Joanne Shaw Taylor

From across the pond comes a young lady with the licks, credentials  and the savvy to play and sing the blues with the big boys.. I first listened to Joanne Shaw Taylor's debut release: "White Sugar", and was very impressed with what my ears told me. When I heard she was touring and was headed straight towards my Florida location, I made my mind up to go to the show. So a few months back I caught up to her at McWell's here south of downtown Orlando. I had my doubts about this blonde, petite young lady, I must admit. However, with the first few blistering notes of the set I was convinced. She covered the material from the first album and added a few covers and new material to boot. Joanne is extremely talented with her vintage telecaster and hit all the notes, even busting a string or two along the way. The verdict is in: This Lady can play the blues!.

Texas Blues

You do not necessarily have to be from the great state of Texas to play Texas Blues. Although the cities of Austin, Dallas / Fort Worth, Huston and the many musicians in them have pioneered the profound sound of the Texas Blues for years now, we have gladly accepted this style as one of the best. No doubt, modern Texas Blues players are some of the finest musicians in the world. -Anson Funderburgh, Doyle Bramhall Sr., Jimmy Vaughan & the Fabulous Thunderbird's, of course Stevie Ray Vaughan and the subject of our photo blog: Smokin' Joe Kubek, featuring Bnois King. These two guys are a wonder and amazement. They have been the core of this Texas based blues band for over 20 years. Bnois with his smooth vocals and unique guitar style compliment the tenacous guitar licks of Smokin' Joe perfectly. I have seen them several times through the years and encourage you to listen to their downloadable recordings or check them out in a town or festival near you. Enjoy the photos.

Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010

Eric Clapton hosts his tribute to the blues and great guitarists the world over at the annual Crossroads Guitar Festival usually held outside of Chicago. It raises awareness and money for the Crossroads, Centre, Antigua, a premier center for the treatment of alcoholism and drug adiction. Year after year everyone of  the artists Eric personally asks are there to preform at the Festival. Although there is a part of me that would very much like to attend, just to say I was there, I do like the convenience of a Blu-ray Disc with a surround sound system, not to mention the air conditioned comfort of home. The lineup for 2010 was stellar. Sonny Landreth starts things out with a bang as usual. The Guitar hero's line up afterwards: Robert Randolph, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Cray, Jimmy Vaughan, ZZ Top, Doyle Bramhall II, Gary Clark Jr., Keb Mo', Vince Gill, Albert Lee, Earl Klugh, John Mayer, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Warren Haynes, David Hidalgo & Caesar Rosas ( with Los Lobos), Then the super heavyweights begin to appear; Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Ronnie Wood, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood. The night is capped off with "The Thrill Is Gone" BB King and the entire ensemble. That equates to over 3 hours of music, which I think is a good buy for the bucks. The sound quality is crystal clear and well recorded in DTS multi channel. The concert is a great way to sample the music of the greatest players who ever lived! RIP Pinetop Perkins who passed away today at the young age of 97 in Austin, Texas - the oldest Grammy winner.