GRAMMY Award Winning Blues Legend, James Cotton Joins The Rosebud Agency
The Rosebud Agency proudly welcomes GRAMMY Award winning Blues legend and harmonica master, James Cotton, for exclusive worldwide booking representation. Cotton has recorded almost thirty solo albums throughout his career. His long list of awards and accolades includes being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, a GRAMMY win, four GRAMMY nominations, seven Blues Music Awards, and the addition of one of his own harmonicas to the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection. Cotton has performed and collaborated with Blues giants including Sonny Boy Williamson (who he learned harmonica from as a small boy), Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Freddie King and Muddy Waters (a Rosebud artist until his passing). In fact, he stayed by Muddy's side for over a decade and became the leader of his backing band during that time. Cotton has also shared the stage with rock greats including Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Steve Miller and many others.
Cotton grew up on a cotton plantation and, as a very small boy, he received a fifteen-cent harmonica for Christmas and mastered it almost immediately. He began listening to Sonny Boy Williamson's King Biscuit Time and learned to imitate the older bluesman note for note. In 1944, after both of Cotton's parents had passed away, his uncle took the nine-year-old to meet Williamson. Cotton's talent amazed Williamson, who took the youngster under his wing. He spent many nights traveling with Williamson to juke joints all over the area; often playing for tips outside, he sometimes drew crowds to rival Williamson's. When Williamson left for Milwaukee in 1950, Cotton, then fifteen, took over his band. Over the course of the next fifteen years Cotton joined Howlin' Wolf's band and toured with him all over the South, cut a record for Sun Records which included the classic "Cotton Crop Blues", and joined Muddy Waters' band. By 1966, Cotton was ready to head out on his own and since has become, as stated by the Chicago Tribune, "a key link on the chain of great Blues harmonica players...".
BEST OF 2012 - Raves And "Best Of's" For Rosebud Artists' 2012 Releases
2012 CD releases from Rosebud artists were praised by a wide variety of U.S. and international media outlets. The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Poll, an annual compilation of "Best Of's" from hundreds of year-end reviews, featured many Rosebud artists' albums among the best releases of the year. ..READ MORE >>
Rosebud Artists On House of Blues and NPR Radio - Marcia Ball, Ruthie Foster, Tommy Castro and Charlie Musselwhite
Tommy Castro's Greedy was featured on The BluesMobile, on December 29 - 30, 2012. "Greedy" was selected by show host, Elwood Blues, as Elwood's "Blues Breaker" or favorite new song of the week. This is at least the third time Tommy's music has been featured on The BluesMobile.
Another recent Blues Mobile "Bluesbreaker" was Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper's "I Don't Believe a Word You Say" from their recently released collaboration, Get Up! segment from the January 12 - 13, 2013 broadcast.
Ben and Charlie were again featured on The BluesMobile on February 9 - 10, 2013 as Elwood Blues' special guests. On the show they were interviewed on the unique nature of their collaboration which first began when they both recorded with the legendary John Lee Hooker (a Rosebud artist until his passing). Elwood Blues exclusively played music featuring Charlie and/or Ben throughout the show including multiple tracks from Get Up!.
Get Up!, also featured in The BluesMobile's Blues Of The Month Club, can be streamed in its entirety at getup.benharper.com.
2013 GRAMMY-nominated Ruthie Foster was also featured as Elwood Blues' special guest on The BluesMobile on February 2 - 3, 2013. On the show, Elwood showcased Ruthie's songs as well as music by winners of the Koko Taylor Award (The Blues Music Awards' Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year) which Ruthie has won several times in the past. Among the topics Elwood interviewed Ruthie about was her magic recording moment with Stax Records legend William Bell and her transition from singing Gospel to Blues.
On January 22, 2013 Ruthie digitally released Keep It Burning, an EP featuring two previously unheard takes from the Let It Burn sessions as well as live versions of "Welcome Home" and "Aim For The Heart" recorded at the 2012 Notodden Blues Festival in Norway. "Don't Get Too Comfortable", written and sung by Ruthie and Stax Records legend William Bell, and a funky New Orleans studio version of the Foster-penned "Truth!" are also included on the new EP.
