American Blues News - "Dedicated to the promotion and celebration of the Blues."

Greetings blues fans! This week I am featuring photos of Shemekia Copeland from her show at the BB King Blues Club on Sept. 30, 2009. Opening the show was Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. You can see those photos here-

http://www.americanbluesblog.com/2009/11/new-york-blues-beat-goes-on_08.html

I actually first heard Shemekia at a blues jam I used to attend a few years back. This was my first time seeing her with her own band and let me tell you, she is some kind of singer! She can belt it out with the best of them and take you to church or just lay back and give you some blues that will make you say "wow!". I was very impressed with her and the band.

As I have mentioned before I know guitarist Arthur Neilson from the blues jams I used to go to and I have had the pleasure of jamming with him on several occasions. My last band, Motel Soap, covered his song, 'Fenderbender'. Arthur's tasteful playing added just the right flair to the songs. His playing is forceful when it needs to be and restrained and delicate when it needs to be, always with just the right touch.

The band as a whole was tight and lent superb accompaniment to Shemekia. She handles herself onstage like the veteran performer she is. If you've seen Shemekia then you know what I'm talking about, if you haven't seen her I highly recommend catching her onstage.

I would once again like to thank John Seroff of BB King's for providing me with access and a photo pass so I could do my thing. If you haven't been to BB King's in New York yet please do so as it is a great venue for catching some live music. There are always great bands playing there and I still go there as a paying customer.

Nelson G. Onofre
e-mail: nelson@electriceyes.us
my websites: http://www.electriceyes.us/
http://electriceyesphotography.blogspot.com/

CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS
Well, being that Christmas is fast approaching I want to make some gift suggestions. The first one is a DVD of
one of my favorite guitar players, Gary Moore. This should be the same show I have on VHS tape and it displays Gary's formidable guitar chops in all their glory. His guitar tone is absolute killer. There are special appearances by Albert Collins and Albert King. Not a bad place to start if you're not familiar with Gary.

Gary Moore & The Midnight Blues - Live at Montreux 1990 (DVD) get it here

Next up is a DVD by the smokin' Stevie Ray Vaughan from 1983. Stevie is firing on all cylinders on this disc. If you like some electricity in your blues then look no further.


Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Live at the El Mocambo 1983 (DVD) get it here

Next we move on to a best-of CD by the late, great Albert Collins. There are a lot of things out there by Albert and by no means am I suggesting this is the definitive collection but the version of 'If Trouble Was Money' on this disc is simply fantastic. For me worth the price of the CD.

Albert Collins-Collins Mix: The Best (get it here)

Speaking of Albert Collins my next suggestion is a CD by Coco Montoya, who Albert took under his wing. You can hear some of Albert's style in Coco's playing. I have seen Coco numerous times and I love his playing. If you like rockin' electric blues this is a good disc to listen to. I'll be posting some photos of a recent Coco show in the near future.

Coco Montoya- Suspicion (get it here)

A very talented player, Robben Ford is no slouch when laying down some blues. I've been a Robben Ford fan for years and have also seen him numerous times. This is one of my favorite discs of his with the Blue Line. The rhythm section of Tom Brechtlein on drums and Roscoe Beck on bass is air-tight. Highly recommended!

Robben Ford & the Blue Line (get it here)

Last but not least is a CD by Tab Benoit. A buddy of mine turned me on to Tab years back and what I like about this CD is that it has a very live feel about it. I love Tab's version of 'I Put A Spell On You' and the rockin' 'So High'. For me there's not a bad cut on this CD. Don't overlook his other discs as well. Check him out, he might be your cup of tea.

Tab Benoit-Nice & Warm (get it here)

other CD recommendations:
Gary Moore- Blues For Greeny
BB King- The Best Of, The Millennium Collection
Albert King- King of The Blues Guitar
Tinsley Ellis- Storm Warning

So, I know there are tons of good things out there but these are my recommendations for holiday gifts. And of course you can always take someone out to catch a live show. We have to support live music.