MARK PUCCI MEDIA ARTISTS GARNER 17 NOMINATIONS FROM THE BLUES FOUNDATION FOR THE 34th BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

ONLINE VOTING AND TICKET SALES NOW OPEN TO

BLUES FOUNDATION MEMBERS

ATLANTA, GA – Mark Pucci Media proudly congratulates all of our artists who received a total of 17 nominations when The Blues Foundation announced yesterday (December 12) the list of nominees for the 34th Annual Blues Music Awards. The Blues Music Awards are universally acknowledged as the highest honor for musicians and songwriters in Blues music. Winners will be announced on May 9, 2013, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Online voting is now open to Blues Foundation members at www.blues.org.

Heading the list of Mark Pucci Media honorees with three nominations each are Mud Morganfield, who garnered nominations for Album of the Year, Traditional Blues Album and Traditional Blues Male Artist for his Severn Records label debut CD, Son of the Seventh Son; as well as Mighty Sam McClain, who earned nominations for Soul Blues Album, Soul Blues Male Artist and Song of the Year for “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey),” the title track from his Mighty Music label CD release.

Canadian roots label powerhouse Stony Plain Records gathered nominations for Eric Bibb, who was tapped for Acoustic Album and Acoustic Artist based on his label debut CD, Deeper in the Well; and perennial nominee Maria Muldaur, who once again received a nomination for the Koko Taylor Award as Traditional Blues Female based on the response to her latest CD, …First Came Memphis Minnie.

El Paso-based Catfood Records had another strong year, capped by former BMA-winner Johnny Rawls, who received two nominations: in the Soul Blues Male Artist and Soul Blues Album categories for his Soul Survivor CD. Johnny is joined this year by singer (and current Living Blues magazine cover girl) Barbara Carr, who received a nod as Soul Blues Female Artist for her Catfood Records debut, Keep the Fire Burning.

Other Mark Pucci Media artists receiving nominations include folk-blues singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod (whose new CD will be coming out in March on Reference Recordings) for Acoustic Artist; Ruf Records’ artists Royal Southern Brotherhood for Rock Blues Album for their eponymous label debut CD; Fabulous Thunderbirds leader Kim Wilson for Instrumentalist – Harmonica; Sweetspot Records artist Al Basile for Instrumentalist – Horn; and Blue Duchess Records artist and former multiple BMA winner David Maxwell for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award.

“It is not uncommon in any arts genre for beloved artists with strong releases to pull in a number of nominations, and that is one of the factors at work this year,” Jay Sieleman, The Blues Foundation’s President, said in announcing the nominations. “Yet there are also more than a dozen first-time nominees, plus the six Best New Artist nominees.  It is gratifying to see both groups rewarded—those who have been near the top for a while and those who are getting the recognition they have been long seeking.”

Tickets for the 34^th Blues Music Awards show are now on sale. Members receive seating preference at the Awards show and voting is now underway.  Blues Foundation members are the only fans who vote to decide which nominees will actually take home the Blues Music Award. Anyone can join The Blues Foundation by visiting their website at www.blues.org.

Once again, The Blues Music Awards will be broadcast live in their entirety on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville Channel and will be subsequently broadcast on public television.

Mark Pucci Media congratulates all of our artists and wishes them much success when the winners are announced in Memphis on May 9; and we encourage voters to consider all of our nominees. See you there!

