Blues America

91 year old multi Grammy-nominated piano master, Henry Gray is a living legend and a national treasure whose recording career spans seven decades. After surviving deployments to the South Pacific with the Army during WWII, the Louisiana native found fame as a featured session player for Chess Records and easily found a home in the bands of the greatest blues players to ever record, including Little Walter, the Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Elmore James. In fact, Gray was performing with Elmore James the night he died of a heart attack. If you ask him, Henry will tell you he left Chicago because everyone he knew died, and he didn’t want to catch what they had. After performing on stage with the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger asked Gray to perform at his wedding and his mother’s birthday party. In 2003 Gray was featured with Ray Charles in a documentary called Piano Blues which was produced by Clint Eastwood. The Delta Groove label released Gray’s latest studio effort with Bob Corritore called ‘The Blues Won’t Let Me Take My Rest.’

Blues veteran Albert Castiglia has the privilege of being able to say he cut his teeth as a member of the touring band for the late great Junior Wells before joining the Sandra Hall Band. Aside from Hall and Wells, Castiglia has shared stages with some of the greatest players in the genre like Pinetop Perkins, Phil Guy, Ronnie Earl, Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Lurrie Bell, Jerry Portnoy, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater and Otis Clay, among others. He decided to take a shot as a solo artist around 2002 and never looked back; releasing nine albums to date including his latest to make waves, ‘Big Dog’ on Ruf Records which was produced by Blues pro Mike Zito and self-described as a “game changer.”

Debra Devi is a rock musician and the author of the award-winning blues glossary called “The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu,” which Reuters describes as "one of the wittiest, bawdiest, most fascinating dictionaries ever.” It features a foreword by blues legend Dr. John and won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Outstanding Book on Music. Debra’s rock music is best described as Sheryl Crow meets Gov't Mule with a lot of blues influence. Her debut effort is called Get Free and she's set to release her sophomore album, an EP titled Wild Little Girl.

Preston Shannon is internationally recognized as the King of Beale Street. He gained international recognition during the 90’s after forming his own band releasing a string of successful albums on the Rounder Bullseye label and being nominated for two Grammy Awards. Prior to this, the native of Olive Branch, Mississippi was an experienced musician who cut his teeth in the band of platinum selling Grammy-winning soul great, Shirley Brown. Preston was recently featured on the cover of the Living Blues magazine and his latest studio effort, ‘Dust My Broom’ pays tribute to Elmore James and received critical acclaim.

Anthony cut his teeth as an original member of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones and Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, touring extensively before forming his own band as Little Anthony and the Loco-Motives and releasing two records on the Deluge Label. He’s also an original member of Boston’s House of Blues All-Star Band which frequently featured Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi. Anthony has been nominated for many awards, including the Grammy and has performed behind the who’s who of Blues legends from B.B. King to Big Walter Horton. His latest album released by Delta Groove, ‘50 Shades of Blue’ features the Boston Blues All-Stars who are a motley crew of blues veterans that include Sugar Ray Norcia, Darrell Nulisch, Mudcat Ward, Monster Mike Welch and more. It was reviewed as one of the top albums of 2015 and continues to place on the charts. Anthony has an undergraduate degree from Berklee College of Music and holds a graduate degree from Skidmore College.

The Jerry Lawson Legacy Project is an exclusive series for Blues America that explores the history of singing legend Jerry Lawson and the famed Persuasions in chronological order as explained in biographical commentary by Jerry Lawson and guest host Julie Lawson. Jerry Lawson was the lead singer for the Persuasions for 42 years before launching a solo career and appearing on the CBS hit show, the Sing Off. On this episode, Jerry highlights his experience during the making of the Persuasions sophomore album release on Capital Records, We Came to Play.

The Damn Right Blues Band is a motley crew of talented Chicago Blues veterans who have been the touring band for 7-time Grammy award-winning blues legend Buddy Guy for well over a decade. The band features Ric Jaz Hall (rhythm guitar), Marty Sammon (piano), Orlando Wright (bass), Tim Awesome Austin (drums) and Chris Bynum (guitar tech). Ric Hall performed with Albert King, the Dells and Phil Guy. Marty Sammon has released a few albums and performed with L.V. Banks, Eddie C. Campbell, Otis Rush and Phil Guy. Tim Austin has lengthy history as a session musician and has performed with the Staple Singers, Mavis Staples and Phil Guy.

Sugar Blue cut his teeth performing with blues greats Roosevelt Sykes, Brownie McGhee, Victoria Spivey and later put the funky harmonica riff in the Rolling Stones famous hit single “Miss You.” He would record on 3 Rolling Stone Albums. During the 80’s, following a brief stint in Europe and recording with Louisiana Red, Blue moved to Chicago to soak in the rich harmonica scene led by Big Walter Horton, Carey Bell, James Cotton and Junior Wells. While there, he was recruited into the Willie Dixon Band and recorded on his Grammy-winning album, Hidden Charms and also collected his own Grammy trophy for the album Blues Explosion. He released his first studio album in many years called, Voyage, available from MC Records.

