David Lindley's Collaboration with Jackson Browne: Love Is Strange - En Vivo Con Tino Wins Independent Music Award (Best Live Performance Album)

David Lindley's GRAMMY Nominated collaboration with Jackson Browne, Love Is Strange - En Vivo Con Tino, has won the 2011 Independent Music Award in the Live Performance Album category. The 2-CD live set captures highlights of David and Jackson's 2006 tour of Spain. Winners of the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards were determined by a panel of 62 influential artist and industry judges including Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Arturo Sandoval, Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, Pete Wentz, Seal, Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center) and Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone), among others. Congratulations David and Jackson!

Catch David performing live on stage, including a 7-date Canadian Tour beginning April 1st, before returning for shows in the U.S. later in the month, please see Tour Dates >>

The Blind Boys of Alabama Featured in New Movie HOP (out April 1st) Plus Daily Inspirational Twitter Posts

Five time GRAMMY Award and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winners, The Blind Boys of Alabama make an on-screen appearance in the new movie HOP (Universal Pictures), in theaters April 1, 2011. The film, starring James Marsden, Elizabeth Perkins and the voice of Russell Brand, among others, is from the creators of Despicable Me and blends CG animation with live action. Hop tells the story of E.B., the teenage son of the Easter Bunny who heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. The Blind Boys' cameo appearance revolves around E.B. stumbling upon the band in the studio while they are recording the song "Higher Ground" for the video game "Extreme Blues Master." E.B. sneaks into the session and plays drums with the group. Director Tim Hill explains, "For the story, it helped that they couldn't see that E.B. was a rabbit and he was 'filling in' while their drummer was on a break."

Also on April 1st, The Blind Boys will launch a series of inspirational tweet of the day messages, "BB Wisdom," via their Twitter account. Drawing from their vast history of gospel music and lyrics as well as their faith and life experience, members of the group will post personal and spiritual messages that have inspired them throughout their careers and lives at twitter.com/blindboys. The band will also use Twitter to keep in touch with fans about tour dates and their new album, Take The High Road, which will be released on May 3, 2011. Take The High Road is a traditional country-gospel album, co-produced by acclaimed country music artist Jamey Johnson, who also performs on the CD along with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys.

Catch The Blind Boys performing live on stage, including a Tour of Australia and New Zealand in mid-April, which will feature Aaron Neville performing with the group and on which half the dates will be shared with fellow Rosebud artist Mavis Staples, please see Tour Dates >>

John Lee Hooker Honored with Mississippi Blues Trail Marker Dedication

Blues legend and King of the Boogie, John Lee Hooker, a Rosebud artist (for both booking and for management by founder Mike Kappus) until his passing in 2001, has been honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker Dedication, located on Highway 3 at King Street in Vance, Mississippi, near where he was born. In a separate honor, John Lee was also recently acknowledged for his contributions along with fellow Mississippians (including B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley, among many others) to GRAMMY award winning music with The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi Blues Trail Marker located in Los Angeles, CA, the ninth out-of-state marker to date.

An influence on generations of musicians and an inspiration to music fans around the world during and beyond his sixty year career, John Lee Hooker collaborated with more artists and was acknowledged with more milestones in his final years than most artists achieve in a lifetime. Friends and mutual admirers with whom John worked and recorded included Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, Branford Marsalis, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Canned Heat; fellow Rosebud artists the late Albert Collins, John Hammond and Charlie Musselwhite; as well as former Rosebud artists Ben Harper, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, George Thorogood and Charles Brown, among others. In 1990, John Lee was recognized with a tribute show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He performed along with Ry Cooder and his band, was joined by Bonnie Raitt in one segment and closed two other sets with separate all-star bands organized for the event. Other performers backing John included: Joe Cocker, Mick Fleetwood, Gregg Allman, Al Kooper, Albert Collins, Willie Dixon, John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite, Huey Lewis, Johnny Winter, George Porter of the original Meters, and members of Little Feat. The show also featured a speech in tribute to John by Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes. In 1989, The Rolling Stones invited John Lee to appear at their three Atlantic City, NJ concerts. He performed "Boogie Chillen" backed by Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Ron Wood and Eric Clapton. The event was broadcast nationally on Pay-Per-View.

