Blues News

On May 6th, 2010 at the 31st Blues Music Awards, The Blues Foundation will publicly honor blues legend Buddy Guy with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Blues Foundation has commissioned for this special occasion a one-of-a-kind award from Patterson & Barnes, who also created the original artwork that served as the basis for the 2010 poster. There will also be an oral and video presentation, as well as a special musical tribute, all in the legend's honor. Buddy Guy will be at the ...

Delta Groove Music and the Simi Sunrise Rotary, both corporate members of The Blues Foundation, are teaminng up to change the musical content of the Simi Valley Cajun Creole Music Festival with Blues. Delta Groove will present the 5th Annual Delta Groove All-Star Blues Review at the long-running Louisiana music festival. With that, A Blues Infusion at the Simi Valley Cajun Creole Festival is born. For the past 20 years, Simi Valley has hostged a fundraiser founded in 1988 to benefit t...

For any blues fans of Will Roy Sanders who want to help the family offset the costs of his funeral, there is a fund set up at Shangri-la Records 1916 Madison Ave. for any donation of $25.00. Sherman Willmott has donated a number of documentary VHS tapes, soundtrack CDs and books about Will Roy Sanders for the 100 people who donate $25. For folks outside of Memphis, if you make an online donation online and reference Will Roy Sanders, we will get the funds to the family. Memphis bluesman Wi...

The Blues Foundation has announced the inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010, including Louisiana-born, Chicago-based bluesman Lonnie Brooks, highly-esteemed blues singer and harpist Charlie Musselwhite and singer, songwriter, guitarist and social activist Bonnie Raitt. Among the other individuals that are being recognized by the Foundation this year include "The Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy, jug band pioneer Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, ...

New Brunswick's Matt Andersen is larger than life--and so is his talent and his showmanship. Now based in Halifax, Andersen's a 400-lb. giant who's building an international following for his high energy performances of a sprawling hybrid of blues, roots and rock and roll. Now, having won the solo/duo award at the Blues Foundation's annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January, he's setting off on yet another tour. This time he's playing more than 25 theatre concerts in Ontario,...

The Blues Foundation announces the expansion of its youth education initiative with Generation Blues. This scholarship program will allow qualified applicants under the age of 25 to study their instrument of choice at reputable camps, seminars and workshop programs at Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, Augusta Heritage Center and Fernando Jones' Columbia College Blues Camp. Camps, seminars and workshops attended by Generation Blues scholarship recipients may take place throughout the ye...

30th ANNIVERSARY STAR STUDDED BLUES MUSIC AWARDS DVD IS AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 1st The Blues Foundation announces the release of its 30th Anniversary Blues Music Awards DVD. There is no other place you will find such a stellar collection of today's blues music stars. The show itself is a more than six hour extravaganza but all the performers were captured on this two-hour DVD. There were great pairings like Taj Mahal and Maria Muldaur singing "What About The Soul of The Man," Curtis Salgad...

If you never attended the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis every year for the last 26 years, you are missing out on one of the truly great music events the world has to offer. The International Blues Challenge is the largest gathering of blues musicians and bands in the world representing blues societies from countries such as Poland, France, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and many more. The United States is also represented from practically every state in the union. Memp...

The following is the the text of a keynote address delivered by Toronto music impresario, publicist and all-round enthusiast to the Blues Foundation's 26th annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. on January 22, 2010 is now available. Flohil was also a recipient of the Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" award, a trophy that honours those that have helped to keep blues music in the public eye. Compliments of FYI Music News Weekly--Canada's Music Industry Source Weekly Digest...

The Connecticut Blues Society (2010 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipient) has been taking part in The Winners Circle Blues Project. This is a collaboration begun by CTBS Board member Dom Forcella and involves the Connecticut Blues Society, Blues musicians and the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. Blues musicians donate their time to provide a monthly concert at the main Veterans Affairs facility in Rocky Hill. The genesis for this project was the creation of the first Bluzapal...

