Clarence Butler Dies

 Long time Detroit Bluesman Clarence Butler of The Butler Twins died december 21st of a heart attack. Clarence and Curtis Butler were two longtime beacons on the Detroit-area blues scen. The brothers' recorded two albums for the JSP label including "Pursue Your Dreams" (1996) and "Not Gonna Worry About Tomorrow" (1995). Guitarist Clarence and harmonica player Curtis Butler grew up near W.C. Handy's birthplace of Florence, Alabama, about 30 miles from the Mississippi Delta. They took their earliest musical cues from their father, guitarist Willie "Butch" Butler, who was famous in the region but never recorded. The twins moved to Detroit in the 1960 and quickly found work in Motor City auto plants. The club scene at the time was booming, with the music of John Lee Hooker, Little Sonny, Bo Collins, Bobo Jenkins and dozens of others spilling out of the city's juke joints. The twins continued working and sitting in as much as they could, but by the late 1960s, the blues scene in Detroit had dried up. Civil unrest and the rise of the Motown sound didn't leave much room for a flourishing blues scene, but by the early 1980s, when the blues began a resurgence again nationally, the Butler Twins were still on the scene.

Al "TNT" Braggs Dies

 Dallas R&B musician and songwriter Al "TNT" Braggs, 65, whose songs became
hits for such musicians as Kenny Rogers, died on Dec. 4th after suffering a
series of strokes. He made his mark as an exciting entertainer and became known as AL ""T.N.T." Braggs, Mr. Dynamite. Mr. Braggs' best-known song was "Share Your Love With Me," which became a Top 5 single for Mr. Rogers and was also recorded by Aretha Franklin, Freddy Fender, Phoebe Snow and the Band. Other Braggs compositions include "Soul of a Man," recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland and Ronnie Laws, and "Crying Man," which was recorded in 1966 by the Boogie Kings. Mr. Braggs toured for many years as an opening act for Mr. Bland. He also produced for a number of other R&B acts such as Little Joe Blue, Ernie Johnson and R.L. Griffin.

Keeping The Blues Alive Awards Announced

 Seventeen dedicated blues enthusiasts will receive The Blues Foundation's 2004 Keeping The Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch on Saturday, January 31, 2004 in Memphis Tennessee. Bob Porter, host of the syndicated blues radio program "Portrait in Blue," will host the awards. This year's Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients are:

Advertising and Sponsor - Volkswagen
Art - George Hunt, Memphis, TN
Blues Club - Theodores', Steve Walbridge, Springfield, MA
Blues Organization - Suncoast Blues Society, Tampa Bay, FL
Education - Alabama Blues Project, East Tuscaloosa, AL
Film - American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-66, Vol. 1 and 2; David Peck & Jon Kanis, Reelin' In The Years Productions, San Diego, CA and John McDermott & Janie Hendrix, Experience Hendrix, Seattle, WA
Historic Preservation - European Blues Senter, Nottoden, Norway
Internet - BluesWax, Des Moines, IA
Journalism - Jeff Johnson, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago, IL
Literature - Sterling Plumpp, Chicago, IL
Manager/Agent - Bonnie Tallman, BC Productions Management, Hughesville, PA
Print Media - Southland Blues, Los Angeles, CA
Producer - Duke Robillard, Pawtucket, RI
Promoter - Chris Mackey, Bayfront Blues Festival, Duluth MN
Radio (Commercial - Andre Mosqueda, KGGO, Des Moines, IA
Radio (Public) - Robert Barclay, WCMU, Mt. Pleasant, MI
Record Label - Delmark, Bob Koester, Chicago, IL

Blues Grammy Nominees Announced

 The Grammys have announced this years nominations for the two Blues categories.
The Blues also turned up in the Long Form Music Video category. Here are this years nominees:

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Rock 'N' Roll City - Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater w/ Los Straitjackets [Bullseye Blues]
Blues Singer - Buddy Guy [Silvertone Records]
Goin' To Kansas City - Jay McShann [Stony Plain Records]
That's Right! - Roomful Of Blues [Alligator Records]
Lookin' For Trouble! - Kim Wilson [M.C. Records]

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

So Many Rivers - Marcia Ball [Alligator Records]
Let's Roll - Etta James [Private Music]
The Road We're On - Sonny Landreth [Sugar Hill Records]
Rediscovered - Howard Tate [Private Music]
Wait For Me - Susan Tedeschi [Tone-Cool/Artemis Records]

Best Long Form Music Video:

Legend Sam Cooke - Allen Klein, video director; Mick Gochanour, Iris W. Keitel, Robin Klein & Mary Wharton, video producers
The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Volume 1 Various Artists - Jon Kanis & David Peck, video directors; Janie Hendrix, Jon Kanis, John McDernott & David Peck, video producers
Muddy Waters Can’t Be Satisfied Muddy Waters - Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video directors; Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video producers

Henry Qualls Dies

 Texas bluesman Henry Qualls died December 7th. He was 68. Taught as a youth by Emmitt Williams, Qualls supplemented his instruction by making regular visits to Dallas to watch Lightnin' Hopkins, Lil' Son Jackson and Frankie Lee Sims in action. Through most of his adult life, music was an intermittent hobby as he earned his living ploughing fields and mowing the lawns of the Dallas elite. Found by Dallas Blues Society men Scottie Ferris and Chuck Nevitt, Qualls became a reluctant local celebrity. He recorded "Blues From Elmo, Texas" in 1994 issued by the Dallas Blues Society. Three of his songs appeared on "Blues Across America: The Dallas Scene" issued by the Cannonball label in 1997 and two songs were showcased on "Texas Blues Guitar Summit" released by JSP in 1998.

