THREE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS WIN FOUR LIVING BLUES AWARDS!

ALLIGATOR RECORDS TO REISSUE FIRST TWO ALBUMS FROM MOFRO!

BLACKWATER AND LOCHLOOSA TO BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 23

Following the success of Country Ghetto, the label debut from Jacksonville, FL-based JJ Grey & MOFRO, Alligator Records will reissue the band’s first two independent releases (credited solely as MOFRO) on October 23, 2007.

Both Blackwater (originally released in 2001 on the Fog City label) and Lochloosa (originally released in 2004 on Swampland) have been unavailable for over a year. The albums are highly sought after by the band’s wildly enthusiastic fan base. Both CDs feature the distinctive “front porch soul” created by gifted songwriter and vocalist JJ Grey.

JJ Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern storytellers, and his songs oftentimes use the loss of his natural surroundings and the marginalization of the Southern culture he grew up in as a metaphor for universal truths. The band delivers his material with brilliant musicianship, resulting in music that is thought provoking, rhythmically dynamic and texturally mesmerizing.

Since the release of Country Ghetto, the band has received rave reviews in USA Today, The New York Times, Harp, Paste, Billboard, Guitar World, No Depression, Relix, Jambase and many other major daily, regional, and on-line publications.

ALLIGATOR RECORDS SIGNS
THE SMOKIN’ JOE KUBEK BAND FEATURING BNOIS KING!

NEW CD EXPECTED IN JANUARY 2008

“Smokin’ Joe Kubek's big-as-Texas lead guitar and Bnois King's jazz-laced rhythm guitar and hearty vocals are a great combination. They are simply the best tandem on the scene today. King's jazzy guitar work is the perfect foil to Kubek's more incendiary style."                                                                           –Blues Revue

Alligator Records is pleased to announce the signing of The Smokin’ Joe Kubek Band Featuring Bnois King. The Texas-based rock and blues band is fueled by the raucous roadhouse guitar of Smokin’ Joe Kubek, perfectly complimented by the more jazz-oriented guitar work and vocals of Bnois King. The band, which was formed in 1989, will release their as yet untitled label debut in January 2008, to be produced by Kubek and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer

According to Iglauer, “Joe and Bnois are a real powerhouse blues combination. Joe is an amazing guitarist who can play anything in blues, from the most traditional Texas style to totally blowout blues/rock. Bnois is a gorgeous singer with deep Texas soul, and his guitar playing is subtle and melodic. Together they make an unbeatable two-man front line backed by a solid, versatile rhythm section.”

And Kubek is simply thrilled to be with Alligator. “Alligator is the Rolls Royce of blues labels. After all my life of being a musician, this is the greatest achievement and brightest spot of my career. I’m looking forward to making the best recordings I’ve ever made, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of our fans on tour.”

Kubek was born in Grove City, PA in 1956 but grew up in Dallas. He was leading his own bands when he was only 14, and was bowled over by the blues a short time after first hearing Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Kubek soon discovered the music of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and other early blues masters. By the time he was 19, he was backing many famous blues players in the area, including legend Freddie King. In 1976 Kubek was about to head out on tour with King when King died suddenly of a heart attack.

Kubek next worked with R&B singer Al “TNT” Braggs and made a host of new friends, including B.B. King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many other blues icons. He often found himself jamming with these larger-than-life blues stars while playing constantly around the Dallas area.

In 1989, Kubek met guitarist/vocalist Bnois King, a native of Monroe, Louisiana. The two melded their seemingly divergent styles – Kubek a rocking and fierce picker and slider, King a jazz-inflected chorder – into one of the most potent guitar combinations the Southwest had ever produced. Kubek explains the relationship succinctly: “I pull the blues out of him, and he pulls the jazz out of me.”

Calling themselves The Smokin’ Joe Kubek Band Featuring Bnois King, they were signed to Bullseye Blues and released their debut CD, Stepping Out Texas Style, in 1991. The band immediately grew out of the Southwest and began touring nationally. After a successful series of Bullseye releases, they signed to Blind Pig Records in 2003. Their popularity continued to build on the strength of their music and the energy of their live shows, which number over 150 dates per year.

