ED, ER
Got the Blues? Well, it has been everywhere!
“…Arguably, the most interesting release from any of the major acts in 2007 came from The White Stripes - back to the Blues and back producing noteworthy and exciting music! But whatever scene - from easy listening to indie - it's been the Blues embracing acts that have flourished; Katie Melau, The Coral, Kings Of Leon, Scott Matthews… Even traditional Blues made its mark on the mainstream - Seasick Steve producing an album and showcasing a performance that even the major festivals couldn't ignore!…”

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COVER FEATURE…
FINK
PUTS THE BLUES INTO THE MIX
(INTERVIEW: KEVIN WHARTON)

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First time-published interviews with
WILLIE DIXON
GAVE HARMONY TO THE BLUES
(INTERVIEW: T.E. MATTOX)
“I wrote a lot of things for people they never actually would accept and I'd have to give it to somebody else. And then ten to one after somebody else get it, and then they'd like it. I used to always have trouble with Muddy and Wolf because one thought I was giving the other one the better song, you know? So I got to the place, I just used a little backwards psychology on 'em. The one I be writing for Wolf, I tell Wolf, 'Now here's something I wrote for Muddy,' that's all I need to do. Wolf would say, 'Man, how come you got to give that to him, that's better than mine.' And vice a versa, that's the way it worked."”

JOHN MAYALL
HAS YET MORE GROUND TO COVER
(INTERVIEW: RICK LACEY)

JEFF LANG

HEADS TOWARDS THE BIG TIME
(INTERVIEW: DAVE SCOTT & DARREN HOWELLS)
“All the players I have found most inspiring have all been so strongly into themselves that I have always felt more motivated to follow the sound buzzing in my own ear than to try and mimic them. Think of how Muddy Waters' music had very readily discernable influences of Son House and Robert Johnson, yet paradoxically sounds like no-one but Muddy.”

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Issue 41 continues Blues Matters! ethos of Blues Without The Blinkers! as we feature a varied collection, of beautifully illustrated, interviews …

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
CELEBRATE IN THEIR MUSIC’S TRADITIONS
(INTERVIEW: NORMAN DARWEN)
“The Indian influence on this music is hard to pin down, but it is definitely there. It shows up in the dancing often and in the music in abstract ways, like whether a song starts on the high part or the low part. Because Native American music in the South was not well documented and assimilation happened pretty early, it's really hard to so say for sure.”

JOHNNY MASTRO
WITHOUT COMPROMISE
(INTERVIEW: TIM AVES)
“It's really hard for guys like us to make a living. I've dedicated my life to it and it's really, really difficult. We were playing five nights a week and I was turning gigs down. Frankly, in the past two years, things have slowed down to about three gigs a week. Y'know, those guys are hurtin'. James Harman e-mails me and he's hurtin' - locally, y'know?”

ALICE STUART
INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
(INTERVIEW: BILLY HUTCHINSON)
"I really wasn't ready to record, at least emotionally. I had only been playing guitar for two years. Although I was supporting myself with my music, I was terribly insecure and neurotic. The confidence factor was missing for a real long time. I was a real mess, definitely not a self-possessed type like Joan Baez. I really wasn't ready for success; I had a lot of life lessons to learn first."

KOKO TAYLOR
HONOURS HER COMMITMENT TO THE BLUES
(INTERVIEW: CAROL BORRINGTON)
“Well, the pleasure that I'm getting, like I said before; when you are doing what you want to do and your doing something to help the younger people coming along behind you. I think that's a big point right there, that's that a big step, because you 'are' reaching out to others. There are a lot of people who don't know about the Blues and haven't heard the Blues. So, this is a chance for me to reach out to them.”

RICHARD PAVITT
BOASTING THE BLUES’ BEST
(INTERVIEW: TIM AVES)
“I'm always looking for something that's a bit fresh and different. I consider Johnny's music, in its own way, very technical. It is so tight and driving, with that pulsing kind of bass to it, good harp playing and Dave is a great slide-player. More importantly, it hasn't got that desperate thing - that kind of tribute band feel. All those guys in yellow zoot-suits… West Coast, West Coast, West Coast! Sorry, not interested!"

