Hey there. A little while ago, the Grammy Winners were announced in the Blues categories.
Bobby Rush won the Best Traditional Blues Album category for “Rawer Than Raw.”
Fantastic Negrito won the Best Contemporary Blues Album category for “Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?”
Each album is delectable in its own way. And they both pretty much fit on opposite sides of the Blues Bell Curve.
It gives you the sense that the Blues is still a living, breathing, and evolving art form.
No Idle Hands For Larkin Poe
The always lovely Lovell sisters (AKA Larkin Poe) have been keeping themselves busy.
They’ve been Porch Pickin’ (their personal livestreams) and covering a number of classic tunes in videos. Their latest video cover is “Sweet Home Chicago“.
By the by, they also have a whole album of “covers,” check out Kindred Spirits.
Power To The Trio
Joe Bonamassa’s doing it again. This time Power Trio Style.
Joe (with Anton Fig on drums and Steve Mackey on bass) is putting on a good ole, new-fashioned Pay-Per-View on Austin City Limits.
I caught his “Royal Tea” livestream back in September and it was terrific. And this should be great too. Plus, you can watch it over and over up to 30 days after the broadcast.
Ally Venable’s Latest
I first saw Ally Venable at the Big Blues Bender when she was only 19. Even then you could see she was gonna be a Blues force to be reckoned with.
Flash forward just a couple years and her latest album, “Heart of Fire,” is proof to that point.
She’s got the guitar. She’s got the voice. And she’s writing great songs. Need more proof? Check out her latest video, “Road to Nowhere.”
Women Of The Blues
“From the south side to the west side, from urban to suburban, Chicago Blues Women have been performing in clubs, in festivals and in studios for decades.”
And the Women of the Blues Foundation and Delmark Records are celebrating these women during Women’s History Month with an historic exhibit. Women of the Blues: A Coast-To-Coast Collection.
Captured with lens and brush, you can get a glimpse of these bold women with a virtual tour here.
Lightning Boy vs. Jack Butler
The fellas over at Blues Rock Review reminded me of this last week.
This is the always fun to watch, and fairly famous guitar battle in the 1986 movie “Crossroads.”
Incidentally, this video clip has over 35 Million views. (So I’m not the only one with a little guilty pleasure or two.)
ATWB – New Blues Playlist
It might be time for you to take a look at my new playlist over on Spotify.
It’s a curated list of the newest Blues singles in the genre. It’s called: ATWB – New Blues and I’m updating it weekly.
If the tunes are Fresh and Tasty, then they’re in my Playlist. So enjoy. (And be a bud, click on the Follow LInk.)
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
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