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 John Hammond, Luther Allison, Charles Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Duke Robillard Score W.C. Handy Nominations Congratulations to our W.C. Handy Blues Awards nominees, Duke Robillard for Best Blues Instrumentalist - Guitar, Charlie Musselwhite for Best Blues Instrumentalist - Harp, Charles Brown for Best Blues Instrumentalist - Keyboards, Luther Allison for Reissue Blues CD of The Year - Hand Me Down My Moonshine, and to John Hammond who scores nominations for both Best Traditional Blues CD of The Year and Acoustic Blues Artist Of The Year. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band On New Black Crowes CD While the new John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood) produced Dirty Dozen Brass Band CD won't be out until April, in the meantime, the band can be heard on the new Black Crowes CD, "By Your Side." Charles Brown Passes Charles Brown passed away peacefully in his sleep at 11:10 pm Thursday, January 21, at Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California. Brown was best known as being an originator of the West Coast "cool blues" sound and for his songs, "Driftin' Blues" and the Christmas staple, "Merry Christmas Baby". Mr. Brown had been suffering for months from congestive heart failure. Funeral arrangements are pending and any public ceremony or tribute will be noted here as soon as details are available. Mr. Brown was scheduled to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 15. Memorial Services Los Angeles - Saturday, January 30 - 12:00 noon The Angelus Funeral Home - 3875 South Crenshaw Blvd 90008 -- Phone 323 296-6666 A Tribute to help cover Charles' medical costs was held on January 11 at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Charles was able to attend the concert personally to see his friends Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, Dr. John, Maria Muldaur, Charles' band, and many more honor the man and his music. Mr. Brown last performed on a bill with John Lee Hooker and Charlie Musselwhite in Saratoga, California on August 23, 1998. Donations can be made to Charles Brown Trust, 1311 Spruce Street, Berkeley, CA, 94709 Donations will be used to pay medical and funeral costs with any possible excess being donated in Charles' name to a charity yet to be chosen by his trustees. Charles Brown Tribute features Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Charlie Musselwhite & more Charles Brown was feted at a jam-packed Tribute in his honor at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco January 11 by a host of legendary friends. Charles made it out personally to watch Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Maria Muldaur, Charlie Musselwhite, Charles' band and many more pay tribute and help raise funds for his ongoing medical bills. Loudon Wainwright III and "Bad Boy Bill" (Clinton) Loudon Wainwright III has written and performed a song about President Clinton's current predicament for National Public Radio. NPR and Canada's CBC broadcasting both aired the song nationally the week of January 4. Loudon has been commissioned by NPR regularly over the years to write topical songs on current events. "Bad Boy Bill" lyrics >> John Hammond honored with 4th consecutive Grammy nomination John Hammond's Long As I Have You CD earned him his 4th consecutive Grammy nomination for the awards to be held February 24, 1999. John won a Grammy in 1985 for his performance on Blues Explosion, a compilation of performances from the Montreux Jazz Festival which also featured tracks from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Koko Taylor and others. Hammond's last three CDs for Virgin/pointblank Records, Got Love If You Want It, Trouble No More, and Found True Love all earned Grammy nominations. John Lee Hooker on the cover of Blues Revue John Lee Hooker appears with his daughter, Zakiya Hooker, on the cover of the January / February issue of Blues Revue. The issue focuses on families in the blues and carries more pictures and extensive coverage on The Hookers and other blues families inside. Charlie Musselwhite to tour Europe with B.B. King in March '99 Charlie Musselwhite is touring with B.B. King March 3 - 14, 1999 in Europe in support of his new Virgin / Pointblank release, Continental Drifter, featuring Eliades Ochoa of Cuarteto Patria. Highlights of the Europe tour include the Philharmonie in Munich and the Palladium in Cologne. The new CD, due out in Europe in early March, will be released in April in the US. |
