LA HORA DEL BLUES
Noticias Internacionales / International Blues News

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VICENTE ZUMEL HONOURED WITH THE "KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE" AWARDS BY THE BLUES FOUNDATION

With pride and great satisfaction, we are glad to announce Vicente Zúmel has been recipient of 2013 "Keeping the Blues Alive" Award in the International category by the Blues Foundation.

Each year,The Blues Foundation in Memphis presents the "Keeping The Blues Alive" Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBAs are awarded on the basis of merit by a select panel of blues professionals to those working to actively promote and document the music. "This year, the KBA Committee was thoroughly pleased with the quality of the nominees submitted for consideration,” notes committee chair Art Tipaldi, editor of Blues Revue. “The fifteen recipients represent an outstanding cross-section of blues boosters. We are pleased to honor these people and organizations as a tribute to the years each has given to supporting the blues."

Among recipients since 1980 you can find Rufus Thomas, David Evans, Bruce Iglauer, Paul Jones, Lucerna Blues Festival, Il Blues Magazine, Tom Mazzolini from San Francisco Blues Festival, Malaco Records, John Landis, The Chicago Tribune, Carl Perkins, Rounder Records, B.B. King, Blind Pig Records, Severn Records, Crosscut Records, B.L.U.E.S. Club in Chicago, Delta Groove Records, Jefferson Magazine, Blues Matters! Magazine, Soul Bag Magazine, New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival, Peter Guralnick, Bob Corritore, Ruf Records, Beale Street Music Festival, Music Maker Relief Foundation, Dick Shurman, Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, Duke Robillard, Robert Santelli, Bill Wyman, Alligator Records, Johnny Parth from Document Records, Juke Blues Magazine, Yazoo Records, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Blues & Rhythm Magazine, Buddy Guy Legends, Blues Archive at University of Mississippi, Hohner Harmonicas, Art Tipaldi, Alan Lomax, Mississippi Valley Blues Society, Blues Revue Quarterly, Chris Strachwitz from Arhoolie Records, Billy Branch, Bob Koester from Delmark Records, Bill Ferris from Center For The Study Of Southern Culture of The University Of Mississippi, Jim O'Neal founder of Living Blues Magazine, Tom Pomposello, Scott Barretta, etc.

It is the first time a Spanish blues related man or institution receives this Award, so we feel doubly honoured.

Our most sincere gratitude to The Blues Foundation for this great honour.

More detailed information at Blues Foundation website

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Shemekia Copeland & James Cotton headline Chicago Blues Festival 2013

Shemekia Copeland, Irma Thomas, Otis Clay, James Cotton and Billy Branch will be among the headliners at the 30th annual Chicago Blues Festival, running June 6 through 9.
The festival, expanded to four days this year, will open for the first time at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, on June 6. Shemekia Copeland will be the headliner, with guest guitarist Quinn Sullivan. Also on the bill: Fernando Jones’ Blues Kids of America.
On June 7, the festival moves to the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park. Irma Thomas and Bobby Rush will perform.
On June 8, headliners will include Otis Clay, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and the Memphis Soul Revue, featuring the Bar-Kays with guests Eddie Floyd and Sir Mack Rice.
And on June 9, the "Sweet Home Chicago" theme will feature Shirley Johnson, Jimmy Johnson and a "Chicago Blues: Old School, New Millennium" show spotlighting James Cotton, Billy Branch, John Primer, Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, Lil’ Ed, Deitra Farr, Demetria Taylor, Matt Skoller and others.
Admission is free. For details, visit http://www.chicagobluesfestival.us
(Copyright 2013 Chicago Tribute Company LLC)

El festival, que este año se ha ampliado a cuatro días, se iniciará el 6 de junio y por primera vez lo hará en el Pritzker Pavilion situado en el Millennium Park. Shemekia Copeland será cabeza de cartel, junto al guitarrista Quinn Sullivan. También intervendrán Fernando Jones' Blues Kids of Americaen

El 8 de junio, las cabezas de cartel serán Otis Clay, Ronnie Baker Brooks y The Memphis Soul Revue, presentando a los Bar Kays con Eddie Floyd y Sir Mack Rice como invitados.
Finalmente el 9 de junio, el tema "Sweet Home Chicago" presentará a Shirley Johnson, Jimmy Johnson y un pack que bajo el titulo de "Chicago Blues: Old School, New Millenium" contará con la destacada presencia de James Cotton, Billy Branch, John Primer, Eddie "the Chief" Clearwater, Lil' Ed, Deitra Farr, Demetria Taylor o Matt Skoller entre otros.

