Best CD of the year. I wasn’t as impressed by the CDs that I heard this year as I was last year. I bought some of acts that I’d heard live but as often happens, the CD didn’t do the live performance justice.  However there were one or two gems. The Stumble were justifiably one [...]

Highlight of the year – the fantastic build quality of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Lowpoint – the disappointing plumbing in the toilet of CatHead in Clarksdale. Not a lot of blues for me this year.  Compared to previous years I have been to fewer gigs, watched fewer DVDs and listened to fewer CDs.  I don’t [...]

Goin’ Up The Country Blues & Roots Club at Worthenbury Village Hall For tickets and info please ring 01948 770215  OR MAIL pete@hookerblues.co.uk www.hookerblues.co.uk Unless stated, entry is £10, doors open @ 8pm and music starts 9pm *Please check the gig dates with us  before hand as sometimes dates do change* THINGS THEY HAVE SAID… [...]

Here’s The Cangelosi Cards performing “Milenburg Joys”.  Very nice indeed. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_MCxA8szM

Warrington Blues Club – 2009 Programme Warrington Blues Club continue the legacy of the many years of great blues with another excellent line-up for the first part of 2009. February 6th – Aynsley Lister A welcome return to the north for the Ruf Records star. February 27th – Down at Antones and The Harpbreakers Two [...]

You all know that I love the Hammond organ sound almost as much as I love my family. These guys are great. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hT8dAeHe7Ow

The BluesWax E-zine have published their top 10 CDs of the year. # Clearwater, Eddy ‘Chief’ – West Side Strut # Various Artists – 10 Years of European World of Bluegrass # Osborne, Anders – Coming Down # Gibson, Billy – The Prince of Beale Street # Little Richard – The Very Best of Little [...]

Alan Pearson has sent me the details of all his Tower Blues ventures in the Blackpool/Fleetwoood area.  You can download the Tower Blues flyer from here. Upstairs at The Raikes Sat Jan 24 – Sinnerboy Celebrating the music of Rory Gallagher Sat Feb 21 – King King Alan Nimmo’s new band Sat Mar 14 – [...]

Over the next few days I’ll be posting the gig programmes for a few of the blues clubs of the region.  2009 is looking like an excellent year for live blues.  As blues lovers you have a duty to go out and support live music, if you don’t go then the gigs will stop and [...]

As blues lovers I know that many of us like to travel in the U.S.  Here is a selection of American travel articles on the states of the U.S. The article on Mississippi certainly has some blues content as does Illinois.  However as short articles on travel to the U.S. they all worth a read. [...]

Tremendous stuff.  Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Compared To What.  Live on German TV. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hRONbnyNpu8

There is some negativity in the music business regarding some recent changes to the local bureaucracy surrounding live music venues in London.  There is also some talk of the potential for national schemes. You can read more about this in The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/how-form-696-could-pull-the-plug-on-the-capitals-music-scene-1028240.html If, on reading the newspaper report, you find yourself out of favour [...]

Here are some great clips of Mavis Staples with her killer band. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ykGHfhA79Dw http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EE6YeE3WOf8

http://jukejointsoul.blogspot.com/2008/12/georgia-blues-legend-robert-ward-passes.html

There have been a couple of large sized posts this morning since I published the Harper review, so make sure that you scroll down to see the review of this excellent gig. http://www.bluesinthenorthwest.com/index.php/2008/12/26/review-harper-worthenbury-goin-up-the-country-blues-and-roots-club-fri-19-dec/

Ian Williams has kindly allowed me to upload a selection of his excellent pictures to the bluesinthenorthwest.com Flickr account.  I have already added one picture to the review published earlier.  You can see the rest of them on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenpeace/