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The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) honored Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer with the third annual Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for both his work as a leader in the music industry as well as his humanitarian efforts. Iglauer received the award on June 19 at NYC's Highline Ballroom. Iglauer's acceptance speech is below:

I am extremely honored to be receiving this award. It means a great deal to me.

So--a nice Jewish hippie from Cincinnati and a six-fingered blues guitar player from Mississippi walk into a bar. The six-fingered guitar player is named Hound Dog Taylor and the hippie?—that’s me. That afternoon in 1970 in a bar called Florence’s Lounge on the South Side of Chicago, I heard the happiest, most energizing, soul-stirring and fun music I had ever experienced. And I knew it had to be recorded and shared with the world. And now, 44 years and 300 albums later, the spirit of Hound Dog Taylor lives on in everything Alligator Records releases.

I believe this is what binds us together as independent record people—we are driven first and foremost by our mutual passion for music, and the belief that music is more than a commercial product, that it’s something that can move people, inspire them, soothe their souls, make them understand and bond with their fellow humans and, of course, elevate us to higher levels of dancing and partying. Whether it’s Martin Mills championing a punk band called The Lurkers, Tommy Silverman being inspired by Afrika Bambatta, or me falling in love with Hound Dog Taylor, we are all first and foremost, passionate music fans. I mean, I assume we didn’t get into the record business for its job security, huge growth prospects, low stress levels and short hours.   We Indies are music driven; we understand music as a saleable product but, more important, as something that fills a deep and essential need in all of us.

Before I continue, I need to thank four people who inspired me in my professional life, because this is a lifetime achievement award--

First, my mother, who showed me by example that, if you’re going to commit to something, you have to make a 100% commitment, and that being a little obsessive compulsive isn’t always a bad thing.  Or maybe more than a little.

Second, my mentor and my father in the record business, Bob Koester of Delmark Records. Bob really should be receiving this award. He began his label 61 years ago and is still running it today! In the two and a half years I worked for Bob, he showed me how to run a label that ALWAYS put the music first.  I walk in his giant shadow. 

Third, Lilian Shedd McMurry, the founder of Trumpet Records in Jackson, Mississippi. She ran a female-owned indie label recording blues and gospel artists in the early 1950s and cut great, iconic records. She was a musical inspiration and one of the most honest people I’ve ever known. She updated royalty statements for long-disappeared artists, songwriters and their heirs for her entire life, just in case they showed up. Then she left her publishing company to me, so now I have to do the royalty statements!

And finally, my wonderful wife, Jo Kolanda. She first noticed me at a Hound Dog Taylor concert, and Luther Allison, Koko Taylor, CJ Chenier and Dave Hole played at our wedding reception. She has never, ever, asked me to treat her as more of a priority than I treat Alligator, and has always said “Your work comes first”….and meant it.

I am so incredibly lucky to have her in my life.

I’m not a soothsayer or a visionary. I don’t know what’s going to happen in this insane, ever-changing business world we try to live in. Will copyright be respected or will its value go to hell? Will we be able to monetize streaming services so that we can afford to make records we’re proud of? Will we be able to open India and China as huge markets for American music? Will the majority of money and power in our industry be controlled by a small group of corporations, or in the diverse world of the Internet, will the playing field become more level, and will quality independent music kick the ass of the multinationals? I don’t have those answers.

I’m a nuts and bolts guy, and over 40+ years, I’ve learned a few things that I feel sure of. One is simple and we all live it every day--everything that I--and you--know about this business, except about music, that is more than five years old just doesn’t matter anymore. We must be constantly evolving and redefining ourselves to discover new and profit-making ways to bring the music to the people. And, as fast-moving, flexible independents, not tied down by huge corporate structures, we are well prepared to do this.

