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llie "Popsy" Dixon, drummer and vocalist of the critically acclaimed soul/blues band The Holmes Brothers, died in Richmond, Virginia on Friday, January 9. He had recently been diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer. He was 72 years old.

Dixon, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on July 26, 1942, was celebrated for his soaring, soulful multi-octave vocals and his driving, in-the-pocket drumming. He first met brothers Sherman and Wendell Holmes at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. "After that second song," recalls Wendell, "Popsy was a brother." They played in a variety of Top 40 bar bands until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers, which The New York Times described as "deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless." They toured the world, releasing 12 albums starting with 1990's In The Spirit on Rounder. Their most recent release is 2014's Brotherhood on Alligator.

Dixon first played the drums when he was seven. He told Blues On Stage, "My mom and dad took me to the store and told me to get anything I liked. There was this tiny red drum set, with a tiny little kick drum and snare...little cymbals. Now, that's what I wanted! By the next morning, the thing was in the trash can. I beat it all to death. But, I tell you what...I knew how to play after that. I just knew. I had the rhythm down pat and had timing too. Just that fast. I been playing ever since."

The Chicago Tribune described Dixon's voice as "otherworldly...a gift to the world of music." Living Blues said, "Popsy’s voice is a wonder...spontaneous and raw."

In September 2014, The Holmes Brothers were honored with a National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the United States bestows upon its folk and traditional artists.

Dixon is survived by daughter Desiree Berry and longtime partner Isobel Prideaux.

Funeral service information is pending. Interment will be at the Holmes' family plot in Saluda, Virginia.

Willie "Popsy" Dixon, drummer and vocalist of the critically acclaimed soul/blues band The Holmes Brothers, has been diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer. He is celebrated for his soaring, soulful multi-octave vocals and his driving, in-the-pocket drumming. Shortly after performing with the band on December 6, Dixon was hospitalized with pneumonia. Doctors then discovered the cancer. He is currently in hospice care in Virginia.

Dixon, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on July 26, 1942, met brothers Sherman and Wendell Holmes at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. "After that second song," recalls Wendell, "Popsy was a brother." They played in a variety of Top 40 bar bands until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band. The band has toured the world, releasing 12 albums starting with 1990's In The Spirit on Rounder. Their most recent release is 2014's Brotherhood on Alligator. The New York Times calls The Holmes Brothers "deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless."

In September 2014, The Holmes Brothers were honored with a National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the United States bestows upon its folk and traditional artists.

Fans can leave messages for Dixon at The Holmes Brothers Facebook page.

 

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Blues guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Elvin Bishop will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as an original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Other inductees this year include Lou Reed, Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joan Jett.The induction ceremony will be held at Cleveland's Public Hall on April 18th, 2015.

Bishop is thrilled with the recognition. "The Butterfield Blues Band was in the right place at the right time. Blues was overdue to cross over to a white audience. And I'm proud that we were the first interracial band to deliver the goods and introduce the public to the blues."

Bishop's critically acclaimed 2014 Alligator Records CD, Can't Even Do Wrong Right, led to his receiving six Blues Music Award nominations, including nods for Album Of The Year and the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year. The album finds Bishop playing, writing and singing some of the most spirited and distinctive blues and roots music today, and proves that Bishop is as vital and creative an artist now as he was when he first hit the national scene in 1965 with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He is as slyly good-humored and instantly crowd-pleasing as he was when he was scoring Southern rock-styled hits during the 1970s. For five decades, he has never stopped touring or releasing instantly recognizable music featuring his groundbreaking playing, easygoing vocals, witty lyrics and good-time humor.

Also in 2014, Bishop's 1975 hit Fooled Around And Fell In Love found new life in the box-office smash film Guardians Of The Galaxy. The soundtrack hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and recently received a Grammy Award nomination.

On December 14, 2014, soul singer/songwriter Jesse Dee won the prestigious 2014 Boston Music Award for Male Vocalist Of The Year. Dee, whose Alligator Records debut On My Mind / In My Heart, broke him out of Boston and introduced him to a national audience, also won the 2010 Boston Music Award for R&B Artist Of The Year. This year's awards ceremony was held at Boston's Revere Hotel. Dee is currently at work on his next album.

Jarekus Singleton's Alligator Records debut CD, Refuse To Lose, and Blues Hall Of Famer Joe Louis Walker's second Alligator Records release, Hornet's Nest, both appear on MOJO Magazine's influential Top Ten Blues CDs Of The Year list. Newcomer Singleton scored the #2 spot, while legendary guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Walker earned the #6 position.

