Join me today on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for my Roadhouse Blues Nooner from 12-2 pm EST. I will be spinning tunes by Karin Rudefelt, Mia Vermillion, Forest McDonald, Tiffany Pollack, Tullie Brae, Mike Zito, and a bunch more.
The year 2019 was a banner year for the roadhouse blues across the world. From Australia to Copenhagen and along all points in between, both debut artists and well established performers released a stunning number of new recordings. Every month my in box and my mail box were full of some fabulous blues recordings which makes picking the Ben Vee Roadhouse Blues 66 this year much more daunting.
This year’s list includes classic blues, roots oriented blues, R&B, soul, contemporary blues and blues rock artists with songs that span the genre from “almost the blues” tunes to the stellar classic blues sound of Mary Lane. Given that many of us have some extra time on our hands due to the ongoing global pandemic, I hope you enjoy downloading and listening to every one of these songs.
The position of the songs on the list is of little consequence…you might list them in a different order and get no argument from me. Whether it is song #23 by Samantha Fish or number 66 by the Coyote Kings, all of these tunes made my playlists for my roadhouse blues shows at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com, got mentioned on my Ben Vee Facebook page or Twitter account, and/or got written about on this website at http://www.benveeblues.com during 2019. All 66 are representative of the energy and vitality that permeates the modern contemporary blues….by and large they are upbeat…sometimes loud…and truly international.
The Top Ten (in no particular order other than #1)
#1 Mary Lane – Blues Give Me a Feeling (2019 Travelin’ Woman)
Mary Lane, from Chicago, recorded the Roadhouse Blues 66 number one tune of 2019 at the age of 83!! How cool is that! She is one of the last living legendary singers of the blues to have been part of the great migration from the American Deep South to Chicago in the 1940’s. Just a fabulous tune!
Big Daddy Wilson – Crazy World (2019 Deep In My Soul)
An expat from the United States who has lived in Germany for years, Big Daddy aces an sumptuous slow soul ballad.
Altered Five Blues Band – Mischief Man (2019 Ten Thousand Watts)
Led by the deep blues voice of Jeff Taylor, this group out of Wisconsin once again makes one of my top performer annual blues lists.
Keb’ Mo’ – Cold Outside (2019 Oklahoma)
I played this song over and over when it came out on the album this past summer. You can nevah get enough of Keb’ Mo’!
Christone Kingfish Ingram – Fresh Out (2019 Kingfish)
A 20 year old with a debut album that features a cut with Buddy Guy as well as another with Keb’ Mo’. Life is good for this very talented young man.
Jontavious Willis – Low Down Ways (2019 Spectacular Class)
Another young blues artist that attracted the attention of Taj Mahal as well as Keb’ Mo’, Jontavious has stardom written all over him. It will be interesting to see how he evolves as a blues artist as the years roll by.
Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson – Blues In My Blood (2019 Blues In My Blood)
This blues duo hails from my hometown of New Orleans. Tiffany has a haunting voice that is framed by a strong beat and memorable guitar licks by Eric on this song.
Beth Hart – Bad Woman Blues (2019 War In My Mind)
Beth just has a great time with this tune and shows off the chops that have made her a fan favorite amongst blues rockers.
Brandon Santini – Drive You Off My Mind (2019 The Longshot)
This long time resident of Memphis had a great year in 2019. He was my 2019 Roadhouse Bluesman of the Year for both this album and one he did with Tennessee Redemption. A great voice and world class harmonica player; what’s not to like!
Allman Betts Band – Shinin’ (2019 Down to the River)
The sons of the Allman Brothers pick up where their dads left off! Not much else to be said but get yer tickets when they get close by!!
As you look through the rest of the list and hopefully listen to many, if not all, of the tunes, I hope you get an appreciation for what I term as the roadhouse blues. From its roots in the deep American south, the blues has grown and expanded to become a worldwide phenomenon. (And if someone you know states “the blues is dead” just show them this list and ask them how so?!) I am proud to be one of the DJs and influencers helping get the word out about just how great this music is!!!