Second, never discount the value of the capable, smart and driven people who work for us and with us.  People are NOT interchangeable, replaceable cogs in a machine.  You can’t hire someone new (and cheap) to replace someone experienced and maybe more expensive. There is nothing more important (besides having great musicians on your roster) than to have smart, hard-working, dedicated and experienced people with you.  This award should also be going to the 15 quality people who work with me every day, many of whom have worked with me for more than 20 years and who never get the credit they deserve. None of their jobs rises or falls based on the success of one record, unlike so often happens with larger labels. Don’t think that you can downsize your quality staff to keep your company vital and alive.  That’s bullshit.  It’s hard times in the record business and this I know for sure—when your ship is taking water, and needs bailing and rowing, you don’t get it back afloat by telling your best crew members to jump overboard.

Third, we must constantly remember that we are not only independent, we are interdependent. We will never have the strength of the majors…on our own. But from the birth of NAIRD in 1971 that morphed into AFIM and then the creation of A2IM nine years ago, along with the efforts of our international independent friends at WIN, AIM, Impala, and Merlin working in behalf of many independents, we gain strength by working together, by teaching one another, by feeding information to one another, and by standing shoulder to shoulder whenever the indie sector is threatened, demeaned or treated as second class citizens. We know that our indie market share is the equal of any of the majors, and we must constantly remind those we are doing business with and the media – and the public too—that our music is every bit as popular, and our music has every bit as much value, as that churned out by the multinationals.

Speaking as a blues expert, I can tell you that we Indies don’t always have our Indie Mojo working, at least not at full force. I recently asked my granddaughter to describe the music she liked best. She said “Indie Rock.” I pointed out to her that Indie referred to label ownership, and her grandfather ran an indie label. She admitted she really had no idea what ‘indie’ meant, except that indie music was cooler than assembly line pop. And I was reminded that most of the public has no idea what “indie” means, except that they think indie is cool. Therefore, I propose that all of us should begin tagging all our print advertising and every other statement that each of our companies makes with the phrase “A proudly independent record label.” I doubt that majors will compete with a phrase like “The money-driven arm of a giant international media conglomerate.” Let’s get our indie mojo working, and remind the public over and over who are the coolest kids on the block.

Finally, I want to speak about what a lot of us independents do best. The two previous winners of this award have had great success in the mainstream pop market, nurturing the careers and visibility of artists who have won huge audiences. But many of us in the indie world are dedicated to one genre of music—blues, jazz, folk, world music, bluegrass, classical. Although we may sometimes achieve popular success, our commitment is to the niche music that we love. This is where the Indies can shine, and have shined for the last 70 years. We know how to find great niche music talent, how to nurture it, how to record it right, and how to bring it to the public. That’s why the independents have done so well making classic niche recordings that have stood the test of time. So, in closing, I’d like to say to my fellow specialized labels and also to the whole indie community—those of us who are driven by our love of the music above all, and are determined to bring the music we love to the world-- Operate from your position of greatest strength--the strength of the music you record. Record what you believe in, and battle side by side with your fellow Indies for recognition of the value of the music you love. Don’t try to be the majors; be the independents! Or, in the words of my favorite cartoon philosopher, the Wizard from Tooter and The Wizard—Be vat you iz and not vat you is not. Folks who iz what they iz iz the happiest lot.”

  

Living Blues magazine has announced the nominees for the 2014 Living Blues Readers' Awards. Four Alligator Records artists received a total of six nominations. James Cotton received three, including Blues Artist Of The Year (Male), Best Blues Album Of 2013 (New Recordings) for the Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man, and Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica). Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials received the nomination for Best Live Performer. Joe Louis Walker was nominated for Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar) and Marcia Ball for Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard).

The public -- subscribers and non-subscribers alike -- can vote at www.livingblues.com.

Winners will be announced in August.

