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Blues Music Awards span genre's past, present, future - USA Today |
"With an awards agenda that spans 26 categories and a 46-act lineup that will perform 29 sets over six-plus
hours, the 30th Blues Music Awards in Memphis Thursday will embrace a typically sprawling array of styles, from
rural acoustic to uptown jump.
"But unprecedented this year is the nine-decade age range among the more than 100 nominees and presenters,
a span that almost covers the genre's history.
"At the pioneering end are the last two touring original Mississippi Delta bluesmen, pianist Willie 'Pinetop'
Perkins and singer/guitarist David 'Honeyboy' Edwards.
"Perkins, 95, who began playing in the late 1920s and is best known as a sideman to Muddy Waters, will present
an award named after him to the top piano player. Edwards, 93, a friend of the legendary Robert Johnson who claims
to have been present at his mystery-shrouded death in 1938, is nominated in the traditional blues album category
for Roamin' and Ramblin', featuring sessions from 2007 and the mid-1970s.
"'I feel good all right, good about that,' Edwards says. 'I've been around long enough ... and the blues is
something that stays on your mind.'
"The future is heralded by Tupelo, Miss.-based Homemade Jamz Blues Band, consisting of the Perry siblings,
singer/guitarist Ryan, 17; bass player Kyle, 14; and drummer Taya, 10. Their 2008 debut album, Pay Me No Mind,
is nominated in the new-artist category and features electrified Chicago- and raucous juke-joint-style songs written
by their father/manager, Renaud, an ex-serviceman and amateur musician. On some songs, Ryan and Kyle play homemade
guitars made from auto parts."
- Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY
Read the whole article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-05-05-blues-awards_N.htm |
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Zac Harmon Joins NorthernBlues Music |
NorthernBlues Music
is proud to announce that Zac Harmon, winner of the 2004 International Blue Challenge, will be releasing
his first CD for NorthernBlues in early 2009.
Born and raised in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, Zac
relocated to L.A. in the early eighties, and then established himself as a writer and producer, crafting songs
for the likes of the O'Jays, Freddie Jackson, Karyn White, Alexander O'Neal, Black Uhuru and the Whispers.
In 2002, Harmon pursued his lifetime dream to record his first
blues project. The result was 2002's Live at Babe & Ricky's Inn, an electrifying testimonial to Mississippi
blues. In 2004, Zac with and his then band, the Mid South Blues Revue, won the Blues Foundation's prestigious International Blues Challenge (IBC) title of "Best
Unsigned Band".
Zac's next CD, "The Blues According To Zacariah"
debuted at #14 on the Living Blues National Radio
Airplay Chart, with tracks also airing on XM
and Sirius satellite radio and the American Blues Network. The listeners of XM Satellite Radio voted Harmon "Best New Blues Artist"
in the inaugural 2005 XM Nation Music Awards. In 2006, Zac Harmon won a Blues Music (formerly W.C. Handy) Award
for "Best New Artist Debut" from the Blues
Foundation. He was also featured in the June/July
2006 issue of Blues Revue, as one of the 10 artists that represent the future of the blues.
In 2007, Zac Harmon was named to the Blues Foundation's Board
of Directors and was chosen to endorse endorsing the Category 5 Amplification line of superb amplifiers. He continues
to tour nationally and internationally.
Zac's 2009 release for NorthernBlues Music,
"From The Root", is an eclectic mix of blues, reggae, soul and gospel. "Zac fits right into the NorthernBlues roster - he stretches the boundaries
of the blues, and I love that," said Fred Litwin,
President of NorthernBlues Music.
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Sugar Bird receives a Juno Award nomination for best artwork. |
Paul Reddick's Sugar
Bird receives
a Juno Award nomination for best artwork. That is our 3rd Juno Award nomination for artwork since
we opened shop. We're extremely proud of this nomination as it shows the effort we put into making our CDs look
great - and of course, sound great.
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Bluzapalooza goes back to Iraq - with Moreland & Arbuckle |
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BLUZAPALOOZA,
the star-studded celebrity Blues concert tour is heading back to Iraq and Kuwait for its second tour on October
26th.
Created by Blues producers Steve Simon and John Hahn and presented by Armed Forces Entertainment, this 12 day BLUZAPALOOZA
tour stars Blues icons Shemekia Copeland, Michael Burks, Deanna Bogart, Zac Harmon, NorthernBlues recording artists
Moreland & Arbuckle and Tony Braunagel and The BLUZAPALOOZA All-Star Band.
