Blues
John Mayall, Godfather of British Blues, dead at 90
Mayall's band the Bluesbreakers gave rise to future music legends including Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, and more John Mayall, Godfather of British Blues, Dead at 90 Scoop Harrison and Jo Vito
T Bone Burnett announces first US tour in 18 years
The tour arrives in support of Burnett's new album The Other Side. T Bone Burnett Announces First US Tour in 18 Years Paolo Ragusa
Jeff Beck Tribute Concerts to Feature Eric Clapton, Johnny Depp, Billy Gibbons, Rod Stewart, and More
The tribute shows will take place May 22nd and 23rd at London's Royal Albert Hall. Jeff Beck Tribute Concerts to Feature Eric Clapton, Johnny Depp, Billy Gibbons, Rod Stewart, and More Jon Hadusek
Fantastic Negrito Announces New Album Grandfather Courage
Fantastic Negrito has announced his new album Grandfather Courage, an acoustic reimagining of his 2022 full-length White Jesus Black Problems. It’s out on February 3rd via his own Stormfront Records. Grandfather Courage contains 11 songs in total and brings a new perspective to White Jesus Black Problems, which was based on the true story of his seventh-generation white Scottish grandmother, an indentured servant who lived in 1750s colonial Virginia in a common law marriage with his seventh-generation Black enslaved grandfather. The album was created with the help of Negrito’s touring band and includes a previously released reworking of “Oh Betty,” which was nominated in the Best American Roots Performance category for the 2023 Grammys. As a new preview, Negrito has shared the reimagi...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Kick Off Tour with Led Zeppelin and Everly Brothers Covers: Setlist + Video
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss kicked off their Raise the Roof world tour on Thursday (June 1st) in Canandaigua, New York, where they performed tracks from their two collaborative albums and even a few Led Zeppelin classics. Watch videos from the concert and see the full setlist below. Beginning with “Rich Woman,” the Dorothy LaBostrie and McKinley Millet-penned track that opened the duo’s 2007 smash Raising Sand, Plant and Krauss went on to perform cuts like The Everly Brothers’ “The Price of Love” and Raise the Roof original “High and Lonesome.” Perhaps most exciting, however, was their duet of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” which Plant and Krauss had never before performed together. Sharing vocal duties, the pair countrified the song with a boisterous violin and shu...
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Break Up
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion have broken up, frontman Jon Spencer has confirmed. The New York blues trio announced a hiatus in 2016, but Spencer says the band no longer has plans to regroup. Hot off his time in Pussy Galore, singer-guitarist Spencer formed the Blues Explosion with guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins in 1991, fusing blues and rock and roll guitar carnage with punk and soul. The trio released nine studio albums across their career; their last release was 2015’s Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015. In a new interview with Kreative Kontrol podcast, Spencer said that shortly after their last album’s release, Bauer contracted a respiratory illness that made it difficult for the band to continue. “We had a good run,” Spencer said. The artist released his...
Bonnie Raitt Announces New Album Just Like That…, Shares “Made Up Mind”: Stream
Bonnie Raitt has readied her 21st(!) album, Just Like That… Ahead of the project’s April 22nd release day, the singer-songwriter has shared first single “Made Up Mind,” and announced a massive, eight-month tour. Raitt recorded Just Like That… last summer with collaborators old and new. Longtime bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson and drummer Ricky Fataar return to their posts, while new additions Glenn Patscha and Kenny Greenberg lend keyboards, backing vocals, and guitar. George Marinelli, Raitt’s longtime guitarist and songwriting partner, also returns for the track “Livin’ for the Ones.” Raitt produced the album herself in collaboration with engineer Ryan Freeland. “On this record, I wanted to stretch,” Raitt said of Just Like That… “I always want to find songs that excite me, an...
Syl Johnson, Chicago Soul and Blues Singer, Dies at 85
Syl Johnson, a Chicago soul singer and blues artist whose work was sampled by top hip-hop artists, has died at age 85, his family said Sunday (Feb. 6). “A fiery, fierce, fighter, always standing for the pursuit of justice as it related to his music and sound, he will truly be missed by all who crossed his path. His catalog and legacy will be remembered as impeccable and a historical blueprint to all who experience it,” said a statement from his family, including Johnson’s daughter, Syleena Johnson, a Grammy-nominated singer. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Family members did not give further details on his death, including the cause. His death comes days after his brother, fellow blues artist Jimmy Johnson, died at 93. Syl Johnson was known for 1960s hits including “Come On Sock...
Lady A and Lady A Settle Lawsuits over Shared Name
Blues veteran Lady A and country superstars Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) have agreed to settle a lawsuit over their shared name. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, they filed joint requests for dismissal on Monday. Details have not been made public, and it’s unclear if money changed hands or whether both parties will call themselves Lady A going forward. Lady Antebellum drastically shortened their name in 2020 following protests over George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis cop. At the time, they wrote of antebellum, “We are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.” However, they al...
Bobby Rush Boulevard Unveiled in Blues Great’s Hometown
Mississippi’s capital is renaming one of its major streets for a Grammy-winning blues singer who lives in the city. The Jackson City Council voted Tuesday to rename Ellis Avenue to Bobby Rush Boulevard, WLBT-TV reported. The north-south corridor provides a direct route from Interstate 20 to the Jackson Zoo. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The name change takes effect in a month. Rush has won two Grammy Awards for best traditional blues album — one in 2016 and one in 2020. Rush is a Louisiana native and lived in Arkansas and Chicago before moving to Jackson in the 1980s. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker says Rush is known for a “folk funk” style. He spoke to the Jackson City Council in April when a member first proposed renaming the street for him. He said he ...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Perform “Searching for My Love” on Fallon: Watch
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night to perform “Searching for My Love.” The track is featured on the duo’s new collaborative album Raise the Roof, which was released last month. Watch the replay below. Previously, Plant and Krauss supported the album’s release by performing “Can’t Let Go” and “Trouble With My Love” on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They also recently played an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Next year, the Led Zeppelin frontman and bluegrass singer will embark on an expansive international tour in support of the studio effort. They’ll play ten US dates throughout June before hopping the pond for the trek’s European leg, which includes stops at London’s BST Hyde Park, the Lucca Summer Festival in Italy, and the Forest...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Announce 2022 Tour
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for Raise the Roof, the follow-up to their 2007 blockbuster covers album Raising Sand. The duo’s second record is out now via Rounder Records. What’s more, the pair has announced an international tour for next year. Recorded right before lockdown with Raising Sand producer T Bone Burnett, Raise the Roof features covers of classic blues, country, folk, and soul music originally sung by the likes of Merle Haggard and The Everly Brothers. The pair first announced the album back in August with the song “Can’t Let Go,” a Randy Weeks composition that Lucinda Williams made famous in 1998. And while the golden-voiced singers have been praised for their covers — Raising Sand won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, after all — Rais...
