- The Washington Post -
New Fines for Indecency
FCC Hits 'Without a Trace,' 'Surreal Life,' PBS Broadcast
By Steven Levingston
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 16, 2006; Page D01

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday proposed nearly $4 million
in fines for violating the agency's indecency standards, targeting a range
of TV programming from a hit CBS drama to Spanish-language broadcasts to a
PBS documentary on bluesmen.

...The FCC also found that the Martin Scorsese-produced documentary "The
Blues: Godfathers and Sons" was indecent because it aired profanity. Aired
on a non-commercial, educational channel in San Mateo, Calif., it contained
"numerous obscenities, including the F-Word, the S-Word and various
derivatives of those words," the FCC said. The station was fined $15,000.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein dissented from the
decision on the documentary. He argued that the obscenities had a role to
play in fully depicting the culture and context of the blues world. "It is
clear from a common sense viewing of the program that coarse language is
part of the culture of the individuals being portrayed," Adelstein wrote in
a statement.

John Crigler, a communications lawyer with the D.C. office of Garvey
Schubert Barer, worried that the FCC was backing away from a tradition of
acknowledging context and news value in documentary programming and
establishing a rigid rule on words that are acceptable or not on the air.
"The list of bad words is no longer limited to seven," Crigler said. "The
commission is willing to proceed on the theory that there is some list of
words that is so shocking in nature that they will be presumptively indecent
regardless of the context."

B.B. KING OFFERS SIGNED GUITAR FOR MISSING DOG

LOS ANGELES - B.B. King's dog, Lucille, has disappeared, and the legendary bluesman is offering an autographed copy of one of his signature "Lucille" guitars in an effort to get her back.

The 2-year-old white female Maltese, named after King's signature guitar, went missing about 10 days ago in West Hollywood while she was under the care of his co-manager, Matthew Lieberman.
"We're not sure how she got out of the yard, perhaps a gate was ajar," Lieberman said in a statement Monday.

Canvassing nearby animal shelters and putting up some 500 signs failed to turn up any trace of Lucille so the 80-year-old musician decided to offer a signed guitar as a reward.

To sum things up right away, just believe that this event is unparalleled for a musical adventure. The ambience of Beale Street is taken to the level of a music lovers paradise, with "the largest gathering of Blues bands in the World".

The adventure begins the moment you set foot on Beale, and start to feel the history and heritage of the Blues begin to move you. So many talented artists either called Memphis home, or simply followed the pull this musical magnet exerted on them. Spend a few hours at the Stax museum, and you'll not only learn of the Memphis legends like Rufus and Carla Thomas, or Memphis Slim, you'll see the connection of Ike Turner to the Memphis region, and how intertwined St. Louis is in the origin of the Blues.

 

This year marked a milestone, as a St. Louis band - Phat noiz - was competing in the band semi-finals, but also competing for "best self-produced CD". We caught Phat noiZ the second night of semi-finals, performing at Wet Willies on Beale, down near Handy park. As typical for any Phat noiZ performance, Alvin, Frank, Matt & Jeremy put on a stellar performance to a SRO house of fans, and the audience obviously loved the band as much as the band was enjoying the moment!

Phat noiZ didn't make the finals, but as a judge at the IBC, I can attest to how very hard it is to select from the 'best of the best', as each one of the IBC semi-finalists were! Making it to the IBC semi-finals meant they were among the best of their hometown - with 10 countries and countless cities & Blues Societies represented. Just reaching this level of competition made each one of these bands a winner, in my opinion.

STLBlues was honored to provide 3 judges for this competition - our Memphis Street Teamer Mr. Jim Mills, himself a very talented Memphis based artist - Mr James Von Tellrop, our West Coast Street Teamer, and myself. We want to thank Jay, Joe and Percy of the Blues Foundation for pulling off the 22nd Annual IBC as smoothly as they did, as it's an enormous undertaking of logistics, volunteers, and musicians combining to make this event a true success. See you at the 2007 IBC - let's have a even bigger St. Louis presence!