Now, as the band’s newest chapter is unfolding, they will reach their largest audience yet. Kubek and King are itching to get into the studio and record in Dallas in September, and even more excited to hit the road and bring their distinctive and incendiary music to every corner of the blues-loving world.

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Alligator Records has set an August 14, 2007 street date for Black Cat Bone, the new CD from bassist/vocalist/songwriter (and Stray Cats co-founder) Lee Rocker. Since the release of his Alligator debut, Racin’ The Devil, Rocker’s solo career has been skyrocketing. Publications from USA Today to Billboard raved about Rocker’s music. OffBeat declared, “What’s most satisfying about Lee Rocker is his ability to graft classic Sun licks and shuffles onto Americana. He bridges the gap between Bruce Springsteen and Hank Williams, Sr.” Lee’s live shows, fueled by his barnstorming, rocking band, grow wilder each night out.

With musical muscle from his road-tested band (guitarists Brophy Dale and Buzz Campbell, and drummer Jimmy Sage) Black Cat Bone is an amazing collection of ten Rocker originals (and one co-written with guitarist Brophy Dale), one song by guitarist Buzz Campbell, and reinvented covers from Bob Dylan (One More Night) and Leon Payne (Lost Highway, made famous by Hank Williams). The CD’s scorching rockabilly, roadhouse romps and straight-ahead, old-school rock ‘n’ roll create by far the strongest set of songs of Rocker’s solo career.

Born Leon Drucker in Massapequa, Long Island in 1961 to world-renowned classical musician parents, Rocker grew up with music all around him. He began taking classical cello lessons at age eight and initially hated them, but ultimately grew to enjoy playing. As his ears widened into rock 'n' roll, he picked up the electric bass, and quickly mastered the instrument. During grade school, his close friends included Jimmy McDonnell (later to become Slim Jim Phantom) and Brian Setzer. The three jammed together often, playing a wide variety of rock 'n' roll, before discovering classic blues musicians like Muddy Waters and rockabilly giants like Carl Perkins. Rocker picked up the acoustic bass to emulate the sounds he heard on those records, and the band began playing more and more roots music. By 1979, this trio, now known as The Stray Cats, began to single-handedly revive rockabilly music in the U.S. and eventually around the world.

Adding a contemporary punk attitude to traditional slap-bass, twangy guitar and drums, The Stray Cats headlined famous New York haunts like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, drawing overflow crowds every time they played. They moved to London in 1980 and became an even bigger success, even attracting The Rolling Stones to their shows. The group's first American album, 1982's Built For Speed, became a huge hit, and held the #2 spot on the Billboard chart for 26 weeks, right behind Michael Jackson's Thriller.

By 1984 the group was exhausted and decided to temporarily call it quits. But the furious touring of the early 1980s turned Rocker into one of the best showmen working in any genre. In 1985 Rocker and Phantom hooked up with ex-David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick to form Phantom, Rocker & Slick, scoring a minor hit with the song Men Without Shame. The Stray Cats reformed in 1986, performing together briefly. Rocker never stopped rocking, as he befriended and collaborated with his hero Carl Perkins as well as with Dave Edmunds, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck and Willie Nelson.

Rocker's solo career took off in 1994 with the release of Big Blue and in 1995 with Atomic Boogie Hour, both on Black Top Records. Four more releases followed, and Rocker toured relentlessly, becoming one of the premiere Americana/ rockabilly/ roots artists in the U.S. and Europe. In 2002, Rocker toured the U.S. with ex-Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore. In 2003 The Stray Cats reunited for an 18-city tour of Europe, culminating in a filmed show at London's Brixton Academy. The show was released on DVD as Rumble In Brixton in 2004. This summer, The Stray Cats will reunite once again to play to tens of thousands of appreciative fans across the U.S.

With Racin’ The Devil, Rocker reclaimed his spot in the rockabilly world and forged a new base with fans of Americana. From garage rockers and deeply textured roots anthems to the rockabilly sounds he helped reinvent, Racin’ The Devil is a rich piece of American music, as timeless and unique as the songs Rocker fell in love with as a youngster.  Now, with Black Cat Bone, Rocker returns with the most rock solid album of his career. With his band rocking, rolling, and burning behind him, this legendary musician will continue to rip it up and rock it out all around the world.

