News

Songs from the deep Alligator Records catalog can be heard during a number of recent and upcoming major national television programs.

Fenton Robinson, Somebody Loan Me A Dime - featured in ABC-TV's Parenthood (previously aired)

Anders Osborne, Five Bullets - featured in ABC-TV's Killer Women (airing 1/21/14)

Fenton Robinson, The Getaway and I've Changed - featured in Netflix's House Of Cards (all episodes drop on 2/14/14)
Big Walter Horton, Under The Sun and Lovin' My Baby - featured in Netflix's House Of Cards (all episodes drop on 2/14/14)

Professor Longhair, Whole Lotta Lovin' - featured as the theme song for Country Music Television's (CMT) upcoming series My Big Redneck Family

Big Walter Horton, Under The Sun - featured in Showtime's Banshee (previously aired)

Magic Slim, Gravel Road - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/17/14)

Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials - Nobody's Fault But My Own - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/17/14)

Koko Taylor - Please Don't Dog Me - featured in Showtime's Banshee (airing 1/31/14)

"Powerful, soul-stirring, fierce and gritty. A legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues." --NPR Music

  "Fine and fierce...gritty gutbucket blues, joyous Stones-style rock and aching R&B." --Billboard

"Commanding and wide-ranging blues-rock...sheer passion and defiant authenticity."" --Living Blues
 

Award-winning blues master, Blues Hall Of Fame member and Alligator recording artist Joe Louis Walker will release his new album, Hornet's Nest (AL 4959), on February 25, 2014. Walker is among the greatest bluesmen of his generation. He is known worldwide as one of the genre's top musical trailblazers -- a mesmerizing guitarist and soul-testifying vocalist. On his dynamic new CD, Walker's music is equal parts rock ‘n' roll fire and blistering, passionate blues.

Hornet's Nest was recorded in Nashville and produced by songwriter/ drummer Tom Hambridge (producer of James Cotton' Grammy-nominated Cotton Mouth Man, Buddy Guy's Grammy-winning CDs Skin Deep and Living Proof, as well as albums for Susan Tedeschi, George Thorogood and Walker's previous CD, Hellfire). Hornet's Nest -- featuring 12 songs, including nine new originals -- blends Walker's boundless energy and his myriad influences into a contemporary blues tour-de-force. His always-inventive guitar playing is matched note-for-note by his fervent vocals. From menacing, hard rocking electric blues to cool Memphis funk to R&B rave-ups to Sunday morning gospel, Walker's blues-fierce and untamed, adventurous and fun -- continue to define the genre.

The band -- Hambridge on drums, Reese Wynans on B-3 organ and piano, Rob McNelley on guitar, and Tommy MacDonald on bass -- pushed Walker to deliver his absolute best performances. "It comes through loud and clear," Walker says. "If I don't believe it, nobody is gonna believe it. And ain't nobody is gonna listen to it or buy it. Tom made everything exciting."

Joe Louis Walker was born in San Francisco on Christmas Day of 1949. His parents were both from the South and they brought their love of blues with them when they headed west. Joe's dad played blues piano, and his mom played B.B. King records. Walker picked up the guitar as a child, and by the time he was 16 was regularly backing touring blues artists rolling through town. San Francisco's music scene was quickly becoming a melting pot of blues, jazz and psychedelic rock, and Walker was right in the center of it.

As a 16-year-old, Walker was the house guitarist at San Francisco's famed musical playground, The Matrix, where he played with or opened shows for everyone from Lightnin' Hopkins to Jimi Hendrix to Thelonious Monk. He was also a regular at The Fillmore West. The blues legends Walker accompanied shared not only musical knowledge but also their personal wisdom with the teenage up-and-comer. Fred McDowell, Ike Turner, Albert King, Freddy King, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Lightnin' Hopkins and many others taught, fed, and chastised the youngster. Inspired by what he learned, Walker developed his own fiery, melodic, and always unpredictable guitar attack.

Walker met guitarist Michael Bloomfield in 1968 and the two became fast friends. Bloomfield helped push Walker's blues in a more rock-fueled direction, and he became the single biggest influence on Walker's sound. The two shared an apartment for years and remained close friends until Bloomfield's death in 1981. From 1975 to 1985, Walker performed nothing but gospel music, playing and singing as a member of The Spiritual Corinthians. In 1986, after Walker returned to playing the blues, Hightone Records released his debut CD, Cold Is The Night. Firmly rooted in blues, gospel, R&B and rock, the album caught the attention of music fans around the country.

