To all my Listeners!
I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!
Friday, 23 December 2011
Bob Corritore Blues Newsletter - RIP Hubert Sumlin, RIP Howard Tate, RIP Paul Thomas, RIP J Blackfoot
December 8, 2011
- RIP Hubert Sumlin - November 16, 1931 to December 4, 2011. Best known for his extraordinary guitar work on the 1950s and 1960s recordings of Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin is considered among the greatest guitarists of all time. Hubert passed away of a heart attack on Sunday, Dec 4 after a long bout with respiratory illness. He was 80 years old. Though his health had been problematic for years, he continued to tour and delight concert and festival audiences until close to the end. Born in Greenville, Mississippi in 1931 and raised in Hughes, Arkansas, Hubert got his first guitar at age 6. Hubert was very interested in music and as a boy snuck into a nightclub to see Howlin' Wolf perform. Hubert's youthful enthusiasm won Wolf's heart, who took the young boy in and developed a father-like mentoring role with Hubert. Wolf would move to Chicago in 1953 and a year later would call for Hubert to move to Chicago to join his band. Initially Hubert played a secondary role in the group with guitarist Jody Williams getting most of the limelight. But when Jody left the band about 2 years later, Hubert became the star guitarist. Hubert's unorthodox approach, using innovative rhythmic textural lines and wild bursts of lead guitar, became an integral part of the Howlin' Wolf sound., Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters reportedly had a rivalry going as to who had the top blues band in Chicago (both were amazing bands) and for a short period of time Muddy recruited Hubert away from Wolf only to have Hubert return to Wolf's band and never leave again. Hubert's guitar was an essential and consistent part of the success of Wolf's recordings and live shows. The music achieved by the Wolf / Sumlin combination reached the highest of heights in the blues. When Howlin' Wolf recorded the London Sessions in 1970, Hubert began a life long relationship with UK blues artists like Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. In 1976, when Wolf died, Hubert was devastated. At first Eddie Shaw (Wolf's saxophonist) tried to keep the Howlin' Wolf band together but Hubert would drift: spending time in Austin, Texas under the care of Clifford Antone, or in Chicago where he stayed with Sunnyland Slim. In addition to recordings with Wolf, Hubert appeared on Chicago sessions with Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang, Andrew McMahon, Sunnyland Slim, Louisiana Red, Carey Bell, Little Eddie, Big Mac, and others. He recorded numerous albums under his own name for L+R, Black Top, Tone-Cool, Rykodisc, APO, JSP, Blind Pig, Blues Planet, Blues Special and other labels. At a point, under the guidance of manager Toni Ann Mamary, Hubert started to get his due as the guitar legend he was. Hubert found himself hanging around and performing with rock stars, playing major festivals, and having his historic bio, Incurable Blues, published. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2008, Through all this notoriety, Hubert remained the kind, gentle soul with the same boyish enthusiasm that first befriended the Howlin' Wolf. His guitar playing was always intriguing, unorthodox, and impossible to copy. As he was bedridden and nearing the last hours of his life, his final request was to play his guitar one last time. We thank Hubert for the light of joy he shined on the world and the heavenly music that he left for future generations to behold. He was our blues blessing. Special thanks to Hugh Southard of Blue Mountain Artists, Bob Margolin, and Little Frank who worked with him frequently on the road in recent years, Pat Morgan, James Cotton, Paul Oscher, Kim Wilson, Amanda Taylor, Diunna Greenleaf, Twist Turner, Little Mike, and all his friends and fans who all were there at all times to support Hubert.
To see some amazing videos of Hubert Sumlin with the Howlin' Wolf:
"Shake For Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex3nc0Km77g&feature=related
"Smokestack Lightnin" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxiYgof34iE&feature=related
Hubert Sumlin Funeral Information:
Sunday, December 11, 2011 - Viewing and Receiving of guests
2- 4 PM & 7 - 9PM
Festa Memorial
111 Union Blvd.
Totowa, NJ 07512
Phone: (973) 790-8686 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (973) 790-8686 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Totowa, NJ 07512
Phone: (973) 790-8686 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (973) 790-8686 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Monday, December 12, 2011 - Funeral Service10AM
Festa Memorial
111 Union Blvd.
Totowa, NJ 07512 Phone: (973) 790-8686 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (973) 790-8686 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Totowa, NJ 07512 Phone: (973) 790-8686 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (973) 790-8686 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - Chicago Area Musical Celebration Of Life
FitzGerald's
6615 W. Roosevelt Road, Berwyn, Illinois 60402
7pm doors, Donations accepted at door.
Many musicians will honor Hubert this night.
