Tommy Johnson Family Denied Right To Place Headstone

 Three years after The Mount Zion Memorial Fund and the family of Tommy Johnson unveiled a headstone memorial in Crystal Springs, in 2001, the 600 lb., beautifully engraved, granite slab still sits in the Crystal Springs Library, miles from the cemetery where Johnson is buried. The Copiah County Board of Supervisors, charged by law with maintaining the Warm Springs Methodist Cemetery because of its official historic status, has denied all access to the cemetery where dozens of African American gravesites are located, by refusing to reclaim a road which was "given" to a local farmer under dubious legal circumstances.

 For the last three years the Mount Zion Memorial Fund has worked with Vera Johnson Collins, Tommy Johnson's niece, through a series of legal roadblocks and delays and the State of Mississippi, fully aware of the situation, has done absolutely nothing.The "Year of the Blues" has come and gone, and the Tommy Johnson Memorial, paid for by Ms. Bonnie Raitt, has remained on display at the Public Library, in mute testimony to the true history of Mississippi's racial nullification, failure and neglect.

 The Mount Zion Memorial Fund and the family of Tommy Johnson is asking that any and all groups or individuals who would like to support the effort to place Tommy Johnson's headstone on his grave and to re-open this historic cemetery please write Governor Haley Barbour at P.O. Box 139 Jackson, MS 39205
And demand that the State of Mississippi intervene immediately to correct this moral wrong and to finally do something honorable to get right with the Blues.

Noble Watts Dies

 Noble Watts, the blues and jazz saxophonist who led the house band at Sugar Ray Robinson's club in Harlem and played on rock 'n' roll tours with Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, died Sugust 24. He was 78.Also known as "Thin Man," Watts released a series of singles on Baton Records, including the instrumental hits "Hard Times (the Slop)" in 1957 and "Jookin' " in 1961. Hhe mounted a comeback bid in 1987 with the album, "Return of the Thin Man", for King Snake records (later picked up by Alligator). "King of the Boogie Sax" followed in 1993 for Ichiban's Wild Dog imprint.

Hunter Hancock Dies

 Hunter Hancock, the legendary disc jockey regarded as the first in the western United States to spin rhythm and blues records and among the first to broadcast rock 'n' roll, has died Aug. 4. He was 88. Known on the air as "Ol' H.H.," Hancock, in his high-pitched, frantic, exaggerated voice, was heard over local airwaves from 1943 to 1968, hosting the Sunday show "Harlem Holiday" on KFVD-AM (later KPOP-AM); the daily "Harlematinee"; the KGFJ-AM nightly Top 20 "Huntin' With Hunter"; and the KGER-AM Sunday gospel show "Songs of Soul and Spirit." He also had a brief run on KCBS-TV Channel 2 in 1955 with the Friday night show "Rhythm and Bluesville," interviewing such musicians as Duke Ellington, Fats Domino, Little
Richard and the Platters. For several years, Pulse survey, a precursor to Arbitron,
rated Hancock's shows No. 1 among African American listeners in Southern California. In 1950, the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper rated Hancock the most popular DJ in Los Angeles among blacks.

Willie Egan Dies

 Robert "Willie" Egan, a blues singer and pianist who recorded boogie-woogie-tinged R&B on his own and as Johnny in the popular duo Marvin & Johnny, died August 5th. He was 70. He learned by listening to recordings of Amos Milburn, Hadda
Brooks and Nellie Lutcher. In 1949, Egan made a couple of recordings for the small Elko label. But he hit his stride in the mid-1950s, recording for Larry Mead's Mambo and Vita labels. He recorded the successful singles "Wow Wow," "What a Shame,"
"Come On," "She's Gone Away, But" and "Wear Your Black Dress." His last solo single was "Rock and Roll Fever" in 1958. Later he teamed with Marvin Phillips, who had a series of partners as "Johnny" under the Marvin & Johnny name, for a couple of lackluster records. Eventually, Egan abandoned music to work as a hospital orderly. He recorded a new, well-regarded studio album called "Going Back to Louisiana" for London-based Ace Records.

