James & Northbound, the Gumbo Kings (from the Netherlands), Dave Keyes, and the Billy T Band (from Norway). I also have some classics from Bobby Blue Bland, Albert King, Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Fleetwood Mac, Gary Moore, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I hope you have a chance to listen in!!
I’ll be spinning blues rock during my 3-5 pm ET show today on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. I have new tunes from Electrified Soul, Shawn James, Robert Jon & the Wreck, Blackberry Smoke, the Ghost Hounds, and Cheri Lyn. I hope ya get a chance to tune in!
Join me today on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for the best in contemporary blues during my roadhouse blues show from 12-2 pm ET. I will be featuring new tunes by Blue Moon Marquee, Ben Levin, Jimmy Carpenter, Dr. John, The Shaelyn Band, Jimmy Hall, and Bywater Call.
Here is the intended playlist. I publish this with the hope that if you like some of the songs that you will download and buy them using your favorite music service. You too can help the blues to thrive in 2022!!
Join us today for some more incredible contemporary roadhouse blues on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12-2 pm ET. I have new tunes by The Strongman Blues Remedy, JD McPherson, Diunna Greenleaf, Karise Eden, Moblues, AND Hank Williams Jr. as well as some favorites by Justin Townes Earle, Steve Earle, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Tinsley Ellis.
The new Todd Sharpville album Medication Time, that is due out July 8th on Dixiefrog Records, is a powerhouse blues recording that is sure to garner nominations for album of the year. Exhilarating on some tracks and pensive and thoughtful on others, the new album bubbles with energy from a life lived in the blues.
Some people encounter deep sadness and tragedy in their lives and never recover. Others, like Todd, rise from the ashes of a personal meltdown with a renewed sense of purpose. Almost two decades ago, Todd suffered a nervous breakdown after losing custody of his children during a divorce. Severe depression and suicidal thoughts led to a stay in a mental institution. The ability to continue playing and writing music during his stay as well as the support of family and friends (including fellow bluesman Larry McCray from Detroit) got him through the worst of times and honed his blues talents in the fiery cauldron of depression and recovery.
The new album features 12 songs of which 9 are originals. Two of the recordings have been released as promotional videos and both are well worth the time to watch. (Both are also available on my Youtube Channel playlist for cool roadhouse blues.) Todd and Larry McCray do a really creative animated video for the song Brothers From Another Mother. And Todd does an intensely personal video performance of the Dylan tune, Walk Out In the Rain.
There is also an interesting and powerful blues’d up rendition of the Dire Strait’s tune, Money for Nothing, included on the recording. Guest artist Sugar Ray Norcia heightens the intensity, resentment, and jealousy of the lyrics on vocals; it is well worth a listen. My favorite on the album is the blues rockin’ tune, God Loves A Loser and I also love Get Outta My Way, the slow pretty I Don’t Need to Know Your Name (with a fabulous sax solo) and his rousing version of the Bruce Springsteen song, Red Headed Woman.
Undergirding this powerful recording is Todd’s guitar virtuosity and the production values that Duke Robillard, a two time Grammy Nominee and multiple Blues Music Award winner, brings to any recording that he produces. Todd got his start back in 1992 with the album Touch of Your Love. It won Best Album and Best Guitarist awards at that year’s British Blues Awards. I have a strong feeling that Medication Time will do the same this time around!
#blues #roadhouseblues #bluesrock #britishblues
Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com, does weekly sets on the SecondLife grid, and writes about the blues at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.
It’s summertime here in the northern hemisphere and many of us will be taking road trips to see family and friends. Whether the journey is an hour away or across the continent, here are the Roadhouse 66 best blues songs of 2021 to listen to along the way. And this year, for the first time, the playlist is available on the Ben Vee Youtube channel and on the Ben Vee Spotify account. I hope you enjoy reviewing and listening to the songs. And bear in mind that music is not a sports competition…..whether the song is listed at number 4 or number 64, these are all truly great tunes culled from an initial list of over 4,000 new songs that I reviewed or streamed during the course of 2021!! And if you have a comment or want to tell us what your best roadhouse blues song of 2021 was, just leave a comment below.
