PLUS 7 special guests: Johnnie Johnson, Mark Hummel, Mitch Woods,
Reverend Billy C. Wirtz, Jelly Bean Johnson, Gaye Adegbalola
and Andra Faye from Saffire!

Taj Mahal (hear Taj's cruise greeting!)
Once again, the "Spiritual Leader" for Bluesin' On The High Seas is onboard for 2004. One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. Not content to stay within that realm, Mahal soon broadened his approach, taking a musicologist's interest in a multitude of folk and roots music from around the world – reggae and other Caribbean folk, jazz, gospel, R&B, zydeco, various West African styles, Latin, even Hawaiian. The African-derived heritage of most of those forms allowed Mahal to explore his own ethnicity from a global perspective and to present the blues as part of a wider musical context.

Hanapepe Dream (Tone-Cool/Kan-Du), Taj Mahal's first studio release since 1999, hit record stores June 10th. The CD marks Taj's return to Hawaiian- and Caribbean-flavored blues. "Hawaiian music has a ring as soon as the guitar is played. There is a life there, and it brings something from a farther time," Taj says..

Bring your island attire and dance the night away under the starry Caribbean nights with the one and only Taj Mahal. Artist Site

Susan Tedeschi (hear Susan's cruise greeting!)
Now, four years on from her gold-certified, massively acclaimed Tone-Cool debut "Just Won't Burn," Tedeschi cements her reputation as a heart-in-the-throat singer, sneaky-sharp guitarist and sweetly evocative songstress with the brand new WAIT FOR ME (Tone-Cool/Artemis). Co-produced by Tedeschi with the legendary Tom Dowd, WAIT FOR ME weaves a thread of blues tradition into a broader sonic quilt, incorporating everything from swinging R&B and groovy rock'n'roll to plaintive piano balladry and sweaty roadhouse improv.

"I don't really know how to describe what I do, other than 'American roots,'" Tedeschi says. "I think back to the '60s, when Bob Dylan, Mahalia Jackson and Muddy Waters would play on the same bill. It's all music that comes from the soul."

The way Tedeschi's pipes manage to get that soul across has earned her comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin, while her musical approach puts her in the company of fellow omnivores Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson (with whom she's toured). "Just Won't Burn" was one of the great success stories of the last ten years, with word-of-mouth, old-fashioned road miles and radio tastemaker support pushing its sales over the 500,000 mark, one satisfied listener at a time. Artist Site

Little Milton
Die-hard blues fans know Little Milton as a superb all-around electric bluesman – a soulful singer, an evocative guitarist, an accomplished songwriter, and a skillful bandleader. He's often compared to the legendary B.B. King – as well as Bobby "Blue" Bland – for the way his signature style combines soul, blues, and R&B, a mixture that helped make him one of the biggest-selling bluesmen of the '60s (even if he's not as well-remembered as King). As time progressed, his music grew more and more orchestrated, with strings and horns galore. He maintained a steadily active recording career all the way from his 1953 debut on Sam Phillips' legendary Sun label, with his stunning longevity including notable stints at Chess (where he found his greatest commercial success), Stax, and Malaco. Artist Site

Charlie Musselwhite
Harmonica wizard Norton Buffalo can recollect a leaner time when his record collection had been whittled down to only the bare essentials: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's South Side Band. Butterfield and Musselwhite will probably be forever linked as the two most interesting, arguably most important, products of the "White blues movement" of the mid-to-late '60s – not only because they were near the forefront chronologically, but because they each stand out as being especially faithful to the style.

Each certainly earned the respect of his legendary mentors. No less than the late Big Joe Williams said, "Charlie Musselwhite is one of the greatest living harp players of country blues. He is right up there with Sonny Boy Williams [I], and he's been my harp player ever since Sonny Boy got killed." Artist Site

The Derek Trucks Band
(hear Derek's cruise greeting!)
Blues/blues-rock guitarist Derek Trucks is the nephew of longtime Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks. He displays a command of slide guitar styles that run the gamut from blues to classic R&B and early rock & roll to classic jazz. Although blues players like Buddy Guy, Elmore James and Duane Allman have been a strong influence on Trucks' slide guitar playing, so have pre-1970s jazz players like Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Sun Ra.

Trucks began playing guitar when he was nine, and shared stages and sat in with the likes of Buddy Guy and the Allman Brothers Band by the time he was 12. Trucks began his professional career playing with blues bands around his native Jacksonville, Fla., and formed his own group in high school. Before the age of 20, Trucks shared stages and jammed with Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh and Stephen Stills. Artist Site

Tommy Castro
Tommy Castro is pegged as the next big star of the blues. Long a favorite among Bay Area music fans, Castro – in the space of two album releases – has taken his music around the world and back again with a sheaf of praise from critics and old-time blues musicians alike. His music is a combination of soul-inflected rockers with the occasional slow blues or shuffle thrown into the mix to keep it honest. His vocals are laidback and always a hair behind the beat, while his scorching guitar tone is Stevie Ray Stratocaster-approved. Crossover success does not seem out of the question.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Castro started playing guitar at the tender age of ten. Initially inspired by Mike Bloomfield, Eric Clapton and Elvin Bishop, he started the inevitable journey into the roots of his heroes and discovered and quickly became enamored of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Freddie King. His vocal styling came from constant listening to Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and Otis Redding. Artist Site

Walter "Wolfman" Washington
Walter Washington became a local legend in the Black clubs of New Orleans in the '70s and '80s and worked his way up to national status with a series of well-received albums and appearances. His recording affiliations have likewise moved from local to national independent to major label. An innovative guitarist and fine singer who has also done some excellent work with vocalist Johnny Adams, Washington does not perform in the classic New Orleans R&B mold but incorporates soul, funk, jazz, and blues with fluency and power.

Washington began his recording career relatively late, cutting his first album in 1981. The record, Rainin' In My Heart, appeared on a small independent lable called Help Me; it was later re-released on Maison de Soul. Four years after his debut, Washington landed a contract with Rounder Records, releasing Wolf Tracks in 1986. The guitarist recorded two more albums for Rounder – Out of the Dark (1988) and Wolf at the Door – before moving the major-label, Point Blank/Charisma in 1991. Throughout the '90s, Washington continued to perform regularly, particularly in New Orleans clubs, and he recorded occasionally, yielding Blue Moon Risin' in 1999 and On the Prowl a year later. Artist Site

Curtis Salgado
While a longtime fixture of the Pacific Northwest blues community, singer/harpist Curtis Salgado ironically earned his greatest notoriety as the reputed inspiration behind John Belushi's character in The Blues Brothers. Born in Everett, Washington on February 4, 1954, he first emerged during the mid-1970s as the lead vocalist of the Robert Cray Band, making his recorded debut on the group's 1979 effort Who's Been Talkin; after leaving Cray in 1982, Salgado also fronted Roomful of Blues between 1984 and 1986. Upon forming his own band the Stilettos, he signed to the JRS label to issue his 1991 solo debut Curtis Salgado and the Stilettos; More Than You Can Chew followed in 1995, and two years later he resurfaced with Hit It 'n' Quit It, recorded with guitarist Terry Robb. Wiggle Outta This followed in 1999; and Soul Activated was issued in early 2001. Artist Site

Rosie Ledet
Since her interest in music began in the mid-1980's, Rosie Ledet and her husband/producer, Morris, have truly traveled the Zydeco Road. Rosie's performances have carried her throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Rosie hails from the rural town of Church Point, Louisiana, and learned to play the accordion by watching her husband and then practicing on his accordion while he worked during the day. With her self-penned tunes, Ledet provides a unique female presence in the male-dominated zydeco world. She sings in both Creole French and in English. Her songs are often sly and lusty and combined with her natural good looks and distinctive, bluesy singing voice, she wows audiences wherever she goes. Artist Site

Anthony Gomes
Anthony is an artist who has fused the sum of his influences into something that is truly fresh and exciting. Drawing from Soul, Gospel, Rock, and R&B, then blending it all together with blues, Gomes has created a sound that is uniquely his own. In the process, he is leaving his imprint on American Roots music. In addition to his talents as a creative musician, Gomes has earned the reputation as a tireless performer. His live shows leave audiences in foot-stomped, hand-clapped, danced-out fits of exhaustion. Gomes struts and growls like a preacher on Sunday, and plays guitar in a manner that makes one wonder if he met the devil at the crossroads.

