| |  |
by Eric Steiner IT’S AWARDS TIME! If I had a crystal ball, I’d look into the future. I’d peek at the list of awardees from this year’s Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8th and then the W.C. Handy Awards on April 29th at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis.
A Grammy Preview… If my crystal ball isn’t cracked, I’m hoping that Kim Wilson, Sonny Landreth, and Bonnie Raitt, all celebrate will their well-deserved Grammy recognition by taking home the hardware on February 8. Kim Wilson’s latest, Lookin' for Trouble (MC Records), is a strong contender for the Grammy for the Best Traditional Blues Album. I’m a big fan of Kim’s big fat tone on his harp, and this CD features a mixture of blues styles such as swing and the classic post-war urban blues of the title cut. Other artists nominated in this category are: Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Jay McShann, and Roomful of Blues. The Best Contemporary Blues Album also has a strong field, with Marcia Ball’s So Many Rivers (Alligator), Etta James’ Let's Roll (Private Music), Sonny Landreth’s The Road We’re On (Sugar Hill), Howard Tate’s Rediscovered (Private Music), and Susan Tedeschi’s Wait for Me (Tone Cool/Artemis). To me, this list is unfair, ‘cause a dream line-up for me would be Sonny and Susan sharing the same stage. After much soul (and blues) searching, my nod goes to Sonny Landreth, although Susan Tedeschi’s disc is mighty fine. This year, Bonnie Raitt is up against younger women like Avril Lavigne, Pink, Michelle Branch and Lucinda Williams in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. If I were a voting member of the academy, I’d vote for Bonnie, because she continues to have some of the most versatile pipes in the business. On “Time of Our Lives,” Bonnie shines from her excellent Silver Lining CD on Capitol. For me, a close second is Lucinda Williams. The other women in this category can learn the blues from these two very talented blues women. . A Handy Preview… The W.C. Handy Awards is my favorite awards celebration, because this annual party shows how the blues community takes care of its own. For a more complete listing of nominees in each of the awards’ 25 categories, go to www.blues.org, the online home of The Blues Foundation. Before I shout about my picks for Blues Album, Traditional Blues Album, and Historical Album, I’d like to give you a little hint: what I see in my crystal ball looks a lot like my list of top blues CDs printed in these pages last month. That said, here’s who I hope to see cross the stage in Memphis in April. The Blues Album category nominees are Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, (Which Way Is Texas? on Bullseye Blues), Buddy Guy (Blues Singer on Silvertone), Bettye Lavette (A Woman Like Me on Blues Express), Otis Taylor (Truth Is Not Fiction on Telarc), and Kim Wilson (Lookin’ for Trouble! on MC Records). While this field of nominees is mighty fine, I’d still cast my vote for Lookin’ for Trouble. The Traditional Album category is also a nail-biter for me. The nominees are Jimmy Burns (Back To The Delta on Delmark, a winner of the 2004 Keeping the Blues Alive Award), Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, (Which Way Is Texas? on Bullseye Blues), Bob Margolin (All Star Blues Jam on Telarc), Johnny B. Moore (Rockin' In The Same Old Boat on Delmark) and Shout, Sister, Shout!, the tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe on MC Records. I’ll stick with Muddy Waters’ main guitar man of the ‘70s, Bob Margolin and his All Star Blues Jam. The Historical Album category keeps the blue flames burning by bringing back touchstones of blues history. This year’s slate honors Slim Harpo (Complete Excello Singles on Hip-O), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (The Gospel of the Blues on MCA/Decca), Muddy Waters (Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live, the remastered and expanded Legacy Edition), Howlin' Wolf (The London Sessions, a Deluxe Edition from MCA/Chess), and an outstanding compilation from Delmark, 50 Years of Jazz and Blues. Many people tell me that I’m pretty predictable, and I stay the course with the Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live, remastered and expanded with the help of Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin. . Local Blues Calendar… While the Chicago Blues Posse aren’t up for a Grammy or a Handy, they’re pretty busy this month. In addition to the Midwest Beat Blues Bash with Soul Pride and Little Johnny Moore on Valentine’s Day, the Posse is at The Quest in Schererville on the 20th, Floyd’s Ugly Duck in Lowell on the 21st, and they’ll celebrate Mardi Gras at the B-Back Again Bar in Bradley, Illinois on the 28th. Speaking of Mardi Gras, the Star Plaza will host Dr. John and The Neville Brothers on the 13th. Wayne Baker Brooks holds court on the 5th, 12th, 19th at Bugsy’s in Highland, and Kenny Brown will take a break from the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan to play Chicago’s House of Blues on the 13th. The Old Town School of Folk Music welcomes Otis Taylor on the 20th and John Hammond on the 27th, and while they’re not playing together, Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers and Tab Benoit will satisfy your blues guitar jones locally in February and March. Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers will play Chord On Blues in St. Charles on the 27th, followed by Tab Benoit on March 5th. Tab will be back through the Midwest with a stop in Berwyn at FitzGerald’s in April. Until next month, let’s play the blues. | ||
Web Design By: All Rights Reserved © Hungry Mind Design2003 | ||