Also coming up on radio is Marcia Ball's performance on NPR's eTown with Paul Thorn, which was taped on January 20, 2013. The show's air dates are not yet finalized, but it will be available for listening on NPR/public, commercial, and community stations. Click here for more info and to find a station near you. This performance marks Marcia's third appearance on eTown which was recorded live in front of a theater audience at eTown's new solar-powered music facility, eTown Hall, in Boulder, CO. Typically the performance is interspersed with informal interviews with show co-host Nick Forster that explore the artist's roots and influences as well as his/her interests in social and environmental causes. A known supporter of environmental activism, Marcia has participated in events that support conservation efforts in the Gulf Coast.
To Catch Marcia Ball, Charlie Musselwhite, Tommy Castro, And Ruthie Foster Live, See Tour Dates >>
Pieta Brown's Mercury Is #1 On Roots Music Report's Top 100 Folk Albums Of
2012, Other Rosebud Artists Rank High On Roots Music Report's Year-End
Charts
Pieta Brown's Mercury was ranked by Roots Music Report (RMR) as the #1 most played Folk album of 2012. Mercury spent twenty consecutive weeks in the #1 position on RMR's weekly Folk airplay chart after its release and ranked in the top five for seven months overall. Also included in RMR's Top 100 Folk Albums of 2012 were releases by Woody Guthrie, Mark Knopfler, and Mumford & Sons.
Mercury was recorded in just three days in the country west of Nashville and features GRAMMY-winning producer/artist Richard Bennett (Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris), bassist Glenn Worf (Mark Knopfler, Aaron Neville, Tammy Wynette), drummer Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Mark Knopfler), multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett, Johnny Cash) and Pieta's frequent collaborator Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown). Also featured on the album is Mark Knopfler adding to the blues stomp "So Many Miles".
Other Rosebud artists' albums ranking high on RMR's 2012 year-end most played charts were: Carolina Moonrise and Reason and Rhyme by Jim Lauderdale in the Top Bluegrass Albums of 2012, Let It Burn by Ruthie Foster ranked in the top ten most played Blues Albums of 2012, and Muddy Waters & The Rolling StonesLive At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981 also ranked in the Top Blues Albums of 2012 (the late Muddy Waters was a Rosebud artist until his passing in 1983). RMR also ranked several albums that featured Rosebud artists on its 2012 most played year-end charts: Bonnie Raitt's Slipstream which featured Bill Frisell as well as "You Can't Fail Me Now", co-written by Loudon Wainwright III ranked in the top five Roots Rock Albums of 2012, Preservation Hall Jazz Band's St. Peter & 57th St. featured Trombone Shorty, Lou Pallo's Thank You Les featured Johnny A., and Paul Thorn's What the Hell Is Going On? featured Elvin Bishop who also wrote the album's title track. For a complete list of RMR's 2012 year-end charts, please visit RMR Top Albums of 2012 >>
To Catch Pieta Brown, Johnny A., Jim Lauderdale, Bill Frisell, Elvin Bishop And Trombone Shorty Live, See Tour Dates >>
BeauSoleil's New Album, From Bamako To Carencro, Out February 26, 2013
BeauSoleil will release From Bamako to Carencro on February 26, 2013 via Compass Records. From Bamako to Carencro, the twenty-fifth release of BeauSoleil's recording career, distills a range of styles and influences including Jazz, Blues Rock, Folk, Cajun, Zydeco, Country, and Bluegrass to create a diverse new record. Bandleader Michael Doucet comments, "The diversity is really what excites me about this record - it's nothing like we've done before and the songs are played only as we could play them." Featured on the new album is a reimagining of James Brown's 1962 Live at the Apollo version of "I'll Go Crazy" as well as a swing version of John Coltrane's "Bessie's Blues".
BeauSoleil titled its new record referencing the musical and cultural connection between Louisiana and Mali, West Africa. BeauSoleil's music draws deeply from this sonic bloodline, and the album's title as well as its content support Doucet's message that "it takes all kinds to make a culture's history survive." BeauSoleil's version of "Bamako" is its tribute to friend and sometimes collaborator, Roswell Rudd, who originally wrote the song for the people of Mali. The entire album is available for preview at A Prairie Home Companion through March 1, 2013. Since becoming the first Cajun band to win a GRAMMY with L'amour Ou La Folie in 1998, BeauSoleil has garnered many accolades including a GRAMMY win in 2010 for Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, twelve GRAMMY nominations, having their music featured in HBO's Treme (watch for an on-camera performance coming in Season 4), and being dubbed "the best Cajun band in the world" by NPR's Garrison Keillor (A Prairie Home Companion). BeauSoleil has performed in each of the fifty states and in thirty-three countries. They continue to tour actively with extensive US dates coming up this March.