www.markpuccimedia.com

Mark Pucci

Mark Pucci Media

5000 Oak Bluff Ct.

Atlanta, GA 30350-1069

(770) 804-9555

www.markpuccimedia.com

2008 Blues Foundation Recipient -
"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" -
Publicist

Stony Plain Records artists: Habib Koite' and Eric Bibb - New Release Review

I have just received Brothers In Bamako, the newest recording from American singer/guitarist Eric Bibb and West African singer/guitarist Habib Koite'. This recording will hit the streets on November 6, 2012. This is an interesting blend of American folk/blues and West African folk/blues. The recording opens with On My Way To Bamako, a light island sounding folk track. L.A. has a strong sense of West Africa but with a bridge of straight pop. Touma Ni Kelen/Needed Time, another strongly West African influenced track has a very strong melody and switches continuously from native to English language and rhythm. Tombouctou again has a strong West African influence and the music is strong and soothing. The track again flips from a stronger African rhythm to a almost smooth jazz execution. Nani Le is a simple instrumental that has an enchanting melody, traditional West Aftican guitar and simple rhythm pattern. Khafole, another very traditional West African sounding track with banjo and vocal harmonies has a very warm sound... possibly my favorite track on the release. Foro Bana, another traditional sounding West African track with tandom guitars, blends nicely and is also very strong. Mami Wata, another instrumental duet, has a balance of Western and African influences with smooth pleasing result. This 13 track release has a bit of numerous cultures with strong influences from West Africa, American and traditional folk music. Given the opportunity to be heard, I believe that this recording will find a broad audience.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”
 

Eric Bibb & Habib Koite Join Forces on "Brothers in Bamako" CD Coming November 6 from Stony Plain Records

Eric Bibb and Habib Koité Join Forces on Brothers in Bamako, New CD Coming November 6 from

Stony Plain Records

American and West African Guitarists Create a Scintillating Mix of Blues, Folk, Gospel and World Music on New Album

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records, Canada’s premier roots music label, announces a November 6 release date for Brothers in Bamako, the new CD from American singer/guitarist Eric Bibb and West African singer/guitarist Habib Koité

(pronounced “HA-beeb KWA-tea”). The album is an exciting gumbo of the two artists’ influences of blues, folk, gospel and world music. Bibb and Koité will tour together in support of the new release, with dates scheduled for February and March, 2013, in both the U.S. and Canada. Stony Plain is distributed in the U.S. by ADA, in Canada by Warner Music and in foreign territories by a variety of well-established distribution companies.

The 13 songs on Brothers in Bamako showcase songs penned by each artist, as well as several written together, plus a fascinating cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and the traditional blues, “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad.” The new CD represents a musical crossroads of Bibb’s blues, folk and gospel influences, blended with Koité’s contemporary West African folk/world roots into a unique mixture of voices and guitars that is both passionate and ebullient.

“I watched my parents and it rubbed off on me,” says Habib Koité in the album’s liner notes, as he traces the origins of his profession and talent as a musician. Habib is the heir to an ancestral knowledge set to song that places him among the most influential voices of contemporary Africa. Eric Bibb has established his name in the new generation of bluesmen without renouncing the legacy of folk and gospel. The result is an organic meeting of Malian/African sounds and American folk/blues/gospel traditional music, creating a unique blend of world-folk-blues.

Habib and Eric first met 10 years ago, when both were invited to play on the album Mali to Memphis (Putumayo). They struck a chord, exchanged a few notes, then a few songs. A connection was established, friendship followed. Both recognized that blues has its roots in Africa. The dialogue continued and a follow-up meeting launched the project that would become Brothers in Bamako.

When Bibb and Koité sat down to begin recording the new album, any geographical or cultural differences vanished, and what was left was two artists with their own particular backgrounds, but with a similar vision arriving at a common ground that joined their music as one. Leon Bibb, Eric’s father, who associated just as much with Paul Robeson as Pete Seeger, celebrated the popular origins of these songs. Habib balances the subtle nuances of West African guitar playing and its abundant musical styles. He studied music at the National Arts Institute in Bamako, which allowed him to fuse this musical education into a unique approach where his cultural roots are just one element in service of his ideas. Both men draw on the organic material of tradition and the numerous world realities that demand their comment, to release a sung vision, a musical cry of hope.

“We probably play the same role,” says Eric. A relationship does exist between their individual approaches. An American singer who evolves from blues and folk could be seen as the logical extension of an African griot. But both men are contemporary singers, not copies of a tradition that could become stagnant.

Habib sings about his era, his environment. He lives, breathes and sings Africa, but an altered Africa, transformed by the rest of the world. Eric is receptive to this approach. And without consciously deciding, songs with a social message emerge. In the album’s opening track, “On My Way to Bamako,” Eric shares his feelings about his first visit to Mali and Habib returns the favor on the aptly-titled next song, “L.A.”; and worries about what’s waiting in Timbuktu on “Tombouctou.” The two also create a deft take on the global commercialism of today in “We Don’t Care.” (“We want the gold, as long as we don’t have to mine it; Don’t care who suffers or who’s behind it.”).

