The Blues is not Dying but ALIVE and Well, a repudiation of ignorance by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

(Memphis, Tennessee) My dear friend, Jeff Fedora, who is the uncle of my guitarist buddy, Josh Roberts, posted a response to an article in the Wall Street Journal by Jim Fusilli. It's called "Lamenting the Future of the Blues." By the way, the people pictured above are all BLUES FANS photographed at a BLUES FESTIVAL in Jacksonville, Florida this very year. I do not think you can convince them that the future of the Blues is dismal. My contrary opinion is at the bottom of the page.

Here's a link to Fusilli's article of lament: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704002104575290532300233738.html

Jeff Fedora

Here's words of wisdom from Jeff Fedora:

Will the Blues Die?

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Today at 5:17pm

Recently the new President of the Daytona Blues Society, August Wenger, forwarded me an article from the Wall Street Journal that questions the longevity of the Blues-- I encourage you to read it. It's a good article and is attached at the end of this note. But, it speaks to the heart of an issue and a long-standing thorn in my side regarding how we handle this prospect of “preserving the Blues”.

The article is an accurate telling of the delicate balance of one’s considerations to make in adhering to “keeping the blues alive” as one's mantra. Once somebody makes a connection to the blues, or even the roots let’s say, then begins that listener’s pilgrimage or divination to purity— truth. And, spanning from the birth of the “music industry” into this new millennia the blues have been kept alive from young lads making progressive rock albums and, when asked where they got their inspiration for this remarkable sound, they pointed their bleeding fingers to the likes of Muddy Waters or Willie Dixon in allegiance. But the trend of college students “turning on” and following the lead of their new icons and their anthemic bombast and swagger single handedly revitalized the careers of blues and folk artists from generations past. That is still the movement that we remain a part of today— to find the source and jump in that river and take the ride-- not bottleneck it and store it away. A “blues purist” is self-motivated and will continue to sleuth out the source— everyone else must be shown the way.

The plight of an artist whose goal is to remain inspired while inspiring the multitudes is the same today as it was then— to remain one generation removed from the roots—the wellspring. There simply is no other way lest that artist falls into the easy trap of repeating the formula of the popular artist before them to fast track themselves to a record deal and that begets Britney Spears ultimately and, who in this culturally depraved and vacuous world needs that?

My message to the Daytona Blues Society, or any blues society, has always been to employ any method or resource available to fulfill its mission at any cost— the rules are, there are no rules! New blues fans must be created then edified—in that order. Help them find themselves and then show them the way-- and that road is wide my friends. It is important for any institution about this business to fully understand this mechanism. You can “preserve” what’s left of a mastodon-- those are long gone and are not coming back. The blues, on the other hand and as of the time of this writing, are very much alive. What are the blues? I dunno, the verdict is still out as it evolves day by day like it has for generations upon multiplied generations. I can say with certainty that Robert Johnson is “the Blues”. Or I can say with the same certainty that the North Mississippi All-stars is “the Blues”. West African Griot music is “the Blues”. The roar of Johnny Lowebow is the blues. In fact, the blues is not even a sound but, more accurately, a mind set that regards a truthful alignment to the human condition—it’s rejoicing in your suffering, I say, and what ever the hell that might sound like, that’s what the blues are!

It’s rarely the artists that are confused about this. My dear brothers in the Church of Memphis understand: Josh Roberts, Reba Russell, Robert Tooms, Doug McMinn, Jeff Burch, Vic Wainwright, Greg Gumpel, John Lowe, Brandon Santini, Brad Webb, Sliver Michaels, and more – they know the drill and, more importantly, they understand the importance of a close nit community.

My Daytona and Central Florida Brethren and band mates: Bob Thames, Franklin “Slim” Williams, Cynthia Renee, Ronnie “Bird” Foster, Aaron “Pops” Watson, Ben Bost, Chad Dant, Toots Lorraine, Anthony Wild, Stephen Dees, Mark Hodgson, Joe King, Dan Walters, Mike Welch, Walt Andrews, Brian Bassett, Toby "Lefty" Fletcher, Reno Mussatto, Bird Dog Bobby, Big Rick, August Wenger, Shaun Rounds, JW Gillmore, Joe Caruso, Paul Zerra, Homegrown Roots Jamborie, Joe Alegro, Don Oulette, Ernie Lancaster, Moe Jackson, Louisiana Steve Hutter, Reuben Morgan, Jake Nicely and countless others I’m omitting for brevity—they’re never confused about the music they play and their relation to the Blues and they always bring their best to the blues fans in our community.