Alligator Records recordings from Jarekus Singleton, Michael "Iron Man" Burks, Son Seals, Eric Lindell and Hound Dog Taylor will soon appear on network television programs. Singleton's Gonna Let Go will be featured in an upcoming episode of Netflix's Bloodline, airing in Spring of 2015. CBS Television's The Mentalist will feature, all in the same episode, Burks' Little Juke Joint, Seals' Crying Time and Sitting At My Window, and Lindell's Lullaby For Mercy Ann. The air date has yet to be announced. In addition, Taylor's It's Alright and She's Gone will air during The Messengers, a new series set to air on the CW Network in 2015.

SEVEN ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 19 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Elvin Bishop Receives Six, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Receive Four

Newcomers Jarekus Singleton and Selwyn Birchwood Both Nominated

Previous Winners Marcia Ball, Joe Louis Walker and Curtis Salgado Also Receive Nominations

On Wednesday, December 10, 2014, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 2015 Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Seven Alligator recording artists received a total of 19 nominations.

Legendary guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Elvin Bishop leads the pack with six nominations, with nods in all the biggest categories: Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year (for Can't Even Do Wrong Right), B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, Band Of The Year, Song Of The Year (for the title track) and Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Bishop has been nominated eight previous times, though he has never won a BMA.

Harmonicist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Estrin, of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, received two nominations, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of Year and Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica. The whole band received a Band Of The Year nomination. Nightcats guitarist Kid Andersen received a nomination for Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar. Estrin has been nominated 15 previous times and holds two BMAs.

Newcomer Jarekus Singleton received three nominations including the prestigious Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his Alligator debut, Refuse To Lose. He also was recognized with a nomination for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year.

Fellow newcomer Selwyn Birchwood received a nomination for Best New Artist Album Of The Year for his breakout Alligator debut, Don't Call No Ambulance.

Austin piano queen Marcia Ball received nominations for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year and the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year. Ball has received 42 previous nominations and has won nine BMAs.

Blues Hall Of Famer Joe Louis Walker also received two nominations: one for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year and the other for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for Hornet's Nest. Walker has been nominated 52 times previously, and has won four BMAs.

Vocalist/harmonicist Curtis Salgado received a nomination for Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Salgado has been nominated 12 times previously and has won five BMAs, including Soul Blues Male Artist Of The year three times.

The 36th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at the Cook Convention Center.

TuneIn -- the world's largest audio network -- officially launched Alligator Records Radio today, December 9, 2014. The Alligator Records Radio station on TuneIn will stream songs from Alligator's extensive catalog of music covering 43 years of blues and roots rock releases. Exclusively available on TuneIn, Alligator Records Radio is one of only a handful of label stations to be developed and curated by TuneIn itself.

The station is available at http://tunein.com/radio/Alligator-Records-Radio-s231181/, or fans can simply search "Alligator Records" on the free TuneIn Radio app or on TuneIn.com to listen to Alligator Records Radio. TuneIn is also available on more than 200 platforms, including smartphones, tablets, vehicles and gaming consoles.

Starting today, TuneIn First will preview the entire upcoming Alligator Records digital-only Best Of compilation from roots rocker Eric Lindell. That feature will be available here.

TuneIn -- with over 50 million monthly active users -- provides listeners access to over 100,000 real radio stations and more than four million podcasts streaming from every continent.

According to Summer Watson, TuneIn's VP of Content, "TuneIn has always been focused on connecting people and communities through their shared love of audio. Working with such a seminal voice as Alligator Records to expand our footprint in blues and independent music was a natural fit for TuneIn. With this new curated station, blues fans all over the world will now have a place they can go to hear classic blues favorites, mixed in with new releases from internationally recognized artists."

Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer is in full agreement, saying, "The timing is right. TuneIn is a perfect fit for Alligator. The launch of Alligator Records Radio will bring our music to a whole new generation of blues fans all over the world."

Proudly independent Alligator Records is home to some of the world's foremost blues and roots rock talent and is regarded by fans and the media alike as the top contemporary blues record label in the world. The Washington Post said, "Alligator is the premiere blues label." The Chicago Sun-Times added, "Alligator is numero uno among indie blues labels, with artists representing the best in contemporary blues." The current roster reads like a Who's Who of contemporary blues, featuring established artists including James Cotton, Elvin Bishop, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, The Holmes Brothers, Marcia Ball, Joe Louis Walker, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Curtis Salgado, Roomful Of Blues and newcomers Jesse Dee, Jarekus Singleton and Selwyn Birchwood. The catalog features classic albums by Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Charlie Musselwhite, Son Seals, Johnny Winter, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Professor Longhair, Mavis Staples and many others.