Cal Green Dies

 Cal Green the original guitar player for the Midnighters passed away July 6th.
He was 68 years old. Green's idol as a teenager was Lone Star wonder Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Cal Green played on RPM Records releases by Quinton Kimble and pianist Connie McBooker, but his main claim to fame is as the guitarist for Hank
Ballard & the Midnighters, who picked up Green in Houston in 1954. His ringing guitar provided a sturdy hook for the group's rocker "Don't Change Your Pretty Ways" and figured prominently on "Tore Up Over You" and "Open Up the Back Door." The Midnighters' label, Cincinnati-based Federal Records, thought enough of Green's slashing Texas licks to cut a couple of 45s on him in 1958: the double-sided instrumental "The Big Push"/"Green's Blues" and a pair of vocals, "I Can Hear My Baby Calling"/"The Search Is All Over." A 1959 marijuana bust sent Green to a Texas slammer for 21 months, but he briefly rejoined the Midnighters in 1962. After that, jazz became Green's music of choice. He gigged with organist Brother Jack McDuff and then singer Lou Rawls, eventually settling in L.A. An acclaimed but tough-to-find 1988 album for Double Trouble, "White Pearl," showed conclusively that Cal Green still knows his way around the blues on guitar.

Nap Turner Dies

 Nap Turner was 73 when he died June 17th. Turner played jazz and blues in Washington clubs, after-hours spots and occasionally on tour with big names. On the bandstand, he was a bassist who played with some of the greats, imitating their success in jazz and their failure from drugs. He played the bass and sang in a bold, rich voice. As a young man in the 50's, working and hanging around 7th and T, Nap jammed with the likes of Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons,and Webster Young. He worked with with the Griffin Brothers and Margie Day and played on their initial demos that secured them their record deal, but was never credited for his studio work on the discs because he did not want to go on the road with the band. In his last two decades, when he took his act onto the radio as Nap "Don't Forget the Blues" Turner, on WPFW (89.3 FM), he attracted a loyal and wide audience. He recorded ""Live at City Blues" and "Live At Cada Vez" for the Right On Rhythm label.

Ray Charles Dies

 Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as "What'd I Say" and heartfelt ballads like "Georgia on My Mind," died June 10th, a spokesman said. He was 73. Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney. Charles' last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer's studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark. Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries and defying easy definition. A gifted pianist and saxophonist, he dabbled in country, jazz, big band and blues, and put his stamp on it all with a deep, warm voice roughened by heartbreak from a hardscrabble childhood in the segregated South. "His sound was stunning -- it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing -- it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing, soulful thing," singer Van Morrison told Rolling Stone magazine in April. Charles won nine of his 12 Grammy Awards between 1960 and 1966, including the best R&B recording three consecutive years ("Hit the Road Jack," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Busted"). His versions of other songs are also well known, including "Makin' Whoopee" and a stirring "America the Beautiful." Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote "Georgia on My Mind" in 1931 but it didn't become Georgia's official state song until 1979, long after Charles turned it into an American standard.