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QUEEN OF THE BLUES KOKO TAYLOR RECEIVES CHICAGO TREASURE AWARD!

THREE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE BLUES MUSIC AWARDS!

On May 10, 2007, The Blues Foundation announced the recipients of the annual Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards). Three Alligator recording artists received honors: Marcia Ball was named the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year, Guitar Shorty won the award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for We The People, and Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials won the award for Blues Band Of The Year.

The Blues Music Awards ceremony and concert were held May 10, 2007 in Memphis, TN, at the Cook Convention Center. Alligator award recipients are as follows:

MARCIA BALL

+Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year - Marcia Ball

GUITAR SHORTY

+Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year – “We The People”

LIL’ ED AND THE BLUES IMPERIALS

+ Band Of The Year

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CHICAGO BLUES HARMONICA LEGEND CAREY BELL 1936 – 2007

Raucous and exuberant in the great Chicago tradition ... tender introspection, emotional complexity,

sensitivity and tonal control."
--LIVING BLUES

“             A blues harp master, Carey Bell has jaw-dropping technique…stunning intensity, elegantly lowdown.”
 --CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Blues harmonica master Carey Bell died on May 6, 2007 of heart failure in his hometown of Chicago, IL. He was 70. Bell – the 1998 winner of the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year – was a veteran of both Muddy Waters’ and Willie Dixon’s bands as well as an award-winning solo artist, and a guest artist on countless blues recordings. Bell's classic, funky and deeply soulful blues place him firmly on the short list of blues harmonica superstars.

Bell was one of the very few harmonica players who didn't learn his craft by listening to old records, but by studying directly under his teachers Big Walter Horton, Little Walter Jacobs and Sonny Boy Williamson II. It didn't take long for Bell to develop his signature "chopped" harmonica phrasing and deep-blues style.

Carey Bell Harrington was born in Macon, Mississippi on November 14, 1936. A fan of Louis Jordan, Bell originally wanted a saxophone, but economic realities forced his grandfather to buy him a harmonica instead. He taught himself to play by the time he was eight, and began playing professionally with his godfather, pianist Lovie Lee, when he was 13. In 1956, Lee convinced Carey that Chicago was the place to be for aspiring bluesmen, and on September 12, 1956 they arrived. Almost immediately, Bell went to see Little Walter perform at the Club Zanzibar at 14th and Ashland. The two became friends and Walter delighted in showing the youngster some of his tricks. Carey went on to meet and learn from Sonny Boy Williamson II, but it was Big Walter Horton who really inspired him and became his mentor.

Carey learned his lessons well but by the late 1950s and early 1960s the gigs were drying up for harp players as the electric guitar began to take over as the predominant instrument of Chicago blues. Bell decided to increase his worth by becoming a bass player (learning the ropes from Hound Dog Taylor). He quickly mastered the instrument and began getting gigs as a bassist with Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Earl Hooker and Big Walter. While playing bass in Big Walter's band, Bell studied every harp trick in the book first-hand from one of the all-time great harmonica players.

Bell, back on harp full-time, recorded behind Earl Hooker in 1968 for Arhoolie. By 1969 Bell was fronting his own band. His friend, harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite brought him over to Bob Koester at Delmark Records in 1969, who promptly signed Bell and recorded CAREY BELL'S BLUES HARP. Bell spent 1971 traveling and recording with Muddy Waters (he can be heard on Muddy's THE LONDON SESSIONS and UNK IN FUNK albums on Chess). Willie Dixon chose Bell for the featured role in his Chicago Blues All-Stars, with whom Bell worked regularly throughout the 1970s, both touring and recording.

Even though Dixon kept Carey busy, Bell still found time for his own projects. In 1972 he teamed up with his friend Big Walter and recorded what was to be Alligator Records’ second-ever release, BIG WALTER HORTON WITH CAREY BELL. In 1973 he made a solo album, LAST NIGHT, for ABC Bluesway and was featured in 1978 on Alligator’s Grammy-nominated LIVING CHICAGO BLUES series (both with his own band and playing behind Lovie Lee).