2006 IBC Winners

Joey Gilmore and Eden Brent
Eden Brent, sponsored by Blues Foundation affiliate, Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola MS, was judged best in the solo/duo competition Saturday afternoon. Joey Gilmore, the South Florida Blues Society representative took first place honors in the band division Saturday night. Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz, with the Blues Lovers United of San Diego finished second and Jill West and Blues Attack (Blues Society of Western PA) placed third. The Albert King Award for most promising guitarist was awarded to Zack Weisinger with the Jill West and Blues Attack.

IBC Finalists

1. Aunt Kizzy'z Boyz -- Blues Lovers United of San Diego

2.Big Robert T & the Scene of the Crime -- Atlanta Blues Society

3. Lil Cliff and the Cliffhangers -- Downstate NY Blues Association

4. The Mercury Brothers -- (Iowa Affiliates)

5. The Eoff Brothers Band -- Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas

6. Joey Gilmore -- South Florida Blues Society

7. Michael John & The Bottom Line -- Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society

8. Jill West and Blues Attack -- Blues Society of Western PA

9. The Forty Fours -- Southern California Blues Society

10. A.J.& the Two Tone Blues Band -- Sonny Boy Blues Society

11. Mr Nicks Blues Mafia -- Boston Blues Society

IBC Solo / Duo Finalists

The solo/duo finalists that went head to head at the sold-out Center for Southern Folklore Saturday afternoon were:

1. Ben Prestage -- Blues Alliance of the Treasure Coast FL

2. Joe Price -- (Iowa Affiliates)

3. Eden Brent -- Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola MS

4. Noah Earle -- Kansas City Blues Society KS

5. Tommy Keys -- Long Island Blues society

6. Julien Brunestaud & Gullaume Nouax -- Blues Sur Seine

2006 Keeping the Blues Alive Award Recipients:

Blues Club: Chord On Blues St. Charles, Illinois
Blues Organization: Detroit Blues Society Detroit, Michigan
Education: David Berntson Tulsa, Oklahoma
Festival: Beale Street Music Festival Memphis, Tennessee
Film, Television, or Video: Lightning in a Bottle Antoine Fuqua, Director; Alex Gibney, Producer; Martin Scorsese, Executive Producer New York, NY
Historical Preservation: River Music Experience Davenport, Iowa
Internet: Blues Bytes Bill Mitchell, Tempe, Arizona
Journalism: Sean McDevitt New York, New York
Literature: The B.B. King Treasures Dick Waterman, Oxford, Mississippi
Manager: Jim Bateman Bogalusa, Louisiana
Photography: Paul Natkin Chicago, Illinois
Print Media: Blues Festival Guide Reno, Nevada
Producer: Bruce Bromberg Pacific Palisades, California
Promoter: Ted Boomer Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Publicist: Cary Baker, conqueroo Sherman Oaks, California
Radio (Commercial): Bill Wax, XM Satellite Radio Washington, DC
Radio (Public): KPFT Radio Houston, Texas
Record Label: M.C. Records Mark Carpentieri, Huntington Station, New York
Retailer: Twist & Shout Denver, Colorado
Sponsor: BMI New York, New York

2006 Blues Music Awards Nominees Announced

Acoustic Album of the Year
A Ship Called Love - Eric Bibb
Birthright - James Blood Ulmer
Down In The Delta - Paul Oscher
In Your Arms Again - John Hammond
Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul - Maria Muldaur

Acoustic Artist of the Year
Corey Harris
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Paul Oscher
Rory Block

Album of the Year
About Them Shoes - Hubert Sumlin
Anything Can Happen - Magic Slim & the Teardrops
Sadie Mae - Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
That Represent Man - The Mannish Boys
Think of Me - Little Milton

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
Bobby Rush
Buddy Guy
Little Milton
Magic Slim
Marcia Ball