And to the entire staff (past and present) of the Daytona Blues Society-- the future of the Blues in Volusia County has always been kept safe by the work of your generous hearts.

But sadly, the folks who loose their way are those individuals who devote precious time and energy to proliferate blues societies and other organizations across America with the intention of “supporting” the blues. But some of these folks get so snared by their own narrow definitions and limited understanding of what “blues” are and should sound like that, in an attempt to protect the institution they serve, eventually snuff the life right out of it. In this industry we call those “Blues Nazis” and by definition would be those who would employ genocide to preserve their own notions of cultural or racial purity. I am a rabid blues fan, so much so, that I would start a blues society and serve it for 6 years till now and more going further. I can say, with my credentials in hand, that my energies were spent entirely in resisting the “Blues Nazi Movement” to keep the front door of the church propped open at any cost in the event a new stray blues-convert could find his way into the fold. In that moment in time, all that “convert” knows about any of this business is that “something in that music” resonated in him. The Fact is, a new “blues fan” knows no more about the blues than a heathen knows about the Lord Jesus Christ!

So, again to the question of how do we promulgate and nurture the Blues? We remain open-minded to challenging and inspiring our selves as artists and, as listeners, we remain open eared to the work and contributions of the artists in our community. If we don’t “like” something, it just simply means we don’t personally like it—perhaps avoid it and nothing more. Most importantly, we all remember the important need and value of a progressive community of Artists, Fans and Venues willing to buck the system to nurture this country’s most valuable resource—American Roots Music.

Can the Blues die? Maybe by the feet of the very people who set out to “pickle” the blues on a dusty shelf (albeit with good intention) lest they take heed and change their ways. Having said all that, if anything, let’s preserve the “blues fan” because that is who stands the risk of going the way of the mastodons and becoming extinct if they don’t receive a check up from the neck up and open their minds and hearts.

But I’m going to side with Grant Green here. He was an artist that played blue-note jazz renditions of popular Negro Spirituals. I heard his soul and I believe I trust his judgment. He said, “the Blues is Spirit and you can’t kill spirit”.

Kind Regards and please repost to your fans!

Jeff Fedora
Founding President, Trustee
Daytona Blues Society

My friends Jeff and Amyah

And now some unvarnished opinion from the American Blues News:

What Fusilli did not discern is that men like Pinetop Perkins and Buddy Guy, who both played for Muddy Waters, are revered by blues fans and their fellow musicians, not only because they are the last direct line to our beloved music's origins, but because their unique contributions are still shaping the music and young people who play it in the modern day. Fusilli complains that he did not hear any "new blues" but this complaint can only be laid at his feet, not at the genre.

Had Fusilli ventured out past his hotel room or the Marriott ballroom where the awards were held, say a few blocks south to Beale Street, he would have had his ears filled with lots of new Blues from the mouths and instruments of Brandon Santini and Delta Highway, the Eric Hughes Band, Miss Zeno or any of a myriad of new artists who jammed on the street after the awards. I myself jammed with Zac Harmon and a bunch of highly competent Chicago Blues guys at Mr. Handy's Blues Hall until 3 AM. Had he walked or taken the trolley two or three blocks south to the Madison Hotel he could have heard new Blues as Reba Russell played that hotel's beautiful rooftop party before the awards ceremony.

Good blues, like other niche music forms, requires just a little exploration to discover the new, exciting and original proponents of the idiom. Fusilli does not demonstrate that he is versed in Blues music and his article comes across as the whining of an uninformed dilettante who neither had his dream "new Blues" delivered by room service nor was willing to take the time to go six or seven blocks to find it. In fact there was no mention of any up and coming Blues artists in his article, only a couple of mentions of some artists attempting to put some Blues in their Rap music. That hardly counts and comes off as lazy reporting. At least try a search for "Blues" on itunes next time.

The truth is that the Wall Street Journal as a newspaper is more likely to become extinct more quickly than the Blues will. This article as an example of their insightful perspective is certain confirmation. Perhaps they should stick to the financial markets and other subjective topics like astrology, stock market trend predictions and tea leaf reading at which they can at least feign more knowledge than this.

Fusilli writes, "If you can sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan on electric guitar, you can find a place in today's blues world." I don't know who he is talking about here as the Stevie Ray Vaughn-a-be copycat syndrome passed many years ago. None of the winners of this year's IBC (which Fusilli obviously did not attend) could be described as Stevie Ray imitators, not a one of them. I was there. Did this guy actually talk to anybody before writing this sad little article or just get drunk in his hotel room and make this stuff up? What seems more likely is that here we have the Journal's Pop and Rock music contributor completely out of his element and way over his head in regard to his knowledge of Blues or the modern artists who play it.

