Blues Birthday: Little Brother Montgomery – April 18th 1906
Eurreal Wilford “Little Brother” Montgomery (April 18, 1906 – September 6, 1985) was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and blues pianist and singer. Largely self-taught, Montgomery was an important blues pianist with an original style. He was also versatile, working in jazz bands, including larger ensembles that used written arrangements. He did not read music but […]
Blues Birthday: Hound Dog Taylor – April 12th 1915
Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played the piano and began playing the guitar when he was 20. He moved to Chicago in 1942. Hound Dog Taylor […]
Blues Birthday: Gary Moore – 4th April 1952
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011) was an Irish musician and songwriter. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed an eclectic range of music including blues, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz fusion. Influences include Peter Green and Eric Clapton, Moore began his career […]
ALBUM REVIEW: BILLY ECKSTINE – THE BILLY ECKSTINE COLLECTION 1947-1962 (Acrobat Records)
Billy Eckstine started out as a trumpeter and then became a big band leader in the early 1940’s. He later took the step of going on a solo career and this collection of seventy-four songs on three CD’s is the latest delve into the archives. He was a crooner of his day and amassed a […]
ALBUM REVIEW: SONNY GREEN – FOUND! ONE SOUL SINGER (Little Village Foundation)
ALBUM REVIEW: JIM STANARD – COLOUR OUTSIDE THE LINES (Manatec Records)
Colour Outside the Lines is an album of mature lyrics, married to a soundscape that blends in elements of pop, Appalachian music, Bluegrass, and folk. The eleven tracks, all written and sung by Jim Standard, who also adds acoustic guitar, look at modern relationships, love, and the world how it is. The Opium Wars is […]
ALBUM REVIEW: ADAM’S CURSE – WHAT THE ANCIENTS KNEW ABOUT YOU (Bad Reputation Records)
This is the debut album from Adam’s Curse a trio formed by ex Glyder guitarist and songwriter Bat Kinane. During the noughties Glyder released five albums and toured around Europe as a well-respected classic rock style outfit. Joining Kinane is Bassist John Treacy who Kinane had produced and recorded an EP with and drummer Brendan […]
ALBUM REVIEW: BEN LEVIN – CARRYOUT OR DELIVERY (VizzTone)
Whilst a lot of the world has been in lockdown, the question Carryout or Delivery has been one that we have all pondered during 2020. Recorded amid the pandemic, US-based blues artist Ben Levin chose to make this present-day conundrum his album title. The twelve-track release is very much a family affair, with Father Aron […]
REVIEW: MICK KOLASSA – IF YOU CAN’T BE GOOD, BE GOOD AT IT! (Endless Blues Records)
REVIEW: Johny Burgin Live (Delmark Records)
In these pandemic days we have all suffered from the shortage of live music and those whose weekly tonic is to see some blues played in a small and sweaty club, packed far too tightly for decency and with a band who play together for the fun far more than the money have suffered most […]
