Screamin Jay Hawkins Dies

  Screamin' Jay Hawkins, famous for performing his trademark voodoo-inspired blues lying in a coffin, has died in Paris aged 70. Hawkins, who scored his biggest hit in the 1950s with his hollering rendition of  "I Put A Spell On You," died in a hospital after suffering a hemorrhage following an operation on an intestinal obstruction. Hawkins went on to cult fame with hits like "Constipation Blues'' and in later life found a second career as a movie actor after director Jim Jarmusch hired him to star in "Mystery Train'' in 1989. "I came into this world black, naked and ugly. And no matter how much I accumulate here, it's a short journey. I will go out of this world black, naked and ugly. So I enjoy life,'' he told one interviewer.

Musicblitz And Taj Mahal  Launch Bluesblitz Website

  To celebrate February's Black History Month and the profound influence of the blues on American music and culture, MusicBlitz, in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning blues artist and noted musicologist Taj Mahal, unveiled BluesBlitz. This blues-oriented Web community is available online at  http://www.musicblitz.com. Blues fans can find free new recordings and Internet-exclusive downloads from prominent blues artists. Additionally, the Web site features an exclusive streaming video workshop on the history of the blues, presented by Taj Mahal. 

21st Annual Handy Awards Announced

  The Blues Foundation today announced the nominees for the 21st Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the Blues industry. The awards will be presented on Thursday May 25, 2000 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, and will be followed by a two-day Blues Festival on Beale Street, 'the home of the Blues'. To view the complete list of Handy Award nominees click here.

Blues GRAMMY Nominees Announced

  The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has announced its GRAMMY Award nominees for the Best Traditional Blues Album and Best Contemporary Blues Album of 1999. Recordings released from Oct. 1, 1998, through Sept. 30, 1999, were eligible. The 42nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Show will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 23. To view the complete list of  nominees click here.

Wade Walton Dies

  Wade Walton, who mixed a career as a blues musician with work as a barber, died January 10th at a St. Louis hospital. Walton was 77. During his music career, he shared the stage with  blues celebrities such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Ike Turner. In 1958 Walton recorded ''The Blues of Wade Walton: Shake 'em on Down.'' The album was widely distributed in Europe and earned him international attention. Walton was regular performer at the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel
Festival.

Singer Curtis Mayfield Dies

  Composer and songwriter Curtis Mayfield, whose work
introduced a social conscience into black music at the height of the civil rights movement and who continued to make music for a decade after an accident left him paralyzed, died Sunday Dec. 26. He was 57.

  Mayfield's string of 1960s hits included "People Get Ready," "Talking About My Baby," and "Keep On Pushing." While other black singers stuck to love songs and dance tunes, Mayfield
pushed the boundaries of rhythm and blues in the mid-1960s by singing of black pride and gritty urban landscapes - paving the way for funk and rap artists for decades to come.

Bobby Marchan Dies

  Bobby Marchan, one of New Orleans' most colorful
rhythm and blues artists, died Dec. 5 after a lengthy illness. Mr. Marchan, whose given name was Oscar James Gibson, was 69.
 
   Marchan's biggest hit, "There Is Something on Your Mind," was a No. 1 rhythm and blues single in 1960. As a member of Huey Smith and the Clowns, he sang on the hits "Don't You Just Know  It," "You Don't Know Yockomo," and "Havin' A          Good Time."
 

Early Wright Passes Away

  Pioneering radio personality Early Wright, whose nightly "Soul Man'' broadcast spanned more than a half-century and drew national media attention to his hometown's blues and gospel heritage, passed away. He was age 84 and had suffered a heart attack Nov. 8. In 1947, Wright became the first black disc jockey in Mississippi when he went to work at Clarksdale's WROX Radio. Until his retirement in 1998, he hosted one of America's longest continuous-running radio shows and
interviewed many celebrities, including Elvis Presley, Muddy
Waters, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner and Charley Pride.

Johnny "Big Moose" Walker Dies

  Chicago blues pianist/organist Johnny "Big Moose" Walker has passed away, in Chicago. Walker cut little under his own name but was a much in demand session player working with Earl Hooker, Otis Rush and Jr. Wells to name a few. 

Doug Sahm Dies

  Doug Sahm, leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet and one of the principals of the Grammy-winning Texas Tornados, was found dead Thursday in Taos, N.M.. He was 58.

  Sir Douglas Quintet started charting hits in 1965 with the song "She's About A Mover." He later recorded with Bob Dylan and Dr. John.

  The Texas Tornados were formed in 1989 with Sahm, Augie Meyers, vocalist and guitarist Freddy Fender and accordionist Flaco Jimenez. They won a 1991 Grammy for their first album.

  "He left his mark in the world," said Meyers, Sahm's musical partner for 35 years. `"The good Lord wanted to hear some Quintet and they weren't playing enough on the radio, I guess.'"

Keeping The Blues Alive Awards Announced

  The Blues Foundation, in Memphis, TN, the the prestigious institution responsible for the WC Handy Awards has announced the "Keeping the Blues Alive Awards." The awards are the highest attainable honor for non-performers in the Blues industry. Click here for the list of winners.

Frank Frost Dies

  Frank Frost, one of the foremost Delta blues harmonica players of  his generation, died on Tuesday at his home on the street named in  his honor in Helena, Ark. He was 63.  

  Frank Frost first played as an electric guitarist with Sam Carr and harmonica player Little Willie Foster in 1956 and later with Sonny Boy Williamson in St. Louis from 1957-1959. Frank played with Sam Carr as Frank Frost and the Nighthawks until 1975. They reunited in 1978 to record their first Earwig record as The Jellyroll Kings and toured the world to critical acclaim for many years. Frank's harmonica playing can be heard on motion pictures such as Crossroads and many others. Their last recording as The Jellyroll Kings was done in 1998.

Grace Brim Dies

  Grace Brim passed away recently, she was 75. Blues drummer and vocalist Grace Brim was best known for performing and recording with her husband, the legendary John Brim. Grace performed and recorded with John from 1948 until the early 70's. Grace played drums on John's classic 1953 Chess Recordings, including: "Lifetime Baby", "Tough Times", and "Ice Cream Man"