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Grammy Award-winning singer and accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, Jr., leader of Buckwheat Zydeco, has been declared cancer free by his doctors. Last January, Buckwheat announced he was being treated for early stage cancer on his left lung and a vocal cord. With his treatment now completed, he is eager to resume touring.

"I feel great," he commented. "I said I'd beat this and I did. Big thumbs up! The band and I can't wait to hit the road again."

Dural -- along with his band, Buckwheat Zydeco -- is the preeminent ambassador of Louisiana zydeco music. Earlier this year, artist R. Gregory Christie honored Buckwheat by painting an image of him for the official 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Congo Square Poster.

Starting later this month, Buckwheat Zydeco will tour the U.S. and Canada, including shows in New York, Chicago and Boston, with more dates still to be added:

Jun 29, 2013 - Salute To The Veterans, Pt. Lookout, NY
Jul 02, 2013 - The Aeolian, London, ONT, CANADA
Jul 03, 2013 - Hugh's Room Toronto, ONT, CANADA
Jul 06, 2013 - Tremblant International Blues Festival, Mont Tremblant, QC, CANADA
Jul 09, 2013 -  Regattabar, Cambridge, MA
Jul 11, 2013 - B.B. King Blues Club, New York, NY
Jul 12, 2013 - YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore, NY
Jul 13, 2013 - Common Ground On The Hill Festival, Westminster, MD
Jul 14, 2013 - Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 21, 2013 - Sousa Sunday Series, St. Louis, MO
Jul 23, 2013 - SPACE, Evanston, IL
Aug 03, 2013 - Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, Niagara Falls, NY
Aug 04, 2013 - Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT
Aug 06, 2013 - World Cafe Live at The Queen, Wilmington, DE
Aug 07, 2013 - Musikfest, Bethlehem, PA
Aug 09, 2013 - Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA
Aug 10, 2013 - The Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY
Aug 14, 2013 - Lake George Arts Project's Summer Concert Series, Lake George, NY
Aug 15, 2013 - Stearns Square Summer Concert Series, Springfield, MA
Aug 16, 2013 - Signal Kitchen, Burlington, VT
Aug 17, 2013 - Donnacona Au Rythme Du Blues, Donnacona, QC, CANADA

Living Blues magazine announced the nominees for the 2013 Living Blues Awards in their June 2013 issue. Seven Alligator Records artists received a total of 11 nominations. Joe Louis Walker, Curtis Salgado, Marcia Ball and Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials each received two nods. James Cotton, Janiva Magness and the late Michael "Iron Man" Burks each received one nomination. People may vote online at www.livingblues.com until July 15, 2013.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

JOE LOUIS WALKER: Blues Artist Of The Year - Male Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Hellfire           LIL' ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS: Best Live Performer Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Jump Start         CURTIS SALGADO:     Blues Artist Of The Year - Male Most Outstanding Blues Singer             JAMES COTTON: Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)   JANIVA MAGNESS: Blues Artist Of The Year - Female           MICHAEL "IRON MAN" BURKS: Best Blues Album Of 2012 (New Recordings): Show Of Strength           MARCIA BALL: Blues Artist Of The Year - Female Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard)

 

NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday featured blues harmonica legend James Cotton on Saturday, May 11. Host Scott Simon talked with Cotton about the new CD, Cotton Mouth Man, which was released on May 7. Fellow bluesman Keb Mo (who appears on the CD) joined the conversation to discuss Cotton's status as a true blues legend, and as one of the all-time harmonica masters.

Cotton Mouth Man premiered on April 29 on the USA Today website with a full album stream. Rolling Stone said, "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."

Cotton is featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine. The 10-page cover story, written by blues scholar David Whiteis, takes an in-depth look at Cotton's entire career, including his learning directly from Sonny Boy Williamson, recording for Sun Records (before Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash), working with Howlin' Wolf, touring with Muddy Waters, leading his own band, and the absolute joy he had recording the new CD.

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.

The other members of Cotton's road band -- Jerry Porter, Noel Neal, and Tom Holland -- are also on board for some songs. Forming the core of the backing band on the CD are Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Glenn Worf (bass). Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each add guitar to one track. Cotton, who after a bout with throat cancer turned the vocal duties over to others, was inspired by the sessions to return to the microphone, singing his own Bonnie Blue (the name of the plantation where he was born), and making Cotton Mouth Man the most personal, celebratory and just plain fun recording of his seven-decade career.

