STAR BLUES on 27th April 2014 at 22:00

Not sure when Henry Townsend was last played on British FM Blues radio and he along with Jabo Williams marked a return to what STAR BLUES is best known for - celebrating the full heritage of our music. In two hours that whizzed past in a trice, the young Jarekus Singleton brought along his brand new album for Alligator and the nonagenarian Henry Townsend held up the other end of a bluesman's career. Jarekus has been tipped for great things since his debut album and with the profile afforded him by Bruce Iglauer's imprint, his second one may well get him there or thereabouts. His "Blame game isn't typical of the rest of the project but the more stripped back feel around a harp is a little gem in my humble. Henry did a piece for the Smithsonian as part of their celebrations for Robert Johnson, he was known for his piano skills inspired by Sunnyland Slim though he started on guitar copying Lonnie Johnson. LJ was according by many to be the founder of blues guitar and by remarkable coincidence was also in our crowd last night.

Johnnie Marshall, Robert Ealey and Chris Beard surfaced around the same time at the turn of the 90s and - sadly for us - none have recorded anywhere nearly enough. There are a couple of blues artists with pretty serious health worries at the moment and we send them much love and kind thoughts: Finis Tasby had a stroke last year and though paralysed remains in undiminished good spirits, we caught him front and centre singing for the Mannish Boys. Walter Trout had a lengthy spell in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers but these days has life-threatening liver troubles. There'll be a cd, book and DVD project in stores as of 4th June and we got an early look at the album: Mayall wrote and did rippling piano duties on the Boogie track to showcase the good cause.

Robert Cray starts his UK tour on Friday and he'll reach Cambridge on 10th with a follow-on gig in Norwich the day after. Don't have his new album yet but that single is a good taster. Can't believe he's slipped past the 60 mark now, its great to hear him in touch with those soulful roots. With Mr Singleton on the start line for new albums we find both Keb Mo and Kenny Blues Boss Wayne. The female blues voice didn't get much of a fair shake but what there was was pretty darn good: Helen Humes and Big Maybelle who got covered by Aretha Franklin. The new issue of Living Blues has Swamp Dogg on the cover and in th e early guise of Little Jerry Williams we had him on the show. Wynonie Harris, Kip Anderson and Earl Gaines effortlessly upped the vox quotient. The lone instrumental was the single Al Wichard cut for the Bihari brothers in a recording blitz designed to stockpile product ahead of the second Petrillo ban.

Somewhat bleary eyed I was roused by Lady Blue on Saturday morning telling me about Ben Harper on breakfast tv, hence our excursion into the 2004 collaboration he did with the Blind Boys of Alabama in the gospel tent. God willing we'll surface again with trivia, tomfoolery and blues at 10pm next Sunday, until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