I wonder how many blues shows he has attended or how many blues recordings the man has ever bought? Not many, I imagine, although he has written a fictional novel called "Tribeca Blues" which has nothing whatsoever to do with Blues music...he just liked the name. Perhaps his writing inadvertently shifted into fiction mode. Nonetheless, after a few moments with Buddy Guy in a telephone interview he has determined that the future of the Blues is dismal.

Here we have a guy from Tribeca who wrote a book about the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds commenting on the future of the Blues. Mr. Fusilli, Robert Gordon you ain't.

An excerpt:

"The blues establishment seems to have little interest in reaching out to other musical communities. No rock, hip-hop or jazz artists with a musical debt to the blues were part of the activities in Memphis. Perhaps in turn, blues musicians aren't invited to participate in most major rock festivals: There were no traditional blues artists at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, nor will there be any at the Glastonbury Festival in Britain later this month."

Amazing! Stop the presses! This just released, this week there were shockingly few Jews in the Baptist Church and fewer Baptists seen in synagogues! Thank you, Captain Obvious. What he failed to mention is that Blues is indeed often represented at events billed as "music festivals" and also "jazz festivals." I wonder what he figures are the influences of Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton?...Wonder if he thinks they play blues?

Moreover, I have toured in Great Britain, Mr. Fusilli, and they have much more love and appreciation for Blues than you, sir. Speak for yourself. Contrary to Fusilli's inaccurate reporting, Glastonbury will indeed have Blues acts, here's the poster: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up-poster/.

Fusilli seems petulant that blues fans do not particularly appreciate nor buy recordings that mix rap with blues. So what? Do classical or country fans go for it?... since we are waxing absurd how about some bluegrass electronica with a side of trombone, perhaps? He then concludes that not many blues artists were present at Bonnaroo...wow, do tell. His "conclusions" are either so wrong or so obvious, so startlingly rudimentary as to not be worthy of a bathroom stall read. Lacking knowledge of modern Blues artists and having a deadline to make he fell back on writing about what he actually knew about, Rock and Pop. I suppose the gloomy title for the article is to try to gain a few readers with the old tired, tried and not-so-true sensationalism.

Fusilli seems to fault the Blues and question its survival because it is not Pop, Rock or Rap and it is not "reaching out"to those music forms as if there is no future life or music appreciation possible without Pop, Rock or Rap. Here's what I believe to be the greater truth. Fusilli does not particularly like Blues music. This is the guy they sent to the Blues Music Awards and Hall of Fame Induction? Mr. Fusilli, since you have not noticed it, the Blues was alive long before any of those other music forms and will likely be alive and well after some or all of them have perished. Furthermore, Jazz and Blues are irrefutably the ONLY true indigenous American music forms and all the other stuff can thank Jazz and Blues for their existence, e.g., your beloved Beach Boys lifted the preponderance of "Surfin' USA" from Chuck Berry who started his career as a blues man. Years after the song's initial release, Chuck Berry successfully sued the Beach Boys, causing all subsequent releases of "Surfin' U.S.A." on compilation albums to credit Berry alongside Brian Wilson, who wrote the new lyrics.

As a positive note, as history continues to repeat itself, the Wall Street Journal, in it's continuing efforts to appeal to a wider audience and diversify it's reporting to include music and art criticism, still does a fine job of relaying stock prices.

On an even more positive note, The Blues Foundation is flourishing, there are over 185 affiliate Blues societies across the world and it is more financially sound than ever before in its 30 year history. The Blues is ALIVE and well. You failed to note that in your gloomy prognostication despite allegedly talking to Jay Sieleman, the Executive Director of the Blues Foundation. My, what an in depth interview that must have been.

Here's another response to the 'Fusilli lament" from the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Mark Jordan, who is a fine music writer,

CD Reviews: The blues is alive and well and producing offspring

Here's an excerpt that mentions yours truly:

"Finally, back in Memphis, underappreciated belter Reba Russell has been the local standard bearer of the blues for decades. A much-in-demand session singer, the West Virginia native has always had the vocal chops, and her control and confidence have just improved with age. But only in recent years has her material — originals and her choice of covers — caught up.