Band of the Year
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Holmes Brothers
Little Charlie & the Nightcats
Magic Slim and the Teardrops
Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers

Best New Artist Debut
Billy Gibson - The Billy Gibson Band
Duwayne Burnside - Under Pressure
Eddie Turner - Rise
Mitch Kashmar - Nickels and Dimes
Zac Harmon - The Blues According to Zacariah

Comeback Album of the Year
Better To Have It - Bobby Purify
Black Coffee - Al Kooper
Club Caravan - Big George Brock
Flash Forward - The Siegel-Schwall Band
Soul Sanctuary - Hollywood Blue Flames

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Fever For The Bayou - Tab Benoit
Gettin' My Groove Back - Elvin Bishop
Live! Down The Road - Marcia Ball
Soul Shaker - Tommy Castro
The Soul Truth - Shemekia Copeland

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Debbie Davies
Janiva Magness
Marcia Ball
Shemekia Copeland
Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Kim Wilson
Sonny Landreth
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro

Historical Album of the Year
Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Recordings, Volume 2, 1952-1958 - Muddy Waters, (Chess/Hip-O Select)
Stompin' At Mother Blues - J.B. Hutto, (Delmark Records)
Strictly Live... in '85 Plus - James Harman, (Pacific Blues)
The Essential Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal, (Legacy Recordings)
The Great Johnny Adams Blues Album - Johnny Adams, (Rounder Records)

Instrumentalist-Bass
Bill Stuve
Bob Stroger
Larry Taylor
Michael "Mudcat" Ward
Mookie Brill

Instrumentalist-Drums
Jimi Bott
Popsy Dixon
Sam Carr
Sam Lay
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Bob Margolin
Charlie (Little Charlie) Baty
Hubert Sumlin
Kirk Fletcher
Ronnie Earl
Sonny Landreth

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Carey Bell
Charlie Musselwhite
James Cotton
Kim Wilson
Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist-Horn
Big James Montgomery
Calvin Owens
Eddie Shaw
Greg Piccolo
Mark Kazanoff
Sax Gordon

Instrumentalist-Other
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Fiddle
Otis Taylor - Banjo
Rich DelGrosso - Mandolin
Robert Randolph - Pedal Steel
Sonny Rhodes - Lap Steel

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year
Dr. John
Henry Butler
Honey Piazza
Jon Cleary
Marcia Ball

Song of the Year
"Dubb's Talkin' Politician Blues", written by Doug MacLeod, performed by Doug MacLeod, Dubb
"Think Of Me", written by Jon Tiven, Milton Campbell, Pete Shoulder, performed by Little Milton, Think of Me
"Twenty", written by Robert Cray, performed by Robert Cray, Twenty
"What the Hell is Going On", written by Elvin Bishop, performed by Elvin Bishop, Gettin' My Groove Back
"Who Stole My Radio?", written by John Hahn & Joe Hudson, performed by Shemekia Copeland, The Soul Truth

Soul Blues Album of the Year
I'm From Phunkville - Mem Shannon
I've Got My Own Hell to Raise - Betty LaVette
Make Do With What You Got - Solomon Burke
Night Fishin' - Bobby Rush
Respect Yourself - Otis Clay
Think of Me - Little Milton

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Bettye LaVette
Denise LaSalle
Irma Thomas
Mavis Staples
Sista Monica Parker

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush
Little Milton
Mem Shannon
Mighty Sam McClain
Solomon Burke

Traditional Album of the Year
About Them Shoes - Hubert Sumlin
Anything Can Happen - Magic Slim & the Teardrops
Jukin' at Bettie's - Willie King
Sadie Mae - Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
That Represent Man - The Mannish Boys

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Ann Rabson
Etta James
Koko Taylor
Maria Muldaur
Nora Jean Bruso
Precious Bryant
Ruth Brown

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
B.B. King
Hubert Sumlin
Magic Slim
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Willie King

For more information visit The Blues Foundation website at: www.blues.org

TOKYO (March 16)—Japanese Blues Brother Mitsu sent me an e-mail Monday telling me that a friend of his, Tada, will be back in Japan next week to give a couple of special performances in the old hometown.

