Festivals have been predominant during these summer months. Some will be mentioned and the oldest, continuous U.S. festival will be reviewed. In addtion, there were two “benefests.” News items continued to happen.TV viewers and radio listeners across the country saw a seven-part series on the blues and heard a thirteen-series also about the blues. Musicians toured the area and new cds were released. So here are the details.
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Text and Photos by MARIA BAINER - 2003
Photo credit: Duke Robillard & Ruth Brown by Tony Zanoff
FESTIVALS ABOUND
The popular fourth annual Hayward/Russell City Festival was held mid-July. This year’s theme was “Celebrating Year Of The Blues 2003” and their emphasis was a tiny, unincorporated area of the city of Hayward. Many blues careers were launched from two small blues clubs in the town. Some of the greatest names in the blues played here.

Saturday’s Lineup included: the gospel group, Stars of Glory; Chris Cain; John Lee Hooker Jr.; Russell City Blues Band with Jimmy Mamou and Billy Dunn; Paul Delay Blues Band; Little Jimmy Reed; Guitar Shorty; and Michael Burks. Sunday’s lineup was: Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of Allstars; Endurance; Brickhouse Blues Band; Chick Willis; Bird Legg; Sugar Pie DeSanto; Lenny Williams; and Mem Shannon. It was exciting to have so many styles of blues were represented in the festival.

It was the 25th year of The Sonoma County Blues Festival, which is always related to the Sonoma County Fair. It was the first of August. There were six acts that played over a seven hour period. Musicans that performed were: Taylor P. Collins; Daniel Castro; Mofo Party Band; Doyle Bramhall; Deborah Coleman; and Bob Margolin. Nappy Brown was also there, and sang a few numbers with the Margolin Band.

The San Francisco Blues Festival presented “Blues At The Lake-” Southshore, Lake Tahoe, that is, in August. This was part of Harvey’s Summer Outdoor Concert Series. Some good talent performed. Duke Robillard and his Band opened the late afternoon show with their jump and big band blues. Duke won this year’s W.C. Handy Award for “ Best Instrumentalist - guitar.” Duke also backed Ruth Brown, who got the best audience response for her sexy vocals. Ruth now uses a cane and sits down to perform, but she is still a crowd pleaser.

Charlie Musselwhite blew some fine harp, and Booker T. & The MGs played their old standards and boogie numbers. This group is one of the most influential groups in the history of rhythm and blues. Otis Rush & His Big Band headlined. Rush pioneered the West Side style of Chicago blues, and not only influenced his peers in Chicago, but almost every major rock guitar musician. The crowd enjoyed the six hours of blues on a balmy summer evening.

The Bay Area Blues Society (BABS) continued to present several summer blues festivals. They also did a “Home Grown Blues Series” in Oakland on every Wednesday in July and August. In addition to the already discussed Hayward/Russell City Blues Fest, BABS put on seven hours of blues for two days, including Labor Day in September, on one of the stages at Oakland’s Art & Soul Festival. Sunday’s performers were: Passions; Gwen Avery & Blues Sistas; Stars of Glory; Red Archibald & The Internationals; Jimmy Mamou; Billy Dunn & Tightfit Blues Band; and Ron Thompson & The Resistors. Monday’s lineup was: Passions; Black Diamond Blues Band; John Lee Hooker,Jr.; Caravan of Allstars; Lydia Pense & Cold Blood; & Chick Willis.

Two weeks later BABS produced the blues part of another show, The Vallejo Blues & Heritage Festival. On Saturday, Greg Barker & Highway 61 Horns; Stars of Glory; Black Diamond Blues Band; Alvon Johnson and the Allstars; Birdlegg & Tightfit Blues Band; The Caravan of Allstars with Mamou, Terrible Tom, Teddy Watson, & Wylie Trass; Ron Thompson & The Resistors; and Chick Willis performed. Sunday’s program included: W.D. Gospel Singers; Gwen Avery & Blues Sistas; Shane Dwight; Red Archibald & Internationals; Beverly Watson; Filmore Slim; Johnny Rawls; and Lucky Peterson.


TWO BENEFESTS HELD
For your information, the new word, benefest, involves a music festival where some or all of the proceeds go to a charity. Yoshis in Oakland was the scene for the sixth annual East Bay Blues Review Benefit. This year The East Bay Cancer Support Group was the charity. Musicians performing included Angela Strehli, Rene’ Solis & The Persuaders, featuring Duke Jethro; Mark Fenny; Jon Lawton, Delta Wires, and more. Performances were donated and all ticket proceeds went toward helping The East Bay Cancer Support Group.