Russell and her eponymous group’s eighth record, titled, in typical direct, no-nonsense style, 8 (Blue Eyed Bitches, 3 Stars), may be their finest achievement yet. The record is even more of a grab bag than Williams’, with some jazz and even a little light rock squeezed in. But Russell and the band, including husband Wayne and keyboardist Robert Nighthawk Tooms, nail it all."


Join the Blues Foundation and support the BLUES! Click here.

This weekend I will be traveling with the Reba Russell Band to visit "Gatorman" Terry Lape and hit the Chicago club scene on Friday, then off to Kankakee, Illinois, to play at the River Bend Club for the Friends of the Blues on Saturday and then to play more alive and well Blues in LeClaire Park on the beautiful Mississippi River, on July 4th at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. I will be reporting on all this fun with little or no mention of Pop, Rock or Urban music on next Monday's article here at the American Blues News.

The author at the Blues Foundation's 2010 Blues Hall of Fame Inductions

These opinions are not necessarily held by all the writers and owners of this site but are the sole opinion of this author, who is, obviously, correct in his observations.

If you think the BLUES are ALIVE and well, please join the American Blues News facebook page, just click here and click on the "Like" button.

RCT

© Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, 2010

Blues Awards in Memphis This Week by Monica Yasher

This week is a happening week in Memphis, as people join to celebrate the Blues Music Awards and the ceremony for the Inductees into the Hall of Fame!  We will be rescheduling our normal coverage for these events this Thursday and Friday, to offer the best up to date coverage of this special Blues Occasion.  Please check back to see photos and our coverage on Thursday and Friday.   

The 2010 show consists of 65 nominees and will include appearances and performances in a dinner table setting at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.  This is the highest honor given to Blues artists. As always, a pre-party will immediately precede the Awards as well as the following activities:

Wednesday, May 5
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Ticket Will Call Marriott West Foyer on mezzanine at top of escalator
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Silent Auction Marriott St. Louis Room off West Foyer
6:00 pm                 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Marriott




The Blues Foundation announced the 2010 Hall of Fame Inductees. Since 1980, the Blues Foundation has honored past and present individuals in the following categories: Performers, Non-Performers, Classics of Blues Literature, Classics of Blues Recordings (Songs), Classics of Blues Recordings (Albums). The people honored are individuals that have impacted the blues genre.

These honors are presented in a private special awards dinner in Memphis, on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee,the night before the Blues Music Awards. The inductees are determined by a private panel that discusses who should be nominated and awarded and is chaired by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues.

The inductees selected for the year 2010 are:
Lonnie Brooks who hails from Louisiana and is based in Chicago.
Charlie Musselwhite, blues singer and harpist.
Bonnie Raitt, singer, songwriter, guitarist and social activist.
W.C. Handy, "The Father of the Blues".
Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers who are jug band pioneers.
Amos Milburn, who penned, "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer"
Peter Buralnick an American roots music writer.
Sonny Payne who is the host of the King Biscuit Time program on KFFA radio in Helena, Arkansas.
Sam Charters' who did groundbreaking research on the blues in the 1950s and '60s that resulted in several books including this year's Classics of Blues Literature inductee - The Bluesmen.

Works of individual art that are inducted are:
"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" by Otis Rush
"Fever" by Little Willie John
"Key to the Highway" by Big Bill Broonzy
"Match Box Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Spoonful" by Howlin' Wolf.

Album Works are also being honored:
Strong Persuader by Robert Cray
Hung Down Head by Lowell Fulson
I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson

Congratulations to all of the 2010 Blues Hall Of Fame inductees!

The party continues for Thursday, May 6!

10:00 am - 2:00 pm   Silent Auction & Blues Music Award Merchandise Sales Marriott West Foyer and                                   St. Louis Room
10:00 am - 4:00pm   Ticket Will Call Marriott West Foyer
11:00 am                   Blues Music Award Poster Signing with Buddy Guy
                                  The Majestic Grille
                                  145 South Main $75 includes signed poster and special blues luncheon buffet
                                 Call 901.522.8555 to make your reservation. Limited Number Available.
                                 All proceeds benefit The Blues Foundation.
3:00 pm                    Drink Ticket Sales Open Marriott
5:00 pm                    Ticket Will Call and Drink Ticket Sales Convention Center
5:30 pm                    The Party Begins reception featuring performances
                                 by 2010 Blues Music Award nominees. Grand Lobby, Convention Center
5:30 pm - 11:00 pm Silent auction & Blues Music Award Merchandise Sales Convention Center
7:00 pm - 1:00 am    Dinner, Awards & Nominee performances Convention Center

Until then, just to refresh your memory, here is a summary of the people and places to meet and greet at this event!  American Blues News has been privileged to speak to many of the nominees.  We have highlighted everyone we have covered in the past year. What a great bunch of people!  Readers - Enjoy!  And, Best of Luck to the Nominees we are rooting for you all! 

