Guitar Master Duke Robillard Is "Independently Blue" on New Stony Plain Records CD Coming April 9

Guitar Master Duke Robillard Is Independently Blue on New CD Coming April 9 from Stony Plain Records

Special Guests Include Guitarist “Monster” Mike Welch

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces an April 9 release date for Independently Blue, the exciting new CD from multi Blues Music Award winner and Grammy nominee Duke Robillard. The dozen tracks contained on Independently Blue showcase the guitarist at the peak of his six-string powers and feature a dynamic tandem throughout with Duke joined by guitarist “Monster” Mike Welch as special guest. Duke’s band includes Bruce Bears on piano/Hammond organ, Brad Hallen on acoustic/electric bass and Mark Teixeira on drums/percussion, augmented by a horn section of Doug Woolverton on trumpet and Bill Novick on clarinet.

“Independently Blue is a special album to me because it blends many of my favorite elements of blues, early rock & roll and jazz music,” Robillard says. “First of all, I am happy about all the songs and the feeling we captured on all the tracks. The variety of musical styles is all part of what I am all about and the blues sensibilities within all the tracks - even when nodding to rock and roll, R&B or jazz - shows our strength as a band. The addition of Mike Welch added a blues fire to everything and I am really happy about the instant rapport Mike and I had, and what a great team we made coming up with parts for the songs.”

Robillard continues to tap into the wellspring of great songs from longtime friend and former Roomful of Blues band mate Al Basile, who contributes three tunes to the new CD, with one of those songs co-written with Duke. Mike Welch brought in two instrumentals that allow both players to stretch out, have fun and challenge each in ways that make the listener the big winner. “Patrol Wagon Blues,” a song originally recorded in 1929 by Red Allen, demonstrates his wide swath of influences, as backed by the horns of Doug Woolverton and Billy Novick, he takes us all on a swingin’ Dixieland ride down to New Orleans carried by a groove any fan of the Crescent City sound would dig.

Duke’s guitar mastery is evident throughout Independently Blue, whether it’s the rollicking grease on “I Wouldn’t-a Done That,” the crunchy rockin’ blues of “Below Zero,” the Chuck Berry-influenced rocker Laurene (named for his wife), the smooth Motown-fueled groove of “You Won’t Ever,” or the ethereal track, “Moongate,” inspired by a visit to a 19^th century gilded-age mansion in the Berkshire Mountains with its awesome gardens and rolling hills.

The addition of Mike Welch on guitar (nicknamed “Monster” for good reason) brings into the mix another exciting guitar player, and the two feed off each other’s energy and riffs. On “Stapled to the Chicken’s Back,” the two go at it with a fierce – but friendly – bit of “head-cutting” on guitars, trading licks and runs that bring the Albert Collins-styled Texas shuffle to a glorious climax. And on “This Man, This Monster,” Duke and Mike explore an educational journey of blues sounds as beautiful as it is powerful – and done in one take.

Duke Robillard continues his extensive touring around the world, and has a lengthy series of European shows coming up in March that includes stops in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands.   

Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters Are Live on New CD, "Just for Today," Coming April 9 on Stony Plain Records

Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters Are Live on

New CD, Just for Today, Coming April 9

From Stony Plain Records

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain records announces an April 9 release date for Just for Today, the new CD from legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, recorded live at The Regent Theatre, The Natick Center for the Arts and The Narrows Center for the Arts, venues all located in his home state of Massachusetts. Acknowledged as one of the best guitarists on the planet, Ronnie Earl celebrates the 25^th year of the band with long-time Broadcasters’ members Lorne Entress – drums, Dave Limina – piano and Hammond B3 and Jim Mouradian – bass. Singer Diane Blue is a special guest vocalist, and Nicholas Tabarias joins in on guitar for two songs.