Throughout the rest of Brothers in Bamako, Eric Bibb and Habib Koité prove with great talent that the simplest song is often the most effective and that singing as they do is a universal necessity.

For more information, visit www.stonyplainrecords.com

ERIC BIBB - Itinerary

1/27/2012 Portland, IN Arts Place (260) 726-4809
www.indianaarts.org
1/28/2012 Springfield, IL University of Illinois, Perf (217) 206-6160
www.sangamonauditorium.org
1/29/2012 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk (773) 728-6000
www.oldtownschool.org
2/1/2012 San Diego, CA Anthology (619) 595-0300
www.AnthologySD.com/
2/2/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/3/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/4/2012 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Center for Arts (408) 961-5858
www.montalvoarts.org
2/5/2012 N Vancouver, BC Capilano University Perf (604) 990-7810
www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/performin
2/8/2012 Albuquerque, NM South Broadway Cultural (505) 232-9868
www.ampconcerts.org/
2/9/2012 Durango, CO Fort Lewis College (970) 247-7657
http://www.durangoconcerts.com/
2/10/2012 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Performing Arts (505) 988-1234
www.lensic.com
2/11/2012 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Mus 480-478-6000
www.themim.org
2/13/2012 Chico, CA Sierra Nevada Brewing (530) 345-2739
www.sierranevada.com
2/14/2012 Crescent City, CA Crescent Elk Aditorium (707) 464-1336
www.dnaca.net
2/16/2012 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage (510) 548-1761
www.thefreight.org
2/17/2012 Sebastopol, CA Sebastopol Community (707) 829-7067
www.cumuluspresents.com/
2/18/2012 Grass Valley, CA Center For the Arts (530) 274-8384
www.thecenterforthearts.org
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Stony Plain Records celebrates 2012 Blues Music Awards' nominations

Stony Plain Records celebrates 2012 Blues Music Awards' nominations

When The Blues Foundation announced the list of nominees for the 33rd AnnualBlues Music Awards on Tuesday, December 13, Stony Plain Record’s artists were well represented with 7 nominations. The Blues Music Awards are universally acknowledged as the highest honour for musicians and songwriters in Blues music. Winners will be announced on May 10 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Online voting is now open to Blues Foundation members at www.blues.org. Individual and corporate memberships are available for those who would like to vote.

The nominations continue a year in which Stony Plain Records Records celebrated our 35th year as Canada's roots, rock, country, folk and blues label, with the release of a special 2CD + bonus DVD compilation, 35 Years of Stony Plain. Earlier this fall the label received 14 nominations in Canada's Maple Blues Awards, recognising the talents of MonkeyJunk, Harry Manx & Kevin Breit, Duke Robillard and Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne.

Stony Plain Records nominees for the 2012 Blues Music Awards:

Maria Muldaur

Nominated for:
 Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

The Pilot:

"Muldaur has one foot in church and another in a Saturday night juke joint as she belts out hand-clapping church rousers, soul ballads and greasy swamp stompers. Over the years her voice has only gotten better, with her pipes now displaying a lusty, full-bodied resonance."

Blues In Britain Magazine:

""Soul & grit" emanates from Muldaur's voice... Muldaur and the band excel at all levels... A triumph!"

Blinded By Sound:

"There are echoes here of the way Ray Charles turned gospel into secular gold, and Muldaur shows that spirituality can still rock out - the sacred and the profane aren’t all that far apart, and spirituality can still temper earthly desire without corrupting the former or diluting the latter."

Living Blues Radio Chart:

#1 for October, #2 for November

Rory Block

Nominated for:
 Acoustic Artist
 Acoustic Album (for Shake 'Em On Down: A Tribute To Mississippi Fred McDowell)

Living Blues Magazine:

"There's plenty to admire in her torrid slide work, the passion she infuses into her reedy vocals, and the obvious dedication with which she has undertaken this project."

No Depression Magazine:

"Creating something new and honoring the past at the same time."

Jazz & Blues Report Magazine:

"A superb recording."

Duke Robillard

Nominated for:
 Gibson Guitar Award

The Alternate Root:

"One of the pre-eminent guitarists in the world today, bar none."