JAMES COTTON:

Blues Artist Of The Year (Male)

Best Blues Album of 2013 (Cotton Mouth Man)

Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)

LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS:

Best Live Performer

JOE LOUIS WALKER:

Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)

MARCIA BALL:

Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is a complete listing of Alligator artist shows in the Chicago area surrounding this year's Chicago Blues Festival:

SELWYN BIRCHWOOD
Saturday, June 14, 2014
31st Annual Chicago Blues Festival
Grant Park – Bud Light Crossroads Stage
Jackson Blvd. and Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL
312-744-3316
2:30pm
Free admission
www.chicagobluesfestival.us
*See website for complete festival line-up

EDDY "THE CHIEF" CLEARWATER
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Buddy Guy’s Legends
700 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL
312-427-1190
11:00pm
$20
www.buddyguy.com
*See website for complete line-up

THE SIEGEL-SCHWALL BAND
Friday, June 13, 2014
31st Annual Chicago Blues Festival
Celebrate Centennial of John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson  
Grant Park – Petrillo Music Shell
Jackson Blvd. and Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL
312-744-3316
8:25pm
Free admission
www.chicagobluesfestival.us
*See website for complete festival line-up

 

Alligator Records has set a July 8 street date for You Asked For It...Live!, the first live album from blues masters Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Harmonica giant, songwriter, vocalist and Blues Music Award winner Rick Estrin, along with The Nightcats— jaw-dropping guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen, singing drummer J. Hansen and dynamic multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Farrell (electric and acoustic bass, organ and Moog synthesizer)—serve up innovative, rollicking contemporary blues. The songs are all injected with a solid dose of gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll and Estrin’s trademark philosophical wiseguy humor.

Since the release of their celebrated Alligator Records albums Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012, the band has toured non-stop, sharpening their musical skills to a razor’s edge. The band is known as one of the most dynamic and exciting live acts in the blues today. Their sound, while steeped in the blues tradition, continues to push the genre into new territory.

You Asked For It...Live! was recorded on October 5, 2013, (Estrin's birthday) at San Francisco’s Biscuits & Blues. According to Estrin, “Cutting loose and stretching out in an intimate, nightclub-type setting is the natural environment for the Nightcats to kick maximum ass. The fact that it was my birthday, in the town where I was born and raised, only added more fuel to the fire.”

You Asked For It...Live! has the immediacy, feel and fun of a true Rick Estrin & The Nightcats performance. “No matter how much fun we have and how relaxed we can be in the studio, there’s still nothing like being in front of, and interacting with, our live audience,” Estrin says. The album features some of Rick Estrin’s best-loved and most-requested songs, dating back to his days as lead singer, songwriter and harmonica player of Little Charlie & The Nightcats (featuring Little Charlie Baty on guitar). The album is an up-to-the-minute and totally accessible slice of original, wry and witty blues with a simmering, funky rock edge fueled by Andersen’s blazing genre-hopping guitar and Farrell’s and Hansen’s dazzling keyboard and rhythm work. One listen makes it clear that this is a group comprised of four world-class musicians, who together form one of the tightest and most original bands in any genre.

Rick Estrin, who holds the 2013 Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist–Harmonica, is, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, “an amazing harmonica player, a soulful lead vocalist and a brilliant songwriter.” He ranks among the very best harp players, singers and songwriters in the blues world. His work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing that tradition forward with his unforgettable original songs. And his hipster, street-smart vocals are the perfect vehicle for driving those songs home. Blues Revue says, “Estrin has created some of the finest blues songs of any artist on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate human weakness with the precision of a boxer, though more often than not, he chooses to leave you laughing after the blow’s been struck.”

Born in San Francisco, California in 1949, Estrin grew up following his own path. He discovered an entirely new world when, as a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. He had another revelation when his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues when he was 12. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager, Estrin had completely identified with the urban, African-American culture surrounding him. He got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city. Estrin moved to Chicago when he was 19 and worked with South Side bluesmen Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny Littlejohn before meeting and jamming with Muddy Waters, who told Rick, “You outta sight, boy! You got that sound, boy! You play like a man, boy!” Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but due to nothing more than a missed phone call, it never happened. Rick eventually moved back to the Bay Area, met Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats.