On Just for Today, listeners get an up-close, front-row seat into what has made Ronnie Earl one of the most intense and passionate guitarists of his generation, as he squeezes every ounce of his soul into each string bend, guitar phrase and note throughout the mostly-instrumental 13 songs contained on the new CD.  As always, Ronnie pays tribute to many of his mentors and influences such as Otis Rush (“Rush Hour”), Hubert Sumlin (“Blues for Hubert Sumlin”) and Robert Nighthawk (“Robert Nighthawk Stomp”). Sprinkled in among the many original songs is a unique cover of John Coltrane’s “Equinox,” as well as signature takes on the aforementioned “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” and “I’d Rather Go Blind,” (which also features Diane Blue on vocals). Guitarist Nicholas Tabarias guests on “Rush Hour,” as well as the band original, “Jukein’.”

Just for Today is Ronnie Earl’s seventh album for Stony Plain and follows his acclaimed 2010 release, Spread the Love, which drew universal praise for its power, soulfulness and spirituality, traits which have become the hallmarks of all his recordings.

“… an album of rare joy and soul from a master who has reached another pinnacle in his playing,” wrote Steve Morse of The Boston Globe. “With the Broadcasters, Ronnie’s latest release shows him to be one of the most soulful blues/soul/jazz guitarists working today,”

said j. Poet in his San Francisco Examiner review. “The pacing, segues and production are masterfully done, and the unbridled passion in his playing creates a joyous, uplifting vibe,” added Jeff Johnson in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Born in Queens, New York, in 1953, Ronnie Earl’s journey to become one of the top guitar players in the world began quite late, since he didn’t pick up his first guitar until age 20. Inspired by Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Big Walter Horton and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ronnie quickly developed his six-string skills, playing with an intensity that continues to this day. He has played with such greats as Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Earl King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and The Allman Brothers as well as several of the musicians that inspired him early on.

From 1979 to 1988, Earl played with a number of groups before forming his own band, The Broadcasters, named after the first Fender Telecaster guitar called the Broadcaster. The current Broadcasters line-up have played together for over 13 years and continue to tour, playing their inspired sounds for grateful audiences everywhere, spreading Ronnie’s gospel of love and healing through music.

As Ronnie Earl says in the liner notes for Just for Today, “Always carry hope and an open heart in your life. Don’t quit before the miracle happens.” 

Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters are booked by Ted Kurland Associates (matt@tedkurland.com). For more information, visit www.ronniearl.com.

Publicity (United States):

Mark Pucci, Mark Pucci Media

(770) 804-9555 / mpmedia@bellsouth.net

Publicity (Canada):

Richard Flohil, Richard Flohil & Associates

(416) 351-1323 / rflohil@sympatico.ca

Record Company: 

Stony Plain, Box 861, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L8

(780) 468-6423 / info@stonyplainrecords.com

Website: www.stonyplainrecords.com

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

For Her 40th Album, Maria Muldaur Presents a Loving Tribute to a Blues Pioneer on "....First Came Memphis Minnie," Out Oct. 9 on Stony Plain Records

For Her 40^th Album, Maria Muldaur Presents a Loving Tribute to a Blues Pioneer on .…First Came Memphis Minnie, Coming October 9 from Stony Plain Records

New CD Also Features Special Guests Rory Block, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor, with Del Rey, David Bromberg, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund

EDMONTON, AL – Stony Plain Records, Canada’s roots music label, announces an October 9 release date for ….First Came Memphis Minnie, a loving tribute to the pioneering blues woman produced by multiple Grammy-nominee Maria Muldaur, featuring special guests including Rory Block, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and Koko Taylor. Other musicians appearing on the new CD are Del Rey, David Bromberg, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roy Rogers, Steve James and Steve Freund. 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.

….First Came Memphis Minnie includes several previously-released tracks from two of Maria’s Grammy-nominated albums, as well as new recordings by Rory Block, Ruthie Foster and Bonnie Raitt. Also, classic songs by Koko Taylor and Phoebe Snow are included: Koko’s track comes from her CD, Old School, released in 2007; and Phoebe’s from It Looks Like Snow, released in 1976.

Her 40th album is a true labor of love for Maria Muldaur, who considers Memphis Minnie to be not only a trailblazing musical pioneer for all women, but also a personal blues hero. “Way back in1963, when I was ‘In My Girlish Days,’ I had the amazing good fortune and privilege of meeting one of the original ‘classic’ Blues Queens, Victoria Spivey, when she was in her late 70s, living in New York City and running her own record label,” writes Maria in her liner notes. “She took me to her apartment and played old 78s, looking for songs that would be suitable for my young voice. Of all the amazing tunes she played for me, the one that made the deepest impression was an old scratchy 78 of a haunting, soulful tune called ‘Tricks Ain’t Walkin’’ by Memphis Minnie. From that moment to this, Memphis Minnie, and the example she set for me, has remained a profound influence on my life and my music. Here, I have joined with some of my Sisters in Music to pay tribute to the woman that inspired us and paved the way for us all.”

The reigning queen of mid-20th century blues, Memphis Minnie was a true musical innovator who pioneered the electrified Chicago-blues-band sound. In her prime, she was a blues singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and guitar–player-par-excellence; a colorful, larger-than-life figure who in 1942 was one of the first blues musician to record with an electric guitar. In a recording career which spanned over 40 years, she released more than 200 songs, many of which she wrote and several of which endure today as blues classics, including “Chauffeur Blues,” “In My Girlish Days,” “What’s the Matter with the Mill? and “When the Levee Breaks.” From the beginning of the Great Depression through the end of World War II - through an endless stream of innovative recordings and consistently compelling live performances – she dominated the primarily male dominion of the Chicago blues scene.

“While many female classic blues artists in the ’20s and ’30s (Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey, etc.) sang accompanied by the likes of Louis Armstrong and other New Orleans-style jazz musicians, with bands that featured horns and piano, Memphis Minnie accompanied herself with a raw rhythmic guitar sound that came to be known as ‘country blues,’” says Muldaur.

“At a time when women were ‘kept in their place,’ both personally and professionally, Memphis Minnie was tough, independent, outspoken, and played a mean guitar! But, she was more than just a guitar hero of early country blues. She ably adapted to newer trends and modernized her style, which helped account for her years of popularity. Memphis Minnie was one of the few figures to make the successful transition from the rural, acoustic guitar-dominated blues of the

1920s to the urban nightclub styles of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. She was tough, determined, talented, and courageous enough to defy and overcome all the racial, social, economic, and gender barriers that existed in her time, forging the life she envisioned for herself on nothing but her own terms!”

Maria Muldaur will kick off the release of ….First Came Memphis Minnie with an extensive tour, including shows in a number of markets she hasn’t visited in some time. She’ll be accompanied by her Red Hot Bluesiana Band, and will perform songs not only from the new CD, but also from her critically-acclaimed and Blues Award-nominated last CD, Steady Love,

one of the most accessible, joyful and soul satisfying releases in her ever growing catalog of memorable music.

Over the last decade, Maria Muldaur has released a number of lovingly and authentically produced acoustic blues albums paying tribute to the early blues pioneers and legends, and garnering multiple Grammy and Blues Foundation nominations. As on all her albums, Maria’s distinctive, deep and impassioned vocals are here soulfully preachin’ and shoutin’ the blues.

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!

