Saturday, January 23, 2010

Michaela Rae on Television and IBC NEWS! by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

(Memphis, Tennessee) Early this morning I met with my old friend John Catt, and Dave and Susan Knox, parents of the very talented Grand County Blues Society contestant in the IBC Youth category, Michaela Rae. It was truly a delight to see Dave and John again and to meet Susan and Michaela. I had seen her perform at the Snowy Range Music Festival as reported here earlier this year. She started playing at 4 and is now 14 years old.

Today she stood all by herself infront of the television cameras and simply ripped on the guitar. She did not miss one single note and her playing is truly inspired. Listening to the music alone it is incomprehensible that it all originates form a 14 year old young lady but her beautiful tone through the 1958 Bassman in combination with her Paul Reed Smith guitar has to be heard to be believed. I was pleasantly stunned. Great job, Michaela. You have made many friends in Memphis and we all wish you well in the competition and in your bright future in the BLUES.





getting ready for the Memphis TV shoot

Michaela chats with WREG's Marybeth Conley and Alex Coleman

Michaela Rae hangs with senior editor of
Rolling Stone Magazine, David Fricke

David is in town to judge the IBC
Here's David's interview about Memphis Music:

http://www.wreg.com/shows/liveat9/



Michaela Rae

CHECK THIS OUT!
Michaela Rae's performance is available at WREG as streaming video:

http://www.wreg.com/shows/liveat9/

Friday IBC Semi-finals



Tripwire Blues Band at the Superior Bar(this bar used to be a police station)


author and old friend Johnny Lowebow, inventor of the cigar box guitar of the same name

Johnny Lowebow


The mighty Lowebow
Contact him at Xanadu in Memphis and get one of your own:

2200 Central Ave
Memphis, TN 38104
Tel. 901.274.9885

JB Hobson at The Pig on Beale


John Rogers at the Tap room

Federico Teiler and Sebastian Casis of
Argentine band Mo' Blues at the Rumboogie Cafe

Sebastian Casis gets some help from the crowd

Sebastian Casis jumps out onto the floor at the Rumboogie

harp player Jay Gaunt and Charley Burch

awesome Colorado bassist Andy Irvine and the author

BJ Allen and Blue Voodoo

from Kirksville, MO, BJ Allen and Blue Voodoo

my friend BJ Allen

BJ Allen

Australia's Dan Dinnen at Wet Willie's

Dan Dinnen blows acoustic harp for an appreciative crowd

my Australian friend Bryan Cook

Donna Donald and XM radio's Bill Wax

my friend Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin leads the big jam at Rumboogie

old friends
the vernerable Guy Venable, I55 Productions' Brad Webb and
harp playing singer David Hudson


Brad Webb and the author

bigtime blues promoters
Brent "Big B" Harding and Hugh Southard of
Blue Mountain Artists


guitarist Laura Chavez, and singers Barbara Blue and Candye Kane

Laura Chavez, Barbara Blue and Candye Kane


one last look down Beale

As I walk into the parking lot I wish they could utilize this great lounge for more than just the Blues Ball every year. Oh well, maybe they will some day.

More Blues News

The following four CDs have advanced to the final round of judging for the Best Self Produced CD. The winner will be announced at Solo/Duo Finals on the Orpheum Theater stage January 23, 2010 as part of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.

1. Blues Society of Tulsa - Little Joe McLerran, "Believe I'll Make a Change"
2. Colorado Blues Society - The Informants, "Crime Scene Queen"
3. Maine Blues Society - Pat Pepin, "In It For the Long Hall"
4. Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society - Laurie Morvan Band, "Fire It Up!"

Nineteen individuals and organizations will be honored with The Blues Foundation's 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch at the Downtown Doubletree Hotel Saturday, January 23rd, 2010, in Memphis, Tennessee. The KBA ceremony begins at 10:00 A.M. and will be held in conjunction with the 26th International Blues Challenge (IBC) weekend of events that will feature the semifinals and finals of the world’s largest gathering of blues bands, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

The Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recognize the significant contributions to blues music made by the people behind the scenes. Each is selected on the basis of merit by a panel of blues professionals. KBA Chairman Art Tipaldi notes with respect to this year’s recipients: “We are very pleased to bestow this recognition on people and organizations who have promoted blues music for many, many years. Increasingly, this is an international effort, and this year’s recipients reflect the worldwide impact of blues music.”

The 2010 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients are:

Art and Photography: Michael Maness, Memphis, Tennessee
Blues Club: Bradfordville Blues Club, Tallahassee, Florida
Blues Organization: Connecticut Blues Society
Education: Spencer Bohren, New Orleans, Louisiana
Festival: Heritage Music Blues Festival, Wheeling, West Virginia
Festival International: Piazza Blues, Bellinzona, Switzerland
Historical Preservation: Eric Leblanc, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
International: Finnish Blues Association, Helsinki, Finland
Journalism: David Fricke, Rolling Stone, New York, New York
Literature: Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson, Tom Graves, Memphis, Tennessee
Manager: Pat Morgan, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Print Media: Block, Almelo, Netherlands
Producer: Andy McKaie, Universal Music Enterprises, Santa Monica, California
Promoter: Pozitif Productions, Istanbul, Turkey
Publicist: Richard Flohil, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Radio Commercial: Charles Evers, Jackson, Mississippi
Radio Public: Rick Galusha, Omaha, Nebraska
Record Label: Crosscut Records, Bremen, Germany
Visual Broadcast: Film, Television and Video: Pocket Full of Soul.

MORE NEWS AS IT HAPPENS at:

AMERICAN BLUES NEWS

Bookmark us at http://Ameriblues.com

Come back tomorrow for news of all the IBC winners!


check out my website at http://RobertNighthawkTooms.com

©Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, 2010

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