Billings Gazette:

"The master blues guitarist heads back to the 1940s and '50s for a set of swinging blues covers from the Mt. Rushmore of early electric bluesmen"

Blues Revue (in Blues Wax newsletter):

"Gut Bucket with Caviar!!"

Living Blues Radio Chart:

#3 for October and November

Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

"Simply one of the best guitarists around."

Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne

Nominated for:
 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

Vintage Guitar Magazine:

"A red-hot boogie woogie ivory tickler."

Blues Festival E-Guide:

"Hammers out rockin' boogie woogie, deeply felt blues, and puts a fresh coat of paint on ... roots rock and roll."

Living Blues Magazine:

"This release is certain to garner many deserved nominations and awards."

Joe Louis Walker

Nominated for:
 Contemporary Blues Male Artist

Chicago Sun-Times:

"Joe Louis Walker has achieved exalted status."

Blues Blast Magazine:

"Energy, undeniable personality, and high caliber talent."

Phoenix Blues Society:

"A fun set that sounds like it was as enjoyable to play as it must have been to watch."

Hampton Roads:

"He's the kind of guitarist... who always brings applause."

Eric Bibb

Nominated for:
 Acoustic Artist
 Acoustic Album (released by Telarc/Concord Music Group)

Stony Plain Records announces the signing of acclaimed folk blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Bibb, and will release his debut CD for the label, Deeper in the Well, in March 2012. Deeper in the Well features Eric Bibb on vocals and guitar backed by multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, guitarist Cedric Watson, drummer Danny Devillier and harmonica player Grant Dermody. Special guests on the CD include Michael Jerome Browne, Jerry Douglas and Christine Balfa.

Eric’s last CD, Troubadour Live, recorded at a 2010 concert in Stockholm, Sweden, was released earlier this year.

Vote Today!

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www.stonyplainrecords.com

STONY PLAIN RECORDS SIGNS ACCLAIMED FOLK BLUES SINGER/ SONGWRITER/GUITARIST ERIC BIBB

STONY PLAIN RECORDS SIGNS ACCLAIMED FOLK BLUES SINGER/ SONGWRITER/GUITARIST ERIC BIBB

LABEL DEBUT CD, DEEPER IN THE WELL, DUE IN MARCH, 2012

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces the signing of acclaimed folk blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Bibb, and will release his debut CD for the label, Deeper in the Well, in March 2012. Deeper in the Well features Eric Bibb on vocals and guitar backed by multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, guitarist Cedric Watson, drummer Danny Devillier and harmonica player Grant Dermody. Special guests on the CD include Michael Jerome Browne, Jerry Douglas and Christine Balfa.

Eric’s last CD, Troubadour Live, recorded at a 2010 concert in Stockholm, Sweden, was released earlier this year and recently was voted fourth in the Downbeat magazine Readers Poll for blues albums. A prior album, Booker’s Guitar (2010), paid tribute to blues artist Bukka White and featured Bibb playing the actual guitar of the blues icon.

Eric Bibb was born into a musical family and raised in New York City. His father is noted folk singer Leon Bibb, and his uncle was John Lewis, the world-famous jazz pianist and composer of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Legendary actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson was Eric’s godfather, and some of the musical friends who could be seen and heard around the Bibb household in those days included Pete Seeger, Odetta and Bob Dylan.    

Eric got his first guitar at age seven and by 13 had entered New York City’s famed High School of Music and Art, studying several instruments, as well as vocals. When he was 16, his father asked him to play guitar in the house band for his local TV talent show.

In 1970, Eric left New York City’s Columbia University for Paris, meeting legendary guitarist Mickey Baker, and began to focus on blues guitar. He later moved to Sweden and travelled extensively throughout Europe, writing and performing his own songs in festivals and clubs all around the Continent.

Over the course of many album releases in the intervening years, Eric Bibb has been nominated for multiple Blues Music Awards in several categories. In addition to the Grammy-nominated Shakin’ a Tailfeather children’s album (which also featured Taj Mahal), some of his other noted albums during this period included A Family Affair, which teamed him up with his father for a series of duets and solo tunes; and Friends, which included special guests Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite and Guy Davis.

Eric Bibb will support the release of Deeper in the Well with extensive touring in the U.S. and around the world. For more information, visit www.ericbibb.com and www.stonyplainrecords.com.