The first free Sierra Blues Benefest and Crafts Fair in Auburn, about three hours northeast of San Francisco, had to be scaled down to one day. Funding for this event was solicited from corporations, businesses, and private sources. Revenue were generated by vendor space sales plus a percentage of consumable products. There also was an on-going raffle of items donated by local businesses. There were two stages of blues music. On Stage One performers were: The Hucklebucks; Jimmy Dewrance Blues Band; Catfish & The Crawdaddies; Hamilton Loomis & Tommy Castro Band. Stage Two featured Phatcatz; GG Amos Band; Angila Witherspoon (yes, Jimmy’s daughter) & Spoon’s Blues; R.J. Mischo & Rusty Zinn; and Terry Evans.

Their primary beneficiary was the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. A portion of the proceeds went to The Sierra Blues Society for their mission of education and preservation of the blues art form, and also to the Old Town Auburn Preservation Society for their goal of historical preservation and displays in Old Town Auburn.


AMERICA’S OLDEST BLUES FESTIVAL TURNS THIRTY-ONE
The San Francisco Blues Festival, SFBF, America’s oldest blues festival, celebrated its 31st anniversary in the same great, scenic location, the Great Meadow in San Francisco. Actually the free hour and a half Waterfront Concert, which hopefully got people in the mood for the festival, happened downtown during the lunch hour on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Justin Herman Plaza Embarcadero Four across from the Ferry Building. The harmonica was the featured instrument since Muddy Waters once referred to the harmonica as the soul of a blues band. This event was the Battle of the Blues Harmonica 11 and it was a tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson 11. Ben Hernandez, a harp player in his twenties, based out of Los Angeles, and Nathan James, a respected guitarst who worked with the James Harman Band for five years, played a rural blues duo. Other notable harpists like Mark Hummel, Mitch KIashmar, and Lazy Lester also performed. This group was also heard briefly on the main SFBF stage, as well in other California venues.


More harmonica music was heard on the main stage at the Great Meadow. Ike Cosse was an entertaining one-man show as he played harp and guitar and sang and told stories.

Jackie Greene, 22, was an impressive crowd pleaser with his harp and guitar playing and singing. One critic commented that Jackie had a “more old soul in him than most musicians twice his age.” Matthew Skoller, one of the best harmonica players in Chicago, was a special guest on the Magic Slim and The Teardrops show. Skoller’s harp playing was solid, dramatic, and outstanding. Norton Buffalo has a unique harp style, and he enjoyed playing an acoustic duo with slide guitarist, Roy Rogers. Their set was more country and delta oriented. The two have played together before, and have recorded two duet albums. They have received accolades wherever they have traveled, including a trip to China.





Women were well represented. The gospel legend in the Bay Area is Dorothy Morrison. As lead singer with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, she had a big hit with her recording of “Oh Happy Day.” She sang a great opening performance on Sunday. Bettye Lavette was animated and entertaining onstage. She sang raw, emotional songs with a wide, remarkable vocal range. Her vocal phrasing and delivery were unique. Three powerful vocalists, Angela Strehli, Tracy Nelson, and Linda Tillery, shared the stage to shout the blues. They sang solo and together.




A variety of guitarists-vocalists performed. Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band were very impressive. Melvin made his guitar talk loudly and clearly, and often gave the appearance of attacking his guitar until it sounded like it was on fire. His vocals were Hendrix-like. Southern-born Craig Horton pursued life as a musician in Chicago where he backed Little Walter Jacobs and had jobs with some of the greatest musicians there. He did a stint with the gospel ensemble, The Highway QCs and the R&B soul vocal group, The Dells. Then he dropped out of music and took up day jobs. After the release of his first successful album in 2001, he began touring again. He has been hailed as one of the most original blues performers to be discovered. Nick Curran and the Nitelifes have a different style. Curran, only in his early twenties, played some hot and fast jump-blues of the late 40s and and early 50s.

Some of his music had a big band, jazzy sound, and some of it sounded like Little Richard’s style. Taj Mahal headlined on Saturday. He has been playing African-American roots music for 40 years. He played some mellow blues & R&B, some southern and Caribbean flavored music and some danceable numbers.



Two diverse groups performed. Most of the acts had their own bands, but the preceding musicians were discussed as individuals. The Blue Eyed Devils are a four-member band comprised of Chris Cotton on guitar and vocals; Brett Wheatley, harmonica; Brad Kylnn, standup bass; and Justin Markovits on traps and washboard. This blue-roots band’s music has been compared to the hokum and jugbands of the 1920s and 1930s. They opened on Saturday and sounded more like a fast country, rockabilly band with a predominant bass sound. Roomful of Blues, now composed of eight members, has been called the most danceable swinging band in the country. Their motto is “Aim the beat at the feet.” Some of the numbers they played were danceable, while other ones would have the feet flying around since the tunes were played ten times faster.They also played blues and big band jump-blues. Their style is a blend of Kansas City swing, West Coast jump, New Orleans Funk and Chicago blues.


