2016 Performers

Larry McCray’s heart and soul are in the blues. Of that, there’s no question. It’s been 25 years — award-winning ones at that — of scalding-hot and tasteful blues from the Arkansas-born, Michigan-based singer, guitarist, bandleader, songwriter and heir apparent to a lineage that includes personal influences and heroes such as B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, all of whom he’s had the chance to meet and play with. McCray’s eight albums have blended reverence for that tradition with his own soulful spin on the form, and those achievements have been noted with an Orville H. Gibson Male Blues Guitarist of the Year award as well as the Top Guitarist prize in International Blues Matters’ 2014 writer’s poll. But there’s a part of McCray here that has a rock ‘n’ roll beat too, and he’s following
that on his latest release,

THE GIBSON SESSIONS, a 12-song set featuring some of his personal favorites by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, ZZ Top, Gregg Allman, the Doobie Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Creendence Clearwater Revival and others, with help from six-string brethren such as Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts, Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Eric Clapton), Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and Jimmy Herring (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, Phil Lesh & Friends). “The blues is my favorite, for sure. I get more out of it, feeling-wise, but I’ve always been a rock ‘n’ roll fan and I’ve always tried to write music that was rock ‘n’ roll friendly,” McCray explains. He adds, THE GIBSON SESSIONS is as much a Larry McCray album as the 1990 or 91 debut AMBITION or any of the others that followed in its wake. “I always try to move forward and remember where I came from,” McCray says. This album is a way to do these songs I love and maybe get them heard by people who like that music already, but do it in my own way so I can have some of my personality and
self-identity within the music.”

Claude Hudson “Butch” Trucks (born May 11, 1947) is an American drummer who is one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band.

One of Trucks’ first bands was local Jacksonville band The Vikings, who made one 7-inch record in 1964. Another early band was The 31st of February which formed and broke up in 1968. This group’s lineup eventually included both Duane Allman and Gregg Allman. They recorded a cover of “Morning Dew”, by 1960s folk singer Bonnie Dobson.

Trucks then helped form The Allman Brothers Band in 1969, along with Duane Allman (guitar), Gregg Allman (vocals and organ), Dickey Betts (guitar), Berry Oakley (bass), and fellow drummer Jai Johanny Johanson.

Together, the two drummers developed a rhythmic drive that would prove crucial to the band. Trucks laid down a powerful conventional beat while the jazz-influenced Johanson added a second laminate of percussion and ad libitum cymbal flourishes, seamlessly melded into one syncopated sound.

Said founding member and co-lead guitarist Dickey Betts of Trucks’ addition to the original band lineup, “…When Butch came along, he had that freight train, meat-and-potatoes kind of thing that set Jaimoe up perfectly. He had the power thing we needed.”^[1]

Trucks continued to record and perform with the Allman Brothers Band until they disbanded in 2014.

Along with band members Gregg Allman, Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson, and Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks is named as plaintiff in a lawsuit against UMG Recordings. The suit, initiated in 2008, seeks $10 million over royalties from CD sales and digital downloads services such as Apple’s iTunes. Trucks sees the license given to users for downloads as legally unsound.^[2] Butch actually embraces Internet technology for the group and planned to use Moogis.com (Moogis is now defunct) to make the Web a real venue for the Allman Brothers and other jam bands.^[2][3]

In 2015 Trucks performed at two festivals with a band billed as Butch Trucks & Very Special Friends. This band evolved into a band called Les Brers which is led by Trucks and also features other former Allman Brothers Band members including his longtime drumming partner Jaimoe.^[4] He has also been performing with a band called Butch Trucks & The Freight Train band.^[5]

TAB BENOIT PRESCRIBES A DOSE OF MUSICAL MEDICINE

From houses of worship to houses of blues, Ruthie Foster has always been a rafter-rattler. And with a soul-filled voice honed in Texas churches, she can move audiences to tears or ecstasy — sometimes in a single song. Her last two albums, 2009’s The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and 2012’s Let It Burn, moved the Recording Academy to deliver Best Blues Album Grammy nominations; her latest, Promise of a Brand New Day, releasing August 19 on Blue Corn Music, could make her a contender once more.

For this effort, Foster put Meshell Ndegeocello in charge as her producer and then got out of the way, letting the lauded singer and bassist call the shots regarding players, takes, and mixing. “I wanted this album to highlight Ruthie’s voice and also communicate her vibe, give a fuller picture of her artistry and ability,” explains Ndegeocello. “She really trusted me with the music and I think we’ve made something that complements and holds its own alongside the power of her voice.”