track.title	track.artistsort	index	album.title	album.artistsort	label
Gotta Find My Baby	Chris Beard	9	Who I Am & What I Do	Chris Beard	ELECTRO Glide
you move me	robert cray	1	you move me	robert cray	provogue
I Had a Dream	Robert Ealey	1	Rounder Revue	Various Artists	Rounder
On My Way to Memphis	Johnnie Marshall	2	Live For Today	Johnnie Marshall	JSP Records
jumpin' the bone	Duke Robillard	10	Stomp! The Blues Tonight	Duke Robillard	Stony Plain Music
Take My Hand	Ben HarperBlind Boys Of Alabama, The	1	There Will Be A Light	Ben HarperBlind Boys Of Alabama, The	VIRGIN RECORDS
Mean Old World	Mannish Boys, The	2	Double Dynamite	Mannish Boys, The	Delta Groove
mayall piano blues	walter trout w. john mayall	7	blues came a calling	walter trout	provogue
Keep On Rockin'	Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne	10	Rollin' With The Blues Boss	Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne	STONY PLAIN
The Worst Is Yet To Come	Keb Mo	1	Bluesamericana	Keb Mo
blame game	jarekus singleton	11	refuse to lose	jarekus singleton	alligator
Lovin' Machine	Wynonie Harris	9	Jump Mr Blues	Wynonie Harris	Fantastic Voyage
Let's Go Again (Where We Went Last Night)	Hank Ballard & The Midnighters	5	Doo Wop Revival: The R&b Vocal Group Sound 1961-1962	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Cake Jumps (Instrumental)	Al 'Cake' Wichard Sextette	11	Beating The Petrillo Ban. The Late December 1947 Modern Sessions	Various Artists	ACE
Burnt Toast And Black Coffee	Mike Pedicin	5	Get On The Right Track: Mod R&b, Jazz & Ska	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
respect	otis redding	1	Respect: Aretha's Influences & Inspirations	various artists	ace
Pitful	Big Maybelle	8	Respect: Aretha's Influences & Inspirations	Various Artists	ACE
today i sing the blues	helen humes	10	Respect: Aretha's Influences & Inspirations	Various Artists	ACE
Anytime is the Right Time	Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup	4	My Baby Left Me The Definitive Collection	Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup	Fantastic Voyage
Keep What You Got	Lonnie Johnson	6	Originator Of Modern Guitar Blues	Lonnie Johnson	BLUES BOY
Fat Mama Blues	Jabo Williams	25	Roll 'Em Pete : 25 Years Of Piano Blues And Boogie	Various Artists	INDIGO
I'm the Lover Man	Little Jerry Williams	4	It's All Good - A Singles Collection 1963 - 1989	Swamp Dogg	ACE
I Wanna Be The Only One	Kip Anderson	13	Where Southern Soul Began: 2	Various Artists	HISTORY OF SOUL
best of luck baby	earl gaines	19	Where Southern Soul Began	Various Artists	HISTORY OF SOUL

STAR BLUES on 20th April 2014 at 22:00 in a Gatefold Sleeve

Just announced that vinyl sales are at a 15 year high - doubt anyone hereabouts would be very surprised at those numbers. It was Record Store Day yesterday and we wanted to do that extra special thing in our vinyl hour to play items originally issued with a gatefold sleeve. That often meant two 12 inchers collecting previous issues but as the Sixties wore on the blues community started putting out their newest albums that way. Our survey touched a lot of bases.

Our first segment was a chance to catch up with the new bits and bobs we can't normally fit into our regular two hour bundle. Delta Groove has output consistently interesting projects over the past decade or so, Terry Hank is a case in point. Saxman vocalist, with noted guests he brings a fresh arrangement to a tried and tested format. Long time fave Bob Corridors has a very stylish album in genres with blues at its core, the all-instrumental project is a terrific platform to stretch out. Though barely 30, J J Thames sings with authority and control befitting one twice those years, she takes on a version of Ray Charles' I Believe and comes out in front. Grady Champion runs her label and adds guitar to the piece, as does fellow newcomer Eddie Cotton.

Duncan Street is a duo bringing low-key humour to their own song "Sharpest Marble" and Arthur Migliazza artfully interpreted Hershel Thomas' song on upright piano -pretty sure we'll be going back to both albums before we get too much further into 2014.

My ancient battered dictionary has a simple single page definition for the word "swing": voice, fiddle and guitar of Clarence Gatemouth Brown - he'd have been 90 on Friday 18th. He did a nifty take on a TBone Walker piece at one end of STAR BLUES, unknown genius at the other end Gored Carter was similarly blessed with guitar skills.

VeeTone's last two albums are out on 180g vinyl and our trip to the gospel tent found a couple of picks off the Mark Lamar compilation of Screaming Gospel - rather fitting for the Easter theme and for Record Store Day. Our second segment looked back at those glorious long players wearing gatefold garments. My double album of Fleetwood Mac in Chicago was clad in an unfortunate shade of brown but when the protagonists included the likes of Otis Spann and Walter Horton you can forgive the fäshion faux- pas. The combination of Sharkey and Peter Green both at the top of the game was our choice on the show. One of may earliest album purchases was the budget twofer called Best of Chess Blues: in addition to the usual subjects (Muddy, Wolf, SBW, Elmore) it was my introduction to both Etta James and Robert Nighthawk.

