The 2008 Blues Music Awards Nominees (Page 2 of 2)

I've got to pay my dues somewhere.

I was not going to post.  I changed my mind, not sure why. I was thinking, don't be an egomaniac, it's not a big deal.  Because Joe Bonamassa posted twice & then declared himself done, that was good enough for me.  But maybe I can bring balance to the force.

Joe, when Carmine told me, "You'll like this guy, Jeff.  This music is right up your alley."  I just laughed and said cool.  We've been friends longer than you've been alive.  No disrespect intended.  You're the boss.  He remembers the Mandrill, Motown & Earth, Wind & Fire, I used to rattle the windows with.  AND the Stinking, Dirty, Nasty Blues...God the funk.  Just to get even he would slip in and put up Queen and Rod Stewart and Traffic on volume 11.  We had fun. 

So I drove 3 hours to W.Palm Beach.  I hope you saw the revue.  CR made me join the forum.  Yes, he sure did.  It's been said already.  All bureaucricies are political and slow to change.  In marketing an idea, first create the demand.  Ahhh, the fans are good.

Those who have come (and gone) before Joe, folks, have suffered the same indignities (and worse) from record labels and producers and the boards.  When I joined a local blues society and spoke about it being run by southern rockers and Van Halen wannabees, they ran me off, because I was outspoken in my criticism of the lack of soul.  Other end of the spectrum.

Joe, you have something for us all.  There are people who love you because you rock...that you do.  But your influences come from a deeper, older place and I love you for THAT.  So I told Carmine "Yes this is where we meet, hard rocking blues or as some have said, "Blues Rock."  and we laughed.

OK then, how do you categorize Guitar Slim, Buddy Guy, Jimi, Stevie, Arlen and Joe?  Who were their influences?  The blues will live on because of or in spite of Foundations and Societies.  Joe knows that, as do I.  Balance.

Good job everyone.  It's nice to see passion at its purest, white hot best.  I love it here.

Joe...my old hard-drinking, pool shooting, poker playing daddy used to say, "I'd rather be lucky than good."  You mentioned luck.  I'll take luck, esp if it's the product of dedication and preparation and the right spiritual frame of mind.  Anybody want a guru?  LOL

bigjeff himself.  Can you say lucky?  Sure you can.

Just emailed the Exec Dir of the  Blues org - TOLD them a thing or two...in a calm respectful tone mind you. Suggested they, in the future, maybe consider a blues/rock category like someone suggested. Seems like Joe gets penalized cause he chooses not play straight blues as defined by the "so called" experts...wouldn't it be a shame it they recieved a FLOOD of emails from Joe supporters...Hee Hee

Oh yeah, we do need a "Blues/Rock Society"!

Cause if you read all those Blues-magazines and CD reviews that are published every month, you start to believe that Bluesrock is the "black sheep" of Blues. The common opinion seems to be something like: "Oh, Bluesrock... those guys who wanna show you how fast they can move their fingers...that´s not the real thing" . At least in Germany you get to hear this kind of stuff a lot. And there really ARE some "Bluesrock" artists that keep on playing riff after riff but don´t get the feeling - if you know what I mean...

But we all know how unique Joe is - it would be nice if he got some more "official appreciation", but as long as we all scream some "JoeJoeJoe" at the top of our loungs  - it´s alright. Isn´t it?!

Joe, you´ve got "All of our love" !

Eva

Was it a year ago?  Really.  Wow.  I remember that day well.

I find this sort of list to be laughable.

Tommy Castro?  Really.  Come on.

It amazes me that sort political posturing that still takes place.  Why not just call these the Blind Pig. Alligator/TelArc blues awards.

The only one that i like is the constant inclusion of Magic Slim, as I think that few bands come close to Slims for bands of blues players.

The teardrops are insane.

Candye Kane?  Really.  She sends out emails about not being able to get gigs, and the like.

I do not know why you all bother with things like the Blues Cruise or whatever.

I consider a ton of the cats on this list friends, a few have slept at my house.

I think that your outrage is not enough.  I think you should be even angier.

This will be my column this week.

Hey Dino,
I remember this conversation last year too, and I honestly thought it might be a little different this year.  Call me naive, but I actually thought after "Sloe Gin" being Joe's second back to back cd that topped  the Billboard Blues Charts  (after "You and Me"), Joe would certainly get nominated this year. It would make sense, right?
This is more than insane. 

I look forward to reading your column.

Susan

So far, it simply comes down to the fact that if you look back at the historical voices celebrated by the Handy's they are even out of date in that area.

this is not the article, but some pre writing stuff

lets start with this thesis...BB King, and Buddy Guy go without saying.  They deserve everything that they have been given.  Chances are just about any record that Buddy or BB put out, could conceivably win all the awards, simply based on track record.  So that is like saying the sky is blue.

But if you look at the nominations historically, they have chosen to ignore the truly progressive voices in blues.  I will not engage you all in the Joe thing, but his is a progressive voice.  But if you look other places...The John Spencer Blues Explosion, Judah Bauer went to Junior Kimbrough, before the re stgarting of his career, and made a record with him.  Junion led him to RL.  RL came out of that progressive blues sound.

If you look at RL's albums, until the end when he was not doing well and they were rehashing crap, his albums were cutting edge blues records, from the high country, in traditional juke joint flavor.

At hte same time Fat Possum put out very traditional records by Charles Caldwell, Furry Lewis, the Mitchell Collection...all of these records were 100% traditional.  A case of the label serving the music.  Those records were passed over.

If we return to the blues catergory, and the progressive ilk, the black keys recorded a blues record of all junior kimbrough songs, which even featured an appearance by Juniors widow.

It is my contention that, and this is going to be a strong statement, I feel that the Handy's no longer serve the history of the blues, and they do not serve the future of the blues.  They have turned there back on rural blues music, and low contry southern blues.  Instead they focus on these clearly urban, and trite records.

To see the influence of the Blind Pig, and ALligator blues mafias on these proceedings is so disheartening.

To see that Tommy Castro is geting a nod when both my friend and Joe are getting passed over.

It took Hank Jr. YEARS to get the recognition he deserved from the Nashville higher up's. But when he finally did, it came in droves, and it was all done his way.