Blues Bibliographic Database Launched

The Blues Bibliographic Database has been launched and can be found at BluesNet: http://www.hub.org/bluesnet/. The database was compiled by Gorgen Antonsson and contains over ten thousand references to magazine articles. When fully implemented, the database will hold about 15,000 references to articles in magazines, books, articles in monographs and liner/booklet notes.

Library of Congress Presents Southern Mosaic Collection Online

Southern Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip documents folksingers and folksongs collected during a three-month, 6,502-mile trip through eight Southern states: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. The recordings represent a broad spectrum of musical styles, including blues, children's songs, cowboy songs, fiddle tunes, field hollers, lullabies, play-party songs, religious dramas, spirituals, and work songs. The collection is a multiformat ethnographic field collection that includes nearly 700 sound recordings, as well as photographic prints, fieldnotes, dust jackets, and other manuscripts

Jimmy 'T99" Nelson to Release New Album

  Houston legend Jimmy "T99" Nelson who got his name from the 1951 hit T-99 Blues will be releasing a new album on Rounder/Bullseye on August 15. The album features Houston guitar legend Clarence Hollimon as well as some members of
Roomful of Blues.

1999 Handy Winners Announced 

  At the Orpheum Theatre the 20th Birthday of the W.C. Handy Blues Awards launched the Blues into the new millenium with a ceremony that was highlighted by the rich diverse styles of Blues. Blues radio pioneer and legendary performer Rufus Thomas co-hosted the show with Joe Louis Walker. To view the complete list of Handy Award winners click here.

British to Make Video About Maxwell Street

  An e-mail received just before Christmas 1997 has led two Brits to come to Chicago this month to make a TV documentary about Maxwell Street. The e-mail was from the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition asking producer Paul Baldwin of Nowmedia to write a letter of support for the Coalition. This he did and became further interested in the Maxwell Street saga and decided to produce a documentary. The film is to be the story of Maxwell Street that demonstrates its importance to developing blues music in the 20th century and will focus on the history of the area. In addition to the video, they will be making an accompanying radio documentary which will be freely available to radio stations worldwide later this year.

Guy Davis Wins Award

  Guy Davis won the INDIE AWARD at AFIM (Association for Independent Music - formerly NAIRD) for Best Acoustic Blues CD for his album, "You Don't Know My Mind".

  Blues Artist Lazy Lester will be in the Studio to record a new album project. Joining him will be several guest musicians
from Austin, the Beaumont-Port Arthur Area, and from Louisiana.
Lazy Lester is best recognized by Blues fans from his work with Slim Harpo, Lightin' Slim and others. He has written songs like "Sugar Coated Love" and "I'm A Lover Not A Fighter". For more info visit: www.great-recordings.com.

"Keeping the Blues Alive" Recipients Announced

  Seventeen bues enthusiasts have been singled out to
receive The Blues Foundation's 1999 Keeping The Blues Alive
(KBA) Award. The Awards were presented at a May 30th banquet as a highlight of the W.C. Handy Blues Award weekend. For the complete list of recipients can be found on the Blues Foundation's web site.

Curly Miller Dies

  Blues artist George "Curly Barefoot" Miller who was known for his flamboyant suits, racy jokes and shoeless tap-dancing died of a stroke at the age of 78. A throwback to the vaudville era Miller's shows were a blend of stand-up comedy and blues, with a bit of vaudevillian sparkle thrown in for good measure. "Daddy Ain't Your Daddy, But He Don't Know It" was an audience favorite. Miller performed regularly until his death.

(Courtesy of  The Dallas Morning News)