You can mouse click most graphics and photos to enter other sites and web pages. The oldest Underground Blues Network since 1988: Read by 43,000 blues folks. By Mike Dollins - 30 Years Journalizing about Blues in the USA Join us at: www.facebook.com/BluesGuitarNews
View our four years of back issues above. Also check out; Blues Hot Links, and Arkansas Blues Legends. August 2010
Dedicated to the blues. Mother of all blues links, and read by blues enthusiasts worldwide. Since 1980, reporting on blues and working blues musicians. Check out the tabs above to journey to more blues than you can use.
The God Father of Los Angeles Blues, Bernie Pearl is gearing up for his October 2010 tour of the South. Check out his schedule on his links. Also, has some open dates to fill in for any blues society, club, association or venue that would like to book Mr. Pearl, a living authoritarian on American Blues History, and a highly skilled blues guitarist. One of his first guitar lesson was from Lightnin' Hopkins back in the fifties.
I get lots of emails and messages from folks all over the world. Gigs is a major concern these days for blues cats. Times has always been tough for a blues act, in the commercial media market place. Then add the down-turned economy on top of that, and pickings is slim on a good day. Many clubs have cut back in favor of DJ's over bands, Many sponsors are dropping out of festival support, and if it wasn't for dedicated blues groups and societies, blues players would be a past memory like an extinct animal from the Paleo-Indian Period. As venues dry up, and blow away, just emphasizes the aspect of keeping the general public educated about the historical and artistic aspect of blues. A national treasure, and American created music form fusing European 1/2 tone scales, with African Rhythms and Harmonies which is actually a music DNA building block for all modern, and the ever evolving pop American music. For us senior citizens of the blues in the United States, we've seen it all evolve from the vibrant electric 40's & 50's, to the modern Roadhouse blues of today. Many of the emails I get, besides the ones soliciting for attention of the own contribution to the world of music, are inquiries into blues in general. Most often asking who do I listen to if I am just learning. My easy reply is to listen to the masters of the first era of electric blues. These are the same cats that Eric Clapton, SRV, Bonamasa, Derek, Beck, Peter Green etc., listened to. Listen to the legends of blues guitar, as they laid the foundation whereas we are all judged by today. Grasp the concept, and the embellish your own slant on it. A good place to start is BB, Albert & Freddy King. I call them the three kings of blues,
Then discover Otis Rush, Wayne Bennett, Mel Brown, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Rogers, Lonnie Johnson, Lowell Fulsom, Muddy Waters, Pee Wee Crayton, T Bone Walker and Robert Nighthawk. Hard to find, but try to listen to vintage Phil Upchurch, Kenny Burrell, George Benson, Ike Turner, Hollywood Fats, Chris Cain and Billy Butler. This list will give you a lifetime of googling for sure. Don't take one snap shot of any one of these mentioned artists, as each has a period and progression to their style and voicings. For contacts, links and information right here at Blues Guitar News is five years of networking with over 43,000 visitors this year. Past issues, links and the other tabs above will open doors to thousands of blues links from all over the world. To close out this segment, I had an extremely great month jammin' with some outrageously great players in July. From California, to the four corners of Arkansas I was delighted in some super sessions that will live on in memory for my remainder voyage in life. Got some great photos too. At my age, and the amount of years I've put into gigging for five decades, I don't live for gigs, as much as I live for those special moments that are sweet and cherished where the whole group of jammers are rockin' out in complete bliss and harmony. I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about. For now, God Bless, and keep on jamming those blues. All the best of everything to you and yours. Mike mike@mikedollins.biz
Hey Y'all,, I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and with plenty of gigs on the books for this year.
This is our annual "Sharing the Hog" feature, where we list folks and blues entities that have side-stepped the popular narcissistic music culture mind-set, and don't mind shouting out about others. Just a wall of honor for such good folks that generate, promote and pass the good word along to each and all. Keep the faith bro.
Mouse click their photos to visit their web sites. Take a tour.
Electric "Liz Lottmann" Video
The above photos we call: Guitar Porn You got to be a guitar player to understand it.