"I am deeply honored to be going over there to entertain our troops, and Lord knows I love to hang out with
men in uniforms", stated Shemekia Copeland.
"We are thrilled to be going back to Iraq and to have so many great Blues artists volunteering to go to a
war zone. This is certainly an historic event for the Blues and for our men and woman who so proudly serve our
country," stated BLUZAPALOOZA founder and producer Steve Simon.
"Our October tour's lineup would sell out any blues festival in the country. It's an honor to be able to bring
it to our troops," stated BLUZAPALOOZA co-producer John Hahn.
This historic tour will be documented by renowned New York photographer, Joseph A. Rosen, a recipient of the "Keeping
the Blues Alive" award in photography from the Blues Foundation.
The BLUZAPALOOZA tour has been made possible with the help of Armed Forces Entertainment, The Blues Foundation,
Blues Revue, NorthernBlues Music, Alligator Records, Blind Raccoon, Delta Groove Records, Blind Pig Records, Hohner
Harmonicas, Telarc Records, Sony Corporation, Ruf Records and Entertainment Support Systems, LLC.
Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military
personnel serving overseas. Founded in 1951, AFE brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops each year.
BLUZAPALOOZA is proud to be working with AFE.
For further information contact Steve Simon at 340-643-6475 or at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/bluzapalooza |
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Watermelon Slim & the Workers win 2008 Band of the Year and Album of the Year |
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The NorthernBlues Music
release The Wheel Man wins 'Album of the Year' over peers Koko Taylor, Bettye LaVette and Jimmie Vaughan.
Watermelon Slim & The Workers won a pair of awards at the Memphis-based Blues
Foundation's 2008 Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C.
Handy Awards) on Thursday May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi.
Watermelon Slim
is a relatively new luminary of the blues, rapidly building a career behind four albums and constant touring. In
2008 Slim was nominated for six awards, a feat matched only by the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray.
Slim has twelve nominations in the last two years, a feat unmatched in the event's 29 years.
Slim, his band and the album have been steadily building praise preceding these two Blues Music Awards. The legendary
Jerry Wexler penned the liner notes of the award winning album which also won the Independent Music Award for 'Blues Album of the Year.'
Watermelon Slim and the Workers have long been leading earners for their exclusive booking agency, Intrepid Artists.
Among other accolades, the band also won the 2008 Maple
Blues Award for 'International Artist of the Year.'
Blues Revue Magazine wrote of The Wheel Man "(Watermelon
Slim) not only holds his own but defines a new genre - one that's the blues' answer to some of rock's greatest
garage bands." Mainstream media such as Paste Magazine
describes Slim as "the most exciting and authentic
blues performer I've heard in years." The U.K.'s
MOJO Magazine
ranked Slim's last two records #1 on its annual 'Best
Blues Albums of the Year' list.
The Toronto based world/roots/blues label NorthernBlues
Music has released the last two Watermelon Slim & The Workers
CDs. A self titled album was released in February 2006. The
Wheel Man was released in April 2007 and debuted in
the top ten on Billboard's Blues Charts. It was produced by Chris Wick and features keyboardist Dave Maxwell and
Chicago blues legend Magic Slim on the title track. As mentioned earlier, Jerry Wexler wrote the liner notes yet
had to decline a producer role due to health issues.
Owner of NorthernBluesMusic, Inc. Fred Litwin beams "I
can't tell you how proud I am of Watermelon Slim - these awards show that the fans recognize he is the most authentic
and honest bluesman out there." These are not
lighthearted words considering Litwin's label launched the likes of Otis Taylor and Janiva Magness into worldwide
recognition and their own bevy of awards.
Born in North Carolina, raised in Boston, Bill 'Watermelon Slim' Homans was schooled at Middleberry College until
he enlisted in Vietnam. While laid up in an Army hospital he taught himself upside down left handed guitar with
his military issued Zippo as a slide and a plastic pick cut from the top of a coffee can. He has been a truck driver,
watermelon farmer, sawmiller, funeral officiator and small time criminal. He's earned two masters degrees in history
and journalism and hauled industrial waste. In the early 2000s, a near fatal heart attack clarified his focus on
mortality and he hit the road on a new career as a singing/songwriting/guitar playing/harmonica blowing/ performing
bluesman.
The highly anticipated follow up to 'The Wheel Man' is entitled 'No
Paid Holidays' and features Lee Roy Parnell on slide
guitar. 'No Paid Holidays' hits the street June 24, 2008 on NorthernBlues
Music via Redeye Distribution.
For almost three decades, the Blues Music Awards (and previously the W.C. Handy Awards) have celebrated excellence
in performance and recording of the blues. For more information about the Blues Foundation and the Blues Music
Awards, visit www.blues.org. |
Gibson Guitars names Watermelon Slim one of the top ten blues albums of 2007 |
This Oklahoman is one of the rawest and most fascinating figures
in today's blues. He fought in Vietnam, officiated at funerals, and worked as a trucker, forklift operator, saw
miller, firewood salesman, and collection agent until a near-fatal heart attack compelled him to find his calling
as a bandleader in 2002.
Slim’s latest is a devil’s playground for his weathered oaken voice and Delta-fueled six-string
slide and harmonica, full of stories of crime ("The
Wheel Man"), lust ("Peaches"), and sin
("Jimmy Bell"), all packed with true grit.
FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD
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NorthernBlues Music received eight 2008 Blues Music Award nominations! |
For
the second consecutive year, Watermelon Slim has received six Blues Music Award nominations, including Album of the Year, Band of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Song
of the Year.
And, Mem
Shannon received two nominations - Soul Blues Album of the Year,
and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year.
Here is our complete list of nominations:
Album of the Year - Watermelon Slim & The Workers for "The
Wheel Man"
BB King Entertainer of the Year - Watermelon Slim
Band of the Year - Watermelon Slim & The Workers
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year - Watermelon Slim & The Workers for "The Wheel Man"
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year - Watermelon Slim
Song of the Year - William Homans for "The
Wheel Man"
Soul Blues Album of the Year - Mem Shannon for "A
Night At Tipitina's"
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year - Mem Shannon
Online voting begins December 13th for members of the Blues founation. Voting, ticket and host hotel
information can be found at The Blues Foundation's
website - www.blues.org
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2007
- Canadian Company NorthernBlues Music Garners Nine BMA Nominations & IMA Win for Watermelon Slim & The
Workers! |
Toronto, Canada (December 14, 2006)
Nominations
abound for NorthernBlues artists this year, including an incredible nine
at the prestigious 2007 Blues Music Awards!
Three For Janiva:
Winner of the 2006 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Female Artist of the Year, Janiva Magness is back for a second
shot at the title. Released earlier this year, her recording Do
I Move You? also received nominations for Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.
Six For Slim:
2007 Blues Music Award nominations for Watermelon Slim
& The Workers include Album of the Year, BB King
Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year, Song of the Year (for Hard
Times), Traditional Blues Album, and Traditional Blues
Male Artist. "The most amazing story of the 2007
Blues Music Awards is the six nominations racked up by Watermelon Slim & The Workers... their self-titled release
struck a chord with the nominators as this former truck driver with a Masters degree in history picked up song,
album, band and entertainer nods, among the 25 album, artist and instrumentalist categories." - Blues Foundation
The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest honour given to Blues artists. They are produced
by The Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization established to preserve Blues history, celebrate Blues
excellence, support Blues education and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form. The Blues Foundation
consists of a worldwide network of 150 affiliated Blues societies and has individual memberships in thirty countries.
The winners will be announced at The Blues Music Awards on May 10, 2007 in Memphis. More information can be found
at www.blues.org.
Hot on the heels of the Blues Music Awards, NorthernBlues artists have a total of six nominations at the Maple Blues Awards
this year, to be held on January 15, 2007 in Toronto. JW-Jones
Blues Band's Kissing in 29 Days is up for Recording
of the Year, nominees for Harmonica Player of the Year include Dave
Hoerl (The Twisters), Carlos del Junco, and Paul Reddick, Kevin Breit
is up for Guitarist of the Year, and Watermelon Slim is nominated for the BB King International Artist Award. Voting is
open until Dec 16th at midnight, and all Canadian residents are eligible to vote: torontobluessociety.com/mba/vote.htm
Last but not least, self-titled
Watermelon Slim & The Workers took the prize for Blues
Album of the Year at the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards!
Nominees for the category included Eddie Turner for
The Turner Diaries and Glamourpuss for Bluesman's
Prayer, also up for Blues Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards, to be held in Halifax in February
2007.
"I'm extremely proud of what we have accomplished
this year - it shows that NothernBlues is a truly world-class blues label with world-class blues artists."
