News

FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING PBS SERIES, THE BLUES!
7/29/2003
As part of the continuing celebration of the Congressionally-declared "Year Of The Blues," Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Marcia Ball and Shemekia Copeland will all be included in the upcoming Martin Scorsese-produced PBS series, "The Blues." The seven-part series premieres nationally on September 28 and includes films by Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Richard Pearce, Charles Burnett, Marc Levin, Mike Figgis, and Clint Eastwood. In addition, a 13-part radio program, airing on Public Radio International, will begin on September 27 and will feature a number of Alligator artists including Elvin Bishop, Marcia Ball, Shemekia Copeland, Koko Taylor, Cephas & Wiggins, as well as Alligator president Bruce Iglauer. Both Taylor and Copeland recorded new songs specifically for the program.

FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING PBS SERIES, THE BLUES!

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SUNDANCE FILM CHANNEL TO AIR "BUY THIS RECORD" FEATURING ALLIGATOR RECORDS ON AUGUST 21!
7/29/2003
The Sundance Film Channel will air the documentary "Buy This Record" as part of its original series, "Keeping Time: New Music From America's Roots," on Thursday, August 21. "Buy This Record" looks at how independent labels (including Alligator) are bringing artists in a variety of genres to a wider and younger audience and features interviews with Alligator president Bruce Iglauer and singing sensation Shemekia Copeland, as well as performance footage from Copeland.

SUNDANCE FILM CHANNEL TO AIR "BUY THIS RECORD" FEATURING ALLIGATOR RECORDS ON AUGUST 21!

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KOKO TAYLOR AND LONNIE BROOKS PERFORM AT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S ALL STAR GAME!
7/29/2003
Blues legends Koko Taylor and Lonnie Brooks teamed up on July 14 to perform "Sweet Home Chicago" at Major League Baseball's All Star Game held in Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field (formerly Comiskey Park). Singing prior to the game, the two blues stars received a tremendous ovation from the packed house of celebrities, professional athletes and baseball fans.

KOKO TAYLOR AND LONNIE BROOKS PERFORM AT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S ALL STAR GAME!

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Marcia Ball On World Cafe
7/23/2003
Marcia Ball will be the featured guest on the nationally syndicated Public Radio International program, World Cafe, on Monday, July 28th at 2 PM EST. Hear Marcia and her band perform tracks from her new Alligator release, So Many Rivers. She'll be joined by World Cafe host David Dye for live music and an in depth interview. The World Cafe can be heard on more than 150 stations nationwide.
Shemekia Copeland Featured on American Routes
7/23/2003
Shemekia Copeland will be featured on the nationally syndicated PRI progam, American Routes. Shemekia and her band will be performing live from the House Of Blues in New Orleans in celebration of American Routes' 5th anniversary. Listen in to American Routes as host Nick Spitzer explores the roots of popular music and popular roots music. The show airs on affiliate stations between July 30th and August 5th.
LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY HONORS ALLIGATOR PRESIDENT BRUCE IGLAUER WITH DOCTOR OF MUSIC DEGREE
6/17/2003
Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin presented Bruce Iglauer, founder and president of Alligator Records, with the honorary degree of Doctor of Music on June 15, 2003. In conferring the degree upon their former student, University president Richard Warch said: “Bruce Iglauer, the United States Senate may not have had you in mind when it declared 2003 as the Year of the Blues, but it might well have, for you have done as much as anyone to protect and promote the great legacy of this distinctively American art form.”

LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY HONORS ALLIGATOR PRESIDENT BRUCE IGLAUER WITH DOCTOR OF MUSIC DEGREE

Iglauer, who graduated from Lawrence in 1969 with a degree in Theater (and never took a music course), formed Alligator Records at age 23, when he recorded and produced his favorite blues band, Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers, and ran the company from a one-room Chicago apartment. Today, Alligator Records is the largest contemporary blues label in the world. Thirty-two albums in the catalog have been nominated for Grammy Awards, and eighteen have received Indie Awards from the Association for Independent Music. Alligator and its artists have earned sixty-four W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the blues community’s highest honor.

Lawrence University is not the first institution to recognize Iglauer for his many accomplishments. The Montreaux Jazz Festival honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award, the Blues Hall of Fame inducted Iglauer in 1997, and Chicago Magazine named him a “Chicagoan of the Year” in 2002.