For all my existing readers, thanks for getting this far down the line in this monthly edition of Blues Guitar News. For you new readers, thanks for dropping by, and come on back soon and often. Blues is alive and well here in the Arkansas Delta. I know some of you are really enthusiastic about blues, love to network, share the hog and shout out about others. The number one Blues Shouter in the United States, and elder statesman of blues harp is Chet Cannon. For those that know Chet, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. Check out his link "Good Blues Update," and tell him his old jammin' buddy Mike Dollins sent ya'. - - - >
From the Arkansas Delta USA
In Arkansas, we have Nightflying Entertainment Guide, wheres the music journal of Peter Read is periodically dispersed to the four corners of the blues delta land. Although, all music venues and styles are listed, BLUES is not a third rate citizen, but flourishes with the best of them all cause Peter makes sure our homeland blues heroes are always included. Thanks Peter!
Arkansas Delta Music
Welcome y'all, to Arkansas Delta Music Network. Dedicated to music found on, near and around the Arkansas and Mississippi River and Blues Highway 49. Mouse click any photo or graphic, to visit the corresponding music site. Contact email:arkansasdeltamusic@bluesguitarnews.com
Welcome to the Cruize Brothers. A legendary band that started back in the 70's in San Diego, California, and has lasted over 40 years in one form or another. I've been really blessed to have played with some really talented, and great musicians over my half a century of playing blues guitar. The Cruize Brothers are now based out of Arkansas. Please visit some of our many friends worldwide. Most photos and graphics are "hot shoe" mouse over ready to click, and visit their web sites or FaceBook pages. We updated this on August 14th, with photos and MP3's from the KABF 88.3 FM radio music fest at Parrot Beach Cafe, in North Little Rock, Arkansas. From along the banks of the Arkansas River, check out our renderings of Arkansas Delta style of R&B. Thank you mike@mikedollins.biz(Photos and MP3's by Rhonda Pitts)
KABF 88.3 FM Music Fest, August 13th. Cruize Brothers: Joe Pitts - Guitar & Vocal, Guido Ciardetti - Bass & Vocal, Charlie Whitney - Drums and Mike Dollins - Guitar & Vocal. Special Guests on Stormy Monday: Charlotte Taylor & Ed Bowman.
Thank you to the KABF Team for allowing us to close out the show, as we had one great evening of jammin' some blues. You can bring the Cruize Brothers Blues Jam to your town, for booking info: cruizebrother@mikedollins.biz
Crosscut Saw
Born Under A Bad Sign
Been Down So Long
One Way Out
Woman Down In Texas
Messin' With The Kid
Stormy Monday Blues
Recorded "Live" at the Parrot Beach Café, North Little Rock, Arkansas August 13th, 2010
Cruize Brothers Wall of Fame Some of the Cruize Brothers' gigs and festivals over the decades.
You know I spend most of my time blues spamming on FaceBook now. I’ve met tens of thousands of folks from all over the world that love the blues. FaceBook is a lot better than MySpace in my humble opinion now. MySpace is basically so slow and sluggish, you could cook breakfast before a page boots up. Then when you get the MySpace page up, it is full of commercial ads and narcissistic people begging you to look at their video, to listen to their CD or visit their web site. Hey, we all like our mug in the spotlight from time to time, but due to the graphic nature of MySpace everyone tries to look bigger than life, but most of the time they are out running their coverage on whom they are, or the gigs they got. Hey it’s the music business, and everyday a new music expert critic is born, and oh my gosh I’ve met my fair share of self- appointed music authoritarians. I try to keep focused on Blues, but the rockers and pop-country folks always seem to infiltrate over here in blues-land. All you can do is patronize them, and move on. I often feel that because I am a senior picker lost in the blues, ignorant to what is happening, the young ones are trying to enlighten me to higher ground. Most of the time, I try to be as friendly as I can, and drift back into the blues I’ve been lost into for over five decades.
This brings me to the fact that I’ve met so many great blues fans worldwide on FaceBook. The dialog exchange with other blues musicians is just great. I’ve blues spammed so much on FaceBook, I’ve had warnings from them saying they were going to shut my site down. Ha. 99.9% of the blues minded folks I meet, are just great people that love the blues. We share and share a like our blues experience. Good stuff here. I was spamming the current edition of Blues Guitar News, and got a message from one of those self anointed blues experts. I was basically told that he erased my message, and comment. He didn’t believe I was “real genuine blues” and he would have to further scrutinize my web site making judgment on my blues worthiness. I know, it was real anal stuff he was dishing out, and I tried running my 50 years of blues credits down to him in vein. He countered, that he had a bigger, longer and better blues expertise. I could see I was going nowhere quick with this guy. At the same time I was dealing with this self appointed blues authoritarian, I had received a message from Bruce Igluaer of Alligator Records, telling me hello on FaceBook, and saying he saw I was still at it; meaning banging away shouting to the world about blues. Simultaneously I was recognized by a genuine blues expert, but scrutinized by an amateur part timer. Hey, another day in the life of a blues journalist. All you can do in those situations is just pack your bags, and move on down the line. At least Bruce knew who I was, and my blues history.