For more than 30 years and nine albums, Rick fronted the band, featuring Baty’s one-of-a-kind guitar acrobatics. The band won international acclaim and toured the world repeatedly. They were nominated four times for the prestigious Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year. With Charlie’s retirement from touring in 2008, Rick rededicated himself to his craft. Hansen and Farrell wanted to keep the band going. Estrin knew the only way to replace Baty’s crazed and unique guitar style was to find someone with an equally insane and individual approach, and he knew that would be a tall order to fill.

As luck would have it, Kid Andersen, who had been working with another harp legend, Charlie Musselwhite, became available. “Kid’s a fearless nut on the guitar,” says Estrin. “He’s really the only guy who could fit in with us.” With an unpredictable, no-holds-barred style that perfectly meshed with Estrin’s wildly imaginative original songs, the new band charged out of the gate with Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012. Blues Revue raved, “Rick Estrin & The Nightcats are one of modern blues’ most versatile and original bands.”

As a testament to their talent, audiences at their consistently ask to go home with a CD that reflects what they just witnessed. Now, with You Asked For It...Live!, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats can satisfy their fans’ demands. Estrin recalls, “After shows, people are always asking, ’Are any of these CDs live? Which of your CDs is most like what you did tonight?’ Now, I can tell them, ‘This one right here. Thank you. We’ll be happy to sign it.’”

 

Clinton, Mississippi-based blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Jarekus Singleton's Alligator Records CD, Refuse To Lose, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #99 on the imprint's New Artist Chart. The full album, which was released on May 6, premiered at USA Today along with an interview, on April 29. The first single, I Refuse To Lose, was selected as the Gotta Hear Song Of The Week by Philadelphia's powerhouse radio station, WXPN. The station also added the song to its regular rotation.

Feature stories have already run in DownBeat, Living Blues, and Blues Music Magazine. The Washington Post's Sunday Style section will feature Singleton (and labelmate and fellow young guitar slinger Selwyn Birchwood) in a story on the next generation of blues players. Later this summer Singleton will appear on NPR's World Cafe, SiriusXM's Bluesville (live in-studio session) and be featured on Elwood's Bluesmobile.

At just 29 years old, 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.

Refuse To Lose features a scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs, all sung with a natural storyteller's voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, Refuse To Lose unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.

On Thursday, May 8, Grammy Award-winning harmonica master James Cotton received the Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Male Artist Of The Year. The Blues Foundation announced the winners of the 35th Annual Blues Music Awards in a ceremony held at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Cotton, who was in attendence at the ceremony, is currently celebrating his 70th year as a professional performer, and is hot off the heels of 2013's Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man. 

Cotton Mouth Man is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit. Living Blues says, "James Cotton is one of the great harmonica innovators of his generation. Cotton Mouth Man is a star-studded affair that makes James Cotton's best recording for Alligator. It is an autobiographical narrative of Cotton's eventful life and soul-deep relationship with the blues. He plays with an authority and energy that belies his age." NPR Music declares, "Conjure up a list of all-time great blues harmonica players, and high up on it you'll see the name James Cotton.

Florida's rising young blues star, Selwyn Birchwood, the winner (in a field of over 125 other bands) of the 2013 International Blues Challenge, will release his Alligator Records debut, Don't Call No Ambulance, on Tuesday, June 10. Birchwood is a guitar and lap-steel-playing bundle of pure energy who delivers his original songs with a revival tent preacher's fervor and a natural storyteller's charisma. He plays high-octane blues -- at once deeply rooted, funky and up-to-the-minute -- with true passion and honest emotion. Living Blues says, "Selwyn Birchwood is making waves, surprising people and defying expectations. Be on the lookout. He revels in the unexpected."

Don't Call No Ambulance is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Birchwood's original songs range from raucous romps to hill country stomps, from searing, serious slow blues to modern blues rock. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don't Call No Ambulance is a window into the future of the blues. "All originals and no filler," he says of the album. "It's that genuineness of emotion in the songs that people can hear."

