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Issue 262: October 2023

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Somewhere off the coast of Dubrovnik, Croatia, it’s third time lucky for Blues In Britain as our rescheduled interview with Joe Bonamassa finally goes green on the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea’s summer Mediterranean cruise. We’ve been shoe-horned into the guitarist’s hectic schedule to talk about his new album, Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, performing at the Hollywood Bowl with a full orchestra and, well, anything else that time allows. Friendly and courteous, the hardest-working man in blues always has something to say: “If it’s too easy, what’s the point?”

  

  They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend and that much is certainly true for Erja Lyytinen. The guitarist releases her fourth live album Diamonds On The Road: Live 2023 on her own Tuohi Records. When it comes to live, there’s no safety net, and there’s none better than the firebrand Finn for capturing that blues power lightning in the bottle. “The blues is still my music,” she tells Nicholas John.      

               

             

                Described by Planet Rock Radio as a British blues legend and by his friend, mentor and blues patriarch Walter Trout as “one of the best ever”, Danny Bryant has spent the last twenty years touring the world, with packed-out club shows and world-famous festivals in China, the USA, Canada, Europe and all points in between. Recorded at Lincolnshire’s famed Chapel Studios, Rise is his new record, undoubtedly another in a succession of album releases to hit the top spots of blues charts across Europe, as Paddy Wells finds out.  

             “Just play what you feel, be real about it, and enjoy yourself. That’s what Albert Collins taught me,” says left-handed guitar virtuoso Coco Montoya, who mastered his craft under the tutelage of both Collins and John Mayall. Since his first solo album in 1995, Montoya’s inventive guitar work and hard-hitting vocals have kept him at the top of the blues tree. With a new album, Writing On The Wall already being called one of the best records he’s ever made, John Mitchell talks to Coco Montoya at home in California.

                We lost the great Tony TS McPhee this year, but many are possibly unaware of a teenage friend of his, a close musical collaborator who sadly died over thirty years ago. Together they’d released an album together, Same Thing On Our Minds. The late, great Jo Ann Kelly was that friend and collaborator, a serious lady of the blues, an often-bespectacled young English girl who sang like a blues veteran from the Delta. In the first part of our appreciation, Moz Copestake looks back at her life and career.

                Blues In Britain spoke to Layla Zoe last month: just about to begin a short UK tour, the Canadian singer (who’s currently based in the Netherlands) has just released a double live album, Back To The Spirit of 66. In this second part, Simon Green talks to The Firegirl about the album.

                More Tales From The Road with Alabama’s Debbie Bond who’s been clocking in the road miles on the European mainland and is now in the U.K. Influenced by raw juke joint blues and the famed sounds of Muscle Shoals, she found her feet playing with legendary Alabama blues musicians Johnny Shines, Eddie Kirkland, Willie King and Lil’ Jimmy Reed. Check out her Road Diary Part Two.

                It would make a great question for a pub quiz. Which British musician played in all of these British groups? UFO, Glenn Cornick’s Wild Turkey, Cozy Powell’s Hammer, Babe Ruth, Paice Ashton Lord and Whitesnake – whoever it was must surely have been at the very centre of the blues rock music firmament. And he was; that musician was Bernie Marsden, who sadly passed in August. We pay our respects to Bernie in this issue, a man of whom B.B. King (when asked if white musicians could play the blues) said, “Some can; Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, John Mayall, they feel the blues, oh and that Whitesnake guy, Bernie, he got it.” RIP Bernie.

                High Hopes this month features a wonderfully eclectic foursome: wild water, paddle-boarding ex-busker Dave Acari, northern blues harp, guitar duo Dust Radio, young Korean-American folk blues player Nat Myers and southern soul, Canadian roots sensations, Bywater Call (touring here as the ink dries on this edition). It all starts here, folks.

                PLUS: Associate Editor, Mark Stratford is Walking In Memphis with Mississippi MacDonald, there’s Becc’s Blues by Rebecca Downes, My Top Ten, Reconsider Baby, A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues and your monthly album and gig reviews.

Back Issues

226

JOE BONAMASSA  plus 

ERROL LINTON, MIKE ROSS, KIRK FLETCHER, THE 251s, MARK HARRISON

October 2020 - 226

227

KING KING plus

ERJA LYYTINEN, CONNOR BRACKEN, SAMANTHA MARTIN, SCOTT ELLISON, SYLVIE SIMMONS

 

November 2020 - 227

228

WHEN RIVERS MEET plus

CATFISH, ALLMAN BETTS BAND, SUSAN SANTOS, JUSTIN ADAMS, RUZZ GUITAR

 

 

December 2020 - 228

229

CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE plus

MARCUS KING, NORMAN BEAKER, CHRIS SMITH, GRAHAM PARKER, BONNIE BISHOP

 

January 2021 - 229

230

GRAINNE DUFFY plus

GEORGE THOROGOOD, JOHN MAYALL, DANA GILLESPIE, THE CADILLAC THREE, KATIE BRADLEY

 

 

February 2021 - 230

231

JOANNA CONNOR plus

KIM WILSON, RONNIE GREER, SHAUN MURPHY, MUDDY MANNINEN, TREV TURLEY

 

 

March 2021 - 231

232

BAI KAMARA plus

SELWYN BIRCHWOOD, IMELDA MAY, MIKE SANCHEZ, LAURA B, NICK WATERHOUSE

 

April 2021 - 232

233

THE DAMN THRUTH plus

KAI STRAUSS, GARY MOORE, WILL JOHNS, ARIELLE, BRAVE REVIVAL

 

May 2021 - 233

234

ELLIS MANO BAND plus

DR. FEELGOOD, CURTIS SALGADO, STEVE CROPPER, DAVE SPEIGHT, FIVE POINTS GANG

 