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FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE SIX W.C. HANDY BLUES AWARDS!
5/23/2003
Singing sensation Shemekia Copeland won three Awards at last night’s 24th annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards ceremony at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN, taking more awards than any other nominee. Her win for Blues Album Of The Year for 2002’s Dr. John-produced TALKING TO STRANGERS marks the 2nd time Copeland has won the category. She won the same award for her 2001 album, WICKED. She also won for Contemporary Female Artist Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for TALKING TO STRANGERS. At only 24-years-old, Copeland has won a total of seven awards.

FOUR ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE SIX W.C. HANDY BLUES AWARDS!

“Queen Of The Blues” Koko Taylor won for Traditional Blues Artist Of The Year. This is her 23rd W.C. Handy Blues Award. She has received more awards than any other artist – male or female – in Handy history.

Austin, TX-based "Godfather of Austin Blues," W.C. Clark, won for Blues Song Of The Year for “Let It Rain” off of his album, FROM AUSTIN WITH SOUL. This is Clark’s third W.C. Handy Blues Award.

And the newest members of the Alligator family, Roomful of Blues, took the award for Blues Instrumentalist – Horns. This is the band’s third award.


SHEMEKIA COPELAND
Blues Album of the Year: TALKING TO STRANGERS
Contemporary Female Artist of the Year
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year: TALKING TO STRANGERS

KOKO TAYLOR
Traditional Female Artist of the Year

W.C. CLARK
Blues Song of the Year: "Let It Rain," W. C. Clark, Bobby Boyd, John Gray Gregson
from the release FROM AUSTIN WITH SOUL

ROOMFUL OF BLUES
Blues Instrumentalist Horns

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MARCIA BALL'S SO MANY RIVERS DEBUTS AT #2 ON THE BILLBOARD BLUES CHART!
4/30/2003
Pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball's new Alligator CD, SO MANY RIVERS (produced by Stephen Bruton), debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Released on April 22, the album has quickly risen up the radio charts and has already received glowing reviews.

MARCIA BALL'S SO MANY RIVERS DEBUTS AT #2 ON THE BILLBOARD BLUES CHART!

Radio:
#24 Debut Americana Chart
#4 Most added Americana this week - #1 Most Added last week
#7 Most Increased Play on R&R's AAA Chart
#5 Most Added R&R AAA this week - #1 Most Added last week
#35 debut FMQB Non-Comm Chart

Ball is scheduled to co-host the W.C. Handy Blues Awards (along with Delbert McClinton and Bobby Rush) at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis on May 22, 2003. Ball, who won the 2002 W.C. Handy Blues Award for Blues Album Of The Year for her Alligator Records debut, PRESUMED INNOCENT, is also nominated for two Awards this year (Contemporary Female Blues Artist of the Year and Blues Instrumentalist - Keyboards).

In other news, Ball will tape an appearance on World Café for a mid-June broadcast and an interview for The House Of Blues Radio Hour. Taped last month, E-Town will broadcast Ball's performance the week of May 28 - June 3.

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Marcia Ball's So Many Rivers reviewed in Billboard
4/30/2003
Marcia Ball's new cd, SO MANY RIVERS, received a glowing review in the 5/03 issue of Billboard. Writer Philip Van Vleck said SO MANY RIVERS is "the best album Ball has ever tracked."
Dave Hole's The Live One Reviewed in Rolling Stone
4/16/2003
Australian slide guitarist Dave Hole's new cd received a glowing review by writer David Fricke in the May 1, 2003 issue of Rolling Stone.
Marcia Ball Live in Austin, TX!
4/9/2003
Marcia Ball and her band will be performing an exclusive live set on her hometown radio station, KGSR, at Noon Central Time on Tuesday, April 22nd. The performance will coincide with the release of her new record, So Many Rivers. Catch Marcia and her band on KGSR's Whaddya Want For Lunch? Listen while it happens live on the web!
Shemekia Copeland on Mountain Stage
3/27/2003
Beginning the week of April 18th, Shemekia Copeland will be appearing on the nationally syndicated program, Mountain Stage! Mountain Stage is a two-hour radio program featuring performances by today's hottest musicians, recorded live and distributed by PRI. Host LARRY GROCE is joined by the Mountain Stage Band; vocalist, JULIE ADAMS; and keyboard artist, BOB THOMPSON. Via Voice of America, the program brings radio listeners around the world live performances of music from all genres each week.