The Stax Soul Review had some exciting acts, particularly with Eddie Floyd and William Bell. Floyd, who is known for his big R&B hit, “ Knock On Wood,” looked and sounded good, and had some great, high energy. He was with Stax Records, both as a star with hits and as a prolific songwriter, for at least eight years, and continued working after Stax broke up. It is hard to believe he has been performing for over forty years. Bell sang a dynamic show, and seemed as vibrant as he was with Stax. His original, “ You Don’t Miss Your Water,” started his long career at Stax. He too was an exceptional songwriter, and created some of the most beautiful recordings ever released by Stax. After the demise of Stax, Bell continued to be in the charts with his songs. He tours Europe regularly, and headlined the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1995. Carla Thomas, “Queen of Memphis Soul,” is now 55. She sang some of her old hits, like “Gee Whiz,” but her voice was high pitched and weak and easily drowned out by the instruments.



The Ford Blues Band and friends paid a tribute to the late Mike Bloomfield, who revolutionized modern blues guitar as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. This group headlined on Sunday. Guitarist, Robben Ford, who left the Ford Brothers Band in the mid seventies, was first inspired to play the guitar by Bloomfield, and was there to pay tribute to him. Organist, guitarist, and songwriter, Al Kooper, who played on Bloomfield’s “Super Session,” album, which became the best-selling album of Bloomfield’s career, was there. Bloomfield was also a huge influence on guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Chris Cain who also joined the group.Guitarist and vocalist, Joe Louis Walker, a Bloomfield protege, also performed. Nick Gravenites, vocalist-guitarist-songwriter, and a longtime friend of Bloomfield, was also there. Nick co-founded the groundbreaking blues-rock group, The Electric Flag, with Bloomfield.


SEVEN-PART TV PROGRAM ON THE BLUES AIRS
The long-awaited and heavily publicized TV series on ”The Blues” finally was seen on PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) television the end of September. Martin Scorsese was the Executive Producer, and the central theme was how the blues evolved from parochial folk tunes to a universal language. A different director produced each ninety- minute segment independently. Topics were: Feel Like Going Home; The Soul of a Man; The Road to Memphis; Warming By The Devil’s Fire; Godfathers and Sons; Red, White & Blues; and Piano Blues.

Space does not allow for a detailed discussion of the series. Whether it increases knowledge about the blues, and the desire to hear more of them is questionable.Some people have enjoyed the series and have said some of sessions were magnificent while others have been disappointed about the films. On the negative side, some have felt that the material, including the archives of over 100 blues men and women, was loosely or poorly presented like it was a final for a class. Some said there were only snippets of music and too much talking. Others stated that there was too much emphasis on the country acoustic style of blues, and not enough on its variations, including electric, contemporary, and newcomers who are playing the blues today. Comments were made that some of the artists presented, like Ray Charles and Art Tatum in the piano series, weren’t blues people at all. So it is all a matter of seeing the series and forming one’s own opinions.

A lot of commercial material has been released as extensions of the series. Columbia/Legacy soundtracks include “The Soul of A Man,” “Feel Like Going Home,” “Piano Blues;” and “Warming By The Devil’s Fire.” A seven -DVD set of the series was issued by Sony. Individual DVDs of each show will be released sometime in 2004. It hasn’t been decided if “The Blues” series will be released on VHS. A five-CD boxed set, entitled “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues- A Musical Journey,” was issued by Hip-O/UME with new and old tracks from various artists and the soundtracks of: “The Road To Memphis,” “Godfathers and Sons,” and “Red, White and Blues.” There is even a companion book for the series put out by Amistad, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. It is called “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues.” For more information, go to http://www.pbs.org and search “The Blues.” Shout! Factory also released companion “Blues Story 2-CD set,” and “The Blues Story DVD.” Check http://www.shoutfactory.com for more information.


RADIO SERIES EXPLORES THE BLUES
A thirteen hour-long series of radio programs, called “Blues&#153,” was broadcast on more than 225 affiliate stations nationwide on Public Radio International (PRI) the end of September. It was hosted by Grammy-winning blues artist, Keb’ Mo.’ and chronicled the rich history of the blues and its bright future. For more information, contact locally-branded public radio station websites; World Radio Network (internationally); or Sirius Satellite Radio (nationwide).


