Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer will receive the coveted 2008 Keeping The Blues Alive award for Producer from The Blues Foundation in a ceremony to be held on February 2 in Memphis, TN. The Keeping the Blues Alive awards recognize the significant contributions to blues music made by the people behind the scenes. Each is selected on the basis of merit by a select panel of blues professionals.

In a statement released today, The Blues Foundation said, "From his first effort producing Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers to his production of Koko Taylor's 2007 CD Old School, Bruce has always brought a professional's honest dedication and a fan's passionate enthusiasm into the studio. The hundreds of recordings he has worked on have become essential to the canon of modern blues. Not only has Bruce accurately captured the signature sound of blues elders like Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, Carey Bell, James Cotton, Son Seals, and Katie Webster, Bruce has been instrumental in producing the unique sounds of new talent like Michael Burks, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Kenny Neal, Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women, and Shemekia Copeland. Whether acoustic, back porch, swingin' jump, or fiery blues rock, Bruce Iglauer is always committed to bringing out the real blues."

SIX ALLIGATOR ALBUMS NOMINATED FOR INCLUSION
IN FIRST ROUND OF GRAMMY AWARD BALLOTING

EVERY ALLIGATOR 2007 NEW RELEASE MAKES THE LIST

Each of the six CDs released on Alligator Records in 2007 has been chosen to be included on the first ballot for the 2008 Grammy Awards. 2008 will be the 50^th annual Grammy Awards given by The Recording Academy, whose membership include recording artists, producers, engineers, designers, liner note writers and others involved in the creative aspects of the recording industry.

Four Alligator artists: Koko Taylor (a previous Grammy winner), Coco Montoya, Tinsley Ellis, and JJ Grey & MOFRO appear in Blues categories. Two, Lee Rocker and The Holmes Brothers, appear in the Folk/Americana category. The top five vote getters in each category will be announced on December 6. The final round of voting will follow, with the top vote getter receiving the coveted award.

The Alligator artists and categories are as follows:

FIELD 13 – BLUES

Category 66 – Best Traditional Blues Album

Koko Taylor – OLD SCHOOL

FIELD 13 – BLUES

Category 67 – Best Contemporary Blues Album

Tinsley Ellis – MOMENT OF TRUTH

JJ Grey & MOFRO – COUNTRY GHETTO

Coco Montoya – DIRTY DEAL

FIELD 14 – FOLK

Category 69 – Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album

The Holmes Brothers – STATE OF GRACE

Lee Rocker – BLACK CAT BONE

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ALLIGATOR RECORDS SIGNS BLUES AND SOUL VOCALIST JANIVA MAGNESS!

NEW CD SET FOR 2008

“When saucy blues singer Janiva Magness delivers a song, you’re convinced. She blurs the lines between blues and soul, singing with elegance and authority.”

--Los Angeles Times

Alligator Records is proud and pleased to announce the signing of blues, soul and R&B vocalist Janiva Magness. A 30-year veteran of the music scene, Magness has a soulful, husky voice and absolute command over her material. Winner of the 2006 and 2007 Blues Music Awards for Best Contemporary Female Artist Of The Year, Magness’ steady ascension to the top of the blues world will undoubtedly continue its upward trajectory. Magness has seven solo recordings to her credit and has made countless guest appearances on CDs from Kid Ramos, RL Burnside, Doug MacLeod, Jeff Turmes and others. Her presence on stage is legendary, as she performs 200 nights a year at clubs, festivals, and concert halls all over the world. A survivor of an impossibly rough childhood, Magness’ life experience informs her music in a way that is both brutally honest, emotionally moving and, above all, spiritually healing.

According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, signing Magness was a natural move for the label. “I've been watching Janiva over the last few years and seeing her mature into a major artist. Her deep, subtle understanding of blues and R&B music is obvious in every note she sings. Plus, her live performances simply captivate the audience. She's going to be a wonderful addition to the Alligator roster, and prove to be one of today’s and tomorrow’s crucial blues voices.”

And Magness is equally thrilled. “I am so very grateful for all the gifts in my life. One of those gifts is joining the Alligator family. I’m very excited about this new chapter in my life. This is a huge step up for my career.”

Born in Detroit, Magness was inspired by the blues and country she heard on her father’s record collection and by the vibrant music of the city’s classic Motown sound. By her teenage years, though, her life was in chaos. She lost both parents to suicide by the time she was 16. She lived on the streets, was in 12 foster homes in two years, became a teenage mother who gave her baby up for adoption, bounced from city to city, and felt hopeless and desperate.

One winter’s night, Magness hitchhiked across Minneapolis to attend an Otis Rush concert, and for the first time saw her future. “It opened up some other place in me, like letting oxygen into a sealed crypt for the first time.” She began going to as many blues shows as possible, soaking up the sounds of her favorite artists, including Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins. She listened to James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and all the other R&B greats.

It was music, particularly the blues, that sparked the young woman. Several years later, while working as an intern at a recording studio, she was approached to sing some supporting vocals on a track. Finding her voice, she soon began working regularly as a background singer. By the early 1980s, Magness made her way to Phoenix and befriended Bob Tate, the musical director for the great Sam Cooke. With Tate’s mentoring, she formed her first band, Janiva Magness and the Mojomatics, and within the year was named the city’s Best Blues Band by the influential Phoenix New Times. She moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and slowly began finding work. She married musician and songwriter Jeff Turmes with whom she recorded her first studio album, It Takes One To Know One, in 1997. After three more independent releases, Janiva signed with Northern Blues, and recorded Bury Him At The Crossroads in 2004 and Do I Move You? in 2006. Both CDs were co-produced by Magness along with Canadian roots star Colin Linden, and both garnered Magness a massive amount of critical and popular attention. Magness and Linden won the prestigious Canadian Maple Blues Award for Producers Of The Year for Bury Him At The Crossroads in 2004. Do I Move You? was the #1 Blues CD Of The Year in 2006 on Living Blues magazine’s radio chart.

In addition to her musical accomplishments, Magness is active in the Blues In Schools programs as well as being a National Spokesperson for Casey Family Programs promoting National Foster Care Month year round, a position she is honored to hold. She has reconnected with her daughter, and is now the proud grandmother of a six-year-old boy. “I have a life today I never could have imagined,” says Magness. “The tragedies of my life no longer define me.”

What defines Janiva Magness is the strength, power and passion of her deeply soulful, emotionally moving music, sung with truth and soul-shaking talent. With plans to return to the recording studio shortly, Magness is busy mapping out her upcoming Alligator debut while simultaneously barnstorming across the country. With the stars seemingly all lined up for her, Janiva Magness will delight her current fans and earn legions of new admirers all around the globe.

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