.jpg)
How Blue Are We In March?
by Monica Yasher
I guess since Ernie Hawkins has a blue shirt on, we must be pretty blue! March sure did go by pretty quickly, didn't it? January and February were slow blues months in regard to touring bands. The artists were just vamping up for being on tour starting with the month of March. And, march on they did. The blues festivals are coming upon us and American Blues News will be there to cover the blues artists that you want to read about.
American Blues News launched our Facebook page this month. As I write this, I wonder if we will have 1,000 fans within a month. That would be such an accomplishment. Only time will tell. We at American Blues News are thankful for the readership that we have. We have over 10,000 page views in a month! Thank you all for reading! For those of you new to our pages, here is our monthly feature on what we covered for just you!
We talked and we talked to many blues artists. We interviewed Sue Foley, since she has a great new CD called, "He Said, She Said" available for you blues fans. During the interview I asked Sue who was an up and coming woman blues guitarist and she named, Laura Chavez. So, we interviewed her too! What a great, young blues artist! Look at Laura playing with Candye Kane!
Ernie Hawkins (our headline picture above) is an acoustic blues guitarist who was taught by the Reverend Gary Davis. Many like the electric blues. But, please keep in mind the root of the electric blues lies in the acoustic world. And, it doesn't get any better than meeting up with Mr. Hawkins!
Another great acoustic player we talked with was Eric Bibb. Many think of the blues as being sad. If you listen to Eric, you may find the blues to be uplifting and inspirational! Give him a try when you are feeling blue!
We had regional acts we covered.
In Pittsburgh we featured Keith DiPiazza, who has played with the likes of the Gregg Allman Band.
In Texas we did part 2 of the interview with Mark May who is pictured right.
And, in the Chicago area Big Dog Mercer was our feature.
As you know, we always have special guests and this month was no exception. We were proud to present to you, Glenn Patrik.
We always have a month in pictures. This month we featured John Mayall, Tangiers Blues Band, Tab Benoit, and Savoy Brown, who is pictured below.
American Blues News always tries to be true when we offer CD, DVD or Show Reviews.
We had Gatorman having a good time at the Johnny Drummer Birthday Party, which was more of an open stage for the artists of the blues scene in Chicago. Gator also left us with his review of Chris Beard. A new and upcoming artist Gator will be working with in his new endeavor.
Blake always offers the truth in his CD reviews. This month he took a listen to John Pizzarelli, Jimi Hendrix's Valleys of Neptune, and Ten Foot Polecats.
We always like to attend a show, and Memphis Gold didn't leave Virginiabluesman down! If you want to catch their show, read what to expect when you go. And, Joe Krown was another good blues night in the DC area.
Meanwhile Blake went to see Honeyboy Edwards and Marc Benno. Honeyboy was just awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy's this year.
Nighthawk likes to be out and about, either near or far. In this instance, he was near to home as he visited one of my fellow Pittsburghers, Barbara Blue (pictured right), who resides in Memphis! Check out Barbara's artwork.
We did take you up on your suggestion for an article on where the great blues places are in a city. Virginiabluesman didn't leave us down! Washington has so many great spots. So read the Washington DC Blues Spots to go to before you leave for our nations capital.
Our name is American Blues News, and news we had! Keep in mind during the month of may is the Blues Music Awards and we kept the 2010 Blues Music Award Nominees in front of you to think about. We counted on the Bob Corritore Newsletter to keep you up to date on the blues world. And, the backbone of much of the blues world is with the blues foundation and The Blues Foundation Thrives today!
And, lastly, Gatorman left us to work on more
Electro Glide Records. If you want to catch up with Gatorman, this is where he will be! Rolling his sleeves up and working at Electro Glide Records. Best of luck in all you do Gatorman!
How Blue are We? I'd say pretty blue! Take care.
Monica
If you want to check out the previous month summary, click here.
Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Nelson Onofre. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 CR Bennett. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph Copyright © 2010 Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms. All Rights Reserved.
Ernie Hawkins photograph used by permission.
Laura Chevez photograph used by permission.
Mark May photograph used by permission.
Chris Beard photograph used by permission.