Elvin Bishop has released an album with his longtime friend and musical mentor, "Little Smokey" Smothers to help during a time of need. Smokey has had declining health over the last few years and recently has lost both his legs to diabetes. Elvin met Smokey in Chicago in 1960 while attending regular college at the University of Chicago and "blues college" on the south and west sides. Smokey would have a steady mostly local career in the Chicago blues scene, while Elvin would gain prominence, fir...

The Blues Foundation will present the Blues Music Awards at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN on May 6, 2010. Performers, industry representatives and fans from around the globe will have the chance to celebrate the best in Blues recording and performance from 2009. Among those heading the list of honorees for the 31st Blues Music Awards is Joe Louis Walker, who garnered five nominations, including Album of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for "I'm T...

Looking for Blues music on your radio dial. A very helpful website for finding Blues radio programs is Mary4Music. When you go to the Blewzzman's site, you might just find something more of bluesy interest to you. Smokin' Bluz out of Charlotte, NC is the sponsor of the Smokin' Bluz Youth Showcase each year at the International Blues Challenge. Check out Rick Ballew's Smokin' Bluz 24/7 at

For information on summer blues festivals. Visit Blues Festival Guide or check out the list at Blues Revue. The Blues Festival Guide lists 530+ Blues Festivals in 2007. In case you are wondering. Here's how they breakdown by month. January = 12 February = 16 March = 12 April = 20 May = 58 June = 99 July = 105 August = 102 September = 69 October = 22 November = 1...

Here is just a little peek of the 2010 IBC from The Randy Oxford Band's point of view. WOW !! That was the most amazing International Blues Challenge (IBC) ever. With 111 bands and 83 solo/duo acts from around the world, performing in 19 different venues, this was truly an amazing event to be a part of. The Blues Foundation with it's hundreds of volunteers, pulled it off in world class style. There were so many great bands this year making the judging very difficult and they delivered some grea...

This month’s 10-day auction item is a framed autographed copy of Love Stinks, the 1980 release by those bad boys from Boston, the funkiest band in the land, the incredible J. Geils Band. The wooden frame features two-sided glass so both front and back of the LP cover are viewable. It has been signed by band members J. Geils, Peter Wolf, Magic Dick, Danny Klein and Seth Justman. Enter your bid here. As always, all pro...

Happy Birthday to George Thorogood, star of 2010 Blues Music Award DVD nominee Down to the Crossroads Vol. 1 (along with the Destroyers & Eddie Shaw) by Vincent Productions.

The following members won our weekly drawing from among those who have voted so far by selecting their favorites from the 2010 Blues Music Awards online ballot: Thomas Crookshank, Jim Meythaler, F. Alan Johnson, Judy Dulaney and Rosalie Miller. They will receive a copy of Back to Back Llive, a DVD that got some BMA consideration. It features Mr. B and Bob Seeley in back to back pianos. Voting ends February 28. With the IBC behind us, the get out the vote effort will get serious. L...

From Road Dog Touring It is with great sadness that I am sending this email to you all today. Lil' Dave Thompson was killed in a car accident early this morning, Sunday, February 14, 2010. He was travelling home after playing the Blues Bash at Fiery Ron's in Charleston, SC on his final day of a very succesful tour. The band was driving toward Greenville, MS when the van struck a hole in the road, veered into gravel and lost control. Lil' Dave will be greatly missed by me personally. It h...

Bobby "Blue" Band was feted Wednesday, January 27on his 80th birthday with family, friends and fans in Tunica, MS. People from all over the world wished they were in the house and indeed blues fans from France and Norway were. Love and respect filled the room, but a dose of good-natured roasting came from Bobby Rush and B.B. King. King and Shirley Brown each sang Happy Birthday to the greatest singer in blues history. Latimore, Floyd Taylor, J Blackfoot, Millie Jackson also paid tribute. Th...