(Copyright 2013 Chicago Tribute Company LLC)

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LEGENDARY JEREMY SPENCER RELEASES A NEW ALBUM
Artist: Jeremy Spencer
Title: Bend In The Road
Label: Propelz
Year: 2012
Format: CD y LP

Jeremy Spencer, legendary singer, guitarist and founder of the original Fleetwood Mac (remember that when he became a part of the group, the bass player still wasn't John McVie but Bob Brunning), has just released a new work. The project has appeared in two different formats, cd and double LP. The vinyl includes three songs that are not in the cd and the front cover presents a beautiful illustration done by Jeremy, while the cd brings one additional song that does not appear in the LP and shows a current picture of the singer and guitarist with his 'Mona' guitar in the foreground.

In the inner booklet Jeremy gives a detailed explanation about how this project was born and its evolution since the moment he met another great musician, Brett Lucas, who also participates as guitar, producer and arranger of the whole tracks. Spencer also tell us most details of every song, its history, the style, the arrangements, the memories…

Of course songs have not been chosen by chance, but they are a result of a thoughtful and very elaborated work. Ambitious arrangements and final production are carefully done to the slightest detail. The result is a magnificent, mature, elegant actual sound. All musicians are very professional ones, they sound really teamed, and completely involved in the project, so final result could not be more intense, majestic and brilliant. Songs for all tastes, from pop ballads, to country and gospel music, or the most hard Elmore James blues, Jeremy always has loved and venerated, and other songs inspired in such different things like Eddie Cochran’s material, or verses from the Bible that deeply influenced Jeremy at the time he lived with God Children.

I madly love the impressive version the band makes of "Homesick", a Homesick James Williamson (cousin of Elmore James) song, who recorded it in Chicago on January 23th 1953, with Lazy Bill Lucas on piano, Johnny Shines on guitar and Alfred Elkins on bass. Jeremy Spencer performs it with the same feeling of his best years with Fleetwood Mac. I deeply like "Cry For Me Baby" by Elmore James, where our man gives the best of himself with a simple but at the same time very juicy 'slide' phrasing that shine like a precious stone. Another great song is "Stranger Blues", by Elmore James too, an habitual song in Spencer’s repertoire, he plays here with a Latin air. Finally I have enjoyed the arrangements and display he gives to "The Sun Is Shining", with a few nice diminished 'slide' ornaments, that give warmth and joy to this classic coming again from Elmore James.

Let me end this personal vision of "Bend In The Road" listing the musicians involved in this project. Jeremy Spencer vocals, slide guitar, resonator, acoustic, piano and organ, Brett Lucas, electric, acoustic, 12 string and resonator guitars and backing vocals too, James Simonson, bass and double bass, Todd Glass drums, plus the following guest musicians Rachel May backing vocals, Molly Hughes violin, Mimi Morris and Stefan Koch, cello and Duncan McMillan accordion.

An album I am sure will satisfy all good music lovers, from those who loved the original Fleetwood Mac, until the younger ones, who enjoy pop music, blues, rock, classical music, soul… So, if you like good music, this album is perfect for you.

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RIP Iverson Minter AKA Louisiana Red March 23rd, 1932- to February 25, 2012.

It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of one of the greatest and most beloved traditional blues artists. Louisiana Red died this afternoon at a hospital in Germany (Note Europe is 9 hours ahead) after a few days in a coma brought on by thyroid imbalance. He was 79. Louisiana Red was a powerful downhome blues artist who could channel his teachers (among them Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert Nighthawk, Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker) into his own heartfelt musical conversation, delivered with such moving passion and honesty that it would leave his audiences indelibly touched. He was fine singer with a distinctive voice, and an amazing guitarist who could play all of the traditional blues styles and excelled as one of the world's greatest slide guitarists. He could create moods and textures, both musically and spiritually, and had the ability of falling so deep into his own songs that he would go to tears, making his audience cry with him. That was the gift of this great artist. 