From the early days of recording only Chicago blues artists to the addition of national and international artists to the label's commitment to younger roots acts who are creating new blues for a new generation of blues fans, Alligator continues to forge full steam ahead. After four decades, Alligator is still dedicated to discovering great new talent, proving that the passion, soul and redemptive power of blues and roots music is alive and well.

According to Iglauer, "Alligator is committed to bringing blues and roots music to new fans and getting them as excited about the music as I am. I want the future of the blues and the future of Alligator Records to be one and the same."

Harmonica giant James Cotton and blues rockers Tommy Castro And The Painkillers each received a 2014 Blues Blast Music Award, presented by Blues Blast magazine. Cotton won for Traditional Blues Album Of The Year for his Grammy-nominated CD, Cotton Mouth Man. Castro won for Rock Blues Album Of The Year for his 2014 release The Devil You Know.

Winners were announced on October 23, 2014 at the awards ceremony held at The Fluid Events Center in Champaign, Illinois.

Living blues legend Lonnie Brooks will be honored by Blues Blast Magazine when he receives the online publication's Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, October 23 at The Blues Blast Music Awards. The ceremony will take place at The Fluid Event Center in Champaign, IL. According to Blues Blast publisher Bob Kieser, "These awards are given to outstanding individuals who have a lifetime of exceptional accomplishments in blues music."

The Chicago Tribune declares Brooks' music a "joyful paean to the power of the blues. He is one of the genre’s fiercest guitarists.” Lonnie (originally Lee Baker, Jr.) was born in Louisiana and learned guitar at an early age, earning his first professional gig with zydeco master Clifton Chenier. During the 1950s Brooks, then known as Guitar Junior, cut a series of Gulf Coast proto-rock and roll singles for the Goldband label, now considered swamp rock classics. He headed to Chicago in the 1960s, changed his name to Lonnie Brooks and jumped head first into the Chicago blues scene. Brooks gigged constantly, releasing a few singles before Capitol Records issued his first solo album in 1969. He joined Alligator Records in 1978 and has released six classic solo albums. In addition, he joined his Gulf Coast friends Phillip Walker and Long John Hunter on Lone Star Shootout. Brooks received a Grammy Award nomination for his contributions to Alligator's famous Living Chicago Blues series. His live shows are legendary for kick-starting parties and spreading good times like wildfire.

The same night Brooks receives his award, Blues Blast will announce the winners of this year's awards. Five Alligator artists have been nominated for a total of seven Blues Blast Awards. Harmonica giant James Cotton and blues rockers Tommy Castro & The Painkillers each received two nominations. Blues master Joe Louis Walker, houserockers Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and jump/swing legends Roomful Of Blues each received one nomination.

Blues guitarist/vocalist Elvin Bishop will be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame on Saturday, November 1, 2014 in a ceremony at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK. Other inductees this year include J.J. Cale, Jim Keltner, Chuck Blackwell and Lowell Fulson.

Bishop has had a very busy 2014. Aside from releasing his critically acclaimed new Alligator Records CD, Can't Even Do Wrong Right,, his 1975 hit Fooled Around And Fell In Love found new life in the box-office smash Guardians Of The Galaxy. The soundtrack hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. To top it off, Bishop was again nominated, as a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, to The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Can't Even Do Wrong Right finds Bishop playing, writing and singing some of the most spirited and distinctive blues and roots music today. The CD proves that Bishop is as vital and creative an artist now as he was when he first hit the national scene in 1965 with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He is as slyly good-humored and instantly crowd-pleasing as he was when he was scoring Southern rock-styled hits during the 1970s. For five decades, he has never stopped touring or releasing instantly recognizable music featuring his groundbreaking playing, easygoing vocals, witty lyrics and good-time humor.

Soul singer/songwriter Jesse Dee and longtime jump/swing/blues favorites Roomful Of Blues both received prestigious 2014 Boston Music Award nominations. Dee, whose Alligator Records debut On My Mind/In My Heart, broke him out of Boston and introduced him to a national -- and international -- audience was nominated in the Best Vocalist Of The Year category. Roomful Of Blues received a nomination for Blues Artist Of The Year. The group's latest CD, 45 Live!, celebrates the band's 45 year history. The awards ceremony will be held on December 14 at Boston's Revere Hotel.