'No More Lonely Nights' - Charlie Musselwhite

Charlie Musselwhite is a living blues legend who's still at it today. His debut album Stand Back! Here Come's Charley Musselwhite's South Side Band was released in 1966 and is considered a classic, seminal blues album.

Alongside The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Johnny Winter, he set a new era of blues music that came from white heritage, sparking a new trend that became acceptable for non-blacks to play traditional blues.

Here's a slow blues from his debut album called 'No More Lonely Nights': 

Animated Short of B.B. King Talking About the Blues

A pretty neat animated short by PBS and Blank on Blank has been released, of a cartoon of a 1986 interview with blues legend B.B. King.

It's amazing! Check it out below:

Blue Note's Iconic Jazz Cover Designs

In the 1950's and 60's, Blue Note Records was at the forefront of jazz music in the United States and the world. 

Besides their great musical power, they also were known for their iconic album cover designs. The designer Reid Miles was the one who pioneered modern jazz covers; known for the sharp fonts and minimal design, these album covers have become works of art on their own. 

His work with Blue Note ended in 1967 after more than 10 years of design work.

Here are a few of his major covers: 

Honky Tonkin' - Johnny Copeland

Johnny Copeland saw late success in the 1980's, and was a brilliant Texas bluesman and guitarist.

Here's 'Honky Tonkin' from his 1983 album Texas Twister:

Buddy Guy to Receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

This is some big blues news! Current blues ambassador Buddy Guy is set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Grammy Awards. 

Buddy has been on a huge blues campaign in the last few years to bring it to the mainstream, with high profile concerts and a critically acclaimed album. Buddy has paid the cost with the blues, performing with everyone from Muddy Waters to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and has several Grammy awards under his belt; his contribution to the world of blues is immense.

Jeff Beck had the following to say about this occasion:

"I truly cannot think of another instrumental artist who has done so much after coming from such humble beginnings. Buddy's early experiences in the Chicago blues circles to his time at Chess Records sitting in with Muddy Waters all led him to the pinnacle of the blues 'n' rock genre."

For more Grammy information check out my previous blog post [here].

50 Years This Month: 'E.S.P.' - Miles Davis

At about the mid-point of his career, Miles Davis formed a band which has been called his “Second Great Quintet”, with a line-up of young talent that included tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. In January 1965, Miles Davis released the album 'E.S.P'. along with this quintet. The album contained no covers, rather all new material by this quintet.

Unlike his old colleague John Coltrane, who would release his ultimate album 'A Love Supreme' in February 1965 (more on that next month!), Mile's E.S.P album is still a pretty traditional jazz album, considering the time in was released. In the mid-60's jazz was taking major steps in many directions, but Miles wouldn't make a drastic change in his music until his 1969 album 'In a Silent Way'. 

Here's the title track from the album:

Big February Blues Release: 'Terraplane' - Steve Earle & The Dukes

On February 17, Steve Earle & The Dukes will release their highly anticipated album. 'Terraplane'.

From the press release:

‘Terraplane’ takes its title from the 1930s Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit model, which also inspired the Robert Johnson song “Terraplane Blues.” … As its title suggests, the album is very much a blues record, a third of which was written while Earle toured Europe alone for five weeks with just a guitar, a mandolin and a backpack. Earle, who was raised outside of San Antonio before migrating to Houston, offers about Texas blues, “There was Fort Worth where the model was Freddy King, and there was the Houston scene which was dominated by Lightnin’ Hopkins. Two very different styles.” He saw both of these giants, and was also exposed to Johnny Winter, Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Billy Gibbons, all of which make their influence heard here within Earle’s masterful storytelling. 

Earle states in the Terraplane album liner notes, “…the blues are anything but superficial. In fact, they run so deep and dark and close to the bone that folks walk around everyday with the blues as though it were perfectly natural for a human being to go on living with a broken heart (apologies to Tony Kushner).” He continues, “For my part, I’ve only ever believed two things about the blues: one, that they are very democratic, the commonest of human experience, perhaps the only thing that we all truly share and two, that one day, when it was time, I would make this record.” 

Here's a song off the album, called 'You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had':

2015 Fender Guitars & Basses

It's that time of year again folks!

Every winter the latest Fender guitars and basses are announced, and here I have complied them all for you!

I can't say I'm very excited for these models this year though. Go to Fender's website for more information.

GUITARS

AMERICAN STANDARD STRATOCASTER HSS SHAWBUCKER 

 LIMITED EDITION AMERICAN SPECIAL STRATOCASTER HSS 

 LIMITED EDITION AMERICAN SPECIAL STRATOCASTER 

SANDBLASTED STRATOCASTER

STANDARD STRATOCASTER HH

STANDARD STRATOCASTER HSH 

 STANDARD STRATOCASTER HSS WITH FLOYD ROSE

SPECIAL EDITION '60S STRATOCASTER LACQUER 

SPECIAL EDITION DAVID LOZEAU ART STRATOCASTER® (4 models)

DAVE MURRAY STRATOCASTER 

SERGIO VALLIN SIGNATURE GUITAR 

SANDBLASTED TELECASTER 

STANDARD TELECASTER HH 

ROAD WORN '60S JAGUAR 

60S JAGUAR LACQUER 

ROAD WORN '60S JAZZMASTER 

60S JAZZMASTER LACQUER

STANDARD JAZZMASTER HH 

BASSES 

SANDBLASTED PRECISION BASS 

DELUXE ACTIVE PRECISION BASS OKOUME

DEE DEE RAMONE PRECISION BASS 

STEVE HARRIS PRECISION BASS 

SANDBLASTED JAZZ BASS

U.S.A. GEDDY LEE JAZZ BASS

DELUXE ACTIVE JAZZ BASS OKOUME 

DELUXE ACTIVE JAZZ BASS V OKOUME 

 STANDARD JAGUAR BASS 

 STANDARD DIMENSION BASS IV

'Married Woman Blues' - J.B. Hutto

Joseph Benjamin "J.B." Hutto was a blues musician active in the 50's, and later from the mid-60s till his death in 1983.

He was a guitar player inspired by the works of Elmore James, and when he moved to Chicago in 1949 from South Carolina, he started getting gigs here and there and started a band called The Hawks.

In true blues fashion, he stopped playing music when a woman took his guitar and smashed it on her husband's head, and worked as a janitor for 11 years, before picking up his guitar again in the mid-60's. Since then he recorded several albums and worked with many other artists.

Here's one of his first recordings upon returning to the music business, called 'Married Woman Blues' on the Chicago/the Blues/Today! Vol. 1 compilation album released on Vanguard:

In Memory of Blind Willie Johnson

Today marks the 118th birthday of blues and gospel singer Blind Willie Johnson. He was born in 1897. 

He bridged the gap between blues and spiritual music, recording the standard "John the Revelator" and many other songs, including "Nobody's Fault But Mine" which was recorded in 1927, also known as a very popular song recorded by Led Zeppelin.

Here's 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' for you below. Blind Willie, hope you're having a grand old time with the Maker.