CHRIS BARBER
QUICK Q&A
(INTERVIEW: ANDY SNIPPER)
“Sorry, but I don't think the election will make much difference. No matter how cynical you are, you cannot keep up with these guys! The severe damage done to the US economy, social network, and world status seems pretty irreversible under the current corrupt political system we have, with its unholy alliance of government and private enterprise (privatisation of war, etc).”

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PLUS! Don’t forget all the regulars!

JON AMOR IS
GETTIN’ THE BLUES
‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ (ALBERT KING), ‘Five Long Years’ (ERIC CLAPTON), ‘Talk About The Blues’ (JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION): “He really paved the way for bands like The White Stripes and Black Keys - I'm not sure he's ever received the respect he deserves. This track is from his 1999 "Acme" album, which is drenched in Bluesy riffs and grooves.”

“EASE THOSE BLUES,”
decrees Andrew Baldwin, “with ‘At Fillmore East’”

NOW, BEFORE WE FORGET…
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR
“…Henry worked for a snake oil salesman selling Hadacol, a questionable cure claiming to ‘make an old man young again,’ as Henry was to write in his first recorded song 'Hadacol Bounce'. Henry's employment was based on humiliation of his ethnicity. The snake oil salesman would attract attention by calling on Henry and asking him if he would like the pie he was offering. Inevitably, the hungry black boy, Henry, shouted yes, at which point the salesmen churned the pie in his face.”

COVINGTON’S ART, PART 2…
FURRY LEWIS
"Using raw materials, I try to project a reverence, not only for the cultural/historical aspects of my subjects but for the integrity of the individuals, as well."

NEVER FORGET
Blues artists that have sadly left us
GARY PRIMICH.

CD REVIEWS
Listening for your Blues lovin’ ears
The most COMPREHENSIVE Blues review section you’re likely to find anywhere! In for review this issue: MAGIC SLIM, LED ZEPPELIN, BEN HARPER, THE MALCHICKS, THE CORAL, TINSLEY ELLIS, JOHNNY WINTER, SLEEPY JOHN ESTES, GARY FLETCHER, GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS, FLEETWOOD MAC, ELVIN BISHOP, THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, MARTYN JOSEPH, CARVIN JONES, BESSIE SMITH, T.BONE WALKER, GOV'T MULE, THE WILDCARDS, SUPER CHIKAN, BIG GEORGE BROCK, MANFRED MANN, HILLSTOMP, TH’ LEGENDARY SHACK*SHAKERS, DEBBIE DAVIES, THE DEADSTRING BROTHERS, PETER CASE, CHRIS BARBER, CANNED HEAT, J.J. CALE, JOOLS HOLLAND, PETER KARP, LITTLE MILTON, PIETA BROWN, THE REDWALLS, BEN GODWIN and many, many more…

DVD REVIEWS
Releases with a Blues vision
LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BOBBY RUSH, SOLOMON BURKE, THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, SHEMEKIA COPELAND and more…

BOOK REVIEWS
Reading with a Blues matter
THE ROLLING STONES, BLIND WILLIE MCTELL, BOB DYLAN…

GOT LIVE

Artists keeping the Blues alive
BOB BROZMAN, ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART, THE SUGARS, SCOTT MCKEON, SEASICK STEVE, IAN SIEGAL, WALTER TROUT, DEREK TRUCKS BAND, OLI BROWN, ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW and more…

FESTIVAL FEVER

Events that have helped showcase the Blues
GREAT BRITISH R&B FESTIVAL, …

(Acts/artists featuring include EDDIE MARTIN, DEL BROMHAM, BEN RUTH, AYNSLEY LISTER, IAN PARKER, RONNIE BAKER BROOKS, DAVID ‘HONEYBOY’ EDWARDS, GARRY JABLONSKI, FUNKYDORY, THE HAMSTERS and many more)…

HAPPENIN’

Latest news from our Blues world
So what has been going on in the Blues world (both here in the UK and further away) in the last two months – well get a reminder (or find out) here…featured in the news this issue are DANI WILDE, SEAN COSTELLO, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, THE BLACK CROWES, ELI REED AND THE TRUE LOVES, TANTRUM, BILL WYMAN, CHRIS REA, AL BASILE, NUBLUES, ADELE, JETHRO TULL, VAN MORRISON, CHRIS THOMAS KING, BUFFALO KILLERS, ROBERT CRAY, NICK CAVE, THE MUSTANGS and many more…

BLUE BLOOD
Unsigned acts on their own Blues mission
MARK HUSSEY and DAKOTA BLUE are in the spotlight this issue… “Our mission is to develop Dakota Blue's potential and try to bring that feeling of the '60s British Blues bands you may have seen and heard (but may no longer be with us) and try to develop that mojo further.” (Dave Turley)

NET THE BLUES
Blues for nowt
LONG TIME DEAD, THE MUVS and more…

FANS FEEDBACK

Share your thoughts with fellow Blues lovers!