By the 1980s Bell had established himself worldwide as a giant among blues harmonica players. He recorded albums as a leader and as a sideman for a variety of labels both in the United States and Europe, and was constantly playing live. In 1990 Bell, along with fellow harpslingers Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch, got together and recorded the Blues Music Award-winning Alligator album, HARP ATTACK!.

(Memphis)--XM Satellite Radio will broadcast the 2007 Blues Music Awards live from Memphis’ Cook Convention Center on Thursday, May 10. Presented by The Blues Foundation, the BMAs are the premier award presented for blues artists and blues recordings worldwide. The show will be aired on XM’s Bluesville channel. Broadcast will begin at approximately 7:00p.m. CST and conclude around 1:00a.m. This is the first-ever national radio broadcast of the Blues Music Awards.

The broadcast will feature at least 25 live performances by dozens of BMA nominees, including Alligator recording artists Guitar Shorty, Marcia Ball, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials and Eric Lindell. Other performing artists will include Otis Taylor’s banjo quartet, a soul blues revue featuring a five-nominee ensemble backed by the Steve Edmonson band, a once-in-a-lifetime harp blowout led by Mark Hummel and the full Bobby Rush Show.
  
Award presenters include British blues legend John Mayall, former Major League Baseball player and manager Dusty Baker and his long-time friend, bluesman Elvin Bishop.
 
Other nominees planning to attend (some of whom will also perform) include Barbara Blue, Big George Brock, Bill Stuve, Bob Stroger, Bobby Rush, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, Calvin Owens, Charlie Musselwhite, Chicago Bob Nelson, Chris Thomas King, Dave Gross, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Deanna Bogart, Dion, Diunna Greenleaf, Doug James, Dr. John, Duke Robillard, Eddie Shaw, EG Kight, Fiona Boyes, Frankie Lee, Guy Davis, Irma Thomas, Jackie Payne & Steve Edmonson, Janiva Magness, Jimi Bott, John Long, John Mooney, Johnny Rawls, Kid Ramos, Kim Wilson, Larry Taylor, Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Mannish Boys, Michael Powers, Mitch Kashmar, Mitch Woods, Mookie Brill, Nick Moss & The Flip Tops, Nora Jean Bruso, Paul Oscher, Rich Del Grosso, Richard Innes, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Rory Block, Sam Carr, Slick Ballinger, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Tab Benoit, The Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Trudy Lynn, Watermelon Slim & the Workers,  Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Zora Young, as well as the widow of Robert Lockwood Jr. and the late Henry Townsend’s son.
  
Tables and tickets can still be purchased at https://www.blues.org/tickets/bma.php
or by calling 901.527.2583.
 
The presenting sponsor of the Blues Music Awards is The Gibson Foundation. Significant sponsorship is also provided by the BMI, Casey Family Programs on behalf of National Foster Care Month, FedEx, Greater Memphis Arts Council, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

ALLIGATOR ARTIST NOMINATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

LIL’ ED AND THE BLUES IMPERIALS
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year (Lil’ Ed Williams)
Band of the Year (Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials)
Song of the year - Icicles In My Meatloaf, from Rattleshake

GUITAR SHORTY
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year:
We The People
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Instrumentalist of the Year – Guitar

MARCIA BALL
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year

CEPHAS & WIGGINS
Acoustic Album of the Year:
Shoulder To Shoulder
Acoustic Artist of the Year

SHEMEKIA COPELAND
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

ERIC LINDELL
Best New Artist Debut:
Change In The Weather

SAM LAY (THE SIEGEL-SCHWALL BLUES BAND)
Instrumentalist of the Year – Drums

SONGS FROM ALLIGATOR ARTISTS LONNIE BROOKS
AND LITTLE CHARLIE & THE NIGHTCATS TO HIT THE SOPRANOS

Alligator recording artists Lonnie Brooks and Little Charlie & The Nightcats will each have a song played during an upcoming episode of the hit HBO series The Sopranos. Brooks' song It’s Your World from his Alligator CD, Roadhouse Rules, will be heard during the April 8 episode. And on April 29, Little Charlie & The Nightcats’ Slap Happy, from their latest CD, Nine Lives, will be heard on the show.