ERIC BIBB - Latest Tour Info

Itinerary
1/27/2012 Portland, IN Arts Place (260) 726-4809
www.indianaarts.org
1/28/2012 Springfield, IL University of Illinois, Perf (217) 206-6160
www.sangamonauditorium.org
1/29/2012 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk (773) 728-6000
www.oldtownschool.org
2/1/2012 San Diego, CA Anthology (619) 595-0300
www.AnthologySD.com/
2/2/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/3/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/4/2012 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Center for Arts (408) 961-5858
www.montalvoarts.org
2/5/2012 N Vancouver, BC Capilano University Perf (604) 280-3311
www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/performin
2/8/2012 Albuquerque, NM South Broadway Cultural (505) 232-9868
www.ampconcerts.org/
2/9/2012 Durango, CO Fort Lewis College (970) 247-7657
http://www.durangoconcerts.com/
2/10/2012 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Performing Arts (505) 988-1234
www.lensic.com
2/11/2012 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Mus 480-478-6000
www.themim.org
2/13/2012 Chico, CA Sierra Nevada Brewing (530) 345-2739
www.sierranevada.com
2/14/2012 Crescent City, CA Crescent Elk Aditorium (707) 464-1336
www.dnaca.net
2/16/2012 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage (510) 548-1761
www.thefreight.org
2/17/2012 Sebastopol, CA Sebastopol Community (707) 829-7067
www.cumuluspresents.com/
2/18/2012 Grass Valley, CA Center For the Arts (530) 274-8384
www.thecenterforthearts.org
http://www.folkloreproductions.com
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Eric Bibb - Tour Schedule

ERIC BIBB

Itinerary

9/11/2011 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre (780) 428-1414

www.winspearcentre.com

9/12/2011 Calgary, AB Epcor Centre for Perfor (780) 428-1414

www.winspearcentre.com

9/18/2011 Telluride, CO Telluride Blues & Brews (970) 728-8037

www.tellurideblues.com

9/20/2011 Collegedale, TN Southern Adventist Univ (423) 236-2814

www.southern.edu

9/23/2011 Valdez, AK Valdez Spirit Cruise (907) 835-4440

www.valdezartscouncil.org

9/24/2011 Anchorage, AK Alaska Center for the Pe (907) 694-7019

http://whistlingswan.net/

9/25/2011 Palmer, AK Vagabond Blues (907) 694-7019

www.vagblues.com/

1/27/2012 Portland, IN Arts Place (260) 726-4809

www.indianaarts.org

1/28/2012 Springfield, IL University of Illinois, Per (217) 206-6160

www.sangamonauditorium.org

2/1/2012 San Diego, CA Anthology (619) 595-0300

www.AnthologySD.com/

2/2/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907

www.ptgo.org

2/3/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907

www.ptgo.org

2/4/2012 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Center for Arts (408) 961-5858

www.montalvoarts.org

2/5/2012 N Vancouver, BC Capilano University Perf (604) 280-3311

www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/performin

2/8/2012 Albuquerque, NM South Broadway Cultura (505) 232-9868

www.ampconcerts.org/

2/9/2012 Durango, CO Fort Lewis College (970) 247-7657

http://www.durangoconcerts.com/

2/10/2012 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Performing Arts (505) 988-1234