- RIP Paul Thomas - August 27, 1955 to November 20, 2011. Paul Thomas is best known as Phoenix's blues and roots, stand-up bass master. Though not a well known name outside of the Phoenix community, chances are that you have heard some of the celebrated recordings that he played on. Paul Thomas passed away from a reported fatal combination of alcohol and pain relievers while visiting his hometown of Tucson. He was 56. Paul had moved to Phoenix in the mid 1980s and worked in numerous Arizona-based blues and roots units including The Hoodoo Kings, The Rhythm Room All-Stars, Chico Chism, Pat Roberts & The Heymakers, The Jump Back Brothers, Midnite Blues, The Rocket 88s and many others. He also had worked occasionally in bands with Junior Watson, Lynwood Slim, and Rusty Zynn. As a member of the Rhythm Room All-Stars, Paul was called upon to back many of the great blues masters live and in the studio. Paul's great bass work can be heard on nationally released CDs by Henry Gray, Mojo Buford, Pinetop Perkins, Louisiana Red, Bob Corritore, Big Pete Pearson, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, The Hoodoo Kings and more. He was best known for his stand-up bass work in which he had championed all of the old school nuances of the instrument. He was inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame in 1999 . Paul simply loved to play bass and brought joy, humor and masterful bass playing to the bandstand each night. His absence leaves a unfillable gap in the Phoenix blues and roots scene. Paul leaves his legacy with his 20 year old son Dylan Thomas, a fine young man and a full-time professional bassist. Thank you Paul for your many years of great contributions to the Phoenix music scene. You will be greatly missed.
- RIP Howard Tate - August 13, 1939 to December 2, 2011 The influential soul singer Howard Tate was best known for soul hits like "Ain't Nobody Home" and "Get It While You Can", with the later covered and re-popularized by Janis Joplin. Tate died in his New Jersey apartment of natural causes at age 72. Born in Macon, Georgia and raised in Philadelphia, Tate came into prominence in the late 1960s through the 1970s with his brilliant collaborations with producer / songwriter Jerry Ragavoy. The recordings from this period are considered among the greatest examples of soul music ever recorded. After a tragic decline into drug addiction and homelessness during the 1980s, Howard Tate was able to pull himself together to experience a brilliant comeback with the Ragavoy produced 2003 release "Rediscovered", which was nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary blues album. The later part of his career saw many well-received festival and concert appearances and additional great recordings to add to his historic legacy. He will be fondly remembered for his blues-drenched voice complete with brilliant bursts of falsetto. That voice always sold the message of the song. To hear Howard Tate singing the original version of "Get It While You Can" click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9PawalWXUk
- RIP J Blackfoot - November 20, 1946 to November 30, 2011 Soul singer J Blackfoot is best known for his work in the 1970s as lead singer with the group The Soul Children and his 1983 hit "Taxi." He died at age 73 after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. Born John Colbert in Greenville, Mississippi and raised in Memphis, he received his moniker as a child from frequently walking barefoot. Musical prominence came when Stax producer / songwriter David Porter recruited Blackfoot, together with Norman West, Anita Louis, and Shelbra Bennett, to form The Soul Children. Between 1968 and 1978, The Soul Children had 15 chart hits and recorded seven well-received albums. Blackfoot later recorded a number of sides under his own name and in 1983 made a hit with the ballad "Taxi". He remained an active recording artist until the end and was a very popular concert attraction in the south and in Japan and Europe. J Blackfoot's sweet voice will live on in soul music history through his legacy of fine recordings.
To hear The Soul Children "Finders keepers" click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS5lSyDDh7Y, and to hear J Blackfoot's hit "Taxi" click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=turF6wSwdH4.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Stats for KANAL BLUES for November 2011
Unique listeners 3086 listener(s)
Unique countries 86 countries -
Total listening hours (TLH) 4466.30
Best Stats since the beginning of KANAL BLUES streaming (December2009)
Many thanks to all my listeners!
Alain
Sunday, 30 October 2011
KANAL BLUES Listeners for October 2011 !
Unique listeners 2913 listener(s)
Unique countries 85 countries -
Total listening hours (TLH) 4531.30
Best Stats since the beginning of KANAL BLUES streaming (December2009)
Many thanks to all my listeners!
Alain
Friday, 28 October 2011
INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE 2012
The dates for the 2012 International Blues Challenge (IBC) will be January 31 - February 4, 2012. The competition will be held in Memphis, TN in the Beale Street entertainment district.
Tickets will be available on October 1.
IBC will begin with the FedEx International Showcase (Jan 31). The Challenge has been expanded to a four day format. Wednesday and Thursday night we will hold the quarter finals (Feb 1-2), Semi finals will be held Friday night (Feb 3) and concluding with finals in the Orpheum Theater (Feb 4). Watch this page for more updates!
I pushed the whole competition thing out of my head. I didn't want to focus on that. I decided to leave that alone and went and made a point to meet as many people as I could; made a lot of great connections. Matt Andersen, First Place, Solo/Duo 2010 IBC
The 2012 International Blues Challenge will be the 28th year of Blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes, and industry recognition. The Blues Foundation will present the 28th International Blues Challenge January 31-February 4, 2012 in Memphis, TN. The world's largest gathering of Blues acts represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to take their act to the international stage. In 2011, 110 bands and 83 solo/duo acts entered, filling the clubs up and down Beale Street for the quarter-finals on Wednesday and Thursday, the semi-finals on Friday and the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. We will have at least that many in 2012.