Artist
Song Title
Album
1
Mary Lane
Blues Give Me A Feeling
Travelin’ Woman
2
Big Daddy Wilson
Crazy World
Deep In My Soul
3
Altered Five Blues Band
Mischief Man
Ten Thousand Watts
4
Keb’ Mo’
Cold Outside
Oklahoma
5
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Fresh Out (ft Buddy Guy)
Kingfish
6
Jontavious Willis
Low Down Ways
Spectacular Class
7
Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson
Blues In My Blood
Blues In My Blood
8
Beth Hart
Bad Woman Blues
War in my Mind
9
Brandon Santini
Drive You Off My Mind
The Longshot
10
The Allman Betts Band
Shinin’
Down to the River
11
Amnesia Blues Band
Fast Johnny Cool
Hailstorm
12
HeavyDrunk
If I Love You Hard Enough
Holywater
13
Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers
Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
No Good Deed
14
Walter Trout
Me My Guitar and the Blues
Survivor Blues
15
Coco Montoya
Lights On But Nobody’s Home
Coming In Hot
16
Ghost Town Blues Band
Shine
Shine
17
Chris O’Leary
7 Minutes
7 Minutes
18
Tedeschi Trucks Band
They Don’t Shine
Signs
19
Van Morrison
Three Chords and the Truth
Three Chords and the Truth
20
Terry Hanck
Howlin’ For My Darlin’
I Still Get Excited
21
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Woman Like You
The Traveler
22
Zack Walther Band
Bad Girl
The Westerner
23
Samantha Fish
Dirty
Kill or Be Kind
24
Giles Robson
Don’t Give Up on the Blues
Don’t Give Up on the Blues
25
Lucky Peterson
Pack It Up
50: Just Warming Up!
26
Heather Newman
I’m Coming For You
Rise from the Flames
27
Left Lane Cruiser
Smooth Commander
Shake and Bake
28
Delbert McClinton
A Fool Like Me
Tall, Dark, and Handsome
29
Miss Bix and the Blues Fix
Follow Me Down
We Don’t Own the Blues
30
Ash Grunwald
Ain’t My Problem (ft The Teskey Brothers)
Mojo
31
The Texas Horns
I’m Doin’ Alright (ft. Carolyn Wonderland)
Get Here Quick
32
The Mike Duke Project
I’m Not Sad Tonight
….Took a Whlle
33
Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters
Baby How Long
Beyond the Blue Door
34
Travelin’ Blue Kings
Ninety Minutes
Wired Up
35
Al Basile
So Called Story Teller
B’s Hothouse
36
Ida Bang & the Blue Tears
Shelter Me
Good to Me
37
Arsen Shomakhov
Women and Whiskey
Rainy City Blues
38
Elles Bailey
Help Somebody
Road I Call Home
39
The Teskey Brothers
So Caught Up
Run Home Slow
40
Kerry Pastine and the Crime Scene
Down Down
City of Love
41
Tad Robinson
Real Street
Real Street
42
Sugaray Rayford
The Revelator
Somebody Save Me
43
Southern Avenue
Whiskey Love
Keep On
44
Honey Hounds
Shine On
The Flame
45
Zac Harmon
Gypsy Road
Mississippi BarBQ
46
Annika Chambers
I Feel the Same (ft Paul DesLauriers)
Kiss My Sass
47
Tennessee Redemption
Back To Tennessee
Tennessee Redemption
48
Ivy Ford
Start a Fight
Harvesting My Roots
49
Wentus Blues Band w/ Duke Robillard
2:19
Too Much Mustard
50
Rockin’ Johnny & QuiQue Gomez
Everybody Loves My Baby
Dos Hombres Wanted
51
Albert Castiglia
Heavy
Masterpiece
52
Seth Rosenbloom
Broke And Lonely
Keep On Turning
53
Arlen Roth
I Can Fix It (ft Jack Pearson)
Tele Masters
54
Eliza Neals
Pawn Shop Blues (Roadhouse)
Sweet Or Mean
55
The Kokomo Kings
Heatwave
Fighting Fire with Gasoline
56
Robin Trower
Coming Closer to the Day
Coming Closer to the Day
57
Blue Moon Marquee
As I Lay Dying
Bare Knuckes & Brawn
58
Peter Ward
Train to Key Biscayne
Train to Key Biscayne
59
Duke Robillard
Don’t Bother Trying To Steal Her Love
Ear Worms
60
Harpdog Brown
Thinkin’ and Drinkin’
For Love & Money
61
Brother Yusef
I’m a Bluesman
Jook Joint Jam
62
Manx Mariner Manline
Rattlesnake
Hell Bound for Heaven
63
Josh Newcom
Girl Got the Mojo
The Blues Gonna Getcha
64
Savoy Brown
Conjure Rhythm
City Night
65
Big Wolf Band
Be Free
Be Free
66
Coyote Kings
Drive Me
Rocket
Ben Vee is an internet DJ and writer from New Orleans that now lives in Connecticut with his wife Annette. He started spinning records back in the 1970’s and has been writing about the roadhouse blues since 2011. He does two roadhouse blues shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and he writes about the blues when the urge strikes on http://www.benveeblues.com.