Barely three months after those Mac sessions at Teri-Mar studios in Chicago, Muddy Waters was there with Paul Butterfield et al for the "Father and Sons" album in a fold out cover, B B King's "Completely Well" album on Bluesway was in similar attire - I don't have the session play details to hand but its a fair bet the wan-wash guitar effects weren't coming from Lucille. Our last collection was the pairing which accompanied the seminal book by Paul Oliver called "Story of the blues" most folks here already know about both and are the foundation of their collections.

We had barely enough time to fit in the two voices of Johnnie Morrisette before having to wrap things up with as much pip proficiency as one blues jock could muster and planning more mischief for next Sunday at 10pm. Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

track.title	track.artistsort	index	album.title	album.artistsort	label
strollin with bones	clarence gatemouth brown	4	his ten best	clarence gatemouth brown	rounder
Don't Mistake Kindness for Weakness	Albert Collins	3	Iceman	Albert Collins	POINTBLANK
i believe	j j thames	8	tell you what i knopw	j j thames	dechamp
Gotta Bring It On Home To You	Terry Hanck Band	9	Gotta Bring It On Home To You	Terry Hanck Band	Delta Groove
Slow Down	marcus malone	6	stand or fall	marcus malone	red line
Come on in My Kitchen	Chris Thomas KingJames Cotton	10	Hellhound On My Trail	Various Artists	TELARC
T-Town Ramble	Bob Corritore	11	Taboo	Bob Corritore	Delta Groove
suitcase blues	arthur migliazza	10	lay it down	arthur migliazza	hobeman records
burying ground	nightingales	9	screamin' gospel holy rollers	various artists	vee-tone
go tell him what you want	voices of jordan	10	screamin' gospel holy rollers	various artists	vee-tone
sharpest marble in the drawer	duncan street	4	baptized by the blues	duncan street	15 south records
tanya	earl hooker	16	Slidin'	Various Artists	CHARLY
Last Night	Fleetwood MacWalter Horton	5	Blues Jam In Chicago	Fleetwood Mac	COLUMBIA
Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had	Muddy Waters	4	Chicago - London	Muddy Waters	ROOTS
sweet black angel	robert nighthawk	16	chess blues	various artists	mca/chess
Tell Mama	Etta James	10	The Fame Studio Story 1961-1973 Home Of The Muscle Shoals Sound	Various Artists	Kent
So Excited	B. B. King	16	King Of The Blues	B. B. King	MCA
Me and My Chauffeur Blues	Memphis Minnie	24	Story Of The Blues	Various Artists	Columbia Legacy
All By Myself	Big Bill Broonzy	4	Story Of The Blues	Various Artists	Columbia Legacy
Travelin' Blues	Blind Willie McTell	3	Story Of The Blues	Various Artists	Columbia Legacy
Roll 'em Pete	Big Joe Turner	5	Story Of The Blues	Various Artists	Columbia Legacy
The Twelve Year Old Boy	Elmore James	6	Complete Chess Chief Fire Recs.	Elmore James	CHARLY
Damper	Johnnie Morisette	11	Soul City Los Angeles	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Back Home Blues	Goree Carter	4	Unsung Hero	Goree Carter	COLLECTABLES

Created: 20/04/2014 23:52:54

STAR BLUES on 13th April 2014 at 22:00

With customary regularity there's been a tall dark slim chap at your place at 10pm on a Sunday night. He'll always have a hip flask of tomfoolery, a pocket full of trivia and an armful of blues music. With any luck you'll have liked most of it and there's a good chance some of it you won't have heard before.