With his band feeding off his drive and exuberance, the striking 6' 3" 29-year-old with his trademark Afro roams the stage (often barefoot), ripping out memorable guitar licks with ease. His ability to win over an audience -- any audience -- is proven night after night on the bandstand. With his warm, magnetic personality, Birchwood is as down-to-earth as his music is fun, thought-provoking and vital. His mission is to spread his music far and wide, to share his joy, to play his heart out, and to push the blues into the future. "There's nothing I'd rather be doing than playing the blues," he says. "And I try to convey that with every song and with every performance."

In 2013, Birchwood catapulted from local hero to shooting star. In addition to winning the world-renowned International Blues Challenge, Birchwood also took home the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award. It wasn't long before Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer offered Birchwood a contract.

The Tampa Tribune says Birchwood plays with "power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist [who is] commanding with his axe." According to Iglauer, Birchwood is the real deal. "Selwyn Birchwood is a terrific young blues talent with a huge future. He writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He's a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he's a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room. Selwyn is destined to be one of the next stars in the blues world."

Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn't move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. "He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path," he says. By 17, he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. "I was floored," he recalls. "I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music."

As Selwyn's guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month's time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the youngster under his wing, not only teaching him guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, how to reach an audience. "Sonny always said, 'Play what's in your heart.' I've never lost sight of that," says Birchwood.

Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood -- through hard work and scholarships -- received his MBA from The University of Tampa. "I challenged myself to get that degree," Birchwood says. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player." Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood, now living in Tampa, formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010. The band, with the same members still together today, features veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn's musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding each other energy, sharing the fun with the audience.

In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa home, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. The 2013 victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.

The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since winning the IBC. The band has performed at festivals including The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Springing The Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker (who guests on Don't Call No Ambulance's The River Turned Red). He recently had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. "He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor, if only a little."

With Don't Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood steps onto the world stage, bringing a new wave of blues to a new generation of blues fans. "If I can play my music, travel the world, bring happiness to people, then I'm blessed and happy," he says. "It's like Sonny always told me, 'If you follow your heart, you'll always get what you want.'"

ALLIGATOR RECORDS PRESIDENT BRUCE IGLAUER TO RECEIVE THE LIBERA AWARDS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM A2IM

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that the third annual Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bruce Iglauer, founder and president of Alligator Records, the award-winning 43-year-old Chicago-based national blues and roots rock label.

Following is the official announcement from A2IM:

 A2IM Honors Bruce Iglauer, Alligator Records Founder, with Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is proud to announce that the third annual Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award will honor Bruce Iglauer, Founder and CEO of Alligator Records, for both his work as a leader in the music industry as well as his humanitarian efforts. Iglauer will be honored with the award on June 19 at NYC's Highline Ballroom, and in what has now become a Libera Awards tradition, 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tom Silverman, Founder of TommY BoY, will present the award.

Bruce Iglauer has always been a fierce supporter of Independent music. In 1971, he launched Alligator Records on his own, a label that would go on to become home to some of the world's foremost blues and roots rock talent. What began as the dream of a 23-year-old shipping clerk who wanted to record and release an album with his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, has today grown into "the leading record label for the blues" (New York Times). Alligator Records currently has a catalog of 300 critically lauded titles, over 130 produced or co-produced by Iglauer. Artists on the label have earned a total of three GRAMMY Awards, 40 GRAMMY nominations, over 100 Blues Music Awards and more than 70 Living Blues Awards.

A fixture on the Chicago blues scene, Bruce is known as a "do-everything-guy" (Chicago Tribune) and has spent his career championing blues and roots rock. Whether he's jumpstarting the careers of new talent or renewing the careers of legends, artists including Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite, among many others, have found success with the label. Alligator Records' current roster includes Marcia Ball, Selwyn Birchwood, Tommy Castro, James Cotton, Jesse Dee, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, JJ Grey & Mofro, The Holmes Brothers, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Anders Osborne, Roomful of Blues, Curtis Salgado, The Siegel-Schwall Band, Jarekus Singleton and Joe Louis Walker.