The Roadhouse 66 Best Blues Songs of 2021 Top Ten
#1 Altered Five Blues Band – Full Moon, Half Crazy
Another in a long series of vibrant upbeat tunes from this amazing band out of Wisconsin, the group is powered by the voice of Jeff Taylor.
#2 Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Long Distance Woman
The Kingfish is a true superstar of the contemporary blues and…..he is only 23!! He first came to my attention four or five years ago and his musical trajectory just keeps rising and rising!
#3 Dion – I’ve Got to Get to You (ft. Boz Scaggs, Mike Menza, and Joe Menza)
His career started over 60 years ago and at the age of 82 he is still kickin’ out some badass blues songs!
#4 Colin James – Open Road
Stevie Ray Vaughan opened the door for him in the 1980’s and in the years since he has become a mainstay of the Canadian music scene. This is the title cut from his latest album that was also the Roadhouse Blues 61 best album of the year!
#5 Tommy Castro – Somewhere
This California based bluesman is a personal favorite. I have seen him in concert 3 times and he is an absolutely incredible performer. He also walked away from this year’s Blue Music Awards in Memphis with a bevy of the top awards. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
#6 J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls – Highway
This blues rock band out of the UK just cranks out some badass music!
#7 Atomic 44s – Fade to Black
I tried to see this southern California band last summer when I went to visit my younger daughter. They are the perfect roadhouse blues band. Unfortunately, COVID cancelled the show. I hope to see them on a future trip!
#8 JP Williams Blues Band featuring Ekat Pereya – Mighty Dangerous Boogie
I just love JP’s style of roadhouse blues. And I appreciate the fact that he appeared in chat on several of my BluesMusicFan Radio shows during 2021.
#9 Polly O’Keary & the Rhythm Method – I’m Not Guilty
A long time star of the blues from the American northwest, Polly O’Keary has paid her blues dues! I just love her voice!
#10 Blues Traveler – Roadhouse Blues
John Popper and company do an amazing blues version of the Doors classic. Easily one of my favorite tunes of 2021….I wonder why?!!
The entire Roadhouse 66 Best blues songs of 2021
The Roadhouse 66 list includes perennial music stars like Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Barnes, Billy Gibbons, Van Morrison, and Doobie Brothers as well as personal favorites like Uncle Watson’s Widow, Mike Zito, Carolyn Wonderland, the Black Keys, and Davy Knowles. There are a slew of contemporary blues stars on the list such as Eddie 9V, Joanne Shaw Taylor, the Record Company, and Sue Foley. Also included are some rising stars of the genre that you may not have heard before; 8 Ball Aitken, Veronica Lewis, Ben Levin, Hendrikse, and AJ Fullerton to name just a few! I hope you get a chance to listen to all of them sometime soon. Just remember you can use my playlists on Youtube and Spotify to listen to them all and hopefully buy and download a few….the ultimate compliment to the artists!!
ARTIST
TITLE
1
Altered Five Blues Band
Full Moon, Half Crazy
2
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Long Distance Woman
3
Dion
I’ve Got To Get To You
4
Colin James
Open Road
5
Tommy Castro
Somewhere
6
J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls
Highway
7
Atomic 44s
Fade To Black
8
JP Williams Blues Band featuring Ekat Pereyra
Mighty Dangerous Boogie
9
Polly O’Keary & The Rhythm Method
I’m Not Guilty
10
Blues Traveler
Roadhouse Blues
11
Mike Zito
Dreaming Of You
12
Billy F Gibbons
Stackin’ Bones (Feat. Larkin Poe)
13
Markus K.
