• John Primer & Bob Corritore CD now officially released! As of Tuesday, April 16th the CD John Primer & Bob Corritore /Knockin’ Around These Blues has been officially released! Delta Groove‘s promotional department has done a great job of getting the word out in advance. (Thank you Steve Dixon!) The initial response has been exceptional and some of the first reviews can be seen by clicking here! Some solid Chicago Blues here, played by folks who specialize in playing it. To see the Delta Groove webpage about this release click here.
• Texas Red / Bob Corritore / Rocket 88s reunite for a show tonight at the Rhythm Room! Texas Red was a prominent figure of the 1980s Phoenix blues scene before relocating to the Midwest where he released two CDs on the now defunctBlue Loon record label. He now resides in Los Angeles where he works in television production and is the VP of Business Affairs at Authentic Entertainment. Texas Red returns to his old Phoenix stomping grounds for a show tonight at The Rhythm Room, performing with the Rocket 88s and his longtime friend Bob Corritore. Look for a houserockin’ mix of Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and Howlin‘ Wolf songs. The Rhythm Room is located at 1019 E. Indain School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85014.
• Bob Corritore to perform in Poland! Bob Corritore will appear for the first time in Poland thanks to the invitation of MarekWojtowicz, better known as Polish based blues artist Harsh Guitar Mark! Harsh Guitar Mark is a keeper of the flame in his country for traditional down-home blues and the pairing of he and Bob seems very natural. Bob and Harsh Guitar Mark will appear at The Motywy Blues Festival in Racibórz. Poland on April 26th, and 27th. Also appearing at this festival are Murphy Blue (Poland), Jura Bostak, Kamil Quis, Premysl Vecerek (Czech Republic). To see the poster for this festival click here!
• Phoenix Magazine includes Bob Corritore in feature of 25 Most Influential Arizona Musicians! Special thanks toPhoenix Magazine for deeming Bob Corritore among the “25 Most Influential Arizona Musicians” in their forthcoming May issue that is currently being mailed to subscribers! Also on this list are Duane Eddy, Alice Cooper, Glen Campbell, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Waylon Jennings, Rex Allen, Hans Olson, The Meat Puppets,The Tubes, Charles Mingus, CeCe Penison and more! Thank you to writer Niki D’Andrea for putting Bob in such good company. To see Bob’s page of this article click here and to see the preface of the article click here. For more information about Phoenix Magazine and to purchase this issue go to http://www.phoenixmag.com/
• Floyd Dixon Concert Documentary to be shown at Arizona Film Festival in Tucson this weekend! The music documentary Time Brings About A Change; A Floyd Dixon Celebration was released on DVD on March 6 on Bob Auerbach‘sHigh John Records label. This documentary includes interviews and concert footage of Floyd Dixon, Pinetop Perkins, andHenry Gray who were all part of a two day live recording and filming in June of 2006 at the Rhythm Room. This film has been selected for inclusion in the 22nd annual Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson with a viewing time of Saturday April 20, 6pm at The Screening Room, 127 E Congress St, Tucson, AZ 85701. The film was created as an act of kindness by Bob Auerbach upon hearing news of Floyd Dixon‘s terminal cancer. Bob Auerbach immediately initiated this project to stand as a testament to his friend. He called upon the services of Kid Ramos as the musical coordinator and the project came together on very short notice. In addition to the trio of legendary piano greats and Kid Ramos, guests include Johnny Tucker, Joe Banks, Kim Wilson, Fred Kaplan, and Lynwood Slim with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Taylor andRichard Innes and a fine horn section. The project’s credits include director Phillip Cruess, producers Kid Ramos, Lisette Cruess, Bob Corritore and Clarke Rigsby, and executive producer Bob Auerbach who will all plan to be in attendance at the event (Kid has been dealing with some post surgery issues but is hoping to be in attendance). This will be a rare opportunity to see this work on a big screen! To see the DVD cover click here and to read about the CD and DVD on the High John Records website, click here. For information on the Arizona International Film Fest visit their website athttp://www.filmfestivalarizona.com/.
• New photo page of 2012 BMA photos! As we all gear up for this year’s BMAs in Memphis on Thursday May 9th, we look back at the great party that this event was last year (and every year!) This is an event were all the blues family unite for a fantastic night of reflection, music, friendship, style and just plain fun. . Thank you Blues Foundation! To see this page clickhere.
• Delmark releases Tail Dragger’s first recordings! The unstoppable Tail Dragger has received world-wide acclaim for his powerful, take-no-prisoners blues. He has has had numerous CD and DVD releases throughout his long career. A welcome addition to the Tail Dragger catalog will be a full album of his earliest recordings of which only two songs “So Eeze”, and “My Head Is Bald” have been previously released. The CD is called Stop Lyin’, and these early 1980s recordings feature Johnny B. Moore, Willie Kent, Eddie Burks, Little Mack Simmons, Lafeyette Leake and more. Also included are 3 vintage Tail Dragger photos from the Bob Corritore archives! Justin O’Brien’s excellent liner notes state “This is the sound of genuine west side Chicago blues from the 1980’s – a melding of traditional blues with some rule-bending rawness.” For more information on this release and to see the cover, click here. (This just in – Tail Dragger now recalls that these sides are actually late 1970’s, not 1980’s as he originally told Delmark)
• Blues News from Italy! Blues is a universal art form that no longer has any borders. Italy has its own great blues community with lots of activity and commitment. Marino Grande, editor of the longstanding Italian blues magazine IL Blues, writes that his magazine is now available to subscribers on-line and that he has a new website at http://www.ilblues.org/   which Marino says is “for constantly updated news and concert reviews to be closer to our blues fans all around the world.” Also from Italy comes a solid, straight ahead traditional blues release by Italian harmonica ace Egidio “Juke” Ingala & The Jacknives titled Tired Of Beggin’ on Vintage Roots Records. Italian blues guitar great Luca Giordano has forthcomingcollaborations out with both Kathrine Davis and Spanish harp man Quique Gomez (separate releases). Itailian harp wizardMarco Pandofi reports that he is a guest on a new CD by Piero De Luca & Big Fat Mama called Beware Of The Wolf (A Tribute To Howlin’ Wolf) which is co-produced by noted Italian blues writer Luigi Monge. Harmonica player Fabrizio Poggireleased an all instrumental CD called Harpway 61 dececated to all his harmonica heros, and with all proceeds going to the Blues Foundation. Italian promoter and producer Tano Ro of Feeling Good Productions is consistantly active in his efforts to present blues to Italian audiences. Radio host Simone Bargelli hosts the program Rock ‘n’ Blues Today which can be heard on podcast by clicking here. Thanks to our blues friends in Italy for keeping the blues alive!
• New Trickbag CD with star-studded cast! The new CD Trickbag / With Friends Vol. 1 features this top European blues combo with an huge array of special guests including James Harman, John Nemeth, Lynwood Slim. Barrelhouse Chuck,Sven Zetterberg, Bob CorritoreMay 24 by clicking here.
• Forthcoming documentary on America’s iconic blues venues! 24 Seven Concepts is producing a 12 episode documentary, focusing on America’s iconic blues venues that will be called Blues, Brews & BBQ. Per the website:

“In each episode of America’s Blues, Brews & BBQ, we take viewers on a tour of one of America’s iconic blues music venues. During the 12 episodes, we travel from coast-to-coast exploring the rich history of these entertainment landmarks and their influence on the musicians, the community and the blues genre itself. We’ll look at the uniqueness of each venue and also discover the common elements that connect each of them to one another: delicious foods, custom drinks and micro brews, an eccentric atmosphere and an obvious passion for the music by owners and customers alike. Each episode connects to the total content and flow of the entire series. It will inspire viewers to want to experience these legendary blues venues firsthand.”

Venues featured will be:

Rosa’s Blues Lounge – Chicago, IL

The Slippery Noodle – Indianapolis, IN

The Jewish Mother – Virginia Beach, VA

Black Eyed Sally’s – Hartford, CT

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups – St. Louis, MO

Knuckleheads Saloon – Kansas City, MO

The Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ

The Arcadia Blues Club – Arcadia, CA

Biscuits & Blues – San Francisco, CA

Oskar’s Blues – Lyons, CO

The Rum Boogie Café – Memphis, TN

Ground Zero – Clarksdale, MS

• Muddy Waters sings “Tiger In Your Tank” on YouTube! Please enjoy this great footage of the Muddy Waters band performing “Put A Tiger In Your Tank” at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. To see this clip click here.