Prior to joining Alligator Records in 2012, Walker had released 23 albums and toured the world virtually non-stop. He has garnered four Blues Music Awards (and has been nominated a whopping 52 times) and holds an international reputation as one of the blues' most prolific and talented stars. He's also recorded as a guest with some of the blues world's best-known artists, including appearances on Grammy-winning records by B.B. King and James Cotton.

His Alligator debut, Hellfire, took the blues world by storm in 2012, receiving the Living Blues Critics' Award for Blues Album Of The Year. The Chicago Tribune said, "His playing is ferocious. His solos spin wilder and wilder with the kind of fierce embellishments that Jimi Hendrix might've conjured." The success of the album helped land Walker and his band on TBS's CONAN.

In 2013 The Blues Foundation inducted Walker into The Blues Hall Of Fame. "I am honored to be in the company of the great artists already inducted," Walker said at the time. "I hope to live up to the honor." Joining the ranks of previous inductees including B.B. King, Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and other blues greats while still at the peak of his musical powers, is, as Walker says, "a dream come true."

With each subsequent release, Walker's audience continues to grow, as his touring schedule continues to expand. He's played all over the U.S. and Canada, major European festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury, Notodden and Montreux, as well as festivals in Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Ireland, Turkey and Brazil. Now, with Hornet's Nest, Walker is excited about bringing even more people to his music. "Blues is a big tent," he says, "morphing into a bigger tent. Young folks like good blues when they hear it, and I'm here to make sure they want to listen."

 

Relix.com will premiere award-winning guitarist/ vocalist/ songwriter Tommy Castro's turbo-charged new album THE DEVIL YOU KNOW beginning Monday, January 6. The full-album stream will remain available through the album's January 21 release date, and can be heard here.

Castro is famed for his signature brand of tough, rocking rhythm and blues, thrilling fans around the world with his incendiary live performances. With his eyes and ears firmly on the future, Castro has stripped his music down to its raw essence as he rockets into the next phase of his storied career. "I'm always moving forward, going outside of my wheelhouse, listening to new music and incorporating new ideas," says Castro. "The contemporary blues scene is full of fresh, new sounds. It's an exciting time."

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, recorded in the Bay Area with his fiery new band The Painkillers and produced by Castro and Bonnie Hayes, is a contemporary blues tour-de-force. The album is an untamed, high-energy set of 13 songs, including nine written or co-written by Castro. "For the new album I challenged myself to add different sounds and new rhythms to my style while remaining true to my roots. I wrote using ideas for songs and ideas for sounds together in a way I'd never done before," explains Castro, "using drum rhythms to drive the lyrics." The tracks -- melodic and biting, energetic and fun -- are brought to life with sonic authority by bassist Randy McDonald (from the original Tommy Castro Band), keyboardist James Pace and original Painkillers drummer Byron Cage.

In addition, many of Castro's friends and admirers, including Alligator label-mates Marcia Ball and The Holmes Brothers, add their talents to the proceedings. Other guests include guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Mark Karan, guitarist/vocalist Tab Benoit, vocalists Samantha Fish and Tasha Taylor, and harmonica player Magic Dick. Each song comes loaded with emotional depth and muscular hooks courtesy of Castro's soulful singing, insightful lyrics, and dynamic, potent guitar playing. With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Castro -- The Painkillers blazing behind him -- unleashes an instant classic. According to Blurt, "Castro is one of the greatest blues guitarists, songwriters and entertainers in the world today."

After years of playing guitar-driven blues and R&B backed by a tight horn section, Castro introduced The Painkillers live in 2012, creating a lean, mean four-piece lineup, with the drum chair now held by David Tucker. Fueled by Tommy's voice and guitar plus bass, drums and keyboards, the band released the 45rpm single Greedy / That's All I Got later that year (both songs are included as bonus tracks on the new CD). Greedy quickly became one of Castro's most-requested songs. An attention-grabbing video for Greedy has already received over 150,000 views on YouTube. The Chicago Sun-Times calls his music "fiery and soul-drenched."

Castro views the harder-edged sound of The Painkillers as a natural extension of the music he's been making since he was a teenager. "The Painkillers really get me back to my roots. It feels to me a lot more like it did when I first started playing with my friends as a kid. Bands were always just three or four guys playing for the fun of it," Castro recalls. Now, Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are pushing the music to another level.

Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are looking forward to performing songs from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW starting with their January tour dates, and personally connecting with their fans all over the world. "A lot of folks are having hard times these days," Castro says, "and they need something to lift them up and make them smile. Our music kills the pain." With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, Castro, along with The Painkillers, will unquestionably be easing pain, lifting spirits and filling dance floors the same way he's been doing for decades - only now he's packing a far more feral punch.

FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 11 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

James Cotton Nominated For Five Awards

 

On Tuesday, December 10, 2013, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 2014 Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Four Alligator recording artists received a total of 11 nominations. Grammy Award-winning harmonica master (and just-announced 2014 Grammy nominee) James Cotton received a total of five nominations (tied for most among all artists), including Album Of The Year for 2013's Cotton Mouth Man and Song Of The Year for He Was There from the same album. Harmonicist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Estrin, leader of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, received three nominations, including nods for the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of Year and Band Of The Year awards. Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Marcia Ball each received one nomination. Guitarist Kid Andersen of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats also received a nomination for Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar.

The 35th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 8, 2014 at the Cook Convention Center.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

 

JAMES COTTON:

Album Of The Year - Cotton Mouth Man
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica
Song Of The Year - He Was There (by James Cotton, Tom Hambridge & Richard Fleming)
Traditional Blues Album Of The Year - Cotton Mouth Man
Traditional Blues Male Artist Of The Year

 
RICK ESTRIN:

B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year
Band Of The Year - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica

KID ANDERSEN (guitarist for Rick Estrin & The Nightcats):
Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar

 
LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS:

Band Of The Year


MARCIA BALL:

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year

 

Grammy Award-winning harmonica master James Cotton received a Grammy Award nomination for his 2013 Alligator CD, Cotton Mouth Man. Cotton won a Grammy in 1996 for his album, Deep In The Blues. Grammy winners will be announced in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, 2014. 2014 marks Cotton's 70th year as a professional musician.

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."

Cotton Mouth Man was recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy-winning producer/ songwriter/ drummer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi). The album is a trip through sounds and scenes from Cotton's long and storied career. Helping Cotton tell his stories and showcase his music are guests Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Ruthie Foster, Warren Haynes, Delbert McClinton and Keb Mo. Other vocals are handled by Darrell Nulisch, who has been singing in Cotton's road band for many years.

 

Cotton in the press:

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

James Cotton is a world-class harmonica-playing bluesman. Cotton Mouth Man is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit.
--Rolling Stone

The greatest blues harmonica player alive today....Riveting, aggressive, rock-ready blues-harp.
--Wall Street Journal

This is one of Cotton's most rollicking albums, full of spirit and power. Cotton Mouth Man is as good as anything he's ever done, proving that despite his vocal hardship, James Cotton is still one of the greatest blues communicators of all time.
--No Depression

Bluesman James Cotton has lived the kind of life they make movies about. But Cotton tells that tale more explicitly and eloquently than ever in his newest recording. Listen to Cotton's harmonica playing on the album -- gritty, gutsy, ferociously uninhibited -- and you're hearing what great blues harp work is all about. No wonder they call him Superharp...One of the most dynamic harpist-bandleaders in the business.
--Chicago Tribune

Award-winning guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tommy Castro will release his turbo-charged new album, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, on Tuesday, January 21. Castro is famed for his signature brand of tough, rocking rhythm and blues, thrilling fans around the world with his incendiary live performances. With his eyes and ears firmly on the future, Castro has stripped his music down to its raw essence as he rockets into the next phase of his storied career. "I'm always moving forward, going outside of my wheelhouse, listening to new music and incorporating new ideas," says Castro. "The contemporary blues scene is full of fresh, new sounds. It's an exciting time."

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, recorded in the Bay Area with his fiery new band The Painkillers, and produced by Castro and Bonnie Hayes, is a contemporary blues tour-de-force. The album is an untamed, high-energy set of 13 songs, including nine written or co-written by Castro. "For the new album I challenged myself to add different sounds and new rhythms to my style while remaining true to my roots. I wrote using ideas for songs and ideas for sounds together in a way I'd never done before," explains Castro, "using drum rhythms to drive the lyrics." The tracks -- melodic and biting, energetic and fun -- are brought to life with sonic authority by bassist Randy McDonald (from the original Tommy Castro Band), keyboardist James Pace and original Painkillers drummer Byron Cage.