Gatemouth Moore Dies

 Blues artist Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore, who gave up the blues and turned to preaching, died May 19th at Kings Daughters Hospital in Yazoo City after a long illness. He was 90. At the time of his death, Moore was pastor of the Lintonia A.M.E. Church in Yazoo City. He was born Arnold Dwight Moore on Nov. 8, 1913, in Topeka, Kan. He claimed he earned the nickname "Gatemouth" because of his loud singing and speaking voice. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis in 1938.At the age of 16, Moore went to Kansas City, where he sang with the bands of Bennie Moten, Tommy Douglas and Walter Barnes. Moore was one of the few survivors of the infamous "Natchez Rhythm Club Fire" in 1940 in which over
150 died. Other member of his band died in the fire. In 1941 he returned to Kansas City where he recorded his first record and wrote such songs as "Somebody's Got To Go," "I Ain't Mad at You Pretty Baby" and "Did You Ever Love A Woman?", which was recorded by B.B. King and Rufus Thomas. He was the first blues singer to sing at Carnegie Hall, according to a resolution recognizing him at the Mississippi Legislature this year. While performing in Chicago in 1949, he turned to gospel music and was ordained was at the First Church of Deliverance in Chicago with the Rev.
Clarence Cobbs as pastor. Moore served his first church in Chicago and joined WDIA radio station where he was the station's first religious disc jockey. He also worked for a religious station in Birmingham, Ala., returning to Chicago in 1957 for gospel programs on television and radio. He recorded gospel and blues albums into the 1970s. He recorded his last record in 1977 under as "Great R&B Oldies" on Johnny Otis' Blues Spectrum label. This was a blues release as Gatemouth recut some classics and cut some new ones including a salute to his old stomping grounds on "Beale Street Ain't Beale Street No More." He was also featured in Martin Scorsese's blues series singing that song as he strolled down the famous street. In recent years, Moore occasionally played festivals and kept busy with his duties as church pastor. For and in depth biography and audio feature click here.

Blues Pioneer Gets Historical Marker

 Twenty-five years after his death, Big Stone Gap native Carl Martin is finally being honored for his creativity and musical ability. His recordings during the folk revival of the 1960s and 1970s showcased his instrumental and vocal ability and the breadth of his musical interests. Martin died in 1979 at the age of 73.

2004 Handy Awards Announced

 The 25th W.C. Handy Blues Awards were announced in Memphis, TN on Thursday, April 29, 2004. The winners are:

Blues Entertainer of the Year: B.B. King
Blues Band of the Year: Roomful of Blues
Blues Album of the Year: Blues Singer - Buddy Guy
Best New Artist Debut: Doctor Velvet - Nick Curran and the Nitelifes
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year: Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year: Marcia Ball
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year: Solomon Burke
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year: Etta James
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year: Pinetop Perkins
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year: Koko Taylor
Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year: John Hammond
Blues Instrumentalist Guitar: Duke Robillard
Blues Instrumentalist Keyboards: Dr. John
Blues Instrumentalist Harmonica: Charlie Musselwhite
Blues Instrumentalist Bass: Willie Kent
Blues Instrumentalist Drums: Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
Blues Instrumentalist Horns: Roomful of Blues Horns
Blues Instrumentalist Other Fiddle: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Soul Blues Album of the Year: Let’s Roll - Etta James
Acoustic Blues Album of the Year: Blues Singer - Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year: So Many Rivers - Marcia Ball
Comeback Blues Album of the Year: A Woman Like Me - Bettye LaVette
Traditional Blues Album of the Year: Which Way Is Texas? - Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets
Historical Blues Album of the Year: Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live - Muddy Waters
Blues Song of the Year: Lookin' For Trouble! - Kim Wilson/Amanda Taylor

Mississippi Birthplace Seeks To Honor B.B. King

 Officials in the Mississippi Delta town of Indianola, birthplace of B.B. King, want to erect a statue in the bluesman's honor.The town of 12,000 where the singer of such hits as "The Thrill is Gone" spent his formative years is selling engraved $25 bricks and $300 business slates to finance the statue.The statue will be located at the entrance to B.B. King park, said Carolyn O'Neal, an official with the city's public works department.The city wants the statue ready for the opening of the B.B. King
Museum, which is set for 2005. O'Neal said three artists have been asked to submit proposals - one with King sitting, another with King standing and a third with King playing the guitar.

Claude Williams Dies

 Jazz violinist Claude "Fiddler" Williams, who was part of Kansas City's thriving music scene during the swing era of the 1930s and enjoyed new-found popularity in his later years, is dead at 96. Williams, who played the guitar, mandolin and bass as well as the violin, first came to Kansas City in 1928, joining the Twelve Clouds of Joy band led first by Terrence Holder and then Andy Kirk. He also played later with a band led by Alphonso Trent, which Williams said was "the first black big band allowed to play at white clubs in Oklahoma." After hearing him play in Chicago, Count Basie hired Williams to play both guitar and violin with his band. But when Basie moved his band to New York, Freddie Green replaced Williams as the guitarist. Williams played with various Kansas City bands until moving in 1940 to Michigan with George Lee, another well-known Kansas City musician. Williams worked as a welder by day and musician at night, coming back to Kansas City in 1952. In 1988 he was featured in the Broadway revue "Black and Blue," focusing new attention on his skills, and in the early 1990s he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. He became a popular attraction at nightclubs and music festivals around the country and overseas, where he always had a strong following. Williams was among the performers at events during President Clinton's second inauguration in 1997. That same year he performed at the grand opening of Kansas City's American Jazz Museum, a show that was later televised nationally.

Porky Cohen Dies

 Porky Cohen played with W.C. Handy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Roomful of Blues
and many others. His work stretches over most of the past century. He died April 15th at age 79. From 1942 to 1950, he hit the road with the big bands of Charlie Barnet, Lucky Millinder, Benny Goodman and more. In 1979, he got the call to join Rhode Island's rhythm-and-blues stalwarts, Roomful of Blues. After leaving Roomful, Cohen played around Rhode Island for the rest of his life, on a freelance basis and in the band Swingtime with John Worsley.

Ella Johnson Dies

 Ella Johnson, a jazz singer who performed with her brother Buddy Johnson in
his dance bands in the 1940's and 50's, died in New York on Feb. 16.A smooth singer with a seductive delivery, Ms. Johnson was often compared to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. But as a part of her brother's rollicking bands, she also helped forge a link to R&B and early rock 'n' roll. Ms. Johnson was born in Darlington, S.C., and moved to New York to join Buddy, her older brother, while still in her teens. Though only two years older than Ella, Buddy had become an established musician in New York and was leading groups at the Savoy Ballroom and elsewhere. Her first hit with Buddy was "Please, Mr. Johnson" in 1940, and she continued to record and perform with him into the 1960's. Among her best-known songs was "Since I Fell for You" (1945), a ballad written by Buddy.She also sang "When My Man Comes Home," "Hittin' on Me," "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" and "I Don't Want Nobody."

Flash Terry Dies

 Legendary guitarist Verbie "Flash" Terry died March 18th in a Tulsa hospital after suffering a stroke earlier this week. He was 69. Terry, known as the "Backdoor Blues Man", was an Oklahoma favorite. Born in Inola, Terry moved to Tulsa in the 1950s to begin his music career.He got his start with 'Cry Cry Hawkins' & Teardrops. In the 50s and 60s, Flash toured with such names as Floyd Dixon, Little Johnny Taylor and The Impressions. Terry took a seven year hiatus from touring, but returned in 1972 to play on Bobby Blue Bland's national tour. His recording career began in the late 50s at Perspective Sound Studios in Tulsa. He recorded the hits "Big Betty" and "Her Name Is Lou" at Perspective Sound. In 1988, "Flash" Terry and the Uptown Blues Band received a "State of Excellence" award from then-Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon. The band also received a "Citation of Appreciation" as Oklahoma's Favorite Blues Band. In 1994, Terry was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. And, just last year, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Flash's earlier recordings are now on permanent display at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa.

Gene Allison Dies

 Gene Allison, whose groundbreaking 1957 rhythm-and-blues hit, "You Can Make It if You Try," was a precursor of 1960's soul music and was recorded by the Rolling Stones on their debut album in 1964, died here on March 6. He was 69. You Can Make It if You Try," a Top 5 single on Billboard's R&B chart and a Top 40 pop hit. The later inspirational singles "Have Faith" and "Everything Will Be All Right" were Top 20 R&B hits in the 1950's for Mr. Allison, whose commercial success ended by the early 60's. He had recently spoken of trying to make a comeback. Versie Eugene Allison was born on Aug. 29, 1934, in Pegram, Tenn., and moved here at 7 with his family. He sang in church choirs as he grew up, which helped him get jobs with professional gospel quartets like the Fairfield Four and the Skylarks. While in high school he often filled in for the Fairfield Four's lead vocalist, Sam McCrary.