Larry Garner hails from Louisiana and remains a potent player who deserves more chances to record; his debut for JSP provided our driving opener on STAR BLUES. Mr. Drummer has made a new album for Earwig with old-fashioned sensibilities and could well be in contention for our annual album gong. We kept the pace up with two Gaines boys and Clarence Holliman. Otis Clay was on hand to help johnny Rawls on the project celebrating the life and work of O V Wright - there is no such thing as a bad performance from ace singer, guitarist, writer and producer Rawls. After successful stints with both Sun and Chess, Little Milton alighted upon the Stax label and he brought us the definitive interpretation of Bettye Crutcher's song "Woman Across the River" - high praise considering the cover Freddie King did.

Robert Lockwood was a graceful guitarist with neat jazz tinges, his early version of Johhny Otis' "Take a Little Walk" explained why he's so highly rated. In this centenary year of John  Lee Williamson, we got a two-for-one bargain with our STAR BLUES artist of 2013, Billy Boy Arnold. The Joe Carter piece was done for Ralph Bass in 1977 and bundled by Delmark with similar vintage Magic Slim. There's some fabulous vocal offerings out at the moment on reissues by Ace and History of Soul. The Jimmy Hughes piece was a favourite in the R&B clubs, as were the Five Royales. I had shamefully forgotten how good that Joe Medwick single was.

Our dalliance with Sam Cooke last week was prompted by a listener question, the same person needed some convincing on James Browns work before the Sixties. What must it have been like to be a horn player in that orchestra trying to keep up with James' power for the cover of Roy Brown's song. The Swan Silvertones were majestic in the gospel tent and Champion Jack Dupree and Amos Milburn were romping round those 88s.  Johnnie Temple reached out across the years and we went to the very start of Syl Johnson's canon. There was just enough time to remind ourselves of Mr. Walker's guitar supremacy before it was time to gather up the platters and collect our thoughts ready for next Sundays extravaganza. Until then take care of yourself and take care of those that take care of you

track.title	track.artistsort	index	album.title	album.artistsort	label
Scared of You	Larry Garner	1	Double Dues	Larry Garner	JSP
Better Than Good	Johnny Drummer	11	Bad Attitude	Johnny Drummer	EARWIG
Full Gain	Grady GainesRoy GainesClarence Hollimon	7	Blues Guitar Duels	Various Artists	EASYDISC
Don't Let My Baby Ride	Johnnie Rawls	7	Remembering O. V.	Johnny Rawls	Catfood
Woman Across the River	Little Milton	21	Nobody Wins Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975 V A	Various Artists	Kent
Take a Little Walk With Me	Robert Lockwood, Jr.	7	Reborn And Remastered	Robert Johnson	ROUGH GUIDES
Rub-A-Dub	Billy Boy Arnold	12	Billy Boy Sings Sonny Boy	Billy Boy Arnold	Electro-Fi
neighbour neighbour	jimmy hughes	1-25	complete fame singles vol. 1	Various Artists	KENT
Vicksburg Blues	Chris James & Patrick Rynn, feat Jody Williams and Eddie Shaw	9	Barrelhouse Stomp	Chris James & Patrick Rynn	EARWIG
Joe's Boogie	Joe Carter	11	That Ain't Right	Magic Slim & The TeardropsJoe Carter	DELMARK
Walkin' With Frankie	Frankie Lee Sims	3	Mark Lamarr's Ace Is Wild	Various Artists	WESTSIDE
Good Rockin Tonight	James Brown	6	Messing With The Blues	James Brown	POLYDOR
i cried	joe medwick	2-1	where southern soul began vol. 1	various artists	history of soul
i got to know	five royales	1-11	where southern soul began vol. 1	various artists	history of soul
Jock-A-Mo	Sugar Boy & His Cane Cutters	4	Cosimo Matassa Story	Various Artists	Proper Box
House Rent Party	Champion Jack Dupree	17	Blues For Everybody	Champion Jack Dupree	CHARLY
one scotch one bourbon one beer	amos milburn	19	down the road apiece	amos milburn	aladdin
Chain 'em Down	Blind Leroy Garnett	14	Roll 'Em Pete : 25 Years Of Piano Blues And Boogie	Various Artists	INDIGO
Nappy Head Blues	Bobby Grant	10	Roll And Tumble Blues : History Of Slide Guitar	Various Artists	INDIGO
Lead Pencil Blues	Johnnie Temple	12	Highlights From: The History Of Rhythm And Blues 1925-1942	Various Artists	RHYTHM & BLUES
mary don't you weep	swan silvertones	1-20	sound of the city: chicago	various artists	emi
My Name is Misery	Al King	1	Together	Al KingArthur K. Adams	ACE
i've got love	syl johnson	2-19	i'll go crazy - federal recoprds story	various artists	one day music
don't lie to me	mercy baby	5	ric and ron story vol. 1	various artists	ace
Naggin	Jimmy Anderson	8	Louisiana Swamp Blues	Various Artists	FLYRIGHT
Walkin' Talkin' Blues	Joe Hill Louis	5	Boogie In The Park	Joe Hill Louis	ACE
mean old world	t-bone walker	25	history of rhythm and blues	various artists	rhythm and blues