In 1991, John Lee was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1997, John Lee received two GRAMMY Awards for what would become his last studio release, Don't Look Back (produced by Van Morrison and Mike Kappus). The first GRAMMY was for Best Traditional Blues Album and the second for his duet with Van Morrison, beating out such notable artists as Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Babyface, and Bryan Adams in the Best Pop Collaboration category. John Lee was also awarded Best Traditional Blues GRAMMYs in 1995 for Chill Out and in 1989 for the track from The Healer, "I'm In The Mood" with Bonnie Raitt. He also received an additional eight GRAMMY nominations over his career. In 2000 he was honored with The Recording Academy's (The GRAMMY) Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1999, John Lee was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, presented by Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton. He was also honored with a charter induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in it's inaugural year 1980; awarded The Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award; inducted into Los Angeles' Rock Walk, honored on the Bammies Walk of Fame in San Francisco and given his own star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk Of Fame. In 2008, John Lee was named among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Time Magazine stated, "John Lee Hooker doesn't just sing the blues, and he doesn't just play the blues... he is the blues."

2001 saw the release of That's My Story - John Lee Hooker, a documentary about his life with contributions from John Lee, his closest friends, family and colleagues including Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Mike Kappus, John Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite, Adolfo de la Parra (Canned Heat), Bonnie Raitt, Roy Rogers, Carlos Santana, Pete Sears and Pete Wolf among others. The film utilized material from the Hooker archives through to his most recent recordings.

The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission and is composed of historical markers and interpretive sites located throughout the state. Other artists honored with markers to date include fellow legends B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon and Charlie Musselwhite.

2011 GRAMMY Winner Mavis Staples Featured on NPR's Mountain Stage Premiering April 1st

2011 GRAMMY Winner Mavis Staples will be featured on NPR's Mountain Stage, premiering April 1, 2011. The following week the show will be posted to NPR's archive on their website here. Mavis' performance was recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Scotland as part of the Celtic Connections Festival in January 2011. Mountain Stage is broadcast on over 170 NPR stations, click here to find a station in your area that broadcasts the show.

Mavis has been having a phenomenal year so far. Following her GRAMMY Win for You Are Not Alone (Best Americana Album) and her performance at the GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony (singing alongside Cyndi Lauper, Betty Wright and Maria Muldaur with both Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepherd featured on guitars), she was featured on Conan O'Brien's show "Conan" on the TBS network. Two days later on March 4th, Mavis was honored with the NAACP Image Award for You Are Not Alone in the Outstanding Gospel Album category. Mavis also performed "America The Beautiful" at the Award Ceremony, broadcast live on FOX TV, in a segment to recognize the 2011 NAACP President's Award Recipient, Gen. Colin Powell.

Catch Mavis performing live on stage, including a Tour of Australia and New Zealand in mid-April (on which half the dates will be shared with fellow Rosebud artists The Blind Boys of Alabama , who on these dates will feature Aaron Neville). Please see Tour Dates >>

Dr. John Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, March 14, 2011

Dr. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 26th Annual Induction Ceremony on March 14, 2011 in New York City, an honor recognizing his recording career of more than 50 years. He was inducted by John Legend, who said, "No other place has shaped our music and captured our imagination than the Crescent City. For more than 50 years the singer, musician, producer, songwriter and all-around instigator Dr. John has served as as leading local ambassador to New Orleans and it's incomparably funky musical gumbo." Wearing a purple suit and a fedora, Dr. John accepted his honor, "I feel like I'm blessed to be singing," he said. "To be breathing. Music is something and there ain't nothing like it. I don't care what you do with your life... Everybody in my life was a blessing to me." 

The 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be later televised exclusively on Fuse on Sunday, March 20 at 9 p.m. EST.

Later, during the concert portion of ceremony, Dr. John performed his classic hit, "Right Place, Wrong Time" backed by the Paul Shaffer Band (the evening's house band). This was followed by John Legend joining in on piano, playing "Such A Night." Later in the show, the stage filled with pianos so that Dr. John, Leon Russell (also inducted this year) and Elton John (who inducted Leon) could accompany Lloyd Price on his 1959 hit "Stagger Lee." During the evening, Elton said that Dr. John and Leon could eat him alive on piano. Inductees this year also included Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper and Darlene Love.

