Bluesletter J W B S . Nick Vigarino Still Rocks the House! Live at the US Embassy: Blues Happy Hour Remembering Jimmy Holden LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT WASHINGTON BLUES SOCIETY Hi Blues Fans, Proud Recipient of a 2009 I’m opening my letter with Keeping the Blues Alive Award another remembrance of another friend lost in our 2021 OFFICERS blues community. I have had to President, Tony Frederickson [email protected]@wablues.org do this a few too many times Vice President, Rick Bowen [email protected]@wablues.org lately and it is a reminder of Secretary, Marisue Thomas [email protected]@wablues.org how fragile life is and how Treasurer, Ray Kurth [email protected]@wablues.org important it is to live every day Editor, Eric Steiner [email protected]@wablues.org and make as many memories as you can. 2021 DIRECTORS Jimmy Holden passed away recently. I know there are many music Music Director, Open [email protected]@wablues.org fans who have great memories of Jimmy and his many performances Membership, Chad Creamer [email protected]@wablues.org and he touched many hearts with warmth, humor and melody. I will Education, Open [email protected]@wablues.org miss Jimmy for all of his wonderful stories about his travels. He Volunteers, Rhea Rolfe [email protected]@wablues.org traveled far and wide and we shared experiences we had both had Merchandise, Tony Frederickson [email protected]@wablues.org in multiple different localities around the world. Our conversations Advertising, Open [email protected]@wablues.org often lead to stories about adventures in Hong Kong, Thailand and other exotic places. Jimmy lived a very full life, and he will be missed THANKS TO OUR 2021 STREET TEAM by so many. Downtown Seattle, Tim & Michelle Burge [email protected]@comcast.net My deepest condolences go out to the Holden family, music has North Sound, Malcolm Kennedy [email protected]@msn.com been a big part of this family and their legacy in the history of Northern WA, Lloyd Peterson [email protected]@televar.com music in Seattle is well worth exploring for music fans. Please be Penninsula, Dan Wilson [email protected]@centurytel.net sure to read the remembrances from Cholo Wilson and Tim Scott Port Angeles Area, Alvin Owen [email protected]@gmail.com also is this issue! Central Washington, Stephen J. Lefebvre [email protected]@gmail.com Eastern Washington, Paul Caldwell [email protected]@hotmail.com As many of you open the edition of the Bluesletter, we have entered Ballard, Marcia Jackson [email protected]@gmail.com a New Year and recent developments could potentially lead us back Lopez Island, Carolyn & Dean Jacobsen [email protected]@rockisland.com to the new normal and bring “live” music back into our lives. I am International Raconteur, Rocky Nelson [email protected]@gmail.com so hopeful that this come to be! I am so ready to hit the road and attend a blues festival! I look forward to share time with all of you SPECIAL THANKS out and about having fun and make more memories. Webmaster Emeritus, The Sheriff [email protected]@wablues.org I’m writing this Letter from Editor last minute as usual and I can Washington Blues Society Logo, Phil Chesnut [email protected]@gmail.com hear Eric tapping his foot in a “come on, get it done” rhythm. Unfortunately, gin no longer buys me any leeway with our Editor MISSION STATEMENT as he is no longer drinking gin anymore (and he probably already The Washington Blues Society is a nonprofit organization whose purpose has a lifetime’s supply anyway if he were)! is to promote, preserve, and advance the culture and tradition of blues music as an art form. Annual membership is $25 for individuals, and $35 So, until next month, stay safe and healthy, and let’s keep a positive for couples. The Washington Blues Society is a tax-exempt nonprofit outlook for better times in the blues in 2021! Hope to see all of you organization and donations are tax-deductible. The Washington Blues out and about soon. Society is affiliated with The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.. All the best for a Happy Blues Year 2021, Our website is www.wablues.org. WASHINGTON BLUES SOCIETY P.O. BOX 70604 SEATTLE, WA 98127 Tony Frederickson, President Washington Blues Society Member, Board of Directors, The Blues Foundation (2014–2017) 2 January 2021 BLUESLETTER Washington Blues Society In This Issue... BLUES RIFFS 2 LetterLetter from the President 5 LetterLetter from the Editor FEATURE ARTICLES 6 Memorable Gigs... 8 Remembering Jimmy Holden 9 Honoring Seattle’s Jimmy Holder 10 Live from the US Empbassy: Blues Happy Hour 12 Nick Vigarino Still Rocks the House! BLUES NEWS, PREVIEWS AND REVIEWS 15 RememberingRemembering Blues Society Holiday Parties 14 BluesBlues You Can Use: CD Reviews 18 Our Monthly Blues Bash Has Gone Virtual 15 Benefit: The Lift Up Festival 18 DecemberDecember Blues Bash Preview 20 Best Blues Songs of 2020 WASHINGTON BLUES SOCIETY STUFF! 