Created: 13/04/2014 23:52:24

STAR BLUES on 6th April 2014 at 22:00

After a month celebrating nothing but vinyl issued blues, we're up to date with the blog comments at last and we make a return to celebrate the very best of 2014 projects so far, namely Eddie Cotton, Billy Branch and Johnny Drummer. Billy is the cover feature on the first Living Blues magazine of the year and is right back at the top of his game. (BTW thanks to Camilla fore sorting out the problem with my subscription, one of the unsung folks who help get the word out there).

Birthday boy Adam Gussow is a bone fide professor of harp proficiency and the instrumental "Buford Chapel Breakdown" from his new album "Kick and Stomp" provided us the perfect starter. He plays all the instruments and cracks on a quite a pace. The other harp maestro with a birthday was Walter Horton who'd have been 97 today. Those earliest sides for Sun down in Memphis were fertile fields rich with goodness.

Memphis Gold and Shelton Powe are modern blues players in the old school tradition, we played evidence of their gifts showing the music is thriving. Eddie Cotton is a young guy with a mature style and warm voice, he's signed to Grady Champion's label and will be set fair provided his head isn't turned by fools gold and false promises as others have been. Johnny Drummer's been round the block a few more times than Eddie and that ensures he can write a bakers dozen of new songs and bless them with straight down the line good grace. Billy does a lot of good work for schools and his own work is another reason for the resurgence of Chicago style blues.

Last week's dabble with 45s teed up a return to Canned Heat's hit by way of the panpipes used by Henry Thomas at his original setting. Similarly pre-war, Jim Thompkins was on hand and no amount of digital twiddling could have improved on what he achieved in 1930. We lost harp player Bud Spires at the end of March and like his father Arthur "Big Boy" Spires" he was a stalwart of the Bentonia scene. The "Deep Blues" documentary by Palmer and Mugge captured a two hander he did with Jack Owens on Jack's front porch - we took the piece off the soundtrack.  The other death reported on the show was that of guitarist extraordinaire Floyd Murphy (brother of Matt Murphy). Floyd did some top notch sessions for Eddie Snow and Bobby Bland, we played the best example of his craft: the solo on Junior Parker's "Feeling Good". His is the axe on Parker's "Mystery Train" too.

We remembered Whispering Smith and asked for information or memories of the dates he played at Cambridge's Alley club circa 1970. The gospel came from that Mark Lamarr compilation on Vee-tone with a reminder of the bare-out-of-his teens Sam Cooke for the guy I spoke too during the week who knew nothing of Sam's work before "Chain Gang". Professor Longhair's anthology on Jasmine got a good write up in Living Blues and he was joined by Freddie Slack to hold up his end of the piano.

