Born in 1937 blues guitar man Phillip Walker was one of the rich collection of contemporary American bluesmen that helped blues music spread like wildfire…especially electric blues guitar. 

Having played with greats Lonnie Brooks and even R&B acts like Little Richard as well as Etta James and Zydeco legend Clifton Chenier…unfortunately we got word that Phillip Walker passed on Thursday July 22 – apparently due to heart failure in Palm Springs at the too young age of 73. 

Not a household name, but well known by blues enthusiasts, especially in California where he migrated and made a great career, Phillip was, by all accounts, a virtuoso blues guitar player that could be equally good across a broad spectrum of blues and R&B styles.

Here are a couple of videos – the first one I love, there is just something about setting up for a gig before all of the excitement starts:

And listen to him at his best with “Trouble In My Home” –

We would like to pass our condolences along to his family, friends and legions of fans…another blues stringer gone home!

Buddy Guy is about to turn 74 years young this July 30th, yet he is still as vibrant, creative and influential as he has ever been.

Looking at his latest tour schedule over at his Buddy Guy’s website, it shows a very active tour schedule with Europe through the month of July (taking a queue from BB King’s summer tours in Europe) coming back to North America for what will be some really cool shows with Tom Petty in the Northeast, BB King in California, and then the central states, linking up with Johnny Lang for some more North East shows – -taking him all the way through November!

Folks, kids of 20 would have trouble keeping up with this demanding schedule, so get out and see him when he comes into your town…Buddy ALWAYS puts on a terrific show.

I personally am hoping he adds a few more Ontario Canada dates, we love him up here…but I know I’ll get to see him sometime during the summer.

One of the killer shows of the year would be those summer dates with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers who have a sizzling hot blues CD out…I haven’t been able to stop listening to “Mojo” since it came out.  We posted some videos of his Tom Petty’s “Mojo” material here.

Have you been to a Buddy Guy show?  How about his club in Chicago?  Post your comments if you have a great memory of seeing a Buddy Guy show.

It has been years since I have really listened to the radio, fed up with the softies, alternative crap that all sounds pretty much the same – even country music has become so watered down it’s tough to even recognize it as country anymore.

That all changed last week when Canada’s first all-blues radio station hit the airwaves, DawgFM 101.9 in Ottawa – with global simulcast around the world from their internet site – DawgFM

Already I’m hearing Stevie Ray, Stevie Wonder, Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy and BB King songs that I had either forgotten or never heard…yesterday I even found myself sitting in my car at the local coffee shop because I wanted to hear the next song coming up — I haven’t done that for a radio station for well over 10-years!

At the helm of the announcers is long-time veteran and the coolest guy on radio Jeff Winter…having come back to Ottawa just for this opportunity.

Here’s hoping that we all support these guys and that the station prospers – bringing blues to an entirely new generation.

They are running a cool guitar a day giveaway right now that makes listening even more fun.

Long live the Dawg…as long as they are on the air I’ll be listening.

What about you…do you have an all-blues radio station in your town?  Let us know by leaving a comment.

I’ve always been a Tom Petty fan but have to admit I don’t own any of his CD’s and could take or leave his music on any given day…but I have seen him live and certainly would see him again.

But now there is something to get excited about, after crossing that fine line between guitar rock and blues, Petty has made something that really got me excited for the first time ever…

What else would you call an album where you tackle the blues head-on – but “Mojo!“

And…how could it not be great when you combine the soul and experience of Tom Petty with the influence of great blues guitar players and musicians like Albert King and Muddy Waters along with the intelligence to go with a live recording setting keeping overdubs to a minimum

That seems to hold great potential for a kick-ass blues album.

Ready to come out June 15th, preview tracks – the Zepplin, Jack White influenced version of “I Should Have Known It” and the up-tempo traditional blues “Jefferson Jericho Blues” both serve to illustrate the raw guitar power of Mike Campbell, the cool blues swagger of Petty and the tightness of a band that has played an eternity together on the road.

Take a listen to Jefferson Jericho Blues —

And now the rougher, tougher rocking blues number “I Should Have Known”

In that first number, it is clear that he and his band are having a blast — freed up to play some of the most natural music straight from the heart.

There is even a slower blues number called “Taking My Time” that shows Petty has thought through the full scope of blues styles for Mojo – his latest blues CD

Quite a departure for Petty and his Heartbreaker’s Band who set aside the cool California rock sound for a rougher, more spontaneous and raw blues record…my only comment is…where has this been for the last few decades?

What do you think of the new Tom Petty sound?

Standing immediately in the middle of the incredible evolution of blues from the front porches and fields of America is Big Bill Broonzy, the often cited, but rarely seen blues guitar player who influenced generations of modern musicians.

Big Bill really had 3 careers wrapped up in one, starting with more traditional country blues evolving to a more refined (and popular with white audience) blues sound more reminiscent of the Chicago blues sound ending his career by delving deeply into folk, perhaps merging his earlier country traditional blues roots with his more popularized urban blues guitar sound.

I live listening to his stuff because every time I listen to one of his songs I here pure innovation in the guitar, something that even shines through some 70-80 years later.

Born in June of 1898 playing guitar well into the 1950’s before his death in 1958, Big Bill Broonzy is definitely someone a new or experienced blues guitar player can learn from.

For instance, watch this brilliant version of Hey, Hey – a very early guitar shuffle with both hands extremely active while he keeps such an infectious rhythm…no wonder he became one of the earliest blues guitar artists that crossed over into popularity across colors…watch this carefully: