Backalleyblues

Jack Falk Project Technorati Profile

Robert Leroy Johnson was born on May 8, 1911 to Julia Major Dodds and Noah Johnson in Hazelhurst, Mississippi. Until his late adolescence, his name was Robert Spencer after his stepfather, who had to change his name from Dodds to Spencer when he ran from Mississippi after a personal vandetta with the Marchetti Brothers (Lavere 7). Johnson took the name of his natural father as a teenager, even though he had not met him. Music was a long-time interest for Johnson, and his first instruments were the Jew's harp and the harmonica. Before he became seriously involved with the guitar, he married Virginia Travis in February 1929, and the young couple soon became expectant parents. But tragedy struck when Virginia, only sixteen years old, died in childbirth in 1930. Around June of 1930, blues musician Son House came to Mississippi. His music deeply affected Johnson, for it was the "rawest, most direct pure emotion Robert had ever heard, and he followed House and [Willie] Brown wherever they went" (Lavere 11). But Jo

Traditional Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown and Song- Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky. ARTIST: Source: Dennis 'Little Hat' Jones 'Kentucky Blues' recorded in San Antonio, Texas, on 14 June 1930 and issued as Okeh 8815. Note: the first four stanzas are from the transcription in Paul Oliver 'Songsters & Saints' Cambridge Uni Press 1999 p 70. The last stanza (omitted by Oliver) is my transcription from the reissue on Various Artists 'My Rough and Rowdy Ways Vol I' Yazoo CD 2039. CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Early 1900’s; Here are the lyrics to “Kentucky Blues/Lost John” from "Little Hat" Jones: Well whiles we here tryin' to have our fun 'Spose the law jumped up and said, 'Nobody run!' Well, you know I'm long gone, from Kentucky Long gone, an' got away lucky 'Cause I'm gonna leave so keen I'll be just like a submarine Well, my woman poked her head out the window of the bed Said, 'Please don't let them kill Mister Little Hat dead' I said, 'No use worryin', sweet mama, I ain't gon

Kelowna, British Columbia's Rick Halisheff - a.k.a. Poppa Dawg - turns in a solid set of traditional Blues penned by the excellent guitarist and singer. 'Nobody Here Feels Sorry For You' bounces between Hokum and Jump; 'Croc Talkin', a greasy, minor-key funk instrumental features some of the snarkiest wah tone ever waxed; and 'This Man' is a towering deep soul number. 'I Ain't Leavin' shuffles with Stevie Ray Vaughan power, '1, 2, Gone' swings like Ronnie Earl's best work and 'Cool Little Number' is reminiscent of Little Charlie and Rick Estrin's hipper stuff. Hailing originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Rick 'Poppa Dawg' Halisheff has played for 20 yrs in a variety of bands and has backed up such artists as Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne, Michael Pickett, Harpdog Brown, Sherman 'Tank' Doucette, and Juno Award winner Dave Nicol. For 10 years, he has been the bandleader and frontman for the very successful Western Canadian Blues band Dogskin Suit. In that time, they recorded 2 CDs, received airplay in Canada, and a

George Higgs was born in 1930 in a farming community in Edgecombe County near Speed, North Carolina ("a slow town with a fast name" as he is fond of saying.) He learned to play the harmonica as a child from his father, Jesse Higgs, who enjoyed playing favorite spirituals and folk tunes at home during his spare time. George got to catch the medicine showman and harmonica player Peg Leg Sam playing locally in Rocky Mount during the tobacco market season and he made a lasting impression on the young harp player. He was later attracted to the guitar as a teenager and reluctantly sold a favorite squirrel dog to a neighbor to raise funds to purchase his first. As a result of their close proximity the dog spent more time at George's home than at his new owner's, so he got to have the guitar and keep the company of his dog. Acoustic Piedmont blues by George Higgs, a North Carolinian, who was inspired to take up the harmonica as a child after hearing Deford Bailey on the radio and seeing Peg Leg Sam at medicine shows

Bob has shared the stage and played with some of todays great blues artists. Most recently His band backed Superharp james cotton He has opened for a number of major acts over the years from Ronnie Earl And Eddie Kirkland to Bobby Parker and Hubert Sumlin. He was guitarist for Floyd Phillips and The Mudflaps for 3 years having formed the band with Floyd in 1998. The band consists of Bob On guitar and vocals, Steve Pozz or Ron Howden on drums, Sandy Joren on bass. Also any number of the areas great blues musicians can be seen from time to time perfoming with the band. As far as the blues go, this is the real deal check the schedule and check out the band. Bob"The Breadman" Lanza has been playing theNY/NJ/PA. blues circuit for the last 20 years. The Cancellation Blues Band, Cruisin for a Bluesn', Fat Chance, The Bluzemonsters The Homewreckers,Big Daddy and The Wildcats and Floyd Phillips and The Mudflaps were a few of the bands he was involved with. Now he has formed his own band,