For the past seven years or so, Tada has been soaking up the blues tradition in Memphis;as Mitsu—who heads up The Delta Blues Project—did in NYC himself.

Here's the gig info:
March 20th (Sun)
DELTA BLUES PROJECT + TADA from Memphis
MITSU (Vocals & Guitar), TADA (Vocals & Guitar), TAKEZOO (Guitar), HIDE (Drums)
at:
BAR PA⋅TRUSH
Kuchi-Biru 3f
1-2-15 Jiyugaoka
Meguro-Ku
Tokyo
(near Jiyugaoka Station on the Tooyoko Line)
Tel: 03-3724-7355
Start 9 p.m.
Tickets: ¥500
http://www.nn-jiyugaoka.com/cgi-bin/jiyugaoka.cgi?0014

*March 26th (Sat)
MITSU (Vocals & Guitar), TADA (Vocals & Guitar), TAKEZOO (Guitar)
at:
Blues Club CHICAGO
KONNO-HAITSU 2F
3-37-5 ASAGAYA MINAMI
SUGINAMI-KU,TOKYO
(near Asagaya Station by Chuo Line)
Tel: 03-3398-6171
Start 9 p.m.
Tickets: ¥600
http://www.chicagoplanning.com/chicago.html

A bit about Mitsu:
I first met Mitsu at the Hoochie Coochie blues club in Daikanyama, Tokyo, when I stopped in for a beer on the way to see Pamela MacCarthy, who was playing at Tableaux, just down the road.
I was immediately taken by Mitsu's raw, burning passion for the blues. A commodity not often encountered in young bluesmen. He has a passion for the blues that couldn't be beaten down with a three-foot stick. I got proof of this later that night when, inbetween sets,he told me that he had played the Appollo Theater in Harlem not once—but twice. And that takes a big pair of brass ones.
When Mitsu lived in New York for three years where he played with Floyd Lee (a.k.a. Ted Williams), who is the cousin of John Lee Hooker.

"He taught me a lot of things, about Mississippi, about Soul Food, how to live in Harlem... whatever," Mitsu says.

Since coming back to Japan, Mitsu has continued to play the blues, putting together The Delta Blues Project.

Mitsu is a real bluesman. The blues course thru his veins like the Mississippi course thru the Delta.





DELTA BLUES PROJECT Vol.1
1. Red Dress
2. Chameleon
3. Oborotsukiyo (Music & Lyric / Mitsu)
4. Annie had a baby
5. Senjou no tsuki (Give me one drink,just before I go) (Music / Mitsu)
6. Walkin' like a Dog (Music / Mitsu)
7. I remember our Soul (Music & Lyric / Mitsu)

Distributed by COMPOZILA .INC
a.e.records AECA-10010
Price ¥1,500
Available: HMV, TOWER RECORDS,Virgin MEGASTORE, DISC UNION, TSUTAYA and SHINSEIDOU.

On the Web:
DELTA BLUES PROJECT Official Web Site

TOKYO (March 15)—Blues fans worldwide worried about the future of the genre breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when pop star Christina Aguilera announced she is planning to ditch her sexy image and transform herself into a blues diva.

Aguilera is famous for raunchy hits such as "Dirty," and her skimpy outfits and sexy dance routines.

But Christina has decided now that she is marrying boyfriend Jordan Bratman she needs a more mature sound to match her new outlook on life&mdashand is working on a retrospective album of blues, jazz and soul songs.

"I've been listening to Billie Holiday and Lena Horne," Aguilera told The New York Daily News.
:: Les Wednesday, March 16, 2005 [+] ::

Pomona, CA (March 04)—There are some people who go through life never finding out what it is they were put on Earth for, sadly never finding that passion that drives their soul.