Hope you have time to join us today, November 5th, at 12 PM EST for my roadhouse blues Nooner on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. I have some Nordic blues by Lollo Gardman and Lena & the Slide Brothers, a new song from the Reverend Shawn Amos, some Aussie Blues from Lloyd Spiegel, and much more.
The intended playlist is shown below.
ARTIST
TITLE
Johnny Burgin
The Leading Brand
Tino Gonzales & Los Reyes Del KO
I Ain’t Gonna Pray
The Russell Barber Band
Midnight Hour
Larry Griffith Project
I Know
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The
Brotherhood
Counting Down The Days
Lollo Gardtman
Chasing The Wind
Lena & The Slide Brothers
Right Train, Wrong Track
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado
I Used to Love You
Kerry Pastine And The Crime Scene
Down Down
Marc Cohn
Talk Back Mic
Ghost Town Blues Band
Shine
Mike Goudreau
The Blues Is Killing Me
The Bluesland Horn Band
Keep It In The Shadows
Kelsey Miles
Show Me
Lloyd Spiegel
Christina
Brandon Santini
Drive You Off My Mind
Steve Miller
Killing Floor
Lightning Hall
That Joker’s Wild
Omar & The Howlers
Down To The Station
Left Lane Cruiser
Smooth Commander
Southfield
Bypass to Nowhere
The Mike Duke Project
I’m Not Sad Tonight
Johnny Burgin
I Got To Find Me A Woman (Feat. Rae Gordon & Nancy Wright)
I am back from vacation and ready to roll out some badass roadhouse blues for you on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com at High Noon EST. Have a mix of new contemporary tunes by Mike Duke, Zack Walther, and the Tedeschi Trucks Band as well as some classics from the archive.
Here is the intended playlist that I post with the hope that if you like the some of the tunes that you will go to your favorite music shop and buy them! Help the blues to thrive in 2019!
I first met Mike Duke during the heyday of Wet Willie back in the 1970’s. Wet Willie was part of the sound emanating from Macon, Georgia, the home of Capricorn Records. Along with the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band. Wet Willie helped solidify the main stream appeal of southern style rock music with its blues, soul, and country influences. And that was in no small part due to the talent of Mike Duke He was, and remains, a gifted song writer, singer, and keyboard player.
After the luster of Wet Willie faded for Mike, he moved on, doing a stint with The Outlaws and then relocating to the San Francisco Bay area where he spent most of the 1980’s. During that time he wrote several tunes that became hits for Huey Lewis and enhanced his reputation as a songwriter. During the 1990’s he moved to Nashville and was a featured member of Delbert McClinton’s band. In 1998, he moved back to Northern California and has been there ever since.
This album “….took a while” includes tunes that span the length of his career since the 1970’s and yet is, amazingly, his debut album! All of the songs are written by Mike and four of them are newly recorded. One tune, Torn & Scarred, was actually written by Mike in 1969 while he worked with a black church in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. It is a sweet little gospel song with Mike pounding the ivories and singing with a voice that has lost none of its power or range after all these years.
My favorite cut on the album is a new recording of I Can’t Let You Go featuring some tasteful lead guitar licks from Elvin Bishop. It should get a lot of airplay on stations and streams that feature soul blues music. I will certainly be playing it during my roadhouse blues sets on BMFR.
I also loved another new recording,I’m Not Sad Tonight, that features Gary Vogensen on guitar and his long time friend, Angela Strehli, as part of the backing vocals. Mike’s voice and keyboard playing transported me back…just remembering…but I’m not sad….just dang happy he came out with this album!
The album has the demo version ofHope You Love Me Like You Say You Dorecorded in 1980. Huey Lewis loved it when encouraged by Bob Brown, his manager, to give it a listen. And it was performed by Huey on his second album in 1982. Mike’s demo recording started a life long friendship with Bob who also played a major part in getting this album recorded and released.
I remember Mike as a young affable musician with obvious talent who took enjoyment from keyboard playing, the chance to sing for audiences, and have people hear songs he had written. He didn’t avidly seek the limelight or stardom like so many of his contemporaries and that is probably why It took a damn long while for Bob Brown to convince Mike to release his first solo album. My hope is that several more will follow in short order!
The Mike Duke Project – …took a while(2019 Little Village Foundation)