Rollin’ and Tumblin’
14
Sean Chambers
Rockin’ Daddy
15
Carolyn Wonderland
Broken Hearted Blues
16
8 Ball Aitken
What Goes Up
17
Eddie 9V
Dog Me Around
18
Sue Foley
Hurricane Girl (ft. Jimmie Vaughan)
19
The Black Keys
Coal Black Mattie
20
Uncle Watson’s Widow
Nasty Dogs Funky Kings Precious and Grace
21
Melissa Etheridge
For The Last Time
22
Jimmy Barnes
End Of The Road
23
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Stop Messin’ Round
24
Steve Marriner
Take Me To The City
25
Simon Kinny-Lewis
Swamp Rat
26
Chickenbone Slim
Serve It to Me Hot
27
The Dirty Mojo Blues Band
My Little Sue
28
The Doobie Brothers
Cannonball
29
Dirty Dave Osti
River Of Shame
30
Eldon Backhouse And The Electric Blues Band
Another Man
31
Band Of Friends
Livin’ Like a Trucker
32
Steve Cropper
She’s So Fine
33
Joe Metzka
Walk
34
Tom Feldmann and Noah Levy
Going Away Baby
35
The Record Company
Today Forever
36
The Kokomo Kings
She´s Shaking Up A Storm
37
Superdownhome
Homework
38
Vintage Trouble
Low Down Dirty Dog
39
Delta Fuse
Letter on the Table
40
Gov’t Mule
Snatch It Back And Hold It
41
AJ Fullerton
The Forgiver And The Runaway
42
Davy Knowles
One & The Same
43
Captain Morgan Express
Hanging Tree
44
Quinn Sullivan
Wide Awake
45
Dave Kalz
Shes Got A Hemi
46
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Too Cool To Dance
47
Tommy Z
Tommy Guns
48
Hendrikse
Try to Save Your Soul
49
Andy Lindquist
The River Queen
50
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
Choo Choo
51
Dionne Bennett
Full Time Job
52
Cactus
Preaching Woman Man Blues
53
Bernie Marsden
Me And My Guitar
54
Teresa James and The Rhythm Tramps
Gonna Rise Together
55
Ben Levin
I Can’t Stop It
56
The Liberators
Wrong Distraction
57
Trainman Blues
Troubled Mind
58
Mike Goudreau Band
Tonight’s The Night For Big Fun
59
Van Morrison
Deadbeat Saturday Night
60
The Immediate Family
Slippin’ and Slidin’
61
Colin Linden
4 Cars
62
WellBad
One Kiss Too Late
63
Dennis Siggery
Gypsy Woman
64
Early Times & The High Rollers
Do What She Do
65
Selwyn Birchwood
I’d Climb Mountains
66
Veronica Lewis
Put Your Wig On Mama
#blues #roadhouseblues #bluesrock
Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and writes about the blues at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.
There isn’t much good to say about the year 2021 other than, while we were all still hunkered down because of the pandemic, blues artists continued to produce some fabulous music. Join us today as I play some of the tunes included in my Roadhouse 66 Best Blues Songs of 2021. I will feature the top ten tunes of the year by Tommy Castro, the Altered Five Blues Band, Dion, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Colin James, J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls, the Atomic 44s, the JP Williams Blues Band, Polly O’Keary & the Rhythm Method, and Blues Traveler. Which one was my number one tune for 2021? You will just have to tune in at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12-2 pm ET today and listen along!
For those of you that can’t tune in, I have already posted the entire Roadhouse 66 Best Songs of 2021 playlist on my Ben Vee Spotify account for you to peruse and I will be posting the list to my Ben Vee Youtube channel tomorrow. (Previous year lists for 2017-2020 are also on my YouTube channel.) A review of the 2021 list will be posted here on my blues blog by the end of the week. It is a joy to put together these annual lists of my favorite 66 tunes from among the 6000 or so songs that I spin for the year. I hope you get as much enjoyment from reviewing my selections, listening to them….and hopefully downloading….your favorites!!
Ben Vee Blues 