Acoustic Album of the Year
David Maxwell & Louisiana Red, You Got to Move
Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy, Good Time Music for Hard Times
Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women, Havin' The Last Word (Interviews with: Ann, Gaye, Andra)
Samuel James, For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen
Various Artists, Things About Comin' My Way - A Tribute to the music of the Mississippi Sheiks

Acoustic Artist of the Year
Annie Raines & Paul Rishell
Doug MacLeod
Guy Davis
Louisiana Red
Samuel James

Album of the Year
Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue, Stomp! the Blues Tonight
Eddie C. Campbell, Tear This World Up
Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint, Back to the Black Bayou
Various Artists, Chicago Blues A Living History

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
Candye Kane Interview pics
Magic Slim
Rick Estrin
Super Chikan
Taj Mahal
Tommy Castro Interview Pics

Band of the Year
Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
The Mannish Boys
Tommy Castro Band Interview Pics

Best New Artist Debut
Greg Nagy, Walk That Fine Thin Line
Joanne Shaw Taylor, White Sugar
Marquise Knox, Man Child
Monkey Junk, Tiger in your Tank
The California Honeydrops, Soul Tub!

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Candye Kane, Superhero interview pics
Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, Twisted
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Living in the Light
Tommy Castro, Hard Believer interview pics

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Bettye LaVette
Candye Kane
Janiva Magness
Ruthie Foster
Shemekia Copeland interview

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Derek Trucks (show review, CD review)
Joe Louis Walker
John Nemeth
Michael Burks
Tommy Castro interview pics

DVD
Delmark Records, It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends Eagle Eye Media, Live at Montreux 1993 (B.B. King)
Jo Films & Roadside Productions, Hot Flash - The Documentary (Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women)
Mojo Rodeo Records, A Night in Woodstock (Paul Rishell and Annie Raines)
Vincent Productions, Down to the Crossroads Vol. 1 (George Thorogood & the Destroyers w/ Eddie Shaw)

Historical Album of the Year
Bear Family Records, Taking Care of Business (1956-1973) (Freddie King)
Chess, Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters)
Eagle Records, Essential Montreux (Gary Moore)
Hip-O Select, The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) (Little Walter)
Landslide Records, Sean's Blues (Sean Costello)

Instrumentalist-Bass
Bill Stuve
Bob Stroger
Larry Taylor
Mookie Brill
Patrick Rynn

Instrumentalist-Drums
Cedric Burnside
Jimi Bott
Kenny Smith
Sam Carr
Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Derek Trucks (show review, CD review)
Duke Robillard
Joe Louis Walker
Lurrie Bell
Ronnie Earl

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Billy Branch LV Banks article more pics
Jason Ricci
Kim Wilson
Mark Hummel
Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist-Horn
Al Basile
Big James Montgomery
Deanna Bogart
Eddie Shaw
Keith Crossan

Instrumentalist-Other
Buckwheat Zydeco (accordion)
Gerry Hundt (mandolin)
Johnny Sansone (accordion)
Otis Taylor (banjo)  (Interview coming!) 
Rich Del Grosso (mandolin)

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Bruce Katz
David Maxwell
Eden Brent
Henry Butler
Henry Gray

Rock Blues Album of the Year
Derek Trucks Band, Already Free (show review, CD review)
Jason Ricci & New Blood, Done with the Devil
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat, Tijuana Bible
Mike Zito, Pearl River (Review,  Interview)
Tinsley Ellis, Speak No Evil Interview

Song of the Year
Cyril Neville & Mike Zito, 'Pearl River' (Pearl River--Mike Zito)
James Johnson , 'Fred's Dollar Store' (Chikadelic--Super Chikan)
Joe Louis Walker, 'I'm Tide' (Between a Rock and the Blues--Joe Louis Walker)
John Hahn & Oliver Wood, 'Never Going Back to Memphis' (Never Going Back--Shemekia Copeland)
Vyasa Dodson, 'At Least I'm Not With You' (At Least I'm Not With You--The Insomniacs)