His third and current CD, UNITY, on 33rd Street Records, is a gathering of the musical impressions Anthony holds in high esteems. UNITY was produced by Jim Gaines and is hailed as an American Roots Rock masterpiece. Artist Site

Ronnie Baker Brooks
"A smokin' band that delivers a funky blues/rock hybrid with load of soul. Here is a new, exceptional blues star who is ready, willing and able to carry the torch into the next century." --Andy Grigg, Real Blues Magazine

After more than a dozen years as lead guitarist and bandleader for his father, blues living legend Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks is making his own personal assault on musical stardom. Ronnie's final performance as a member of the Lonnie Brooks Band was at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on New Year's Eve (December 31, 1998.) Ronnie expands on his musical legacy with a new and exciting flair of his own. He is a veteran musician with a young man's hunger and passion. His electrifying live shows and exhilarating new CD, GOLDDIGGER, are strong evidence of Ronnie's extraordinary talent.

Ronnie has jammed on-stage with many blues giants such as Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Luther Allison, and Buddy Guy. He has worked alongside talented artists including Junior Wells, Eric Johnson, Jonny Lang, Slash, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Keb' Mo'. "The importance of crossing cultural barriers is one of the most important lessons I've learned," says Ronnie. "I loved playing with my Dad, but I know I can make it on my own. I am determined to keep the family legacy, to keep the blues alive." Artist Site

Doug MacLeod
Unlike some other bluesmen now leading their own bands, guitarist and singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod spent many years as an apprentice before forming his own band. MacLeod has worked as a sideman for many different artists from the Los Angeles-area blues scene, including Big Joe Turner, Charles Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and George "Harmonica" Smith. His songs have been recorded by Albert King, Albert Collins, and Son Seals. MacLeod's 1984 album, No Road Back Home, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in 1984 and has since been reissued on compact disc on the Hightone label. MacLeod has widely available albums on Audioquest – Come to Find (1994), You Can't Take My Blues (1996), Unmarked Road (1997), and Whose Truth, Whose Lies? (2000). His first Audioquest disc features guest appearances by harmonica players Carey Bell and fiddle player Heather Hardy, while the second has a guest appearance by harp player George "Harmonica" Smith. 2002 saw the release of MacLeod's A Little Sin, recorded in July of that year with producer/frequent collaborator Joe Harley. Artist Site

Todd Sharpville
Born into a family of mixed heritage (half South American and half British), Todd Sharpville is one of Europe¹s hottest exports, and the most likely of modern UK artists to succeed in the USA. He also carries with him the novelty accolade of being the world's first "blue blooded bluesman" being a titled member of one of Britain's oldest and most aristocratic families... It transpires that even Her Majesty gets the blues at times!

Inspired by guitarists such as T. Bone Walker, Magic Sam and Lighnin' Hopkins, his career came to life with the release of his debut album in 1994, "Touch Of Your Love" (Red Lightnin' Records). Since then, his blues discography (not even counting the numerous commercial sessions he has played on) boasts an impressive 34 releases. These realistically put Todd's name in more CD collections worldwide than most of the blues guitarists the UK has spawned over the last 20 years put together.

In 1994, he won "Best Album" in the British Blues Awards (Europe's equivalent of the W.C. Handy's), and "Best Guitarist" in 1995. "Touch Of Your Love" was critically acclaimed by most of the worlds' blues press, and Todd and his band spent 2-3 years on the road in Europe promoting it. Since then, TS has worked as a sideman for the likes of Van Morrison, and his latest album "The Meaning Of Life" outsold every British blues release in Europe last year. Now, with his sights firmly set on also establishing his name in the USA, Todd is gearing up for his "one-man British blues invasion". Artist Site