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Nappy Brown Needs Your Support
Blind Pig recording artist Nappy Brown, one of the first R&B stars in the mid-50s and one of the last classic blues shouters, has been hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina for over a month now.
The rhythm and blues pioneer has been enjoying a heady career resurgence since the release of his universally acclaimed CD, Long Time Coming, last September, culminating in two recent Blues Music Award nominations and a show-stealing performance at the recent BMA awards ceremony.
His summer tour, including a number of festival dates, has been canceled due to his illness. In the meantime, Chuck Jackson and other board members of t he Rhythm & Blues Foundation have been very supportive during this difficult time.
It is uncertain when he will be released, and doctors view his condition as serious. This extended stay in the hospital is a lonely and trying time for Nappy. If you would like to send get-well cards or pass on your appreciation you may send to:
Napolean Culp
c/o Carolinas Medical Center
1000 Blythe Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28203
Sean Costello April 16, 1979-April 15, 2008 RIP
We are very sad to hear of the unexpected death of rising Blues star Sean Costello. Sean was found dead in his hotel room on April 15, '08. Cause of death is not known at present but details will posted on the Piedmont Talent website as they are revealed.
WHAT CAN BE BETTER THAN ATTENDING THE BLUES MUSIC AWARDS IN MEMPHIS? NOTHING YOU SAY? WELL, THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE TRUE. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR THERE IS SOMETHING BETTER, AND THAT'S ATTENDING THE BLUES MUSIC AWARDS AT THE GRAND CASINO IN TUNICA. C'MON, BLUES AND GAMBLING - WOOO HOOO! I AM THERE. THIS YEAR, NOT ONLY WILL THE GOOD TIMES ROLL BUT SO WILL THE DICE...."TEN THE HARD WAY".
CHECK IT OUT
2008 Blues Music Awards Tickets on Sale
There is a lot of new information here about the 2008 Blues Music Awards, which are set for Thursday May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center, a state-of-the-art venue at the Grand Casino Event Center, Tunica, Mississippi. Tickets are available online by clicking here. The most important night in Blues will be held for the first time ever in the birthplace of the Blues--the Mississippi Delta--just a half hour down the road from the Memphis International Airport. The Presenting Sponsor is once again The GIBSON Foundation.
In 2008, the State of Mississippi, the Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Grand Casino and Resort are sponsoring the Blues Music Awards. "I can think of no better location to host the Blues Music Awards than the undisputed birthplace of the blues, right here in the Mississippi Delta," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said in a statement. "One of the most significant aspects of our culture is the state's vast music heritage, particularly in the blues genre. I’m delighted The Blues Foundation recognizes Mississippi’s important role in the history of the blues, and I welcome them, along with all lovers of the soulful, Delta blues, to our great state!”
“Not only is Tunica the entrance to the Blues Highway 61, but it’s also the South’s Casino Capital, making it an entertaining destination for all visitors coming to this event,” said Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau. For complete text of Governor Barbour's statement, click here.
The Blues Music Awards are also sponsored by BMI, Casey Family Programs, Eagle Rock Entertainment, FedEx, and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
Recent shows have seen the appearance of more than 60 nominees and almost 30 nominee sets, many with one of a kind parings. The 2008 show can be expected to be improve on these critically-acclaimed shows.
The event brings together Blues performers, industry representatives and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in Blues recordings and performances from the previous year. Each year, the Foundation presents The Blues Music Awards to the artists selected by its members. They are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists.
The Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Charter Members' Dinner will be held the night before on Wednesday, May 7, at the $28 million dollar Tunica Riverpark museum, which sits right on the banks of the Mississippi River. Contact The Blues Foundation about becoming a Charter Member in order to attend this star-studded event.
Beginning then, members will be able to access the ballot to determine which of the nominees will be selected to receive the 25 Blues Music Awards. You will also be able to book a room at the host hotel at a special Blues Music Award rate.
In addition, Blues fans can be assured that many additional events will be scheduled in the area on the weekend after the official Blues Foundation events. For example, before you book your flight or hotel, make it a point before or after the event on May 8, to introduce yourself to everything that makes Mississippi one of the most special places you will ever visit. Tunica Casinos are in the process of booking nominees to perform around May 8. There simply is no other place quite like Mississippi. Once you have spent time here, you will want to come back often.