Francine Calo has been playing & singing the blues for 30 plus years ... working with husband/guitarist Paul and with their old friend, "The Shuffle King" John Hoik on drums...this trio has groove to spare...their live shows have been lighting up clubs in the New England area ..... a winner in the Battle of the Blues Bands in '98' ....they've appeared with artists Sarah Brown, Shemekia Copeland, J.Geils, Magic Dick & Bluestime, Mose Allison, Bruce Katz,Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and The Nighthawks.... Fronted by powerhouse singer/bassist Francine Calo, this well seasoned trio will take you on a real soul journey...... They seamlessly move from torchy ballads to traditional chicago styles to flat out butt rockin' texas roadhouse blues and more.... With husband Paul Calo, powerful singer in his own right, on lead guitar, and rock solid drumming by The very funky Harley Walker, this band will inspire and move you. Hop on the blues train with the Francine Calo Band......and enjoy the ride ! http://www.garageba

Tony Deziel never stops making music. A guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, he is meticulous, whether it is perfecting a guitar riff or working on a lyric.But then again, its always been that way. Ever since he first saw The Beatles on television, Deziel has been involved in music, whether playing, writing or admiring. He grew to love vocal harmonies and layered guitars, and used them in his own compositions as well as those he has written with other artists. In 1991, Deziel met Jeff Carlisi of .38 Special through a meeting arranged by a friend. After that initial meeting, Carlisi became Deziel's mentor, and Deziel began sending him tapes of his own compositions to critique and judge. Carlisi would respond by phone or by mail with his compliments and comments. This is something that to this day Deziel claims to be an invaluable asset to his work. However, Deziel doesn't do everything solo. In 1993, Deziel founded the Connecticut band Sundance. As a guitarist/vocalist, he is one of the principal songwriters i

PAPA JOE GRAPPA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS BAND Papa Joe Grappa – Guitars, Vocals Gerald Johnson - Bass. Definitely one of the funkiest bass players around. Gerald’s recorded with Dave Mason, Steve Miller and Steven Stills. Gary Mallaber – Drums. Gary’s the drummer on Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” He’s also recorded with Steve Miller and Bruce Springsteen. Marty Grebb – Electric Piano, Organ, Baritone and Tenor Sax. The multi-talented Marty has recorded with Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh and The Band. He was also the keyboard player in the hit band The Buckinghams. The Sweet Inspirations – Portia Griffin, Estelle Brown and Myrna Smith, Elvis Presley’s backup singers from 1968-1977 Other Friends Michael Fell – Harmonica, Dave McKelvey – Harmonica, Tom Petersen – Tenor Sax, Lee Thornburg – Trumpet, James Intveld – Acoustic Bass BB Chung King (Alan Mirikitani) – Producer, Recording Engineer, Guitar Biography Papa Joe Grappa (Joe Medeiros) is the head writer of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Having started playing guita

Blind" Lemon Jefferson (September 1893–December 1929) was an influential blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s. Jefferson is believed to have been born in Couchman, Texas, near Wortham, Texas. It was long believed by most that he was born in 1897 (although some accounts varied the date by up to ten years) but research a century later revealed a census record that listed his birth record as September 1893. He was blind or nearly blind from a young age, possibly from birth; the cause is unknown, as is the reason for the name or nickname "Lemon". Where, how, and from whom he learned to play guitar and learned his songs is unknown. Around 1912, he began performing at picnics and parties. He also became a street musician, playing in East Texas towns. According to his cousin, Alec Jefferson, quoted in the notes for Blind Lemon Jefferson, Classic Sides: They was rough. Men was hustling women and selling bootleg and Lemon was singing for them all night

Barbeque Bob is a seasoned veteran harmonica virtuoso and vocalist from the Boston, MA with nearly 30 years of experience in the business and has worked and toured wth many different blues legends, including Jimmy Rogers, Louisiana Red, Sunnyland Slim, and Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. After nearly three years of being forced to take things very slow due to being on kidney dialysis, Bob recieved a kidney transplant on May 1, 2003, and he is now back on the scene with a vengeance. Former Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton harp legend Jerry Portnoys says,"Barbeque Bob is not just one of the best around the Boston area, but one of the very best anywhere, period!" The late, great West Coast blues harmonica giant and Alligator recording artist William Clarke called his playing "powerful and well focused." Bob has appeared with: "Fried Green Tomatoes" soundtrack CD on MCA 1991 (on the tune, "Rooster Blues," with Peter Wolf and Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters) "Right Here And Now" Two Bones & A Pick, 1996 "Butter

"St. Louis Blues" is a piece of American music composed by William Christopher Handy in the blues style. It remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire. It was also one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song; it has been performed by numerous musicians of all styles from Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith to Glenn Miller and the Boston Pops Orchestra. It has been called "the jazzman's Hamlet". Published in September of 1914 by Handy's own company, it later gained such popularity that it inspired the dance step the "Foxtrot". Though the name of the song may imply that it is about events in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, it instead refers to a sophisticated woman from that city who has stolen the affection of the singer's lover. The form is unusual in that the verses are the familiar standard twelve bar blues in common time with three lines of lyrics, the first two lines repeated, but it also has a 16-bar bridge written in the habanera rhythm. The opening line, "I hate to see that even