Charlie Musselwhite Joins Ben Harper On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tavis Smiley, And DownBeat Magazine Cover Story; Plus Charlie On American Public Media's The Dinner Party
Charlie Musselwhite performed with Ben Harper on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, February 18, 2013. Charlie and Ben played two songs from their latest collaboration, Get Up!, which was released January 29, 2013. In addition to Charlie and Ben, Kimmel's guests on the show that night included actor Andy Samberg and comic David Steinberg. Charlie and Ben will also be featured on the February 21st episode of PBS' Tavis Smiley. For more information and local listings click here.
Charlie himself was featured on The Dinner Party from American Public Media on February 7, 2013. During the show Charlie related a comical account of Blues legends Big Joe Williams and Rosebud artist, the late Muddy Waters, on a turbulent transatlantic flight.
Charlie and Ben were also recently featured on the cover of DownBeat Magazine's March 2013 issue. The cover story and interview delves deeply into Charlie and Ben's musical connection that has allowed them to become, what DownBeat writer Josef Woodard calls, "musical brethren, deep in the cause." The story also touches on Chicago blues lore and discusses the unique sound of Get Up! that goes beyond, but is simultaneously steeped in, traditional Blues. Get Up! has been receiving rave reviews from news outlets across the country, with a recent Rolling Stone review describing Charlie on Get Up! as "an understated virtuoso able to push past tradition without losing himself."
Jim Lauderdale, Carrie Rodriguez and Charlie Musselwhite Projects Top Americana Radio Chart And Roots Music Report, Jim Lauderdale Bluegrass Unlimited Cover Story
The latest releases from Jim Lauderdale, Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite are all in the Top 10 on the Americana Radio Chart presented by The Americana Music Association. Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller's, Buddy & Jim, held the #1 position three weeks in a row and is ranked #3 as of this writing. Carrie Rodriguez.s Give Me All You Got made a rare top ten debut and now ranks in the #2 position as of this writing. Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite's single "I Don't Believe A Word You Say" from their collaboration, Get Up!, is rapidly climbing the chart and is currently ranked at #7. For the complete AMA chart, please visit americanaradio.com.
In other airplay news, Jim Lauderdale's Carolina Moonrise has totaled five weeks in the #1 position and is still at #2 as of February 4, 2013 on Roots Music Report's (RMR) Bluegrass Chart. Simultaneously, Jim's collaboration with Buddy Miller, Buddy & Jim, has been ranked in the top five on RMR's Country Chart since January 11, 2013. Also on the RMR Country Chart, Carrie Rodriguez has made a rapid ascent into the top five over the past few weeks with Give Me All You Got and currently ranks in the #2 position. And, for the past two weeks, Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper have maintained the #1 spot on the RMR Blues Chart for Get Up!. For the complete RMR chart listing, please visit rootsmusicreport.com.
Jim Lauderdale is also featured on the cover of the February 2013 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine. The in-depth cover story reflects on Jim's journey from his humble beginnings to his recent successes. These accomplishments include the just released documentary Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts, as well as his racking up two GRAMMY Wins and six GRAMMY Nominations since 2000. Jim also has hosted The Americana Music Awards for the last ten years (2003-2012), and currently co-hosts The Buddy & Jim Show with Buddy Miller airing on SiriusXM Radio's Outlaw Country channel. To view the entire story online please visit bluegrassmusic.com.
To Catch Carrie Rodriguez, Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale Live, See Tour Dates >>
GRAMMY / MusiCares News: Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite And More
Mavis Staples was featured at MusiCares' star-studded tribute honoring Bruce Springsteen as the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year on February 8, 2013. At the event, Mavis joined 2013 GRAMMY Award Winner Zac Brown to perform Springsteen's "My City Of Ruins". Hosted by Jon Stewart, the event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Mavis also performed during the televised GRAMMY Awards Ceremony on February 10, 2013 during a tribute to the late Levon Helm. She collaborated on stage with Elton John, Mumford & Sons, T Bone Burnett, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes), and Zac Brown for a performance of The Band's "The Weight".
Charlie Musselwite was also featured at the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony in a performance with Ben Harper and Natalie Maines (of Dixie Chicks). During his acceptance speech, Springsteen noted that he had opened for Charlie some forty years ago in San Francisco. Also featured at the event performing classic Springsteen songs were Neil Young, Patti Smith, Sting, Elton John, Tim McGraw, Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello, Alabama Shakes, Jackson Browne, Kenny Chesney, Emmylou Harris, Faith Hill, John Legend, and Mumford & Sons. Please see the set list at billboard.com.
2013 GRAMMY Nominated Ruthie Foster was also interviewed on the official pre-telecast live stream of the 2013 GRAMMY Awards. To check out video clips from the 2013 GRAMMY Awards and this year's pre-telecast ceremony, please visit grammy.com/live.
In other GRAMMY news, Bonnie Raitt's Slipstream featuring Bill Frisell and a composition by Joe Henry and Rosebud artist Loudon Wainwright III won the GRAMMY for Best Americana Album. Additionally, Zac Brown Band's Uncaged (featuring Trombone Shorty on "Overnight) won Best Country Album. Congrats to all of this year's GRAMMY winners and nominees!
To Catch Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Loudon Wainwright III, Bill Frisell and Trombone Shorty Live, See Tour Dates >>
Mavis Staples To Perform At The 2013 GRAMMY Awards Ceremony, "Love For Levon" Concert Broadcast And Video Release
Mavis Staples will perform at the 2013 GRAMMY Awards Ceremony on Sunday, February 10, 2013. Mavis will join Elton John, Mumford & Sons, T Bone Burnett, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) and Zac Brown on stage in a tribute to the late Levon Helm. The all star cast of musicians will perform one of Helm and The Band's most popular songs, "The Weight". Mavis had been working with Levon just prior to his passing. Their most famous collaboration was The Staple Singers' performance at the Band's legendary performance / film, The Last Waltz. Other artists slated to perform at the GRAMMY Awards include Justin Timberlake, Jack White, the Black Keys, Sting, Bruno Mars and Rihanna. The ceremony is scheduled to air live on CBS at 7:00pm CT.
In related news, a DVD of the October 3, 2012 tribute concert for Helm, Love For Levon, will be released on March 19, 2013. The concert features performances from Mavis along with a star studded group of artists including Garth Hudson, Gregg Allman, John Mayer, Grace Potter, Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, Allen Toussaintand Dierks Bentley. The concert will also air February 14, 2013 on AXS-TV (formerly HDNet) and will be broadcast on PBS during its spring pledge drive.
Trombone Shorty Performs At Six Super Bowl XLVII Events, Featured In New Lenny Kravitz Documentary
Trombone Shorty performed at six Super Bowl XLVII related events over Super Bowl XLVII weekend in New Orleans. Among the events were the Super Bowl Boulevard concert series at Woldenberg Park and a number of private performances for organizations including Pepsi and Playboy.
The rich history of "When the Saints Go Marching In"
In addition to accomplishing the feat of performing at three of these events in one day, Friday, February 1st, Shorty was also featured twice on CBS the following day. One CBS story covered the Trombone Shorty Foundation's current partnership with Tulane to teach underserved youth in New Orleans ("Trombone Shorty" makes NOLA swing), while the other featured an interview with Trombone Shorty on the importance of New Orleans' unofficial anthem, "When The Saints Go Marching In" (The rich history of "When the Saints Go Marching In").
Trombone Shorty is also featured in the new Lenny Kravitz documentary, Looking Back On Love: Making Black and White America. Released January 29, 2013, the film was created by the GRAMMY-nominated Mathieu Bitton and follows the making of Kravitz's recently released ninth studio album, Black And White America. Also appearing in the film is Kravitz's musical partner, Craig Ross, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and The Rebirth Brass Band. Kravitz (who plays bass on "Roses" from For True) has a long-standing bond with Shorty as he discovered the then-teenage prodigy in 2005 and took him on tour with his band. The documentary is now available on iTunes.
GRAMMY Award Winning Blues Legend, James Cotton Joins The Rosebud Agency
Jim Lauderdale is also featured on the cover of the February 2013 issue of 