 

On Thursday, May 9, 2013 The Blues Foundation announced the winners of the 2013 Blues Music Awards. Soul blues singer Curtis Salgado won three awards, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year. The late Michael "Iron Man" Burks won two awards, taking the statues for Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for Show Of Strength. Vocalist/songwriter Janiva Magness won Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year and for Song Of The Year for I Won't Cry. Harmonicist/songwriter/vocalist Rick Estrin won for Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica. On May 8, Alligator artist Joe Louis Walker was inducted into The Blues Foundation's Blues Hall Of Fame.

The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest honor given to blues artists. The 34th Annual Blues Music Awards were presented in Memphis on May 9, 2013 at the Cook Convention Center. The ceremony was broadcast live on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville.

Alligator artists and awards are as follows:

CURTIS SALGADO:

B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year

Soul Blues Album Of The Year - Soul Shot

Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year

 

 

 

MICHAEL "IRON MAN" BURKS:

Album Of The Year - Show Of Strength

Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year - Show Of Strength

 

 

 

 

JANIVA MAGNESS:    

Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year

Song Of The Year - I Won't Cry (by Janiva Magness & Dave Darling) from Stronger For It

 

 

 

RICK ESTRIN (of RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS):

 

Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica

 

 

 

 

 

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On Wednesday, May 8, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Joe Louis Walker was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall Of Fame. The induction ceremony was held at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee.

According to The Blues Foundation, "The Blues Hall of Fame is a historical record of those who have made the blues timeless through performance, documentation, and recording. Since its inception in 1980, The Blues Foundation has inducted new members annually into the Blues Hall of Fame for their historical contribution, impact and overall influence on the blues." Previous inductees include B.B. King, Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and other blues greats.

According to Walker, the induction is humbling. "I am honored to be in the company of the great artists already inducted. It's a dream come true. So many of the other inductees were not alive to appreciate the recognition. I hope to live up to the honor."

The 34th Annual Blues Music Awards will be held this evening, May 9. Walker is nominated for four 2013 Blues Music Awards including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award. His 2012 Alligator Records debut CD, Hellfire, is nominated for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year. Additionally, Walker is nominated for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year and Gibson Guitar Guitarist Of The Year. Living Blues magazine named Hellfire the #1 Blues CD of 2012.

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot declared Hellfire Walker's "most rock-oriented release," bringing "the kind of fierce embellishments that Jimi Hendrix might've conjured" and that his guitar playing "spins ever wilder and wider into outer space with each solo." The Wall Street Journal's Jim Fusilli says, "Walker's raspy, powerhouse voice is out front while his stinging guitar cuts through the uncluttered arrangements." Walker received massive amounts of radio play and critical praise for Hellfire, and appeared on Conan in March of 2012, where he performed the song Ride All Night.

USA Today will premiere blues harmonica legend James Cotton's new CD Cotton Mouth Man by streaming the entire CD from its website beginning April 29. Writer Brian Mansfield spoke with Cotton, who is currently celebrating his 69th year as a professional musician, for a story that will accompany the full album stream. The CD will be in physical and digital stores on May 7. The stream may be heard here: http://usat.ly/YgtGv9.

Cotton is featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine. The 10-page cover story, written by blues scholar David Whiteis, takes an in-depth look at Cotton's entire career, including his learning directly from Sonny Boy Williamson, recording for Sun Records (before Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash), working with Howlin' Wolf, touring with Muddy Waters, leading his own band, and the absolute joy he had recording the new CD.

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.

The other members of Cotton's road band -- Jerry Porter, Noel Neal, and Tom Holland -- are also on board for some songs. Forming the core of the backing band on the CD are Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Glenn Worf (bass). Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each add guitar to one track. Cotton, who after a bout with throat cancer turned the vocal duties over to others, was inspired by the sessions to return to the microphone, singing his own Bonnie Blue (the name of the plantation where he was born), and making Cotton Mouth Man the most personal, celebratory and just plain fun recording of his seven-decade career.

Paste magazine is hosting the world premiere of the video of 99 Shades Of Crazy beginning Tuesday, April 23. The song is the first single from This River, the new CD from JJ Grey & Mofro. The video, filmed and directed by Spookie Daly, intercuts scenes from a little league baseball game devolving into mayhem with eerie shots of Grey and the band performing. The video may be viewed here: http://bit.ly/15GrCOY.