Wikipedia lists Louisiana Red as being born in Bessemer, Alabama but his own reports have fluctuated from various Southern towns and cities. Red lost his mother at birth and his father was killed in a Ku Klux Klan lynching when Red was just 5 years old. He lived in an orphanage in New Orleans for a few a his childhood years until his grandmother took him to Pittsburgh to live. A few years later she bought him his first guitar, a $12 Kay. Red would play along with records and the radio and begged some guitar lessons from his first mentor, Crit Walters. It was early in life that Red made the decision to become a blues musician. In the late 1940s Red would follow his passion to Detroit where he would become friends with Eddie Burns and John Lee Hooker. He would make his first recordings in Detroit for producer Joe Von Battle under the moniker of Rocky Fuller, a pair of these recordings were leased to Chess records. He would accompany John Lee Hooker on a session for Modern Records and you can hear Red shouting "Lord Have Mercy" in the middle of JLH's "Down Child". Red would also land a 1953 recording session in Chicago for Chess in which he is accompanied by Little Walter on the brilliant "Funeral Hearse At My Door" which remained in the vaults unreleased for decades. Red's next stop would be New York where he would record for producer Bobby Robinson and for Atlas Records. But it was Louisiana Red's 1962 Roulette label recordings that garnered him national recognition as a bluesman. His single "Red's Dream" with its humorous political commentary became a major hit and was followed by the Roulette album The Lowdown Back Porch Blues. This was followed by the 1965 release of Louisiana Red Sings The Blues on Atco. In the mid 70s he became the cornerstone of the Blue Labor label cutting two excellent solo acoustic albums; Sweet Blood Call and Dead Stray Dog and also appearing on that label as a featured sideman on albums by Johnny Shines, Roosevelt Sykes, Brownie McGhee, and Peg Leg Sam. He was romantically involved with folk legend Odetta for a small period of time in the 1970s. European promoters and booking agents took an interest, and Red found a new audience with his annual overseas tours. Labels such as L+R from Germany and JSP from England began recording Red, the latter debuting their catalog with Red, Funk and Blue, a duet album with Sugar Blue. Red appeared as himself in the movie Come Back featuring Eric Burdon of Animals fame. Red lived in Chicago for awhile in the early 1980s where he worked at the Delta Fish Market. He would then move to Phoenix in late 1981 where he lived and played with Bob Corritore for about a year.

Red left Phoenix for a European tour in late 1982, and it was then and there that he met his true love, Dora, who he married and spent the rest of his life with. Dora gave Red an uncompromised love and the constant companionship and protective looking-out-for that Red needed. Dora also provided the family situation that Red yearned for in his life as Red took great pride in his love and adoption of Dora's sons. The positive impact and dedication that Dora provided Red was simply amazing. Red would live in Hanover Germany for the rest of his life with Dora and each year in January, the two would vacation in Ghana, Africa, Dora's country of origin. He found work so plentiful in Europe that for a period of time he rarely would come to the USA. In 1995 Earwig Records would release Sittin' Here Wondering. which had been recorded by Bob Corritore in 1982 and sat on the shelf for over a decade. This CD created a relationship between Red and Earwig label chief Michael Frank who would record 2 more records by Red and book annual US tours. Releases followed on High Tone and Severn as well as a documentary DVD released only in Europe. In 2009 Little Victor struck gold with his production of Red's Back To The Black Bayou CD released first on the Bluestown Label and then picked up by Ruf Records. Victor had idolized and studied under Red for years and lovingly coaxed this brilliant album from his mentor. Back To The Black Bayou swept Europe and the US with awards and nominations. Simultaneously, Red's collaboration with pianist David Maxwell produced You Got To Move, and in 2010 Red would go to the Blues Music Awards with 5 nominations and receive 2 wins! Little Victor also produced Red's final critically acclaimed CD Memphis Mojo.

It is sad to say goodbye to the loving persona of this great bluesman who's music warmed our hearts  Louisiana Red's vulnerability became his strength and he filled his heart with an unstoppable passion for music and acceptance. His legacy is great and his friendships are many. He can now rest in peace after a lifetime of giving us everything he had through his amazing blues. God bless you Red. (Reported by Bob Corritore)

It is interesting now to read the last interview he did in Spain done by Alex Maria Franquet. Se puede leer la última entrevista concedida por Red en España a nuestro buen amigo Alex Maria Framquet

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International Blues Challenge 2013 Winners

The Blues Foundation's 29th International Blues Challenge concluded Saturday, February 2 with an afternoon twin bill at the Orpheum Theatre. It seemed to me, and many others, that musically, this was the best, from the opening notes of the FedEx International Showcase on Tuesday to the final performance of the band finals on Saturday.