Others might discover their calling in midlife, which may or may not cause a crisis, depending on whether they act on those dreams and how much upheaval it may cause in the lives of those around them.

Sometimes, that drive is overpowering; other times, it might cause an edgy wistfulness shrouded in what could have been.

Then there are those rare, lucky people who know early on exactly what path they will head down. For them, it is as simple as throwing a light switch on.

David Kearney was 6 years old when he saw the fire and passion of his future. It lay in a case under his uncle's bed.

"My grandmother raised me," the Houston native says of his childhood in Kissimmee, Fla., "and she was my Uncle Willie's mother. He used to play guitar, and it fascinated me. I would sneak into his room and pull it out of its case; he kept it under his bed. I would mess with the strings, tightening them, trying to get the sound I wanted.

"But I couldn't do it like my uncle, and I'd end up falling on the floor, kicking and screaming, throwing a real tantrum. And my grandmother would come and try and find out what was the matter with me."

He chuckles.

"She eventually got tired of running back and forth, and finally she asked my uncle, 'please do me a favor, and teach this boy how to play that guitar before I kill him.' So I'd sit in his lap and he'd put my fingers on the strings and show me how to make sounds. For me, there was never any question what I would do with my life. I made up my mind when I picked up the guitar that that was it."

He hasn't stopped since. Tonight, he plays at Yesteryears Cafe in Pomona, where his passion for the blues music he learned as a youngster and the showmanship he developed through countless dates on the road in various bands will be on display. But the name "David Kearney" will be nowhere in sight; instead, the marquee will read "Guitar Shorty."

"I started playing weekends in Tampa with an 18-piece band led by Walter Johnson, and he'd sit me on a stool out in front and told me to just stroke along with the rhythm, playing the chords in front of me as I learned the songs, which I did."

It wasn't long before the young teenager was the featured guitarist and vocalist, and eventually was nicknamed Guitar Shorty, which he's kept.

Blues legend Willie Dixon heard him, and brought him up to Chicago, where he cut his first single at 17. Soon, he was on the road playing guitar with another legend, Ray Charles.

"Ray loved to hear me sing 'Sweet Little Angel,' and it would be the tune that he'd come on stage for," Shorty says. "He would show me chord progressions, and explain them to me, and he taught me how to concentrate on the time, not to be too hasty to do things on the guitar, whether playing lead or rhythm."

He left Charles's band to go on the road with another hero, Guitar Slim, whose legendary stage antics - rolling on the floor, snaking the cord as he ran into the crowd - Shorty soon began adapting for his own use.

"I figured if he can do that, then I could do back flips," he says simply.

The showmanship and physicality of Shorty's guitar playing would eventually have an impact on another young guitarist, who would also become his brother-in-law.

"When I was living in Seattle, this young woman would come in every weekend and request 'Hey Jude' by the Beatles," he says.

Eventually, they began dating and married. Her name was Marsha Hendrix, Jimi's stepsister.

"He used to come see me play, and at the time his style was mine. I can hear things in 'Purple Haze' and 'Hey Joe,' which I do now as a tribute to both of us, that were from me. He took what I had and did something with it. And when we finally met, it was simply 'Welcome to the family, bro.' "

Shorty ended up in Los Angeles, and has been in Southern California ever since, more than 30 years. He made his first solo album in 1990 while on tour in England, and it earned the W.C. Handy Award for Contemporary Foreign Blues Album the following year.

Since then, he has recorded five more, all to rave reviews. His latest, Watch Your Back, his first for Alligator Records, is still selling extremely well.

"There have been a few bumps on the road," he says, "but I don't think I'll ever quit doing this, as long as I'm drawing breath."

Source: Paul Andersen, U-Entertainment

Daughter of bluesman Roy Gaines creates a school program to introduce students to American blues music

Torrance,CA, (March 11)—Carolyn Washington doesn't have anything against rap music. She just wants the blues to get its fair shake.