Grey and Daly previously worked together on videos for Orange Blossoms, On Fire, and The Sweetest Thing. Daly also directed the JJ Grey & Mofro concert film and documentary, Brighter Days

This River, including 99 Shades Of Crazy, was the most added overall record at AAA (Adult Album Alternative) radio for the week ending April 5. 99 Shades Of Crazy had its world audio premiere on The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog on April 2. Spotify hosted a full-album stream of the album for a week prior to its release. On the day of its release (April 16), This River was the #1 Best Selling Rock Album on iTunes. Relix says the CD is "a classic slab of funky Florida-fried swamp rock, old school R&B and Southern-rock crunch...rootsy and tantalizing."

Grey is a masterful musical storyteller. "Many of the new songs," he says, "are about being your own worst enemy, and about normal folks pushing themselves over the edge." The video of 99 Shades Of Crazy explores these same themes. Grey's lyrics and slice-of-life scenarios are filled with honest detail, helping to bring his emotionally complex characters to life in songs including 99 Shades Of Crazy. His gritty vocals and punchy horn arrangements add even more depth to This River. Grey's fervent delivery and the expert musicianship of the band pull the listener deep inside each track, making the album a deeply moving and engaging musical statement.

 

Blues harmonica legend James Cotton, whose new CD Cotton Mouth Man will be in stores on May 7, 2013, is featured on the cover of the current issue of Living Blues magazine. The 10-page cover story, written by blues scholar David Whiteis, takes an in-depth look at Cotton's entire career, including the new CD.

Cotton Mouth Man is a joyous celebration of Cotton's 69 years as a professional musician (beginning at age nine). 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.

Cotton co-wrote seven of the tracks with Hambridge (who co-wrote five additional tracks). The songs were inspired by Cotton's colorful and sometimes perilous life and his memories of the Mississippi Delta, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Memphis, Sun Records, Chicago, and Muddy Waters. Throughout the CD, Cotton's blast-furnace harmonica sound and larger-than-life personality are front and center.

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.

The other members of Cotton's road band -- Jerry Porter, Noel Neal, and Tom Holland -- are also on board for some songs. Forming the core of the backing band on the CD are Hambridge (drums), Rob McNelley (guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Glenn Worf (bass). Tommy MacDonald and Colin Linden each add guitar to one track. Cotton, who after a bout with throat cancer turned the vocal duties over to others, was inspired by the sessions to return to the microphone, singing his own Bonnie Blue (the name of the plantation where he was born), and making Cotton Mouth Man the most personal, celebratory and just plain fun recording of his seven-decade career.

 

 

On Sunday, April 28, Alligator Records will be inducted into The Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame as a Legendary Blues Label. The ceremony will be held in Chicago at Buddy Guy's Legends and hosted by The Michael Packer Blues Band. The event will be filmed and televised by JBTV/NBC NONSTOP and broadcast on cable and satellite television nationwide. Alligator artists Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater and Corky Siegel will be inducted as Master Blues Artists.

Blues master Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater is currently featured in a television commercial touting Illinois tourism. The video highlights Chicago's rich blues heritage and features Clearwater's inviting, trademark smile.

On Sunday, June 9, Clearwater will perform on The Chicago Blues Festival's main stage, joining James Cotton, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, John Primer, Billy Branch and others in an all-star revue -- billed as Chicago Blues: Old School, New Millennium -- that promises to be a highlight of this year's event.

New Orleans' Gambit Weekly will honor guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Anders Osborne as the Entertainer Of The Year during its annual Big Easy Awards ceremony to be held on April 22 at Harrah's New Orleans. He is also nominated for two Big Easy Awards: Best Male Performer and Best Rock Band.

Osborne is currently in the studio working on a follow up to his massively successful 2012 Black Eye Galaxy CD. His most recent release is Three Free Amigos, a six-song EP recorded during a series of laid back, living room-like sessions.

Alligator Records recording artists Marcia Ball, Jesse Dee and Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials have all appeared or will appear on syndicated national radio broadcasts. Ball brought her raucous boogie-woogie blues to E-Town earlier this month (the segment can be heard in full by clicking on the link). Jesse Dee brings his original sweet soul music to World Cafe on April 17. And Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials return to Elwood's BluesMobile in a program featuring their roof raising slide guitar blues airing on June 9 and 10.