In addition, many of Castro's friends and admirers, including Alligator label-mates Marcia Ball and The Holmes Brothers, add their talents to the proceedings. Other guests include guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Mark Karan, guitarist/vocalist Tab Benoit, vocalists Samantha Fish and Tasha Taylor, and harmonica player Magic Dick. Each song comes loaded with emotional depth and muscular hooks courtesy of Castro's soulful singing, insightful lyrics, and dynamic, potent guitar playing. With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, Castro -- The Painkillers blazing behind him -- unleashes an instant classic. According to Blurt, "Castro is one of the greatest blues guitarists, songwriters and entertainers in the world today."

After years of playing guitar-driven blues and R&B backed by a tight horn section, Castro introduced The Painkillers live in 2012, creating a lean, mean four-piece lineup, with the drum chair now held by David Tucker. Fueled by Tommy's voice and guitar plus bass, drums and keyboards, the band released the 45rpm single Greedy / That's All I Got later that year (both songs are included as bonus tracks on the new CD). Greedy quickly became one of Castro's most-requested songs. An attention-grabbing video for Greedy has already received over 150,000 views on YouTube. The Chicago Sun-Times calls his music "fiery and soul-drenched."

Castro views the harder-edged sound of The Painkillers as a natural extension of the music he's been making since he was a teenager. "The Painkillers really get me back to my roots. It feels to me a lot more like it did when I first started playing with my friends as a kid. Bands were always just three or four guys playing for the fun of it," Castro recalls. Now, Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are pushing the music to another level.

Tommy Castro And The Painkillers are anxious to bring THE DEVIL YOU KNOW to life on stage night after night, personally connecting with their fans all over the world. "A lot of folks are having hard times these days," Castro says, "and they need something to lift them up and make them smile. Our music kills the pain." With THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, Castro, along with The Painkillers, will unquestionably be easing pain, lifting spirits and filling dance floors the same way he's been doing for decades - only now he's packing a far more feral punch.

Confirmed tour dates are below (more dates to be announced shortly):

TOMMY CASTRO AND THE PAINKILLERS THE DEVIL YOU KNOW TOUR:

 

1/17/2014 Boca Raton FL, Funky Biscuit
1/18/2014 DeLand FL, Café DaVinci
1/19/2014 - 1/26/2014, Ft. Lauderdale FL, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
1/31/2014 Bay Shore NY, YMCA Boulton Center
2/4/2014 New York NY, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
2/5/2014 Northampton MA, Iron Horse Music Hall
2/6/2014 Sellersville PA, Sellersville Theater
2/7/2014 Falls Church VA, State Theatre
2/8/2014 Annapolis MD, Rams Head On Stage
2/9/2014 Blawnox PA, Moondog's
2/12/2014 Cleveland OH, Beachland Ballroom
2/16/2014 Evanston (Chicago) IL, SPACE
2/21/2014 Milwaukee WI, Shank Hall
2/22/2014 Minneapolis MN, Famous Dave's
2/27/2014 Regina SK CANADA, Mid-Winter Blues Festival
2/28/2014 Saskatoon SK CANADA, Mid-Winter Blues Festival
3/7/2014 Modesto CA, State Theatre
3/8/2014 Petaluma CA, Mystic Theatre
3/13/2014 Agoura Hills CA, Canyon Club
3/14/2014 San Juan Capistrano CA, The Coach House
3/15/2014 Solana Beach CA, Belly Up
3/16/2014 Hermosa Beach CA, Saint Rocke
3/21/2014 Sacramento CA, The Assembly
3/22/2014 San Francisco CA, Great American Music Hall
3/27/2014 Chico CA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
3/28/2014 Eureka CA, Redwood Coast Music Festival
5/8/2014 Austin TX, One World Theater
5/10/2014 San Angelo TX, Simply Texas Blues Festival

"Curtis Salgado's range and power as a vocalist are a tour-de-force...hard-nosed blues, beautifully nuanced R&B, phat and funky."
--Billboard

Soul singer Curtis Salgado received the 2013 Blues Blast Award for Soul Blues Album Of The Year for his 2012 Alligator Records debut CD, Soul Shot. The awards ceremony, presented by Blues Blast Magazine, was held in Chicago at Buddy Guy's Legends on Thursday, October 31. Salgado recently won The Blues Foundation's Blues Music Awards for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year, and Soul Blues Album Of The Year for Soul Shot. He also won a Muddy Award for Best National Blues Album from Oregon's Cascade Blues Association.