The solo/duo winner was Little G Weevil, sponsored by Atlanta Blues Society. Little G is originally from Hungary. Second place honors went to The Suitcase Brothers, a duo from the Barcelona Blues Society in Spain.

The top prize in the Band competition was awarded to the Selwyn Birchwood Band of the Suncoast Blues Society.
Second place honors were earned byMichael van Merwyk and Bluesoul, German Blues Network,
Third spot went to Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band w/ Erica Brown, hailing from the Colorado Blues Society.

A beautiful custom Gibson ES-335 guitar featuring The Blues Foundation's logo and a Category 5 amp was awarded to Selwyn Birchwood as the band finals top guitarist.

Little G Weevil won the St. Blues Cigar Box guitar for best guitarist in the solo/Duo competition.

Jim Liban of the Alex Wilson Band took top harmonica honors for the Lee Oskar Harmonica prize package.

In the Best Self-Produced CD contest, the judges determined the best to be: Solo Recordings by Steve Hill, Montreal Blues Society

A number of IBC attendees have said they wanted to purchase an IBC tee-shirt but were unable to do so. We have opened The Blues Store for you to pre-order tee-shirts. If we get a sufficient number of orders, we will make some more. If not, we will not. There is only one way to find out whether the market really exists so speak now or forever wear something else. Accordingly, ordering a tee-shirt is not a guarantee that you will get one, but may be the first step.

Blues societies all over the world will soon be starting all over again as they begin their own competitions to determine who they will send to the 30th International Blues Challenge, January 21-25, 2014.

The other finalists were:

Solo/Duo
Graham Guest -Edmonton Blues Society
Robbert Fossen & Peter Struijk -Dutch Blues Foundation
Robert Sampson -Illinois Central Blues Club
Salt & Pepper- Spa City Blues Society
Steve Balkun- Connecticut Blues Society
Suzie Vinnick- Toronto Blues Society

Band
Alex Wilson Band- Grafton Blues Association
Ghost Town Blues Band- Crossroads Blues Society of Rosedale
HowellDevine- The Golden Gate Blues Society
Kevin Purcell & the Nightburners- Windy City Blues Society
Mojo Theory- West Virginia Blues Society
Mr. Sipp & Kin Folk- Vicksburg Blues Society


Keeping the Blues Alive Awards

Let's give one more shout out to the 2013 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients. As always, the award ceremony Friday was a very moving event. Among the special guests were several members of
Big Bill Broonzy's family! If you ever need to be inspired, come to the KBA luncheon some year.

Affiliate - Colorado Blues Society
Art - Stan Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Club - Boulder Outlook Hotel, Boulder, Colorado
Education - Nat Dove, Bakersfield, California
Festival: International - Festival International du Blues De Tremblant, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Festival: U.S. - Mount Baker Rhythm And Blues Festival, Bellingham, Washington
Historical - Shelley Ritter, Clarksdale, Mississippi
International - Vicente Zumel, Barcelona, Spain
Journalism - Bob Margolin, High Point, North Carolina
Literature -I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, Chicago, Illinois
Manager - Marty Salzman, Chicago, Illinois
Print Media -Blues News, Oslo, Norway
Radio- Commercial - Gil Anthony, Dothan, Alabama
Radio- Public, Scott Mullins, Baltimore, Maryland
Record Label - Telarc, Cleveland, Ohio

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BLUES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2013 BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE; February 13, 2013.