Art Griswald Dies

 Arthur Griswold, an internationally known blues guitar player and mentor to
many young musicians in the Toledo area, died Nov. 18th. He was 64. Mr. Griswold played blues throughout his teenage years in Little Rock. He planned to relocate to Detroit in 1957, but stopped in Toledo to visit relatives. He ended up sharing the stage with Little Walter, the renowned harmonica player, and decided to set down roots here. He played the blues for several years with his sister Gladys, and brother
Roman. The three siblings played in the house band at Hines Farm during the
late 1950s and early 1960s, when the famous blues club in Swanton Township drew
acts like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Freddie King. The Griswolds often took their act on the road, performing at blues festivals nationwide and in Europe. They recorded several albums, beginning with songs recorded throughout the 1960s and 1970s for Fortune Records, a well-known label in Detroit. They recorded their first album in 1987 for Blue Suit records and later on with several other record companies, including Mr. Griswold's own Buckeye label. Their most recent CD, "The Later It Gets The Better I Feel," was released last year.

Claude Trenier Dies

 Claude Trenier, whose group The Treniers was one of the first black acts to perform on the Strip, overcoming segregation policies of the 1940s and '50s to become the longest running act on the Las Vegas lounge circuit, died November 17th of cancer. He was 84. The Treniers' top songs included "Go! Go! Go!" "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Say Hey" (The Willie Mays Song), and novelty favorites "Get Out of the Car" and "Bald Head." The group also performed at Carnegie Hall and the London Palladium. The Treniers made several appearances on the Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore and Ernie Kovacs television variety shows. Born July 14, 1919, in Mobile, Ala., Claude and twin brother Cliff began their professional music careers in 1941, when they dropped out of Alabama State University in Mobile to lead a 16-piece band. From 1944 to '46 Claude and Cliff were members of the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra, one of the nation's top swing bands that regularly performed at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre. In 1946 Claude and Cliff formed their own group, The Trenier Twins. In 1947 they signed a recording contract with Mercury Records. In 1948 their brother, Buddy, joined them and the group became The Treniers. Three years later they cracked the R&B charts with "Go! Go! Go!" In the 1950s The Treniers released several recordings and were featured in disc jockey Alan Freed's shows and films, including "Don't Knock the Rock," co-starring Bill Haley and His Comets, and "The Girl Can't Help it." They also toured England with Jerry Lee Lewis and the late Johnnie Ray. Cliff Trenier died in 1983 and Buddy Trenier died in 1999.

Oliver Sain Dies

 Oliver Sain, described by admirers as the Man with the Golden Horn, the Quincy Jones of St. Louis and St. Louis' Ambassador of Rhythm & Blues, died October 28th after a long illness. Saxophonist Sain is best-known for songs such as "Bus Stop," "Soul of a Man," "Feel Like Dancing," "Booty Bumpin'" and "Party Hearty." He also wrote the Fontella Bass-Bobby McClure hit "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing" and produced Ann Peebles and Barbara Carr. Some of his albums include "Soul Serenade," "St. Louis Breakdown" and "Blues & Bar-B-Q." Mr. Sain's music has been recorded by artists as varied as the Allman Brothers Band, Chaka Khan, Loretta Lynn, Ry Cooder and Conway Twitty. Mr. Sain even earned a bit of hip-hop credibility when P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy) sampled Mr. Sain's song "On the Hill" for a track on the rapper's hit 1997 "No Way Out" CD. Though he was primarily known for his saxophone prowess, Mr. Sain was also a keyboardist, bandleader, producer, arranger and writer. His various musical outfits have included Oliver Sain's R&B All-Stars, the Oliver Sain Revue and Oliver Sain and Band. Mr. Sain arrived in St. Louis in 1959 and honed his craft early on working with key names such as Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf and Junior Parker. Even throughout his illnesses, Mr. Sain continued to remain a presence of the St. Louis music scene, which honored him often with tribute events during his later years. Mr. Sain still showed up regularly for his stint playing Thursday night at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

John Brim Dies

 One of the last still-active links to the classic '50s Chicago blues sound, John Brim passed away Wednesday, October 1st. He was 81. Brim may be best-known for writing and cutting the original "Ice Cream Man" that Van Halen covered on their first album. That's a shame though because Brim cut a number of unrelentingly tough sides for labels like JOB, Parrot and Chess. Despite cutting some exceptional Chicago blues records with such talent as Sunnyland Slim, Robert Lockwood, Willie Dixon and others his failed to break out big. Brim kept playing in the 60's and 70's, cut a few sides in the 70's before taking an almost two decade break. In 1994 he returned with the W.C. Handy nominated "The Ice Cream Man" for Tone-Cool Records. "Jake's Blues", his final recording, was issued in 2001 on the Anna Bea label. Brim's wife and playing partner Grace passed away in 1999.

John Lee Hooker Estate Seals Music, Video Deal

 The estate of bluesman John Lee Hooker has sealed a worldwide licensing deal with Eagle Rock Entertainment for audio and video projects featuring the late singer/guitarist. The first release under the agreement will be "Face to Face," an album of previously unreleased Hooker studio recordings, completed under the supervision of his daughter, singer Zakiya Hooker, after his death in June 2001. The album be will issued Sept. 23. Eagle is also planning a second volume of final Hooker recordings, as well as a historic 1949 session cut at the Detroit home of animator Gene Deitch. Eagle Vision, Eagle Rock's home video arm, plans to produce a new DVD about Hooker in collaboration with the estate.