Taj Mahal Andy T & Nick Nixon Nikki Hill Selwyn Birchwood JOE BONAMASSA & DAVE & PHIL ALVIN NUMBER FIVE www.bluesmusicmagazine.com US $7.99 Canada $9.99 UK £6.99 Australia A$15.95 COVER PHOTOGRAPHY © ART TIPALDI NUMBER FIVE 6 KEB’ MO’ Keeping It Simple 5 RIFFS & GROOVES by Art Tipaldi From The Editor-In-Chief 24 DELTA JOURNEYS 11 TAJ MAHAL “Jukin’” American Maestro by Phil Reser 26 AROUND THE WORLD “ALife In The Music” 14 NIKKI HILL 28 Q&A with Joe Bonamassa A Knockout Performer 30 Q&A with Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin by Tom Hyslop 32 BLUES ALIVE! Sonny Landreth / Tommy Castro 17 ANDY T & NICK NIXON Dennis Gruenling with Doug Deming Unlikely Partners Thorbjørn Risager / Lazy Lester by Michael Kinsman 37 SAMPLER 5 20 SELWYN BIRCHWOOD 38 REVIEWS StuffOfGreatness New Releases / Novel Reads by Tim Parsons 64 IN THE NEWS ANDREA LUCERO courtesy of courtesy LUCERO ANDREA FIRE MEDIA SHORE © PHOTOGRAPHY PHONE TOLL-FREE 866-702-7778 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB bluesmusicmagazine.com PUBLISHER: MojoWax Media, Inc. “Leave your ego, play the music, PRESIDENT: Jack Sullivan love the people.” – Luther Allison EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Art Tipaldi CUSTOMER SERVICE: Kyle Morris Last May, I attended the Blues Music Awards for the twentieth time. I began attending the GRAPHIC DESIGN: Andrew Miller W.C.Handy Awards in 1994 and attended through 2003. I missed 2004 to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday and have now attended 2005 through 2014. I’ve seen it grow from its CONTRIBUTING EDITORS David Barrett / Michael Cote / Thomas J. Cullen III days in the Orpheum Theater to its present location which turns the Convention Center Bill Dahl / Hal Horowitz / Tom Hyslop into a dazzling juke joint setting. Today’s event features an all-access pass to every ticket Larry Nager / Bill Wasserzieher / Don Wilcock buyer. There is no VIP pre-party; instead there is an hour cocktail party featuring selected COLUMNISTS nominees playing for everyone. Beginning at Bob Margolin / Roger Stolle seven, there is a sit-down dinner, award presenta- CONTRIBUTING WRITERS tions, and non-stop music from nominees until Vincent Abbate / Grant Britt / Michael Cala after midnight. The other biggest change is the Mark Caron / Tom Clarke / Kay Cordtz effort of the Blues Foundation to have as many of Ted Drozdowski / Robert Feuer / Rev. Keith Gordon the nominees and winners present. Brian D. Holland / Stacy Jeffress / Chris Kerslake Michael Kinsman / Karen Nugent / Brian M.Owens This year’s highlights were the pure soul show- Tim Parsons / Tony Del Ray / Phil Reser stoppers of Ronnie Earl and Beth Hart. They were Nick DeRiso / Pete Sardon / Richard Skelly the distilled essence of the blues. But there have Eric Thom / Mark Thompson been many other vivid moments. M.E. Travaglini / Bill Vitka In 1996, after Luther Allison won his third CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Handy Award, Ruth Brown warned, “Luther, you Scott Allen / Robert Barclay / Mark Goodman TIPALDI ART better stay off my stage!” After he copped his Les Gruseck / Aigars Lapsa / Doug Richard © Joseph A. Rosen / Dusty Scott / Marilyn Stringer fourth, Allison ran out of words of gratitude and Jen Taylor / Susan Thorsen announced, “I’m gonna let my guitar talk!” LUTHER ALLISON After his fifth, the guitar spoke Luther’s heart-felt SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION MEMPHIS, 1997 gratitude for over an hour. PHOTOGRAPHY Phone Toll-Free: 866-702-7778 In 1997, Luther gave me the finest picture I Web: www.bluesmusicmagazine.com ever took. His leap is forever etched in the events of that night. An hour after I snapped E-Mail: [email protected] the shot, my camera broke and I have no pictures from the rest of the weekend. EDITORIAL QUERIES There was also the standing ovation for Johnny “Clyde” Copeland who received a E-Mail: [email protected] new heart on New Year’s Day. Copeland showed no ill effects as he tore through three BUSINESS AND CIRCULATION QUESTIONS songs. Tragically, he and Luther passed away within three months of that night. E-Mail: [email protected] In 1998, it was all Bonnie Raitt. From her acoustic duet with Keb’ Mo’, her finger MEDIA SUBMISSIONS waggin’ gotta move from this neighborhood with Ruth Brown, and her “Walkin’ The Mail 2 copies to: Blues Music Magazine Dog” with Rufus Thomas. However, after the Orpheum cleared out for the jam, I found P.O. Box 1446, Bradenton, FL 34206 Ms. Raitt at the rear of the hall talking with her dear friend, the wheel chair bound ADVERTISING Jessie Mae Hemphill. Not many saw this simple act of kindness and respect. Phone Toll-Free: 888-565-0554 I’ll always remember the shivers from Ike Turner’s guitar in 2002. I remember Web: www.bluesmusicmagazine.com E-Mail: [email protected] Johnny Adams in 1998 running from his sound check to the Peabody lobby to watch the ducks leave the fountain. One of my favorite memories was the 2000 pairing of Gov’t Mule with Little Milton. As Warren Haynes and Milton exchanged guitar jabs, I was stopped walking out of the auditorium by a large, tie-dyed shirt. “Who’s the dude with the Mule?”