Reverend Raven

 

You know I hate these cookie cutter bios. I know they are necessary but you are only as good as last night's gig. I really haven't done anything special except open and meet B.B. King, play and sometimes headline at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago for 20 years and have the honor of backing up Madison Slim for 10yrs.  Playing with great guys like R.J. Mischo, Cadillac Pete Rahn, Benny Rickun, PT Pedersen SC, Bobby Lee Sellers Jr, Big Al Groth, Bryan Lee, Billy Flynn, Pat Hayes and all the guys in my band present and past. Guys like Rick Holmes, Chico Johnson, Devil Roberts, Diesel, Evil Evans, Craig Panosh, Kern, Barefoot Jimmy, Frankie Panosh, Chuck Might, Mickey Larson, Benny Rickun many more. I get to go to festivals and see my heros, friends like Perry Weber, Jim Liban, Billy Flynn and get paid for it. That is cool. I've been blessed with great love, good friends and family and the ability to earn a living playing guitar and standing on chairs and tables. If I can put a smile on your face and get you to shake your rear end I've done a good job.

Now here is the standard one:

Born and raised in the Englewood neighborhood on south side of Chicago, the Reverend has been playing the blues since 1971 when he first saw Freddy King play at the Kinetic Theatre in Chicago.  After 16 year hitch in the Navy, Chief Raven moved to Milwaukee where he began a long friendship and collaboration with Madison Slim, long time harmonica player for Jimmy Rogers. Since 1990 he has opened for B.B King, Gatemouth Brown, Pinetop Perkins, Koko Taylor Band, Junior Wells, Billy Branch, Magic Slim, Elvin Bishop, Sugar Blue, Lonnie Brooks, William Clarke, Lefty Dizz, Rod Piazza, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Duke Robillard, Jeff Healy, Trampled Underfoot, Mike Zito, Nick Moss, Tommy Castro and numerous others at festivals and at Buddy Guy’s Legends where he has been on rotation as a headliner for 20 years.

 https://reverendraven.com

Mike Dugan

 

 

Mike Dugan has been lighting up stages and studios for over four decades. He is known up and down the East Coast as a master guitarist, bandleader, composer, and instructor. Mike has shared the stage with such legends as BB King; Robert Cray; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; and his personal hero, Les Paul.  His albums have received worldwide critical acclaim, and his guitar mastery has won him a loyal international following. Once an audience hears Mike Dugan play, they never forget him!

 http://mikedugan.com/

New releases on JAM 66 Radio

 From this week, JES MARIE, MARTIN MAYER, MIHO WADA, ROB ALEXANDER and many others on JAM 66 Radio. Many new groups and artists every day on the radio. Listen on this site or through your favorite players on the right column.

Sugar Ray and the Bluetones

 

The band Sugar Ray and the Bluetones is in one of the moments of highest recognition of its long career. After completing 4 decades of their way of understanding Blues in 2017, for Sugar Ray & The Bluetones 2018 is a year of full enjoyment. Already in 2016 they were nominated by the Blues Foundation of Memphis as the Blues Band of the Year, and Mike Welch, Anthony Geraci and “Mudcat” Ward received a new nomination on their respective instruments, bringing a total of 26 to the Music Awards obtained by the Bluetones, as well as seven Grammy nominations awarded to its members. Few bands can hold awards size. Among other accomplishments, the band recorded two albums with Chicago harmonica giant Big Walter Horton and toured as a backing band for blues legends Otis Rush, Big Joe Turner, J.B. Hutto, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Roosevelt Sykes, Junior Wells, and many more.

In 2012 Sugar Ray & The Bluetones were inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. Sugar Ray Norcia has been the driving force of the Bluetones since their inception and is considered one of the most powerful and influential blues vocalists, harmonica players, and songwriters of this generation. A three-time Grammy nominee, SRN has received 22 Music Blues Award nominations, winning two of them in 2014. He has also appeared on more than 60 CDs with musicians and bands such as Roomful of Blues (where he was a vocalist), Otis Grand or Pinetop Perkins. In 2016, he and his band released a CD on Severn Records called “Seeing Is Believing,” for which he was nominated for an unprecedented seven 2017 Music Blues Awards, including Traditional Blues Male Artist and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.