You must be a registered member of the Blues Foundation to vote. Join today, if you're not already a member.

www.stonyplainrecords.com

Stony Plain artist: Rory Block - Shake 'em On Down - New Recording review

I just received a copy of Rory Block's newest recording, "Shake 'em On Down", a tribute to Mississippi Fred McDowell. This release is the third in a series of recordings by Block as tributes to great Blues Masters. The first two, "The Lady and Mr. Johnson, a tribute to Robert Johnson was aimed as being a note for note recreation of Roberts work. The second, Blues Walkin' Like A Man, Block's tribute to Son House began with the same concept but ultimately revised in concept as the session went on. This newest recording takes a different turn on the spectrum. Block explains that McDowell laid down a beat and didn't let up. She began in this manner but after with the repetitive riff but found it necessary to get creative and interject her own style. Only 3 of the 12 songs included on the release are original with one attributed to Sonny Boy Williamson and the balance to Fred McDowell. The recording is masterfully played as Block is a world class guitar player. It should be a welcome addition to any collection of contemporary acoustic blues lovers.
“Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I will not relay senseless nonsense. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here

Stony Plain Records artist: Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne - New Release Review

I just received a copy of the new release by Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, "An Old Rock On A Roll". This is a really cool recording. This recording is made up of a fusion of a lot of sounds that a session piano player may be exposed to over a period of years but all with a familiar thread, blues music. I hear boogie woogie, funk, jazz and rock all blended in there and it's a nice feel good recording. With a lineup of musicians like Duke Robillard, Brad Halle, Mark Teixeira, Doug James, Sax Gordon, Doug Woolverton and Carl Querfurth backing the "Blues Boss" it's hard not to like. I particularly liked boogie track "Searching for My Baby", "Bring Back the Love", "Don't Pretend" and "Rockin' Boogie Party". No Duke doesn't steal the show, but he does lay down some nice riffs to compliment this very professional recording!
“Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I will not relay senseless nonsense. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here

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.

Rory Block - Tour Schedule

2012 Itinerary

03/30/12 WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY WESTHAMPTON PAC
03/31/12 OLD SAYBROOK, CT THE KATE
04/05/12 FRYEBURG, ME FRYEBURG ACADEMY
04/06/12 COLINSVILLE, CT BRIDGE STREET LIVE
04/12/12 LEXINGTON, KY BEREA COLLEGE - LA GUITARA

HOLLAND & BELGIUM

04/17/12 VEENENDAAL, NL THEATER DE LAMPEGIET
04/18/12 TERVUREN, BEL GC PAPEBLOK
04/20/12 OOSTERBURG, NL LEDEL THEATER
04/21/12 LEEWARDEN, NL THEATER ROMEIN
04/22/12 HOOGLAND, NL DE NOOT
04/24/12 OTTERSUM, NL CC ROEPAEN
04/25/12 SITTARD, NL STADSSCHOUWBURG
04/26/12 EINDHOVEN, NL MUZIEKGEBOUW
04/27/12 BRUGGE, BEL STADSSCHOUWBURG
04/28/12 ZWOLLE, NL ODEON DE SPIEGEL
04/29/12 WAREGEM, BE CC DE SCHAKEL

CANADA

05/12/12 GRAVENHURST, ONT PETERS PLAYERS
“Like” Bman’s Facebook page. We use Facebook to spread the word about our blog. We will not hit you with 50 posts a day. We will not relay senseless nonsense. We use it only to draw attention to some of the key posts on our blog each day. In this way we can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here

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
Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Terraplane Blues - Rory Block

Aurora "Rory" Block (born November 6, 1949, Princeton, New Jersey) is an American female blues guitarist and singer, a notable exponent of the country blues style.
Aurora Block was born in Princeton and grew up in Manhattan. Her father, Allan Block, ran a sandal shop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and the influence of the Greenwich Village folk music scene, such as Peter Rowan, Maria Muldaur, and John Sebastian, tempted Block to study classical guitar. At the age of 14, she met guitarist Stefan Grossman, who introduced her to the music of Mississippi Delta blues guitarists. Block began listening to old albums, transcribing them, and learning to play the songs. At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis and Son House, and hone her craft in the traditional manner of blues musicians;[1] then she traveled to Berkeley, California where she played in clubs and coffeehouses.