Soul Blues Album of the Year
Charles Wilson, Troubled Child
Darrell Nulisch, Just for You
Johnny Rawls, Ace Of Spades
Latimore, All About the Rhythm and the Blues
Mighty Sam McClain, Betcha Didn't Know

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Barbara Carr
Denise LaSalle
Irma Thomas
Shirley Brown
Sista Monica Parker

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Curtis Salgado Interview coming!
Darrell Nulisch
Jackie Payne
Johnny Rawls
Latimore

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
John Primer, All Original
Johnnie Bassett, The Gentleman is Back
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint, Back to the Black Bayou
Super Chikan, Chikadelic
Various Artists, Chicago Blues A Living History

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Ann Rabson
Debbie Davies
Fiona Boyes
Shirley Johnson
Zora Young

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
Duke Robillard
John Primer
Johnnie Bassett
Louisiana Red
Super Chikan

Congratulations to all of the 2010 Blues Awards Nominees!




And, let's not forget the backbone of the blues awards, the people that are constantly out there keeping this genre available for music fans across the globe.   We are speaking of the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards.

Along with the International Blues Challenge, the Blues Foundation presented the Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards. This award was given to individuals and organizations that have been recognized for their various efforts in the Blues world. Categories are determined on a yearly basis.

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, at the Doubletree Hotel in Memphis, TN, the Blues Foundation presented the 2010 KBA Awards during a recognition brunch. Individuals or groups were recognized and awarded the KBA by a select panel of Blues professionals.

Typically, a KBA is awarded to an individual or organization only once.
Congratulations to the 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients:
Art and Photography: Michael Maness, Memphis, Tennessee
Blues Club: Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee, Florida
Blues Organization: Connecticut Blues Society
Education: Spencer Bohren, New Orleans, Louisiana
Festival: Heritage Music Blues Festival, Wheeling, West Virginia
Festival International: Piazza Blues, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Historical Preservation: Eric Leblanc, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
International: Finnish Blues Association, Helsinki, Finland
Journalism: David Fricke, Rolling Stone, New York, New York
Literature: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson, Tom Graves, Memphis, Tennessee
Manager: Pat Morgan, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Print Media: Block, Almelo, Netherlands
Producer: Andy McKaie, Universal Music Enterprises, Santa Monica, California
Promoter: Pozitif Productions, Istanbul, Turkey
Publicist: Richard Flohil, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Radio Commercial: Charles Evers, Jackson, Mississippi
Radio Public: Rick Galusha, Omaha, Nebraska
Record Label: Crosscut Records, Bremen, Germany
Visual Broadcast: Film, Television and Video: Pocket Full of Soul.

Congratulations to all of the 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive Recipients!

Copyright © 2010 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.

Mike Zito Interview by Jim Stick

Mike Zito is a rarity in today's blues market. He is equal parts a singer, songwriter and guitar player and he is damn good at all three aspects. He showed up on the national stage with the critically acclaimed CD "Today" in 2008 on Electo Groove Records. He followed that up in 2009 by releasing "Pearl River" which has garnered two nominations in the 2010 Blues Awards in Memphis next weekend.



Jim: I want to get to your music, but first let's talk about the really important things in life. About two weeks ago you and your wife just had a baby girl. Tell me all about her:

Mike: Yeah we sure did. Her name's Josie Zito. She was born March 30th, 7lbs, 19 inches, healthy, happy, Momma's doing good, baby is doing good, that is number 5, we're very happy and that's it. She's a keeper and she is the last one.

Jim: It sounds like with your new baby girl and five children you are truly blessed Mike. Now let's get to your music. In 2008 you came out with a CD called "Today" that blew me away. It is in my top 10 favorite CD's in the last 10 years. You seemed to just appear out of nowhere. Reading up on you, I saw where you grew up in St. Louis and played around that area and put out a couple of CD's ,but what got you from your beginnings in the St. Louis area to bursting onto the national scene with such a marvelous CD as "Today"?.

Mike: I appreciate that first of all. I grew up in St. Louis and went to work in a guitar shop right out of high school. I started playing around town in bands and before you know it I was starting my own bands, playing rock and roll and blues and I even played in a country band--I just wanted to play and learn, but all along I was trying to write songs and try things out. Then I was probably 25 or 26, I decided I wanted to play blues\rock guitar and do originals. I did my first CD in 1996 or 97. That was it--I was hooked. People were coming out to see us and asking to hear my songs instead of the cover songs.