Dr. John recently joined Rosebud for International booking representation (outside the U.S. and Canada). A 5-time GRAMMY winner, Dr. John was nominated for the 2011 GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Tribal and is part of two other 2011 GRAMMY-nominated projects: his performance of "My Indian Red" is on Treme, Music From the HBO Original Series, Season 1, nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album; and he performs "Down in New Orleans" (written by Randy Newman, from Disney's The Princess and the Frog), nominated for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. "Down in New Orleans" was also nominated for a 2010 Oscar Award. In 2008, Dr. John released City That Care Forgot, written in response to Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath, which earned him his latest GRAMMY in 2009. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Over his career he has collaborated with countless fellow legends, including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, The Band (including an appearance in their legendary film, The Last Waltz) and Professor Longhair among many, many others. Congratulations Dr. John!

Bill Frisell will be release Sign of Life: Music for the 858 Quartet (Savoy Jazz) on April 26, 2011. The 858 Quartet features Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), and Hank Roberts (cello). The ensemble was conceived when Bill was commissioned to compose music inspired by artist Gerhard Richter's 858 series of paintings, which were exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It was here that the group debuted in January 2003. Bill says of the 858 string quartet, "I write the music down on paper. It is difficult to say what is composed, orchestrated, improvised, or arranged. I don't really have to tell anyone what to do. It is a musical language alive and changing all the time... growing and developing." This is Bill's third album project released so far this year (following a collaboration with Vinicius Cantuaria - Lagrimas Mexicanas - and Buddy Miller's Majestic Silver Strings with Marc Ribot and Greg Leisz) and he's not done yet. Bill is at work recording his interpretations of John Lennon songs, set for release in September 2011. There is also another Floratone album on the way, Bill's collaboration with Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine and Lee Townsend, scheduled for March 2012 release.

more info at savoyjazz.com >>

The New Yorker has noted: "Bill Frisell plays the guitar like Miles Davis played the trumpet: in the hands of such radical thinkers, their instruments simply become different animals. And, like Davis, Frisell loves to have a lot of legroom when he improvises - - the space that terrifies others quickens his blood."

Catch Bill performing live on stage: he embarks on a 10 date European Tour with his Disfarmer Project in mid-March (with a band that also features fellow Rosebud artist, Carrie Rodriguez); he will also play a 12 night residency at the Village Vanguard in New York City with his Beautiful Dreamers project beginning in mid-April, among many other shows in a wide variety of formats. please see Tour Dates >>

Johnny A.'s rendition of "Walk Away Renee" (originally by The Left Banke) was selected by Gibson Guitars as the #4 Greatest Valentine's Day Instrumental. The song concludes Johnny's latest DVD, One November Night, and is performed solo, filmed outdoors against the backdrop of a New England sunset. "This performance, which squeezes every drop of emotion from the song's melody, is as entirely romantic as all that sounds," Gibson notes on their website. Johnny is a Gibson signature model artist. Gibson Custom first introduced the Johnny A. Signature Model in 2003 and it has since become one of the company's most successful and popular models. Also included on the Gibson Greatest Valentine's Day Instrumentals are tracks by Jeff Beck, Allman Brothers Band, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Wes Montgomery, among others.

Recently honored as the 2010 Boston Music Awards' Blues Artist of the Year, Johnny is now set to be featured performing as part of the Boston Legends All Star Concert at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH on March 18, 2011 (more dates added). He will be playing alongside a lineup of musicians which include guitarist J. Geils, bass player Danny Klein and Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band, Barry Goudreau formerly of the band Boston and Joe Pett and Charlie Farren from the Joe Perry Project among many others.

Catch Johnny performing live on stage with his own band, please see Tour Dates >>

Mavis Staples Honored with NAACP Image Award for You Are Not Alone (Outstanding Gospel Album) and Featured Live at Award Ceremony

2011 GRAMMY winner Mavis Staples was honored with the NAACP Image Award for You Are Not Alone in the Outstanding Gospel Album category, in a ceremony held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on March 4, 2011. Mavis also performed "America The Beautiful" at the 42nd Award Ceremony, broadcast live on FOX TV, in a segment to recognize the 2011 NAACP President's Award Recipient, Gen. Colin Powell. Mavis recently won the GRAMMY Award for You Are Not Alone in the Best Americana Album category. The album has become the most successful of her solo career.

