2006 Blues Cruise

January 8-15, 2006 CRUISE ARCHIVE

Awards Winners | Commemorative Poster by Chris Peterson

Photos by Geoff Rollert, Joseph A. Rosen, David Horwitz & Dave Jones

THE BEST LEGENDARY CRUISE YET!!!

SURPRISE GUESTS: Tommy Castro, Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Carpenter, Deborah Coleman, Charles Wilson, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Zac Harmon, Mitch Woods, Daniel "Slick" Ballinger & Jellybean Johnson!

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	Taj Mahal 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. He never strayed too far from his laid-back country blues foundation and always comes fresh and innovative for the cruise.
	Bobby "Blue" Bland Undeniably one of the great blues vocalists of all time, he has straddled the charts over many decades and recorded in a variety of styles. Always a blues ballad stylist without peer, he had little difficulty in creating the soul/blues hybrid represented by his albums from the 70's onwards. Bobby earned his enduring blues superstar status the hard way: without a guitar, harmonica, or any other instrument to fall back upon. Bland was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
	Millie Jackson Millie brings an explosive and highly controversial show to the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. A music industry icon, Millie crossed over into R&B mainstream with her forward female approach and has in recent years had the smashing successful play, "Young Man, Older Woman", a play she wrote and starred in. Just a few of her hits include..."If Loving You Is Wrong-I Don't Want To Be Right", "Ask Me What You Want", "If You Think I'm Sexy", "Hurt So Good" & "My Man Is A Sweet Man". Millie is the epitome of performance perfection, a consummate entertainer on stage, in spite of being labeled, bawdy, brash, bad and risqué. The cruise promises to be off-the-hook whenever Millie takes the stage. Not for church folks.
	Buckwheat Zydeco "Buckwheat leads one of the best party bands in America; he can pump out zydeco two-beats or shift into rolling 12-bar blues, steaming all the way." - The New York Times If you've seen a Buckwheat show, you know what to expect: rocking, stomping, good time Creole party music. If you haven't seen Buckwheat Zydeco live, you're missing one of the music world's most exciting and fun performers.
	Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers Their distinctive West Coast boogie-woogie style has earned Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers the reputation as one of the best blues bands in the world today. He started playing harmonica as a teenager after his brother, who was 10 years older than Rod, introduced him to R&B. When his brother wasn't around, Rod used to play his R&B records. And it was Rod's brother who took him to see Jimmy Reed who gave Rod one of his used harmonicas back stage after his performance. Until that time, Rod had been concentrating his musical efforts on his guitar playing. As he experimented with the harmonica, he found that he really liked the harp sound...
	The Chicago Legends featuring James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Bob Margolin, Willie "Big-Eyes" Smith & More Bob played guitar in the band of Chicago Blues legend Muddy Waters, touring worldwide and recording, and learning to play Muddy’s powerful music directly from him. In 1980, Bob started his own band. As a leader, Bob has recorded two albums for Powerhouse Records, three for Alligator, one for Blind Pig, and his latest is The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam. This album was nominated for a 2004 W.C. Handy Award for "Traditional Blues Album of the Year." It features Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Carey Bell, Willie "Bigeyes" Smith, and Mookie Brill and has been nominated for a Handy Award for "Blues Band of The Year." Bob is nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in '05 for guitar.
	Tab Benoit Everything Tab does, he does on the spot. He rarely rehearses, making each performance a new experience for both the band and the audience. He likes things simple, and approaches life with a laid-back reverence. Whether it's his uncanny ability to fix things, his winning performances racing dirt track stock cars, or his emotional, yet restrained, approach to playing music, Benoit believes in spontaneity and the importance of the moment. Benoit just does what comes naturally. Tab has been compared to some of the greatest bluesmen and guitarists of all time.
	Jimmy Thackery Jimmy will always unleash an intense volley of rockin' blues guitar. His double edged guitar dynamics allow him to fire off tracer missiles, bend a note so it will fit under a limbo bar, run off dive bomber riffs, and find space within the trembling of one stinging note. "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside." He's one of the few blues guitarists who learned first hand from the masters of the blues (not off a record or DVD). After 15 years as the co-founder of the Nighthawks, he ended his time with them in 1987 and has been on the road for another 15 years doing nearly 300 shows a year proving each night that he is still the guitar powerhouse in the blues.
	John Hammond From coffeehouses to concert halls, festivals and beyond, John Hammond has spent forty years entertaining blues, folk and rock audiences around the world, performing intense solo-acoustic blues. A Grammy Award winner and four time nominee, Hammond is also a multiple W.C. Handy award winner who has shared the stage and/or recorded with many of the masters, including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf.
