Magazine's 15th annual awards honor Lurie Bell, Bobby Rush, Koko Taylor

By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com

With issue #197, now on the newsstand, Living Blues magazine has announced the winners of its 15th annual Living Blues Awards. The publication offers readers the results of two different votes, the first being its critics' poll and the second being a poll of the magazine's readers. Here's the list of this year's winners:

Blues Artist of the Year (Male) Lurrie Bell

Blues Artist of the Year (Female) Koko Taylor

Best Live Performer Bobby Rush

Artist Deserving More Attention Catherine Russell

Most Outstanding Blues Singer - Solomon Burke

Comeback Artist of the Year Nappy Brown  read more »

HEY FRIENDS, JUST A NOTE TO GET THE WORD OUT AND REMIND YOU... IF YOU LOVE THE BLUES AND BLUES HARMONICA LIKE I DO...YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS SHOW... MARK HUMMEL & THE BLUES SURVIVORS BLUES HARMONICA BLOWOUT!!! THIS TOUR SERIES FEATURING: RICK ESTRIN,MAGIC DICK, MARK HUMMEL & THE BLUES SURVIVORS WITH THE EXCELLENT RUSTY ZINN ON GUITAR! Since 1991 Mark has been both producing and performing at his annual Blues Harmonica Blowout series. These shows have grown to be a much-heralded event and continue to draw sellout crowds wherever they appear! THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...NOVEMBER 19 AT THE YALE DOORS OPEN @6:30 8:00 PM SHOWTIME!  read more »

This week's playlist:

• Kokomo Blues by David Jacobs-Strain, from Ocean Or A Teardrop (2004); available through the discography page at David's site, from NorthernBlues.com and the iTunes Music Store. Visit DavidJacobs-Strain.com for more information.  read more »

Bullfrog Brown "Mother River Delta" "The new voice and sound of the old blues." -- John Vermilyea, Blues Underground Network "Huge stage presence and a superb band." -- Dave Raven, BFBS Radio 2 "More real than the real thing." -- Ren Malines, Virus de Blues Estonia's premier blues export Bullfrog Brown will be returning to London in April 2008 to launch their new EP, "Mother River Delta". In addition to Alar Kriisa on vocals and Andres Roots on guitar, all London shows will feature special guest Steve Lury on harmonica - the same line-up will be appearing at the Augustibluus blues festival and the Baltic-Nordic Harmonica Festival in Estonia later this year. Son Jack Jr.  read more »

By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com

Sadly, we have to report on the passing of blues harpist Pat Ramsey, who died on Monday, November 17th, 2008 after a lengthy illness. Best known for his work on Johnny Winter's critically-acclaimed 1978 album White Hot & Blue, Ramsey was a veteran of over 30 years in the trenches.

A Louisiana native, Ramsey found himself in Denver in the early-1970s, playing with the Bunny Brooks Band. Even then a skilled harp blaster, Ramsey came to the attention of guitarist/Johnny Winter band member Rick Derringer, who recommended the young harmonica player to Winter. Ramsey later relocated to Florida to join Allman Brothers Band member Butch Trucks as part of his late-1970s band Trucks.  read more »

Blues lovers are in a particularly difficult situation when it comes to their blues heros. Since many of the members of the blues royalty are older, the blues fan runs the risk of picking up the paper or turning on the radio to find out that another bluesman (or woman) has passed on. Although it's not easy to absorb the loss of any blues favorite regardless of age, the loss of a younger blues personality seems even more difficult to bear. Such is the case with William Clarke, whose 1987 W. C.  read more »

Blind Pig Records is set to release a new studio CD from vocalist Robin Rogers, and audiophile 180-gram LP releases from Johnny Shines and Snooky Pryor, Charlie Musselwhite, and Jimmy Thackery. These releases will be in stores on June 24th, but you can order them now by clicking on the links below.

Robin Rogers "Treat Me Right"

With her deeply expressive and soulful voice, and an infectious enthusiasm for the blues, Robin Rogers has developed a devoted and growing following. She was a finalist in the Blues Foundation's 2004 International Blues Challenge, and won the following year's "Best Self-Produced CD" Award. Treat Me Right fulfills the promise of her previous achievements, revealing an accomplished artist of rare polish and originality. It features perhaps her most powerful composition, "Color Blind Angel," which took second place in the blues category of the 2007 International Songwriters Competition.  read more »

If the blues has always been about extremes in the spectrum of human emotion, what could be more extreme than the emotionally and financially expensive aftermath of romantic upheaval and marital meltdown?  read more »

Like the great bluesmen that preceded him, Charlie Musselwhite's roots lie deep in the South. Though he's often mentioned in the same breath as the other young, white players who introduced the blues to a worldwide popular audience in the mid 1960s, Charlie is really cut from a different cloth. He didn't learn the blues from records or the radio, or by taking pilgrimages to South Side Chicago clubs from his middle class home. Born in the Mississippi hill country in 1944, he grew up poor in Memphis.  read more »