2 2021 BluesBlues Society Officers & Directors This issue honors the legacy of Seattle bluesman 19 WashingtonWashington Blues Society Membership Form Jimmy Holden, celebrates past Washington Blues Society holiday events and welcomes back 20 Looking Back at a Memorable Bluesletter Year frequent contributor Rocky Nelson. This month, 22 WashingtonWashington Blues Talent Guide we’re also celebrating the achievements of Nick 24 BluesBlues Jams & Open Mic Listings Vigarino, an award-winning bluesman who was one of the first Washington Blues Society presidents. 26 WashingtonWashington Blues Venue Guide Please join your fellow blues fans and keep the 28 BluesBlues on the Radio (and online, too!) blues alive during the COVID-19 pandemic by 29 January Live Music & Streaming Online participating in our virtual blues bash and other live blues experiences online. 31 Washington Blues Society Best of the Blues (“BB(“BB Awards”) Nomination Ballot Above: Jimmy Holden (Photo by Dave Corry) Cover: Nick Vigarino in the Stillaguamish Valley (Photo by Jewel Spivey) January 2021 BLUESLETTER Washington Blues Society 3 JANUARY 2021 - Volume XXXII, Number I PUBLISHER Washington Blues Society - www.wablues.org EDITOR Eric Steiner (editor@ wablues.org) PRINTER Pacific Publishing Company (www.pacificpublishingcompany.com) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rick J. Bowen, Eric Steiner, Tony Frederickson, Tim Scott, Cholo Wilson, John Kessler, Rocky Nelson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dan Hill, Blues Boss, Dave Corry, Bob Hakins, Amy Sassenberg Eric Steiner, Jewel Spivey, Pawel Klasa, Denise Hathaway DEADLINES AdAd Reservations 5PM on the 5th of the month [email protected]@wablues.org Calendar 5PM5PM on the 10th of the month PleasePlease submit @ www.wablues.org Editorial 5PM5PM on the 5th of the month [email protected] Camera-ReadyCamera-Ready Ad Art 5PM on the 12th of the month [email protected] SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Please send articles and photos only as attachments. Please do not embed images or stories embedded directy in emails and please do not send links. Please only send attachments. Photos: High-resolution PDF, tif, or jpg saved as 300 dpi or greater in traditional print media CMYK format only (for color) an grayscale (for B& W). Please title photos with a unique file name and not use camera-supplied alpha-numeric file titles, and please do not include any watermarks or branding information on any photo. Please also do not send low-resolution, social media photos. Articles: Plain text (.txt) or Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) only. AD SPECS & COSTS SIZE B/W COLORCOLOR HT × W in mm full pg $300 $375 238 × 187.3 ½ pg verticalvertical $175 $220 238 × 91.3 ½ pg horizontalhorizontal $175 $220 116.66 × 187.3 back ½ pg horizontalhorizontal $260 $325 116.66 × 187.3 ¼ pg verticalvertical $100 $125 116.66 × 91.3 1/3 pg verticalvertical TBA TBA 238 × 59.3 1/6 pg verticalvertical TBA TBA 116.66 × 59.3 1/12 pg squaresquare TBA TBA 56 × 59.3 business cardcard horizontal $30 $38 56 × 91.3 business cardcard vertical $30 $38 91.3 x 56 BLUESLETTER ADVERTISING DISCOUNTS 20% off 12-month12-month pre-payment 15% off 6-month6-month pre-payment 10% off 3-month3-month pre-payment 4 January 2021 BLUESLETTER Washington Blues Society LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hi Bluesletter Readers, embedded in emails, in Microsoft Word or plain text and all color photos must be formatted in high resolution at 300 DPI or larger I wanted to echo our Tony in either CMYK (color) or grayscale (black and white). Generally, Frederickson’s Letter from the social media photos sourced online do not work as they are of President in acknowledging that insufficient resolution and our printer requires photos formatted our local blues constellation lost for traditional print media and not online social media. another bright light with Jimmy Holden’s passing. This month, While 2020 will likely be remembered as a year of “virtual blues,” the Bluesletter remembers Jimmy the Washington Blues Society has continued to host monthly Holden with remembrances from blues bashes, special events like the Seattle Peace Concerts and Tim Scott and Cholo Wilson and Gas Station Blues in Downtown Issaquah on Thursdays, and our photos from the Blues Boss, Dan Best of the Blues (“BB Awards”) online. In that spirit, we continue Hill and Dave Corry. in the COVID-19 to honor remote blues achievements and ask Washington Blues Society members to please submit nominations Each time I saw Red House play, for 2021 BB Award nominees no later than January 12, 2021 as the I marveled at Jimmy’s spirited work on the keyboard. For more final nominating ballot is included on page 31 of this issue. information on Red House, please visit http://redhouseband.net.