	Joe Bonamassa "Bonamassa is a bold talent." - Billboard Joe's latest CD, entitled Had To Cry Today, continues where Blues Deluxe left off. Mixing original and classic blues, Joe incorporates influences of Chicago, Delta and British blues into something wholly unique and electric. From the 40s and 50s music of BB King, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy to the English invasion of the Yardbirds, Clapton and Cream, Had To Cry Today deftly elaborates on the many faces of modern music's most influential genre.
	Kenny Neal and Billy Branch Kenny Neal and Billy Branch have influenced the blues world since they were teenagers, some twenty to twenty-five years ago. When the two of them decided to make an acoustic duet album in France, it was a rare treat. Now available in the U.S. on the Alligator Label, "Double Take" allows a rare opportunity to hear Baton Rouge’s Kenny Neal, who normally works with an electric guitar, on acoustic with the equally acclaimed Chicago singer-harmonica player Billy Branch.
	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 and is leaving his imprint on American Roots music. A tireless performer, his live shows leave his 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.
	Ronnie Baker Brooks Ronnie released his debut solo album, GOLDDIGGER, on his own Watchdog Records label in the summer of 1998. It was produced by Minneapolis veteran Jellybean Johnson. A gloriously diverse, modern blues-rock album, GOLDDIGGER's centerpiece is a searing slow blues called "Stuck on Stupid." Ronnie's duet with his dad on "Make These Blues Survive" is a speedy shuffle that talks about the challenges of taking the blues into the future. Other songs on GOLDDIGGER deliver buoyant blues-rock with whirling, Hendrix-like overtones; a straight-ahead blues shuffle, a blistering slide guitar workout; a dreamy acoustic pop number and a couple heavy crunch rock tunes.
	Deanna Bogart The Maryland-based blues and boogie pianist / saxophonist combines the energy of 1930's style boogie piano blues with contemporary blues sounds emanating from places like New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. Cashbox called Bogart a “butt-kickin’ barrelhouse player that could give a good chase to old Jerry Lee.” Blues Revue gushed that “A big part of what makes Deanna Bogart such a delight is her vivacious, charismatic live show." The Washington Post raved about “her two-fisted turns on piano that radiate plenty of energy and momentum!“ Music Monthly delights in Bogart's ability “to blend savvy street smarts with an earthy sensuality that is spontaneous from the very minute her music jumps from the speakers.” The Baltimore Sun celebrates how Bogart “plays the keyboard and sings like nothing you've ever heard–but should! Her vocal style is as full of vitality as her piano playing–both are sexy and deep, with unstoppable strength and unflagging energy!”
	Phillip Walker Phillip Walker takes the Blues to another strata. Despite recording somewhat sparingly since debuting as a leader in 1959 on Elko Records with the storming rocker "Hello My Darling," Louisiana-born guitarist Phillip Walker enjoys a sterling reputation as a contemporary blues guitarist with a distinctive sound honed along the Gulf Coast during the 1950s. A teenaged Walker picked up his early licks around Port Arthur, TX, from the likes of Gatemouth Brown, Long John Hunter, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Lonnie "Guitar Junior" Brooks.
	Corey Harris & The 5 x 5 To me, the blues is the blueprint," says maverick guitarist and singer/songwriter Corey Harris. "That's what we as black Americans gave to the world: the concept of blues. But at the same time, I'm of a different generation. I'm trying to represent what my tradition is, and then represent my individual self in the contemporary moment." Harris's life and music embrace the black experience in all its dimensions. His 5 x 5 trio features Victor Brown on bass and Johnny Gilmore on drums.
	Ana Popovic Popovic's virtuoso guitar playing gives a nod to Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, and the entire jam band scene. Hailing from the Netherlands, her musical range is extremely vast, and it is obvious she feels most at home playing the blues. Her modern take on traditional blues topics reinvents some of the subject matter in new ways, yet still manages to pay tribute to the blues women that have gone before her.
	Diunna & Blue Mercy 2005 IBC Winners Diunna Greenleaf is a native Texan who has a background steeped in gospel music, influenced by the likes of Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Rosetta Thorpe, Sam Cooke, Charles Brown and her own parents Ben & Mary Ella Greenleaf (Gospel). She has developed "Diunna's style of Blues" in the same tradition as so many other great Texas blues men and women.
	Ron Thompson & His Resistors 2005 SonicBids Band Contest Winners! A veteran West Coast guitar player, Ron has a deep history of playing with some of the greats, as well as running his own band for over 20 years. Ron is a legendary blues guitarist and master keyboardist whose career began in the rough and tumble world of East Bay nightclubs and bars in the early '70s. After touring coast-to-coast for seven years with John Lee Hooker as band leader, Hooker was quoted as saying, "Ron Thompson, he's my main man!"

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