We always want to hear what you think and you certainly do tell us…
“What a great and thought provoking comment at the end of your Otis Taylor feature: "What if the greatest Blues musician hasn't been born yet?" I wonder how many of the other Blues publications could even contemplate such an idea.”

Tell us what you think!
When you've finished reading this issue, why not send us a letter to let us know your thoughts? E-mail your views on anything related to the mag, or the Blues scene in general, to: mail@bluesmatters.com.

PREVIEWS
Don’t forget Blues Matters! is where you can find all the details of upcoming releases and festivals. This issue find out about the forthcoming LAKESIDE BLUES BONANZA, BURNLEY NATIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL, ALVASTON HALL BLUES WEEKEND, BUTLINS ROCK & BLUES WEEKEND and more…

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SUBSCRIBE IF YOU WANT TO…
WIN! A VINTAGE ADVANCE AV6SSB GUITAR WORTH £319!

IT RESONATES VINTAGE
Courtesy JHS, one lucky new subscriber will win the Vintage VRA400BK Acoustic Resonator… Resonator-equipped steel guitars were originally designed in the '20s to offer increased levels of volume, featuring large but lightweight internal speakers with cones - made from spun aluminium - housed in the guitar bodies, projecting the sound in the way of an actual speaker unit. Thanks to their unmistakable tone and inimitable looks, resonator guitars have remained popular and this Vintage model looks and sounds the part, with authentic construction.

FOLLOW THE LEADER
Courtesy Delmark, we have 2 copies of Robert Jr. Lockwood's "Steady Rollin' Man". Lockwood learned guitar from his stepfather, the legendary Robert Johnson, and by the '50s was the session musician of choice, performing with a who's who of Blues legends, including Willie Dixon, Otis Spann, Little Walter and Muddy Waters. This album, reissued from 1970, finds Robert stepping out as a band leader for the first time.

GETTING CLOSER
Courtesy Eagle Vision, we have 2 copies of Brothers Of A Feather's "Live At The Roxy" DVD to giveaway. The DVD, which also features a companion CD, showcases the The Black Crowes' brothers, Chris and Rich Robinson, in their most intimate setting to date, performing at the famous Roxy in LA. An acoustic performance featuring Crowes favourites, such as 'Jealous Again', alongside classic covers ('Roll Um Easy'), solo numbers, new material and rarities.

To be in with a chance of winning any of these prizes simply subscribe, or subscribe a friend, by 22nd February 2008.

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MEMBERS’ COMPETITIONS

WALK HIS WAY
Courtesy EMI, we have 3 sets of 2 new Fats Domino compilations to giveaway. "Walking To New Orleans" features 'Ain't That A Shame', 'Blueberry Hill', and 'Blue Monday', whilst "Goin' Home" gathers together classic cover versions from the likes of John Lennon, Neil Young and Elton John. For the chance to win the favourite hits of one of popular music's most influential and biggest-selling artists

ON THE RIGHT ROAD
Courtesy SPV/Blue, we have 3 sets of 3 recently released Dion CDs to giveaway. "Son Of Skip James" is Dion's most recent studio album and continues where "Bronx In Blue" left off, with Dion showing his appreciation of the early fathers of American roots music, this time paying homage to a man who he first met at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964. Songs covered include James' own 'Devil Got My Woman', Robert Johnson's 'Dust My Broom' and Chuck Berry's 'Nadine'. "Don't Start Me Talkin'" and "The Road I'm On" (double CD) both feature Dion's recordings for the Columbia label during the '60s, and shows his early forays into recording the Blues, with the likes of 'Spoonful', 'The Seventh Son' and 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man' alongside original pop hits like 'Donna The Primma Donna'.

*To become a MEMBER, and therefore have the opportunity to win one of these great prizes, simply subscribe today! Questions to the above competitions feature in issue 41 of the magazine.

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