Hank Marr Dies

 Columbus musical legend Hank Marr was recognized as one of the world's masters of the Hammond B-3 organ passed away Tuesday, March 16. In 1945, he graduated from East High School, and, in 1947, joined the Army. Hank was transferred to special services where he played in the Army Combo Band. After he got out of the service, he joined the band, Charlie Brantley and the Honeydippers (which played on the fact that some people may have confused them with another band, Joe Liggins and the Honey Drippers.) In the early 1950's, Hank joined Rusty Bryant's band (with then-unknown Nancy Wilson on vocals). They played in Atlantic City during the heavy tourist season, where Hank first heard jazz organist Jimmy Smith. Inspired by Smith, Hank began playing the Hammond B-3 organ in 1957. Hank joined King Records in about 1961 and recorded seven albums for them. He formed his own group and toured the United States, Canada, and Germany until 1969. From 1969 until 1978, he was musical director for the impressionist George Kirby, performing at Caesar's Palace, The Johnny Carson Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show. In 1981, Hank joined the CJO, and in that same year, he accepted a teaching position at his alma mater, OSU. He retired from OSU in 2000, but returned to teaching. In the 90's he cut three records for the Double-Time label cutting his final album for the Jamey label in 2000. For more information visit: www.hankmarr.com

2004 Blues Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

 The Blues Hall of Fame by The Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame committee, chaired by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues has announced their 2004 inductees. The induction ceremony will be conducted in association with the Foundation's Charter Members Dinner, Wednesday, April 28, in Memphis Tennessee, the night before the 25th W.C. Handy Blues Awards. The inductees are:

Performer: Bo Diddley
Performer: Blind Boy Fuller
Non-Performer: J. Mayo Williams
Classics of Blues Literature: Juke Blues magazine
Classics of Blues Recordings - Singles or Album Tracks: Jimmy Reed, "Baby What You Want Me To Do"
Classics of Blues Recordings - Albums: Slim Harpo, Raining In My Heart

Jimmy Coe Dies

 Jimmy Coe, an Indianapolis bandleader and jazz saxophonist, died Thursday, February 26th at Methodist Hospital after a long illness. He specialized in alto and tenor saxophones. As an altoist, he replaced Charlie "Bird" Parker in Jay McShann's band in 1942. Upon returning to his adopted hometown after Army service in World War II, Coe led small and big bands here. He recorded rhythm and blues successfully for small labels in the 1950s. In his later years, Coe was known as an adept arranger for the big band he led under his own name. "He spent his life making people happy with his music," said Delores, his wife of 46 years. "He was something else." To support himself and his family, Coe held jobs with the city of Indianapolis, the Marion County juvenile court and the U.S. Postal Service. After retiring in the 1980s, he devoted himself to music. Despite health problems in recent years, he could be seen occasionally playing from his wheelchair at special events.

Estelle Axton Dies

 Estelle Axton, co-founder of the famed Stax Records Co., which generated hits from acts including Sam and Dave, Otis Redding Jr. and The Staple Singers, has died Feb. 24th of natural causes at the hospice at Saint Francis Hospital. She was 85. "Were it not for her, there's no way Stax could have become what it became,"
said David Porter. Porter and Isaac Hayes co-wrote numerous Stax hits, including Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming." Between 1960 and 1975, Stax's roster also included Booker T. and the MGs, Rufus Thomas, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, The Mar-Keys and the Bar-Kays. Stax began as Satellite Records in 1957 but was forced to change the name because a California company already was using it. The siblings combined their last names -- the "St" from Stewart and the "Ax" from Axton -- to come up with Stax, which became a rival to Detroit's giant Motown sound in the late 1960s and early 1970s.