The Blues Foundation announces the 2013 inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame, including soul blues singer Otis Clay, blues guitarists' guitarist Earl Hooker, pianist Little Brother Montgomery, The Blue Yodeler Jimmie Rodgers, contemporary, progressive bluesman Joe Louis Walker, and early Chicago guitarist Jody Williams.
Among the individuals recognized by The Blues Foundation for their behind-the-scenes contributions are: quintessential record promoter Dave Clark, producer, arranger and songwriter Henry Glover, and New Orleans studio magician Cosimo Matassa.
The book "Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records" by Rob Bowman is the sole literature entry into the Blues Hall of Fame this year.
These albums are being honored: "Complete Recorded Works" (Herwin1975), also recorded as "Texas Worried Blues" (Yazoo 1989) by Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas; "More Real Folk Blues" by Howlin' Wolf on Chess from 1967; and "Louis Jordan's Greatest Hits" by Louis Jordan (Decca, 1969).
The following singles will be inducted during the ceremony: “How Many More Years” by Howlin' Wolf (Chess 1951); “Canned Heat Blues” by Tommy Johnson (Victor 1928); “Let the Good Times Roll” by Louis Jordan (Decca 1946); “Mystery Train” by Little Junior [Parker]'s Blue Flames (Sun 1953); and “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” by Memphis Minnie (OKeh 1941).

The induction ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 8, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before the 34th Blues Music Awards.

With living musicians like B.B. King and Buddy Guy, and legends like Muddy Waters and Koko Taylor, the Blues Hall of Fame consists of blues music’s best and brightest stars.

The Blues Foundation is now raising the capital needed to showcase these legendary performers and their work by establishing Blues Hall of Fame exhibits at its 421 S. Main headquarters in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The Blues Hall of Fame will honor inductees year round, provide interactive and educational exhibits, and create a place for serious blues fans, casual visitors, and students to congregate, celebrate and learn more about the Blues. The Raise the Roof! campaign hopes to raise the remaining funds necessary to commence construction in the fall of this year. For more information about Raise the Roof!, please visit https://www.blues.org/capitalcampaign/index.php

On May 9, the night after the Blues Hall of Fame inductions, The Blues Foundation will present the Blues Music Awards for the 34th time. Performers, industry representatives and fans from around the world will celebrate the best in Blues recording, songwriting and performance from the previous year at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis. The evening will feature performances by 2013 Hall of Fame inductees and Blues Music Award nominees.
Major funding is provided by ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission. The 34th Blues Music Awards and Blues Hall of Fame events are also sponsored by BMI, Catfood Records, Eagle Rock Entertainment, FedEx, First Tennessee Foundation, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Sony/Legacy Records.
Inductees’ biographies follow and are available, as well as all Hall of Fame inductees, at http://www.blues.org/halloffame/index.php.

The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renown as THE organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has 4500 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world. Its signature honors and events--the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards--make it the international center of blues music. Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance while its Sound Healthcare program offers musicians health insurance access. Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues scholarships expose new generations to blues music. Throughout the year, the Foundation staff serves the worldwide Blues community with answers, contact information and news.The BLues Foundation

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Chicago Tribune names Alligator president and founder Bruce Iglauer A "Chicagoan of the year"

The Chicago Tribune has named Alligator Records president and founder Bruce Iglauer one of nine 2011 Chicagoans Of The Year. Iglauer's selection, made by longtime Tribune music critic Greg Kot, is the icing on the cake of Alligator's 40th anniversary celebration. The celebration kicked off in February, 2011 with the release of the 2-CD set The Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. The album received rave reviews from Rolling Stone, NPR’s Weekend Edition and many more national and international outlets. In addition, Iglauer was featured in a two-part, four-hour interview on XM/Sirius B.B. King's Bluesville. 

Congratulations Bruce from La Hora del Blues!!

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Bluesman Hubert Sumlin, guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf, dies at 80
BY DAVE HOESKA, Staff reporter of the suntimes

Picture: Hubert Sumlin for the fist time in Spain brought by Vicente Zumel. From left to right: Hubert Sumlin, Lolo Ortega, Louisiana Red, Vicente Zúmel and Mingo Balaguer (picture from Mingo Balaguer's collection)

Hubert Sumlin put the bite behind Howlin’ Wolf. And he then influenced a new pack of electric blues and rock guitarists.

Mr. Sumlin died Sunday in a hospital in Wayne, N.J., reportedly of heart failure. He had turned 80 on Nov. 16. Mr. Sumlin was best known as lead guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf (Chester Burnett) from 1953 until Wolf’s death in 1976.
This was no small feat. The combustible guitar parts in Wolf’s big-voiced tracks — “Smokestack Lightning,” “Spoonful,” “Ain’t Superstitious” — set Wolf on fire at Sun Records in Memphis and later at Chess Records in Chicago.
The 1953 summit of Mr. Sumlin and Wolf was to blues what the meeting of Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley was to rock just a year later.
In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Mr. Sumlin is ranked 43rd on the magazine’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page told the magazine, “I love Hubert Sumlin. He always played the right thing at the right time.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan was a fan. In the early 1980s Vaughan gave Mr. Sumlin a vintage Rickenbacker guitar, one that Mr. Sumlin loved so much he was afraid to take out of his house.

Born in Greenwood, Miss., Mr. Sumlin was part of the great blues migration to Chicago. He and Burnett arrived in Chicago in 1953. Mr. Sumlin had been playing with James Cotton in West Memphis, and Burnett hired him in Chicago.
“We were playing Silvio’s [at Lake and Oakley], and he said, ‘You go home when you find out you’ve got my courage, then you can come back and play my songs,’ ” Mr. Sumlin told me in a 1988 interview from his South Side home. “Man, I got home and cried all night. I slept with my guitar by my head. Then about 4 o’clock in the morning something said, ‘Hey man, why don’t you put the [guitar] picks down. You ain’t got no business using picks!’ ”
At that moment, Mr. Sumliln said, he discovered his own style, which evolved into an individualistic mix of African syncopation and itemized structure that forced the notes to stand alone. Clapton once called Mr. Sumlin’s style “just the weirdest.”

Chicago blues guitarist Dave Specter began playing with Mr. Sumlin in 1985. Wolf and Paul Butterfield drummer Sam Lay had hired Specter to join him and Mr. Sumlin on a three-week tour of Canada. Specter was 22 years old. “Hubert was just the sweetest guy and very encouraging and supportive of younger players,” Specter said on Sunday. “I wouldn’t use ‘tough’ as an adjective for his playing. He had a totally unique sound. When you listen to his famous solos on [Wolf’s] ‘Hidden Charms’ or ‘300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy’ [later a hit for Chicago’s Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows], there is so much style to it. A lot of it had to do with his touch and playing with his fingers. There are lot of guitar players who played with their fingers and had a more aggressive approach, like Albert Collins. Your sound and your tone is a reflection of your personality.

“And Hubert had larger-than-life charm and devilishness.”

In recent years Mr. Sumlin relocated from Chicago and then Milwaukee to Totowa, N.J. Specter last saw Mr. Sumlin in 2009, when he was touring with the Nighthawks and they appeared at S.P.A.C.E., the popular Evanston music room that Specter co-owns.

In 2010 young guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Mr. Sumlin received a best contemporary blues album Grammy nomination for “Live! in Chicago.” Mr. Sumlin was also nominated for Grammys in 1998, 1999 and 2005 in best traditional blues album categories. He never won.

Mr. Sumlin’s patience likely came from his years of traveling with Burnett.
“Once we were on the road for three months and I had to drive because Eddie Shaw [the saxophonist who became Wolf’s bandleader] wasn’t with us,” Mr. Sumlin said in 1988. “I had to set up the instruments, load the instruments. And nobody would help with nothin’. We were at Silvio’s and we were beat. I was sitting up at a table and the folks hadn’t even walked in yet. Wolf was tired and just hauled off and hit me. I hit him back. We both knocked each other’s teeth out. And the whiskey went upside the wall. I figure we tore down about $1,800 or $1,900 worth of whiskey displays.

“Yes sir.”

Mr. Sumlin had been scheduled to appear at last summer’s Chicago Blues Festival with David “Honeyboy” Edwards in a tribute to Robert Johnson. They canceled their appearances because of health issues. Edwards died at age 95 on Aug. 29.

Mr. Sumlin had a lung removed in 2004 and last year appeared at the Crossroads Guitar Festival with his oxygen tank. Earlier this year the New York Times reported that Keith Richards was assisting Mr. Sumlin with his medical bills. Richards was a guest on Mr. Sumlin’s 2005 Grammy-nominated “About Them Shoes.”

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will pay for the funeral of blues great Hubert Sumlin.
Sumlin’s partner Toni Ann has posted, “I just wanted to share with you, Hubert’s loving fans, that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have insisted on picking up the full expenses for Hubert’s funeral. God Bless the Rolling Stones”.
A private service will be held in Homewood, Illinois on December 13. A public service for fans will be held on December 12 at 10am at the Festa Memorial Funeral Home in Totowa, New Jersey. There will also be a public viewing at the funeral home on December 11 between 2 and 4pm and 7 and 9pm.
Mick Jagger said today, “Hubert was an incisive yet delicate blues player. He had a really distinctive and original tone and was a wonderful foil for Howlin’ Wolf’s growling vocal style. On a song like “Goin’ Down Slow” he could produce heart-rending emotion, and on a piece like “Wang Dang Doodle” an almost playful femininity. He was an inspiration to us all.”
In announcing his death, Toni Ann said in a statement, “It is with a heavy heart that the worse has come to fruition. My little Hubert is living the life of a real angel. I’m overwhelmed with grief and so I really need to pull myself together. I’d really appreciate it if you would kindly respect our privacy during this most difficult time.“I love you Hubert. You are eternally etched in my heart. And my life is not only richer and blessed for who you’ve been to me, but the world over. And I will never be the same because of you. May you be forever in God’s beautiful grace.
“I’ll spend the rest of my days loving and cherishing all you are and were to me”.

Vicente Zúmel brought Hubert Sumlin for the first time to play in Spain together with Louisina Red at the Cerdanyola Blues Festival. Rest in Peace

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From The Blues Foundation:
Keeping the Blues Alive Awards

The Blues Foundation will honor 15 individuals and organizations with its 2013 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, February 1, 2013, in Memphis, Tennessee. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 29th International Blues Challenge (IBC), which begins January 29 and features the final rounds of the world’s largest and most prestigious blues music competition, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

Record Label – Telarc, Cleveland, Ohio Originally founded in 1977 as a classical music label, Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group, established a blues imprint in 1993 and, after only three years, scored two GRAMMY® nominations for recordings by Junior Wells and the Muddy Waters Tribute Band. Since then, Tab Benoit, Shemekia Copeland, Otis Taylor, Moreland & Arbuckle, Charlie Musselwhite, Maria Muldaur, James Cotton and many others have been part of the company’s outstanding blues history. In 2010, Telarc released Joined at the Hip, the last recording by Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, which won a GRAMMY® for Best Traditional Blues Album and a 2011 Blues Music Award as Traditional Album of the Year.

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DONATIONS AND HELP REQUESTED FOR FOUNDIN LIVING BLUES EDITOR, JIM O'NEAL

I am passing this on from a post from Mary Katherine Aldin

Message:

I do not usually do this, but a circumstance has arisen which is important enough to me that I will go public in asking for your assistance.

My very close friend of over 35 years, Jim O'Neal, is fighting cancer and is in financial straits. Details are in the Facebook post by Janice Monti which I am copying and pasting below. Jim, as we all know, is the Founding Editor of Living Blues Magazine, and without his pioneering work many of us would not be where we are today. Jim is a single parent with two young children and has been unable to work since the surgery and chemotherapy. Even if the shows listed areot local for you, if it is possible for you to make a donation in any amount, the instructions for mailing a check, sending PayPal and what not are at the end of the post below.

THE JIM O'NEAL BENEFIT CONCERT SERIES Living Blues founding editor Jim O'Neal has been diagnosed with lymph cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Like many in the blues world, Jim has no health insurance. A series of benefit concerts is being pulled together to raise money to assist in paying the mounting bills.

OCT. 20 SURF CLUB, HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND With Memphis Gold and others
OCT. 28 KNUCKLEHEADS, KANSAS CITY, KANSAS Kenny Neal, Memphis Gold and others
NOV 19 (date is tentative) BUDDY GUY'S LEGENDS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Kenny Neal, Memphis Gold, Eddie Clearwater, Eddie Shaw, Billy Branch, Elmore James Jr., Nora Jean Bruso and others

For anyone wanting to make a direct contribution to assist Jim and his family, a fund has been set up at Commerce Bank in Kansas City.