Then I did another CD in St. Louis and all the time I was drinking, partying, getting caught up more in the party than the music and next thing you know I was doing heavy drugs and not getting into playing so much and not showing up for the gigs and it all fell apart. Then I ended up in Texas and I got cleaned up and got back into music. Then I did two more CD's in Texas one called "Slow it Down" and the other was called "Superman" . By the time I did Superman, I sent it out. I was doing them to write songs and get a record deal. So I sent them off and that is the one that sparked interest. I got signed to Electo Groove Records. When "Today" came out in 2008--I'd already done my first record 12 years ago and I had done 4 albums of original music that I did on my own. Now I had progressed I keep trying to keep better. So when we did "Today" it was like man we got a lot really great songs here. There was a song on their called "Hollywood" that I had done on my very first record. We picked all the songs we thought were really, really good and had a possibility of maybe getting played on the radio, along with a couple of new ones I wrote . Most people had never heard of me when that came out it was like--hey who is this guy?

Jim: Yeah--that was me.


Mike Zito at the Blues From the Top Festival in Winter Park, CO in 2009.


Jim: The songwriting on "Today" is so strong. I knew you worked with new producers on that, Randy Chortkoff and David Z, but I was wondering if that wasn't the case, that a lot of those songs weren't earlier songs you've had for a while.

Mike: Whenever a new band comes a long---the first record--you figure they have been playing those songs for a long time--and they have been writing songs and those are their best songs.

Jim: You seem to relate life experiences really well into songs. Who were your influences in the songwriting department?

Mike: I really like John Hiatt. Lyle Lovett is my all time favorite musical person. He's got the songs, the voice , the style. I'm a big Bob Dylan fan. I like Anders Osborne--I was a big fan of Anders before we got to work together. I also like the older blues--I think Willie Dixon is an excellent songwriter, absolutely .

Mike on stage with son Zach.

Lyrics from "Love Like This":

"..and when I saw your picture on the screen\
and when I felt you kicking deep inside\
I was lost for all my words\
I was truly mesmerized\
and when I got to hold you in my arms\
you know I'd finally understand\
just how true love truly feels\
and what it's like to be a man..."

© Mike Zito - Delta Groove Publishing, ASCAP


Jim: I'm guessing that the song "Love Like This"--which is obviously about your son Zach--has to be a favorite on "Today" for you.

Mike: Absolutely, yeah, yeah--I love that song. When I wrote that song, when I got done, I played it back and listened it was like this is a rip off--I must have stole this from somebody. That's pretty good, that's got to be somebody else's song. So I went back and found all of my John Hiatt records and played them, trying to find where I must have blatantly ripped off some song you know and I couldn't find any. And then when I wrote the song "Today"--I thought the same thing--I really got concerned--I really love this song I wrote, but I think I must have copied this but I didn't. Obviously they sound similar to something and I found out that is why they ended up being the popular songs because they sounded familiar. Most people don't like to hear anything new. They want to hear the same shit over and over.

Interviewer's note: The first time I played the CD "Today" at work and the first song "Love Like This" came on--one of my co-workers said to me: "Who is this--I've heard this song before". And knowing my co-workers pop only music background--I knew there was no chance he had ever heard it. It was eerie to listen to Mike while I was interviewing him about that song--describe exactly what happened with me at work.

Jim: You have a very bluesy, soulful voice. Where did that come from? Did you take voice lessons?

Mike: I did take some voice lessons in high school. Just a few. When I started singing--I could play you my first record, and it is barely singing--it's like yelling or talking. But I was determined to do it. For 20 years I've been playing and in bars 5 nights a week, singing 4 hours a night. 18 years later I'm starting to get some control over it. The soulful part--that's just the way it sounds--I'm not making it sound that way--it's just like me talking to you now--it sounds like shit (chuckling), it's rough and it's gravelly--that's just the way it sounds.



Lyrics from the song "Today":

"I take my time about growing older\
I try to live like I'm getting younger\
all my friends say that life is colder\
well I just smile and offer my shoulder\
my life is simple. for that I'm grateful\
with all my blessings. I can't be hateful\
this world is heaven with you beside me\
my eyes are open to what may find me\
well I know that life is going to bring some pain\
but with some help from above\
well I know it's going to be OK\
just for today..."

© Mike Zito - Delta Groove Publishing, ASCAP





Jim: Let's move on to your last CD "Pearl River". It has been nominated for two awards at the Blues Awards in Memphis in the first part of May. One for "Best Blues Rock Album" and one for best song for the title track "Pearl River". Tell me what is the song "Pearl River" about?