After retiring temporarily to raise a family, Block returned to the music industry in the 1970s with middling success until signing with Rounder Records in 1981, who encouraged her to return to her love for the classical blues form. Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many Robert Johnson covers, such as "Terraplane Blues" and "Come on in My Kitchen". Block has won five W. C. Handy Awards, two for "Traditional Blues Female Artist" (1997, 1998) and three for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year" (1996, 1999, 2007). She also won NAIRD awards for "Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year" in 1994 for Angel of Mercy and again in 1997 for Tornado.

Angel of Mercy, Turning Point, and Tornado were filled with her self penned efforts. However, Mama's Blues, Ain't I A Woman and When A Woman Gets The Blues, featured songs written by Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson, Lottie Beaman, and Mattie Delaney.

Block continued to tour, although not as heavily as earlier, and she was often accompanied by her son Jordan Block, who also played on her albums. She remained busy in the early part of the 2000s, releasing six albums, including a live recording. 2005's From the Dust drew decent critical reviews, as did 2006's The Lady and Mr. Johnson.

In 2010 Rory Block released her autobiography in .pdf format titled "When A Woman Gets The Blues" available for download from her website.

Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Steady Love - Maria Muldaur - New Release review- SET FOR WORLD-WIDE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 27

I have been listening to Maria Muldaur's new release Steady Love. This release is very musically strong with mostly upbeat Elvin Bishop/Little Feat/Gospel, slinky, funky tunes. Instrumentation is tight and Maria keeps the music flowing from beginning to end. If you like Maria Muldaur you will like this cd. Her best in years.

INTERNATIONAL RELEASE SET FOR “GRITTY” NEW DUKE ROBILLARD BAND CD ON SEPTEMBER 20

INTERNATIONAL RELEASE SET FOR “GRITTY” NEW DUKE ROBILLARD BAND CD ON SEPTEMBER 20

Low Down and Tore Up is a collection of

hard-rockin’ early R&B tunes from the 40s and

50s on Canada’s international Stony Plain Records label

EDMONTON, AB - One of the most versatile and accomplished guitarists playing today, Duke Robillard has always been fascinated by the roots of American popular music — and he’s tackled everything from blues to the classic American songbook to jazz guitar duets, rock-influenced trios, small and big band swing recordings.

On September 20, Robillard will release his 18^th album on Stony Plain Records, the Edmonton-based roots music label. Low Down and Tore Up is described as an affirmation of his grittier blues roots and early influences.

Low Down and Tore Up is, once again, a tour de force — this time Robillard is taking hard-rockin’ songs from the forties and fifties, and refitting them with screaming tenor sax solos, gut-bucket vocals and guitar solos that shake the walls.

Duke sums it up: “Basically, I just wanted to go in the studio and record live and capture the real feeling of the lowdown blues in an off-the-cuff sort of way; the way singles used to be made in the blues world for small labels.”

He and his band immerse themselves into the songs of artists like Guitar Slim, Pee Wee Crayton, Sugar Boy Crawford, Bobby Blues Merrill, Tampa Red, Elmore James and John Lee Hooker — some of them artists who are, alas, almost forgotten today. But Robillard brings their tunes and their ragged-but-right approach straight to the table and steaming hot.

A powerful video for one of the songs, “What’s Wrong,” is now available on YouTube and is being distributed to television stations with arts or video programming:

Low Down & Tore Up will be released simultaneously in Canada and the United States, the UK, throughout Europe and in Australia and New Zealand on September 20

A serious road warrior who usually performs as many as 200 shows a year, Robillard has festival and showcase venue dates booked throughout the U.S., as well as Canadian appearances at the Calgary Blues Festival, the Edmonton Folk Festival and the Nanaimo Blues Festival, with September appearances at similar events in Norway and Northern Ireland.