- Fred Litwin, President of NBM |
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NorthernBlues
Music Recording Artists Garner Four 2006 Blues Music Awards' Nominations and several Maples Blues Nominations |
NorthernBlues Music recording artists, Mem Shannon, Eddie Turner and Janiva Magness, have received a total of four
nominations for Blues Music Awards. These are:
Mem Shannon
I'm From Phunkville
Soul Blues Album of the Year &
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
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Eddie Turner
Rise
Best New Artist Debut
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Janiva Magness
Bury Him At The Crossroads
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of The Year
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The Blues
Music Awards (BMAs), formerly known as the W.C. Handy
Awards, celebrate the best in blues recording and performance from the previous year and are universally recognized
as the highest honor given to blues artists. The award ceremony will be held May 11, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee,
the home of the host, The Blues Foundation, where many of the nominees have the privilege of playing live to a
large gathering of blues music industry professionals and fans. Members of the foundation are eligible to vote
for artists and their recordings at www.blues.org.
In addition, two NorthernBlues CDs, Villanelle by Paul
Reddick and Blues
Mongrel by Carlos
del Junco have received Album of the Year nominations
by the MapleBlues Awards.
"We are all delighted at the news," says Fred Litwin, president of NorthernBlues Music. "This is the first time that we have had three of our recording artists obtain BMA nominations
in the same year. This demonstrates our desire to present blues & roots music with originality and diversity,
different from the norm."
This goal will continue in 2006 when both Janiva Magness and Eddie
Turner will release new CDs on NorthernBlues Music.
Janiva's new CD "Do I Move You?" (March 7, 2006) is co-produced by Colin Linden and Janiva with
Rick Holmstrom on guitar, Richard Bell on keyboards, Stephen Hodges on drums, Jeff Turmes on bass & sax. NorthernBlues
will also present a newcomer Watermelon Slim, whose self-titled CD will release February 14, 2006. Other releases
include Glamour Puss and JW-Jones and a Neil Young Tribute.
NorthernBlues Music, founded in 2000 by Fred
Litwin, stretches the boundaries of the blues, finding
unique artists that offer distinctive interpretations. The roster includes Mem
Shannon, Janiva Magness, Watermelon Slim, David Jacobs-Strain, Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie, Chris Beard, Eddie Turner,
Brian Blain, JW-Jones Blues Band, Paul Reddick, Glamour Puss, Carlos del Junco, John and the Sisters (Kevin Breit),
Taxi Chain, Toni Lynn Washington, James Cohen, Dan Treanor and Rita Chiarelli.
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W.C.
Handy and Canadian Independent Music Award nominations for NorthernBlues artists |
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Two of NorthernBlues artists have received W.C. Handy Award nominations.
Janiva Magness
received a nomination for Contemporary Blues-Female
Artist of the Year and Toni Lynn Washington received
a nomination for Soul/Blues-Female Artist of the Year! Congratulations to both Toni and Janiva! |
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John
and the Sisters and JW-Jones have just received
a Canadian Independent Music Award nomination for Blues
Act of the Year. Congratulations to both bands...they
sure deserve it.
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JW-Jones
Named Electric Act of the Year; Carlos del Junco Best Harmonica Player |
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Paul
Reddick's "Villanelle" and Dan Treanor/Frankie Lee's "African Wind" Now on Listening Stations
at Borders |
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For the next two months, these 2 great CDs from NorthernBlues will be featured at Borders on their listening stations.
Please check out these titles at your nearest Borders! |
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"My
Kind of Evil" and "John and the Sisters" nominated for a 2004 Maple Blues Award for Blues Recording
of the Year. |
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Toronto band John & the Sisters
received 5 nominations, more than any other group -
Recording of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Guitar Player of the Year (Kevin Breit), Male Vocalist of the
Year (John Dickie), and Producer of the Year (Kevin Breit). The
JW-Jones Blues Band received four nominations - Recording
of the Year, Producer of the Year (JW-Jones and Kim Wilson), Guitar Player of the Year (JW-Jones), and Electric
Act of the Year.
Winners will be announced at an
all-star celebration on Monday, January 17 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto.
For the first time in the awards' eight-year history, voting will take place entirely online. Marking an exciting
evolution in how the winners are chosen, blues fans across the country can vote for their favourite artists on
the Maple Blues Awards website at www.mapleblues.ca until December 15th.