The 28th year of the International Blues Challenge will once again include a youth showcase for those under the age of 21. The 28th IBC will include an afternoon (Friday, February 3, 2011) of talented young people showcasing their talents for record labels, media, festivals, managers, talent buyers and the fans.
Watch this page for further information. Email joe@blues.org if you have any questions.
The week of events will once again kick off Tuesday night with a Meet & Greet hosted by the Beale Street Merchants Association at the New Daisy Theater, followed by the FedEx International Showcase. In addition to the evening Blues competition, the days are filled with seminars and workshops and topped off in a moving Saturday morning brunch in which the Blues community will honor its own with the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) awards that honor the men and women, who have made significant contributions to the Blues music world, in 20 categories such as journalism, literature and photography and to the best clubs and festivals, as well as managers, promoters and producers.
Media Sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Blues Revue, Downtowner, House of Blues Radio Hour, Living Blues, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Music Magazine and WREG-TV.
The 28th International Blues Challenge is sponsored by ArtsMemphis, bandVillage, Beale Street Merchants Association, Budweiser and its local distributor, D.Canale Beverages, FedEx, Gibson, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Smokin' Bluz, T. Clifton Art, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission.
The list of current blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years is impressive indeed: Slick Ballinger, Barbara Blue, Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Keith Brown, Michael Burks, Sean Carney, Albert Castiglia, Tommy Castro, the late Sean Costello, Albert Cummings, Delta Moon, Larry Garner, Joey Gilmore, Diunna Greenleaf, Zac Harmon, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Richard Johnston, Joe Moss, Jason Ricci, Robin Rogers, Matthew Skoller, Super Chikan, Patrick Sweany, Susan Tedeschi, Teeny Tucker, Watermelon Slim, the late John Weston and Michelle Wilson.
Winning the International Blues Challenge is better than having a $100,000 publicity budget. 2004 IBC winner and 2006 Blues Music Award Best New Artist Zac Harmon
This was my first year attending the International Blues Challenge and it was better than any festival I have ever attended. Eddie Bagwell, Vice-President, Tulsa Blues Society.
The amount of talent that gathered in Memphis was staggering. I have to admit it sent chills down my spine whenever I looked around and realized I was in Memphis at the International Blues Challenge and that I actually knew some of these performers on stage. Goose bump time! We were able to see 35+ IBC performers and I can honestly say everyone we saw was talented and truly belonged there. Everything we heard was pure blues, and this was one time I was glad I was not judging. Chick Cavallero, Colorado and Grand County Blues Societies
The IBC is sponsored by the good folks at the companies and arts organizations identified on the side banner.
The IBC has evolved into the nation's biggest and most respected showcase for Blues musicians ready to take their act to the national stage. The IBC is a judged "Battle of the Bands" in which competitors take the stage and play a short set for a panel of judges. The acts are judged based on an established set of criteria.
The IBC represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations (mostly blues societies) for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to perform on a national stage, but just need that extra break. Each Affiliate of The Blues Foundation has the right to send a band and solo/duo act to represent the organization at the IBC Semi-Finals on Beale Street in Memphis, TN.
Affiliates are encouraged to stage a regional preliminary IBC competition, with the winner of that competition representing the organization in the Memphis international competition. Usually, these preliminary rounds are held in clubs as part of a fundraiser or simply an excitement-building event. Each organization is free to structure the preliminary round as it sees fit, as long as a single band and/or solo/duo act is identified. However, since The Blues Foundation scoring criteria will determine the ultimate winner, we strongly encourage our Affiliates to use the same system in the preliminary competitions.
Friday, 14 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Monday, 3 October 2011
Stats for KANAL BLUES for September 2011
Unique listeners 2518 listener(s)
Unique countries 81 countries -
Total listening hours (TLH) 2994.40
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Health Problems!
Health Problems!
Due to health problems very important, I am not currently able to maintain this blog under normal conditions. However a new program for KANAL BLUES is updated weekly. I hope to resume my work as soon as posssible. I'm sorry for the inconvenience!
Suite à des problèmes de santé très importants, je ne suis pas mesure actuellement de tenir à jour ce blog dans des conditions normales. Toutefois une nouvelle programmation pour KANAL BLUES est mise à jour chaque semaine.
j'espère pouvoir reprendre mon activité le plus tôt posssible.
je suis désolé pour ce contretemps!
Suite à des problèmes de santé très importants, je ne suis pas mesure actuellement de tenir à jour ce blog dans des conditions normales. Toutefois une nouvelle programmation pour KANAL BLUES est mise à jour chaque semaine.
j'espère pouvoir reprendre mon activité le plus tôt posssible.
je suis désolé pour ce contretemps!
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