Soul Shot speaks loud and clear to contemporary audiences, carrying on the timeless spirit of 1960s and ‘70s R&B. The album features four Salgado originals and seven carefully chosen covers. Songs by Johnny "Guitar" Watson, George Clinton, Otis Redding and Bobby Womack flow into and out of Salgado's own compositions. Each track -- the slow-burning ballads and the driving rockers -- is delivered with the vocal power and passion of a musical master. According to Salgado, "Soul Shotis the solid best thing I've ever done. That's a fact."

Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer accepted the honor in Curtis' behalf. Iglauer also presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Delmark Records founder and president (and Iglauer's former boss and mentor), Bob Koester.

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 will present blues music icon (and Tunica, Mississippi native) James Cotton with the coveted Governor's Award For Excellence In The Arts in a ceremony set for 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.

Cotton is currently celebrating his 69th year as a professional entertainer. His 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."

Cotton Mouth Man was recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/ drummer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi). The album is a trip through sounds and scenes from Cotton's long and storied career. Helping Cotton tell his stories and showcase his music are guests Gregg Allman, Joe Bonamassa, Ruthie Foster, Warren Haynes, Delbert McClinton and Keb Mo. Other vocals are handled by Darrell Nulisch, who has been singing in Cotton's road band for many years.

"Anders Osborne plays fiery anthems and tumultuous, confessional songs punctuated with glorious, raw guitar."
--USA Today

"Jesse Dee delivers authenticity with every note. The young neo-soul and R&B singer from Boston has put out an album of self-penned songs that are so well-written, so amazingly arranged and performed, you'll wonder why this guy doesn't just own the music business."
--San Francisco Chronicle

CBS-TV's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation featured Anders Osborne's Black Tar in an episode which aired on October 30. The song originally appeared on Osborne's 2011 Black Eye Galaxy CD. Osborne's new album, Peace, was released last month.

ABC-TV's Criminal Minds will feature Jesse Dee's original song Fussin' And Fightin' in an episode set to air on November 13. The song originally appeared on Dee's 2013 Alligator Records debut CD, On My Mind / In My Heart.

"More fun than a barrel of funky monkeys. Ball's awesome mélange of keyboard styles sets the tone: call it the Zydeco boogie-woogie blues. Horns chug faster and faster, guitars drop by for a rock ‘n' roll interlude."
--NPR

Singer, pianist, songwriter Marcia Ball makes her major motion picture debut in the film Angels Sing, premiering in theatres and On Demand on Friday, November 1. The film stars Henry Connick, Jr. and features Grammy-winning musicians including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Kris Kristofferson. In the film, Marcia plays Great Aunt Jocelyn. Ball's latest release is the Grammy-nominated Roadside Attractions.

JJ Grey, leader of JJ Grey & Mofro, has teamed with Florida's Rock Brothers Brewery to create a custom craft beer. Grey, a Florida native, worked with the brewery to develop JJ Grey's Nare Sugar Brown. The beer will make its debut on November 1 at the JJ Grey & Mofro concerts in St. Petersburg at Jannus Live and in Ft. Lauderdale at Revolution Live on November 2. The beer, an ale named after JJ's grandfather's preferred way to drink his coffee ("nare sugar"), will only be available in Florida at the present time.

Grey was actively involved in the beer's creation. "We sat down and talked about it for a while," says Grey, "and during that conversation I was educated on how artful brew mastering really is. We all put our heads together and then these guys went out and created the beer from scratch. The whole process was amazing and I feel really lucky to have been a part of it. In the end I think they made a beer that somehow matches my music sip for sip (or chug) and note for note."

Grey and Rock Brothers Brewery will donate five percent of net proceeds of Nare Sugar Brown sales to The Snook and Gamefish Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation that serves as a platform for anglers and conservationists to preserve, protect and enhance game fish populations.

Acoustic blues master Corey Harris' version of Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel will air during the PBS television series The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross on October 29. The song was originally released on Harris' Alligator Records collaboration with New Orleans pianist Henry Butler, Vu-Du Menz.