I started thinking about the comment, “Real, genuine blues.” If you were to ask a hundred folks to define blues, you would get A to Z answers, and none two just alike. I surely wouldn’t ask a highly educated rich Anglo carpetbagger that has never been within a 500 mile radius of the Blues Epic Center of the earth, which is the stretch of Highway 49, from the crossroads at Clarksdale, across the Mississippi River, and over into the birth of blues radio in Helena, Arkansas. I also wouldn’t ask anyone that has never attended a Baptist church, clapped to Gospel music, sat on the banks of the Mississippi River catching catfish, or had a plate full of Black Eyed Peas, Turnip Greens with Pepper Sauce, Fried Okra, Cornbread, A Big Green Onion, Ham Hocks, Fried Catfish and BBQ Fat Back. Doing a little farm work in between wouldn’t hurt either. Many folks don’t realize that half of the Mississippi River belongs to Arkansas. I had a dear friend that was going to play a blues festival last year, and was criticized that his blues was “too” rock oriented. There were questions whether his blues was authentic enough for their festival. My friend and me talked about that for a long time. Most folks that make these types of absurd comments from their personal observations, and furthermore castigate about aspects of blues music most definitely are not blues musicians. They are called “Blues Snobs.” I’ve read the mission statements of too many blues societies, and know the slant too many folk embrace. A mission statement is to keep you focused on what you are doing. Fortunately, I never needed a statement, as I was on a mission with my natural love for the blues. If Robert Johnson were alive today, he would be playing a Fender Strat with Texas Specials, out of a Mesa Boogie Amp. If Jimi Hendrix lived in Robert Johnson’s time, he would have had to settle on an acoustic Gibson. Time and place, have a lot to do with the out come.
Muddy Waters started out in Mississippi on the same type of acoustic guitars Robert Johnson wanged on. In the late forties, Muddy went to arch-top Kay and Silvertone electric guitars. (See his Newport album cover) Then in the late fifties he switched over to, and spent the rest of his life on a red Fender Telecaster. Mr. Morganfield (Muddy) http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Muddy_Waters, brought the blues out of the fields, into the city and electrified it. He also coined the phrase, “The Blues Had A Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll.” One of the greatest living blues historians, Bernie Pearl, The God Father of Los Angeles Blues, and I have talked a few times on the history of “real” blues; where it came from, and where it is going. Also, where is the line between Blues & Rock. We don’t have the time or space to dive into the complete history of blues, but most of what you find written was not penned by working blues musicians, but rather by scholars of some sorts giving their interpretation and history view of blues. http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues Listen to the immortal Mr. Fats Waller http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller, and tell me he wasn’t playing blues. Listen to Fats Domino and tell me he wasn’t playing blues. Listen to Hank Williams, and tell me he wasn’t playing blues. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Hank_Williams As I was drafting this article, I saw Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey on television. Many of the points and aspects of this article were mentioned in the program. They also talked about the “Line in the sand,” pointing out, the line keeps moving out. The show was basically tracing Bill’s blues history from around 1952, up to the present. Most of all that I saw and heard on the history of the blues, I was aware of due to my Delta family roots, and own blues history as a musician. A very enlightening show, so try to catch it if you can. The BB King interview is worth the time.
I just discovered my good friend Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunter’s CD “Big Boss Man.” www.kentuckyheadhunters.com It is 80% blues tunes, but “get down” the Kentucky Headhunter way. It is their interpretation. Valid, cool and right on. Just like Ray Charles interpreting Country & Western songs, and making them as blue as blue can be. Ray could hear the blues in Country Swing. (Cow Jazz) If you can’t feel the music, and it has drifted too far away from a I, V, IV format of some sort, then it may not necessarily be blues. For a stark contrast listen to some Lead Belly http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Lead_Belly sing and play his 12 string guitar blues like “Take This Hammer,” then put on Miles Davis' “All Blues.” Interpretation is for the genius of the artist. You may like your Chicago shuffles, with a Mississippi Sax honking away, or SRV jamming his socks off, but those aren’t the only pockets that blues reside in. I do not like pigeon holing the blues. I speak for musicians, as I am one. We all have taken bits and pieces from our elders, and all those that preceded us – those innovators, and creators of the American phenomenon known as Blues. It is not for a commercial market, nor a hyper hip media venue to determine what musicians are playing is real blues or not. We are musicians first, and bluesmen second. Blues is our palette like other media artists work in charcoal, clays and oils. Nuf said on that.