www.lensic.com

2/11/2012 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Mus 480-478-6000

www.themim.org

2/13/2012 Chico, CA Sierra Nevada Brewing (530) 345-2739

www.sierranevada.com

2/14/2012 Crescent City, CA Crescent Elk Aditorium (707) 464-1336

www.dnaca.net

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Tour Schedule - Eric Bibb

ERIC BIBB
Itinerary
7/3/2011 Montréal, QC Festival Intnl de Jazz de (514) 288-1424
www.montrealjazzfest.com
7/8/2011 Gravenhurst, ON Peter's Place Live (705) 687-2117
www.petersplayers.com/
7/10/2011 Tremblant, QC Festival International du
www.tremblantblues.com/home/
7/17/2011 Rockland, ME North Atlantic Blues Fest (207) 691-2248
www.northatlanticbluesfestival.com/
7/20/2011 Farmington, CT Sunken Garden Poetry F (860) 677-4787
www.hillstead.org/activities/poetry_perfor
7/22/2011 Hudson, NY Club Helsinki on Hudson (518) 828-4800
www.helsinkihudson.com/
7/24/2011 Prince Frederick, MD St. John Vianney Church
www.sjvflc.com/
7/26/2011 Seattle, WA Triple Door (206) 838-4333
www.thetripledoor.net
7/27/2011 Enterprise, OR RimRock Inn Restaurant (541) 828-7769
www.rimrockrestaurant.com/
7/29/2011 Comox, BC Filberg Festival (250) 287-4710
www.filbergfestival.com/
7/30/2011 Comox, BC Filberg Heritage Festival (250) 287-4710
www.filbergfestival.com/
9/11/2011 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre for Per (780) 428-1414
www.winspearcentre.com
9/12/2011 Calgary, AB Epcor Centre for Perfor (780) 428-1414
www.winspearcentre.com
9/18/2011 Telluride, CO Telluride Blues & Brews (970) 728-8037
www.tellurideblues.com
9/20/2011 Collegedale, TN Southern Adventist Univ (423) 236-2814
www.southern.edu
9/23/2011 Valdez, AK Valdez Civic Center (907) 835-4440
www.valdezartscouncil.org
9/24/2011 Anchorage, AK Alaska Center for the Pe (907) 694-7019
http://whistlingswan.net/
9/25/2011 Palmer, AK Vagabond Blues (907) 694-7019
www.vagblues.com/
1/27/2012 Portland, IN Arts Place (260) 726-4809
www.indianaarts.org
1/28/2012 Springfield, IL University of Illinois, Perf (217) 206-6160
www.sangamonauditorium.org
2/2/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/3/2012 Ojai, CA Matilija Auditorium (805) 646-8907
www.ptgo.org
2/4/2012 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Center for Arts (408) 961-5858
www.montalvoarts.org
2/5/2012 N Vancouver, BC Capilano University Perf (604) 280-3311
www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/performin
2/9/2012 Durango, CO Fort Lewis College (970) 247-7657
http://www.durangoconcerts.com/
2/10/2012 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Performing Arts (505) 988-1234
www.lensic.com
2/11/2012 Phoenix, AZ Musical Instrument Mus 480-478-6000
www.themim.org
2/13/2012 Chico, CA Sierra Nevada Brewing (530) 345-2739
www.sierranevada.com

I Heard the Angels Singing - Eric Bibb

Eric Bibb (born August 16, 1951) is an American acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He is based in London and launched his career in Europe. Today he lives in Finland.Bibb's father, Leon Bibb, is a singer in musical theatre who made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather.

He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing, advised the 11-year-old Bibb to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".

Bibb remembers from his early teen years:

I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White.

At 16 years old, his father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Bill Lee, who played bass in this band, was later to appear on Bibb's albums Me To You and Friends.

In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's Place in New York. He went on to study Psychology and Russian at Columbia University, but did not finish these studies. Aged 19, Bibb left for Paris, where he met guitarist Mickey Baker who focused his interest in blues guitar.

Bibb moved to Sweden and lived in Stockholm, where he immersed himself in pre-war blues and the newly-discovered world music scene, while he continued to write and perform.

The album Good Stuff was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat. Bibb signed to the British-based Code Blue label, but only released one album, Me to You, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes, Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. This was followed by tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.
Eric Bibb at the Liri Blues Festival, Italy, in 2000.

In the late 1990s Bibb joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson to form Manhaton Records in Britain. The albums Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000) and Painting Signs (2001) followed, as did the 2005 releases for Opus 3, Just Like Love and Spirit & the Blues (Hybrid SACD of 1999 Earthbeat release). He now plays all over the world on tour; see Erics Website for details.

After that, he made A Family Affair (2002) with his father, Leon Bibb. This was followed by Natural Light then Friends – 15 tracks featuring Bibb duetting with friends and musicians he had met on his travels such as Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Toukara.

In 2004, Eric Bibb released "Friends" as his debut release under Telarc International Corporation. Bibb has remained with Telarc Records since 2004 releasing several additional albums including, "A Ship Called Love" in 2005, "Diamond Days" in 2007, and "Spirit I Am" in 2008. Bibb released Booker's Guitar in January 2010 with music channeled from the Delta Guitar Master himself, Booker White, also known as Bukka White.
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