Mike: It's an interesting question. Cyril Neville wrote the lyrics to it. He gave me the lyrics and said--see what you can do with this. It's the first time I really did any writing with anybody. When I read the words I thought: man this shit is deep, it's pretty heavy. It's kind of dark--so of course I asked him to tell me what we are talking about here. He said Pearl River is a river on the edge of Louisiana and Mississippi and lets down into Lake Ponchartrain -- so when you leave New Orleans going up over to Mississippi you'll cross Pearl River several times. And it's a real dark river, the water is real dark. Cyril said his family when he was a kid, they would go fishing there and his family and parents would tell him that river is so black, because they killed so many slaves and they'd throw them in that river and they would wash down into the lake. They'd just throw them down in there so people couldn't find the bodies. So he thought that is wild and he always remembered that. So that's what he had in mind when he wrote the words and that's pretty heavy.

So I did the music, and this is really out there, after we recorded the song and he was really excited about it he got a call from these the Chahta Indians and their reservation is out there at a town called Pearl River. He didn't know there was a town called Pearl River, so he went out there and visited these Indians and this is crazy-- they look exactly like Cyril Neville and the Nevilles, like he is one of these Indians--like they are related. Cyril said--you've got to hear this song I recorded--called Pearl River. So he played it for them and they all started crying. They told him that he didn't write that song about the slaves and that apparently thousands of these Indians were killed by the government back in 1800's and they took them all and threw them in that river. They told him that he wrote that song about them, and he didn't even know it. So now Cyril is the Ambassador to the Chahta Nation in Pearl River--it's crazy and I'm not doing this story justice. You can go online and look this up and there a bunch of articles on this. Isn't that wild?

Interviewer's note: You can google: "Cyril Neville Chahta Indian Ambassador": and find the pictures of Cyril Neville with these Chahta Indians and see the resemblance for yourself.

Jim: Whereas "Today" might be categorized more as a blues tinged Roots or Americana album with the emphasis on the song--on your last CD "Pearl River"--while it is still based on solid songs--you let out more of your bluesy guitar side on "Pearl River". Was this intentional?

Mike: Absolutely. When I did the first record, the label and the producer, their idea was to be on the radio. They were really hoping for a hit song. Hey it was my first record and I was hey whatever you guys say. On this second record I said I want to play more guitar. The second time around they told me you do what you want to do. I wanted to do it in New Orleans and get some of my friends from there and people I want to work with. We went in and did it live in two days. I wanted a record that sounded like what you are going to see when you come see us play live.

Jim: What guitar player have you learned the most from?

Mike: You mean now?

Jim: Growing up and throughout your career.

Mike: Growing up it was Eddie Van Halen. When I was 8 years old I got their record and that was it--I wanted to be a guitar player. As I was playing guitar and working in the music store I got into all of the guitar players. As far as blues goes: T-Bone Walker, BB King, Albert King, Freddie King, and Earl Hooker. Stevie Ray Vaughan was fantastic, Jimi Hendrix: absolutely, and all the country guitar players. I worked in a guitar shop and so that was all I did and it was all I wanted to do was hear guitar players and learn how to play. It took me a whole year to learn how to play country style finger pickin' when I was young. I mean I cannot tell you one person. If you can think of one I haven't heard--I want to know who it is so I can listen. Right now as we speak I'm listening to Ronnie Earl. I think Ronnie Earl is awesome. Old Buddy Guy. Two weeks ago I was listening to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys learning some of those chords they used in those country swing songs.
I try and play with the song and the music and the band. Be the guitar player and be real good, but try and make it not just about the guitar. Try to make it a little bit of everything: the song, the singing and the guitar. Along those lines I like Tab Benoit and Susan Tedeschi, people that play and sing that have the whole package.

Jim: So what does the rest of 2010 hold for Mike Zito?

Mike: (laughing) Changing diapers and mowing lawns. We got this big European tour--that's going to be great. We got the awards--I'm excited to see what is going to happen. We've got a full summer of festivals and touring--all through the end of the year we are really booked up coast to coast. What I have got in mind is a live album because the band I've got live now is really good. We've got all this material worked up and I think we have really developed into a really good sound live. I want to record that this summer so it can come out this fall. I think a new record will come out next spring. I've got a bunch of new songs and material and we are already playing them live. Hopefully we will get in the studio this fall and then it will come out next spring.

Jim Stick is a blues writer\photographer living in Longmont, CO.
He has his own blues information website for the state of Colorado:
BluesinColorado.com
©Jim Stick, 2010