BITS AND PIECES...
Alligator Records
Living Blues magazine has announced the nominees for their 2009 Living Blues Readers’ Awards. Blues master Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater is nominated for three awards, Lil’ Ed Williams, of Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials and Marcia Ball are each nominated for two. Buckwheat Zydeco and Michael “Iron Man” Burks are nominated for one award apiece.
Members of the public may vote on-line at www.livingblues.com anytime on or before July 5, 2009.
Also, Buckwheat Zydeco, the band USA Today called “zydeco trailblazers,” have been celebrating their 30th anniversary with the May 5, 2009 release of LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN, the album OffBeat declared “the band’s most adventurous disc yet.” American musical icon and bandleader Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. has announced a massive North American tour by Buckwheat Zydeco, including stops at Milwaukee’s Summerfest on June 26, the Toronto Jazz Festival on June 28, Celebrate Brooklyn on July 24, The Pocono Blues Festival on July 26 and Colorado’s Copper Country Fest on September 5, among many other dates this summer and fall.
Blues Discography
As a component of my Master's Degree Thesis in 2000 as a student at Indiana University, I developed a recommended blues discography of the 50 blues collections I would recommend to get a blues collection started. I am glad to make that discography available to anyone who would like a copy. All I ask is that you provide me $1 postage (domestic), and I will be glad to mail you a copy. Please e-mail me if you are interested.
What A Tour
A group of top-flight Chicago blues artists have converged upon Europe, and are touring in support of what is being billed as the Chicago Blues History Tour. They will be in Europe through July, having left the U.S. on June 30th, with the featured performers being Lurrie Bell, Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Branch, John Primer, Felton Crews, Matthew Skoller, and Johnny Iguana. Can you imagine these shows? What a tour!
