And.... The Envelope, Please
On May 24th, the center of the blues universe will be the Memphis' Orpheum Theatre. That night, the Blues Foundation will host the 22nd annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards and the line-up of hosts and nominees alike is first-class. Dr. John will be the Master of Ceremonies and he'll help celebrate the best that the blues has to offer. While I don't have a crystal ball, I'd like to give some props to a few bluesmen (and blueswomen) that, in my opinion, deserve the W. C. Handy hardware and all the recognition that it represents from the blues community at-large. This month, I'll also talk about one of my favorite Chicago-area blues bands ever to play "Dust My Broom." I'm talking about The Steepwater Band, and one of these days, I hope to see them at the W.C. Handy Awards.
Named in honor of the blues visionary, star of the early 1900s and author of "Beale Street Blues," "The Memphis Blues" and "St. Louis Blues," the W.C. Handy Awards ceremony kicks off Handy Weekend, which features blues symposiums and panel discussions among industry leaders, workshops for blues musicians and recording professionals, and plenty of blues in Memphis. Live blues is one of the many hallmarks of this annual event, and blues bands perform in clubs along the city's storied Beale Street. The W. C. Handy Blues Awards are presented by Gibson Guitars, and other sponsors include Tower Records, Amtrak, BMI, and Budweiser. The Blues Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Blues history, celebrating Blues excellence and supporting Blues education. It is the umbrella organization for an international network of over 110 affiliated organizations with members in 28 countries. For the scoop on the Handy Awards, I'm going to keep my web browser pointed to www.handyawards.com or www.blues.org
Here are a few predictions for this year's Handy awards that I'd like to offer. Keep in mind that these are my opinions and not necessarily the views of Cosmik Debris' D.J. Johnson or other Cosmik Debris staff. There are 25 different categories of Handy Awards, and I've selected a few of my favorites.
The Traditional Blues - Male Artist of the Year category has six of the blues world's best vying for this year's trophy: R. L. Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, James Cotton, Magic Slim, Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Snooky Pryor. While each of them certainly deserves a place of honor for their own unique contribution to the heritage of the blues, my vote goes for Snooky Pryor. Snooky's recent work on Blind Pig and on Electro-Fi shows that, after nearly 50 years of making music, Snooky's at the top of his game. He was one of the first bluesmen to play an amplified harp. When he plugs in, Snooky rocks the house. One of the best harp players around, particularly on his duet with Mel Brown, Double Shot, on Electro-Fi. Rock the house, Snooky!
{I'd like to stir it up by talking a little bit about my vote for Blues Entertainer of the Year. There's Little Milton, Rod Piazza, B.B. King, Shemekia Copeland, Taj Mahal, and Bobby Rush. Quite an accomplished artists of blues players, in any book. If Cosmik Debris were given voting rights at the Blues Foundation, I'd vote early and often for Ms. Shemekia Copeland. She's one of the best blues shouters to ever hit the stage, and she's done a fine job of carrying on the tradition that the Queen Bee herself, Koko Taylor. This year, I'd like to see Shemekia share the stage alongside Koko Taylor, as the Queen Bee is up for Traditional Blues - Female Artist of the Year. You go, blues women! }
Here's a sampling of my ballot. Pay close attention, now. There's no chads or miscounts here. Just some great blues in many of the Handy Award categories.
Traditional Blues Album of the Year: Double Shot, by Snooky Pryor and Mel Brown (Electro-Fi)
Acoustic Blues Album of the Year: Butt Naked Free by Guy Davis (Red House Records)
Historical Blues Album of the Year: Various Artists: And This is Maxwell Street (Rooster)
My Handy 2001 award-winning blues band would consist of the following sidemen: Keyboards: Pinetop Perkins, Harmonica: Carey Bell; Bass: Calvin "Fuzz" Jones; Guitar: Duke Robillard; and behind the drum kit, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Under the Instrumentalist - Other category, I'd vote for Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown on fiddle, and my horn section would be the Memphis Horns.
For the Blues Song of the Year, my vote goes to Guy Davis' "Waiting for the Cards to Fall," from his Butt Naked Free release on Red House. If you've ever played blackjack and had an ace in the hole, waiting for eight or a nine while the dealer held with seven, you'll love "Waiting for the Cards to Fall."
Dreaming of the Handys...
As I mentioned on these screens last year, Chicago's Steepwater Band is one of the most talented young blues bands around. Someday, I hope they'll be up on that Beale Street stage. In the meantime, they're getting some pretty good gigs and working steadily. Like opening up for Alligator recording artist Michael Burks at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on May 19th. Until The Steepwater Band gets to Memphis, we've got Live... Half in the Bag, the band's first official live disc. This CD set features more than 70 minutes of the Steepwater Band at their best, live. They'll return to Chicago Blues Festival in June, just before they release their first full-length studio CD later this summer. They are currently in post-production at Frequency Recording Labs (formerly Hot Ham and Cheese Recording Company). Don't take my word for it, though. Their website features downloadable tunes, and in true Grateful Dead tradition, this up and coming blues band actually encourages folks to copy and share their music with friends. Confidential to Joe and the Steepwater guys: way to get the word out on www.steepwater.com!
Next month, I'll talk about some of the summer's hottest blues tours. Join me this month in celebrating the W.C. Handy Awards at www.handyawards.com or www.blues.org.