Ndegeocello played bass and enlisted her regular guitarist Chris Bruce (Sheryl Crow) and keyboardist Jebin Bruni (Aimee Mann), plus drummer Ivan Edwards and backing vocalist Nayanna Holley. Foster did request two special guests: guitarist Doyle Bramhall II and singer Toshi Reagon.

“Meshell asked me, ‘Who’s at the top of your list?’” Foster recalls. Bramhall’s been there for a while, but her fellow Austinite can be hard to nail down because of his day job with Eric Clapton. Ndegeocello pulled it off. As for Reagon, daughter of Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and godchild of Pete Seeger, Foster has known her for years. “It was so sweet and such a relief to finally put our names together on a project,” Foster says.

Promise of a Brand New Day includes seven songs written or co-written by Foster, most of them “songs with messages – because that’s important to what I do,” Foster explains. “Maybe that’s from growing up with people like Mavis [Staples] and a lot of strong women who have come before me, who are great singers but also have a message. They give you something; they say something.”

Foster descends from a line of strong women; while sitting in the courtyard of an Austin coffee shop, she notices grapevines climbing a fence and recalls picking Mustang grapes for her grandmother in tiny Gause, Texas, a church-filled town about 90 minutes northeast of Austin. Her family was full of gospel singers; to this day, when she gets nervous onstage (yes, she still does), she’ll reference her early influences, from “the sisters in the amen corner” to the music she fell in love with.

The Staple Singers’ “The Ghetto” is a centerpiece track, full of gentle electric guitar and a slow-build fire that gains intensity with each verse. “We sent an email to Mavis to check the words,” Foster says, “and she sent an email back that said, ‘Tell Miss Ruthie she picked a good one!”

Castro Coleman a-k-a Mr. Sipp, “The Mississippi Blues Child” was born August 25, 1976 to Johnelle and the late Vera Coleman in the small town of McComb, MS. He began playing the guitar at the tender age of 6. Through hard work and perseverance, Mr. Sipp has become a Delta Blues Force to be reckoned with! Being recognized for his amazing vocals, songwriting ability, musicianship, ability to produce records and entertain Fans with an upbeat, outlandish show all make Mr. Sipp “The Total Package.”

With over 125 recording credits to his name, Mr. Sipp has played on over 50 national recordings with several Grammy nominated projects. He is well traveled and ready to come to play for you and spread his great gift of music to the World.

Mr. Sipp is the 2014 International Blues Challenge Winner by way of The Vicksburg Blues Society as well as The 2014 Gibson Best Guitarist Award Winner and 2014 Jus’ Blues Bobby Rush Entertainers Award Recipient. Mr. Sipp was also cast in the recently released James Brown movie, “Get on Up”.

Mr. Sipp spent 22 years in the Gospel Music Business as a Recording Artist and a Producer! Since his BIG WIN at The International Blues Challenge in 2014 and the release of his debut CD, “It’s My Guitar,” the music community has been a Buzz and welcomed him with open arms! On his debut, Sipp sings all vocals and plays all instruments for the entire record! That surely made listing the credits easy. Yes sir, when God was handing out musical talent, Mr. Sipp apparently was at the head of the line! What a talent!

On his new release, his debut recording for Malaco Records, entitled “The Mississippi Blues Child,” Mr. Sipp once again handles all of the vocals and plays numerous instruments, however this time around he is joined by other reputable Malaco Mississippi “Hitmen.” All songs with the exception of one are originals, and his diverse style of music separates this record from many of the other recent “cookie cutter” Delta Blues recordings.

Boise, Idaho is hardly the place anyone would conjure up as a hotbed of soul music.

But for John Németh, it’s where his love for the genre began—and the starting point for a journey that’s taken him from his first gigs fronting a teenaged band to five Blues Music Award nominations in 2013 alone.

It’s where this preternaturally talented son of a Hungarian immigrant gained his early chops on the harmonica, building on the style of rootsy heroes like Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson. Németh’s first paid performance came in 1991, when he was hired to perform drinking songs for a pinochle luncheon held by the Catholic Daughters of America before setting his sights on the Boise club scene, where, for nearly a decade, he played seven nights a week at local pubs, taverns, joints, and parties.

After opening a show for Junior Watson, Németh was tapped as tour opener for the guitar great, a gig that took him across the United States, to Scandinavia, and into the recording studio for his 2004 solo debut, Come And Get It, featuring Watson. When Németh’s girlfriend decided to relocate to California, he knew he couldn’t lose her, so he packed up the house and traveled west. It was an astute move: shortly after his arrival, Németh was signed by Blind Pig Records to a three-album deal. He also earned critical acclaim placing him in, as Nick Cristiano of the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, “a cadre of young and relatively young artists such as James Junter, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, and Sharon Jones.”

“I learned a lot living in Oakland and San Francisco,” Németh says, “from recording and performing with Elvin Bishop to hearing Jimmy Hughes perform. Oakland is like a truly southern city, only it’s on the west coast. It wasn’t until after I arrived that I discovered that so many great songs I love actually originated there.”

Bandleader, arranger, vocalist, songwriter, and trombonist Big James Montgomery and his band are a breath of fresh air on the contemporary blues scene, as so many blues bands follow the guitar-harmonica-bass-drums format. The Chicago Playboys‘ horn-heavy sound makes for some compelling dance music and intricate arrangements, and their live shows are generally intense affairs. Montgomeryhad a revelation when he first saw James Brown in concert at the Capitol Theater in Chicago, thanks to his father, who had taken him. The owner of the theater arranged for the young Montgomery and his father to watch the concert from the side of the stage, and Montgomery, seven-years-old at the time, knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He began his music studies with guitar, but switched to trombone in his freshman year of high school, heavily influenced by the sounds of New Jersey-raisedGeorge Clinton and Parliament–Funkadelic. Fred Wesley, then the band’s trombone player, was a major source of inspiration for the teenaged Montgomery, because Wesley had also played withJames Brown for many years. Montgomery attended many of the band’s performances in Chicago and got to meet his idols. Later in high school, he learned about jazz from recordings by trombonist J.J. Johnson and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, and since one can’t play very good jazz without knowing the blues, Montgomery eventually settled on a style that mixed blues, funk, and jazz. Also as a teen, he began sitting in at a local blues club with the likes of harmonica player Billy Branch and guitarist Carl Weathersby. His first big break came about in college, where he was playing big-band jazz. One day some musicians came by his father’s tavern and asked if he wanted to join Little Milton Campbell on the road. After a rehearsal with the band during which Montgomery passed the audition, he left withCampbell‘s band the next day, despite opposition from his mother and father about leaving college behind. Fortunately, both of Montgomery‘s parents lived to see his success, performing with the likes of Buddy Guy, Lou Rawls, Campbell, and other nationally prominent musicians.

Montgomery & the Chicago Playboys released Funkin’ Blues in 1998 on his own Jamot Music label, and followed it up with If It Wasn’t 4 the Blues in 2001. He and his band became frequent performers at Koko Taylor‘s club, as well as Buddy Guy‘s Legends. After releasing Now You Know, in 2005, andThank God I Got the Blues in 2007, Big James & the Chicago Playboys signed with Blind Pig Records. Blind Pig released Right Here Right Now in 2008, an album that features eight ofMontgomery‘s original compositions as well as songs by the O’Jays, Bobby Bland, and Tyrone Davis. The international distribution and marketing of Blind Pig helped the band gain a wider following around the U.S., Canada, and Europe. They won the 2008 Prix Blues award from the Academie du Jazz in Paris. The band continues to tour, playing an eclectic mix of funk, blues, soul, and classic R&B.

Atlanta, GA – On July 7^th, Ruf Records recording artist singer-guitarist Samantha Fish, will raise eyebrows with her third studio release, Wild Heart, produced by Luther Dickinson (The North Mississippi Allstars/Black Crowes). Having Samantha on guitars and Luther on various stringed instruments, they rounded out the lineup with Grammy Award-winning Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris/Bob Dylan) on drums. Special guests include Lightnin Malcolm (guitar), Sharde Thomas (drums) and Memphis session singers Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Risse Norman. The result is a stunning representation of Americana roots music.

Wild Heart  was recorded in three different studios, as they trekked the backroads from Louisiana to Mississippi in the fall of 2014. Starting at Brady Blade’s Shreveport, Louisiana studio, they laid the basic rhythm tracks and vocals. Luther and Samantha then hightailed it to his Zebra Ranch Studios in Hernando, Mississippi where they had a traditional Hill Country Blues session. Then, finally, all roads lead to Memphis where the duo put the final touches at both Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios and the legendary Ardent studios.

“I fell in love with it,” she told Premier Guitar of her growing passion for the form, “and started doing my homework by listening to the old guys like Son House and Skip James.”

Only into her mid-20s she already released two CDs, played all over the world and shared the stage with well-established to the legendary artists from Tab Benoit and Johnny Lang to Buddy Guy. Label mate and sometimes touring buddy, Mike Zito has long championed Samantha, produced her critically acclaimed albums, Runaway and Black Wind Howlin’ (2013).  Samantha’s had a master’s class in a wide variety of the blues. Her work ethic is unquestioned and her love for performance is obvious.

Ruthie Foster – August 6th

From houses of worship to houses of blues, Ruthie Foster has always been a rafter-rattler. And with a soul-filled voice honed in Texas churches, she can move audiences to tears or ecstasy — sometimes in a single song. Her last two albums, 2009’s The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and 2012’s Let It Burn, moved the Recording Academy to deliver Best Blues Album Grammy nominations; her latest, Promise of a Brand New Day, releasing August 19 on Blue Corn Music, could make her a contender once more.

For this effort, Foster put Meshell Ndegeocello in charge as her producer and then got out of the way, letting the lauded singer and bassist call the shots regarding players, takes, and mixing. “I wanted this album to highlight Ruthie’s voice and also communicate her vibe, give a fuller picture of her artistry and ability,” explains Ndegeocello. “She really trusted me with the music and I think we’ve made something that complements and holds its own alongside the power of her voice.”

Ndegeocello played bass and enlisted her regular guitarist Chris Bruce (Sheryl Crow) and keyboardist Jebin Bruni (Aimee Mann), plus drummer Ivan Edwards and backing vocalist Nayanna Holley. Foster did request two special guests: guitarist Doyle Bramhall II and singer Toshi Reagon.

“Meshell asked me, ‘Who’s at the top of your list?’” Foster recalls. Bramhall’s been there for a while, but her fellow Austinite can be hard to nail down because of his day job with Eric Clapton. Ndegeocello pulled it off. As for Reagon, daughter of Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and godchild of Pete Seeger, Foster has known her for years. “It was so sweet and such a relief to finally put our names together on a project,” Foster says.

Promise of a Brand New Day includes seven songs written or co-written by Foster, most of them “songs with messages – because that’s important to what I do,” Foster explains. “Maybe that’s from growing up with people like Mavis [Staples] and a lot of strong women who have come before me, who are great singers but also have a message. They give you something; they say something.”

Foster descends from a line of strong women; while sitting in the courtyard of an Austin coffee shop, she notices grapevines climbing a fence and recalls picking Mustang grapes for her grandmother in tiny Gause, Texas, a church-filled town about 90 minutes northeast of Austin. Her family was full of gospel singers; to this day, when she gets nervous onstage (yes, she still does), she’ll reference her early influences, from “the sisters in the amen corner” to the music she fell in love with.

The Staple Singers’ “The Ghetto” is a centerpiece track, full of gentle electric guitar and a slow-build fire that gains intensity with each verse. “We sent an email to Mavis to check the words,” Foster says, “and she sent an email back that said, ‘Tell Miss Ruthie she picked a good one!”

Classic influences can be felt elsewhere, including “Second Coming,” a civil-rights protest song in the folk-gospel tradition, with handclaps and a strummed acoustic guitar. “When you see me talk about my country life and picking Mustang grapes, and referencing people like Mississippi John Hurt and Jessie Mae Hemphill, that’s a way of grounding myself,” she says. “People connect to that, and that’s when the energy starts building, and then I can get to the big stuff and have some fun and wave my dreadlocks around.”

She draws on those roots for “New,” a gorgeous song written by and featuring Reagon. But unlike Foster’s last release, Promise of a Brand New Day is not covers-oriented, nor, lest one get the wrong impression, is it a gospel album.

“If anything, I stayed with that old-school soul feel,” Foster says. “Meshell wanted to make it a point for me to write more songs for this one, and I did too. I wasn’t sure I had that in me, but I did some diggin’.”

Of course, she had it in her. From the opener, “Singing the Blues,” in which she observes, “a bit of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland never, never gets old,” to the a cappella “Brand New Day,” originally sung into her phone just before going onstage one night in an effort to fend off

tour-induced loneliness, Foster delivers one powerful track after another. She’s even got aco-write with Stax great William Bell, “It Might Not Be Right,” which nods musically to the late soul-stirrer O.V. Wright, and addresses gay marriage. Not so long ago, it might have been about interracial couples.

“William had titles and grooves, and I had verses and ideas,” she says. “He’s great at coming up with these hooks, and it’s just a great title. ‘It might not be right for the world, but it’s all right with this girl.’”

Foster got even more personal on “Complicated Love,” a relationship ballad.