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Singer/guitarist Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, leads his band called Honey Tribe and he is a member of Royal Southern Brotherhood as well. Now Devon has recorded his first solo album that is made up songs that are written about his personal life along with one Tom Petty cover song. The 2013 International Blues Challenge was held in Memphis from January 29 – February 2. Ghost Town Blues Band from Memphis did not win, but they did make it to the top ten. They have released two excellent albums and can be seen performing at many local venues. Former Memphian Little G. Weevil won the solo/duo category and best guitarist in that category at the IBC. His excellent album The Teaser is a great example of why he won. Boz Scaggs came to Memphis to record his new album titled, surprisingly enough, Memphis. Most surprising is how well he handles the soul and blues songs on Memphis. Devon Allman – Turquoise Devon Allman is Gregg Allman’s son, but he grew up with his mom in Corpus Christi, Texas, away from the rock & roll lifestyle. He didn’t even meet his dad until he was a teenager, but they are now very close. While Devon was influenced by The Allman Brothers, he was also influenced by a myriad of other musicians and styles of music, so he really doesn’t sound much like The Allman Brothers. Devon has his own unique sound, both in his guitar playing and his singing. Some have tried to compare him to his uncle Duane, but aside from both having blonde hair and favoring Les Paul guitars, there aren’t a lot of similarities. Duane was one of the best slide guitarists of all time, and Devon doesn’t play slide guitar at all, so that difference alone is enough to kill any argument of Devon trying to emulate Duane. Devon is equally at home playing dirty riffs or clean solos, but on his highly personal solo album Turquoise, Devon’s playing is toned down on the riffing due to the nature of the songs, and his playing is always excellent and tasteful. Turquoise, recorded at producer Jim Gaines’ studio in Stantonville, TN and Ardent Studio in Memphis, is a solid effort. The songs were all written about Devon’s life, with the exception of a cover of the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks song Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. Devon duets with Samantha Fish on this song, which is played at a slower tempo than the original. Other guests include Memphis area musicians Luther Dickinson of The North Mississippi Allstars and Rick Steff of Lucero. Luther plays slide guitar on When I Left Home, the album opener written about Devon leaving home at 17 to play music. Rick plays some sweet Hammond B3 organ on roughly half of the album. Turquoise is more laid back and less bluesy than Devon’s music typically is, but it suits the subject matter very well and results in a strong album. When I Left Home is probably the most commercial sounding song on the album, but the songs Time Machine, There’s No Time and Key Lime Pie are all great songs that shouldn’t be overlooked. Turquoise is highly approved by Devon’s mom, who purchased 56 copies for $1,000 to help boost the first week of sales. Here is a link to Devon Allman’s Turquoise album teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4NuhS2dtsg Ghost Town Blues Band – Dust The Dust & Dark Horse Ghost Town Blues Band is a Memphis blues band led by singer‐guitarist Matt Isbell. Isbell has been active in Memphis music for years, but he really hit his stride in 2009 with the formation of Ghost Town Blues Band. Isbell has a great soulful voice and is an excellent guitarist to boot. Ghost Town’s music has a unique Memphis spin on it with elements of Stax‐era soul and funk that keeps the sound fresh and interesting. Ghost Town Blues Band started off as a trio, and their first album, Dust The Dust from 2010 has keyboards augmenting the guitar, bass and drums, but it is still more stripped down and rocking than Dark Horse, from 2012, is. The band had added horns by the time that Dark Horse was recorded, and this album has more of a funky Stax influence. Both albums are original music with two well‐chosen covers each: Dust The Dust has a gritty cover of The Beatles’ Come Together and Goin’ Down, originally recorded by Memphis band Moloch, and covered by Freddie King and Jeff Beck, among others. Dark Horse has a great cover of Rufus Thomas’ Memphis Train and Junior Wells’ Messin’ With The Kid. The real strength of Ghost Town Blues Band, however, are the original songs, as they are all strong with excellent playing. Both Dust The Dust and Dark Horse are on Memphis label Inside Sounds, and both are highly recommended. Ghost Town Blues Band also makes an appearance on the new Fried Glass Onions Vol. 4 ‐ Memphis Loves The Beatles with their version of I Want You/She’s So Heavy. Ghost Town Blues Band are a fixture on Beale Street and can often be found playing at a Huey’s on Sunday nights. They are well worth checking out! Here is a link to Ghost Town Blues Band on Channel 3’s Live At Nine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzB5_rpppnM Little G. Weevil – The Teaser Gabor Szucs, also known as Little G. Weevil, grew up in Budapest, Hungary listening to heavy metal until his brother introduced him to John Lee Hooker’s music when he was 16. Hooker’s songs reminded Gabor of his grandfather and the stories that he had told, so Little G. Weevil became a hard core player and student of the blues. He moved to Memphis in 2004 so that he could soak up the blues from the source, washing dishes on Beale Street until he worked his way into playing the culbs. He married a girl from Atlanta, where he lives now, but he returned to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge, and won the 2013 solo/duo category as well as best guitarist in that category. Little G Weevil’s album The Teaser is a mixture of full band efforts and the type of solo performances that won him the IBC award. Either solo, or with a band, Little G Weevil is simply awesome. He has a strong, soulful voice and his guitar playing is stellar. The man simply has the feel of the blues, and he is able to translate the sound of a live performance to a recording extremely well. The songs are all great, and they sound like blues classics, even though they are all new original compositions. The Teaser was released in 2011 and Little G Weevil is currently recording a new album. He has an earlier album from 2009 called Southern Experience that includes a song from his first recording in 2005 in Memphis with Charlie Wood on piano and Billy Gibson on harmonica. It is a good album as well, but The Teaser is Little G Weevil’s best album so far, and the best place to discover his music. Boz Scaggs – Memphis When drummer/producer Steve Jordan suggested that Boz Scaggs record his new album at Royal Studios in Memphis, Boz felt like Steve was reading his mind. Boz wanted to record songs that went back to his past and would match his style and voice, and he had thought about coming to Memphis since his grandparents and dad are from Memphis, as well as his wife Dominique (with whom Boz owns the Scaggs Vineyard in Napa Valley). They recorded the album at Royal Studio in three days with veteran musicians Ray Parker Jr. on guitar, Willie Weeks on bass, Spooner Oldham on keyboards and The Memphis Horns. Boz says that the music came very naturally, with few takes and revisions, and the music does fit his voice very well indeed. Memphis is a collection of original songs and mostly obscure cover songs that range from Al Green‐like soul to cool blues, with a couple of ballads that Boz Scaggs is typically known for. While I’ve never been very fond of Boz’s ballads, the ones on Memphis work alright, except for his really bad version of Rainy Night In Georgia, this album’s big misstep. Boz turns in a nice version of Steely Dan’s usually overlooked Pearl Of The Quarter, a result of his tour with Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald. While it may not be a stretch for Boz to enter Al Green’s smooth soul territory (which Boz does quite well, without over polishing things), it may be a surprise that Boz can handle gritty blues just as well. Boz not only pulls the blues material off, he does so with ease and is completely believable. It is cool that Boz Skaggs came to Memphis to record this album, and it is good that it turned out so well since he actually titled the album Memphis. Memphis is available on vinyl LP, CD, and download, with iTunes getting a bonus song, which makes absolutely no sense, but it is a sign of the times, unfortunately. Here is a link to the official electronic press kit for Memphis, which includes some musical samples and footage from the recording sessions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu8M9UyMjIs .

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