In addition to supporting artists' musical ambitions, Bruce has always taken great pride in the deep relationships he has with the artists of Alligator. Over the years, Bruce has been known to open his home to musicians needing a place to live during times of personal trouble. He makes himself available to his artists day or night, working tirelessly to support struggling musicians. As part of his work outside the label, Bruce is the Founder and current Co-Director of the Blues Community Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting blues music education and assisting blues musicians and their families who are in need. Bruce was awarded the NARM 1996 Mickey Granberg Award for "sustained and unwavering commitment to independent music and the independent music community" and was named a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago magazine in 2001. In 2011, Bruce was honored as a Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts by the Chicago Tribune for his contributions to the music community over the years. Bruce was also a founding member and 26-year board member of the first Independent music label organization National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD), later the Association for Independent Music (AFIM), and is now on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), representing the U.S. independent music industry.

Tom Silverman of TommY BoY Entertainment, the winner of the 2013 A2IM Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award and a long-time friend of Bruce's, will present Bruce with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom is the founder of the independent record label TommY BoY. Silverman launched the careers of such early hip hop acts as De La Soul, Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain and Coolio. Silverman is a founding member of A2IM, and currently serves on the board of Merlin and SoundExchange.

In 2012 the inaugural winner of the A2IM Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Award was Martin Mills of the Beggars Group. Nominations for the 2014 Libera Awards will be announced this Friday, April 25 and voting will open immediately to the A2IM independent music community.

About A2IM:
A2IM is a not-for-profit trade organization serving the Independent music community as a unified voice representing a sector that, according to Billboard magazine, comprises 34.6% of the music industry's market share in the United States (and almost 40% of SoundScan digital album sales). The organization represents the Independents' interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community.

The organization's board of directors is composed of the following: Concord Records President Glenn Barros; Daptone Records General Manager Cathy Bauer; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Director of Marketing & Sales Richard James Burgess; Yep Roc Records Co-Owner Tor Hansen; Alligator Records Founder/CEO Bruce Iglauer; The Beggars Group Founder/CEO Martin Mills; Kill Rock Stars President Portia Sabin; Glassnote Records General Manager Chris Scully; Ole SVP Jim Selby; Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian Founder/Co-Owner Darius Van Arman; Razor & Tie COO Victor Zaraya.

For more information, or to become a member, please visit http://a2im.org/

For press information on A2IM, please contact Elizabeth Lutz (elutz@shorefire.com), Dani Frank (dfrank@shorefire.com), or Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com), at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171.

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Conjure up a list of all-time great blues harmonica players, and high up on it you'll see the name James Cotton.
--NPR

The Mississippi Arts Commission presented blues music icon (and Tunica, Mississippi native) James Cotton with the coveted Governor's Award For Excellence In The Arts in a ceremony held February 20, 2014 at Belhaven University in Clarion, Mississippi. The Governor's Arts Awards are presented annually to outstanding writers, artists, performers, craftsmen and educators who have made significant and lasting contributions through their work as well as to corporations or organizations on the basis of their dedication to arts advancement. Previous winners include B.B. King, Little Milton Campbell, and Bo Diddley.

Video of the presentation and live performance is here: http://www.alligator.com/artists/James-Cotton/.

Cotton is currently celebrating his 70th year as a professional entertainer. His Grammy-nominated 2013 CD, Cotton Mouth Man, is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit. Living Blues says, "James Cotton is one of the great harmonica innovators of his generation. Cotton Mouth Man is a star-studded affair that makes James Cotton's best recording for Alligator. It is an autobiographical narrative of Cotton's eventful life and soul-deep relationship with the blues. He plays with an authority and energy that belies his age."

Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker will take part in the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz's International Jazz Day in Osaka, Japan on April 30, 2014. Many other artists will also perform, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and John Scofield.

