STAR BLUES on 23rd May 2010 at 22:00

Every now and again I get to hear a new artist that makes a real impression and in the week Steve D contacted me to tell me about William Elliott Whitmore. We had a track from his album "Animals in The Dark" on STAR BLUES last night - we also had generous helpings of blues, rock'n'roll, piano and gospel. Certainly you won't get that mix anywhere else (and most definitely not in a pristine white tee-shirt).

Roy Gaines is a bluesman for life, he told us on the forthright opener with powerful guitar - Otis Rush redid his classic "Homework" in 1994 and Walter Horton turned in the greatest blues harp solo of the all on Jimmy Rogers' "Walking By Myself". I've not played anything under his own name before but Jimmy Nolen had been on the show as guitar player to James Brown, he did a tidy cover of "It Hurts Me Too" for us yesterday. Buddy Guy's cd had a slight crack in it and stopped us getting his go at "Lucy Mae Blues" but Frankie Lee Sims' 1957 original saved the night. Fluffy Hunter couldn't find her rhyming dictionary while delivering her "Walking Blues" and Little Esther praised her "Cupid" with Johnny Otis in 1955.

That rock'n'roll came from Roy Orbison, Warren Smith, Smiley Lewis and Sticks McGhee and the gospel two-hander from Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight celebrated in splendid style. Behind the piano, Chicago maestro Jimmy Yancey's Bugle call finished as always in the key of E-flat. (My copy had the track listed as Buggle Call but video wasn't around for this radio star). Jimmy Vaughan has a brand new album and it's probably his best so far - Guitar Junior's song "Roll Roll Roll" will I'm sure be just our first taster from Stevie Ray's brother. Two great female voices made the line-up complete: Bettye LaVette and Madeleine Peyroux.

As well as next Sunday's dose of the blues, I've got a couple of special shows lined up: "On the Wild Side" on Bank Holiday Monday at 7pm without blues or white tee-shirt and on Friday 2nd July at 7pm I'll be "Freewheelin'" towards the Cambridge Folk Festival. It'll only be complete if you can make it along - until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Gary Blue