Along the way, he’s earned no less than four Guitarist of the Year awards from the Blues Foundation, was chosen Traditional Males Blue Artist earlier this year, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, for his 2006 release, Guitar Groove-a-Rama, and for Stomp! The Blues Tonight (2009)

Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

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

Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

MARIA MULDAUR’S SOULFUL NEW CD, STEADY LOVE, SET FOR WORLD-WIDE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 27

MARIA MULDAUR’S SOULFUL NEW CD, STEADY LOVE, SET FOR WORLD-WIDE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 27

ON STONY PLAIN RECORDS

New Album Recorded in Her Musical and Spiritual Home of New Orleans Is a Return to Her

“Bluesiana Sound”

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces a September 27 world-wide release date for legendary singer Maria Muldaur’s newest album, Steady Love, her seventh album for the Edmonton-based independent label that this year marked its 35^th anniversary. Self-produced by Muldaur, Steady Love is one of the most accessible, joyful and soul satisfying releases in her ever-growing catalog of memorable music. 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.

Over the last decade, Maria Muldaur has released a quartet of lovingly and authentically produced acoustic blues albums paying tribute to the early blues pioneers and legends, and garnering multiple Grammy and Blues Foundation nominations. Now - detouring from her ongoing exploration of vintage blues - for her latest release, Maria has decided to return to her much beloved New Orleans to record a contemporary electric blues album that reflects the kind of music she loves to perform live - what she calls “Bluesiana Music” - her own brand of New Orleans-flavored blues, R& B and “swamp funk.”

Steady Love contains a compelling mix of contemporary blues tunes written by some of America’s greatest blues poets, including Percy Mayfield, Greg Brown, Eric Bibb, Bobby Charles, Stephen Bruton, Elvin Bishop, Henry Glover and others. Some are debuted here for the very first time, while others are culled from the repertoires of The Staple Singers, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Arthur Adams. In addition to some high-powered straight-ahead blues, the album features uplifting, gospel-tinged blues numbers like Bruton’s “Walk by Faith,” “I Am Not Alone,” written by Rick Vito, and a stirring, heart wrenching rendition of Mayfield’s perennial classic, “Please Send Me Someone to Love;” plus high-spirited versions of classic gospel anthems, “I Done Made It Up in My Mind” and “As an Eagle Stirreth in Her Nest.”

The soul and grit of Steady Love comes from Muldaur’s distinctive, deep and impassioned vocals soulfully preachin’ and shoutin’ the blues, and the greasy grooves laid down by an A-list of New Orleans funk veterans. Keyboard wizard and funkmeister David Torkanowsky, guitarist Shane Theriot, who literally wrote the book on New Orleans funk guitar (2002’s New Orleans Funk Guitar Styles), bassist Johnny Allen (a key member of roots/funk favorites, the subdudes) and drummer Kenny Blevins (drummer in John Hiatt’s all-star backing band, The Goners) all turn in inspired, high octane performances.

Contributions from New Orleans traditional jazz ‘n’ funk drummer Shannon Powell, local guitar ace Cranston Clements, and a final mix by veteran Grammy-winning producer John Porter, all work to make this one of the most attention-grabbing, widely accessible and soul-satisfying releases of Muldaur’s remarkably prolific, varied and vibrant career.

Backed by her Red Hot Bluesiana Band, Maria will support the release of Steady Love, touring extensively with key shows at major markets around North America, including what promises to be a highlight event at Snug Harbor in New Orleans on October 15.

Maria’s rarely been off the road since she recorded her seminal classic, “Midnight at the Oasis,” on her first major label album, back in 1974. And as Steady Love proves, she continues to make powerful music!

To download a hi-res color photo of Maria Muldaur, click here: Maria Muldaur.

—30—

Please check the following websites:

www.stonyplainrecords.com www.mariamuldaur.com

For further information, new high resolution photographs,

and interview arrangements, please contact:

In the United States: Mark Pucci

Mark Pucci Media

770 804-9555

mpmedia@bellsouth.net

www.markpuccimedia.com

In Canada: Richard Flohil

Richard Flohil & Associates

416 351-1323

rflohil@sympatico.ca

www.richardflohil.com

Booking: Charlie Ellicott

Second Octave Talent

707 773-3170

cellicott@secondoctave.com

www.secondoctave.com