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Papa J & Blues Gone South By: Casey Reagan
Papa J & Blues Gone South
By: Casey Reagan
For: American Blues News
All Rights Reserved 2010
Jefferey Hudson a.k.a. Papa J (in black above)has been turning music industry heads in Southern California lately with his blues outfit 'Blues Gone South'.
Most recently over at the world famous Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood Ca. at the LA Music Awards showcase where he received the producers choice nomination for the Entertainer of the Year award. And his band 'Blues Gone South' is up for Best Blues, Roots or Americana Artist of the Year.
This is the first year in the twenty years of the LA Music Awards that a blues artist has been nominated for this special 'producers choice' award and it has us blues fans as excited as we can be. I'll get to the lowdown on the LA Music Awards and 'Big' Al Bowman (pictured above wearing the red jacket) a little more in a minute and far more in depth in an upcoming story but for now I want to talk about Papa J.
Coming up on sixty years of age, PJ still bounces on stage every night with the energy of a guy half his age. A showman by nature and musician by instinct Papa J's stage presence and energy is undeniably huge to anyone who's seen him perform. From his contagious smile to his gut wrenching blues he puts a thousand percent into making every performance mean something special to every person watching and it sure works on me.
This man has incredibly high standards both on and off stage and for those of us who've met him it is easy to understand this nomination and the accolades he's received in the past, including but certainly not limited to, the 2009 'Blues Group of the Year' award at the 5th Annual South Bay Music Awards, a 'Hot 100 artist of 2009' recommendation from 'Music Connection' magazine and being featured on the nationally syndicated radio program 'Blues Deluxe'.
Growing up in South Central Los Angeles listening to Sam Cooke and Ray Charles might have helped influence Papa's sound but being the only white kid on his block for sure helped to developed a lot of his character and personality. He puts the 'c' in charisma and a capital 'B' in Blues. He sat down outside the Whisky with the internet radio guys from Radio Buzz'd and gave an impromptu interview and showed all of his fans some love as he has since his career began when he first started jamming at age 14.
PJ has jammed with some of the greatest players on the planet and is respected by every one of them as a world class player, but, Papa didn't just pop up like some American Idol overnight sensation, he and Blues Gone South have been taking the blues to the people for 15 years or more and have seen some top shelf musicians come and go in those years while morphing over time to wind up at this place and time with this lineup.
Dennis Cottone on the bass guitar,
Glen Anderson - Guitar
Terry Lawrence- Keyboards
Kevin Karamitros - Drums
Off stage Jefferey Hudson is a hard working and humble guy, having done everything from being a business owner to a hands on metal worker he now does most of the 'hands-on' stuff on stage as Papa J with his microphone and trusty harmonica. You'll catch him playing Lee Oscar or Honher harps depending on the song and he makes 'em all sound sweeter than honey.
he sings and writes what he knows...life and life's struggles and what it takes to survive. With a lifetime worth of experience to draw from it's no wonder Papa J comes across as sincere and heart felt when he sings and plays, you can just hear it in his voice and his songs but don't let his deep soul fool you, Papa J knows how to have fun too, he lights up a room faster than Great White at an indoor festival ! < too soon? ...sorry.
No strangers to the big time, Papa J has headlined at the House Of Blues in Anaheim where he also organized and promoted the 'Chicago Blues Night' last spring (see flyer below). In addition BGS has graced the stage at BB Kings, the CoachHouse in San Juan Capistrano and the Doheney Blues Festival. Their debut album titled 'Gotta Keep Movin' on Hound Dog records (see cover below) is getting great reviews and is being well received by blues fans and industry people everywhere.
They've been described as 'Chicago' style blues but lets face it as much as the blues community wants to avoid it, eventually they're going to have to admit there is actually a 'California' style of blues and we shouldn't be ashamed to admit it.
Call it Cali-Blues or West Coast Blues, hell, call it rooty tooty fresh n bluesy for all I care, just admit the blues are everywhere and out west we can lay it down with the best of 'em and Papa J with his high energy, deep down slap yo' face performances defines such style! 
I mentioned the LA Music Awards and 'Big' Al Bowman a minute ago and must say I can't think of a better way for Papa J to be recognized for his talent than being showcased/nominated in Mr. Bowmans awards. This night was the final showcase before voting takes place on October 7th right back here at the Whisky A Go-Go and the LAMA awards ceremony in November at the plush Paramount Theater also in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Music Awards are in their twentieth year and cover a wide spectrum of music in many genre's. My focus today is on the blues angle but I'll be meeting with Al very soon so I can have the full scoop on the awards and how they work before the presentations. Watch for my story and LAMA Awards coverage coming soon.
link to lama
Papa J will be jamming at St. Rocke in Hermosa Beach with Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers on September 10th and will be headlining at the OC Real Blues Festival on October 3rd and I highly recommend attending for anyone who can. Papa J will be joined by,
a handful of the best blues players out west. From Alastair Greene coming down from Santa Barbara to Glenn Patrik who'll make the jump west from his hometown of Las Vegas to at least a half a dozen other bands (some still to be announced) This will be a night to remember and a great chance for So Cal blues fans to see and hear some of the best live blues anywhere, and, everyone BLUE will be there for a good time. ...Pardon the oxymoron and ...thanks for the ride.
Papa J and Blues Gone South
By: Casey Reagan
For: American Blues News
Photos and story copyright: cjsdigitalimages
all rights reserved 2010