It is difficult for me to relate to anyone in music, except blues musicians. I skim the surface, and babble blah-blah in general, as others talk about music and guitars. I am so lost in guitar blues la-la land, I don’t even own or listen to non-blues music. I’ve been hung up on Albert King and Otis Rush, with a dash of Chris Cain most of the times these days. I’ve got a lot of blues loaded in my MP3 player, and on the road that’s all I hear. The brotherhood of lugging PA speakers, amps and gear into a club setting up, trying to keep a crowd into the blues and then packing everything back in the van at 1:00 AM is like moving your living room furniture four times every night. All that, not to mention the long road back home. You are putting your best shot out every night, and then you get the cold shot from someone in the crowd yelling, “Play Mustang Sally.”
Being self taught sitting on the back porch picking away trying to emulate what I heard as a kid, I eventually bought some Mel Bay books, studied and learned to read music. When in college, my minor was music, and did receive classical training. I taught guitar for many years, and even wrote a couple of guitar instruction books. I am not a snob toward other musical styles. I just figured out early in life what I liked to hear, and play. I’ve dabbled with every aspect of music you could possibly imagine, played in church and gospel groups too. I did the pop music as a kid in high school, then cover bands as a young adult, the California coffee houses, and the beach clubs all up and down the West Coast. The toughest aspect of trying to play blues as a white kid on the West Coast back in the 60’s, was everyone else wanted to play top pop rock. Trying to get guys to play blues back then was like asking them to get deep gum cleaning without anesthetic. Then telling club owners you were a rock cover band, to get gigs. We always picked up a few pop cover tunes to keep the club owner happy, and then played the top ten club songs like “Mustang Sally” “Sunshine of Your Love” “Sweet Home Alabama” “Proud Mary,” etc., you know. It was all just a cover, to play the blues. Most club owners didn’t mind, as long as you could keep a crowd. That was your job.
I know many of the musicians that may drift on down this article, and grasp what I’m talking about, know exactly what I am trying to express. Too many blues snobs are taking a snap shot in time, where we are now, and don’t have a clue to the road less traveled by working street level blues musicians. It isn’t the blues societies, record companies, producers, agents and publicists that have perpetuated the blues to the degree we have in the world today. Oh sure, they have helped spread the word, and work their hearts out in a labor of love currently, but there was no one there in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s when blues guitar player was a dirty word, and we were discriminated against for being such. Although more widely accepted today in our times, blues is not, nor will it ever be a mainstream music. A bubble that drifts along, and difficult to find in most cities around the world. Just go to Wal Mart, and see how much “blues” is stocked in the CD section. You can find more foreign artists than you can blues or jazz. If you want to “Make It,” in music, then play country-rock or pop rock. The massive distribution is there to support top pop music, not the blues.
If you disagree with me, then you need to buy a guitar, learn to play it. Then practice to where you can host a four-hour blues jam session. After that put a band together, book gigs and do it for at least ten years. Once you’ve done this, come back and let’s talk about it. Not to be a real anal jerk here, but I’ve had this conversation only with long term working blues guitar players, as no others understand, know what we are talking about, or care about what we’ve gone through over a long period of time - decades. I can talk to another picker for thirty seconds, and just know if he is in the brotherhood or not. The modern blues guitar playing is an attitude, more than a style. The current status of blues guitar is defined by generations of pickers on Gibson and Fender guitars, out of Fender Tube Amps, and playing in every conceivable joint you can imagine. We have heard everything that BB, Albert and Freddy King ever recorded, and know most of their songs by heart. This is not learned from books, record liner notes or out of magazines. This road has to be traveled, and learned first hand. You got to play the game, to understand full contact of the sport.