The
Maple Blues Awards are Canada's annual celebration
of homegrown talent. The nominees represent the best Canadian blues literally from coast to coast to coast. The
Maple Blues Awards gala evening is much more than an awards show; it is a gathering of a national community, it
is a party, and it is a great show. The MBAs coincide with the bi-annual Blues Summit, a three-day conference which
brings together blues musicians, agents, record companies, promoters, festival and venue presenters, and top blues
media and fans from across Canada and the United States.
Nominees were chosen by an independent panel of blues radio personalities and music journalists across Canada.
The winners are chosen from votes by blues fans across the country, many of them members of a growing network of
blues societies. Voting for the awards at www.mapleblues.ca is open to anyone across Canada with a valid email address. The law
firm Levinter & Levinter will once again verify the results.
Maple Blues Awards tickets are $35 for the public and $30 for TBS members. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster
at 416-870-8000, www.ticketmaster.ca or the TBS office at 416-538-3885 or 1-866-871-9457, info@torontobluessociety.com.
The Maple Blues Awards are supported by FACTOR and Heritage Canada, GALAXIE - CBC's Continuous Music Network, the
SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Ministry of Culture and the Toronto Arts Council.
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NorthernBlues
signs up Eddie Turner |
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NorthernBlues
signs up Carlos del Junco |
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NorthernBlues
is proud to announce that Eddie Turner has been signed and that his CD, Rise, will be released in February
2005. Eddie used to play guitar with Otis Taylor's band, and is known for his killer psychedelic guitar. On "Rise",
Eddie showcases his song-writing capability - and with Kenny Passarelli producing - has put together an incredible
sounding, very urban, CD. |
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NorthernBlues is also proud to announce that Carlos del Junco
has joined the label, and that his CD,
Blues Mongrel, will also be released in February 2005. Carlos is a leading pioneer of the 10-hole diatonic harmonica
and he has won world championships in Germany at the Hohner World Harmonica competition. His new CD, Blues Mongrel,
showcases blues and jazz and layers a variety of different sounds for something that is totally unique! |
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New!
Coming in March
Taxi Chain's "Smarten Up!" |
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New! Coming in April
John & The Sisters with Kevin Breit |
Funky sawdust-rockin' bagpipe blues with a country twist. |
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Crazy Burning Cosmic Blues From Another Planet! |
A funky soulful, absolutely unique blend of Americana, R&B, blues and bagpipe, yes, bagpipe!
Band leader Grier Coppins founded Rare Air, the ground-breaking, the wildly successful jazz/celtic-fusion band
over 20 years ago, and continues breaking down walls between musical genres with Taxi Chain. A fresh new
brilliant sound, a blend of lowdown American roadhouse and bluesy R&B with a Tom Waitsian sense of lyrics and
that damned bagpipe. Seamless, dirty, sweet, and extremely danceable.
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You will not believe your ears when you hear this genre-bending, live-off-the-floor sonic blues adventure!!!
Bandleader Kevin Breit (Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson) fresh from critical success with 2003's "Jubilee"
returns with a huge sounding, monstrous junkyard dog of a sonic blues adventure. With his immensely talented Sisters Euclid Band,
and brash blues-belter John Dickie, Kevin has produced a jaw-dropping, string-bending, stew of original songs and
sounds.
Kevin Breit
is one of North America's finest session musicians (can play over 30 different stringed instruments) and he has
recorded with a virtual who's who of music. |
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Wire
& Wood, Jubilee nominated for Blues Album of the Year |
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NorthernBlues is extremely proud that two of its CDs (Jubilee by Harry
Manx and Kevin
Breit, and Wire
& Wood by Glamour
Puss) have just been nominated for a Maple Blues Award for Blues Album of the Year. Glamour Puss receieved a total of four nominations - Album of the Year, Producer
of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, and Bass Player of the Year. Jubilee received nominations for Album of the
Year, and Producer of the Year. We wish both CDs the best of luck at the Awards Night in mid-January.
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Canadian
labels unite to release a star-studded tribute to Canada's
greatest songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot |
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August 12, 2003.
The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Ron Sexsmith,
Cowboy Junkies and Bruce Cockburn are among
the artists who have recorded Lightfoot songs for the first-ever salute to Canada's premier songwriter.
Borealis
Records, Canada's pre-eminent folk/roots label
and NorthernBlues,
Canada's cutting-edge blues label have combined forces to release "Beautiful:
A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot." The upcoming album
will be released in Canada, the United States, and a number of overseas markets, in Autumn, 2003.
Some of North America's best-known roots and blues artists produced and recorded their own interpretations of some
of Lightfoot's best-known songs.