Big Jon Atkinson is a traditional blues singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist, harmonica player and occasional gearhead. The young player is riding a tremendous blues high after breaking onto the scene and crossing paths with some of the most respected players in the business like Kim Wilson, Bob Corritore, Henry Gray, John Primer and Al Blake. The Southern raised guitarist is crazy about traditional blues, especially the post-war Chicago sound to which he has already provided outstanding contributions as demonstrated by his first two albums and his latest studio effort, House Party at Big Jons, released with Bob Corritore on one of today’s biggest blues labels, Delta Groove. Jon co-leads an all-star cast of heavy hitters on this project, including Dave Riley, Willie Buck and Alabama Mike.

Blues veteran, singer, songwriter, harmonica ace, band leader, James Montgomery is a native of Detroit who learned blues directly from the masters, John Lee Hooker and James Cotton before leaving to attend college in Boston and forming his popular band in the vibrant New England music scene. During this time his band was featured on magazine covers and shows with Aerosmith and the J. Geils Band; only to later receive a multi-album deal with Capricorn and placing hit songs on the billboard charts with Duck Fever and Train. James is a player who has not only played with the who’s who of blues legends but has collaborated with household names of the music business like Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Kid Rock, Uncle Cracker, Steve Miller, Johnny Winter and more. He’s the former President of the New England Blues Society and spent several years in the Johnny Winter band until Johnny’s passing in 2014.

Guitarist, singer, songwriter and two-time Grammy nominated blues legend; John Primer is recognized as one of today’s most crucial keepers of the Chicago blues flame. After leaving Mississippi as a teenager, he landed a gig with the great Willie Dixon, before spending more than a decade alongside Magic Slim and contributing to the original Chicago sound known as the lump. By the mid 90’s John was a veteran of the Chicago blues scene and accurately described as the “real deal” a well-earned moniker which would be the title for his critically acclaimed and best-selling debut album on Atlantic records. Primer has released 15 albums of his own, two of which have been nominated for Grammy awards. In between Willie Dixon and Magic Slim, though, was the event that changed his life. He was asked to become a part of the greatest Chicago blues band of all time when the legendary Muddy Waters asked him to join his band; a gig which John faithfully remained with until Muddy’s death in 1983. Now in his 70’s, Primer is a living legend who has earned numerous awards and toured the world as a blues ambassador.

With a career spanning forty years, award-winning soul, blues and R&B hero, Curtis Salgado is a one-of-a-kind talent whose music is as compelling as his story. From co-fronting The Robert Cray Band to leading his own band (and recording nine solo albums) to helping transform John Belushi into "Joliet" Jake Blues to touring the country with Steve Miller and Santana, he is a true musical giant. NPR calls him "a blues icon" with a "huge voice." Salgado earned a reputation for high-intensity performances and a repertoire inspired by his encyclopedic knowledge of soul, blues and R&B music. He won the 2010 Blues Music Award (BMA) for Soul Blues Artist Of The Year and went on to win the award again in 2012 and 2013. In 2013 he also won the coveted BMA for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year—the highest honor the blues world has to offer. Blues Revue says Salgado’s music is "triumphant, joyful, blues-soaked R&B" and declared him to be "one of the most soulful, honest singers ever." The Beautiful Lowdown, Salgado's new Alligator album, is the singer’s most fearless and adventurous release to date. For the first time in his career, he wrote or co-wrote virtually the entire album himself.

At just 30 years old, Jarekus Singleton is a musical trailblazer with a bold vision for the future of the blues. Springing from the same Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Singleton's cutting-edge sound equally rooted in rap, rock and blues traditions -- is all his own. He melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh, electrifying Bluesman bursting at the seams with talent.

Paul Nelson is well known to the Blues community as the protégé, award winning producer, guitarist and featured artist for the Johnny Winter band. Paul was instrumental in helping Johnny Winter kick his longtime drug and alcohol addiction during the last years of his life. As the executive producer for several Johnny Winter albums, Paul was nominated for a Grammy-award for “I’m a Bluesman,” “Roots,” and won in 2015 for “Step Back.” Paul was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame and won a ‘Keeping the Blues Alive Award’ from the Blues Foundation in Memphis for his many contributions to the Blues industry. Paul studied guitar with the legendary Steve Vai and attended Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music. Paul’s latest chapter starts on the new album, “Badass Generation” released by Sony Music Group and features singer Morten Fredheim (NBC’s franchise The Voice finalist) on 12 Rock-Blues tracks that have a classic rock sound.

Although she has become one of Atlanta’s most treasured artists, Francine Reed is famous in her native home town of Phoenix where she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1997. Despite her great solo work - including 3 critically acclaimed albums and numerous award nominations, Francine is probably best known for her work as the long time singing companion for Lyle Lovett. Since 1985, she has traveled the world as an important part of the Lyle Lovett Large Band taking breaks between touring to record with Willie Nelson, Delbert McClinton, Roy Orbison, Melvin Taylor and many more. Phoenix based, Fervor Records has released her first album in many years which includes 10 tracks of what you might expect from Francine; a little bit of gospel, soul, jazz and a whole-lotta’ blues!