Travel along the Mississippi Blues Trail and experience the blues where they were born. Walk where they walked, dance where they danced. Stand on the street corners where they played for tips, visit the places they called home and even their final resting places...a truly unforgettable journey!
Point your browser to www.msbluestrail.org and start planning your authentic experience now.
AND THAT'S JUST THE BEGINING - LOOK AT THIS
Friday May 9, 2008
Ground Zero, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Delta Groove Music and Eclecto Groove Records are bringing a new generation of great blues artists to the crossroads where the blues was born! The 3rd Annual Delta Groove Blues Revue will take place the night after the 2008 Blues Music Awards in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
On Friday May 9th, at Clarksdale, Mississippi's Ground Zero, the historic and intimate blues club, owned by Morgan Freeman and Bill Luckett, Delta Groove is bringing you authentic blues from 2pm to 2am. The show, which will be hosted by Bill Wax (XM Radio) and a very special surprise celebrity, will be filmed and recorded for an upcoming TV special documenting the power of the blues from its birth in the nearby fields to the current generations making it thrive in the 21st century. For the lucky audience in this 270-person club, this will be blues heaven on earth and the rest of the world will be able to share in the magic later.
For the last two years, The Delta Groove All-Star Blues Revue has been a smashing sensation! We are still receiving feedback as to the magnitude of the effect the shows had on those present. You really don’t want to miss out on your chance to experience the day long festival showcasing some of the best blues musicians on the scene today!
Click to view photos from last years event-2007!
Click to view photos from the first years event-2006!
The lineup for the 3rd Annual Delta Groove All-Star Blues Revue features:
The Mannish Boys
(Nominee for Band of the Year)
Featuring:
Kid Ramos (Nominee for Best Blues Guitarist)
Richard Innes (Nominee for Best Blues Drummer)
Finis Tasby • Frank “Paris Slim” Goldwasser
Kirk Eli Fletcher • Tom Leavey • Randy Chortkoff
and newest member of the band Bobby Jones
WITH MANY OTHER GUESTS. FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOW CLICK THE LINK BELOW
www.deltagrooveproductions.com
BLUZAPALOOZA SALUTES OUR TROOPS
INAUGURAL BLUES CONCERT TOUR HEADED TO IRAQ & KUWAIT IN APRIL
BLUZAPALOOZA, the first blues concert tour to go to a war zone, ships out to military bases in Iraq and Kuwait on April 1, 2008 to entertain our troops.
Created by blues producers Steve Simon and John Hahn and presented by Armed Forces Entertainment, this inaugural BLUZAPALOOZA tour stars blues icon and four-time Blues Music Awards (BMA) nominee Bobby Rush, two-time BMA Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year Janiva Magness, Beale Street Entertainer of the Year Billy Gibson, and Tony Braunagel from The Phantom Blues Band heading up the BLUZAPALOOZA All-Stars Blues Band.
"BLUZAPALOOZA gives America’s greatest blues musicians the opportunity to say ‘Thank you’ and ‘We love you’ to America’s greatest soldiers," says Steve Simon, co-producer of BLUZAPALOOZA.
"For our men and woman serving on the front lines, BLUZAPALOOZA is like attending a great blues festival right in their own home town," continues John Hahn, BLUZAPALOOZA’s co-producer.
This inaugural BLUZAPALOOZA tour has been made possible with the help of Armed Forces Entertainment, The Blues Foundation, Blind Raccoon, Blues Revue, Alligator Records, NorthernBlues Music, Delta Groove Music, Blind Pig Records, Telarc Records, Sony Corporation and Ruf Records.
Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas. Founded in 1951, AFE brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops each year. BLUZAPALOOZA is proud to be working with AFE.
Visit www.myspace.com/bluzapalooza for additional information.
Betsie Brown
Blind Raccoon LLC
901.278.6850 (office)
901.268.6065 (mobile)
901.276.6149 (fax)
betsie@blindraccoon.com
www.blindraccoon.com
P.O. Box 40045
Memphis, TN 38174
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