Daughter of longtime bluesman Roy Gaines, Washington grew up with blues music and saw her father perform at venues all over the country. But as time wore on, there were fewer and fewer young people in the audience. And that gave her an idea.

"I've been wanting to introduce this music to the kids," said Washington, 44, of Los Angeles. "Blues tells a story, and it will be fresh and new to them. All we hear about is rap, rap, rap."

Inspired by a similar effort in Canada, Washington created the Blues Schools program in 2002, which teaches students in all grade levels about the music's history, then brings the lessons to life with performances on campus.

So far, she's brought the blues to seven local schools, including Wilmington Park Elementary School, where 400 fourth and fifth graders were treated to an hourlong concert by Gaines and his band last week.

"I believe kids can be saved through blues music," Washington said. "It's not going to make them call each other names or wear their pants hanging half down. It produces positive images for the students. It's time for them to pull up their pants and listen to some blues."




Lead Belly loved, and was love, by children


She begins the Wilmington Park program by telling students about artists such as Lead Belly, "King of the 12-String Guitar," who played blues for children in the 1920s. She tells them about Bessie Smith and Blind Lemon Jefferson, about Atlantic Records and electric guitars. Then she brings them up to the present, talking about 23-year-old Grammy-nominated blues singer Shemekia Copeland and introducing them to her father, Gaines.

Then the school auditorium becomes a concert hall. The floor is lined with chairs, and the stage holds a keyboard and drum set. Gaines comes out wearing a khaki suit and matching fedora, plugs in his acoustic guitar and starts playing the blues.

Toes immediately begin tapping, and soon kids are openly clapping. Several clutch disposable cardboard cameras. Even the teachers bop their heads as music fills the room. One volunteers to snap photos for the students, juggling three or four cameras at a time.

"The blues have a way of marking time," Gaines tells the audience, putting the music in historical context. "Blues, jazz and gospel are not three different things. They're one thing, created by the black people of America."

When Gaines trades his acoustic for a shiny red Stratocaster, the crowd lets out an admiring "Ooooooh." And they had to smile when the 65-year-old guitarist dropped onto his back and wiggled his feet in the air, playing all the while.

"This opens up the children to all types of music," said teacher Rebecca Escobar. "Most of them listen to pop and rap, and they don't know about this kind of music, but they can really get into it."

Fernando Garcia, 11, became an instant fan.

"This is much more better than rap," he said. "Because Roy Gaines is good at playing guitar, and the sound is good."

Classmate Moises Cortes, 10, agreed.

"It's more interesting than rock 'n' roll and more soft than Metallica," he said. "It's nice to learn about other kinds of music."

Schools need music and cultural education now more than ever, administrators said.

"Music programs are one of the first things (districts) cut," said principal Deborah Bina-O'Brien. "The more exposure kids get, the better."

Blues Schools is funded by private and corporate contributions. Washington said she hopes to expand the program with the support of record companies. After all, she's creating a new market for the music.

"Now we've got kids wanting to buy blues music," she said. "The blues will never die, but it can always capture some new fans along the way."

Source: Daily Breeze

BATON ROUGE, La. (March 11)—A member of a Baton Rouge blues music family was killed and another woman was wounded after the singer's ex-boyfriend opened fire in a beauty salon before wounding himself, police said.

Singer Jackie Neal, who was in her late 30s, and Angela Myers, who was trying to run away were shot about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, said police Maj. Pat Tauzin. Neal died at the scene, while Myers and James White, who allegedly fired the shots, suffered critical injuries, Tauzin said.

Police planned to book White with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, Tauzin said.

Neal was the daughter of internationally known Baton Rouge bluesman Raful Neal and the brother of musician Kenny Neal. She released three CDs between 1995 and 2002 that veered between blues, funk and pop.

Neal's brother and band leader, Larry Neal, said his sister, who was one of 10 siblings, was planning a European tour with her band.

"She was deep into her music. Her goal was to be successful in what she did," he said. "She's just a loving person."