Checks may be sent to: Jim O'Neal Blues Fund, P.O. Box 10334, Kansas City, MO 64171. You can also donate at www.paypal.com to the account onealbluesfund@aol.com For further details and confirmations of time and artists, please check www.Stackhouse-Bluesoterica.blogspot.com

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RIP Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - January 19, 1936 to Sept 16th, 2011.
It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected passing of one the true greats of the blues. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Willie passed away this morning of a stroke. He was 75 and was musically active until the very end. A brilliant drummer, harmonica player and vocalist, he represented the true essence of Chicago Blues, and was highly regarded by all as an undisputed master. He was an alumni of the Muddy Waters band and wore those stripes with honor. 

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith was born in Helena, Arkansas in 1936, and started playing harmonica at age 17, shortly after moving to Chicago. His harmonica first appeared on record in the 1950s gracing recordings by Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, and Bo Diddley (Willie played the harmonica on the Diddley classic "Diddy Wah Diddy").
At some point in the mid to late 1950s he started playing drums and in 1959 began his long association with Muddy Waters. Smith's drumming first appeared on record on Muddy Waters' 1960 album release of Sings Big Bill Broonzy. Smith had a real gift for drumming and his playing would help to define the later Muddy Waters Band sound. Many of us remember the classic Muddy Waters lineup of Muddy, Willie, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and Calvin "Fuzz" Jones.

In June of 1980 members of Muddy's band struck out on there own, and formed the Legendary Blues Band which eventually found Willie as the lead vocalist, showcasing his stellar, down-home vocals. Willie released his first solo album, Bag Full of Blues in 1995, which firmly established him as an artist in his own right.

Willie would revive his first instrument in later years, and in 1996 he would release Way Back, which debuted his new direction, and showed him to be a solid harmonicist. His final recording, Joined At The Hip was a collaboration with the now deceased Pinetop Perkins, and it it earned the two a Grammy in the Traditional Blues category. We have just touched upon a few of the many recordings of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith who's discography as both a frontman, and a sideman represents the highest of heights in the blues. Willie had a strong work ethic and was a consummate professional, and as a result he worked relentlessly. He won numerous BMAs (Blues Music Awards) as "Best Blues Drummer", and he always carried great bands with him. Of note is the wonderful management of Patricia Morgan, who helped guide the later part of Willie's amazing career, and the impressive booking of Blue Mountain Artists. Also thanks to Willie for bringing out the wonderful talent in his band with Jimmy Mayes, Bob Stroger, "Little" Frank Krakowski, and for his wonderful collaborations with other Muddy alums. Willie leaves his greatest legacy with his son Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith, who has become one of the world's greatest blues drummers and carries on his father's sound and tradition. Prayers for all of Willie's family, friends, fellow musicians, and fans as we say goodbye to one of the greatest blessings of the blues. We love you "Big Eyes". To visit Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's website click http://www.williebigeyessmith.com-

Our condolences to all his family and relatives (Vicente & Roser Zúmel)

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith & Vicente Zúmel
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Roser Zúmel & Kenny Smith

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Honeyboy Edwards dies at 96
August 29th. 2011

Word has reached us of the death of the last of the Mississippi Delta bluesmen, David "Honeyboy" Edwards. According to a front page post on his website, the beloved blues artist passed away quietly in his sleep in the early morning hours of Monday, August 29th, 2011.

It was just two weeks ago that we reported on Edwards' retirement due to health issues, and his manager, Michael Frank of Earwig Music, had canceled the bluesman's full slate of scheduled summer performances. Edwards' last gig was in April at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi. At 96 years old, Edwards was the last of the original Mississippi Delta bluesmen, and a direct link to fellow Delta legend Robert Johnson. As a youth, Edwards also traveled with, learned from, and performed alongside such giants as Charley Patton, Big Joe Williams, and Tommy Johnson.

Edwards' career began in earnest in 1942 when he was recorded by musical historian Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. In the almost 70 years since his first field recordings, Edwards has released music for a wide variety of labels, including Chess Records, Sun Records, Evidence, Folkways, and most notably, his lengthy tenure with Earwig Music, which resulted in a handful of acclaimed albums, including his Blues Music Award nominated 2008 album, Roamin' and Ramblin'. Through the years, Edwards has earned two Grammy™ Awards, a pair of Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Visitation for Edwards will be held on Thursday, September 1st from 6:00pm until 9:00pm at the McCullough Funeral Home at 851 E. 75th Street in Chicago. The bluesman will be buried on Friday in a private service.

(Photo by Bengt Nyman)

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