According to the Monk Institute, "The designation of International Jazz Day is intended to bring together communities, schools and other groups the world over to celebrate and learn more about the art of jazz, its roots and its impact. Ultimately, it seeks to foster intercultural dialogue and raise public awareness about the role of jazz music. As a language of freedom across the board, jazz promotes social inclusion, enhancing understanding, tolerance and nurturing creativity."

From its base in Washington, DC, the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz identifies jazz music's new voices, honoring its present and past masters, making the jazz aesthetic available and comprehensible in concert halls and classrooms around the world. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day.

Walker's latest album, Hornet's Nest, has been hailed as a true blues tour-de-force. USA Today says it is "tough and resilient." Living Blues added, "Few contemporary blues artists blend aggression, deep feeling and eclecticism with the panache and ferocity of Joe Louis Walker."

Alligator Records recordings from Professor Longhair, Corey Harris and Anders Osborne have and continue to appear on network television programs. Professor Longhair's Whole Lotta Lovin' (from his Crawfish Fiesta album) is the opening theme song for My Big Redneck Family, airing weekly on the CMT network. Corey Harris' Moosemilk Blues (from his Fish Ain't Bitin'CD) and Anders Osborne's On The Road To Charlie Parker (from his American Patchwork CD) both appeared in the April 1 episode of CBS Television's NCIS.

 "A great new blues talent...young, original, soulful and intense. Superb, blistering guitar"
--Blues & Rhythm Magazine

"Jarekus Singleton is making some serious blues noise...blending modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic, hot-toned lead guitar, funk-seasoned rhythms and hip-hop flavored lyrics"
--Living Blues

Alligator Records has set a May 6 street date for REFUSE TO LOSE, the label debut from Clinton, Mississippi's award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Jarekus Singleton. At just 29 years old, 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.

REFUSE TO LOSE features a scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs, all sung with a natural storyteller's voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, REFUSE TO LOSE unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.

Born into a family of church musicians and vocalists on July 11, 1984, Jarekus Singleton was immersed in gospel music as a child. Taught by his uncle, Jarekus began playing bass guitar at age nine in his grandfather's church band. He later switched to lead guitar and began to sharpen his instrumental and vocal skills, falling in love with the music of all three Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddie) as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan, rappers Twista and Jay-Z, and even country artist Brad Paisley. In his late teens, Jarekus pursued a career in basketball, becoming a top-seeded national player in college until an injury took him back to his music full time. For a short period he performed as a rap artist, writing his own lyrics. Before long, though, he began combining his rap wordsmithing with the music of his Mississippi heritage, creating a thoroughly modern, masterfully updated take on the blues.

In 2009 he formed The Jarekus Singleton Blues Band, quickly building a reputation as a tremendously gifted musician and performer. Jarekus self-released his first CD, Heartfelt, in 2011, and fans and media quickly took notice of the album's fierce singing and playing and the brand new original songs. Singleton was named a "star on the rise" by Blues & Rhythm magazine in the UK. Guitar Center named him the 2011 King of the Blues in Mississippi. He received the Jackson Music Award for 2012 Blues Artist of the Year and for 2013 Local Artist of the Year. The Jackson Free Press named him the 2013 Best Local Blues Artist.

Jarekus Singleton has been tearing up clubs and festivals across the South, and performed twice at the world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival. He has been featured at South Carolina's Lowcountry Blues Festival and Festival of Discovery as well as many other festivals in the South and clubs throughout Mississippi. With the addition of high-visibility performances including Springing The Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The PA Blues Festival, The Cincinnati Blues Festival, and The Cognac (France) Blues Passions Festival, Singleton is on the cusp of international stardom.

"Blues is honest music," says Singleton, who, with REFUSE TO LOSE, is determined to put his own stamp on the genre. "I love the blues tradition, and have always been inspired by the masters. But I want to create something for today's audience that is as original and new as those blues masters were when they first started making records. I want to create blues for the 21st century."