The Cowboy Junkies open the album with "The
Way I Feel" and are joined by a cast of performers
that include The Tragically Hip, who recreate "Black Day
in July," Blue
Rodeo, with one of Lightfoot's earlier songs, "Go Go Round,"
Murray McLauchlan,
who essays a personal solo version of "Home From the
Forest." and Bruce
Cockburn who delivers a soulful version of "Ribbon of Darkness"
- the first Lightfoot "hit" recorded by Marty Robbins.
Other Lightfoot hits are here too: "Sundown" (Jesse
Winchester), "For
Loving Me" (Terry
Tufts), "If
You Could Read My Mind" (Connie Kaldor) and the
classic "Canadian Railroad Trilogy." from Canadian folk hero James
Keelaghan.
Ron Sexsmith
- who once lined up to get Lightfoot's autograph - performs "Drifters," while other artists include Blackie
& The Rodeo Kings ("Summer Side of Life"),
guitarist Harry Manx ("Bend in the Water"), Quartette (Song
for a Winter's Night"), and Maria Muldaur ("That Same
Old Obsession.")
The CD closes with a simple salute to the songwriter. "Lightfoot" is sung by Aengus
Finnan, a young singer who represents the new generation
of Canadian songwriters who regard Gordon Lightfoot as an artist who broke boundaries by writing songs that were
uniquely Canadian, and that remain influential, and enormously popular, today.
The principals of the two labels are delighted that the project - which has been in the making for almost two years
- is finally about to be released. Said Grit Laskin of Borealis: "Gordon Lightfoot is the most significant figure on Canada's folk
scene, and has been creating wonderful music for well over 30 years. Canadians - and many others around the world
- know so many of his songs." Fred Litwin, who heads NorthernBlues, added: "This has been a labour of love for both labels, and the willingness
of all the artists to get involved shows how grateful they are to Gordon Lightfoot for the music he created."
Surprisingly, this is the first album that's paid tribute to Lightfoot's astonishing catalogue of songs - which
are still available on almost 20 different albums.
The salute is being announced a week after it was announced that Lightfoot has been appointed a Companion of the
Order of Canada.
"Beautiful"
has been executive-produced by Colin Linden, and will include a 20-page booklet. A special series of events is
being planned to coincide with the release of "Beautiful" in early October. The album will be distributed in Canada by Festival
Distribution and in the United States by Big Daddy Music Distribution, based in New Jersey. |
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NorthernBlues
to release new Glamour Puss CD, "Wire and Wood." |
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Toronto, July 3, 2003.
Glamour Puss,
the unmatched high-energy blues, blues-rock and Zydeco group from New Brunswick, and exceptional Canadian blues
record label, NorthernBlues Music have come together to release the outstanding new Glamour Puss CD, "Wire and Wood."
This NorthernBlues Music release showcases Glamour Puss' thoughtful and intelligent songwriting, tight arrangements,
and polished production on both electric and acoustic tunes. "Wire and Wood" also features the contributions
of Montreal's Michael Jerome Browne in his new role as producer of other artists.
"Wire and Wood" will be launched across Canada on September 2, 2003. Glamour Puss will tour across Canada
and the USA in the autumn of 2003 in support of the new release.
Fred Litwin,
President of NorthernBlues Music, enthuses, "I am really proud to release 'Wire and Wood'. Glamour Puss simply
rocks, and this CD is going to turn a lot of heads. It certainly turned mine."
Bruce Morel,
President Music Management International, comments, "We are all very excited about working this record with Fred
and Pamela at NorthernBlues, they love the music and their roster has some of the best talent in North America.
Media Contact:
Heather Kelly Communications
Heather Kelly, 416-364-5701, cel: 416-879-0283, heather@heatherk.ca
Chris Orange, 416-364-5701, chris@heatherk.ca
Management & Booking:
Bruce Morel, 902-435-0330, mmii@ca.inter.net |
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Coming
in June! |
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Coming in July! |
Toni Lynn Washington's debut on NorthernBlues |
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Johnny's Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash |
Toni Lynn Washington is
our newest artist! Toni has just received her 5th W.C. Handy Award nomination for Soul/Blues Female Artist of the
Year, and we are super excited about her new CD, Been So Long. Produced by Duke Robillard, Been So Long is Toni's
bluesiest album to date, and features a ton of superb old material from the likes of Bessie Smith. Of course, Toni's
band is just superb - and Duke also chimes in with some nifty guitar picking!
Here's what Duke had to say about working with Toni:
"Working with Tony Lynn Washington on her
latest CD "Been So Long" has been pure pleasure! Armed with great material and
a studio full of expressive musicians, Toni wailed her way through rocking Blues, Soul and Jazz in a way no newcomer
to the scene could even think about doing! She proves here that her presence is powerful - and lasting - as she
squeezes every ounce of emotion out of each lyric with confidence and grace. Toni Lynn is simply the embodiment
of all that is great about Blues, Soul and Jazz vocalizing!!!"
"Been So Long" will be in stores on June 17th. |
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NorthernBlues Music has announced the forthcoming release of Johnny's Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash.
Scheduled to hit stores worldwide in July, the disc features chart-topping, internationally known blues, roots
and gospel musicians who revere Cash as a symbol of originality and integrity.
Here is a complete song listing for this amazing CD of all-new recordings!
Paul Reddick Train of Love
Gatemouth Brown Get Rhythm
Maria Muldaur Walking the blues
Chris Thomas King Rock Island Line
Garland Jeffreys I Walk The Line
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings Folsom Prison Blues
Harry Manx Long Black Veil
Alvin Youngblood Hart Sunday Morning Coming Down
Sleepy LaBeef Frankie's Man Johnny
Kevin Breit Send a Picture of Mother
Corey Harris Redemption
Colin Linden Big River
Mavis Staples Will the Circle Be Unbroken
"Johnny's Blues" will be in stores on July 15th. |
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Coming
in April! High Side of Lowdown |
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With years in the trenches as a rock guitarist,
James Cohen has now confidently immersed himself into the world of flamenco music. The speed with which he plays
has been finely honed by a keen sense of time and polished by emotion, as shown by his third CD, High Side of Lowdown.
This time around, James has fused flamenco, gypsy jazz, and blues-and has done it with a quartet that includes
two of Canada's best guitarists. Add legendary keyboard player Richard Bell to the mix (Janis Joplin's piano player),
and you have the recipe for a world-class world music CD!
"A perfect mix of virtuosity & soul. Guitar players,
beware - this album rocks!" -Sue Foley
"A delightful blend of exotic melodies" -Miguel
de la Bastide
High Side of Lowdown will be available in stores in Canada in mid-April and in the US in mid-May.
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Jubilee
Getting Rave Reviews |
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Harry Manx and Kevin Breit's new CD, Jubilee,
is getting rave reviews from across North America! We actually got a copy of Jubilee to Bruce Cockburn and he was
just blown away - and he graciously agreed to give us a quote:
"Jubilee
is GREAT.....an excitingly original approach to roots music."
Bruce Cockburn
We're really gratified
to see the incredible reaction. Here are some of the quotes that have come in on Jubilee:
"There
are moments on the Jubilee recording that are a SONIC REVOLUTION!
What a COOL COLLISION of TWO BRILLIANT ARTISTS."
Derek Andrews, Music Programmer, Harbourfront
Centre, Toronto
"Individually Kevin Breit and
Harry Manx are two of the most compelling and original musical artists in the country. Together on "Jubilee"
they've THROWN DOWN A ROOTS MUSIC GAUNTLET, creating sounds that are familiar yet STUNNINGLY ORIGINAL. This is
music that will CHALLENGE A WHOLE GENERATION OF ARTISTS TO INVEST A NEW VITALITY INTO OLD FORMS."
Bill Stunt, Music Producer and Host
of CBC Radio One's Bandwidth
"...REMARKABLE CD...STUNNING
package"
John Valenteyn, MapleBlues Magazine
"Jubilee is an INCREDIBLE ROOTS DISC"
Mike Bell, Calgary Sun
"SWEET AND SOULFUL...a wonderfully
appealing collection that's all the better for its simplicity, restraint and elegance. PERFECT LATE NIGHT OR SUNDAY
MORNING LISTENING"
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
"Songs of quiet desperation
brood amid tolling inexorable guitar riffs haunted by the blues."
John Shelton Ivany Top 21
"MULTI-STRING BRILLIANCE...A
FASCINATING EDUCATION IN STRINGED BLUES. The showmanship is UNTOUCHABLE, the energy is INTOXICATING and their pure
love for music is INSPIRING."
Jeff Hurst, Cambridge Times
"Sure to inspire a whole new
generation of blues poseurs, this is the real fount from which a raft of new clichés will be inspired by.
A special treat for roots fans that want the music without the hype."
Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap
"BREAKS SOME NEW GROUND...looks
like NORTHERNBLUES HAS HIT ANOTHER HOME RUN WITH JUBILEE"
Richard Bourcier, Jazz Review.com
"For those that thought the
best duo recording of late was the Leo Kottke collaboration with Mike Gordon I'd recommend making room for this
lovely recording in your collection."
Dennis Cook, JamBase.com
"This album is a near perfect
production, with perfection being impossible. This reviewer has enjoyed it more with each listening. Kudos to all
of you for the vision, skill and artistry to put together this fine example of the state of the acoustic Folk Blues....This
is an excellent example of a couple of the best in the acoustic Blues Folk world. It has the interesting instrumentation
and deft skill of a David Lindley album, but Manx brings his bluesy Folk soul to work with a partner who senses
essence of his music. The album design is also a work of art."
Jason Wesley, BluesWax E-Zine, February
19, 2003
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David
Jacobs-Strain on Borders' Listening Posts |
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We are pleased to announce that
Borders Books has just added
David Jacobs-Strain's CD
"Stuck On The Way Back" (NorthernBlues, 2002) to the listening stations
in their stores across the country.
"One of the most powerful blues
releases of the year."
-Gary von Tersch,
Sing Out!
"...chilling original tunes
that the solo acoustic blues artist takes to the edge with virtuosic slide and finger picking. Besides his fret-busting
chops and barrelhouse vocals, Jacobs-Strain's deep knowledge of the past informs his music with an authenticity
that is startling for his age."
-Dave Rubin, Guitar
One Magazine
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David Jacobs-Strain, spring/summer
2003 preliminary tour schedule
- May 10 Davis, CA Whole Earth Festival
- Jun 15 Santa Barbara, CA Live Oak Music Festival
- Jul 5 Montreal, Quebec Montreal International Jazz Festival
- Jul 6 Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa Blues-Fest
- Jul 10 Kalamazoo, MI Kalamazoo Blues Festival
- Jul 24-27 Hillsdale, NY Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
- Aug 17 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
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NorthernBlues
Music Receives Two Juno Award Nominations |
Wise & Otherwise nominated for blues
album of the year; Saved! for Gospel Album of the Year.
(Toronto, Ontario) - February 12, 2003
NorthernBlues Music today received two Juno nominations for blues album of the year and gospel album of the year.
This makes a total of four Juno nominations in the first two years of operations.
"Wise and Otherwise was the best-selling blues album of Canada in 2002
quite simply because it was the best blues album in Canada last year," said Fred Litwin, President of NorthernBlues
Music. "And, I am also proud that a cross-Canada poll, run by Penguin Eggs magazine, of festival artistic
directions, media, songwriters and specialty store owners just voted Wise and Otherwise the top album of the year
for 2002."
The NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars also received a nomination for Best Gospel Album of the year for
Saved! "This is our first nomination outside of the
blues category, and that makes me especially proud", said Fred, "Saved! is an amazing album and I know
that all the performers are just glowing about this nomination."
The Juno Awards will be held in Ottawa this year on April 6, 2003.
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Saved!
by the NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars |
Late last year, legendary producer Frazier Mohawk
called me and started talking about producing a gospel CD. Frazier runs one of the best studios in the country
and wanted to do a project with the same approach he used when he worked for Elektra Records back in the '60s -
bring together some great musicians, toss in some good food, let the creative juices flow, shake it all together
... and hopefully something great emerges!
Frazier teamed up with Michael Fonfara and each called in the singers and musicians that they believed would bring
a unique voice to the project. One artist who was on both their wish lists was John Finley, a former Torontonian
who played with Mike back in the sixties in Toronto's Checkmates and then in Los Angeles with Rhinoceros where
they first worked with Frazier.
Jon lives in Los Angeles and is very popular on the American Southwest gospel circuit. Danny Brooks is a beacon
shining bright on the Toronto blues scene. Hiram Joseph is one of the brightest new stars on the Canadian gospel
music scene and you'll know why when you hear "A Place Called Hope", a song written especially for him
by Babbie Mason. He and Amoy Levy are two of the phenomenal new voices who have been raising spirits and spreading
the Word up in the north country for many years - performing in mass choirs and at tabernacles.
This is our first gospel release, and I love the music on this CD! I want to thank Frazier and Michael for their
vision, and all the artists for their incredible talents.
-Fred Litwin, President,
NorthernBlues Music
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