June 2021 - 234

235

ELIANA CARGNELUTTI plus

MIKE ZITO, MOBY, HITMAN BLUES BAND, JULIAN TAYLOR, SCOTT McKEON

July 2021 - 235

236

TROY REDFERN plus

BERNIE MARSDEN, TITO JACKSON, CLARENCE SPADY, WATERMELON SLIM, SUITCASE SAM

 

    

August 2021 - 236

237

RORY GALLAGHER plus

ERIC BIBB, BERNIE MARSDEN, CONNOR SELBY, ROBERT JON, PAPA GEORGE

September 2021 - 237

238

JOE BONAMASSA plus

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR, TERESA JAMES, REV. GARY DAVIS, JIMMY REGAL & THE ROYALS, BRIGITTE DeMEYER

October 2021 - 238

239

WHEN RIVERS MEET plus

DION, SUE FOLEY, COLIN JAMES, MARK PONTIN, MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD

November 2021 - 239

240

KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS

plus

SNOWY WHITE, DANNY BRYANT, THE COLD STARES, WARREN HAYNES, MARK HARRISON, MISTY BLUES

December 2021 - 240

241

SAMANTHA FISH

plus

ERJA LYYTINEN, GUY KING, WALTER PARKS, STEVE GIBBONS, REBECCA DOWNES, THE JIVE ACES

January 2022 - 241

242

ELLES BAILEY

plus

ERIC GALES, JOHN MAYALL, CHRISTONE KINGFISH INGRAM, WILLE & THE BANDITS

February 2022 - 242

243

DAN PATLANSKY

plus

BETH HART, JETHRO TULL, STEVE BAILEY, THE 251s, ADAM NORSWORTHY

March 2022 - 243

244

DOM MARTIN

plus

EDGAR WINTER, THE BLUES BAND, THE CINELLI BROTHERS, LARRY McCRAY, DAVE KELLY

April 2022 - 244

245

ROBIN TROWER

plus

ROBERT CRAY, EMMA WILSON, BRAVE RIVAL, BEAUX GRIS GRIS, THE LOVE LIGHT ORCHESTRA

 

May 2022 - 245

246

THE BAD DAY

plus

CATFISH, KARA GRAINGER, MATT PEARCE & THE MUTINY, VANEESE THOMAS, THE TERRAPLANES BLUES BAND

June 2022 - 246

247

BERNIE MARSDEN

plus

WILKO JOHNSON, ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW, LAURA EVANS, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES, TINSLEY ELLIS

July 2022 - 247

248

TROY REDFERN

plus

BONHAM-BULLICK, DELBERT McCLINTON, ROBBEN FORD, KIRK FLETCHER, SUPERSONIC BLUES  MACHINE

August 2022 - 248

249

TOMMY McLAIN

plus

WALTER TROUT, BAD LUCK FRIDAY, THE MILK MEN, JO HARMAN, BEN HEMMING

 

                       

September 2022 - 249

250

250th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

with

LAURENCE JONES, PETER FRAMPTON, SUNJAY, JIMMY HALL, ALBERT CASTIGLIA, DAVE THOMAS, MALAYA BLUE

October 2022 - 250

251

ERJA LYYTINEN

plus

LARKIN POE, DON McLEAN, JASON RICCI, THE COMMONERS, OLIVER DARLING, STEVE HILL

November 2022 - 251

252

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

plus

RORY BLOCK, CLIMAX BLUES BAND, DONNA HERULA, JOHN VERITY, ROB KORAL, JO CARLEY & THE OLD DRY SKULLS

 

December 2022 - 252

253

TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN

plus

REBECCA DOWNES, CAROLYN WONDERLAND, GERRY JABLONSKI & THE ELECTRIC BAND, TREVOR BABAJACK STEGER, PETE SEARS

           

January 2023 - 253

254

MISSISSIPPI MACDONALD

plus

AYNSLEY LISTER, JARED JAMES NICHOLS, BOB ANGELL, THE CADILLAC KINGS, ANGELA STREHLI

 

February 2023 - 254

255

CONNOR SELBY

plus

ERIC BIBB, MARCUS KING, RUTHIE FOSTER, THE COLD STARES, MARC BROUSSARD

March 2023 - 255

256

KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AT SEA

plus 

GA-20, MARY STOKES BAND, THE ZOMBIES, HENRIK FREISCHLADER, ARIELLE, GERAINT WATKINS

April 2023 - 256

257

SAMANTHA FISH and JESSE DAYTON

plus

ANA POPOVIC, MARK HUMMEL,JIM KIRKPATRICK, MARTIN McNEILL, JOHNNY MARS & THE COLD HEART REVUE

May 2023 - 257

258

LUKE MORLEY

plus

PAUL JONES, CHRIS DUARTE, MIKE ROSS, THE STUMBLE, DOUG DEMING

June 2023 - 258

259

LAURENCE JONES

 plus 

GRAINNE DUFFY, STEFAN REDTENBACHER, JIMMY REGAL & THE ROYALS, BISON HIP, ASHLEY SHERLOCK, IVY GOLD

July 2023 - 259

260

WHEN RIVERS MEET

plus

ROBERT JON & THE WRECK, RUBY TURNER, FANTASTIC NEGRITO, IVAN NEVILLE, STEVE ‘WEST’ WESTON, SUGAR RAY NORCIA

August 2023 - 260

261

DOM MARTIN

plus

ALBANY DOWN, BETTYE LAVETTE, LAYLA ZOE, DEBBIE BOND, DADDY LONG LEGS, BRYN HAWORTH

September 2023 - 261

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