... “Huh?” Blues Music Magazine welcomes articles, photographs, and any material about the blues suitable for publication. Please direct “Who’s the dude with the Mule?”... “Which dude?” queries to [email protected]. Blues Music Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, “The black dude with the guitar?”... “Little Milton.” photographs, or illustrations. Material may be edited at the “He’s pretty good up there with the Mule.” discretion of the editors. To be credited and reimbursed, all submissions must be properly marked with name, address, telephone number, and e-mail of author/photographer/artist. Payment for unsolicited material is at the discretion of the publisher. “Let the music keep our spirits high.” All material becomes the property of Blues Music Magazine. Art Tipaldi, Editor-In-Chief Blues Music Magazine © 2014 MojoWax Media, Inc. Blues Music Magazine is published bimonthly by MojoWax Media,Inc., 1001 11th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205. Periodicals postage is paid at Bradenton,FL and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rates (for 6 issues) are: U.S.— $35/year, Canada & Mexico — $40/year, Overseas — $50/year. U.S.funds only, cash, check on a U.S.bank, or IMO, Visa/MC/AmEx/Discover accepted. Allow six to eight weeks for change of address and new subscriptions to begin. If you need help concerning your subscription, e-mail [email protected] or call 866-702-7778 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, or write to the business address Blues Music Magazine, P.O.Box 1446, Bradenton, FL 34206. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Blues Music Magazine, P.O.Box 1446, Bradenton, FL 34206. Blues Music Magazine 5 .HE¶0R opens his integrating himself into the local music ’ current album, scene, especially its songwriting society. BLUESAmericana, with “The Worst Is “We moved here four years ago to Yet To Come.” The opening lines on this raise our son [Carter Mandela Moore] in a record, “Woke up this morning,” harkens better environment,” said Keb’ Mo’. “The back to the earliest blues verses. Those kind of scene here certainly keeps me on archetypal blues songs, recorded on 78s my toes. The biggest difference to me is or shared in juke joints after weeks of the songwriting community. It’s just stel- harsh labor supporting the sharecropping lar. The people, the writers, and the spirit system in the Mississippi Delta, offered in which it’s done is just fantastic. The bar some collective relief – the sun is gonna is so high. If I go to any songwriters’ O shine on my backdoor someday. showcases, I don’t go to play, I go to Keb’ Mo’s song serves exactly the listen and learn.” same objective. He sings about concerns Because of that, these ten songs were like Americans losing factory jobs and more not dashed out in the studio during the immediate problems like cars needing work recording process. Rather Keb’ Mo’ crafted and one’s mate taking everything. Even the them over an extensive period of time. dog shows no respect. But through it all, “These songs were picked from over like the resolve in those 78s, there is the a year of different writing sessions. I like determination that if I can survive this, words, so the words come first for me. I will survive. I thought I ran out of musical ideas 15 Though he will object to the notion years ago [Laughs.] Lyrically, I feel I’m just that BLUESAmericana is a blues album, getting started. I have an idea that I take the songs Keb’ Mo’ has written address to a writing session and generally ask, M the challenges of our modern world in ‘How about this?’ then we proceed to do the same way that Charley Patton, Skip our best to craft a song in a way where James, or Bessie Smith sang about the that idea can be best relayed. issues in their world. These songs hit a “My first responsibility throughout the modern nerve of where people are in process is to be honest to myself and to the jobs, relationships, and economy in a song. Then I have to take that responsibility ’ very powerful way. Songs like “More For and craft it to the best of my ability so that Your Money” “For Better Or Worse,” people can really get the most out of it. “The Worst Is Yet To Come,” and “Move” “Once I have a song written and I all tackle the heavy, dark themes of think it’s finished, then, I’m ready to go into modern life.