The NAACP Image Awards is the nation's premier multi-cultural awards show celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts (television, recording, literature, motion picture and writing & directing), as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. Congratulations Mavis!

Catch Mavis performing live on stage, including select Northeast dates with Billy Bragg, "The Hope, Love & Justice Tour," in early Spring and a Tour of Australia and New Zealand in mid-April (on which half the dates will be shared with fellow Rosebud artists The Blind Boys of Alabama, who on these dates will feature Aaron Neville). Please see Tour Dates >>

The Blind Boys of Alabama Releasing New Album Take The High Road on May 3rd

Five time GRAMMY Award and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winners, The Blind Boys of Alabama will release Take The High Road, a traditional country-gospel album on May 3rd, 2011. The album was co-produced by acclaimed country music artist Jamey Johnson, who also performs on it along with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys.

The concept for the collaboration started with original Blind Boy Jimmy Carter's longstanding love of country music and his desire to do a traditional country-tinged gospel album. Last year, his idea started to take shape when the Blind Boys were asked to curate a series of shows at the prestigious Lincoln Center Festival in New York City. One of the sold-out nights featured country artists Ralph Stanley, Ray Benson (Asleep At The Wheel) and Allison Moorer performing with The Blind Boys. Soon after, they met Jamey Johnson and asked him to join them in singing the traditional song "Down By The Riverside" at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Their mutual respect and shared passion for old-time gospel music made for a powerful performance, and that moment led to the Blind Boys asking Jamey to produce their next CD.

"Out of all the records we've done together, this has been the most natural," co-producer, and former Rosebud agent, Chris Goldsmith insists (he has produced or executive produced every Blind Boys album since 2001). "The connection between the material, the Nashville guests, and the Blind Boys felt like destiny. Somewhere in history, these two almost identical styles of music - country and gospel - went their separate ways. This record brings them back together." Says Jimmy Carter, "These two traditions are very similar... We want to sing good music, no matter what kind it is. Most of all, we want to touch people's lives. We want to leave them a message they can feed upon throughout their lives."

Check out The Blind Boys performing live on stage, including a Tour of Australia and New Zealand in the last half of April, please see Tour Dates >>

Jim Lauderdale To Be Inducted Into The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame on June 11th

Jim Lauderdale will be inducted into The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame in the Songwriter category on June 11th, 2011. As a Songwriter, Jim has written and recorded material for 18 albums; he won a GRAMMY for his album, The Bluegrass Diaries, and has received two additional GRAMMY nominations as well. Two of his albums are collaborations with Ralph Stanley, one of which was a GRAMMY Winner, the other a GRAMMY Nominee.

Jim co-wrote the song "I Lost You" with Elvis Costello for Elvis' latest album National Ransom, on which Jim is a featured performer. This followed Jim's role as a performing member of Elvis' Sugarcanes band as they toured in support of Elvis' GRAMMY Nominated Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, an album on which Jim was also featured in the band.

Jim's songs have been recorded by artists including Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill, George Strait, Buddy Miller, The Del McCoury Band, Dwight Yoakam and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band among many others.

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame honors those involved with music of any kind who were either born or active within the greater Blue Ridge Mountains area running from north Georgia to northern Virginia or who contributed to the music associated with traditions of the Blue Ridge, such as ballads, old-time, bluegrass and gospel. The Hall of Fame honors commercial recording artists, pioneers, revivalists, songwriters, those who have contributed as side musicians, traditional dancers and callers, scholars, promoters, journalists, educators, and broadcast personalities. Past Inductees include Ralph and Carter Stanley, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, The Carter Family and Dolly Parton among others. This year Emmylou Harris will be among those inducted with Jim. Congratulations Jim!

Catch Jim performing live on stage, including select dates in early March concluding a tour with Hot Tuna Blues: Hot Tuna with Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale. Please see Tour Dates >>