Arkansas Blues By Mike Dollins mike@mikedollins.biz
The Mississippi River is the state line between Arkansas and Mississippi. The infamous Blues Highway 49 crosses the Mississippi River, and winds up in the historic blues city of Helena, Arkansas home to King Biscuit Floor Power Blues KFFA Radio, and the King Biscuit Blues Festival. They can’t call it the King Biscuit Blues Festival anymore, as some New Jersey carpetbaggers legally stole the name wanting thousands of dollars for usage. The kind folks in Helena, AR had to start calling the festival the Blues & Heritage Festival. I know, sounds like real Nazi crap, but that is the way the laws are written apparently. The reason Arkansas didn’t get on the blues map back in the turn of the 20th century, is the Smithsonian Institute in their quest to record American Folk Music starting in 1902, headed down the Application trail, wound up in Tennessee and then on down Mississippi to New Orleans. They never crossed the Mississippi River, heading westward, and thus Kansas City Blues, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Blues, Oakland Bay Blues, San Francisco Blues, Seattle Blues and Arkansas Blues didn’t make the grade. From there anyone trying to make a buck on blues starts at Clarksdale, stops in Memphis, and winds up in Chicago. You can get that info on any album liner notes, or blues mag. Don’t get me started, and enough said for the moment. Today, I am focusing on Arkansas Blues – You know, the west side of the Mississippi River Valley and Delta. The Arkansas River joins the Mississippi River, just South of Helena, Arkansas and Blues Highway 49, a little ways Southwest from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Welcome to Arkansas Delta Blues: Keep on jammin’ them blues, it’s music to my ears.
Arkansas River Blues Society www.facebook.com/home.php?#! /profile.php?id=100001082993923&ref=ts Become a Member of the ARBS: a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Arkansas River Blues Society Membership: $10 for single or $15 for family. Send check to Arkansas River Blues Society to P.O. Box 128, Alexander, AR 72002 Barbara "Babs" Bearden - President, Deb Moser - Vice President, Therese Free - Treasurer, Bonnie Parker - Secretary, Leadra Orr, Jeff Weeden, David Bogard, Mike Dollins – Board. Contact Babs: Bearden599@aol.com
Blues Highway 49 begins at Gulfport, Mississippi, which is 20 miles W/O Alabama, 20 miles E/O of Louisiana, and about 50 miles from New Orleans. Gulfport, Mississippi is a true delta city, which is on the Gulf of Mexico, in the most southern part of the United States. For those of you that have never had a plate full of Turnip Greens, Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread, here we go: Traveling north, the first big town is Hattiesburg, MS, but north of that is Mississippi’s main major city; Jackson, Mississippi home to some of the worlds best, and most famous Gospel groups, and Gospel and blues radio programming too. North of Jackson, is Yazoo City, a much worn out blues word. Highway 49 splits at Yazoo with 49w heading northwest, and 49 northward.
They join again at the crossroads of Hwy 49 and Hwy 3 in the middle of nothing but cotton fields as far as you can see. The closet small towns are Rome and Dublin miles away. After passing the crossroads, you will enter Clarksdale, Mississippi, which lays claim to be the epic-center for blues worldwide. So be it. Leaving Clarksdale you are on joint Highway 49 and 61, and they split in ten miles with the closest little berg being Rich, Mississippi. Highway 61 continues north, crosses the Mississippi State line into, Memphis, Tennessee. I was in one of the worst thunderstorms of my life on this stretch of highway back in 1996. Highway 49 turns west and crosses the Mississippi River, into Helena, Arkansas. This is home to the King Biscuit; KFFA historic Sonny Boy Williamson blues radio show. We are still in fertile cotton, and farming country. We didn’t really call it delta when I was a kid, but referred to it as bottomland or river bottom. Traveling north, you pass West Memphis, Arkansas by about 20 miles, and head into Jonesboro, Arkansas. My daddy was born in house along side Highway 49 back in 1913, and he was raised on a cotton farm between Jonesboro, and Paragould, Arkansas.
From here if you stay north on 49, you will cross Arkansas into Missouri around Moark, Arkansas. 49 and 67 are joint highways in Missouri for a few miles. 49 will branch off around Williamsville, Missouri, and Highway 49 will continue to the north, and finally end at the historic Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri, which is now Interstate 44. Highway 67 continues northeast and eventually joins Interstate 55, just south of St. Louis, Missouri, which is some odd 200 plus miles southwest, away from Chicago. For those of you that got some interest out of America’s Blues Highways, there is a MapQuest Reference below for you. America’s music Highways are Route 66, Highway 49 & 61. Although the Interstate system has fragmented the old Highway system, many parts of these old blues roads are still there, where Southern and Union Pacific Railroads crisscross them continuously. I’ll talk about blues trains in a future article. Now you know the rest of the story about blues highways in America.