Yes, the Genuine Thing: Etta James & Rob Stone at House of Blues April 30

Yes, it's the real Etta James who will appear at the Chicago House of Blues on April 30. If you were intrigued (or disappointed) by pop singer Beyonce Knowles' portrayal of Etta in Cadillac Records, then this is your chance to see the great blueswoman live and in person.

The House of Blues rarely has blues bands on its main stage. Most of the bands advertised as playing there, I've never heard of.

What the HOB doesn't advertise much - and this I find really weird in Chicago - is that blues bands play nearly every night on the Back Porch Stage in the restaurant area. One of the bands that plays regularly there is Rob Stone & the C-Notes, the band that will be opening for Etta James.

Rob Stone is an excellent blues harp player who's been performing steadily around the Chicago area since the early 1990s. (I had a chance a while ago to catch the C-Notes at the House of Blues, where I took these photos.) Rob & the C-Notes have also also played at blues festivals all over the world and earlier this year, opened for Sheryl Crow. You can see and hear video of that performance here.






While you're at that link, be sure to watch the videos of Rob playing with Dave Myers in 1996 - great stuff!

B.B. King to Appear at Blues Music Awards May 7

B.B. King will be on hand at the Blues Music Awards ceremony on May 7 in Memphis to present an award named in his honor, the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. Nominees for this award are Janiva Magness, Watermelon Slim, Bobby Rush, Lil' Ed and Magic Slim.

Nominees for all Blues Music Awards categories can be found on the Blues Foundation's website here.

This year's awards ceremony and concert should be fantastic. Performers (info courtesy of the Blues Foundation) will include:

* Bettye LaVette - Detroit-born singer has performed at the Kennedy Center and at Obama's inauguration and counts a #1 Blues Album on the Billboard chart in her storied career.

* Taj Mahal - beloved 2009 Blues Hall of Fame inductee and GRAMMY winner with a four-decade-plus career.

* Irma Thomas - newly minted Blues Hall of Famer and GRAMMY winner is "The Soul Queen of New Orleans."

* Otis Taylor - the banjo-toting trance-blues man and "one of the most innovative, thought-provoking blues artists to emerge in the last 20 years." (Billboard).

* Marcia Ball - piano player/singer counts #1 Blues Albums, of whom Rolling Stone said, "Her songs ring with emotional depth."

* A Chicago Blues Jam with drummer Kenny Smith, drummer/harmonica player Willie Big Eyes Smith (Muddy Waters), bassist Bob Stroger (Otis Rush), guitarist Lurrie Bell (Carrie Bell, Buddy Guy), and others.

* Gaye Adegbalola - acclaimed singer and member of Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, blues historian, and openly gay activist.

* Rory Block - slide guitar player/singer learned directly from Son House and has been called "an inspiration" by Bonnie Raitt.

* Albert Castiglia - Miami-based and a former member of Junior Well's band.

* Janiva Magness - blues/soul songstress of whom No Depression said, "She simply sings heartbreak, hunger and humor--sings 'em with equally great chops and feeling--and lets that speak for itself."

* Kenny Neal - son of Louisiana harmonica great Raful Neal and "one of the brightest young stars on the blues horizon, and a gifted artist" (Blues Revue).

* Maria Muldaur - has scored a platinum record and has recorded with the likes of Ry Cooder and Stevie Wonder.

* Eden Brent - Mississippi piano player nicknamed "Little Boogaloo," performed at President Bush's inauguration in 2005, and won the International Blues Competition in 2006.

* The Mannish Boys - this LA-based "electric blues supergroup" (All Music Guide)

(I'm lovin' all the female blues power in that lineup!)

Tickets are still available for the ceremony. Click here for information.

Eddie C. Campbell at Cool River Blues

Eddie C. Campbell performed Saturday (April 11) at the Cool River Draught House in Homer Glen, Ill. in anticipation of the release of his new CD in May.

The West Side style guitarist was born in Mississippi in 1939 and moved to Chicago when he was only 6. He learned to play guitar two years later, and at age 12, he shared a stage with the legendary Muddy Waters. His early career fused a mixture of the traditional Chicago blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter with the soulful blues sounds of Tyrone Davis, Little Johnny Taylor and Percy Mayfield. This influence of old-school blues, soul, funk and what have you remains in his musical style today.

Add to this the influence of West Side guitarist Magic Sam, a close friend of Eddie's, and the great Jimmy Reed, for whom he became band leader through the 1960s and 70s. He also played with Willie Dixon's All Stars and Koko Taylor, and many more. In the 1980s Eddie lived and recorded in Europe, but returned to the U.S. in the early 1990s. His solo CDs include That's When I Know on Blind Pig.

His newest CD, Tear This World Up will be released May 19 on Delmark Records. It's being produced by Dick Shurman, who was present Cool River to see Eddie perform some of the new songs from the CD as well as his own unique version of some classic blues.

I was still not feeling quite up to par, so I was only able to make it through one set before losing my stamina. Eddie C. Campbell, however, was in fine form and strong voice.

Don't forget, Eddie will headline at the 2009 Chicago Blues Festival, celebrating his 70th birthday at the Petrillo Bandshell on Friday.

Clarksdale, B.B. King Museum & That Was About It

Well, turns out I was sicker than I thought. I finally went to the doctor, who diagnosed pneumonia. Since my last post, I've been basically out of commission. I'm now breathing easier and coughing less, on the road to recovery.

So .... to continue my report on the Mississippi trip. After Helena, we went on to Clarksdale. And ... this is where I first started to get sick. It came on rather suddenly (doctor said probably influenza). As a consequence, I have no more photos. I swear, I thought I was taking some, but when I downloaded them, there were none there. I was truly in a fog.

Anyway, I managed the Delta Blues Museum, as pictured above. They didn't allow photography within the museum. It's a nice little museum, with some interesting exhibits, memorabilia from various blues artists. I remember a full suit of clothing once worn by Little Milton. The centerpiece is a cabin from the Stovall Plantation where Muddy Waters once lived. There's a wax figure of Muddy inside.

A block away from the Delta Blues Museum is the Ground Zero Blues Club. It's a funky looking building with old sofas and chairs on the front porch. Inside, there's the usual bar, a few tables and guitars and posters on the walls. Most notable is that the walls are completely covered with signatures and graffiti from guests. You can kind of see it in the photo of the stage below.



I can't remember for the life of me the name of the band. Sorry. We didn't stay long because I was starting to get a fever.

I didn't make it to any other blues clubs or juke joints because I spent my evenings in the motel room coughing. Fun, fun, fun.

We decided to turn around and head home, but before we did, we managed a visit to the B.B. King Museum in Indianola. Sorry, I don't have pictures. But I highly recommend this museum, not just for blues fans but for anyone interested in the African American experience or Civil Rights Movement. This is a first-class museum. It traces B.B. King's life chronologically from childhood to the present by exhibits of memorabilia, excellent looping videotaped interviews with B.B. King and many others, interactive activities and lots of interpretative signage.

Most impressive is that the museum places B.B. King's life within the context of historical events, and it explores how the events affected his life and how his achievements helped to open doors and pave the way for other African American musicians of all genres. This museum alone is worth a trip to Mississippi.

The only other thing I did on the way home was meet the esteemed Dick Waterman and his lovely wife for breakfast one morning in Oxford. (I pray I did not pass on any germs.)

I am way behind in making posts. I hope to get caught up within the next few days.