Little Charlie's bio is no less impressive and can only be succinctly summed up. In 1976, together with Rick Estrin, he formed Little Charlie & the Nightcats and supported huge artists such as Big Mama Thornton, Albert Collins, Floyd Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, in addition to presenting their own shows in festivals across the United States. Charlie's versatility and elegance is recognized by all, which has led him to record 10 albums with Alligator, 3 albums with John Hammond in Point Blank (all 3 nominated for Grammys), and to be a guest on albums by Joe Louis Walker, Kid Ramos, Mark Hummel and others. In 2008 Baty decided to leave The Nightcats and concentrate on many other projects, such as the recording of the CD Remember Little Walter, nominated for a Grammy and which won two Blues Music Awards, for Best Blues Record of the Year and Best Traditional Record of the Year. In addition to following his interests in gypsy jazz by leading the Little Charlie Caravan, Baty continues to develop and define his style of guitar playing and his many influences have resulted in a truly unique voice in the world of music.

Bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward recorded and backed bluesmen like J. Geils, Jimmy Rogers, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, and Rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef. His recording with Hubert Sumlin also included Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Levon Helm, and is part of the more than fifty recordings in which he participated. Drummer Neil Gouvin has been with Sugar Ray since they were in Jr. High School together, and has been on every Bluetones recording. He has also participated in a CD with John Hammond Jr. called Found True Love (Virgin) which was nominated for a Grammy, and has made multiple recordings with Otis Grand, Joe Houston, and other great artists.

Sugar Ray & The Bluetones are:

Sugar Ray Norcia: Harmonica and vocals

Little Charlie Baty: guitar

Michael “Mudcat” Ward – double bass

Neil Gouvin – drums

http://www.sugarrayandthebluetones.com

Homemade Jamz Blues Band

 

 

Homemade Jamz Blues Band’s (HJBB) unique sound and style is a product and compilation of the trio’s hunger and thirst for the music (blues) that they so love. Their passion and dedication has proven to be electrifying and energetic to witness. HJBB’s astounding sound blends Mississippi, Chicago, and Contemporary juke joint blues that will surely get you on your toe tapping, knee bending, and foot stomping stance, copping the gritty slickness of the former and the dirty soul of the latter—never betraying its authors’ age. The trio exudes nothing but confidence and attitude as they sing of betrayal, love, hard times and other bad things gone down as if they've lived a life rich in strife. They are sure, a veritable blues explosion poised to continue making the big sound.

HJBB started in Baumholder, Germany.  Young Ryan found a Stratocaster copy among dad’s, (Renaud Perry’s) bags and wanted it. A week later, Ryan had composed a short instrumental tune, (which he’d play at his school talent show) and was playing along to commercials. When the family relocated to Tupelo, MS, the passion stayed with him. Returning home, Ryan, dove head first into the blues.  “I heard and emulated B.B. King, Albert King, Jimmie Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan,” he recalls.  Having found his passion and direction, Ryan progressed like tenfold.

Ryan Perry, now 23, the oldest of the trio, has vocals that are mind blowing and beyond his years.  It’s almost as if he was an old soul, reincarnated into a new generation of the blues.  Some of his early music influences are Howlin’ Wolf, Albert King, BB King, and Junior Kimbrough, while modern blues influences includes the likes of the late Michael Burks, Bernard Allison, and Gary Clark, Jr.  Ryan has managed to captivate and mesmerize the minds and hearts of his followers with his raspy and gritty vocals.  His electrifying and soulful guitar picking is sure to entice and seduce your most inner soul.

Two years later, Ryan was joined by little brother Kyle, then nine years old, wanted in on the action.  Kyle, now 20, first took up piano and guitar before he found his calling playing the bass, teaching himself the nuances of the instrument, and its role in the blues. Before long, he was performing with his brother Ryan in small venues and local restaurants, as confident as any wizened old pro and digging his role. “[I] keep the timing and lock down the beat along with the drummer, which allows the lead guitar player to do his own thing while everyone is juking to the beat.”

Little sister Taya, then seven years old, was not going to be left out.  Her determination to give the drums a shot came after Ryan and Kyle reluctantly allowed her to play along during practice.  Taya, now 16, already possessing a rhythmic sense from playing tambourine, settled onto the stool, and in no time was providing the beat behind Ryan and Kyle.  Learning by ear, she taught herself the beat and rhythm that binds the complete sound of the trio.  “I love being a drummer, especially being a girl drummer. I feel energetic when I’m playing the drums,” she says.

It’s likewise energizing and invigorating to watch Homemade Jamz perform; the exhilarating trio was a hot ticket, and well on their way to becoming one of the youngest blues bands actively traveling the blues music trail. Ryan’s raspy, gruff vocals along with visceral, stinging, guitar licks, Kyle’s solid rumble and Taya’s cool stomp have electrified festival goers across the country, Canada, Europe, Legendary Blues Cruise, and music festivals all over. 

The trio saturated their local media, appearing numerous times in several local papers and national blues magazines, and on local and national TV—including feature segments on CBS Sunday Morning Show, The Today’s Show, The Monique Show, and The Tavis Smiley Show.  As well, HJBB won the 3rd Annual MS Delta Blues Society of Indianola’s Blues Challenge (2006), were the youngest band ever to compete in the 23rd International Blues Challenge (2007), taking 2nd in a field of 93 seasoned bands, youngest blues band to sign with a major blues label (NorthernBlues Music) (2008), and the youngest Blues Music Award Nominees for Best New Artist (2009).  

 http://www.allsaintmalohotels.com/hmjamzbluesbandcom/

Sam Maghett

 

No blues guitarist better represented the adventurous modern sound of Chicago's West side more proudly than Sam Maghett. He died tragically young (at age 32 of a heart attack), just as he was on the brink of climbing the ladder to legitimate stardom, but Magic Sam left behind a thick legacy of bone-cutting blues that remains eminently influential around his old stomping grounds to this day.

Maghett (one of his childhood pals was towering guitarist Morris Holt, who received his Magic Slim handle from Sam) was born in the Mississippi Delta. In 1950, he arrived in Chicago, picking up a few blues guitar pointers from his new neighbor, Syl Johnson (whose brother, Mack Thompson, served as Sam's loyal bassist for much of his professional career). Harpist Shakey Jake Harris, sometimes referred to as the guitarist's uncle, encouraged Sam's blues progress and gigged with him later on, when both were Westside institutions.

Sam's tremolo-rich staccato fingerpicking was an entirely fresh phenomenon when he premiered it on Eli Toscano's Cobra label in 1957. Prior to his Cobra date, the guitarist had been gigging as Good Rocking Sam, but Toscano wanted to change his nickname to something old-timey like Sad Sam or Singing Sam. No dice, said the newly christened Magic Sam (apparently Mack Thompson's brainstorm). His Cobra debut single, "All Your Love," was an immediate local sensation; its unusual structure would be recycled time and again by Sam throughout his tragically truncated career. Sam's Cobra encores "Everything Gonna Be Alright" and "Easy Baby" borrowed much the same melody but were no less powerful; the emerging Westside sound was now officially committed to vinyl. Not everything Sam cut utilized the tune; "21 Days in Jail" was a pseudo-rockabilly smoker with hellacious lead guitar from Sam and thundering slap bass from the ubiquitous Willie Dixon. Sam also backed Shakey Jake Harris on his lone 45 for Cobra's Artistic subsidiary, "Call Me If You Need Me."

After Cobra folded, Sam didn't follow labelmates Otis Rush and Magic Slim over to Chess. Instead, after enduring an unpleasant Army experience that apparently landed him in jail for desertion, Sam opted to go with Mel London's Chief logo in 1960. His raw-boned Westside adaptation of Fats Domino's mournful "Every Night About This Time" was the unalloyed highlight of his stay at Chief; some other Chief offerings were less compelling. 

Gigs on the Westside remained plentiful for the charismatic guitarist, but recording opportunities proved sparse until 1966, when Sam made a 45 for Crash Records. "Out of Bad Luck" brought back that trademark melody again, but it remained as shattering as ever. Another notable 1966 side, the plaintive "That's Why I'm Crying," wound up on Delmark's Sweet Home Chicago anthology, along with Sam's stunning clippity-clop boogie instrumental "Riding High" (aided by the muscular tenor sax of Eddie Shaw). 

 Delmark Records was the conduit for Magic Sam's two seminal albums, 1967's West Side Soul and the following year's Black Magic. Both LPs showcased the entire breadth of Sam's Westside attack: the first ranged from the soul-laced "That's All I Need" and a searing "I Feel So Good" to the blistering instrumental "Lookin' Good" and definitive remakes of "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" and "Sweet Home Chicago," while Black Magic benefitted from Shaw's jabbing, raspy sax as Sam blasted through the funky "You Belong to Me," an impassioned "What Have I Done Wrong," and a personalized treatment of Freddy King's "San-Ho-Zay."

Sam's reputation was growing exponentially. He wowed an overflow throng at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival, and Stax was reportedly primed to sign him when his Delmark commitment was over. However, heart problems were fast taking their toll on Sam's health. On the first morning of December of 1969, he complained of heartburn, collapsed, and died.

Even now, more than a quarter-century after his passing, Magic Sam remains the king of Westside blues. That's unlikely to change as long as the subgenre is alive and kicking.

Janiva Magness

 

Singer-songwriter-author Janiva Magness makes a forceful return on June 24 with the release of Hard to Kill, the Los Angeles-based musician’s first new collection in three years, on her own label Fathead Records.

The seven-time Blues Music Awards recipient (and the 2009 B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, the Blues Foundation’s highest honor) and 2016 Grammy Award nominee will simultaneously release the Fathead audio book edition of Weeds Like Us, her frank, profoundly moving 2019 memoir. Los Angeles composer and musician Matt Cartsonis produced.

LA Weekly named the volume its “Book of the Month,” while No Depression said, “[Magness] plumbs her own emotional depths, carrying us with her through her own hells and back to the other side. Ultimately, Magness’ memoir is a story of hope and the refusal to let the worst experiences of life kill you.”

Magness, who co-wrote four of the dozen new compositions on Hard to Kill, says of her boldly honest and affecting new collection of songs, “I feel like it’s a retrospective — not just of my musical life, but of my life. At this point, with what I’ve been through in my life, top to bottom, you know what, the gloves are off, and the rules are, there really aren’t any rules.”

The musician sees a direct link between her new album — which leads off with the autobiographical track “Strong As Steel” — and her book, an unflinching and shattering look back at a life shaken by physical and sexual abuse, the suicides of both her parents, years in foster care, drug addiction and alcoholism, and teenage pregnancy and motherhood. It also details the beginnings of her distinguished musical career, for which she found early inspiration in the work of such blues titans as Otis Rush and Etta James.

“I like true stories,” Magness says. “My dad said something to me a long time ago; the meaning of it has changed over time, as things like that do, if we wake up. He said, ‘The truth will set you free.’”

Sitting on the bedrock of blues, soul, and funk, the music on Hard to Kill is so tough and assured that it comes as a surprise when Magness says she was initially uncertain about undertaking the making of a new album.

She recalls, “Coming out of the pandemic, I had gotten to a pretty dark place.” She chuckles, adding, “I laugh, because how is that a surprise? Is this news of some kind? I’d gotten there just as many of us had, and I had lost myself.”

Magness turned the corner creatively after her husband suggested that she should talk things over with Dave Darling, her longtime producer, guitarist, and friend.

“He’s a scrapper like me,” Magness says of Darling. “He’s pragmatic. I said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this again. I don’t know if I should.’ And he goes, ‘Of course you should.’ I said, ‘But why?’ And this sounds really simple and stupid, but he said, ‘Because it’s what you do. Because it’s what we do, as artists, and you are a f___ing artist. So cut it out.’”

Magness began writing new material in the spring of 2021. Looking back, she now realizes that her new songs were tied to the intense memories and feelings she had exposed in Weeds Like.

 https://www.janivamagness.com