UPDATES OF ARTISTS
Vocalist, band leader, guitarist, and songwriter, Monica Dupont, is back in the Bay Area after a twenty-year hiatus. She spent years hiding some of her handicaps from the world. She wanted to be judged on her own musical merits, rather than because she was handicapped. She had polio as a child which left nerve and muscle damage. A stroke in early 1983 brought back some of her polio symptoms and now she has Post Polio Syndrome, and is in a wheelchair. She is ready to shine forth with her songwriting and recording. In fact, Hoddyman Records has issued an excellent CD of some of her songs. Her unique, deep baritone voice is evident in the CD which is entitled, “Monica Dupont: Early Eighties.” A “single CD” has also been released with “Meet Me At The Deluxe Inn” and “Try To Find Another Man” on it. Except for “Try To Find Another Man,” all the other songs were written by Monica and have never been released before. For further information, contact: hoddyman@earthlink.net or cotrejack@earthlink.net

Unfortunately, J.J. Malone is battling cancer again. Reports are that he is in good spirits. We wish him a speedy recovery!

Sista Monica is slowly recovering from her bout with cancer. She had 2 surgeries, 3 months of mandatory hospitalized chemotherapy, and 6 weeks of high doses of radiation and all the side effects. She still has months of physical therapy to be able to raise her right arm. She hopes to be back to performing next year.

It is always good to hear a success story. Ralph Novak was once a standard blues sideman, and he played in all local bands including Cool Papa, Mary & The Boys, Monica Dupont in the seventies and eighties. He did all the custom guitar work at Subway Guitars. He invented a great guitar with a revolutionary neck to fit the fingers. It was good for the hand and easy to play. He made acoustic and electric guitars, and got press in many publications, including “Guitar Player.”Now these guitars, named The Novax Fanned Fret Guitars, have become extremely popular, and the company is now prosperous and flourishing. Read more about these guitars at: http://www.novaxguitars.com .


IN A CRUISE MOOD TO HEAR THE BLUES?
There are two blues cruises to start 2004 off. One is by Baby Boomer Travel. It is a four-day, three night blues, zydedo, and superbowl cruise, departing January 30th from Los Angeles and heading down Ensenada, Mexico way. Musicians performing onboard include: The Shane Dwight Band; Little Willie John, Jr.; Jackie Payne; Alvon Johnson; Pamela Hawkins; and Bobby “Spider” Webb. Contact: http://www.babyboomer-travel.com for more details.

The other cruise is a longer seven-day, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, departing from Tampa, Florida on February 7,2004. Ports of call are: Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and Key West, Florida. There are 14 bands of two stages running concurrently each evening, plus all day poolside on the days at sea. Scheduled performers are: Taj Mahal; Little Milton; Tommy Castro; Anthony Gomes; Roomful of Blues; Walter “Wolfman” Washington; Ronnie Baker Brooks; Charlie Musselwhite; Curtis Salgado; Doug Macleod; Susan Tedeschi; Derek Trucks; Rosie Ledet; and Todd Sharpville & The Blues Barrons. For further information, check http://www.bluescruise.com or phone 888-BLUESIN.


MUSICIANS ENTERTAIN AUDIENCES
Bay Area audiences were entertained by: Kenny Neal; Marcia Ball; B.B. King; Dave Hole; Alberta Adams; Sonny Rhodes; Lucky Peterson; Howard Tate; Duke Robillard; Buddy Guy; Tab Benoit; Ron Thompson and Resistors; Susan Tedeschi and Solomon Burke, plus others that played in festivals and other venues.


CD NEWS
Blind Pig Records issued two more CDs: Big Bill Morganfield: “ Blues In The Blood” and Renee’ Austin: “Sweet Talk.” Blues Express released a DVD entitled: Otis Rush : “Live, Part 1.” The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and Blues Music Association (BMA) have issued their second joint CD sampler, “Get The Blues 2.” The 18 songs are priced at only $1.98. This CD debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues Album chart after its first week of sales. This CD had more sales than the first one.

Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson have a new CD, “ Partners In The Blues,” on the Burnside label. “So Low” is the title of the new indy CD of Big Bones. Taj Mahal’s latest CD is “Hanapepe Dream” on the Tone Cool label that he recently signed with. “Triple Trouble” on the Telarc label is the latest release by Tommy Castro, Lloyd Jones, and Jimmy Hall. E.C. Scott’s new CD is “The Other Side Of Me” on Black Bud Records. Gary Vogensen’s indy CD is “Don’t Tell Me About Love.”

The bluesiest shopping around on the web is http://www.bluesmart.com . Now you can sell your blues CDs and products online and accept all credit cards! With no contracts to sign and no set-up fee, offering your CD at Blues Mart is quick and easy!

As the Year Of The Blues comes to an end, keep in mind two of the resolutions of the Congressional declaration. “Blues music is the most influential form of American roots music, with its impact heard around the world in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, and even classical music...Blues is a national historic treasure, which needs to be preserved, studied and documented for future generations."

So that’s it for now. Talk to you again in three months. Maria Bainer