Our STAR BLUES show concluded with a track featuring Lee Brilleaux on slide guitar off their "Malpractice" album. Its exactly 20 years since he died and his passing was over shadowed by that of Kurt Cobain. Arguably his loss was more keenly felt especially by those in Britain who came to this music after seeing him and Wilko tear up the live R&B club scene. We couldn't let those twenty years slip by without remark. Next Sunday at 10pm(BST) we'll be back in the night for some more of the good stuff round your place, until then take care of yourself and take care of those that take care of you.

track.title	track.artistsort	index	album.title	album.artistsort	label
buford chapel breakdown	adam gussow	8	kick and stomp	adam gussow	RIGHT RECORDINGS
Big Boss Man	Frank Frost	8	Jelly Roll King	Frank Frost	CHARLY
Cut You Loose	Eddie Cusic	4	Leland Mississippi Blues	Eddie Cusic	WOLF
Bull Doze Blues	Henry Thomas	7	Heavy Hitters Vol. 1	Various Artists	PIGMEAT RECORDS
DON'T LET HER RIDE	MEMPHIS GOLD	2	PRODIGAL SON	MEMPHIS GOLD	STACKHOUSE
Better Than Good	Johnny Drummer	11	Bad Attitude	Johnny Drummer	EARWIG
Rock Me Baby	Otis Redding	15	100 Hits Legends - Otis Reading	Otis Redding	DEMON
YOU'LL NEED ANOTHE FAVOUR	W. C. Clark	9	Texas Soul	W. C. Clark	BLACK TOP
Baby Let Me Butter Your Corn	Billy Branch	10	Blues Shock	Billy Branch	Blind Pig
I'M TIRED OF YOUR JIVE	Sam Myers	1	Coming From The Old School	Sam Myers	Electro-Fi
Devil Blues	Jack Owens & Bud Spires	15	Deep Blues	Various Artists	Atlantic
Gypsy Woman	Shelton Powe	11	Carolina Blues And Gospel	Shelton Powe	MUSIC MAKER
Pay to Play	Eddie Cotton	3	Here I Come	Eddie Cotton	CDBaby
Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket	Roy Milton & His Solid Senders	9	Jump Blues Jamaica Way: Jamaican Sound System Classics Vol. 3	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Between The Night And Day (In The Wee Wee Hours)	Professor Longhair	9	Mardi Gras In New Orleans: Complete Recordings 1949-1962	Professor Longhair	Jasmine Records (UK)
RIB JOINT	Freddie Slack	2-1	Down The Road A-Piece	Freddie Slack	Fantastic Voyage
HARD HEARTED WOMAN	WALTER HORTON	3	MOUTH HARP MAESTRO	WALTER HORTON	ACE
Dust My Broom	Bobby John	16	Ike Turner Studio Productions	Various Artists	ACE
Feelin' Good	Little Junior's Blue Flames	20	Rockin' Memphis	Various Artists	Proper Box
Touch the Hem of His Garment	Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers	6	Specialty Story	Various Artists	Specialty
JOHN THE REVELATOR	ELDER RAY BURGESSS	5	SCREAMIN GOSPEL	VARIOUS ARTISTS	VEE-TONE
Dynaflow Blues	Johnny Shines	3	Ramblin' Blues	Johnny Shines	ORBIS BLUES COLLECTION
BEDSIDE BLUES	JIM THOMPKINS	2-19	BROKE BLACK AND BLUE	VARIOUS ARTISTS	PROPER
Baby Left Me This Morning	Whispering Smith	14	Louisiana Swamp Blues	Various Artists	FLYRIGHT
Notoriety Woman	Eddie 'Guitar' Burns	32	Down Home Blues Classics	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
K. C. Loving	Little Willie Littlefield	2	The R'n'b Years 1953: 100 Hot Rhythm And Blues Tunes From 1953	Various Artists	BOULEVARD VINTAGE
SPINNING ROCK BOOGIE	MICKEY BAKER	1	In The '50S: Hit, Git & Spit	Mickey Baker	Rev-Ola Bandstand
EASY WOMAN	LACY GIBSON	2	SWITCHY TWITCHY	LACY GIBSON	N/A
bACK IN THE NIGHT	DR FEELGOOD	12	tHE wILKO yEARS	DR FEELGOOD	EMI

Created: 06/04/2014 23:42:45