Chester Burnett was born to Leon “Dock” Burnett and Gertrude Jones on June 10, 1910, in White Station, Mississippi, a tiny railroad stop between Aberdeen and West Point in the Mississippi hill country, many miles away from the Delta. Fascinated by music as a boy, he would often beat on pans with a stick and imitate the whistle of the railroad trains that ran nearby. He also sang in the choir at the White Station Baptist church, where Will Young, his stern, unforgiving great-uncle preached. When his parents separated, his father moved to the Delta, and his mother left Chester with his uncle Will, who treated him harshly. One childhood friend said Will Young was “the meanest man between here and hell. Wolf’s relationship with his mother was also troubled. Gertrude spent much of her adult life as a street singer, eking out a living by selling hand-written gospel songs for pennies to passersby. She disowned her son Chester, claiming he played “the Devil’s music.” Wolf’s wariness can be traced to his bleak childho

Blue Fox is a well-traveled bluesman from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Steve Blood of Three Mountain Lodge says, "He takes time with the kids, gets the place rockin'. EVERYONE likes his music." Pamela Polston of Seven Days Newspaper said. "Blue Fox's vocals are deep-lazy-growly-sexy, and his guitar playing is ultra-strength." Art Edelstein of the Times Argus Newspaper says” One of the few authentic blues musicians in Vermont - well worth the listen.” Blue is currently booking his spring/summer tour. Due to a big interest in his solo steel guitar/harmonic shows, it will be focusing on that style, as well as doing local shows with his band, Blue Fox & the Rockin’ Daddys. In the 1980's, Blue played almost everyplace that had street musicians (Boston, New York, New Orleans, Austin, San Francisco, etc.) and quite a few that did not. "Blue Fox has been a fixture on the blues scene since he arrived in Vermont in 1990... Charlie Frazier, Good Citizen Magazine. Blue's first CD, The Way Things Go, was with a trio. His

Born James Arnold in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, Arnold received his nickname in 1934 after releasing Old Original Kokomo Blues for the Decca label; it was a cover of the Scrapper Blackwell blues song about the "Kokomo" brand of coffee. A left-handed slide-guitarist, his intense slide style of playing and rapid-fire vocal style set him apart from his contemporaries. Having learned the basics of the guitar from his cousin John Wiggs, Arnold began playing in the early 1920s as a sideline while he worked as a farmhand in Buffalo, New York, and as a steelworker in Pittsburgh. In 1929 he moved to Chicago and set up a bootlegging business, an activity he continued throughout Prohibition. In 1930 Arnold moved south briefly, and made his first recordings, Rainy Night Blues and Paddlin' Blues, under the name Gitfiddle Jim for the Victor label in Memphis, Tennessee. He soon moved back to the bootlegging center of Chicago, though he was forced to make as living as a musician after the ratification of the Twenty-first A

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RandomClam is a couple of ordinary guys trying to produce original music fusing the essense of blues, jazz and rock into something we hope you find unique. Mike : Songwriter (Vocals, Guitar), Dan : Lead Guitar (Bass) Random Clam

n 1998 a(singer/entertainer, songwriter, producer, guitar player,keyboards and studio engineer) met an powerful singer/entertainer and together they brought to life "The Mitchell Blues Band". This Palma Mallorca (Spain) based band is originally from New York City and Oklahoma USA!! Tim Mitchell Richardson (the founder of The Mitchell Blues Band) has taken his music from America and all over the world. The unique style that Tim has brought with him from Oklahoma is a down home Blues with just a touch of funk and rock! Tim started playing the guitar from the tender age of 4 years old. He was actually thought by his mother ( his mom was also an incredible guitar/keyboard/ player herself) Matter of fact, Tim was blessed to be able to play any musical instrument that he decided to pick up. With the knowledge of music he played with different bands in bars and venues all over Oklahoma for many years. After being seasoned by the best he branched off to bigger and better opportunities. He started playing for well kno

Podcast Tribute to the classic Blues and the modern day heros of music. Lets step into time and relive the the era that set the nation and time to what it is today. Join me as we bring the past to the present. Willie King has loved and played the blues ever since he was 7 years old, as Willie says it, "I am the Blues." Living in one of the poorest regions, of one of the poorest states in America, could give anyone a case of blues but Willie is constantly struggling against the odds to gain control. He's one of the true Alabama bluesmen who's lived the blues everyday of his life. It's no fad with him. When you hear Willie playing the blues you're hearing the truth and you can feel it. He's presently working with the Alabama Blues Project helping with blues education programs throughout the state and has recently completed his first solo CD called, "I am the Blues." It was self-produced by Willie. His newest CDs, "Freedom Creek" and "Living In A New World" on Rooster Blues are available in most record stores.